Heh-heh, it was ALWAYS “popular” in NYC, because NYC is heavily populated with Orthodox Jews. It is COMMANDED that this holiday be observed, it’s not just a “nice thing to do”.
Many Jews immigrating to this country found it necessary to jettison their faith in order to find scarce employment, which necessitated them working on the Sabbath and holidays. Or, they left their native countries in order to escape anti-semitism which had taken a life-threatening turn, such as pogroms or the York Massacre, and still felt threatened, so they converted. Does not matter if they converted. If the “convert” was a Jewish woman, and she was your direct maternal ancestor, as I said—a great grandmother, grandmother, mother, etc.—then I believe that you are yourself a Jew.
I think you just want to miss my point.
I may very well be Jewish, that’s fine with me. I knew posting what I posted was going to raise hackles and have people misinterpreting what I said..........