"No, I'm not Jewish, but thanks for asking."

Did you know St. Louis has one of the larger populations of Jewish people in the country? Starting in the early 1800s many have settled here. There are areas of St. Louis with higher concentrations. One area where we lived had many orthodox Jews who walked to temple on Saturdays. I always enjoyed seeing families walking together to worship or boys playing in their yards wearing yarmulkes. The school district which the kids attend has a large group of Jewish students. Adria attended many bat mitzvahs the year she turned 13. As a consequence she often hears "Happy Hanukkah" during December. Her response is often, "Happy Hanukkah! You know I'm not Jewish, right?" A puzzled expression often follows and a "Are you sure?". We have decided that with her olivey skin and such she probably looks just as Jewish as the next. So, why am I mentioning this? Adria has a job this with local summer camps through a Jewish center. She has friends who have worked there in the past. I think we'll count how many times she is asked if she is Jewish. Maybe every time she is asked we should buy a loaf of challah bread to celebrate.

**Note: Do not take offense to my breezy attitude. We love all things Jewish except the gefilte fish ; )