Remembering When, Insert (Not Part of the Memoir)

This was originally written for the New Israel Fund's "Taking Our Place" Project. It isn't part of the memoir, but it ties into it:

I don't understand how women (whether we're Messianic—e.g., Notzriot, I like am; or Lubavichiot, who boggle me with how they keep themselves out of Judaism—or Non Messianic) are kept of Judaism when women are often the ones who keep and/or rediscover the Jewishness in their families. I know that I'm one who actually rediscovered my family's roots (much to the chagrin of, and even with persecution from, quite a few of my family members), for example.

As for another instance, my great-great-grandmother Czernecki (who was of the Litvak-Poylisher "Andrulevicus"/"Andrulewicz" and "Morgevicus"/"Margiewicz" families) did everything to keep our Jewishness alive even when she, her husband, and her firstborn child (my dad's paternal granddad) became Anusim to survive the pogroms and to deal with Anti Semitism in the United States (where they had to go once their families were done with them and the other Anusim in the family). In fact, she totally flipped out when my great-granddad crushed her heart by marrying a Notzrit Jew whose parents were Anusim (She believed so thoroughly that her son was doing wrongly by marrying who she considered a koferet, she even drove my great-grandmom to almost have a breakdown.).

That same Notzrit, my great-grandmom, would follow her in-law mom's example when she stood by my great-granddad and voiced the objection of "She's Irish!" to my granduncle's marrying his Irish-American Catholic girlfriend (now his wife of over 40 years)—she wanted to see her sons marry girls with Jewish heritage (and my granddad did marry a Levite Catholic—my grandparents even named my aunt "Mary Joan" for their mothers and her mother in line with Sefardi minhag—since we do have some Sefardi heritage—, and in no way for the mother of Jesus).

Therefore, I'd be remiss to say that women ought to not be included in Judaism.

[Short Author Biography]

Nicole Czarnecki is a Patrilineal Levite who has Ashkenazi Jewish heritage on both sides of her family, and a bat-Anusim who discovered her parents' heritages (about which her dad didn't want her knowing, and about which her mom didn't know—and, sadly, doesn't care). She lives in the Diaspora and hopes to make aliyah if and when Notzrim like her will be able to do so under the Law of Return. Meanwhile, she invites you to find out more about her (including her family history) at http://www.about.me/nickidewbear.