WhatsappBilly Joel a well-known songwriter opens up and talks about his Jewish roots. It takes courage to open up and talk, but Billy Joel has that courage.
Jewish Roots
There are many types of people that have had a terrible past and try to wipe it from their memory.
Due to many horrific acts across many different countries, many Jews assimilated and would not consider themselves Jewish. However, there were some Jews who would do religious acts in secret, such as lighting candles in a closet Friday night to bring in Shabbat.
It isn’t till generations later that children ask questions and parents slowly begin to open up. They explain why they do certain acts and explain how they are Jewish.
Many people when they find out they are Jewish like to connect back to their roots. They learn some passages from the Bible. Whilst also learning about Shabbat and the many festivals that the Jewish People keep.
Stereotypes
As for the case with Billy Joel, many people hear that you are Jewish and fit you into a category. As Billy Joel’s neighbor said, “you’re going to grow horns”. There are also multiple cases where people feel Jews control the media or politics or many businesses, making them greedy people.
However, stereotypes can be wrong. Jews do not grow horns. Many of the Jews I know are very nice people who do not have horns, neither do they have big noses.
Finally, at the end of the day, we are all people. It shouldn’t matter whether you are Jewish or any other religion it is what’s on the inside that counts. Don’t judge a person by their religion.
Billy Joel
Billy Joel is a songwriter and singer. Born in America in 1949, both his parents are Jewish. His father Howard Joel, fled from Germany during the Holocaust. Joel did not know he was Jewish until he asked his parents when he was a young child. I think it is so cool that someone so famous is Jewish and shares a history with me and my family.
