Fearing the Unknown

“Do you have Jews in America?” my friend asked.

I think that’s kind of like asking if we have bears in America. You know, something you’ve heard scary stories about all your life but have never seen in person.

I refrained from, “Oh, boy, do we have Jews! Fat ones, skinny ones, mean ones, nice ones.” Instead I said that we do, and that they run a broad spectrum of what they are like. Some do not believe in God at all, and some are very religious. I explained that the religious ones would actually be very close in many ways to people here.

I also explained that they are a strong people, because they have faced much difficulty through the centuries. So they are not always warm and fuzzy. (Forgive the stereotyping, but I tell people the same thing about New Englanders.)

She seemed pretty interested, and I hope they seem a little more human to her than they did before.