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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Augus 2, 2005
/ 26 Tammuz, 5765
Getting reacquainted with ourselves
By
Ruben Navarrette Jr.
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Among the defining moments in one's life, I'd include attending your 20th high school reunion.
I had that experience recently. Once I got the invitation to join my classmates from Sanger High School's class of 1985, I knew I had to go. I was much too curious. I don't mean that in the traditional sense. It wasn't that I wanted to know how my classmates turned out who was successful, who married whom, who lived where.
That's what the 10-year reunion was all about. My friends and I spent the whole evening back then talking about our careers, our dreams, and our plans for the future. What I remember about the gathering was a lot of people trying really hard to impress other people. Chalk it up to immaturity. Most of us were 28, and we were works in progress. A lot of us were stumbling around and finding our way.
I myself was trying to get my writing career off the ground and struggling with whether that necessarily meant leaving my beloved San Joaquin Valley in Central California.
Now, another decade had gone by. And I was being called back. What I was curious about was the whole premise. After all, a high school reunion is a totally unnatural experience. Think about it. You graduate from high school, and you and your friends go your separate ways. Years breeze by. People get married and divorced.
They find their passion and maybe, sadly, lose a parent. If they're lucky, they discover their "sense of place" in the one city or town in which they feel comfortable. And then, one night, they drive down the highway or board a plane to attend a gathering where they hug and laugh and introduce spouses to old flames.
Here you are slipping if only for a few hours back into the lives of people who, once upon a time, you saw every day in an all-too-familiar place that once represented your whole world.
In many respects, these people are now perfect strangers. But then again, there's so much you know and remember about them. How can you even hope to catch up? What do you say first?
There were those who never left our hometown, and those who did and had now traveled thousands of miles to get back. More than anything, that seemed to have the greatest impact on how my old friends saw the world and what they wanted from life.
Like a lot of Americans, I attended a "segregated" high school where the social scene was carved up into cliques jocks, cheerleaders, brains, etc. Well, the reunion was segregated too, but in a different way. People congregated with like spirits, and, from the looks of it, one of the dividing lines had to do with whether you'd left home or decided to stay close to your roots.
I don't remember anyone talking about careers. For many of my classmates, it seemed that part of pushing 40 was being settled and resigned to the fact that if you haven't gotten your career off the ground by now, you might want to think about scrubbing the mission.
Instead, all we wanted to talk about was our children. More than prestigious degrees, big salaries or nearly paid off mortgages, it was the one thing of which people seemed most proud.
There's a lesson for the high school graduates of today. When all is said and done, the most important part of your legacy will be the kind of kids you raised. It's the only thing that will matter to you or to anyone else.
In September, Fox will launch a new television series titled "Reunion," which traces the lives of six high school friends as they unfold over the following 20 years, presumably leading up to their own reunion. Each episode represents one year in the friendship. And in the first episode there's already a reference to the fact that one of the six will be murdered before the season is over.
Real life isn't so dramatic as what comes out of Hollywood. But if you make the effort to reacquaint yourself with old friends, and pay close attention when you do, it can be every bit as interesting.
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