By Sara Klein Wagner
Sara Klein Wagner
President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Louisville and the Trager Family JCC
Yes, I admit I have babies on the brain. I have always been told that the birth of a grandchild is one of the most special and instantaneous joys a person can know. That was confirmed for me the moment I first saw my grandson, Micah Emmett, in his mother’s arms. I am in absolute love with this little guy and thrilled for my daughter Talia and son-in-law Darren.
The eight days waiting for Micah’s bris gave me lots of time to think about the past, present and future. Thirty-one years ago, we were blessed to welcome Micah’s mom, Talia. Talia was our first child, and I remember the wonder and awe, lack of sleep and hopes and dreams for her future. That the future could be wrapped up in such a tiny little person was amazing to me then, and remains amazing now. It proves Maimonides was right when he said the birth of a child is the creation of an entire world. A new baby does indeed have their entire world ahead.
I knew that then, in 1993 when I held Talia in my arms, and I know that now as I hold Micah. Talia Bess was named for my beloved grandmothers, of blessed memory. In that purposeful way, my daughter connected to the past, honoring those who went before her. I remember holding her at her naming, and sharing stories about my grandmothers’ attributes I hoped she would carry as gifts from the past. As mirror images — the present as I held Talia, and as I watched Talia hold Micah — were filled with transitioning from a couple to a family and the best sense of care and love one can imagine.
Past and present converge to form a future. What I remember so clearly about Tali’s first year was that Israel has always been part of our story. It extended from explaining that her name was an Israeli name, to memories of rising prospects of peace which at the time seemed so real. Tali was three months old when Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat shook hands on the White House lawn. This was big news and hopes were high. I managed to get a Seeds of Peace T-shirt, like the one worn by the Israeli and Arab teens in the front row witnessing that famous handshake. That T-shirt hung in Talia’s room until she left for college.
Here we are, 31 years later, and the past was not forgotten as Micah Emmett received his Hebrew name and his parents shared qualities of my mom and his paternal great grandfather. The present is filled with warmth and appreciation for Micah. I will always believe in the larger family Micah belongs to — what we call Jewish peoplehood. Three decades ago that handshake did not bear the hoped-for fruit, and the future remains decidedly unclear. Jewish children today will inherit the wounds and legacy of today and they will inherent the traditions, strengths and beauty of Jewish life and with our nurturing will make their hopes and aspirations come true.
As a Jewish communal professional, I know our commitment to the next generation motivates our work as we strive to ensure a strong, inclusive and caring world for everyone — literally “babies to zaydes” around the globe from Kentucky to Kyiv to Kibbutzim in Israel. Shalom and welcome Micah, and all of your new friends. You have the whole world ahead of you.
Sara Klein Wagner is President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Louisville and the Trager Family JCC.