by Jill Huber
NJJN Bureau Chief/Monmouth

April 22, 2008

Molly Resnick, a veteran journalist and former NBC-TV producer in New York, spent much of her life denying her Jewish heritage.

When she was almost 30 years old, however, she met a young Jewish woman in Rio de Janeiro who changed her outlook and set her on a path of self-discovery.

Resnick spoke about her personal journey on April 1 at Chabad of the Shore’s third annual Evening for Jewish Women. The event, which attracted more than 180 women from the area’s Jewish community, took place at Shadowbrook in Shrewsbury.

The evening was sponsored by Long Branch Chabad’s Jewish Women’s Circle, and was designed to enhance a sense of pride among Jewish women, said program director Chani Schapiro.

“Women understand the important role they play in Jewish life, and we celebrate it on this night of unity,” she said. “It’s the selfless deeds of the Jewish woman, wife, and mother that are the force behind Jewish values. She plays a crucial role in shaping the lives around her and she has tremendous power to change and elevate our world into a place of goodness and peace.”

For Resnick, who was born in Europe, raised in Israel, and came to the United States in 1972, the lessons about the value of Jewish women came to light in an unexpected way.

“For NBC, I interviewed presidents, prime ministers, kings, queens, and movie stars,” she told NJ Jewish News after her keynote address. “My own religion didn’t matter to me — I had always tried to disassociate myself from it.”

A difficult meeting with a celebrity’s agent, however, caused her to see the rich and famous in a different light.

“They were just pawns in the hands of their agents,” said Resnick. “I realized that being rich and famous didn’t mean you had the key to happiness or had common sense.”

Resnick took a leave of absence from the network and began a worldwide search for meaning in her own life. One of her stops was Rio, where she met the city’s chief rabbi. He invited her to Shabbat dinner. Resnick was asked to light the Shabbat candles and became mesmerized by the beauty of the prayers and the glow of candlelight. She was equally impressed by the rabbi’s 19-year-old daughter, who was engaged to an “ultra-religious” Jew.

“She showed me a picture of him — bearded and wearing a black hat,” said Resnick. “I was incredulous! I asked her if she really wanted to spend the rest of her life being pregnant every year and making chicken soup. I offered to help her run away.”

But the young woman told Resnick that she had freely and happily chosen a religious lifestyle.

“That was hard for me to accept,” Resnick said. “But she told me she was not a second-class citizen and she was proud of who she was. She had great peace of mind.”

For the next few days, Resnick bombarded the young woman with questions about religious life. To her surprise, she found a corollary between the U.S. Constitution, whose principles she had always admired, and the Torah.

“To me, the American constitution was the height of liberty, justice, and wisdom,” Resnick said. “Then I realized that my people’s constitution, the Torah, was not just 200 years old, but thousands of years old. I spoke seven languages, and I was well-educated, but I didn’t know much about my own heritage.”

She likened her spiritual awakening to falling in love.

“It was also as if I had found Ali Baba’s cave,” she said. “I was finding answers.”

She returned to New York and continued her religious quest. She visited other observant families, began to observe Shabbat on a regular basis, maintained a kosher home, and only dated Jewish men who were interested in marriage. Although she continued to work at NBC for several more years, her priorities had shifted. (Resnick is now a freelance writer and motivational speaker).

“I discovered that women set the tone in the home and determine the quality of family life,” Resnick said. “When we pray, God is the focus of men and women.”

She also discovered that the beauty and joy of getting in touch with her spiritual side was part of the Jewish essence.

“I used to define myself as a woman, a journalist, an Israeli, an American, a liberal, and a humanist,” she said. “Somewhere in there, I was also a Jew, but that meant little to me. Now, I put the Jewish part first.”

--TOP--

• Comment: comments@njjewishnews.com