--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was growing up, I, like many Jews…" description: "\"When I was growing up, I, like many Jews, cheered what appeared to be the receding of faith from everyday life. The further religion got from our lives..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/bruce-feiler-8058_burden_when-i-was-growing-up-i-like-many-jews-c_321211.jpg" --- # When I was growing up, I, like many Jews, cheered what… ![“When I was growing up, I, like many Jews, cheered what appeared to be the receding of faith from everyday life. The further religion got from our lives the better our lives would get, I thought, because persecution had been such a burden to Jewish families for generations.” quote by Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/bruce-feiler-8058_burden_when-i-was-growing-up-i-like-many-jews-c_321211.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/bruce-feiler-8058_burden_when-i-was-growing-up-i-like-many-jews-c_321211.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/bruce-feiler-8058_burden_when-i-was-growing-up-i-like-many-jews-c_321211.jpg) > “When I was growing up, I, like many Jews, cheered what appeared to be the receding of faith from everyday life. The further religion got from our lives the better our lives would get, I thought, because persecution had been such a burden to Jewish families for generations.” [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He believed distancing from religion would ease suffering, but recognized the historical weight of persecution on his community. **In simple terms:** Faith loss seemed to promise relief. Key Takeaway Question the link between faith and suffering. Themes faith identity history Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - family traditions - cultural integration - personal belief systems Key Concepts sociology psychology Questions to Reflect On - What role does faith play in resilience? - Can secularism fully replace religious support? A Different Perspective Overlooks benefits of spiritual community and moral frameworks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden/) [Everyday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday/) [Everyday life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday-life/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Jew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jew/) [Judaism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judaism/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Persecution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persecution/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [“I was captivated by the thought: what if persecution is the normal, expected situation for a believer? And what if persecution is, in fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nik-ripkin/i-was-captivated-by-the-thought-what-if-persecution-is-the-normal/) [Nik Ripkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nik-ripkin/) > [“I do not know where Viktor and Rudolf were taken. I cannot find the records. I never Elisabeth or Iggie. It is possible that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/i-do-not-know-where-viktor-and-rudolf-were-taken-i-cannot-find-the/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [Here's some news you might find surprising: By and large, the French like Jews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/here-s-some-news-you-might-find-surprising-by-and-large-the-french/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [Like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-kagan/like-all-jews-i-was-probably-at-a-chinese-restaurant/) [Elena Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-kagan/) > [Farrakhan got everybody together for the Million Man March and everything. But Farrakhan don't like the Jews. Which is bugged. I get my hair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/farrakhan-got-everybody-together-for-the-million-man-march-and/) [Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/) > [And when I'd be reporting in Israel, Palestinians would say, the Jews they're not like us, and the Jews would say the same things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/and-when-i-d-be-reporting-in-israel-palestinians-would-say-the-jews/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) > [My Kashubian family, like the Jews, are people who were born and live in border areas and were suspected by the Nazis and by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-tusk/my-kashubian-family-like-the-jews-are-people-who-were-born-and-live/) [Donald Tusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-tusk/) > [Not every anti-Semite is Joseph Goebbels. You can not like Jews much and be no great harm to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/not-every-anti-semite-is-joseph-goebbels-you-can-not-like-jews-much/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [To the Jews, Rome constituted the quintessence of all that was odious and should be swept away from off the face of the earth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-kastein/to-the-jews-rome-constituted-the-quintessence-of-all-that-was-odious/) Joseph Kastein > [We Muslims in the West, like Jews before us, grapple with the same issues that Jews of the past did: integration or isolation, tradition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamza-yusuf/we-muslims-in-the-west-like-jews-before-us-grapple-with-the-same/) [Hamza Yusuf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamza-yusuf/) > [Nobody likes Jews. You can't say people like Jews. We're not popular. We're too smart to be liked. But it has been unacceptable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/nobody-likes-jews-you-can-t-say-people-like-jews-we-re-not-popular-we/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [“A Jew had once saved his life and he couldn't forget that. He couldn't join a party that antagonized people in such a way...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/a-jew-had-once-saved-his-life-and-he-couldn-t-forget-that-he-couldn-t/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [No offense, Nazis, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I don't like you. I like Jews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-mcinnes/no-offense-nazis-i-don-t-want-to-hurt-your-feelings-but-i-don-t-like/) [Gavin McInnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-mcinnes/) > [Some ticket buyers think they don't like Jews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-l-warner/some-ticket-buyers-think-they-don-t-like-jews/) Jack L. Warner > [I dont like Jews. Or colored folk. Or natives, now that you mention it...I bet you like Catholics. Cant stand them either. Nor women,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert/i-dont-like-jews-or-colored-folk-or-natives-now-that-you-mention-it-i/) [Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert/) ## More by Bruce Feiler > [Moses became America's true founding father because he evangelized action; he justified risk. He gave ordinary people the courage to live with uncertainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/moses-became-america-s-true-founding-father-because-he-evangelized/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) > [Even Superman's name reflects his creators' biblical knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/even-superman-s-name-reflects-his-creators-biblical-knowledge/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) > [But humans disappoint. Adam, in tasting the fruit, indicates that he prefers Eve to God, so God banishes them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/but-humans-disappoint-adam-in-tasting-the-fruit-indicates-that-he/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) > [The way to tell a really big story, I think, is to tell a really small story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/the-way-to-tell-a-really-big-story-i-think-is-to-tell-a-really-small/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) > [The key idea of agile is that teams essentially manage themselves. ... It works in software, and it turns out that it works with kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/the-key-idea-of-agile-is-that-teams-essentially-manage-themselves-it/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) > [The bottom line: if you want a happier family, create, refine and retell the story of your family's positive moments and your ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/the-bottom-line-if-you-want-a-happier-family-create-refine-and-retell/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) > [Knowing more about family history is the single biggest predictor of a child's emotional well-being. Grandparents can play a special role in this process,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/knowing-more-about-family-history-is-the-single-biggest-predictor-of/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) > [“A meta-analysis of sixty-six studies completed in 1992 found that mothers who have more support from grandmothers have less stress and more well-adjusted children.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/a-meta-analysis-of-sixty-six-studies-completed-in-1992-found-that/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) > [The bottom line: If you want a happier family, bring those skeletons out of the closet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/the-bottom-line-if-you-want-a-happier-family-bring-those-skeletons/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) > [I think that most of the action in religion is around the home, is in families, and is in individual lives, and they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/i-think-that-most-of-the-action-in-religion-is-around-the-home-is-in/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) > [My name is Bruce Feiler, and I'm an explainaholic. I first heard this word used to describe Isaac Asimov, and I knew instantly that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/my-name-is-bruce-feiler-and-i-m-an-explainaholic-i-first-heard-this/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) > [You don't need a grand plan, you don't need to go back to the ancestors and rewrite the rules. You just need to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/you-don-t-need-a-grand-plan-you-don-t-need-to-go-back-to-the/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) > [I grew up in the age of discount air fare, and for me, the act of joining a culture was a great way about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/i-grew-up-in-the-age-of-discount-air-fare-and-for-me-the-act-of/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) > [I set out to write an anti-parenting parenting book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/i-set-out-to-write-an-anti-parenting-parenting-book/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) > [There's a reason the Exodus story has inspired so many Americans. It's a narrative of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/there-s-a-reason-the-exodus-story-has-inspired-so-many-americans-it-s/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) [Explore all 85 Bruce Feiler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) ## More Burden quotes > [Everything I do is more memorable and I understand music more than ever now. It's not a burden to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seungri/everything-i-do-is-more-memorable-and-i-understand-music-more-than/) [Seungri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seungri/) > [I am at a point in my life where everything I have worked for starts to look like a burden, a weight on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-abou-samra/i-am-at-a-point-in-my-life-where-everything-i-have-worked-for-starts/) Simone Abou Samra > [Trump's enduring appeal is a resource to be harnessed by the Republican Party, not a burden to be jettisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-devine/trump-s-enduring-appeal-is-a-resource-to-be-harnessed-by-the/) [Miranda Devine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-devine/) > [We want to free our citizens from the burden of excessive paper documents in every office. We want paperless transactions. We will set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/we-want-to-free-our-citizens-from-the-burden-of-excessive-paper/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [We cannot go back in time and change the past, but we can repent. The Savior can wipe away our tears of regret and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/we-cannot-go-back-in-time-and-change-the-past-but-we-can-repent-the/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [The world around us is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. Occasionally that splashes onto us, and perhaps, in the case of a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-world-around-us-is-an-increasingly-hostile-and-sinful-place/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > ['Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/inequality-has-become-the-political-theme-slogan-of-our-time-in-both/) [Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/) > [With those who are willing to join, let us cooperate to reduce the burden of arms, to strengthen the structure of peace, to lift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/with-those-who-are-willing-to-join-let-us-cooperate-to-reduce-the/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [“What a burden it must be to know all the terrible things you've done and support it with arms unfit to carry it all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-weikel/what-a-burden-it-must-be-to-know-all-the-terrible-things-you-ve-done/) [K. Weikel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-weikel/) > [And that, in a way, was the burden of being a philosopher: one knew what one had to do, but it was so often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/and-that-in-a-way-was-the-burden-of-being-a-philosopher-one-knew-what/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [Wherever I am, I see the yoke on women in some form or another. On some it sits easy for they are but beasts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-may-alcott/wherever-i-am-i-see-the-yoke-on-women-in-some-form-or-another-on-some/) [Abby May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-may-alcott/) > [It's a burden trying to keep a secret. It's hard. It probably takes more out of you trying to hold it and keep it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magic-johnson/it-s-a-burden-trying-to-keep-a-secret-it-s-hard-it-probably-takes/) [Magic Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magic-johnson/) > [I've always liked artists like Chris Burden, who would take performances, put them in galleries, and then do things that were on the edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-blaine/i-ve-always-liked-artists-like-chris-burden-who-would-take/) [David Blaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-blaine/) > [Our office...subjects us to great burdens and labors, dangers and temptations, with little reward or gratitude from the world. But Christ himself will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/our-office-subjects-us-to-great-burdens-and-labors-dangers-and/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [The debt immense of endless gratitude, So burthensome, still paying, still to owe; Forgetful what from him I still receivd, And understood not that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/the-debt-immense-of-endless-gratitude-so-burthensome-still-paying/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) [Browse all 2,567 Burden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was growing up, I, like many Jews, cheered what appeared to be the receding of faith from everyday life. The further religion got from our lives the better our lives would get, I thought, because persecution had been such a burden to Jewish families for generations.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bruce Feiler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/when-i-was-growing-up-i-like-many-jews-cheered-what-appeared-to-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Burden" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/when-i-was-growing-up-i-like-many-jews-cheered-what-appeared-to-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/bruce-feiler-8058_burden_when-i-was-growing-up-i-like-many-jews-c_321211.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/bruce-feiler-8058_burden_when-i-was-growing-up-i-like-many-jews-c_321211.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/bruce-feiler-8058_burden_when-i-was-growing-up-i-like-many-jews-c_321211.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was growing up, I, like many Jews, cheered what appeared to be the receding of faith from everyday…” — Bruce Feiler", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bruce Feiler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was growing up, I,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/when-i-was-growing-up-i-like-many-jews-cheered-what-appeared-to-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/when-i-was-growing-up-i-like-many-jews-cheered-what-appeared-to-be/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```