Update 10-29-02


Hi,

First, several follow-ups to last week's notes:

From Diane Fruzzetti:  I was saddened to read Barbara's note in the last newsletter.  I am shamed to say I was not aware of some things she mentions with regard to being Jewish in Valley Stream and did not see a lot of things until many years had passed by.  I will be the first to admit my parents were prejudiced, not only in regard to Jewish people, but of people from most ethnic backgrounds other than Italian.
      How odd.  I am remembering having mostly Jewish girlfriends and dating almost
exclusively Jewish men.  It was at the age of 16 when I first realized how my parents felt.  They interfered in a just friends relationship I had with a Jewish young man, and I did not find out until many years later from his mother what really happened.  Would life had taken me down a different path had this not happened?  I don't know.
      At this stage of my life, I can tell you this from knowledge and experience:  while the media may focus on and show hate, and it is there, there are also many, many gentile people around the world who have been enlightened by the plight of the Jewish people, and will defend and support them at any cost.  They were there during Nazi Germany, and they are here now.  
      As a gentile person I do not pretend to understand everything about what it
means to be Jewish.  For four years, I studied Christianity and Judaism, and I have
been to Israel three times.  Along the way, I have listened and learned a lot.  To those who are personal friends, and to the Jewish people as a whole, you are
acknowledged, you are appreciated, and you are loved.  No other people on the face of the earth have played and will continue to play a major role as world events continue to unfold.
      If I ever said or did anything hurtful to anyone in class because you were
Jewish, and for whatever reason I simply do not remember, please forgive my
ignorance; please forgive me.  With love and all due respect to all.

In a different direction, from Ralph Kramer:  I've been following the updates for as long as you've been sending them, but I've never felt a need to respond.  Still, as a New Yorker living in rural Virginia, I do feel a need to respond to Barbara Blitfield Pech's reference to "The South."  It strikes me as more than a little ironic that Barbara implies that the South has some kind of monopoly on prejudice given her New York experience.  I  think that it is highly likely that prejudice will always exist.  This is well-documented in the Intelligence Report, published by the Southern Poverty Law Project, an organization devoted to fighting hate-crimes and prejudice.  There are far more neo-Nazi groups and skinheads in New York and California, supposedly "liberal" states than there are in Virginia, North Carolina, or other places considered the traditional South.  I feel strongly that we must judge people individually rather than make generalizations about regional attitudes.  I don't mean to get too preachy, but I do get a little defensive when people criticize The South.  I certainly hope that I don't offend Barbara, but I suspect that I will.  In which case, I apologize.

From Rich, as I just wrote Ralph:  I also lived in rural Virginia, specifically Blacksburg, for a couple of years, a dozen years ago, without any kind of problems.  Plus, I've lived all over the United States, and, obviously, from my journal, have traveled through much of it.  And I've never had any kind of problems with prejudice, other than occasionally fighting my own.  So I've kind of led a blessed life that way.

More, from Paul DeMartino:  I think that regardless of one's opinion, all our collective Valley Stream experiences have helped shape us into the men and women we are today.  Yes, Valley Stream was not the utopia that perhaps our parents had envisioned when they moved us out of the city to live the "good" life in the "country."  Valley Stream, probably, was not much different from many or most other suburban communities at that time.  Despite whatever its shortcomings were, it still was a good place and time in which to grow up, and I personally don't regret it for a minute.

And from Robert Fiveson:  I was once told by the manager at King Kullen that had he known I was Jewish, he never would have hired me.  The only consolation is that I am sure he is still there.

Other news from Paul DeMartino:  My wife and I just returned from Playa del Carmen, Mexico, which is about an hour south of Cancun.  We stayed at an all-inclusive hotel and had a great time.  The weather and water were wonderful, and we ate and drank until we could no longer do so.  Now, I'm back to reality.  
         This past Thursday, Dennis Shapiro, Robin Feit, Gayle Ulrich, and I got together for drinks at a little pub/restaurant on the water in Seaford.  We had a good time and are looking forward to Sunday's gathering.  So far, coming are:  Dennis, Robin, Gayle (in from Florida), Louise Weimer, Danny Stellabotte, and probably Mark Yetman, Barbara Brill, Barbara Endy, and Joan Aries.  There may be others who attend at the last moment, and we plan to have a great time, as always.
         Also, I marvel at the topics of discussion on the class site, from the culinary merits of Nebraska to the covert prejudices experienced growing up in the 50's and 60's. It reminds me of Miss Hoogenboom's class.

Not to neglect Nebraska, from Zelda White:  Hey, Jerry!  As I've already mentioned, when my husband Dave and I went back for a visit some years ago, we had to admit the steaks were exceptional.  But that does not warrant having a reunion in Big Red country.  Main Street in Grafton, for example, was only two blocks long -- and had seven bars.

On a very different subject, Barbara Pech's report on the Miami Breast Cancer Awareness Run:  The race was an overwhelming event -- over 7000 runners, and a bazillion volunteers, both local and corporate supporters, and personal event people.  It was amazing, in a warm and wonderful way.  More than once, I was moved to tears by all that I was part of.  As per my run in the race, I had my Survivor T-shirt on, so got extra cheers as I passed by.  In my condition -- old, out of shape, but cancer free! -- I'll take any support, I can get, and was really enjoying he cheers till a double amputee in a wheelchair passed me at lightening speed.  Then all my cheering stopped, but I did finish -- on the same day even.  I even had my first ever in-depth, on-camera, network TV interview, hot, sweaty, and borderline stinky -- and, trust me, my pink, Survivor baseball cap didn't give me the "look" I would have chosen.  But I looked around and remembered how many of my "sisters" would have been happy to be there and only have bad hair day.  So I count my blessings and hope they'll be many runs to come.

A comment from Ellen Epstein Silver, who got Barbara's report ahead of the rest of us:  This was a beautiful read.  My heart fills with pride to know you, know what you've been through, and know what a fulfilling day it must have been for you to "compete" in this event.  I'm only sorry that I'm not in your local TV area, so I could have seen your interview.  That must have been over the top for you.

Finally, an announcement, from Mary Sipp-Green:  Hello everyone.  If you would like to see the catalog of recent landscape paintings for my November solo show in Boston, please e-mail your name and home address (for mailing) as soon as you can.  Send it to me at:  bstudio@berkshire.net.  Meanwhile, my best regards, and I hope you are all doing well.

The home page address (not a link):   hometown.aol.com/falcons1965a


Rich