COLUMNIST CRAIG GLAZER CONSIDERS HIS KANSAS CITY JEWISH HERITAGE!!!



TKC NOTE: Tonight, we're proud to feature EXCEPTIONALLY THOUGHTFUL writing from Kansas City media impresario Craig Glazer which not only offers a perspective on his faith life but also provides an EXCELLENT insight into Kansas City's Jewish community. Check it:

The American Jew

Being a Jew is kind of an odd situation. Is it a race of people or is it a religion or both? Like most minorities, the Jews have their stereotypes wrapped around their neck. The most popular stereotype is that Jews are cheap; that they hoard their money. You’ve heard the comment ‘He tried to Jew me down’. Let’s examine this popular stereotype.

Like most stereotypes there is some truth to the attachment. That is the case here as well. When the Jews ran from Europe in the late 1800’s and through the early 1900’s they could only escape their fate by having enough money to get to America. Though many of these Jewish families were well to do back in their homelands; those being predominately Russian, Polish, German and other Eastern European countries, most lost their finances in an attempt to escape the constant pogroms. Jews were being killed by the thousands overseas long before Hitler came on the scene.

So these Jewish families who mostly ended up on the East Coast of the United States in or around the New York area and later began to spread out across the country, they were poor and they didn’t speak English. On top of that, they didn’t believe in Jesus, and as we all knew, in the hearts of white America we are predominately a Christian nation, so they were at the bottom of the totem pole right away. To be honest, when you look at photographs of large groups of Jewish men and women in that era they mostly looked like Europeans; smallish, darker skinned, black curly hair, drab clothing and tended to be on the religious side at the turn of the century.

What made the Jews successful in America is a simple formula: family unity (a divorce among the Jewish community in those days was extremely rare), education was a must, and the parents sacrificed everything for their children so they would grow up and have everything that the parents didn’t have. At that time, keeping all the Jewish traditions was also placed upon the children. You’ve heard the expression ‘My son’s going to grow up to be a doctor or a lawyer’, that is mostly associated with Jews because that is what they tried to do. Wasn’t a bad game plan, was it?

Yes, the Irish and the Italians had similar values in those days. However, they were Christians. According to the Christians, the Jews were despised because they killed Jesus. Even according to Mel Gibson’s film ‘The Passion of the Christ’, it wasn’t the Jews who tortured, beat, kicked and eventually crucified Jesus. From where I sat it looked to be the Romans. At worst, some Jewish leaders jealous of rabbi Jesus’ growing popularity went to the authorities looking to take away his power…but I never heard of them suggesting he be maimed and nailed to a cross, that was more the Roman way of doing things. At worst, some Jewish leaders conspired with the Roman government to remove Jesus from his position which led to the events that caused his death. I’ve always found it interesting that the Romans, i.e. the Roman Catholics, are essentially the heads of the Christian religion today via the Pope and the Jews became the bad guys.

In today’s America, things are much different. There are few places that openly are prejudiced against Jews in this country. As recently as the 1950’s and ‘60’s, Jews were not welcome to live in Leawood, Kansas. Today, Jewish families are one of the dominant presences in south Johnson County including Leawood. Even Country Clubs like Mission Hills now have Jewish members when just a few decades ago that was taboo. Today it’s much more difficult to look at someone and decide by their clothing or appearance that they must be Jewish. There are many American Jews with blonde hair and blue eyes, you’ve heard the Adam Sandler ‘Hannukah Song’ that explains it. The American Jew has excelled in entertainment, banking, real estate and yes, the medical and legal professions. What I wrote above regarding stereotypes is generally no longer true. You might even say young Jewish people are some of the best tippers and biggest spenders out there.

Jews are rarely involved in violent crimes but it happens. The Jews have their Madoff’s and Boesky’s. But the American Jew heads up more lists of award winning accomplishments than almost any other group that includes Pulitzer Prizes, Academy Awards and endless humanitarian awards.

I think most young Jewish people are embarrassed about the six million Jews killed in World War II and the fact that history shows they went along with the program hoping to survive instead of fighting back. A brutal lesson well etched on the brain of every Jewish person on the planet. Meaning ‘don’t expect any help, you have to fight for yourself’ and thus the Israeli military battle cry, ‘Never Again’.

Today the nation of Israel is America’s number one ally. This small nations military might is unequalled by anyone on the planet except the United States. The Israeli combat victories going back to the Six Day War against all the Arab nations is more than impressive. Being a Jew, I was proud of the fact that the Israeli military would not leave hostages behind and attacked the military base where those hostages were held in Entebbe and were able to save most of the hostages. They don’t fuck around.

Yes, I’m an American Jew and not religious, but proud to be a Jew. The sacrifice and success of the Jewish people is truly a modern miracle. I am in awe of their history. Do I think people are still anti-Semitic and don’t like Jews? Sure, there’s no doubt about that. The majority will always find issues with the minority, that’s just the way it is. One thing is clear, the marriage between the United States and what was once the European Jew has been a massive success for both sides.

When my parents got divorced back in the late ‘60’s I was pretty upset about it as most teenagers would be. I felt ostracized by the wealthy Jewish community I’d once been a part of because now my family had no money. Yes, even the American Jewish families could be stuck up and a little cold-blooded like everybody else. I blamed the leader of our congregation, Rabbi Morris Margolies, for not doing more to help keep my parents together. I thought I was a tough kid with my black leather jacket, t-shirt, blue jeans and black boots so I faced him down in the hallway of the Beth Shalom Synogogue. The rabbi was probably in his late thirties or early forties at that time. I said to him ‘I’ll bet if we were still rich Oakwood Jews, you’d have come over more often to help patch things up with my parents, but now that we’re not you don’t give a shit’. The rabbi said, ‘Do you believe in God, Craig?’ I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘When I was a young man your age I was sure there was a God, when I got older I began to have my doubts and today I feel this way. If you want to find God look at the end of your own right arm, there you will find the Lord.’ He turned and walked away.

Over the years, I came to know what the Rabbi meant; while there may not be a Jesus or Mohammed or human figure that is God or ever was, the spirit force out there more important than any other is within us. That God is within every human being. Because like God in our own lives we make good and bad decisions and in the end we’re never really sure if the decisions that we make are ever the right ones. A footnote: Years later I was in Federal prison in my early thirties and every month I would write to Rabbi Margolies and he would write me back. We became good friends; he was a wise, wise man. My brother Jeff and I would visit him in his offices at Beth Shalom to talk about our lives and families as well as his. The rabbi passed away fairly recently, I must confess I miss those talks we had. I don’t know if anyone has the answers to religion, race or God, but I do know one thing, I am proud to be an American Jew.
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Comments

  1. Good read. Nice work Craig.

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  2. Eric Cantor got beat yesterday in part because the tea party crazies hate Jews. He wanted to become the first Jewish Speaker of the House.
    They put a stop to that.

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  3. Thank you. Next.

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  4. Damn Craig, got me thinking about a lot of stuff tonight. Maybe I need to call the Grandma and thank her for putting up with so much hate for her religion over the years. Good post, man.

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  5. Jew don't say.

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  6. Well I saw a Harrison, a 34 year old, idle, coffee stirrer legged, chunky eye glass framed hipster interloper from Austin and Portland but originally from Antler County, Wisconsin who writes poetry on his Etch-a-Sketch on the Broadway Bridge for “urban looks” just today. I asked if he's ever been to Stanford and Sons and he said... I watched a few reruns of the show when I was a kid with my parents. He then asked how long I would be visiting his nabeeeeee and where I was from. When I told him I'm a Kansas City native he replied... there's still some of those around? Wow man that's weird.

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  7. 731 is a fucking maggot6/11/14, 8:41 PM

    731 you fucking drama queen retard. Cantor was voted out by the same people who put him in office. He failed to listen to his constituency , specifically his attempt along with Bohener and Ryan, to do an end run and cram amnesty down our collective throats. It had zero to do with his being jewish. The jews have been persecuted and still are in many parts of the world. America aint one of them you fucking troll, and your ploy to use false anti-Semitism where none exists is an insult to the millions of Jews truly persecuted over the centuries.
    PS I hope you and your spawn catch the ass cancer.

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  8. Tea Party Forever6/11/14, 8:42 PM

    Nice Essay. And Cantor got beat because of the essays and illegal immigration not the Jewish thing.

    Good article Craig!

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  9. KC has a lot of great history with people of all ethnic groups. But it's sad to say that once they get established. They wise up and move away.

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  10. Craig never wrote this. Total bullshit. Fucking liar snitch.

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  11. I'm not sure why Glazer thinks we care about the skeletons in his closet. Freud said people will confess to crimes they didn't commit. It's like the American predisposition to cannibalism. Americans deep inside want to be eaten by other humans?

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  12. What essay are you reading. This totally sounds like Craig and he has told these stories to friends before. Sorry that you're such a hater @8:47. As for a snitch, sounds like something you're guilty about. You seem like a stalker.

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  13. Interesting how so many people believe in and repeat a false narrative concerning the history of "their" people.

    Curious how "the Jews" constantly perpetuate their historical "victimhood" while touting their success in the professions.

    Though different, it's analogous in many ways to another group (American blacks) which seems to constantly bring up their historical role as victims.

    Extremely few people originally came to the United States as wealthy individuals.

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  14. Hugh G. Rection6/11/14, 9:11 PM

    Haters gonna hate, the repression and abuse of the Jewish people is well documented over at least the last thousand years. Good article Craig, I seriously enjoy Tony's writing, but he doesn't post the essays that you do.

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  15. Wish this dude would get his own blog so I don't have to scroll past 10,000 words of boring.

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  16. DICK at 9:11 comment

    "the repression and abuse of the Jewish people is well documented over at least the last thousand years"

    I'm afraid you've shrunken and become permanently flaccid!

    Please substitute virtually any other religious/ethnic group in place of the word "Jewish" in your above comment and it would be equally true.

    DICK, repeating a lie doesn't make it true.

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  17. Nice article Glaze, one of your best.

    The Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto fought like fuckin crazy with sticks, stones and stolen Nazi guns. Held off the Panzers for 6 weeks.

    It is important to remember, that until Constantine the Great, the folks you are talking about, which include Jesus, were ALL Jews. Jesus was an Essene and lived for a time in Qumran very close to where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. The Jews fought with each other kind of like the Shia and Sunni fight each other today. There were Pharisees and Sadducees along with the Essenes and others, who differed dramatically as to the interpretation of their sacred scripts. The Romans killed Jesus because he was stirring up shit as still another "Christ". The Jews in Jeruselem didn't like Jesus turning all the money tables over in the Temple and fuckin up the status quo, which was ALWAYS a dicey situation in the Roman Territory. The Jews were in constant revolt against the Romans. There were never ending problems from the revolt of the Maccabees (Hannukah) in 166BC right on through to Masada in 72AD.

    You fuckers sure liked to fight then.

    324AD. The Council of Nicea. THIS is the biggest event in Christian history. Constantine the Great, in an effort to consolodate his far flung empire, called all the Jewish bishops from all over the empire. It took 2 years for them all to show up, and when they did, Constantine made them take a vote on weather Jesus was divine or not. He wnated them to vote yes (I am not giving an opinion, just the facts.). They did. THAT is the birth of the Christian relgion. I am sure they all went home believing theywere still Jews. Some were, some split.

    It is, what it is.

    If the Jews helped kill Jesus with the Romans, they killed another Jew.

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  18. Godwin's Law6/11/14, 9:43 PM

    Don't make me state the obvious, but you really need a recent history lesson @ 9:37. I think you will see that the Jewish people have faced some rather extreme challenges in just these past 100 years.

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  19. Seriously, Glazer: Why are Jews synonymous with the entertainment industry? I honestly did not know you were Jewish, but actually Armenian - like the Kardashians.

    So does success in the industry equate to how much Jewish blood you have? Please answer. I actually majored in film and screenwrite myself.

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  20. Glazer is not a Jew.

    To be a Jew one must practice living that life and fuck snot does not come close to be anything like a Jew. As a practicing Jew I am very pissed off that a fuck snot such as Craig is given any attention at all.

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  21. Plenty of Jewish people who don't make it in Hollywood. Get a grip. Write a novel.

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  22. 9:55 sounds jealous.

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  23. Jewish, Glazer ain't Jewish6/11/14, 10:18 PM

    what a crock of shit from Glazer, he is about as much Jew as Alonzo is related to Batman

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  24. Hugh G. Rection6/11/14, 10:26 PM

    Anon at 9:37, you are an uneducated asshole. Your concept of history is what you had for lunch yesterday, and I will assume that was DICK.

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  25. Have to agree, this is one of Craig's best columns.

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  26. Glazer didn't write this shit. Thats why it's on TKC. You dipshits, have any of you stupid fuckers noticed how none of these stories ever show up over on KCC who is Glazers buddy? Thats because Hearne knows retard boy isn't smart enough to do shit like this and has a writer doing it. So thats why you never see this shit on that site. Tony just puts it up for the hits it will generate knowing full well Glazer is full of shit.

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  27. I don't usually post other than ANONYMOUS because it draws out Tonys nutcases.

    But most sincerely, Craig, thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts, explanations and experiences. I feel related to you, as a gentile whose best friend died in a car ax back in the sixties.

    You have modified my thinking about Judaism in Johnson County and the US. I relate to you and that may mean nothing to YOU, but it does to ME.

    We do sometimes develop unnecessary and unjust stereotypes as we're barraged with Internet views, and I found your treatise brought me back to Earth on the issue of American Jews. Course I never felt down on them, ever. Though the Zionists turned my views.

    I'm pretty happy with Jew contributions to American society; ya've done well to make us so good. Wish I could say that about ALL of American influences... but that's obviously not the case. We have a lot of low lifes here...but I expect not many of them are Jews.

    Thank you for your contribution to my personal understanding.

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  28. Glazer is way too stupid to write something like this. No way. Ghost writer, maybe, Glazer, never.

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  29. I really thought this was one of the most PROFOUND POSTS we've been lucky enough to witness.

    A KEEPER. I've copied and forwarded Glazier's treatise and my appreciation for is post frankly leaves me pretty speechless.

    IF you didn't GET THAT, then maybe you should reflect on your own abilities to actually notice wisdom when it appears to you!

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  30. Another comment. Should you disagree with me, maybe you should be quiet and not post. Lest you look like an idiot and have no ability to delete your idiocy!

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  31. DICK at 10:26 & Godwin at 9:43

    Mr. Dick Flaccid, wow you got so worked up there you got a dribble of blood flowing into your wrinkled self for a minute!

    Yet, you didn't address my point, which was that there is NOTHING special about the abuse Jews have suffered through history versus a multitude of other religion/race/ethnic groups. A subset of Jews have just made an industry out of promoting their suffering.

    Compare and contrast: Professional Jew Victims versus Professional Black Victims; in which a subset of each group has determined that there is profit and reward in actively promoting their "victimhood."

    Now as for "Godwin", please drink some coffee, wake the hell up, and read my previous comment again.

    You said, "I think you will see that the Jewish people have faced some rather extreme challenges in just these past 100 years." I would delete the word "extreme", but otherwise don't disagree with this statement.

    Let ME state the obvious, you misinterpreted my words, and created your own imaginary scenario. My point was that most all religions/ethnicities have faced suffering and persecutions through the ages, therefore the Jews don't have a monopoly on it, despite some of them wanting you to believe that way.

    Remedial history lessons are assigned for the both of you over the summer!

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  32. Here's what sucks. Craig, is a HELL of a writer but The Star goes with Steve Rose. Also, Craig would crack me up on radio but we've got to settle for some pretty pathetic talent. In KC it seems that the people with real iniative and who could draw an audience are kept on the outside while guys like Craig contribute but don't get their fair shot.

    No, I'm not Craig or Craig's relative but I really liked this article and I'd like to see the mainstream pay more attention to this man.

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  33. Goodwin's Law6/11/14, 11:59 PM

    If you're using phrases like "Jew Victims" then you are clearly out of your mind and you don't know what you're talking about. Shame on you for trying to act like a reasonable person when you are most definitely out of your gourd.

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  34. @9:42 I call bullshit. Nice try on fooling us with your unscholarly trash. At the end of the 1st century AD the Romans knew very that the Christians were not Jews. Explain the decree of the Emperor Nerva or Pliny's letters to Trajan. Furthermore, the revolt of the 130's, percentage wise, was a genocide worse than the holocaust. Judea was taken off the map; thus a place called Palestine came to be. Constantine convened Christians not Jews. He was well aware of the difference.

    People do not hate the Jews because of the Romans. There is no point in talking about why people really hate Jews, because the more you find out the more you might actually agree with the haters which isn't good for anyone.

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  35. 6,000 years of history from Moses to Sandy Colfax!

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  36. hitler would have finished the final solution, but Stanfords never booked him for that third show on sunday

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  37. All of you THANK YOU. Some of the best comments ever on one of my articles. Thank you Tony for putting up my posts. As for Hollywood question: Yes there are many Jewish people with big time say out there, but clearly being a Jew doesn't lock up anything for you out there, it sure wasn't easy for me.

    Again great comments, even the few haters are always fun.

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  38. you didn't write a single letter of this piece. Not ...fucking...one...word.

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  39. how come there is never any jewish porn? We have all other genres why are we being deprived of hot jewesses?!?!

    thanks obama

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  40. Anybody else remember that USN ship the Liberty that Isreal atttacked during the six day war? 30-40 dead 100+ injured, the one that LBJ called off the rescue of?
    Fuck Isreal. If they have that much pull to first attack a US Navy vessel, in three different waves with planes and ships, and then call up the president on the hotline and tell him to call off any rescue attempts, then they are an enemy in my book. And every single president since has followed the same playbook. It took 36 hours for the Navy to send in a rescue ship to remove the injured. Then they were all threatened with court marshall if they even spoke about it!
    Makes you wonder just what they overheard Sharon saying...or Meir.

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  41. 9:56 SHAME on you!!! What are you, educated or something?

    All these believers in the poor, oppressed, "special victims" of Jewishness, "we've suffered SO much more than any other group", feel sorry for us and give us our own country and look the other way while we exterminate the Palestinians and violate international law and refuse to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty........would have us believe that you must be racist for speaking such things!!!

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  42. I'm a gay, black, HIV positive, fat, disabled, cancer surviving, 4th degree black belt jew and I'm telling you the discrimination against me sucks. We are gonna have a cry baby vigil at Tony's house tonight at 7 followed by a wild sex orgy. Bring your own Kosher Pickels.

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  43. Who is the idiot that keeps writing Glazer doesn't write his articles? I'm sure he does. Why do you write such insane crap all the time. He's a snitch? Where do you get this shit.

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  44. "I think most young Jewish people are embarrassed about the six million Jews killed in World War II and the fact that history shows they went along with the program hoping to survive instead of fighting back."

    What an utterly stupid thing to say.

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  45. Shushes now ..you'll hurt your tail.

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  46. ....GLAZEAMAZING....

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  47. 9:15 AM "how come there is never any jewish porn?"


    Because guys won't watch a woman who always says:

    "Nathan, what are you doing!!! Quit trying to stick your schtumpkus into my bumpkus!!"

    mystery solved....glad to help

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  48. Anytime Greedo and Raidioman agree with you.... Nuff said....

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  49. 12:46. Prove it! I can.

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  50. Do so liar.

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  51. Rice, stfu unless you want your face fucked up...even more.

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  52. why no jewish porn?
    cause jewish girls are horrible
    in the sack!
    WHAT DO YOU CALL A JEWISH GIRL
    ON A WATERBED?
    the dead sea!!!
    Okay glaze gets an A for this
    story. He probably gave this
    information to a real writer but
    never the less its still good
    stuff.
    However...jews are not ashamed
    of what happended in the
    holocaust. They are disgusted.
    But we never forget...but we
    can forgive.
    As far as jews and the arts...
    in Europe many jews were musicians/artists/business people/
    played musical insturments...were
    entertainers. That was part of the jewish society then.
    When they came to America, they
    brought it with them and took over the entertainment business
    for many years.
    The arts were a huge part of jewish life then and continues to be.
    As far as business the jewish
    business people worked together
    and bonded with one another to
    bring all of the jews up in the
    world.
    They were intelligent and understood the value of education.
    They knew how to move forward in life and knew the huge part
    education played in that.
    Congrats glaze! Nice piece.
    But us jews don't have to
    give excuses anymore. The only
    excuses we can give is that we
    worked hard, understood the
    values of family life, figured out the way to improve our
    standing, and realized that to
    make it in our new home that you
    had to sacrifice for the family.
    However, other groups new to
    America never realized it.
    Unfortunatley in other American
    lives the family has broken down.
    Now the jewish faith is struggling.
    In 2020 isreal will be an arab
    majority country. What happens
    then?
    Interfaith marriage is causing
    the lessening of jewish faith
    across the nation.
    This is part of the change that
    we're all seeing around us.
    But the jews understood the
    true meaning of
    "family" and it has allowed us
    to thrive and succeed while other
    groups never really realized that
    life begins "inside the home"
    La haim...salud.
    and congrats the glaze and
    company. After my constant
    harassment of them to come out
    south I heard on radio they
    are moving to 119th in op.
    We welcome you to our great
    city and wish you much success.
    your friend
    "rabbi" Harley

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