It just gets worse...

So, today when I pick Sam up, I said, "Did Daddy say anything to you about the conversation we had yesterday?"

"You mean about not going down for the thing?"

"Yes. Can you tell me what he said?"

"He said that being Jewish is like being black or being Chinese. You can't just say you're going to be black or Chinese and then do it. And he said if you become Jewish, they take the foreskin off your penis. Is that true, Mom?"

I reminded him that we had talked about circumcision, and that in some traditions it is possible not to do that (you do a pinprick of blood, symbolically). I said, "Actually, Sam, you can become Jewish. You're NOT born Jewish or Christian or Buddhist. You choose what you believe. If I were born in Russia and moved to America, and became a citizen, then even though maybe I was born in Russia, I would still be American, right? That is what it means to become Jewish."

"Oh, that makes more sense, because it isn't like there is Jewish blood in someone's vains or Christian blood."

"People have traditionally thought that the Jewish bloodline passes down through the mother. But that was much more important many centuries ago."

And I told Sam that we are going to celebrate Rosh Hashanah as a family at home, and invite some family friends over to celebrate with us.

And he said, "Cool!"

The End.