Fish Out of Water:
2 Jewish Guys in a Deep South Firehouse
A Jewish firefighter? Are you m'shuggah? (crazy). That's what a lot of Jewish mothers say. I was a guy who grew up in suburban Boston, going to Hebrew School and even planning to be a rabbi. But life throws us curves and I hung on for dear life. When I landed my first professional synagogue job, I had no idea that a combination career/volunteer firehouse was less than a mile from my home.
What started as one of many visits to firehouses wherever I found them, turned into signing an application and being voted in as a volunteer firefighter. On top of that, that same night, I met another Jewish young man, who was also voted in and who is still my best friend and business partner today.
This book tells my/our story of arriving in the heart of Southern Baptist North Carolina, meeting up by chance and our exploits together for the next almost four years. Could two Jews really fit in? For many, we were the first of the Jewish faith many of our colleagues had met, let alone, joined up!
Wherever firefighters are found, their stories are always a game of whose story is better, hotter, funnier! In this book, I share it all, with the generous participation of several of my close friends who served with me. There are stories to make you laugh, stories to make you cry and stories that will make you question our sanity!
More importantly, this book explains why firefighters, be they career or volunteer, are a family and forge a bond that can almost never be broken. No matter where we may travel, all it takes is a knock on a firehouse door and the welcome mat is out.
So please, join us as I tell you my/our story. Ride along on our calls, be with us for a little friendly hazing, stand next to us as we battle a raging fire or work feverishly to extricate a victim from an automobile wreck. And see, how people from very different faiths learn to live and work with respect, honor and lasting friendship.
Proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the 5-Alarm Task Force Corp. Operations or Foundation Account.
Thank you and remember - Everyone Goes Home
What started as one of many visits to firehouses wherever I found them, turned into signing an application and being voted in as a volunteer firefighter. On top of that, that same night, I met another Jewish young man, who was also voted in and who is still my best friend and business partner today.
This book tells my/our story of arriving in the heart of Southern Baptist North Carolina, meeting up by chance and our exploits together for the next almost four years. Could two Jews really fit in? For many, we were the first of the Jewish faith many of our colleagues had met, let alone, joined up!
Wherever firefighters are found, their stories are always a game of whose story is better, hotter, funnier! In this book, I share it all, with the generous participation of several of my close friends who served with me. There are stories to make you laugh, stories to make you cry and stories that will make you question our sanity!
More importantly, this book explains why firefighters, be they career or volunteer, are a family and forge a bond that can almost never be broken. No matter where we may travel, all it takes is a knock on a firehouse door and the welcome mat is out.
So please, join us as I tell you my/our story. Ride along on our calls, be with us for a little friendly hazing, stand next to us as we battle a raging fire or work feverishly to extricate a victim from an automobile wreck. And see, how people from very different faiths learn to live and work with respect, honor and lasting friendship.
Proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the 5-Alarm Task Force Corp. Operations or Foundation Account.
Thank you and remember - Everyone Goes Home
