A little bit about my family

Names are very important. The sages teach that a name contains the essence of a person. Your name is everything you are. My name is Noah Pollack. Obviously my last name I get from my father. Pollack is a Polish name, and it is true that my father’s family, both his mother’s and father’s sides, come from Poland. My first name is Noah. This name was given to me because my parent’s liked it. Many people actually say that this name suits me. Noach (the real, Hebrew version) is not only a character from the Bible, but the word itself means “pleasant.” This is something that describes my personality. My middle name is Baruch (it means “blessed”—I know, aren’t I special?). This was the name of my great (maternal) grandfather. His official Russian name was Boris, but his Jewish name was Baruch. I don’t know much about him except that he came to America from Russia in the beginning of the 20th century. He was probably a really great guy. I mean, it required great determination and devotion to come to America and make something of yourself and support a family. And with a name like Boris, he probably had vodka running through his veins and was tough as nails.

My siblings have some significant names as well. My sister (the eldest child—she is now 25 and married) is named Rachel Leah. This is after my father’s grandma Rose. Grandma Rose was a very kind woman who had a soft spot for my father. (His other grandmother, Anne, was more of a hardass I think.) My older brother, Aron, or Aharon Zvi (24 and in medical school) is named after my maternal grandmother’s father. My younger brother, Yoni/Jonathan (Yonatan Lev) is just named for himself I think. But it’s nice anyway. Family is very important, and in the Jewish tradition, perhaps nothing is more important than recognizing the importance and significance of tradition. We need to respect and revere our ancestors for continuing to uphold the faith and for giving us the opportunities we have today to live great lives.

My family comes from Eastern Europe and Russia. Like I said before, my father’s great-grandparents were from small villages in Poland. My mother’s family is from Russia (on her father’s side) and Austria-Hungary (her mother’s side). Everyone managed to come to America at the beginning of the 20th century (and thank God, was spared from the Holocaust). Both sides of my family made their way to Queens, New York, where they resided for a hell of a long time. It’s where my parents both grew up (my mother in Fresh Meadows and Jamaica Estates, and my father near Bayside). When my parents met and married, my father was a resident at St Luke’s hospital in the city, and so my parents lived in an apartment on 96th Street for a couple of years. After that, they moved out to Riverdale, where we’ve been living in the same house for 20 years.
I just want to say that I have a great relationship with my family. I am very happy about this and it is a great support for me.