Went Looking for Yossi Miller.

I went looking for an old friend of mine, Yossi Miller (a.k.a. TobyJazzboy) today. I went into the pizza store where he used to work. The pizza store was under new ownership as of four years ago; nobody has heard of him. I walked around the various blocks I used to frequent hoping to be recognized by someone who could lead me to him. Nothing.

This Shabbos at the Rabbi's shul (synagogue), I met a woman who knew their family, but was no longer in touch. When I asked about Yossi, she referred to him as "the rebel." I think within the orthodox community there, everybody knew about everybody. If he was the "rebel," it would only be natural that prior to my religious days, I would have known him. I was certainly not the rebel, but being Jewish but not religious, I often befriended people who grew up religious, but weren't by the time they knew me. (How funny is it that today, I have the opposite effect on people.)

Anyway, because of what I thought was hashgocha protis in meeting someone who knew the family, I thought that if I drove here, I would somehow meet up with him. No luck. At least I had the merit to see a few religious Jews, have a good slice of kosher pizza, and be in a Jewish environment for a few hours.