We do very well together, much better than other mothers and daughters I ve seen. It doesn t work, she says. However, Jong feels that she has given Molly some measure of advice through setting an example. For instance, in relationships, she has always made it clear to her daughter to choose men who treat her well which Molly has done. Modeling is the most powerful way to demonstrate behavior, Jong says.
Roots can be a means through which generations can share each other s feelings.
Jong, by her own admission, became obsessed with the Holocaust when she was 23 years old. I have a profound and passionate sense of being Jewish. I think being Jewish is a fascinating destiny, she says. She now sees Molly, now almost 23, doing the same thing. Molly corresponds with children of the Kindertransport, reads a great deal about the Holocaust, and wants to go to Europe this summer to visit her family s roots.