Sure. Um, I'm from Tacoma, obviously. Um, I was, I, I had a fun childhood. I mean, my brother and my older brother and I, um, would hang at the temple with my dad. My mom, when my youngest, my mom was pregnant with my younger brother, she got sick. She had hepatitis. And at that time, they didn't know what hepatitis was. So she was, um, couldn't take care of herself during her pregnancy. She had a tough time and after she had my younger brother. So my older brother and I spent a lot of time at the temple, which was the temple that was right across from Rights Park. It was a brick. I remember it being a brick. Building is gone now. It's now a parking lot, and we used to walk through Rights Park and my brother David, my older brother and I, my dad would give us money and we'd buy candy and come back and we'd hang out at temple was like a playground for us, and we'd explore the whole building and we would, um, I just remember going into a secretary's office and playing with the adding machine had this. You push all the buttons and you would, um, there was a lever and you'd play with it, and it it was a fun time for me, you know, during those years. And but, um, I was very lucky because at that time my dad worked a lot. and so we were able to hang out there. And so that was, you know, I, I have fond memories of that. As we got older, my mom, you know, after my younger brother was born, we spent more time at the house and dad was in and out a lot because he the temple was really important to him. Not that we didn't get attention from him. He was a great dad. But the temple got a lot of attention, more than you know. It was different. So I was very I felt very lucky in the early years and he used to drive me. I took ballet and he would drive me to ballet every on my days. I had, he'd pick me up from kindergarten. I remember him taking me to ballet, buy me a doughnut and doing that. And I mean, it was an easy it was an easy and tough childhood because when you're a rabbi's kid, they, um, anything you do Is, you know, especially in a small city, everybody knows. And you're. We all went there, aren't we? All lived in the north end of Tacoma. My friends. Anyway. Yeah. In our younger years. And so we did everything together. And someone was bound. Some parents got bound, you know, if you did something right or wrong. And the rule in our house was, whatever you did, we're not going to scream and yell at you. We may not be happy with you, but please, I don't want to hear it from someone else. So it was it was fun. It was crazy. But also, you were also always under a microscope. And I'm sure any clergy kid would probably tell you that. And that was really, really tough at times. So that. But in a nutshell, it was fun. We were very tight. We were very we had fun. My dad was the type of man who, because he was young, he was. He loved playing with. He loved the kids. He loved the families, he did camps and he loved to sing. He was totally I mean, I'm tone deaf. My dad was worse than me. Um, he loved to sing. Um, if you ever. I don't know if you've ever interviewed Julie Morrell. She was the cantor at our temple. Robert Morrell's wife in Tacoma. Uh, he was the Seattle rabbi. And she sang at our temple, and she she would just smile. And my dad would sing with her because he was so tone deaf. And she had such a gorgeous voice. It was very funny to hear, but he just, you know, he just loved being a rabbi. And, um, we and for us, we didn't know any different because we're in a small city that until I got into bio and stuff like that, I didn't know. that. I mean, I was always Debbie Rosenthal. Rabbi Rosenthal's daughter. And all of a sudden, as I came into Seattle, I. That was probably the hardest for me because I wasn't Rabbi Rosenthal's daughter. I was one of other people who had fathers who were rabbis, too. I was not. It was different, but it was hard, um, being in Tacoma. The hard part was, is there were very few Jews there. You know, we all are. All my friends were Jewish until I got into school. And then once I was in school, my friends were all over the place. And then I was the Jewish girl in The Rabbi's Daughter. And among many kids were, um, Young life, which is a Christian organization, was very provident. And, um, my family got phone calls that at that time in Tacoma, there was a lot of prejudice against Jews and probably, I'm sure, the blacks and blocks and everything else at that time too, but I wasn't as aware of that as I was. The Jews and my parents, you know, was before caller ID it was before, um, you know, you you didn't know who was calling into the house. You just got a phone call and we got threats. You know, I remember answering the phone, we're going to kill you. We're going to come get you. And. And my dad was a Holocaust survivor. So at that I was well aware of that. And it was scary. And I remember my parents looking at me knowing one of these phone calls came in, I was fairly young and saying, hey, just hang up the phone, just hang up the phone. And those, you know, we got those calls and, you know, it was scary at that time. And it was strange in school, these kids that were my friends through elementary and junior high, all of a sudden in high school become very active in young life. And they were doing their activity, which I wasn't part of because you just didn't I wasn't I was Jewish and I wouldn't want to be, but also it was them and us, you know, at that time. And it was hard to be the different person at that time trying to fit in, you know, high school, junior high to fit in but not fit in. And that that was really tough. In fact, I talked to my friends who I'm still friends with from those days, the non-Jewish ones. And we've talked about it because they they understand a little bit more about me now as a, you know, because we can talk as adults. We're not a bunch of kids anymore. And that was really hard. That's where I'm sure my brothers would probably say the same thing. That was hard to be that different kid. And each of us, um, did different things through junior high and high school to either act out or or try and fit in during that time, which was a tough time because it's still a small IT now it's a bigger city. But that time it was a big city. It's it was a small city. And and we were even smaller community among those because Tacoma wasn't a huge city at that time. But I had a I mean, I had an easy childhood and a tough childhood, I should say, because of that. And I'd be surprised if any other, unless they were maybe Orthodox, it was a little different because a lot of them, the Orthodox community went to the Orthodox, you know, the Jewish schools and stuff. We didn't have that in Tacoma, you know, so it was different. And, um, it was hard being different. You're trying to fit in and that was really hard. But my parents always made us feel like we were important. We were loved. We were, um, part, you know, they made sure we are part of something. Like I did ballet all the way through. That was my thing. I was extremely shy as a little kid. My mom decided I needed something and I danced all the way through college, so that was something I did and that was who I was. And if you talk to any of my friends, they'd say Debbie was a dancer. You know, that was who I was. My my older brother was an incredible writer. And and he had his he did that. I think my younger brother was just wild. I mean, my for anyone that said Bob Rosenthal, they'd say he was fun, he was crazy. And to the day he died, he was just a fun, crazy, wild kid. Adult as an adult, too. He took a lot of chances and had a great time, loved life and lived it to its fullest. So each of us had different things and each of us took a part of my parents and, um, I, I, I can see things my older brother does and his kids do, and even my younger brother's kids, and I see them and my in my parents in who they are as an adult now. So it but as a child it. You know Tacoma is a unique unit. Another thing is it's very unique. We as a Jewish community, they they kept us involved. You know, after we went through Sunday school together, many of us lived in the north end of Tacoma. Some lived in Lakewood area. As time went on, but we did things together. Our parents were tight. So we did a lot of family stuff. High holidays, my parents. Another thing is my parents were from the northwest. My dad came from Germany to London to New York and ended up in Shreveport, Louisiana, and that's where. And he went to school. He met my mom in Missouri. My mom's from Rockford, Illinois, and went to Stephens College, and it was an all girls school in Missouri. They met, got married and ended up in Tacoma, Washington, which I didn't even know where Tacoma was when my dad took that pulpit. They didn't even understand and did never expect it to stay all those years in Tacoma. And so we didn't have family there. So our family was the Tacoma community. And we we had High Holidays where, um, people who were part of the community who I called aunt and uncle, but were really my aunt and uncle. They were my adopted aunts and uncles. So when we did Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, we, um, and Passover, any Jewish holiday, we'd have, uh, 30 people in this little house. My parents did not have a big house full. It was wall to wall of people who were adopted by my parents, who didn't, you know, that didn't have other family. And so we we had all these adopted people who had become very close to to this day, I, I still talk to them like our aunt and uncle, even though they're not. And they were my adopted family, so I didn't know what it was like to have family near me. And so the that was my family, and that's what Tacoma was. And my parents adopted, and I think they were very happy there. And so we we grew up in this community where these kids that I went to Sunday school with and I went to youth group with became my family. And so when we went beyond Tacoma, we a lot most many of us went to University of Washington. And um, we still kept that closeness. And people would say to us like, I was an 85. My brothers were in the fraternity and sororities, and they say, I don't get it. How you Tacoma people always seem to find each other. And we could be at a party and you'd see a Circle of Tacoma kids together. And it was like or some would say, how do you know him? Oh, he's from Tacoma. You know, they don't even. And to this day, you know, all these years later, someone will say to me, well, how do you know him and her? And I'll go, well, I grew up with him. He's from Tacoma. And oh, well, that's it. It's the Tacoma you know, thing. And it's that generation. It's kind of funny. It's I don't know why we have that unique relationship. Um, uh, my brother's group, my older brother group, David's group. Um, he's 64, 65 ish. And his group, the guys that are two classes above his and the guys that are one class below him, there's got to be like 15 of them that go to Vegas once a year. It's all these guys that grew up and they live all over the world. So not everybody lives in. Most don't live in Seattle and couple live, you know, on the East Coast couple. One guy lives in Europe, but they find a way to do this, and most of them come. And we as girls, we all talk and we see each other different. I'm a younger group. My younger brother who passed away, his group of friends from ZB and the boys grew up with including a couple non-Jewish get together on the anniversary date of his death and do a drink at his. I mean, it's it makes me it just warms my heart. They they do something he would have love. And they go out to this little elaborate dinner because that's what he loved, you know, was being with his friends. And, um, I don't know, it's just I'm choked me up, but, um, it's, um, just a unique group of people, and we're very warm, and we all care about each other a lot, so. and most of us are still around. And if someone comes to town, we call each other and say, hey, let's get together and we get all of us together again. It's just amazing. We're I just feel really lucky, you know, to have these people in my life. Many of my friends don't have that. And it's. I don't know if it was my dad, um, who felt it was important to to all of us to be close. He did these little Tacoma camps for the high school that he, him, and another person would, um, take all this group of kids to one of the camps around. Um, they would rent a camp and do all these fun activities. And sometimes the Seattle kids, you could sign up if there is room and a couple Seattle kids would come. And we spent a full weekend of these, these ninth, I think it was ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th graders With my dad and one other adult, which I can't believe. And, um, we would have a blast. I mean, it wasn't really religious stuff. We did. We just hung out and did things, and that was important for him to see Jewish youth getting together and just having fun and and this companionship. And I think that really and he because he was part of that, he always made sure he was there. I mean, he gave up a lot of stuff to be there that I think that brought us all close so that I have this unique, these unique memories of that. So that was really fun. But on this, like I said, on the tough side, was being the rabbi's kid. I was on a microscope and I wasn't always perfect. And, um, my I, my mom would go, okay, what did you do? So and so called. And basically it was if my daughter did what your daughter did, you know, that kind of stuff. And my mom, I'd have to say, you know, say, well, you know, you know, and it was a time when, you know, there there was a lot of drugs and drinking, you know, and stuff like that going on. And I wasn't perfect. And I used to say my, my young older brother was Mr. Clean Jeans. He was the perfect one. And my younger brother obviously wasn't. So I was lucky I, I did the grounds that my parents, anything my brother did, I was like, oh, I, you know, it was fine. Um, but David made it easy. My older brother made it easy. I could go to a lot of parties. All I had to say is, oh, David's going to be there because he was always perfect, whether he stayed for five minutes or not, and left because he probably didn't stay very long. I could always say, well, David was there, which helped. And my friends would say, Rabbi, Rabbi said Debbie could go. And so my friend Betsy, her parents would always say, well, if Debbie's there, then you can go. It was very funny. It's like it was funny that my two of my friends would, um. It never mattered that as long as I was there, my parents said yes. Okay, Debbie can do it. We. Who knows what went on? I mean, it was crazy, but, um, especially the Seattle parties, because we drive to Seattle, go to a party and drive back, um, or we'd stay at one of the girls houses. But it was a, you know, it was. It was a different time. It was easy. It was easier in those days, I think, than I watch what my kids went through and stuff. But he also we also, um, just took things for granted. So I, you know, but I can say growing up the temple was it was my playground. I mean, I spent a lot of time there in the afternoons because, um, we taught as soon as you were confirmed, you were teaching Sunday school or teaching Hebrew, and we made a. Dollar a lesson. And I used to say, you're so cheap, dad. But, you know, we all did it because we had fun together. We didn't care. You know, we'd go after school and we'd go do Hebrew lessons, and then we'd go to the local Hershey's, the hamburger joint together or whatever, or go for a drive. Um, and that's what we did. All of us group, we get in a car and we'd go places and do things or go to the local fun places in high school and even my proms, I, I went with a guy from Seattle, Jewish guy, and, um, my best friend went with another Jewish guy from Seattle, and we went to prom together at our prom, and everybody knew the Jewish girls were going with, you know, that's the way it was. And we went to parties afterwards with our friends, our friends houses and introduced the guys that we were with to these girls. And are these kids that we hung out with in high school, a whole different group. And that's just how it is. You never thought any different until I came to, you know, college, um, where things were a little bit different. It was really, uh, the group I hung out with were my mostly my Jewish friends and a small group of my non-Jewish friends. But I was the Jewish girl. It was always the Jewish girl. And that that was, I think, back now as an adult, because I sent my kids to Jewish schools. Um, that that was weird. When I think back about it and I see what's going on, some of it and I see comments people make, and I want to say, you guys don't know what it was like being different, even though I don't look different, I think different. And you guys did think of me as different and not? That part was hard because it was. I was still different from a lot of most kids. I mean, I graduated with 800 students. Three of us. Betsy. Dena. Yeah. Three of us were Jewish. In my whole class. So that's my height. And this was a high school that had the majority of the Jewish kids. So you can see how small group we really were compared to the whole the whole city. Tacoma didn't I think there are 500 families in Tacoma, Jewish families when it's a pretty good size. And now there's even less. So at least less that are active in the Jewish community. As far as I know, I'm not as I get the their newsletters, but I'm not as active. But, you know, those days were different. It was a whole different world.
