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Jewish Journal

Connect. Inform. Inspire.

January 22, 1998

Up Front

Leave a Comment / Old Stories, Up Front /

Rabbi SimchaSheldon

Unity in the Community

Lots of people gripe about the lack of unity among Jews, but RabbiSimcha Sheldon is doing something about it. With a grant from theJewish Community Foundation, Sheldon has launched Project L.E.A.R.N.(Learn, Educate and Renew Networks) to bring what he calls “unity inthe community” through greater understanding of Jewish values acrossthe religious spectrum and across the generations.

Project L.E.A.R.N. is a series of free classes on Judaism, open toanyone who is interested in learning. To help achieve the goal ofgreater unity, the classes will be taught by Reconstructionist,Reform, Conservative and Orthodox rabbis and will be held atsynagogues of all denominations as well as Jewish community centers.Subjects covered in class will include a variety of major Jewishconcepts, including visiting the sick, loving one’s neighbor asoneself, prayer and meditation, and continued personal and spiritualgrowth — “the kind of Torah study that all Jews, no matter theirlevel of commitment or background, can appreciate,” said Sheldon.

In keeping with his goal of increasing knowledge and respect amongdenominations as well as among generations, he asks students tovolunteer four hours monthly to share their newfound knowledge withJewish seniors in retirement homes. Large-print materials areprovided to help the seniors follow the texts they are studying.

Skittish of denominational labels, Sheldon calls himself”shomer mitzvot” (mitzvah-observant). He earned anOrthodox rabbinical ordination in 1992. Before that, many in LosAngeles knew him as Dr. Ed Sheldon, a psychotherapist in privatepractice for 19 years and a founder of the former Westside CounselingCenter.

Sheldon’s goal, he admits, is a little idealistic. But, he says,”there’s been a real splitting off in the community within age groupsand within denominations. If we come together with mutual respect andlearn Torah together, even if there isn’t always agreement, at leastthere can be respect and understanding. I want to help people utilizeJewish practices as a vehicle to spiritual consciousness and lovingbehavior. I hope it will make a difference and open up some hearts.”

Project L.E.A.R.N. classes begin in February. To enroll, call(310) 392-2222.

— Judy R. Gruen

An Ambassador for Peace

When Dr. Marwan Muasher became the first Jordanian ambassador toIsrael, he was struck by the genuine fear among average Israelisthat, at any time, the surrounding Arab States might attack theircountry.

It’s a fear that the typical Arab simply can’t comprehend, becausehe or she is deeply concerned that the powerful Israeli army willinvade at any moment.

The anxieties felt by Arabs and Israelis are mirror images of eachother, and true peace will not come to the Middle East “until we shedour respective fortress mentalities,” said Muasher, now Jordan’sambassador to the United States.

The personable and youthful envoy, who holds a doctorate incomputer engineering from Purdue University, last week addressed anAmerican Jewish Committee luncheon and stuck to a resolutely hopefultone during his talk and subsequent interview.

Much of his optimism seems to derive from his own upbeatexperiences in Israel, where he was received “like a Hollywoodcelebrity,” and from his current relations with the American Jewishcommunity.

Muasher credited the latter with successfully lobbying Congress torestore U.S. aid to Jordan, currently running at $225 million a year,and with sharing his own country’s “vision of peace” in the MiddleEast.

While acknowledging Jordan’s differences with some of the policiesof the present Israeli government, Muasher sought to assure theIsraeli people that Jordan will remain a steadfast partner in thepeace process.

“The Middle East is divided, not between Arab and Israeli, orbetween Moslem and Jew, but between those who want peace and thosewho do not want peace,” he said.

Since 1989, Jordan has undergone three major reform processes, inpolitics, economics and international relations, the envoy said.

“We have opened up the political system so that we now have 22parties and the freest press in the Arab world,” Muasher said. “Wehave opened up the economy and have become one of the mostmarket-oriented countries in the region, and we have signed a peacetreaty with Israel.”

While long-standing suspicions between Jordanians and Israelishave not been entirely removed, the ambassador said that some 100,000Israeli tourists visit his country every year, while 30,000Jordanians tour Israel.

Leaders of major Jewish organizations and institutions in LosAngeles participated in the luncheon. Among the diplomatic guests,interestingly enough, was the consul general of Malaysia, a countrymost recently in the news for its prime minister’s attack on “Jewish”financiers. — Tom Tugend, Contributing Editor

Above, from left, American Jewish Committee Los Angeles ChapterPresident Barry A. Sanders; Jordan’s new U.S. ambassador, Dr. MarwanMuasher, and Western Regional Director of the American jewishCommittee Rabbi Gary Greenebaum.

Charlayne Woodard tells of herlife, family and Jewish friends in “Neat,” her superb one-woman showat the Mark Taper Forum, through Feb. 1. For information, call (213)628-2772.

An Antisemite by Any Other Spelling…

How many ways are there to spell “anti-Semite”? A report by CopyEditor, a newsletter for publishing professionals, reports that anumber of historians have successfully urged the Journal of ModernHistory to formally change its style from “anti-Semitism” — the mostcommon usage and to “antisemitism.”

Many historians and other scholars and authors have long lobbiedfor the change. As far back as 1975, when “The Eight Questions PeopleAsk About Judaism” was first published by Dennis Prager and JosephTelushkin, the authors purposefully spelled the term “antisemitism,”following the example of Christian historian James Parkes, “so as notto convey the misunderstanding that there is a Semitic entity whichantisemitism opposes” (“The Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism,”Simon & Schuster, 1981, page 121).

In fact, the term “anti-Semite” was coined in 1879 by a Germannamed Wilhelm Marr. Marr apparently fanned the flames of a growingpolitical enmity toward Jews by giving a name to a host of unsavorycharacteristics supposedly embodied in the “Semite.”

Copy Editor also reported that history Professor Richard Levy ofthe University of Illinois and one of those who asked the Journal ofModern History to change its style, explained that anti-Jewishactivists of the late 19th century made the term “Semite” into apejorative, describing what Levy called “a bundle of uniformlynegative traits that the various enemies of the Jews insisted werethe racial inheritance of every Jew.” Anti-Semites are clearlyanti-Jewish. Yet many historians and language purists point out thatthose opposed to anti-Semitism aren’t defending Semitism — they’redefending the human rights of Jews.

Because “Semitism” became a term popularized by Jew-haters,”there’s no real difference between Semitism and anti-Semitism,” Levywas quoted as saying. “Jews are not in favor of ‘Semitism,’ becausethey recognize it as a fallacious concept created by their enemies.”

In addition to The Journal of Modern History, other publicationsand organizations seem to be using the closed-up spelling, includingthe Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism;Philip Herbst’s new book, “The Color of Words: An EncyclopaedicDictionary of Ethnic Bias in the United States” (InterculturalPress); and Webster’s New World College Dictionary, Third Edition,which lists only “antisemitic.” (The other three college dictionariesspell it with the hyphen and the capital S.)

Although the spelling may change, sadly, the ugly concept islikely to remain. — Judy R. Gruen

Up Front Read More »

Singles

Leave a Comment / Old Stories /

I had hoped that it would be an “empowering”experience, going to the movies alone on New Year’s Eve.

And I really wanted it to be. But when I sat alonein a dark theater at midnight, sipping my Diet Coke and munchinggreasy popcorn, I didn’t feel as Erica Jong as I had hoped.

Truth be told, I was feeling more “My So-CalledLife,” or some other show involving a lot of sappy voice-overs. Thecamera would zoom in on me saying, “One ticket please,” followed by ashot of the concession guy looking at me as if I were a leper forhaving no date, and then a swell of some Joni Mitchell song.

That was how pathetic I felt. Still, I knew I wasdoing the right thing, and that gave me some satisfaction, like whenyou’re getting in your car to go to the gym on some rainy night whenyou’d really rather just sit home and watch four hours of figureskating on TV. The superego is winning a leg race with the id, andthat usually seems to have some long-term benefits.

You see, for me, alone time has traditionally beenup there with getting a root canal in terms of things I look forwardto.

Last month, after I broke up with the latest in aconsecutive series of never-were-quite-right boyfriends, my friendSylvia casually posed the question, “So, what’s the longest you’vegone between boyfriends?”

To which I replied: “Let’s see. Is there somethingshorter than a nanosecond?”

That got me thinking. There were those three daysbetween Tom and Kevin, which I found so unpleasant that I reduced totwo days between Kevin and Dave. OK, I’ll even admit to some briefrelationship overlaps, which would be horribly embarrassing exceptfor the fact that I know I’m not the only one. After all, someoneinvented the phrase “Don’t take off your dirty shirt until you have aclean one to put on.” And it wasn’t me. Really.

But when Sylvia asked me that question and I sawmyself from the outside, I had to seriously question my aversion tosolitude — a state most conventional wisdom seems to recommend, atleast in moderation. Judaism, and just about every other majorreligious tradition, puts a premium not only on communal prayer buton solitary introspection, my personal cryptonite.

Why am I afraid of something that’s supposed to beso good for me? See above reference to root canal.

In all fairness, maybe it’s not some deeply rootedfear of being alone as much as it is a genuine affection forcompanionship. Sylvia’s response to that theory: “Hello? Wake up andsmell the neurosis.”

So I have been trying, with varying degrees ofsuccess, to wait before diving into the next relationship. Maybe I’llread more books, have more epiphanies, clean out my closet, find somequiet inner peace. Or maybe I’ll just have an existential crisis andstart hearing voices. I don’t know.

I do know that a compulsive need to always be partof a couple can certainly cloud one’s judgment as to the merits of apotential mate. When faced with the question, Spend the evening aloneor go out with the Unabomber? I’d probably tell myself: “He’s anall-right guy. Nothing a little mousse and a good psychoanalyst can’tcure.” I’ve actually had lengthy relationships with guys whose bestfeature was that the location of their apartment abbreviated mycommuting time.

For months, I dated a compulsive gambler who wouldtake me to Las Vegas for “some quality time together” and end upbleary-eyed, sucking his rent money out of the ATM for another roundof Caribbean Poker. “I’m gonna win it all back,” he’d say, and I’dthink to myself, “He just really enjoys risk. Nothing wrong withthat.”

Except that the risk I’ve really been taking isthat I could be wasting my time with adequate place-keepers insteadof waiting to find the person who could be my beshert, my destiny –if there is such a thing. What paragon am I missing by spending timewith men who enrich my life mainly by having cable? What insight intothe universe awaits me in the still hours of some Saturday nightalone? If I can wait long enough, I may find out.

The trouble is the waiting. Because when you’rewearing neither a dirty shirt nor a clean shirt, you’re downrightnaked, and that can be cold and scary, especially in a world thatsometimes seems populated by nothing but the cozily coupled.Especially in a dark theater on New Year’s Eve.

But I guess I survived that little root canal, so,from now on in, the Unabomber’s on his own.

Illustration by Michael Aushenker

Teresa Strasser is a twentysomething contributing writer forThe Jewish Journal.

All rights reserved by author.

Singles Read More »

Torah Portion

Leave a Comment / Old Stories, Torah /

The Nazis took my uncle Henry at the beginning ofthe war. He survived more than five years as a slave. Young andstrong, he was a carpenter, and they needed carpenters. At first,they moved him from camp to camp, including a stay at Pleshow, whereSchindler’s people were kept. And, finally, Auschwitz. A slavelaborer, he built parts of the camp. When the Allies advanced, he wastaken on the infamous Death March from Poland into Germany. He wasliberated from Buchenwald by the U.S. Army in 1945.

For as long as I can remember, my uncle neverspoke about these experiences. We knew that he had been in the camps– from the numbers on his arm and from his peculiar personal habits(for example, the way he slept so still, as if he were still hiding).But he would never reveal to any of us where he’d been.

My aunt, who returned to school once the childrenwere grown, took a course in Jewish literature. Among the booksassigned was Elie Wiesel’s “Night” — Wiesel’s account of his time atAuschwitz. My aunt left the book on the living-room coffee table, andmy uncle picked it up one afternoon and began to read. He knew allthe characters and places in the book. He had witnessed all theevents Wiesel described.

Later in the semester, Wiesel came to lecture atthe university, and my aunt and uncle went to hear him. Following thelecture, they approached Wiesel. My uncle asked him about people andplaces he hadn’t recalled in more than 40 years. Wiesel questioned myuncle about his own experiences and memories. They stood together inthe deserted lecture hall for more than two hours. Finally, Wieselasked my uncle, “Have you told your children?” And my unclesheepishly replied that he could not. “You must,” Wiesel saidadmonishingly, “for if you do not, they will never really believe ithappened!”

At a Passover meal, some months later, he sat usdown and, for more than three hours, told us his story: thedeportation, the brutal separation from his family, the camps, themarch, the liberation. When, at last, he finished, we sat in silencefor some time. We finally asked him why he’d waited all these yearsto share this. He looked at us with an embarrassed expression andsaid: “Because I was afraid you wouldn’t understand. How could youunderstand? You grew up here, in freedom and safety. You don’t knowhunger or fear or hate. How could you understand?”

So, then, why tell us now? “Because Wiesel isright. If you don’t hear it from me, you’ll never really believe thatit happened, that it was real.”

Now I understand Exodus. I can imagine ageneration of ex-slaves caught in my uncle’s dilemma: How can Idescribe realities that you can’t possibly imagine? You know nothingof slavery, of degradation, of fear and hatred. But if I don’t tellyou, you’ll never believe it was real. If you don’t hear it from me,you’ll think of it in terms impersonal, theoretical, abstract. Youmust know that these things happened, and that I was there. Asinadequate as this may be, I tell you this story so that my memoriesmay become your own.

On Passover, the whole meal isn’t marror — thebiting bitter herb. We take just a taste — enough to bring tears andshorten the breath. But it’s always mellowed with the sweetness ofcharoset — the joy of liberation. For the story’s end ishope.

Today, my uncle tells his story to high schoolkids up and down the Eastern seaboard, particularly in inner-cityneighborhoods. This is his personal fight against despair. So it wasfor our ancestors. We know that God has purposes in human history.We, who crossed the sea, saw history turned transparent. We perceivedGod’s presence and the triumph of hope.

Ed Feinstein is rabbi at Valley Beth Shalom.

All rights reserved by author


Torah Portion Read More »

Conflicting Stories

Leave a Comment / Old Stories /

During World War II, did an anti-Semitic Swiss government split upJewish refugee families, require the men to perform backbreaking workin forced labor camps, and treat Jews markedly worse than Christianrefugees?

Or, on the contrary, were Jewish refugees generally treated withdecency and respect at a time when all Swiss had to work for thecommon good and share tight rations?

Talk to former refugees who escaped the Nazi dragnets and foundsafety in Switzerland, and their reports are often wildlycontradictory.

The latest furor about Switzerland’s questionable role in WorldWar II was triggered earlier this month by a British televisiondocumentary on Channel 4 that amounted to a powerful indictment ofSwitzerland’s treatment of Jewish refugees.

Historian Alan Morris Schom presents his report, “TheUnwanted Guests:

Swiss Forced Labor Camps, 1940-1944.” Photocourtesy Simon Wiesenthal Center

The harsh picture took on even darker hues in a report byhistorian Alan Morris Schom, “The Unwanted Guests: Swiss Forced LaborCamps, 1940-1944,” commissioned by the Simon Wiesenthal Center andreleased last week in Los Angeles as Wire services, newspapers and TVnetworks immediately picked up on the report and delivered it aroundthe world, often with provocative headlines and graphics. And it’snot over, with both Time and Newsweek coming out with major stories.

The new list of accusations hit Swiss officials like a blow to thesolar plexus. They were already reeling from earlier charges thatSwiss banks had filled their vaults by appropriating the accounts setup by Holocaust victims and by laundering Nazi gold — but at leastthese transgressions dealt mainly with bankers and money. The newreport went further by attacking the fundamental image of the Swissas a decent and humane people.

An official with the Swiss Embassy in Washington phoned The JewishJournal and reported, in a choked voice, on a CNN news segment thatopened with footage of Nazi concentration camps.

The implied comparison was obviously odious, and even the harshestcritics of Switzerland have rejected it. No Jews were killed in Swisscamps — though there were some cases of medical negligence — andnone were deliberately worked to death.

Now a number of Jewish veterans of Swiss camps have rallied to thedefense of Switzerland, hailing the country as the savior of some28,000 Jewish refugees (although roughly the same number were turnedback at the Swiss border).

Al A. Finci of Sherman Oaks, a native of Sarajevo, crossed theSwiss border as a teen-ager with his family in the spring of 1944. Atall times, he said, “we were treated courteously and with respect …and sent to a boarding school for me, a Swiss family for my 10-yearold sister, and a vacant hotel, used to accommodate refugees, for myparents.”

In an interview, Finci said, “I have no special love for theSwiss; they are a cold and often gruff people, but they saved mylife.”

Arthur P. Stern, a Holocaust survivor who spent much of the war inSwitzerland, described parts of the Schom report as “a lot ofgarbage.”

A self-described “professional Jew,” who holds leadershippositions in numerous Jewish organizations and retired as presidentof Magnavox Advanced Products, Stern said that it violates Jewishtradition when false accusations are leveled for the sake ofpublicity.

The Swiss government did a number of bad things, such assuspending the country’s traditional right of refuge to limit Jewishimmigration, but “compared to Portugal, Spain and Sweden, and eventhe United States, which only admitted 50,000 Jews when 600,000unused visas were available, Switzerland comes out very well,” Sternsaid.

Alex Koron, a native of Munich now living in Desert Hot Springs,was assigned to a camp at Birmensdorf in October 1942.

“We lived in military barracks and slept on straw mats. The foodwas sufficient and was rationed even for the Swiss. I worked in thekitchen, did repairs, removed tree stumps and blew up rocks to clearfields to grow food,” said Koron.

“I worked eight hours a day, there were no guards, no barbed wire.Almost every weekend, I went into town. I never encounteredanti-Semitism.”

Despite such testimony, the Wiesenthal Center, Dr. Schom, theauthor of “Unwanted Guests,” and Simon Reeve, the writer of theBritish documentary, stand fully by their reports and have witnessesto back their charges.

Reeve said in a call from London that he interviewed 25 veteransof the Swiss camps, of whom only one “had a positive experience.”

“I found that there was a broad policy of anti-Semitism inSwitzerland before and during the war, and there is no doubt thatJewish refugees were exploited, not just for Switzerland’s survivalbut to further the country’s economy,” Reeve said.

One of his witnesses was Manfred Alexander, who, after escaping aGerman concentration camp, made it to Switzerland.

Alexander told The New York Times: “[There], I was put in a prisonwith murderers. Then I was sent to camps where they put us intostriped uniforms and we worked from daybreak to sundown in thefields. A guard beat people. Those who tried to escape, they sentdogs after them.”

Other former inmates cited examples of senseless cruelty or sheergreed. Michael Jacobovitz of New York, then a 17-year-old OrthodoxJew from Cologne, would not eat non-kosher food in his camp, and whenhe begged a guard for a second slice of bread, he was threatened withforcible

Conflicting Stories Read More »

Spectator

Leave a Comment / Old Stories /

Eddie Cantor, among the Jewishperformers featured in the Skirball Cultural Center’s current filmseries.

The Skirball Cultural Center is continuing its “Vaudeville: JewishPerformers in Early Sound Film” series with screenings of the MarxBrothers, Eddie Cantor, and Burns and Allen, among others. Here’s thelineup:

  • Thursday, Jan. 29, 7:30 p.m.: “The Cocoanuts,” the Marx Brothers’ first film, based on their Broadway stage hit, about a greedy hotel manager trying to cash in on Florida real estate.
  • Sunday, Feb. 1, 2 p.m.: An Eddie Cantor double bill of “Glorifying the American Girl,” featuring a Ziegfeld Follies routine, and “Whoopee!” with a singing cameo by Betty Grable.
  • Sunday, Feb. 8, 3 p.m.: “Short Takes,” a program of short films featuring classic routines by George Jessel, Fannie Brice, Milton Berle, Jack Benny and Cantor.
  • Sunday, Feb. 22, 2 p.m.: “An Afternoon with George and Gracie” features their first talkie (“Fit To Be Tied”), shorts “The Antique Shop” and “Walking the Baby,” and the 1934 feature “Six of a Kind,” in which the couple encounters W.C. Fields.

The Skirball is located at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles.Individual admissions and series subscriptions are available bycalling (213) 660-TKTS.

Animation fans can rejoice this week, thanks to the enterprisingfolks at the New Beverly Cinema. The theater will present a doublebill of films by famed Czech surrealist Jan Svankmajer. “Faust,” adark variation on the legend, is about a Prague businessman who fallsvictim to the Devil; it will screen with “Conspirators of Pleasure”on Wednesday, Jan. 28, through Saturday, Jan. 31.

Svankmajer’s puppet animation is a work of technical wizardry andis a style of cinematic art that, unfortunately, is not attempted bymainstream filmmakers, for whom animation increasingly meansdigitalization.

His films, depressing, albeit visually stunning, are definitelynot for everyone, and are much more enjoyable if viewed withoutexpecting to see something Disney-esque.

The theater is located at 7165 Beverly Blvd., one block west of LaBrea Ave. Call (213) 938-4038 for show times.

Spectator Read More »

Baby Sitters No More

Leave a Comment / Old Stories /

The first thing that struck me as PresidentClinton unveiled his $21.7 billion child-care proposal last week wasthat it was hardly noticed in our community at all. With the possibleexception of increased child-care tax exemptions, the nation’s firstpreschool package won’t touch the Jewish community to anyextent.

Let the Christian Coalition insist that womenstill belong solely at home. Our own community resolved the problemearly, and did it well.

For today’s young Jewish parents, synagoguepreschools are taken for granted. There are 65 preschools in LosAngeles, serving 8,000 children. Day care isn’t just for Mom’sbenefit anymore. We send our children to school even if two parentsare working in the home office. Why? Because our preschools aregreat. Our children take art, computers, science as soon as they’reout of diapers. They celebrate Shabbat and Jewish holidays, learnHebrew blessings, and identify the map of Israel as the heart of theworld.

No one calls it baby-sitting. We know it for whatit is: a godsend.

If you sense a “yes, but” in all this, here itcomes. Sure, we can take pride in schools that raise up happy,competent Jewish children. But we also have cause for shame –in thetreatment of our preschool teachers. Across the nation, Jewishchildren are being educated by teachers who get less respect than thesynagogue janitor.

Of course, money is an issue. Less than a decadeago, beginning early childhood educators in Los Angeles, with 12units of college, made minimum wage. The Jewish community does betternow ($9/hour), but every step up is a fight.

But wages are not the only issue. Our earlychildhood educators work under labor arrangements deemed punitive 50years ago.

They have no job security. They can be firedwithout cause, and there is no grievance procedure. They work withchildren, who are notoriously susceptible to every cold or flu bugflying around, but commonly have no paid sick days. They can bedocked for taking off the second day of the Jewish holidays.

These are the people who teach our children Jewishvalues.

Naturally, there are two sides to the story.Employment rights for teachers threatens synagogue budgets,especially if schools hire substitutes when teachers are absent.Moreover, preschool directors are still fighting for their ownprofessional dignity in a field commonly scorned as merely a “secondincome.” They correctly fear confrontation with synagogue leaders asinviting board oversight of their independent realm.

Our teachers are caught between competing forcesand have few advocates for their cause. Turnover among preschoolstaff is about 40 percent; our children’s teachers are voting withtheir feet against treatment that is just not Jewish. They will getjobs in corporate day care or public schools (if either the Clintonproposal or one by Gov. Pete Wilson passes), or will leave thepreschool world. All of us — especially the children –suffer.

“How can a Jewish institution in touch withethical values justify not treating its teachers decently?” Phelan C.Hurewitz told me. Hurewitz, while chair of the Bureau of JewishEducation, helped form the professional practices committee that hasjust developed a new code for preschool teachers. “These are basicrights.”

Here’s the rub: Teachers in day schools andafternoon religious schools are already protected under a similarprofessional code that has been in place for decades. These teachershave grievance procedures, sick days and even pension options;preschool teachers do not. Is it a coincidence that day- andreligious-school educators were mostly men at the time these rightswere granted, while preschool teachers are universally women?

“They change diapers, and they get treatedaccordingly,” one preschool advocate told me.

In February, the BJE will consider, and no doubtpass, the new early childhood code. It has already been subject topublic hearings and negotiation, under a committee headed by attorneyand former BJE chair Linda Goldenberg Mayman. The BJE has been anational leader in early childhood standards, practices andcurriculum; its school accreditation program is now being duplicatedin Miami, Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia. Now Los Angeles isready to lead again.

But once the BJE accepts the code, the real battlewill begin, as 65 synagogues decide independently, yeah or nay. Iftoo few schools are covered (the number not yet confirmed), the codewill fail.

If you belong to a synagogue, make sure your boarddoes what is right. Our educators do us proud. Now we must return thecompliment and give Los Angeles’ 1,500 preschool teachers the dignityand rights they deserve.

Marlene Adler Marks is senior columnist of TheJewish Journal. Join her Thursday evenings at 8 p.m. in AmericaOnline’s Jewish community chat room. Her e-mail address iswmnsvoice@aol.com.

January 16, 1998 —FalseAlarms

 

November 28, 1997 —As AmericanAs…

 

November 21, 1997 —The ThirteenWants

 

November 14, 1997 —Music to MyEars

 

November 7, 1997 —Four Takes on50

 

October 31, 1997 —ChallengingHernandez

 

October 24, 1997 —CommonGround

 

October 17, 1997 —Taking Off theMask

 

October 10, 1997 —Life’s a MixedBag

 

October 3, 1997 —And Now ForSomething Completely Different

 

September 26, 1997— An OpenHeart

 

September 19, 1997— My BronxTale

 

September 12, 1997 — Of Goddesses andSaints

 

August 22, 1997 — Who is Not a Jew

 

August 15, 1997 — A LegendaryFriendship

 

July 25, 1997 — A Perfect Orange

 

July 18, 1997 — News of Our Own

 

July 11, 1997 — Celluloid Heroes

 

July 4, 1997 — Meet theSeekowitzes

 

June 27, 1997 — The Facts of Life

 

June 20, 1997 — Reality Bites

Baby Sitters No More Read More »

Letters

Leave a Comment / Letters to the Editor, Old Stories /

Marlene Adler Marks claimed in her column topresent a “Jewish” view of the movie “Titanic”(“A Jewish Seat in theAisle,” Jan. 9). Most of her thoughts about guilt and responsibilityof survivors, the coming tragedies of the 20th century, and so on,are really not specifically Jewish at all. Only her reference to theHolocaust, and a weak one at that, puts it into a Jewish context. Sadthat the Holocaust must be the datum point for all Jewishexperience.

I must admit, however, that “Titanic” did indeedevoke specific images for me as a Jew. My mother’s family came to theU.S. from England, via Canada. Like most Jews who came in the firstfew decades of this century, they no doubt would have been insteerage. Had they come a few years later, they could have been onthat ill-fated journey.

How many Jews, I wondered, shared the fate of somany Irish, Italian, and other poor immigrants seeking a better life?How many died without a chance, kept locked below decks while the”better” part of the passenger list sought safety?

There may have been a few wealthy Jews in firstclass, but most of our ancestors came here in steerage. What are ourcurrent obligations to those still in “steerage,”locked out while therest of us enjoy our comfort and safety? If this was not a part ofMarks’ reaction as a Jew, then she has lost touch with a part of herJewish roots.

Martin Cohen, Ph. D.

West Hills

Fan Mail

The last time I spoke to Stan Hirsh, I remarked tohim how pleased I am with the quality of The Jewish Journal. He toldme to say that to the highly capable editors of the weekly.

Therefore I am writing to all of you to expressthe pleasure you give me each week when I read your excellentcommentaries, articles and updates. I read the Los Angeles Times, NewRepublic, Jerusalem Report, Near East Report and other publicationseach week. But each Friday your pertinent articles entice me to readThe Journal virtually from cover to cover.

I am particularly pleased when you use an articlethat has appeared in another publication and your editors havethought it worth offering to your readers, so you paid for it andoffered it to us.

Thank you for the quality you bring to our houseeach week.

Ken Kinrich

North Hollywood

Feinstein’s Fine Job

We are waiting to let you know how much we enjoyRabbi Ed Feinstein’s Torah Portion commentaries each week. He makeseach week’s portion interesting and most relevant.

Please continue to run this most stimulating andinformative feature. Thank you.

Evelyn and Joshua Gross

Beverly Hills

More Fan Mail

I very much enjoyed the article about Makor(“Mingling with Meaning,” Jan. 9) by Michael Aushenker. He has alight, humorous, first-person writing style, and I hope he cancontinue to bring us his slightly twisted and accurate angle onJewish life in Los Angeles.

David Notowitz

Los Angeles

Great Play

I recently saw a wonderful play called “MorningStar” at the Colony Studio Theater. It’s about all of us who sharethe Jewish experience in America. The acting was superb and the setwas beautiful.

I urge you and your readers to see it. The theateris located at 1944 Riverside Drive in Silverlake. They have awonderful art exhibit there too about Jews in Russia and LosAngeles.

Helen Bruck

Los Angeles

A Day of Learning

Over 1,000 people attended the recent Yom Limud atTaft High School which turned out to be a wonderful opportunity forstudy, learning and sharing ideas. The range of teaching talent wascertainly impressive and the Bureau of Jewish Education did awonderful job of organizing the event.

I took advantage of the wide range of offerings toarrange a rather eclectic day of learning for myself and found eachclass interesting, engaging, and full of eager students.

Many thanks to the Bureau of Jewish Education forsponsoring Yom Limud. Judging by the turnout, there certainly is ademand for making this an annual event.

Ben Rich

Chino Hills

Community Shabbat

It was wonderful to be part of the ReformCommunity Shabbat at Temple Emanuel on Friday, Jan. 9. Despite therain, several hundred congregants from synagogues throughout the areaattended the service, singing and worshipping together.

What a rare treat to celebrate Shabbat with thebeautiful music and inspiring prayers of so many gifted clergy –over 30 of them — who filled the bimah. It was truly a veryspecial evening, and a unique opportunity to share in the warmth andspirituality of our community.

My appreciation and thanks to those at HebrewUnion College and the Union of American Hebrew Congregations whohelped coordinate the service, and to Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman,president of HUC, for speaking so passionately about the need torenew and strengthen our commitment to Judaism’s teachings andtraditions.

Elaine L. Diamond

West Los Angeles

On Jonathan Pollard

Writer Anne Roiphe (“Jewish Leaders Must Extract aMoral Thorn,” Jan. 2) appropriately brings to light the shame ofindifference when she describes Jewish leaders’ seeming lack ofconcern about the travesty of justice at Jonathan Pollard’s lifesentence for spying for Israel.

The fact that then-Secretary of Defense CasparWeinberger was permitted to so arrogantly go back on the deal madewith Pollard that would have provided a lighter sentence in exchangefor a confession has always been incomprehensible to me.Unfortunately, Weinberger is no longer accountable for his obviousvindictiveness towards Pollard. But we as a Jewish community showedcontinued passivity when Janet Reno, in her review of the Pollardcase, decided his sentence was perfectly appropriate. And herrecommendation was readily accepted by President Clinton.

What possible good for the Jewish community isserved by our sacrificial tolerance of such unequal treatment of oneof our own by the government’s actions?

Amy Goldner Guttman

Pacific Palisades

*

Regarding the essay on Jonathan Pollard by AnneRoiphe: She asks that we stand up and fight for the convicted spy’srelease. I will not do so! Yes, I do feel for his parents and I dofeel for his wife but, try as I might, I do not feel for him atall.

Let’s call it like it is. Pollard got the sentencehe did because of Caspar Weinberger. Should his sentence be commuted?Probably. But not absolutely. Remember, he did take money.

Jerry Rabinowitz

Encino

Netanyahu and Control

I do not stand by the whomever-may-be-in-powerIsraeli government, and do not believe that uncritical loyalty is theway to express my hopes for the nation. I believe that the patriot isthe gadfly, constantly “speaking truth to power.”

Netanyahu is acting as if he can further theinterests of Israel by breaking the letter and the spirit of the 1949Geneva Accords, as well as two subsequent United Nations resolutions,by doubling already-illegal Jewish housing in the West Bank.

Instead, his decrees will escalate the anger,frustration, and feelings of betrayal of the Palestinian people. Intheir feelings of helplessness, one or more Palestinians may dosomething outrageous. Netanyahu will judge that act, and with lessthan King Solomon-like wisdom, come down with yet another punishingmeasure, and the spiral of distrust will continue.

I seem to remember a pre-1948 atmosphere when onecould borrow a cup of sugar from an Arab neighbor, and share coffeein each other’s living rooms. Let our letters, and our dialogue –and our taxes — support that feeling among cousins,rather than expansionist decrees, judicious road-building thatresults in Arab ghettoization, and control, control, control.

Leah Kramer

North Hollywood

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Marco Polo Redux

Leave a Comment / Food, Old Stories /

Travelers Meiand John Krich

The affinity of Jews to Chinese food reaches its apotheosis inJohn Krich’s “Won Ton Lust: Adventures in Search of the World’s BestChinese Restaurant” (Kodansha, $24). It’s no outrageous stereotype tostate that, as a people, American Jews seem to need a good Chinesemeal to kick-start us into the week. It’s nothing to be ashamed of;neither is it anything to take lightly.

For those of us who agonize over the lack of great Chinese cuisinewest of Monetrey Park or, at least, west of Chinatown, imagine thejoy luck of Manhattan native John Krich. Raised, as were many of us,in “the particularly Jewish-American ritual of ingesting illicitspare ribs, accompanied by bowls of pretzel-like prefab noodles,”Krich met and wed a native of Shanghai, Mei, and together they setoff on a mission to find the best Chinese food not in their SanFrancisco home, not in America, not even in China, but in the wholeworld.

Since the Chinese diaspora at least equals another one we know of,that meant that the Krich’s dined everywhere from Chez Vong in Paris,to Li Li’s in West Melbourne, to Vancouver’s Kowloon, to Kong Yi Jiin Beijing, to Avalon in Gallup, N.M., to Shun Lee Palace in NewYork, to Yujean Kang in Pasadena — 450 meals at 350 restaurants in23 countries over a 15-month span. If you haven’t tried the BuddhaJumps Over the Wall at the Hai Tian Lo in Singapore — a seafood soupcosting $200 per bowl — you deserve the take-out you get.

The couple begins their enviable journey in Venice, Italy, fromwhere Marco Polo once set out to discover the best ice cream,gunpowder and noodles. The Kriches find that — surprise — the wholeworld is crazy over good Chinese. Fortunately, the Chinese themselvesare among its biggest fans, and their single-minded dedication to thecrispiest duck skin or the perfect cup of tea greatly improves theodds of finding an excellent Chinese meal anywhere. (And afterreading “Won Ton Lust,” you’ll never be so thick as to lump all foodfrom China in as broad a term as “Chinese.”)

Even in humble Los Angeles, the Kriches are amused but notdisappointed. They dismiss Wolfgang Puck’s Chinois and the trendyMandarette as more image than eats. But Krich, 47, appreciates YujeanKang, adores the tableside-poached flounder at Charming Garden inMonterey Park (who wouldn’t?) and swoons over the Mint and DuckTongue at Good Chances in the San Gabriel Valley, whose chef oncecooked for Mao.

Throughout, Krich’s writing is chatty and familiar. The book has ahelpful ranking system, a few mostly indifferent recipes and — amajor oversight — no index. But Krich’s eagerness and appetite isinfectious, whether he’s writing about the Taft (néTaffapolski) branch of his family in Melbourne or about New York’sfamed Shun Lee Palace, which reminds him as nothing so much as “animperial Jewish deli.” And there’s more than a little perception inthat description.

Beef with Ginger and Scallions in Clay Pot

This recipe comes from Charming Garden in Monterey Park, courtesyof “Won Ton Lust.”

Ingredients:

1/2 pound sliced beef

4 cloves garlic

6 green onions

3 slices ginger

1 tbs. Chinese marinated black beans

1/4 tbs. cornstarch

1/4 cup peanut oil

Marinade:

1 egg white

1/2 tsp. soy sauce

1/4 tsp. rice wine

1/2 tsp. cornstarch

Sauce:

1 tbs. rice wine

2 tbs. chicken broth

Slice the beef thinly against the grain. Combine the marinadeingredients and pour over sliced beef. Stir together.

Crush the garlic and slice green onions into 2-inch pieces. Placethe beans in water, let stand 10 minutes, then drain and mash thebeans. In a separate bowl, blend the cornstarch and 1 tbs. wateruntil smooth.

Heat the oil in a wok. Sauté the beef briefly, then remove.Add garlic and beans, and sauté briefly; add the beef to thepan, and stir-fry until fully cooked. Add the sauce, then thecornstarch mixture. Cook 30 seconds.

Add a little oil to a clay pot or other heat-proof vessel. Placeon the stove until hot, add scallion and ginger. Cook until fragrant,then add beef mixture and serve.

Shalom, Hunan

To say that Shalom Hunan is the best kosherChinese food in Los Angeles is not the left-handed compliment itseems.

Granted, the competition is not stiff. This cityand its environs has some of the best Chinese restaurants in theworld (see book review) — the kind of places where I imagine thestaff of Shalom Hunan goes to feast on days off. But the kosherChinese choices I’ve tried — and I haven’t tried them all — seem tostick to bland, oily versions of mid-1970s takeout favorites: kungpao chicken, fried rice, broccoli beef.

Shalom Hunan, a branch of a popular Brookline,Mass., restaurant owned and operated by Chinese-Americans, aimshigher, and mostly succeeds.

It would be easy to fault the restaurant for notliving up to the flavors of other Chinese establishments, butconsider its limitations. Chinese cuisine is the antithesis of kosher– a fact that probably accounts for its rampant popularity amongmany Jews. Its governing laws have everything to do with the complexbalance of clear flavors, in whatever natural form they occur. Kosherlaws severely limit the choice of those forms. None of the standbys,such as shellfish or pork, are allowed, of course. Neither arestandard Chinese condiments, such as oyster sauce. On the plus side,the cooking naturally is dairy-free, so the bane of kosher cuisine –dairy substitutes — needn’t appear.

Unfortunately, while stunning, completelyvegetarian Chinese cuisines exist (try the non-hechshered Fragrant Vegetable inMonterey Park), Chinese kosher chefs feel compelled to imitate themenus of non-kosher restaurants. That’s where Shalom Hunan’sweaknesses show. Appetizers such as “spareribs” ($3.50), beef eggrolls ($1.95) and chicken in foil ($3.95) are notable for the flavorsthey lack. Beef with Broccoli ($10.95) is simply salty, not complexor intense.

But there are many successes. Egg Drop Soup($2.50), thick as a bog, can be a flavorful cold-weather boost.Flavors of citrus and garlic burst forth from Orange Flavored Chicken($12.95) and Shredded Beef with Garlic Sauce ($10.95). You might askfor more heat with your Hunan Fish ($16.95) and Kung Pao Chicken($9.50), but the dishes don’t disappoint.

The lunch specials, a mid-city bargain at around$6.50, are usually filling and flavorful. I can’t help but think thatbehind the pots and pans at Shalom Hunan is a chef who, given theopportunity, could really impress.

And it is no small fact that Shalom Hunan,situated in the former home of the Shanghai Winter Garden, issumptuous in a way restaurants used to be. Deep booths, rich woodcarvings, scarlet rugs, paper lamps dripping gold tassels, etchedscreens setting off quiet rooms in the large elegant space — nokosher restaurant in Los Angeles, period, can boast such atmosphere.And few have Shalom Hunan’s attentive, efficient servers.

At Shalom Hunan, you can wait for your friends inthe bar, sipping a scotch or an Israeli red, then eat a kosherChinese banquet that is, as the movie says, as good as itgets.

Shalom Hunan, 5651 Wilshire Blvd. (213)934-0505. –Robert Eshman

Marco Polo Redux Read More »

Dear Deborah

Leave a Comment / Old Stories /

Barbed Words

Dear Deborah,

I don’t understand, and I’m feeling hurt. I wasdating someone who, when she became upset, would say things that notonly didn’t express how she felt but were verbally abusive. How can Iwork with someone who glibly says, “I never have any fun with you?” Ifound that difficult to listen to, considering her kisses theprevious week didn’t indicate any discontent with me.

What hurts me is that I know that what she meantisn’t what she said. Furthermore, what she did say nullifieseverything I have done for her in the past, and discourages me fromdoing anything for her or with her in the future. One of thepleasures I enjoy is making the woman I care about happy and safe.Not only does she take this pleasure away from me, she ensures thatany spark is killed in the relationship. I guess this is really amessage to all the other women (and men) out there to please bemindful of your words: Don’t use blameful and destructive language.If he (or she) makes a mistake, it’s one thing to expressdisappointment, and it’s quite another to blame and attack.

Feeling Beat Up

Dear Feeling Beat Up,

While I appreciate you sharing your feelings abouthow words can hurt, the importance of thinking before speaking, andthe significance of stating how one feels rather than blaminganother, I am left curious. Have you expressed all this to yourgirlfriend, or has she become a member of the Ex-Files? In otherwords, how are you doing at the most difficult part of a relationship– you know, the part after you’ve been kidnapped by the RomanceFairy, the ransom has been paid, and you’ve returned to theplanet?

If you and she have not parted ways, you havebegun the nitty-gritty of communicating what’s wrong and how toresolve it. While the romance part of any relationship is purepoetry, the rest is mostly prose — and, if you’re doing it right,good editing.

The Awakening

Dear Deborah,

I recently had a life-altering experience. I hadcancer — a year of treatment, pain and hope. My prognosis, although”so far, so good,” is uncertain. Because of it, I have become awareof my life — the past for sure, but mostly the present. Who knowsabout the future?

Today, I feel a new clarity and a sense ofvitality that I never had. As a result, I decided not to wasteanother moment of my life by living it only half-alive. I have beenclear of cancer for eight months and getting back my strengthphysically. I have quit the job I had for nine years, moved out of my16-year marriage and home, and am living modestly off savings in aone-room apartment. I attend classes, am involved in Jewish spirituallife, hang out with my daughter quite a bit, and take fullresponsibility for my choices.

The problem is that my family thinks I’ve gonecrazy; but I know I have never been less crazy. I was in therapy foryears, individual and marriage, always trying to make myself stay inunhappy situations (both marriage and job) for the sake of my child,family and community. Although I waste no time on regrets, I realizethat I was truly miserable. Now that I feel better, the quality of myrelationship with my daughter has greatly improved, and I relishevery moment spent with her. The problem is that family members, myex-wife, my former in-laws and even my daughter are constantlypushing me to reconcile with my ex-wife, to see a psychiatrist and totalk with the rabbi. How do I convince them that I am notnuts?

Free At Last

Dear Free,

You don’t. It is difficult to adequately explainthe effects of a major life change to another human being. No matterwhat anyone ever told you, for example, could you have anticipatedthe effects upon your life of having a child? The same is true withany great change, such as your illness.

What you do not make clear is specifically whythey think you are crazy. Is it because you’ve always been one wayand now you are another? Or might it perhaps have something to dowith responsibility? Although you made it clear that you are spendingtime with your daughter, are you still paying for some or all of herexpenses? If you are being honest with yourself and others andassuming your fair share of responsibility for your child, then youmay have to live with others thinking you mad. But if you have handedover the reins of life over to your true self with honesty,responsibility and consciousness, then mount that crazy horse andgo.

Lip Service

Dear Deborah,

Regarding “Not On The Lips” (Dec. 26), why notjust avoid the issue altogether by not even moving to kiss his cheek?Why risk an unnecessary confrontation when a warm handshake — sanskiss, and maybe two-handed — will do? I think either of yoursuggested comments risks offending and embarrassing everyone –including her old friend. A firm handshake, which does not allow himto “move in,” plus clear eye contact should do the trick, at least asa first step.

S

Dear S,

Good point. Start small and then escalate ifnecessary. I admit that I was temporarily carried away by the fantasyof publicly humiliating so brazen a schlemiel that I escalatedstraight from the kiss to the diss. I stand corrected. So, “Not OnThe Lips,” if you have not yet committed any act of social mayhem, dowe agree that there is no need to move directly from sticks andstones to small thermonuclear devices? Let’s shake on it.

Deborah Berger-Reiss is a West Los Angelespsychotherapist.

All rights reserved by author.

All letters to DearDeborah require a name, address andtelephone number for purposes of verification. Names will, of course,be withheld upon request. Our readers should know that when names areused in a letter, they are fictitious.

Dear Deborah welcomes your letters. Responses canbe given only in the newspaper. Send letters to Deborah Berger-Reiss,1800 S. Robertson Blvd., Ste. 927, Los Angeles, CA 90035. You canalso send E-mail: deborahb@primenet.com


Dear Deborah Read More »

The Chief of Staff

Leave a Comment / Old Stories, Politics, Power /

>

Abraham Joshua Heschel said that he prayed for one thing: the giftof wonder. He prayed for astonishment, for the capacity to besurprised. As he wrote, “I try not to be stale. I try to remainyoung. I have one talent, and that is the capacity to be tremendouslysurprised at life and at ideas. This is to me the supreme Chassidicimperative.”

Heschel asked for surprise, and he gave surprise to the world. Hesurprised his faculty peers at the Jewish Theological Seminary; hesurprised his students and his friends.

What in the world was this man, named after his grandfatherAbraham Joshua Heschel, the Apter Rav, the last great rebbe ofMezvisch in the province of Podolia, Ukraine, doing, marching inSelma alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the Rev. RalphAbernathy and the Rev. Andrew Young?

What in the world was this Jew from Warsaw, whose life was sodeeply immersed in Chassidism and whose last two volumes, written inYiddish, on the life and thought of Menachem Mendel of Kotsk, doingin a march from Selma to Montgomery on behalf of the civil rights forAfrican-Americans?

What was this Jewish scholar, immersed in kabbalah, doing, leadinga delegation of 800 people into FBI headquarters in New York? Whatwas this bearded rabbi, surrounded by 60 police officers, doing,presenting a petition of protest against the brutality of the policein the South?

What was this pietist doing, heading a national Committee ofClergy and Laity Against the Vietnam War?

Dr. Robert McAfee Brown, the distinguished Protestant clergyman,told me how important Heschel’s anti-Vietnam War protests were andhow his theological views impacted Catholics and Protestants alike,including the Rev. William Sloan Coffin, who referred to Heschel as”Father Abraham.”

Heschel was severely criticized by Jewish leaders because anobsessive President Johnson had not too subtly threatened Jewishleaders that opposition to his war on Vietnam would adversely affectthe cordial relations between his administration and the State ofIsrael.

What was Heschel, whose father was buried next to the Baal ShemTov, doing, flying repeatedly to Rome during the deliberations ofVatican II, negotiating with Cardinal Bea, urging the elimination ofits mission to convert Jews? What was he doing, trying to affect theschema on the Jews and the mythic charge of deicide — the murder ofChrist by Jews?

Here again, Jewish leaders criticized him. They told him that itwas not dignified for him to fly back and forth to Rome. They saidthat they did not believe he would be successful. Heschel’s response:”What right have you not to believe and, therefore, not to attempt?”Heschel tried and succeeded. Heschel is the only Jewish thinkerquoted by a pope in this century. The pope was Paul II. AfterHeschel’s death, the Catholic publication “America” devoted an entireissue to his memory.

Heschel the Jew knew his place. His place was alongside King andwith the hounded marchers who were surrounded by the furious whitemobs.

Heschel the rabbi knew his place. After the march, he wrote, “WhenI marched in Selma, my feet were praying.” And with characteristichonesty, he added: “I felt again, as I have been thinking about foryears, that Jewish religious institutions have again missed a greatopportunity: namely, to interpret a civil rights movement in terms ofJudaism. The majority of Jews participating actively in it aretotally unaware of what this movement means in terms of the prophetictradition.” That was an important critique. Judaism is not areligious faith that can stand idly by as history passes. Judaism hassomething to say today to America and to the world, just as it did tothe Canaanite and Moabite and Amorite in the times of the Bible.”

The single deepest influence upon Heschel was the Jewish prophet.The prophet was his doctoral dissertation. The prophet drove his lifeand teaching. It was as a Jewish prophet that he addressed theConference on Religion and Race in Chicago in 1963. Before anaudience of blacks and whites, Christians and Jews, he started inthis manner: “The first conference on religion and race took place inEgypt. The main participants were Pharaoh and Moses. Moses said,’Thus saith the God of Israel, “Let My people go.”‘ And Pharaohanswered, ‘Who is the Lord that I should heed His word? I will notlet them go.’

“The outcome of that summit meeting has not come to an end.Pharaoh is not ready to capitulate. The Exodus began, but it is farfrom being complete. It was easier for the children of Israel tocross the Red Sea than for a Negro to cross certain universitycampuses.”To understand Heschel, one has to understand his prophetictheology. Heschel’s God was not like the conventional God of thephilosophers or the theologians, including those of Judaism, such asPhilo or Moses Maimonides. Their philosophic conception of God waslogical, analytic and refined. Their God was modeled after Greekphilosophy, after the likeness of the God of Aristotle and Plato.

The God of the philosophers is perfect, by which they mean that Heis immutable and unchangeable — omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent.God has it all. God has no needs — no need for human affection, noneed for sacrifice or prayer.

This Hellenistic philosophy converges with much of Hindu andBuddhist viewpoints. The Hindu doctrine of karma, the law ofconsequences, operates inexorably, automatically. The deepestspiritual wisdom of karma counsels us to escape this wretched world,full of struggling and endless craving. Its wisdom counsels us toblow out the candle. Extinguish the self. Tear out the roots ofdesire.

Heschel sees God differently.

He sees God and human suffering through the eyes of the Jewishprophets. Judaism loves life and appreciates the desires of the heartand celebrates its Joy. It does not deny that there is suffering, butit does not remedy its pain by escaping from this world: Yes, thereis suffering, and we have an obligation to relieve suffering, tospread balm upon the wounds of the human being, to use science andcompassion, and to beautify life here in this world.

Unlike the Indian philosopher, the prophet declares: Do not blowout the candle of desire. Do not paralyze yourself with theanesthetic of nirvana. Recognize the pains and trials of life. But donot deny or abandon its reality. Transform it. Repair it. Mend it.While you emphasize the transmigrations of your past life, youforsake the holiness of opportunities in the present here and now.

Contrary to the Hellenistic theological point of view, Heschelsees God as anything but neutral or indifferent, cool or remote.Heschel understands God as caring, as being concerned, as needingfriends, as needing people, as entering into covenants with Israeland with humanity.

We are raised with the God of the philosopher. But this impassiveGod Heschel denies. God did not create the universe and humanity andthen resign from the world and from man. Heschel, deeply influencedby the Jewish mystical tradition, contends that God needs man, Godneeds allies, God needs help. Heschel’s God is marked by pathos,rachmonis. God feels; the prophet feels. The God of the prophets isangry at justice. The God of the prophets is moved to tears by theoppression of the weak. He is outraged by the humiliation of theweak.

For the classical theologians, God is concerned with eternalessence, with definitions and proofs. But the Jewish prophet’s God isconcerned about widows, and orphans, and poor people, and pariahs,and strangers, and aliens, and the submerged and the beaten. TheJewish prophet’s God is angry at the corruption by kings, priests andunscrupulous entrepreneurs. God is not aloof. God cannot standslavery, humiliation, oppression. He condemns it whether it comesfrom Jews or non-Jews.

The prophet is not the philosopher. The prophet feels fiercely.Prophecy is the voice that God has lent to the silent agony of voice,to the plundered poor, to the profaned riches of the world. TheJewish prophet is not tranquil. He is no Zen master beyond humanstress and tears. He is filled with agitation and
anguish, andrefuses to acquiesce and accept. The prophet cannot sleep, and hegives no sleep to those he addresses.

The Jewish prophet hates bribery and ritual deceit. God will notbe fooled by sacrifices and incense. Listen to the voice of Jeremiah:”Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incenseto bow and go after other gods that you have not known and then comestand before Me in this house which is called by My name and say, ‘Weare delivered.'”

So, what was this man, this rabbi, this Jew, doing in Selma and inRome and in Vietnam? He was there because he was a serious Jew whotook the prophets seriously. He was in Selma, Rome and Vietnam, justas Abraham was at Sodom and Gomorrah. The prophet refuses to be mute.

Heschel’s critics have derided his theology as filled withanthropomorphisms, images that are taken from human beings. Thecritics may be right: Heschel’s God is morally all too human. Butthere is something that is deeply persuasive in Heschel’s God ofmoral pathos. He may not be right about how God feels or reacts, butis he not right about the attributes of God that are revealed in theconscience of the prophet? We may have philosophic quarrels aboutHeschel’s conception of God, but not with his morality. The propheticexperience of God as a Being filled with pathos, must be behaved byhuman beings. Men and women who believe in God behaviorally cannot beindifferent. For, as Heschel writes, “the opposite of good is notevil but apathy.”

Abraham Joshua Heschel (second from right), Ralph Bunche,Martin Luther King Jr., and Ralph Abernathy in 1965 on the Selma toMontgomery march.

How did such a friendship develop between Martin Luther King Jr.and Abraham Joshua Heschel? How is it that on the occasion of the60th birthday of King, Heschel said, “The whole future of Americawill depend upon the influence of Dr. King.”

And it is King who described Heschel as “one of the great men ofour day…a truly great prophet…. All too often, I have seenreligious leaders amid the social injustices that pervade our societymouthing pious irrelevancies. But Rabbi Heschel is one of those whorefuses to remain silent behind the safe security of stained-glasswindows. He has been with us in many struggles. I remember marchingfrom Selma to Montgomery, how he stood by my side.”

Heschel knew where his place was as a Jew.

Heschel marched because it is not only important to protest but todo so in public, in the sight of men and women.

Heschel was able to reach out to non-Jews, to Christians of allcolors and of all creeds, because he understood that, while we maypray in different languages, our tears are the same. That profound,deep, Jewish theological humanism and universalism is needed todaymore than ever.

“What do we need to attain a sense of significant being?” Heschelasked. He answered, “Three things: God, a soul and a moment.” Thesethree are always here. Just to be is a blessing. Just to live isholy.

Saluting Heschel

Celebrate the life and work of Abraham Joshua Heschel and Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. at these events:

Jan. 16

* Temple Israel of Hollywood

7300 Hollywood Blvd.

(213) 876-8330

Excerpts of Heschel’s theology (Part 1) at the Family ShabbatService, 7:30 p.m.

* Kol Tikvah Congregation

20400 Ventura Blvd.

Woodland Hills

(818) 348-0670

Rabbi Steven Jacobs and Dr. Clinton A. Benton of the CalvaryBaptist Church of South Central Los Angeles will hold a jointcelebration of Heschel and King at the Sabbath services, beginning at7:30 p.m. Cantor Caren Glasser and the Calvary Sanctuary Choir willparticipate. The service is open to everyone.

Jan. 17

* Excerpts of Heschel’s theology (Part 2) at Temple Israel’sShabbat Service, 10:00 a.m.

Jan. 18

* Temple Israel’s Rabbi Michelle Missaghieh teaches a class onHeschel’s theology

* Rabbi Laura Geller will teach three seminars on Heschel and Kingat the Bureau of Jewish Education’s Yom Limud at Taft High School.For times and information, call (818)587-3250.

Jan. 23

* Temple Emanuel

Beverly Hills

(310) 288-3742

The seventh- and eighth-graders of the temple’s day school willlead a special Erev Shabbat service honoring Heschel and King at 8p.m. Guest speaker will be Genethia Hayes, executive director of theSouthern Christian Leadership Conference of Southern California and aleading African-American educator.

 

Highlights from a Life

Jan. 11, 1907: Born in Poland to distinguished Chassidicfamily. Educated at the University of Berlin and in Talmud andkabbalah.

1937: Appointed by Martin Buber as his successor at aJewish college in Frankfort am Main.

1938: Deported to Poland by Nazis, then immigrated toLondon, where he created the Institute for Jewish Learning. Hismother and several other family members are killed by Nazis.

1940-45: Professor at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati.He marries Sylvia Straus.

1945: Professor at Jewish Theological Seminary.

1963: Heschel meets Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Chicago.

1965: Marches beside King from Selma to Montgomery, Ala.

1965: Co-founds Clergy and Laymen Concerned to oppose theVietnam War.

1966: Meets with Pope Paul VI and becomes involved inSecond Vatican Council.

Dec. 23, 1972: Dies in his sleep in New York City.

Major Works:

“Man Is Not Alone” (1950)

“The Sabbath” (1955)

“God In Search of Man” (1955)

“Israel: An Echo of Eternity” (1969)

“The Prophets” (1962)

Source: “Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity: Essays ofAbraham Joshua Heschel,” edited by Susannah Heschel (Farrar StrausGiroux) *

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