Listening to @NYGovCuomo today made me think about my late grandfather, an immigrant from Eastern Europe who arrived to the U.S. in the early 20th century, survived the Great Depression, and then served in WWII before becoming a rabbi.
I remember how he always used to make sure that his grandchildren ate every piece of food in front of them and he never wanted to spend too much. If the "early bird" special was offered, he would take it. He always warned that you can lose everything with the blink of an eye.
As someone growing up in the 1980s, an era of excess and abundance for many Americans, I never could understand his fears. They seemed excessive or irrational given the context of the times.
The generation of Americans coming of age today will one day be telling their children and grandchildren about what it’s like to live through a pandemic, to see entire nations shut down and to have experiences lost, dreams shattered, and lives lost.
I’m thinking about my grandfather today with new eyes, appreciating the traumas that shaped him and remembering the warnings that now seem more prescient than ever.
And I also remember that he endured and built an incredible life for himself. He made a family and served as a leader in his community. Even in the middle of a crises like this, we must remember that when this is over, we can do the same.
This is him on the left, Rabbi Nathan Zelizer, serving as a chaplain in the Ohio State Penitentiary./end 
@threadreaderapp unroll
