Brad: For my Bar Mitzvah, I studied a Rabbinic text that explains that every person is given three names. The first is the name given to you by your parents. For me, that was Baruch, my Hebrew name. The second is the name given to you by your friends. For me, that was Brad. But the third is the most important name. It's the name you give yourself. Now, it's that third one I was stuck on. I had to really think about who I was, separate from who people wanted me to be or who people were forcing me to be. Being Jewish in Montgomery means feeling different all the time. I spent a lot of that time... feeling embarrassed about being Jewish. But I don't want to feel that way anymore. So from now on, I'm not just gonna stand by while people make fun of me or try to make me feel bad. No, instead, I'm gonna stand up for myself, for my people, and for what I believe is right.
Now, I may I not know what my third name is yet, but I do know who I am. A proud Jew from Alabama. [laughter] Thank you, and Shabbat Shalom! [applause, crowd shouting "Shabbat Shalom!"]
Adult Dean: It was in that moment that I started seeing Brad in a new light. Up until that point, I could name all the things that made us different, but after Brad's speech, it was clear we had way more in common than I'd ever realized.
Cory: L'chaim!
Adult Dean: And it was those similarities that made us that much closer and our friendship that much stronger, even to this day. Brad later confided in me that he did take my advice and pictured everyone in their underwear. Unfortunately, that also included my sister. [Brad holds the scrolls in front of himself as he backs away] Poor Brad. He needed a moment to compose himself afterwards.
Brad: [to Rabbi] No. No, no.