On my way to Hebrew school one Saturday, I vividly remember being so bummed I was not going to baseball practice or basketball practice. As a seven year old, this (forced-upon) commitment was certainly busting my adolescent groove, and I developed a reputation of being a bit of a weekend misfit. On those Saturdays, my friends who went to Sunday school were out playing roller hockey, the sport I loved most. No doubt, they were working up an appetite later to be quenched by a pouch of Big League Chew from the corner store, with a side of chips and a Gatorade (isn’t this every kid’s diet with their allowance money?).
As an adult, when I reflect on the dissatisfaction of my Saturdays being hijacked by foreign words unused in my world today, I am reminded that my closest friends were made at Hebrew school. Not only are they the ones that I rely on to this day, but one of them is now a significant contributor to One Wealth (most of you know Frank Mannino by now). This leads me to my point: Building your community early by casting your net wide can lead to consequential networks in the future, and you never know how that network will come back to support you in the future. I often drive near synagogues in the city and wonder what those Hebrew school kids think, and if they realize the importance of the bonds that they are building for their future.
