Disciplines

Jewish Studies

Abstract

Craig Morris, born in the Bronx in 1945, was raised in the Parkchester planned community. There, most of his friends were Jewish, although he did meet some nice kids who were Irish, Italian, and Protestant. However, he also had some violent run-ins with different ethnic groups, in particular the Irish. Morris discusses areas of Parkchester he couldn’t enter for fear of being attacked, and different incidents that occurred throughout his childhood. Overall, however, he describes Parkchester as a nice place to grow up, with good playgrounds, community spaces, and opportunities for children to walk around and explore.

Morris describes his household as very “emancipated” relative to the time. He and his siblings all did the dishes, and there was no expectation that the women should be subservient to the men. He played lots with his siblings, including Saturday morning Monopoly tournaments and ping-pong baseball in the living room. With his friends, Morris played games with marbles, baseball cards, and Tinker Toys.

Morris devotes time to his love of music. As a child, he was particularly fond of Rachmaninoff, and he spent lots of time practicing violin and composing music. In medical school, he joined some friends in the Bronx Symphony Orchestra, where he played for forty years. He has also worked professionally as a cantor, and he describes his various experiences in different cantorial roles. He even worked as a cantor during his time in the Air Force, where he was stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Base in Dayton, Ohio as a psychiatrist during the Vietnam War. While he chose as a teen to attend Bronx Science instead of LaGuardia High School, he still incorporated music throughout his professional and personal life. In his two trips to Israel, he made sure to visit cultural and music centers.

Morris was, and continues to be, very involved in Jewish life. In high school, he attended Hebrew high school in Manhattan, he attended a conservative synagogue, and he led Jewish services in the Air Force. His family did not, however, keep Kosher, as a result of his parents’ mix of beliefs and upbringings. Nonetheless, cultural Judaism was an important part of Morris’s childhood, and continues to be highly valued by him today.

Download

Share

COinS