Scattered Wide and Far: Generations 1, 2, 3 ...

Ruth and Meir Novice, 2015

Dave and I were honored and very, very glad to meet Ruth (née Minden) and Meir Novice in Brookline (part of greater Boston) last month. I will write more later about the gathering, brought about graciously by Ruth and Meir's daughter Judi Roth (generation 3). Meanwhile, here is a photo of this amazing couple.

One question I had hoped to resolve during this get-together was the reason that the Mindens of Generation 1 scattered so definitively -- not just geographically but also in terms of how the family in the next two generations (including mine) has not stayed very much in contact. Ruth confirmed that the embrace of very different religious paths among generations 1 and 2 contributed significantly to this pattern. We are fortunate to have among us those who have taken their Judaism to heart in many ways; those who found a home within Roman Catholicism, Protestant faiths, and Christian Science; and others who felt most drawn to rational moral living, without a particular religious belief underpinning it.

In our Vermont home.

Now, in a modern culture that allows us to gently connect via social media, e-mail, and of course letters and visits, I am pleased to find the re-connections in some ways easier than they might have been a hundred years ago.