"Your appointment is here to see you." My elevator buddy -- a partner at this firm -- winked at me and laughed. Come by my office when you are done if you get the chance." My interview went well and I could see that my decision to wear a kippah was paying off already.Some of the lawyers told me, without me asking, that I would have no problem observing Shabbat at this firm, even in the winter months when Shabbat begins early.
You may think that I was overly neurotic about my kippah dilemma.
But the fact is, that once someone puts on a kippah, he is making a statement.
As a “beta” version of assimilating American Jews, we often wrestle with the values that resonate with us most.
Ultimately, the gender dynamics we wish to create in our future homes are largely impacted by what is most familiar to us.
Once I put the kippah on they knew exactly where I stood.
It was also a symbol for me to know where I stood, in that my internal "religious" thoughts and feelings had to be reflected by external actions.
For me, it is a statement to myself and to others of my commitment to Judaism and the Jewish people.
After becoming more secure with my own Jewish identity, I have finally found the courage to make it.
No matter how far we have come in our own generation, our frame of reference is cropped by our own upbringing, likely by parents and a style of marriage we do not have too much in common with.