Domestic Call August 7

I reported to Douglas Lichterman, our Regional Coordinator, that I would make two contacts for the RESULTS Diversity Task Force by August 20 -- Rabbi Aaron Sherman of Temple Judah and Fr. Nils Hernandez of Immaculate Conception. I also reported about our opportunity with STEP students from Cornell and Douglas suggested I get an outline from Meredith Dodson of the Washington RESULTS office. Meredith is on vacation right now, so next week I'll email her and see what resources she can share.

Douglas talked about the August recess and the importance of getting meetings with members of Congress. I explained that Jos had suggested we meet with Loebsack here in Cedar Rapids before the end of the year, and that so many people were on vacation this month that we'd skip the August recess opportunity and shoot for something in the fall.

A young woman brought her fiance home to meet her parents. They gave a fancy dinner to meet the young man and after dinner, the father asked to talk to the finance privately. He asked what the young man did for a living and how he planned to support his daughter. The young man said, "I study the Torah." The father asked what plans the young man had for a house for her daughter to live in. "I will study the Torah and God will provide." So the father asked about a ring for his daughter. Again the young man said, "I will study the Torah and God will provide." Finally, the father asked about children and how the young man intended to support a family. "I will study the Torah, and God will provide." The father ended the meeting cordially and later spoke to the young woman's mother. "The bad news is he has no job and no plans for a job. The good news is he thinks I'm God."