by Jerry Kaye, Director Emeritus

As Father’s Day approaches, Jerry shares personal thoughts and wisdom on male role models who impacted him.

“Father’s Day was not a day of celebration for me as a child.

I never knew my father. My parents divorced when I was an infant. I was raised in my grandparents’ home in Chicago, with occasional visits from my mother, who was often away singing opera in New York and Milan.

All the other kids at my synagogue had fathers. They always talked about “dad” and looked on with pride as their fathers took positions of leadership and moved about the bimah (synagogue podium or platform). I felt a certain sense of inclusion by proxy, but, of course, it was not the same as having your own father present…”

Read the rest of Jerry’s thoughts on ReformJudaism.org.

Jerry Kaye served as the director of OSRUI for 48 summers, from 1970 through 2017.