Women of Reform Judaism Pacific District
A Sisterhood Story
Families connecting through Sisterhood
Three years ago I went to a planning meeting for the upcoming All Sisterhood Day. The woman sitting next to me looked at my name tag and asked me if I was related to a man who had the same last name as mine. She said he belonged to her temple. I didn’t recognize the name so when I got home, I asked my husband if he had any relatives by that name. He said his father had a half brother with that name but he had not seen him since his father died. My husband’s father died 50 years ago when he was just 8 years old. My husband said before his father died, his uncle used to be at their house a lot. Then, as things sometimes happen between families, there were bitter feelings between his mother and his paternal grandmother and my husband and his uncle lost touch.
I next saw Tamar at All Sisterhood Day and told her that the man she knew was indeed my husband’s uncle. I gave her our phone number and asked her if she would be so kind as to give it to him the next time she saw him. We did not hear from him.
Last year I again ran into Tamar at All Sisterhood Day and she asked me if my husband ever heard from his uncle. I said no. Then she told me that his wife was here attending the day. Together we went to find her. Tamar introduced me to Diane and when she heard who I was, she gave me a big hug and we sat down to talk. She said her husband felt badly about not reaching out to his nephew all these years and the more time passed, the more difficult it became. But Diane and I decided to take matters into our own hands (as Jewish women do). It was time to set aside awkward feelings and reconcile this uncle and nephew. So we did. Within a few months, Diane and Morry got together with Marc and me for brunch. The awkwardness of the moment lasted only for an instant when uncle and nephew hugged each other and his uncle told my husband how much he looked like his dad. We introduced Uncle Morry to our son, Matthew, his great-nephew, and the only heir to the Meadow name. It was a day of sharing information, much of it my husband did not know, about a time very long ago. We left the restaurant with promises to get together again and I’m pleased to say we have.
Thank you, Tamar, for reaching out and helping me make this connection for my husband and his uncle. The Meadow family just got a little bigger.
Margie Meadow
Sisterhood member
Temple Beth Hillel, Valley Village, CA
Three years ago I went to a planning meeting for the upcoming All Sisterhood Day. The woman sitting next to me looked at my name tag and asked me if I was related to a man who had the same last name as mine. She said he belonged to her temple. I didn’t recognize the name so when I got home, I asked my husband if he had any relatives by that name. He said his father had a half brother with that name but he had not seen him since his father died. My husband’s father died 50 years ago when he was just 8 years old. My husband said before his father died, his uncle used to be at their house a lot. Then, as things sometimes happen between families, there were bitter feelings between his mother and his paternal grandmother and my husband and his uncle lost touch.
I next saw Tamar at All Sisterhood Day and told her that the man she knew was indeed my husband’s uncle. I gave her our phone number and asked her if she would be so kind as to give it to him the next time she saw him. We did not hear from him.
Last year I again ran into Tamar at All Sisterhood Day and she asked me if my husband ever heard from his uncle. I said no. Then she told me that his wife was here attending the day. Together we went to find her. Tamar introduced me to Diane and when she heard who I was, she gave me a big hug and we sat down to talk. She said her husband felt badly about not reaching out to his nephew all these years and the more time passed, the more difficult it became. But Diane and I decided to take matters into our own hands (as Jewish women do). It was time to set aside awkward feelings and reconcile this uncle and nephew. So we did. Within a few months, Diane and Morry got together with Marc and me for brunch. The awkwardness of the moment lasted only for an instant when uncle and nephew hugged each other and his uncle told my husband how much he looked like his dad. We introduced Uncle Morry to our son, Matthew, his great-nephew, and the only heir to the Meadow name. It was a day of sharing information, much of it my husband did not know, about a time very long ago. We left the restaurant with promises to get together again and I’m pleased to say we have.
Thank you, Tamar, for reaching out and helping me make this connection for my husband and his uncle. The Meadow family just got a little bigger.
Margie Meadow
Sisterhood member
Temple Beth Hillel, Valley Village, CA
