Though he was never ordained, Jay is known as “Rabbi” to his biker friends. Despite leaving the religious fold earlier in life, Jay always remained proudly and openly Jewish, even when sharing drinks with members of the Klan.
Jay is the husband of Tracey Shipley, who I interviewed a few months ago, and has an equally interesting life of his own.
In 1972, his Orthodox/Hareidi family with 5 children moved from Brooklyn, New York to Jerusalem, Israel. Jay was 12. He soon lost interest in religion, ran away from home, and hitchhiked to a moshav (cooperative farming community) named Tifrach, where he spent the best year of his life as a farmhand. He learned how to weld, solder, drive a tractor, combine fields, raise livestock, and farm.
In the army, he served in the Sinai Desert, before Israel gave it away to Egypt. He met a woman who had been part of a big migration of Jews from Bombay, India, in 1964. In 1985 they moved to America, where he stayed for 40 years.
In our discussion, Jay talked about the brotherhood that happens in the army and with bikers; why you can’t clone a complete person, even if you can clone their DNA; and his four marriages.
Jay’s message to all Jews is that even if we think we’re different, we’re connected. We have to learn to respect each other and live together. Even if you have different opinions, we shouldn’t use that as an excuse not to connect.
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