Can Jewish Guys Really Build Furniture?

As Gomer Pyle would say, “Surprise, Surprise!” Yes they can. Or as my grandmother would say "sure you can do that, but why not get a profession just in case." Yes Jewish guys can be handy. In fact there have been some very famous Jewish carpenters even though they were not always well known for their carpentry.

I come by my woodworking skills by way of both nature and nurture (see below for more on the nurture part). My great grandfather, Harry Bloomstone, was a skilled wood worker. My older brother still has a table and mirror he made. My father, while not a woodworker, is a tinkerer and very handy. He built his own stereo as a kid and taught me many useful things like how to fix a toilet flusher. I spent many a weekend puttering around the house fixing something with him. Also, my mother’s side of the family is from Maine and Canada. All that Pine has to count for something. What ever raw ability I have had something to do with my Jewish ancestors.