I find that I have been standoffish and narrow in my choices of friends and acquaintances.  I think it is time that I reached out and invited some of my neighbors, the ones who wear head coverings and with the women with their bodies swathed modestly to screen out unwanted eyes.  This is not to say I want to ogle my visitors, only to sit, enjoy a snack and exchange views.

There are groups of people who are fascinating.  Their costumes alone need closer examination and explaining.  I remember the Amish lady whose costume proclaimed who she was visiting the same “Danish” village in California we stopped to see.  I had questions to ask including why she was so far from the farm and are things so good that she could afford vacations?  But. it is the exotic stranger who provokes questions and encourages a dialogue.  I suppose these “others” would also like to know more about me and mine. But, perhaps not.

Two groups stand out, literally, from the rest of us Americans.  I do not question their American pedigrees or loyalty.  But I wonder why they are so different in dress and would like to get to know them as individuals.  I fear that they know enough about US already.  By us, I mean Christians and Jews who have good relations, work with each other and have the same enthusiasms and interests so we can invite each other into our homes for those chats. I think we do this.

One group, supposing to be fellow Jews, is the Black hatted and swathed female counterparts whose flocks of children proclaim their singularity.  They form enclaves where, in Israel in particular, they try to keep out stranger who happen to be you and me. They try to limit contacts with “gentiles” but somehow they have achieved some success in establishing religious barriers between themselves and others with the help of their less pious co-religionists. Some of these hope that the daily dedication to obeying their construct of what Judaism requires of them will keep the religion alive.

The other group is the newly evident Muslims.  They have recently appeared in sufficient numbers to construct mosques and schools and appear quite visibly among us non-believers by praying en masse with at least one woman insisting on wearing a veil to have her photo identification driver’s card picture taken.  This behavior needs explaining and I would like to invite some home to share a meal and discuss the fine points of their practices.

What chance to you think this will happen with representatives of either group? I hope that the greater population would, over time, moderate the differences between these two minorities and we could enact welcoming rituals.