On Behalf of Cindy

Cindy Safdie e-mailed me this bit of background from the Tennessee side of the family and asked if I'd post:

I am Robby's sister Cindy. I am married however, I kept my last name because Miller is not as interesting. My husband is Mike, We have 5 children, The 2 oldest from his first marriage but we are as close as any mother and child can be. Heidi is 40, Julie is35 ,Gillian 22, Michelle 20, Isaac 18. I m 17 years younger than my "old man". I am 48, a spring chicken.
Our Mother Diana Diamond Nelson Safdie, was an incredible women. She was artistic, brilliant, radiant, affection, outspoken, politically involved, gave her children an insatiable thirst for learning (something that we all have passed down to our children) was a place we could always go for our problems, our joy and she was an shining example of unconditional love.
Mama amd Daddy were always proud to be Jews and never let us forget it. Even though we were raised in a tiny, all white town in TN in 1958 until we went off to college, we knew who we were Jewishly. Mama would go to our school and make latkes and we went to our friends Churches. Mama believed in cultural diversity before it was popular. We went to Oak Ridge, TN for Roshashana, Yom Kippur and Passover. That was about 50 miles away to the nearest Jew ( that was where the Nuclear Physist created the infamous A-Bomb) Thus creating a small, self-made Jewish community.
My Father was a very charismatic, charming macho Latin. Mama was all mush and Daddy was the alter ego. Together it made for a very spicy, lively passionate, interesting childhood. They both taught us gratitude, never to fight over material things, never let that divide you and stick together because long after they would be gone, we would have each other. Daddy died in 1987 at 73 of heart disease and Mama at age 58 was diagnosed with alzheimer and died in 1992 at 67 from colon cancer metastasized in the liver.
My brother Michael was killed by a logging truck on his way home from work in Arkansas in 1988, he was 42 when we lost him. We had about 6 years of terrible tragedies. We are survivors, fighters and have very big hearts. I did not have Mama long enough. I was 24 when I had my first child and Mama came to help and couldn't remember how to cut an onion, reality hit and then the bittersweet years. I forgot to ask her the questions that I want to know the answers to now, who is Ida Diamond. I know she had died when Mama was 9 from a "weak heart" as a result of Rheumatic fever.
My Mother spoke very lovingly about Ida and Barney. Many moons after, I was looking through a old box of papers and found an hand-made invitation to the Diamond Family Circle Passover Seder, Thursday April 7th, at 7pm. Something about the Golden Supper Res.(???) on the N.E.Corner Franklin St, Girard Ave. The card is small ,has a menorah (7 candles) painted in gold and silver with a rhinestone above the Diamond Family Circle. I also found a note my Mother wrote her Aunt Rosie from Argentina.(Mama had no Siblings)
My daughter Gillian made Aliyah last summer and was married in Jerusalem in Dec. With this happening in my life, I was sure that when I got to Israel that I would be able to find information about my maternal family at the Diaspora Museum, however with all the wedding festivities, I did not have ample time to do the research. I cannot tell you how much this means to me on so many levels. Growing up all my cousins were in Argentina on my Dads side. All my Grandparents were gone before the children could know them, except Barney because he lived with my parents and 3 older siblings born in Philly and died from a heart attack in Crossville in Feb 59.
I was born 10/10/58. My brother B.J. and I are the hillbillies born and raised on the Cumberland Plateau.
Now this relates to my daughter who is in Israel. When she took her Birthright Trip to Aushwitz and Israel, I told her we had a 1st cousin from Argentina who made Aliyah about 5 years ago. She found him and his family. They have kids her age. All (9) of my Fathers siblings are dead except the Uncle, who is the Father of my family in Israel.
When Gillian returned from that trip she said 2 things "Mama we have Family there who left Arg. and are alone here. And, I want to live where it is easy to be a Jew. Well needless to say, my first response was,"Can't you go to Baltimore or New York????" What could I be unhappy about, I gave her wings, how could I expect her not to fly. I raised her with strong Jewish values and the freedom to pursue her dreams, how could I not let her live that life? Gillian has connected us to Israel (I had never been), she brought family, who might never have gone there, for the wedding and connected us with family we had lost touch with since my Father died. I had not seen them for 35 years. My parents did not get to know my children, so my prayers have always been, Since we are a blended family, can I be a young Grandmother, the one my children nor I had the privledge to know.
My oldest has 2 boys 7 and 9. the next oldest has a 2 year old baby girl. And now G-d willing we will have many more in years to come.
We are at an age of unfolding, opening, as William Blake wrote,"To see the world in a grain of sand,
Heaven in a wildflower,
Hold eternity in the palm of
you hand ,
And infinity for an hour."
I feel like we have so much to learn which is being given to us as a gift. I guess as you probably noticed I am a very open, communicative person. I hope this has not way too much information.
I want to know about my newly found family and about our Aunts and Uncles. I do not know who my Great Grandparents are on our side. What kind of trade or business did they have. I always thought they were in diamonds or jewelry or gems. My Mother collected every rock, fossil, shell etc she could and knew everything about them. What is our family health history? Colon cancer is more prevalent in Ashkenasik Jews. Did any one else have alzheimer or migraines or depression?????
I am grateful we have connected. I look forward to learning more. Your cousin, Cindy