Morgenthau & Shabbat

When I read that Robert Morris Morgenthau said he would retire after 35 years as The United States Attorney for New York County, it brought back a host of memories. I did not know Morgenthau but I remember his name as a part of my childhood.

On Friday nights, it was customary for my parents to welcome family and friends to their table. Mother always prepared a large meal and my father would sing a traditional toast,"Kiddush," for the sabbath, "Shabbat."

These Friday night dinners always included traditional stories, sometimes philosophical discussion about the state of the world, and always politics. Some of this table talk was of little or no interest to the children, but I do remember the names of people being talked about. Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman,
Nixon, Dewey, Wallace, and Morgenthau was one such name who seemed to be revered, though I had no idea why or who this man was.

It was not until much later that I came to understand why this man created so much discussion around my parents table. And why now, in these troubled times, it is good to know that here is a public servant who serves with great integrity, the kind my parents spoke about at their Friday night table.