education than they themselves did. The primary reason for this is so the parents would know that their children could adequately support them in old age. Today, "the curve has changed." This happens on a much lower rate, and the chances that it happens again (on the same scale the first generation of American Jews) is slim; today's economy is but one reason of many why this will happen. Back then, only the husband worked and the "universal middle-class expectation" of the wife was to stay at home and tend for the children. If the wife had to work -- even part time during seasonal times of the year -- then it shamed the family intothinking that the husband was not a good provider. Today it is notuncommon for both parents to work, and usually neither parent isashamed that both work to (simply) support the family; usuallythey are both employed such that the family can enjoy a higherstandard of living. Furthermore, the advent of women's liberationhas made it possible for more women to go out into the work force.Keeping Kosher is yet another issue that has changed over thegenerations of American Jews. My mother and father, both Jews,grew up in the 1950s and 1960s, and my mother's family always keptkosher. Today, as a Jew, I have never kept kosher in my life, withthe exception of certain holidays, and when my rabbi was watchingme. Finally, the last issue which is a part of the Jewish-Americangeneration gap is the Yiddish language. Parents spoke Yiddishoften, but not to the children. They only spoke it to each otherif they did not want the kids to understand what they were talkingabout (i.e., marriage problems). However, because the parents didnot choose to have their kids learn Yiddish, they may havecontributed to the generation gap. Today, Yiddish is dyingrapidly. Yiddish theater in New York is but one of a few remainingareas in America that still speak the language. Today, as a Jew, Ihave never heard a Yiddish sentence -- only a few ...
