Friday became a rather special day. It started with the Daily News publishing an op-ed penned by our daughter, Marisa, on its website and then we receive word our daughter-in-law, Carrie, passed her dissertation defense that morning, thus earning her PhD in Psychology at my alma mater Hofstra University.

Marisa’s commentary, Don’t just condemn anti-Semitism; combat it, received much attention on social media including tweets by her dad and the American Jewish Committee where she works as Assistant Director at its New York regional office. Among other things it touted Holocaust Education legislation sponsored by Assembly Member Nily Rozic and State Senator Anna Kaplan; the state senate passed it but as Marisa wrote, “is frustratingly stalled in the Assembly.” My media welcomed Marisa joining her brother and dad for being published.

Gotham played a role in Carrie Webb-Bearak’s dissertation. Last summer I used Fredslist (Gotham’s listserve for any nonmembers of our tribe who read this commentary.) to reach out to Gotham to help Carrie find participants in a survey for her research project; many women responded. Now both members of her immediate household get to be called Doctors. Her husband, our son Jonathan, earned his PhD in Sociology at NYU and just completed seven years at the Guttmacher Institute; much of his research, not always credited, covers access to abortion NY state. We dined with Jonathan who was in from Amherst for in-person work Thursday and Friday.

A rather memorable Friday the 13^th (of May).