I talked to Uncle Moishe this week. He is a little down in the dumps this summer fretting over the Yankees place in the standings and even more so with the imminent retirement of Derek Jeter at the end of the season. He thought Jeter was a throwback type of player and if nothing else, Unc is old school! Living in the Bronx all his life made Unc a diehard “Bronx Bombers” fan.
I have fond memories of going to Yankee Stadium to watch Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford and the rest play. If an early season homestand coincided with Passover Unc and my Dad and I would sit in the bleachers eating our KP peanut butter on matzah sandwiches while those around us ate hot dogs (plain or with mustard, never ketchup). Uncle Moishe was catching me up on the family news as usual. My Cousin Barry’s daughter, Reelah, had been in New York attending graduate school to get her master’s degree. She graduated back in June and came back home (Oy!) to her parents in Wellington, Fla. As Unc tells it, Reelah announced to her parents that she had met someone special at school that she really liked and that they were planning on getting married. Her mom, Sheila, was beside herself with joy at the news giving Reelah a big hug, wishing her great happiness, a Mazal Tov and on and on. Cousin Barry was somewhat less enthusiastic and asked Reelah more about this young man and especially if he had any money. To this question Reelah exclaimed, “Oh Dad, you men are all the same.” Defensively, Cousin Barry replied, “What do you mean we’re all the same?” And Reelah replied, “That was the first question he asked me about you.”