I'm Jewish Too!

by Linda Korn

You really never can tell about people. You can't judge a book by it's cover, but sometimes you can spot a Jew by the length of her sleeves.
Today, a warm fall day, I was in the West-Side Pavilion shopping mall in Los Angeles early in the morning with my 15 month old son. We were on our way to a ten o'clock Gymboree class,but it was only nine-thirty when I stepped out onto the darkened 2nd floor of the Pavilion, where Gymboree is. The stores don't open until ten, and although Gymboree was open earlier, I decided I could have more fun waiting with my son upstairs at the indoor children's play area while I sipped on a decaf vanilla iced-blended no sugar added from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
Besides, the friendly woman I had just met in the elevator, who had beautiful earrings, which I had admired, and who was dressed as if ready to attend a hip casual brunch, was on her way there with her 2 year old son- so I'd have a mom to socialize with while I waited. Plus she could give me more info on the store she bought the earrings at, (I love earrings) and I could find out where she shopped, even though I likely wouldn't wear the pants or sheer top she had on anywhere but in my own dining room alone with my husband. Still, she had class, she had a warm smile, and she was a mom. Moms can always bond on something.
So, I headed to the third floor. I settled in with my extravagant drink on the parent's bench surrounding the rubbery over-sized hot dog and watermelon that the children could play and slide on. My son took off, and my new "friend" and I began to chat. Within minutes she asked, "Are you Jewish"? I nodded, knowing that my head scarf made it a rather obvious guess.
She said whenever she sees a women wearing a head scarf, sheitel (wig) or hat and long sleeves she likes to connect and tell them, "I'm Jewish too!. She said that her husband always connects with men in kippot as well. She seemed to think it was an admirable choice. She said she had several religious friends, and we began to talk further about just regular stuff like our kids and Gymboree and gymnastics and percentiles.
It was time for my son's class and time for her to exchange her too pointy shoes, and as we both got up to leave we began to say goodbye, but first I asked her if I could have her phone number so I could call and invite her and her family for a Shabbat meal.
"That is so nice of you", she said, "but, we don't go out on Shabbat, we don't drive on Shabbat. I may not look it by the way I'm dressed...," she said "We go to our local Chabad and we have a Kosher Kitchen too." She didn't live close enough to walk to us.
I apologized for assuming anything, and still took her number. It turned out we had some friends in common, and I said even if it wasn't on Shabbat we should stay connected. I think we were both delighted and surprised by each other. A totally KosherCool morning.