How many stories died with our grandparents because we didn’t ask in time?
In this Bro History segment, we get personal: a 1950s interfaith marriage (Methodist → Catholic conversion), Irish/Polish/Ukrainian roots, Puerto Rican and Palestinian family lines, language barriers, Alzheimer’s, and the regrets that come with unanswered questions.
We talk about identity across faiths and borders, what we’d ask our grandparents today—from the Naqba to Cold War escapes—and why you should call yours now.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – 1950s taboo? Henry’s Catholic–Methodist grandparents & a conversion
01:05 – NYC then vs now: Irish UWS, German Upper East Side
02:00 – How they met: Army base in Lawton, OK → marriage → NYC
03:00 – “Did her parents care?” Interfaith in practice, not theory
03:50 – The regret: we waited too long to ask real questions
05:00 – Danny’s side: tracing lineage envy, Ellis Island vs no records
06:00 – Puerto Rican roots, indigenous/Afro-Caribbean threads, losing language
08:00 – Palestinian father’s side, displacement, Jordan, U.S. arrival
10:00 – Only-in-America pairing: Catholic Puerto Rican x Muslim Palestinian
11:00 – Naming, faith, and why the relationship didn’t survive
13:30 – Interfaith realities: Christian–Jewish common, Christian–Muslim rare
15:00 – Stakes of belief vs secular mixes; community & raising kids
17:00 – Growing up Catholic as a community center vs diverse church worlds
19:00 – What we’d ask: prejudice, context, and uncomfortable truths
22:00 – Henry’s European grandfather: expelled from Kyiv, smuggled out by servants
26:00 – Bike-racing champion, Poland to America pre-WWII
29:00 – Don Manolo: the Cuban refugee who slapped Castro’s brother (wild story)
31:30 – Call your grandparents. Seriously. Before memory fades.
33:00 – Boomers aren’t just “ok boomer”: moon landings, Vietnam, and real grind
📺 This is a segment from a longer Bro History recording. Full episodes drop early & ad-free on our Substack.
Links to our other stuff on the interwebs:
https://www.youtube.com/@BroHistory
https://brohistory.substack.com/
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