Can You Be MORE Jewish?

It started slowly. First, Kimberly decided to eat mostly kosher. She would eat out with us, and just wouldn't eat meat. She would cook her kosher foods in my home on any pan and eat on any plate, not worrying about whether dairy or meat had touched the pan or plate or cutlery. Then, she became shomer shabbos -- observant of the Shabbat custom of not driving, turning on lights and a whole litany of other weird rules. All this pleased me. She was no longer doing poorly in school, she wasn't partying all the time, she was hanging out with smart, good kids. I figured becoming more observant as a Jew would be very helpful to her. I felt Kimberly thrived in a strict environment. She would have had a great career in the military if she could've gotten through the physical aspects of the training. None of us are really that athletic. When she met Zachary, she had come across a long string of losers that she either dated or liked -- none of whom treated her well. This new guy asked her out on a proper date. He made an effort to come see her at school (he went to school in NYC). They had a lot of interests in common. The only problem was that he was an Orthodox jew. You know, the kind that wears a yarmulke (head covering) all the time. Very strict kosher and shomer shabbos. The type of judaism where women are not treated equally. Hmmmmm. Kind of big strike against him. My boyfriend took an instant dislike to this guy. Upon first meeting, Zach was kind of laid back and not very animated at all. Kimberly said he even complained that our house was very far. His family is from Englewood, center of modern Orthodox living in North Jersey. So, yes, I can see how he would think our house in Brick is far away for him. It must have seemed like another universe. It is nothing like the close-knit Orthodox community he is used to, where almost everyone is well to do. Brick is just a modest town with modest people. Hmmmm. Not sure about this guy. An important trait for any guy to have who is dating my daughter -- willingness to do anything to make her happy and even more willingness to go out of his way to be nice to her family. Not exactly happening with Zach. Kimberly had been dating Zach for about a year when I got a tearful phone call from her saying that Zach had broken up with her, said some horrible things about her and basically blamed her for every problem between them. I dropped the phone and jumped in my car and drove to Kimberly's school and took her out for a couple of drinks. She was devastated! She really loved this guy and he broke her heart. I was able to calm her down and drop her back at her house into the loving arms of her sweet and wonderful roommates. I hoped she would spend time healing over what Zach did to her. Instead, Kimberly determined that this was only a temporary separation and that he would come back to her. I secretly hoped that would not happen. She might forgive him but how was I supposed to forgive a guy who had no qualms about ripping out my daughter's heart?