Having been born in 1960s and raised in a mostly secular environment, I was far removed from the old world Judaism of my grandparents and great grandparents, who immigrated here from the Ukraine. My maternal grandfather and a few distant relatives practiced the traditions with an Orthodox fervor, complete with readings from the Torah and the fulfillment of the prescribed rituals. They understood both the mundane and sacred in what they were reading and practicing, including the Talmudic applications of it. Yet, for me, it was like observing somebody else’s religion or culture. It felt very foreign to me, and to this day it still feels that way to some degree.
Notes from David 