Yesterday I attended an outstanding performance of “A Jew Grows in Brooklyn.” It was a wrenching and hilarious true story of an American immigrant kid growing up. .His parents were survivors of the Holocaust, and through his musical and acting talents he wove us through the complex life of a Jewish boy in America. Much of what he experienced resonated in the memories of my childhood in Jersey City. Certainly there were differences because my Father came from Sicily not because of the Holocaust, but rather because his Father wished for a better life for his family. The struggles for both families initially were the same, and the indomitable spirit of our parents despite prejudice and hardship provided us with the endless opportunities of this great land.
I felt at the end of the performance that I had spent the afternoon visiting two wonderful museums,his family museum and mine.Both were filled with individual priceless art and learning.