Wednesday, March 9, 2011

New York Post Reporter Reuven Blau Orthodox Jew II

Luke Ford writes:

Three Orthodox Jews Work In New York's Tabloid Press

Sunday morning, I call New York Post reporter Reuven Blau (Facebook).

(My series on Jewish journalism.)

Luke: “Reuven, when you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?”

Reuven: “A veterinarian. I grew up in Denver. We had a lot of animals in our house.”

“I spent a lot of time volunteering at a clinic near my house. I took some science courses in college and I realized that it wasn’t what I was good at.”

Luke: “So where were you in the social pecking order in high school?”

Reuven: “I went to a really religious high school (Telshe Chicago). I went to a super right-wing yeshiva. There really wasn’t a social pecking order. I was an outsider because I always intended to go to college and had a different career and life outlook than most of the students. It was awkward.”

“I appreciated the tough hard-work ethic. It was something I wasn’t used to. We studied a lot. When I tell people about it, I compare it to an Ivy League high school. That was helpful. Everything else was awkward.

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