4 | MARCH 3 • 2022 

for openers
Side By Side
S

hould an argument 
ever arise in your life, 
someone will always 
inquire which side you are on. 
If there is a following for an 
idea, you do not 
want to let your 
side down. Be 
careful, however, 
when you side 
with someone or 
take sides.
Yes, you did 
just have an Aha! 
moment as you discovered 
the area of discussion I am 
pursuing. 
Want a nice vacation? Travel 
to the seaside. Be sure to take 
a map if you are driving so 
that you do not get left by the 

side of the road. If it is a long 
trip, you may wish to make 
some side trips to break the 
monotony.
Do not become a complain-
er; you’ll be thought to be a 
thorn in someone’s side. If 
you change sides easily, you’ll 
be described as talking out 
of both sides of your mouth. 
Always being ready for a dis-
pute may show your dark side.
Try to look on the sunny 
side of things. If, however, you 
get up on the wrong side of 
the bed, you may see things 
on the downside. Do not let 
this get you on the wrong side 
of the law.
Sometimes it helps to be 
able to see the funny side of 

situations. Don’t let yourself 
get jealous and think that the 
grass is always greener on the 
other side.
My favorite sides are the 
ones offered with meals. As 

a side bar, note that as an 
archer, I cannot hit the broad 
side of a barn. Besides that, 
my lack of prowess rarely gets 
beside my love of going and 
doing. (Please note there is a 
difference between besides and 
beside.)
Try to be of help to others: 
like the Good Samaritan who 
did not “pass by on the other 
side.”
To end, I like to recall 
knowing someone who was 
so prejudiced, he would not 
listen to the other side of a 
record.* (*Those who do not 
recognize 45 rpm and 33 1/3 
need to get an explanation 
from someone who is on the 
other side of 50.) 

Sy Manello 
Editorial 
Assistant

PURELY COMMENTARY

opinion
Time to Burn My Passport?
M

y wife and I, and 
five of our chil-
dren, had a dis-
cussion over Shabbat dinner 
recently about giving up our 
U.S. citizenship. 
Five of my six 
children were 
born in the U.S. 
On my father’s 
side, I’m a sec-
ond-generation 
American. On 
my mother’s 
side, fourth or fifth. When 
we moved to Israel, my old-
est was 11, and the young-
est was 3. A year later our 
youngest son was born in 
Jerusalem. He’s an American 
because we are. Some are 
surprised to know that we 
choose to keep out U.S. cit-
izenship or that we’re even 

allowed to. Others ask why 
we’d want to. 
Being American comes 
with many rights and 
responsibilities. Our situa-
tion as dual American-Israeli 
citizens is not unique. There 
are a growing number of 
Americans in Israel, but I 
suspect that there are many 
more in other countries 
where the same conversa-
tions are taking place. 
I am proudly American: 
born, raised, educated and 
will always be American 
in my mind and culture. 
On many levels, the United 
States is the greatest country 
with the greatest potential 
for so many. It is the greatest 
democracy and is a world 
leader in so many things. No 
country is perfect, and the 

U.S. is no exception. Keeping 
my citizenship is not a politi-
cal issue nor a partisan issue. 
It is a great blessing to have 
been born there, have the 
opportunities I have had and 
made for myself. 
America is also the coun-
try in which Jews have had 
the greatest opportunities 
in our diaspora, despite 
overt discrimination in edu-
cation, residentially, socially 
and more that have been (and 
in many cases still are) part 
of the U.S. society. American 
Jews have established perhaps 
the strongest diaspora com-
munity ever. Time will tell if it 
withstands the trend of pretty 
much all other diaspora expe-
riences. Nevertheless, until 
now, the U.S. has contributed 
to the Jews, as the Jews have 

contributed to the U.S. 
Spending most of my life 
and career in the U.S., I’ve also 
worked hard and contributed 
my share of taxes. I hope that 
Social Security will still exist 
when I am eligible to retire 
and reap what I sowed. 
Living overseas has broad-

Jonathan 
Feldstein

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