If Dr. Sidney Barasch,ztl Had Been Elijah...

If Dr. Sidney Barasch,ztl Had Been Elijah..., originally uploaded by Reva49.

This photo isn't Dr. Barasch, but he looks like him. Barasch taught Psych at California State College(now Cal U of Pa) back in the late 60s-early 70s, and I had him for a course or two. He was a good teacher, and I was saddened to hear he'd died some time ago. I figured this might be a good way to memorialize him. He'd have gotten a kick out of the photo, I think.
He was born here (the only one of his seven other siblings, he said), to devoutly Orthodox parents in 1913, but as his father died when the boy was 13, young Sidney probably never finished high school, and as a first-generationer American most likely viewed his religion with disdain. Drafted in WWII, his tests showed him to be extremely bright, and so he was transferred into MI. After the war, he probably finished school and went on to college. Psych being rather militantly atheistic at that time (and most likely still), he jettisoned his religious beliefs entirely. Unfortunately, I have a sneaking hunch he was attracted to Christianity, although he never formally converted---to MY knowledge, at any rate. Sadly, he and his wife were never able to have children. She was an English "war-bride", and whether or not she was Jewish herself I never knew. To me, he epitomized the "self-hating Jew", and I can't blame him for it, really. You see, living in an overwhelmingly Christian society as we do, it's almost impossible NOT to be like Barasch.
As for me, I've no trouble with being different because I CAME from a Christian background, and know WHY Judaism is the truer religion of the two. (Christians, please don't take offense, as your websites freely tout Jesus, so we Jews hould have the same freedom as well) Born Jews, however, are constantly beseiged with confusing and conflicting messages via society. Children, especially, are bombarded with typically American "it's unpatriotic to be different, etc" messages all the time, but Christians never think that these messages are wrong. Oh no, to Christians, anyone who "denies" Christ will go to hell, and they constantly babble on and on about their so-called "Prince of Peace" and how he "loves" everyone. Yeah, he "loves" us sooo much that he can't accept dissent. Funny, I don't remember HIM converting to Christianity. Do you?
This religious "terrorism" (yes, it IS terrifying to a child, and even to an ADULT at times---witness the terror experienced by poor Franz Werful, the author of Song of Bernadette, when he was on his deathbed and suffered needless paroxysms of fear over his refusal to convert from Judaism) is what's REALLY "unAmerican" here. I'm SICK of being "loved" by these smug hypocrits who can't WAIT for the "Rapture" so they can watch all of us "sinners" burn in hell. Are you shocked? Good! How about actually READING your bible, for a change? You'll be surprised to find that NOWHERE in it does God "reject" the Jews as his "chosen people". That crap came later, I'm afraid.
Am I angry? You bet! I really must thank all of you "loving" Christians for poisoning my SON with your garbage. He's so afraid he'll go to hell if he stays Jewish that I'm ready to tear out my hair! Thanks, Doris, for all that preaching you did on the bus when he was only five years old and trusted you. I should have reported you, but I thought it might have been over-reacting and so I didn't. Of course, reporting you would have been considered terribly "unAmerican" by our "loving" Christian neighbors.
And that's how it is today, in Republican Right-wing America. Don't you just LOVE it?