Customers asking questions about everything from the fat content of potato chips to the dip in local real estate values trust that Gideon will share an informed opinion.
There is one question, however, that has vexed the storeowner for most of his adult life. Gideon, who was raised in an Arab Christian household in East Jerusalem, has never been able to address one of the central conflicts of his life — until now.
“If I was asked to define myself, in terms of culture or religion, it would be very blurry,” admitted Gideon during a recent interview. “But let’s say that I would love to be Jewish, and leave it at that.”
The anomaly of Gideon’s situation doesn’t elude him: Even now he’s reluctant to express his views with his peers. Gideon, who is selling his store, plans on writing a book that he likened to a “really deep personal archaeological exploration.”
“This is a very big step for me…I can’t really begin to tell you how big of a step,” said Gideon. “It’s still scary even in 2002 to talk about some of these issues, and I’m still concerned about repercussions. But I’ve been wondering why I didn’t take the ‘next step’ for over 30 years, and I’ve finally decided to answer that question.”
Although he’s not specifically aware of any Jewish roots, Gideon, who immigrated to the Unites States in 1972, said there were some Jewish influences in his life. His father, born in 1906 in what was then part of the Ottoman Empire, was raised in a Jerusalem orphanage by Jesuit priests. To this day, Gideon is unsure of his father’s background, but remembers being weaned on Biblical tales from the Old Testament — stories that are staples of many Jewish households as well. Gideon’s father also selected some Old Testament names for some of his six sons, including Michael (the co-owner of Econo-Market) and Gabriel.
His household was nominally religious. Gideon recalls that churchgoing was encouraged but rarely enforced.
“There was something about going to church that just didn’t ring true for me…the belief just wasn’t there,” said Gideon, pausing to wipe the sweat off his bare pate (“the absence of hair is ‘sure sign’ of having a philosophical nature,” Gideon quipped). “But, on the other hand, there was no way I was going to mention my interest in Judaism. I don’t even want to think about what could have happened then. There was always the fear of violence or retaliation.
“Besides, I really had no way of expressing my interest at that time. It was a hopeless situation.”
The 1967 war further amplified his desires to explore Judaism when Israel annexed East Jerusalem. Gideon recalls taking buses to the western part of the city and to Tel Aviv, and was shocked by what he didn’t see.
“There were no monsters or killers running around,” said Gideon. “In the area I was raised in, there were hundreds of myths and propaganda of what Jews were like, and none of it matched with what I saw.”
Instead, Gideon said he developed an appreciation for the “Jewish way of life,” including religious rituals, business practices and “progressive beliefs.” After the 1967 war, Gideon even began to study Hebrew — with the tacit consent of his father.
“He encouraged me by never discouraging me,” said Gideon of his father. “My older brother was also interested in Judaism, but we really had no idea how to approach the subject. So we just tried to forget about it.”
But long after leaving Jerusalem, the subject still keeps “burning inside” of him.
The Richmond resident’s three children were raised in a non-denominational household, and were free to pursue whatever spiritual paths they chose. Although none of them chose Judaism (or any other religion for that matter), Gideon nonetheless felt that his family was “basically a Jewish family.”
If the apparent paradox is unnerving to an outsider, it is much more aggravating to Gideon. He hopes that while researching for his book he will uncover the reason for his previous reluctance to explore Judaism.
“All I can tell you is that whenever someone tells me that they’re Jewish, I get a tremendous feeling of jealousy inside. I always felt that should describe me as well.”