Jay’s family is very Jewish. Their whole lineage—everyone married Jewish people. Gail was Jewish; all his cousins married Jewish girls.

Everyone was Jewish except me. Jay was the first person in his entire family to marry outside the Jewish religion by marrying me.

We were not to have children. Jay’s mom Millie told me that. Millie said “you’ve got your child, Jay’s got his, and you don’t need anymore.” That was her way of saying to me no more children. She is a strong individual and you don’t realize how strong she is. She says one thing that makes a stronger impact. Stronger than screaming and waving her arms. You listen to it.

Before Jay I didn’t know any Jewish person. Jewish people do not go into the Air Force; they are doctors and lawyers. The Air Force has a lot of minority people, but not Jewish people.

My mother and father were only religious when my brother and I were growing up. In those days you had to take the kids to some kind of church. It was just like learning to play the piano or taking tap dance and all that stuff.