From Sue Vincent:
“Religion is a matter of diet. You must choose what suits your spiritual digestion, I suppose.”
Naomi Jacob, ‘Four Generations’.
Growing up, I loved the stories that Naomi Jacob wrote about the Gollantz family. I am not Jewish, though some of my forefathers were. Reading Jacob’s books gave me an insight into part of my own family’s culture and recent history. One passage has come to mind a lot lately. Emmanuel, the lead character, is struggling to come to terms with pain and loss. Hannah Rosenfeldt, an old friend, tells him that he must learn to say, ‘The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord’. Emmanuel cannot bring himself to say the second part, as he cannot bless a God who allows tragedy to happen. I was way too young to fully understand the stories, but this particular dialogue stuck…
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What an erudite lady you are, Sue and what a fascinating upbringing and family!! I’m not surprised you have Jewish blood in your family. I have been married to a Jew for 67 years who has a most searching, interesting, and curious mind, as have many of his fellow men/women…I also love Jewish humour, although I have no Jewish blood in my veins. But I do like to think outside the box. Great food for thought. x
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