We were at Temple Israel, and I attended bar mitzvahs

English translation: she was invited to the bar mitzvahs...

20:28 May 7, 2019
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Religion
English term or phrase: We were at Temple Israel, and I attended bar mitzvahs
Hello everyone,

From the book Thank You for Being Late by Thomas Friedman.

Mr. Friedman talks about Debra Stone, an African American woman who was interviewed by Jeff Norman.

Did she ever attend a bar mitzvah or a bat mitzvah?
“Yes, I have,” said Stone. “My good Jewish friend, Pam Russ—I went to her son’s and her daughter’s bat mitzvah. She grew up in Robbinsdale. I didn’t get to be friends with her until a little bit later. ***We were at Temple Israel, and I attended bar mitzvahs*** and the parties for the kids. Pam is much more down-to-earth, so it was really kind of a nice affair— grandparents, and relatives, and friends, both Gentile and Jewish. It was a really moving ceremony, I felt—could understand why the kids would go through this process.”

https://templeisrael.com/

We were at Temple Israel, and I attended bar mitzvahs and the parties for the kids

The sentence in question looks simple but something still seems a bit unclear to me. What exactly does the sentece imply? Does it imply as follows: Stone visited (came into) that synagogue, saw Pam there and got to be friends with her (and Temple Israel was the place where Stone attended bar mitzvas and the parties for the kids)? Or can "We were at Temple Israel" imply that Stone and Pam were members/parishioners of that synagogue, not that they were phisically present at Temple Israel when they became friends?

Thank you.
Mikhail Korolev
Local time: 03:17
Selected answer:she was invited to the bar mitzvahs...
Explanation:
Debra Sone grew up in St Lousi Park, the first African American family who moved in and clearly the darkest (though there were some darkish Sephardi jews) ,. However Pam Russ grew up in Robinsdale, a 10 min drive away. https://www.distance-cities.com/distance-robbinsdale-mn-to-s...

It doesn't say in this section where they met, or how they became friends but it happened "LATER" i.e. probably some years after they'd moved in, or even as adults.
So then, after becoming friends Stone (a gentile) was invited to go to bar mitzvahs by Pam (who is obviously Jewish)

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Note added at 48 mins (2019-05-07 21:16:06 GMT)
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So no, I believe they became friends elsewhere/in some other way or perhaps had mutual friends but that she was invited to the bar mitzvahs at that particular synagogue.

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Note added at 48 mins (2019-05-07 21:17:01 GMT)
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Typo: St Louis Park
Selected response from:

Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Local time: 00:17
Grading comment
Many thanks to everyone.
Thank you, Yvonne.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +3she was invited to the bar mitzvahs...
Yvonne Gallagher
5It means they were physically at the synagogue
Mark Robertson


  

Answers


39 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
we were at temple israel, and i attended bar mitzvahs
It means they were physically at the synagogue


Explanation:
Debra Stone speaks as a non-Jew. She could not therefore have been a member of the synagogue, as only Jews can be synagogue members. There is no reason, however, why she could not have attended the synagogue and that she met Pam Russ there, or perhaps she was Pam's guest.

Mark Robertson
Local time: 00:17
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

45 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
we were at temple israel, and i attended bar mitzvahs
she was invited to the bar mitzvahs...


Explanation:
Debra Sone grew up in St Lousi Park, the first African American family who moved in and clearly the darkest (though there were some darkish Sephardi jews) ,. However Pam Russ grew up in Robinsdale, a 10 min drive away. https://www.distance-cities.com/distance-robbinsdale-mn-to-s...

It doesn't say in this section where they met, or how they became friends but it happened "LATER" i.e. probably some years after they'd moved in, or even as adults.
So then, after becoming friends Stone (a gentile) was invited to go to bar mitzvahs by Pam (who is obviously Jewish)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 48 mins (2019-05-07 21:16:06 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

So no, I believe they became friends elsewhere/in some other way or perhaps had mutual friends but that she was invited to the bar mitzvahs at that particular synagogue.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 48 mins (2019-05-07 21:17:01 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Typo: St Louis Park

Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Local time: 00:17
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 108
Grading comment
Many thanks to everyone.
Thank you, Yvonne.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Robert Forstag: I agree that all of what you indicate is implicit, and I would only add (to clarify matters for Mikhail) that the parties following the ceremonies were almost certainly in some venue other than the temple itself.
12 mins
  -> Thank you. Yes, of course!

agree  writeaway
1 hr
  -> Many thanks:-)

agree  B D Finch
10 hrs
  -> Many thanks:-)
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