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Enoch
Due to a stark rise of nationalism in Europe in the late 1800s and early 1900s, my great grandparents grew up completely assimilated into German society and completely unidentified with Judaism. They lived the same way when they moved to the Dutch East Indies, where my Grandfather was born. After moving to Australia during World War II, my grandpa became interested in the Jewish religion and his ethnic roots starting in high school. He began indulging himself in Judaism; visiting Israel and meeting his future wife there. Job opportunities led them to move to America, where my dad and his siblings grew up in an Israeli and semi-observant household.
World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted
Paul and Hilde met in Hannover, Germany in 1926. They married in 1932 in a non Jewish wedding ceremony, as they were both secular and assimilated. They moved to the Dutch East Indies for Paul's job, where they raised their children in a non-Jewish affiliated household.
Paul was born in Germany in 1897. His parents were not religous, although his father Albert breifly taught at a Jewish school. Paul did have a Bar-Mitzvah, because he wanted to challenge himself. Paul was a nationalist, fighting for Germany in WWI, and believing that his country came before religion, and the Jewish peoplehood would isolate him from his society. He said that Jews are either religious or Zionist, and because he was neither there was no reason to identify as one. His brothers married non-Jews, and as he grew older he become fully disconnected from Judaism.
Hilde Adler was born in 1907 in Hannover, Germany. Hilde grew up completely unidentified with Judaism due to nationalistic values and being fully integrated into German society. Her parents, Max and Emmy Adler, were secular for the same reasons, although they were married by a rabbi. Her parents were murdered in the extermination camp "Sobibor" in 1943.
Death declaration from the Dutch red cross archives confirming the murder of Max Adler in Sobiber on May 7, 1943. Three witnesses declared he was immediately sent to the gas chamber upon arrival. (Left)
Bricks in Amsterdam listing Dutch victims of the Holocaust. The picture includes Hilde's father Max, and mother Emmy, and Paul's mother, Emma, all of whom migrated from Germany to Holland after Kristallnacht. (Right)
Robert Blumenthal was born in Jacarta, Indonesia in 1938. In 1942, Robert, his mother Hilde, and his older brother Peter, were sent to Australia by his father in order to escape Nazi persecuation. Meanwhile, Paul was sent to an internment camp in Japan. In Auatralia, Robert and his brother were raised completely assimalted and not Jewish, even attending a Christian school at a young age. Robert was never taught to acknowldge his Jewish roots and additionally, did not fully understand what was happening to the Jewish people during this time period. In 1946, his father returned from the interment camp, and he and his family eventually returned to Holland in 1947.
Robert and Rayah's wedding in 1966
Robert and his friend Yurek in Israel while studying at the Weitzman institute
Although Robert grew up unidentified with Judaism, throughout high school he became troubled by his roots and interested in the Jewish religion. In the mid 1950s, after he graduated high school, Robert went on a program to the US. There, a Jewish professor singled him out as a Jew and invited him over for Shabbat dinner. This was the first Jewish experience of his life. When he went back to Holland, he attended Leiden University, where he made many Jewish friends and began to explore his Jewish past. In 1960, he went to Israel on a summer program. He fell in love with Israel, describing it as "liberating, I was no longer ashamed of Judaism.” In 1963 he went back to Israel to get his PHD at the Weitzman institute. There, a year later, he met his future wife, Rayah, who was secular but very identified, patriotic towards Israel, and observed high holidays. After they married , Robert and Rayah created a new life for themselves in the US largely due to the murder of Robert's mentor during a terrorist attack in Israel. By 1975 Robert and Rayah had settled in Bethesda, Maryland with three kids, and a chavurah that met weekly. Robert's new sense of Jewish identity drove him to send his kids to JDS, receiving financial support from his father. Eventually, his family developed the customs of having Shabbat dinners weekly, observing holidays, and visiting Israel every summer. Additionally, his family spoke strictly Hebrew in the house, and all of his kids were Bar and Bat Mitzvahed. Robert became even more observant after his retirement, regularly learning and practicing Judaism and becoming deeply involved in his Shul's Torah study group.
Robert and Rayah on a trip to Mexico in 2018
Family photo in Bethesda
Celebrating Chanukah (right) and family photo (left)
Siblings in Israel in1970s
Dan's Jewish identity started off heavily oriented towards Israel. He and his family spoke strict Hebrew at home and visited Israel every summer. He was a proud Israeli and strongly identified with the Israeli ethos and attitude of never being victims again. Over time, he started appreciating Judaism as a religion and tradition, and that merely "defying Hitler" was not enough. As he grew up, his family became more focused on Jewish rituals, having Shabbat dinner weekly, observing holidays, and having Bar and Bat Mitzvot. Additionally, he and his sibling were sent to CESJDS starting in elementary school, and went to camps Young Judea and Tel Yehudah. When he went to college, he remained strongly identified with Judaism but less observant. He made many Jewish friends, and studied in Israel during his junior year. After college, he quickly learned that when he was around fewer Jews, like in law school and backpacking in Asia, the more important it was to find Jews and stay observant. These experiences taught him how much observance and upholding tradition mattered, which increased both his intellectual interest in Judaism and his fundamental belief in Judaism. By 2008 he was settled in a Jewish community in Chevy Chase, with a wife, and three kids; all of whom attend (or attended) Jewish day school and Jewish camps, observe all holidays, and frequently visit Israel.
Graduating JDS in 1990
Prepping for Bar Mitzvah in 1985
Praying at the Kotel on a school trip in 2020
My older brother's bar mitzvah in Israel in 2015
Unlike my my grandfather, Robert, and his parents, Paul and Hilde, I have been raised strongly identified with Judaism and have actively practiced my whole life. My observance of Judaism stems from my dad's strong Jewish identity, which originated from his father's self-discovery journey of his Jewish roots and his mother's Israeli background. I have attended Jewish day school my whole life, and have been going to Jewish summer camp for 7 years. This has led me to appreciate Judaism not just as a religion, but as a people and culture. Both my camp and schools have been pluralistic, so I have not always been focused on the religious aspects of Judaism. However, my family is a part of a modern orthodox Jewish community at home, which keeps me involved in Jewish religious observance. At home, we celebrate Shabbat every week, observe every Jewish holiday, and keep strict Kashrut. Additionally, we frequently visit Israel, where my grandmother was born and a lot of my mother's family lives. I always love our trips to Israel because it brings a new meaning to Judaism. There is a strong sense of spirituality and unity, and I feel extremely connected to my heritage, religion, and people as a whole.
Leining Torah at my school in 2018
My bar mitzvah party in 2018