Re: meanwhile, back at Ellis Island . . .

[George Robinson <GRComm...>]

Yes, well the grass is always bluer in Kentucky.

I also have a funny story about my goyishe name and my writing career
along those lines. I was doing articles for a promotional newspaper for
a major Jewish institution here in NYC and when the editor, a friend,
assigned me to write a story on a Yom Ha-Shoah program, the rabbi who
was program director called the editor: "Look, George is an excellent
writer and I love his stuff, but for this program I'd feel a little more
comfortable with a Jewish writer." She replied, "He's the president of a
synagogue. Is that Jewish enough?"

George (You can never be Jewish enough) Robinson


Seth Austen wrote:
> 
> on 2/28/01 10:44 AM, George Robinson at GRComm (at) concentric(dot)net wrote:
> 
> > For years and years my father would tell me that the Robinson came from
> > the English branch of the family -- and in fact I do have English
> > cousins, but their name is Green and like a complete schmuck I never
> > questioned this little discrepancy. Then one night my wife (then of only
> > a few months) and my father are shmoozing in my parents house and she
> > asks, "Robinson, what kind of Jewish name is that?" and he replies,
> > "Well we think it was Rabinowitz and they changed it at Ellis Island."
> > I'm in the doorway when I hear this and I yell at him, "What happened to
> > the English branch of the family?" He replies, "What are you talking
> > about? Their name is Green."
> 
> Great story. My father remarried to a Green, her family is Jewish from
> Kentucky, probably no relation to your Greens...
> 
> >>>
> >>> George Richard Robinson (Now THERE'S a really authentic Jewish name!)
> 
> Seth Austen (another of those really Jewish sounding last names, originally
> was Aisenberg and Grafman before it got changed. It really drove me crazy at
> KlezKanada, all these people who thought I was a goy, oy vey)
> 
> --
> Seth Austen
> 
> http://www.sethausten.com
> emails: seth (at) sethausten(dot)com
> klezmusic (at) earthlink(dot)net
> 

-- 
George Robinson
Author, Essential Judaism
Please visit my website, "Essential Judaism and Beyond"
at www.GeorgeRobinson.freeservers.com

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