First I know that this post was made nearly a year. But it really struck me and for being on the first page, it caught my attention directly. Richard, Ive only been on GY for about 2 days now, and I must say you bring out some very, very demanding, and challenging topics.

I am responding to this in regards to "attracting the lost children," out there, and all others who might be in but mere contemplation with themselves, society, and or religious beliefs. I'll first tell you about myself. I was born in Florida, I was raised in Tel-aviv for 6 months as my father was an Officer in the Marine Corp, embarked on Foreign Consulate duty in Israel. Me and my family traveled quite a bit. Eventually, my family moved to Brooklyn, NY where we lived for about one year. Needless to say, as I was growing I was hardly EVER exposed to Judaism, my father converted to Catholicism in 1985, and subsequently my mother not too long after that. So, here I was this "catholic kid," growing up, and going to church, ironically right next to a Hillel organization. I was about 16 and it was around 1997/8, and I started to get interested in Judaism, as I was the only child, my mom divorced by this time, so all my time spent everyday when I came home, was on researching Judaism, learning Kiddushs from my Kaddishs, etc. Until one day my mother and I were going through pictures and her telling me of our Jewish heritage. This was a tremendous shock to me, here I am thinking I was following the right way for me, spiritually. Then, after studying Judaism for about a year, I did bold step, and probably one that I won't ever forget, and that changed my life. B"H I stepped foot inside the campus Hillel organisation for the first time, and listen to a round table discussion as my first Torah and Midrash lesson was conveyed unto my young ears. Since then, I was NCSY chapter chair for my local community, I scheduled BBYO events for my town, got involved with Chabad in my community, and donated a lot of my time efforts into changing the world, through Tikkun O'lam. Now, 5 years later I am in the Navy, and speaking of attracting lost children, I met one of my first real friends Kfir, a fellow Jew just like me! He was the Navy, and being that I was very involved in Chabad, and regional Shabbatons I brought him with me B"H, and we have had some of the greatest times out here in California and at Chabad of SDSU.. and I feel like I have enacted so much Jewish movement in my community now. Christianity is media, propaganda. As was many other things, also detrimental to Judaism, like anti-semitism. Many people, Richard, are scared and lost, and I think there are many others of us out there, Jews, like you me Rabbi Chaim, Rabbi Mitterhoff, its only time that we don't have that we need to act to revolutionalize human emotion through Simcha Torah!!B"H

Ashrafi
(Marc)

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