Wendy and I decided to have a Bat Mitzvah togeth- er. During the time we were studying for the Bat Mitzvah Wendy got pregnant with Abigail. So, by the time the Bat Mitzvah was to be performed, Wendy was very pregnant, almost ready to deliver. I had a very hard time finding a nice dress for her to wear. It all went quite smoothly but the funniest part of it all was when Wendy stood up to address the congregation and said, “My father always want- ed me to have a Bat Mitzvah, but I don’t think he thought I would look like this.” Everyone laughed. We were both very happy to be having a Bat Mitzvah together. I was very proud and honored to have a Bat Mitzvah with my wonderful daugh- ter. Afterwards we had an outdoor luncheon at the Eagle Trace Country Club. Our Bat Mitzvah was a real accomplish- ment. Both Wendy and I had more than enough on our plates and many times we felt too tired to attend class in the evening. It seemed as though we should just give up on the idea. But we didn’t. There are always reasons not to finish what we start. You have to push yourself to do it. We were both so happy we finished what we started. ANOTHER KIND OF WEEKEND Not every weekend is high energy and high risk. Here is a typical weekend. Diane , Stephen’s wife, invited some of her relatives and friends for dinner. She also invited Herman and me. Nothing was structured or particular- ly planned, just a pleasant evening of friendly conversation with our extended family. Saturday Herman and I just hung around the house. We had a good breakfast then settled down to read the newspapers from cover to cover. Then a swim, the treadmill for Herman, some computer games for me and Bridge on the computer for Herman. Lunch and more of the same. I might straighten up the house a little, play some Scrabble or Boggle on the computer or the smart phone. Later Herman asks if I would like to go to the movies. What’s playing? Another version of Planet of the Apes and something called, Debt. Neither of us are too excited about either movie. What do you want to do, I ask. I don’t know, what do you want to do, Herman replies. We remember the dialog in the movie, Marty, in which a confirmed bachelor, Ernest Borgnine, and his buddy ask each other that
Dorothy and Wendy’s Bat Mitzvahs
same question every Saturday night and always wind up being unable to decide and so do noth- ing. We keep it up for a while until we start laughing and keep laughing until we tire of the joke. Like Marty and his friend, Herman and I decide we’re too lazy to go out and just spend the evening watching television. For a while I play the piano and sing some of the old songs from World War II. Those songs remind me of how far we have come since those days when Herman was in combat in the Philippines. Both of us are chil- dren of first generation Americans who arrived in this country with nothing but fortitude and courage. They came from conditions so terrible that many millions of them were killed just for being Jewish. They did more than just gain a foothold in America – Shooster’s Drive In was an example of what America was all about. Their legacy is priceless. Our family never forgets it.
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