Today is my 70th Birthday. I am hoping my being born will lend other people reason to believe what happens anywhere in the world matters to us all. This is my story:
My parents met at Temple University. My part Sephardic and part Ashkenazi Jewish Father and my part Albanian Muslim Mother. It was instant love, a mind and soul connection. As a teenager when I asked my Mother why she wanted to become Jewish her answer was because she fell in love with my Father, admired him and knew together they could help change the world AND she told me that somehow she always knew she was meant to be like Ruth meaning to be with a people not of her birth but of her destiny. My Mother’s favorite Aunt, Teréza (yes my namesake) would read books to her about Ruth, Naomi and Bathsheba (yes my Hebrew Name).
My parents were married and then they began building their lives, including their professional lives and also shared businesses and devoting time to causes they both supported. They surrounded themselves with people in science, the arts, medicine, law and culture, as well as those involved in national and even international careers. My brothers and I enjoyed the benefit of being exposed to the famous and some infamous individuals—it was wonderfully interesting to be their children.
After my two brothers they had difficulty conceiving the third child they both wanted. My Father having a Mother who was smart, tenacious, interesting and his wife, my Mother the same was sure they must add a daughter. Mother told me he almost made it sound as if it were their duty to give the world another strong woman.
When World War II happened … information about what came to be known as The Holocaust began to be known my parents knew they might need to make decisions, plans should the U.S., allies not win and no where, not even here in this country would life really be safe for a Jewish family. Keeping with this situation in mind they stopped trying to conceive again – they had my two brothers who they adored and at that time the only concern is how and where they would go to be able to live safely if the war was lost.
Well fortunately evil was defeated and then modern day Israel was born. My Father and Mother decided to make these blessings of history reason for them to again say yes to having another baby. Having another child was their way of saying YES to life in the most important ways after the horrors learned about what happened to the European Jewish community. Additionally modern day Israel now existing gave my parents the security of knowing their children would always have a safe place to go … It is true we Jews all have dual citizenship should we decide to make what is called Aliyah.
So it was when my amazing Mother was thirty-nine and my Father forty-one I was conceived. Back then there were no ultrasounds so it was not known if I was the daughter they were hoping for … When they told my two brothers about the pregnancy both said they hoped it would be a chubby baby sister. I was due March 17th — my Mother’s Obstetrician was my Father’s Uncle. The morning of March 5th Mom was having contractions, Dad was at a meeting so her being her she of course called Uncle/Doctor to drive her to the hospital – why not he was going to be there anyway for the delivery. I was born quickly and after my Uncle, the Doctor who helped bring me into the world managed to reach my Dad, he rushed to the hospital carrying so many flowers my Mom described the Nurses following him as many fell to the floor.
My Father was over the moon, they had the daughter he had hoped for AND ready? I was born on his forty-second birthday, a few weeks after my Mother’s fortieth.
One more interesting part to my birth. Before my Father arrived the Nurse asked my Mother what my name would be? My parents had agreed if I was a girl my middle named would be Diane and if a boy David but differed on the first name … My Mother wanted the English version of my Father’s Hungarian aristocratic grandmother, Nancy. So it was Mom told the Nurse I was being named Nancy Diane. After Dad was at hospital with Mom for many hours, Mom feel asleep and my Dad decided to change my name, telling the Nurse it was going to be Teréza Diane. Yes he did that, reason was my Mother’s Aunt Teréza long deceased was the inspiration for my Mother deciding marrying my Jewish Father, becoming Jewish and being a brave and bold woman because of her reading books about Ruth, Naomi and Bathsheba and other strong women to my Mother was very much part of why I was born.
I know you must be thinking how did my Mom take this name change for her baby girl once awake … Actually quite well except Mother being a modernist told my Father she would call me Teri as a sort of nickname.
Why am I sharing my origin story with you? Simply because now as much or more than ever saying yes to life no matter the circumstances, the sorrows of the world is what we all must do … Same as my parents did by bringing me into this world in 1954 after so much had been lost in WWII and The Holocaust. My very existence is the answer to why living each day fully and with optimism is the real and true way G-d most favors!
I am grateful for my 70 years and G-d willing many more. Every day, each night is a reason to celebrate being alive!
Teréza Eliasz-Solomon. 5 March 2024.
Hebrew Name:Bathsheba 25 Adar 1 5784.
Teréza Style ™ 