I was driving home in Manhattan, and saw a guy in a raincoat and hat walking across the street with a younger woman. At first I thought it was a man with his aide, but no - it was Woody Allen and Soon Yi. Glad I didn't run them over. Only in New York.
My sister and I found ourselves being “bageled” (when one Jewish person subtly lets another Jewish person know that they too are Jewish) in a ride-share by the young woman who was already in the car. We decided to embrace the “bagel” and began playing Jewish geography. My sister asked where the woman was from, and they realized they knew a number of people in common from the young woman’s native Minnesota. The car driver was shocked, and could not believe that two strangers in his car found people in common so easily. I next asked what this woman did for a living, and we realized that we were both Jewish communal professionals. We realized that we were currently working on projects together, and had been in regular email contact, but had never put a face to a name. The driver was absolutely astounded. “How is it possible that there are two co-workers who have never met in my car??” he exclaimed. By the end of the ride, we were making plans for Shabbat dinner. Only in New York.
Standing in the waters of a beach in Belize, I hear a woman speaking a foreign language while approaching me. I was wearing my Chai, which can be seen on a cloudy day form half a mile away. I thought she was speaking Farsi. She came nearer as she spoke louder and louder. I thought I was in for it and going to get a tough time from her. As she faced me she started to talk English and asked why didn't I answer her? It turned out she was speaking modern Hebrew which I never learned nor spoke. She was an Israeli Brit which made her spoken Hebrew, to my Ashkenazi ear, even harder to understand. She asked me why I wasn't afraid to wear my Chai. My simple response: I'm a New Yorker.
I am a native NYer and with the exception of the 2 years that I served in the U.S. Army, have lived here all my life. One Sunday, I was on the NYC subway system and noticed a young tourist couple who looked like they could use some help in getting oriented. I offered my assistance and found out that they were visitng from Italy. Turns out our only common language was Hebrew!
When tourists quip, “She’s a remarkable town,” I always nod in agreement: Only in New York would I get lost exploring an unfamiliar neighborhood and happen upon a small Israeli eatery humbly tucked between two dry cleaners. Only in New York can your Latino cab driver start singing a Hebrew song with his own Spanish spin on it. Only in New York would I find myself without kosher cutlery after renting a place and be graciously offered whatever I need from the Satmar camp across the street. And only in New York can you stand outside of a lobby with a group of strangers at 2am and realize you’re all related. Yes, I've experienced every one of these instances and my infatuation with this town knows little to no bounds.
I met my husband at the Matzah Ball, an event at Webster Hall for Jewish singles on Christmas Eve. We were both there that night with friends, and one of the guys he was with knew my best friend. I met my best friend in a Jewish day camp 15 years earlier. My Jewish story is how a friendship made in a Jewish environment ended up connecting me to the man I married. New York might be a big place, but the Jewish world is still a small place.
I went to get my hair cut and the hair dresser, a guy born in Singapore, started talking about what he knows about Israel from a friend of his and started using a lot of Hebrew words. He started telling me about all of the cities in Israel that he finds interesting and he knew a lot of Hebrew words, including "beit knesset" and "todah rabah." Only in New York. Also, it was strange that I went in to the salon just at that time just when he was the one free to cut my hair.
I met my future Jewish husband, Andy Cohen, at an event at UJA's 59th Street office in November 2014. He said I had the most beautiful blue eyes he'd ever seen. Two years later, in November 2016, Andy wrote about me in his new book. Thank you, UJA, for my 15 minutes of fame.
I once wandered into a Jewish synagogue, out of curiosity during a my first week in New York. The rabbi noticed me as I walked through the front doors and introduced himself. He then asked me if I have ever been to a synagogue before, to which I replied no. He invited me to stay for the service. Initially hesitant, I decided to join. The synagogue itself was very beautiful inside and vast. A choir of altar boys began to sing a hymn and it was amazing. After the service, the rabbi asked me if I were interested in attending the feast afterwards, held in the lower level of the synagogue in the basement. I attended the feast and surprisingly had a great time. I even met the rabbi's wife and daughter. Everyone was extremely friendly and made my visit welcoming. One of the synagogue members even told a joke. After the dinner, I thanked the rabbi and headed home, ready to tell my family and friends about my experience. Interesting thing was, I was having a rough day before my synagogue visit.