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Powerful life lessons in a funny and moving portrait of family, community and spiritual discovery in America.
Hilarious and heartfelt, Ron Wolfson's inspiring memoir is filled with stories of growing up in a warm family, encountering colorful characters like the merchants of Omaha and the famous Warren Buffett, navigating adolescence and learning never to underestimate his mother.
With easygoing Midwestern humor and profound poignancy, Ron's "true stories" of family and community in the United States of America will resonate with anyone seeking to shape stronger families, create compelling communities and live their best life, a life of joy and laughter, meaning and purpose, and, yes, blessings and kisses.
"I am the best boy in the United States of America. That’s what my grandfather—my 'Zaydie’—called me from the time I was a little child in Omaha, Nebraska. I know it’s true because this is a true story. All my stories are true....
“Zaydie loved three things: his family, his business, and his adopted country—the United States of America. I never, ever heard Zaydie say 'the United States.’ It was always ‘da United States of America,’ in his thick Russian accent.... For Louie Paperny, each one of his nine grandchildren was the best boy or the best girl in the United States of America. We believed him. I believed him. And in a certain way, I’ve lived the rest of my life trying to be that best boy."
—from Chapter 1
Through his collection of true stories in TheBest Boy in the United States of America,Dr. Ron Wolfson captures the heart of the American Jewish experience.
Framed between his Russian immigrant grandfather's wet sloppy kisses and Dr. Wolfson's own wet sloppy kisses to his grandchildren, TheBest Boy in the United States of Americais more than a memoir of a singular person’s experience, it is the memoir of the American Jew. His stories will make you laugh and cry—sometimes at the same time.
Dr. Wolfson, a keen observer, chronicles his family, friends, teachers—virtually anyone he meets. He relays his experiences with humor and compassion. In his journey from an unruly Hebrew school student to renowned Jewish educator he encounters and presents a fanciful but true-to-life cast of characters. From Mrs. B, who financially out-maneuvered Warren Buffet, to his mother’s ethical will, his memoirs delight, move and inspire his readers.
Because his reflections teach us the value of the Jewish family, the joy of being Jewish and how to be a mensch, the book should be read by every Jewish educator and parent, but is also an enjoyable read for anyone who has ever been a child or grandchild. It is worth noting that Dr. Wolfson’s narrative has a universal aspect that will make it appealing even to a non-Jewish audience, as he painstakingly explains every Yiddish or Hebrew word and Jewish custom.
Dr. Wolfson understands the power of a story, especially a shared one. These stories, in essence, are a reflection road map on how to create a Jewish identity in the next generation of "best boys and girls in the United States of America."
The Best Boy in the United States of Americashould come with a warning: the reader could find themselves laughing at inopportune times or having the insatiable urge to read the book aloud to family and friends.
For all its humor, Dr. Wolfson’s memoir has a serious calling to all Jewish adults—what Jewish legacy are we passing to the next generation?The Best Boy in the United States of Americais not just an entertaining memoir, it is an important one.
1 The Best Boy in the United States of America
2 The Best Boy in the United States of America ... Except in Religious School
3 Bubbie's Candles
4 Why Do I Do What I Do?
5 Eat! Eat!
6 Zaydie's Seder Surprise
7 A Tale of Two Bar Mitzvahs
8 Missing Shabbes
9 Never Underestimate Your Mother
10 Tevye
11 Mom
12 Dad
13 The Merchants of Omaha
14 Louis Market
15 Mrs. B, the Furniture Queen
16 My Hour with Warren Buffet
17 S. K.
18 Der Rosenkavalier
19 A Rabbi, Maybe?
20 An Educator, Maybe?
21 Wrestling with God
22 L. A.
23 A Dress for Shabbat
24 Learning Laboratory
25 Recipes for Memories
26 Fiddler Redux
27 Why Doesn't Everyone Love Synagogues?
28 A Vision for Transforming Synagogues
29 Mrs. Maizie
30 Life Lesson at AAA
31 What Do I Do Till the Kids Say "I Do"?
32 The Hope of God
33 Keep Moving
34 Saying Good-bye
35 Mom's Legacy
36 Facing Mortality—Together
Epilogue
In Gratitude
Discussion Guide