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She was my Hebrew school bully — and I finally learned what happened to her

JL;DR SUMMARY Joan Afton recounts her childhood experience of being bullied at her secular humanist Hebrew school, which was located far from her suburban Chicago home. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish EducationJewish IdentityHebrew SchoolPersonal GrowthCommunityBat MitzvahBullyingChildhoodChicago SuburbsSecular Humanism

Places mentioned

Skokie, Illinois, United States
"And so we lived in Skokie, cheaper and more accessible than Evanston but close enough to go to their schools."
Evanston, Illinois, United States
"It was on the WASP-y side of Evanston, in the suburbs of Chicago."
Chicago, Illinois, United States
"It was on the WASP-y side of Evanston, in the suburbs of Chicago."
Detroit, Michigan, United States
"In those years, my father was a traveling salesman, selling industrial gravel throughout his region of the Upper Midwest, including Detroit."
Los Angeles, California, United States
"And so Ive been wondering what Id write on my sign for the next Day of Action, here in LA."

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Cairo Item ID 57108
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Retrieved 2025-07-17 05:30:44 UTC
Curated 2025-07-17 08:31:26 UTC