An Englishman in love with Bucharest's blowsy charms
Monday, 29 June 2026
Atta girl!
Muriel Spark who was Jewish before she converted said if you are going to do something you might as well do it properly. If you're going to become a Christian you might as well become a Catholic.
I don’t think Muriel was Jewish religiously (father was Jewish and I believe Mr Spark was too). But son Robin was early estranged from Muriel (living with late father’s family?) and became fiercely involved in Jewishness, and insisted on having a bar mitzvah, which was unusual in that secular family. Muriel read the whole business as spiteful. More likely it was just another antidote to secularism.
My brother in law was friends with Conrad Black and Barbara Amiel down in PB. We were given Barbara’s vast and detailed autobiography, which was quite fascinating in its depiction of North London Jews suddenly feeling obligated to become ‘Jewish’ when they moved to Toronto. The Muriel and Robin story reminds me if that. Margot Metroland
I don’t think Muriel was Jewish religiously (father was Jewish and I believe Mr Spark was too). But son Robin was early estranged from Muriel (living with late father’s family?) and became fiercely involved in Jewishness, and insisted on having a bar mitzvah, which was unusual in that secular family. Muriel read the whole business as spiteful. More likely it was just another antidote to secularism.
ReplyDeleteMy brother in law was friends with Conrad Black and Barbara Amiel down in PB. We were given Barbara’s vast and detailed autobiography, which was quite fascinating in its depiction of North London Jews suddenly feeling obligated to become ‘Jewish’ when they moved to Toronto. The Muriel and Robin story reminds me if that.
Margot Metroland