Fall, 1992: the final days of the first Bush presidency, Boyz II Men’s "End of the Road" is the top song, and in the Diamond household, we’re getting religious.
A young Jason Diamond is studying to become a man, while Papa Diamond is swearing off cheeseburgers and starts dragging the family to shul on Friday nights, still keeping Saturdays open for golf.
A family friend invites the lot of us to a Simchat Torah celebration, where my father –good at drinking, horrible at dancing– drops the Torah, bringing panic to a room full of inebriated Jews.
This has haunted me for years, and I haven’t picked up a Torah since. For a long time after that, I thought I was the only one, until Joshua Kranz at The Faster Times pointed out that Hagbahphobia is real, and it crippled many fine young Jewish men like myself.
I don’t feel the shame anymore. Thanks Joshua.