about the birth of his daughter, and the deaths of his parents. There is a story about his Bubbie's cooking, and even a chapter – the opening chapter, no less – that details the kisses and hugs he and his brothers received from their Zaydie each and every time that they visited.
You may be wondering what a memoir that focuses on such small moments and little things is really all about. But Dr. Wolfson is way ahead of us. He has written this book to not only share these wonderful and entertaining stories, but to remind us that these small moments and little things become the threads from which a full, rich, and rewarding life is fashioned. Reading each page, it becomes clear that the man we know today – best-selling author, respected academic, and acclaimed thought leader in the Jewish world – is clearly the result of these small moments and little things.
Dr. Wolfson devotes just four pages to A Vision for Transforming Synagogues, his twenty-year collaboration with Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, which has “...changed the conversation about synagogue life in North America and made a significant difference in how synagogues create sacred communities of meaning and purpose, belonging and blessing.” But the real beauty of Wolfson's memoir is that virtually every story paints its own vivid picture of belonging and blessing. And the real takeaway from these stories is that the small moments and little things that Ron Wolfson experienced growing up in the 1950’s and 1960’s are as relevant and important to Jewish families in 2015.
Today, a young boy or girl will visit their grandparents and be swept up in a vice-like hug. On Shabbat, candles will be lit. Someone will be cast as Tevye in a camp, synagogue, or JCC production of Fiddler on the Roof. Babies will be born, as family patriarchs and matriarchs become cherished memories. Tiny, everyday moments will continue to define who we become in the world. Dr. Ron Wolfson, The Best Boy in the United States of America, has written a wonderful memoir of his small moments to help us remember to honor and celebrate our own.