When I was growing up in my little Texas town, I knew one man who was a Jew. He was the father of a friend of mine and I didn’t actually know him well. He was a local dentist, Dr. Poliakoff. After I married and moved to Sherman, Texas (25 miles from my hometown of Bonham), my daughter Sarah’s best friend, Jody, was Jewish. She and her family were in a distinct minority in that little town, but that didn’t keep them from being proud of their faith and embracing it to the fullest. Jody now lives in Israel with her husband, Josh, and their three children. A big jump for a Texas girl, but a clear illustration of how important the Jewish faith was to her family and to her.
When I moved to Beverly Hills almost 20 years ago, I had a bit of a cultural awakening. I didn’t know what Shabbat was or Yom Kippur and I certainly didn’t know what a mitzvah was. All of that would change, of course, since Beverly Hills is predominately Jewish. I have since had a multitude of opportunities to get to know many people who are devout Jews and to experience firsthand the loving kindness of most. I have also had the chance to observe how parents in this community raise their children.
My husband, Ray, commented the other day that he was glad that we had raised our children in this Jewish community. “There is such a focus on family here,” he said. “It’s been good for our children to be around other kids whose parents have high expectations of them.”
It is true that almost all of the students at Beverly Hills High School graduate and well over 98% go on to college. Many go to community college before heading off to four-year universities and not everyone graduates with a Bachelor’s degree, but there is a distinct value placed on education in this community. Parents are highly active in the school system and also in organizations that support the school system, such as the Beverly Hills Education Foundation. Certainly the fact that most families are not struggling economically accounts for much of this success, but I think it has more to do with the strong family values that are connected to the Jewish community.
Most of the Jewish families I know observe Shabbat, where the whole family comes together every Friday evening for prayers and a meal. Many of my students observe Yom Kippur, a day when the whole family fasts in atonement and goes to temple, and all of the Jewish people I know acknowledge the importance of performing mitzvahs, or acts of human kindness. Is it a wonder that these children do well in school? They have families that are supporting them, along with a whole community of people who share the same solid values.
I have continued to observe my Christian faith here. I have never felt any undue influence from the many Jews I know to try to convert me or to diminish my own beliefs. My students come into my home and periodically comment on my icon of Mother Mary or the crucifix that stands on my buffet. They ask, “Are you Christian?” and when I say, “Yes,” they nod and I realize that I may be to them what Dr. Poliakoff was to me – someone who represents a different religious belief that is not all that familiar.
I am glad that we live in a country where we can all freely practice our own religious beliefs. I’m glad to have the opportunity to live among people who show me daily that having a differing belief doesn’t separate us in any fundamental way – we are all human beings trying everyday to do our best.
This is the beauty of this life – to experience the richness of different traditions and to see our shared humanity. I have grown as a result of these experiences. I continue to grow.
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