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IS ALWAYS LOOKING "AROYF"*
The Yiddish word "aroyf" means "up"
Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe
Syosset, New York
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Michael, the former star of TV's "Family Ties" and "Spin City," has described himself as having a "goyishe punim." (He certainly does NOT have a "goyisher kop"--a term used in Eastern Europe to imply slow- wittedness!) The producer/director, Garry Marshall, gave him his theory regarding Michael's success in comedy: "You've got Jewish timing," he said, "and a goyishe punim." That is to say that Michael can deliver a "vits"/"witz" (joke) in a style that has roots in Yiddish theater.
In 1985, in an interview with People magazine, Michael Fox was asked if he planned to marry one day. "Oh, yes, definitely," he said. "I'm going to marry a Jewish girl." When the reporter asked him why, he said something along the lines of "Because I won't have to make any decisions, and I can eat Chinese food on Sundays." He has also been quoted as saying, "I'm going to marry a Jewish woman because I like the idea of getting up Sunday morning and going to the deli."
Yes, Michael is "farvaylndik"--amusing--but in real life, he has staked a claim in Judaism He married a Jewish girl, Tracy Pollan. (She is best known for her recurring role as Ellen Reed on "Family Ties," where she met her future husband, Michael.)
Together they are raising their three daughters and one son, Sam Michael, in the Jewish "kultur." His oldest children have already been bar mitzvahed.
Michael describes the procedure that took place before their daughters, Aquinnah and Schuyler, were called to the bema. Tracy and Michael brought the girls to the synagogue for a run-through of the proceedings and had a chance to read through the sermons each of them had prepared based on their Torah portions... The rabbi walked them through what was required of each--candles to light ("ontsindn"), prayers to read in Hebrew and English. The rabbi showed them how to hand the Torah as they passed it from family ("mishpokhe") members to family members, generation to generation.
Michael writes, "Notes were given to the girls on their readings, mostly praise, with gentle reminders to look up every now and then to make eye contact with the congregation. He reminded the girls that they were becoming part of an incredible lineage, a tradition that had endured centuries of oppression and persecution." Michael felt a mixture of both pride and humility over his role in bringing them to this place."
Rabbi Rubinstein (Central Synagogue, NYC, Sept. 2009) gave a sermon about intermarriage. He said, "I want to be clear about my position on this topic. There is no ambiguity. I urge Jews to marry Jews."
As he closed his remarks, he said, "Some of you are married to non-Jews...You are raising your children as Jews. Your spouse is standing behind you when your children are given their Hebrew names and when they become bar/bat mitzvahs. You've brought them to our family. You honor us and we reflect that honor back onto you... Let us be grateful to those who have chosen to be part of our destiny and our family. Let us throw open our doors to all who would choose to enter, and let us open our arms wide to embrace the non-Jews, those who are sitting among us today. They are precious and they are courageous and they are ours and they are part of our future and our destiny. So let us all together, with them, be strong...with God's help. Amen."
When asked what it is about Judaism that he's found really comforting, Michael replied, "My wife is Jewish, and therefore, it's my children's birthright to be Jewish. And so I always gave them the option when they became old enough to be bar mitzvahed, to make a choice for themselves, and they all--I have one seven-year-old, so she obviously hasn't got there yet--but my other three all made the decision to become bar or bat mitzvahed."
According to beliefnet, Michael said, "What I love about that and the teaching they've gotten through that, is that it's a lot about asking questions and a lot of it is open to interpretation. It's real, so I love that...I mean, even the Seder has the questions. There's a lot of participation. It's a very participatory faith, and it encourages young people to be inquisitive and to search and to seek.... It's also been very welcoming to me, being a non-Jew. The Reform Judaism movement has been really welcoming and supportive of me, and I've spoken at gatherings and been involved in seminars with various leaders."
Michael J. Fox was recently recognized by the Union for Reform Judaism for his tireless work on behalf of Parkinson's Disease research and stem cell research.
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