| The Jewish Journal Archive | ||||||||||||
| November 5 - November 18, 2004 | ||||||||||||
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Local
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Local StoriesThe Sox’ Epstein: Architect of Team Turnaround Mark
Arnold BOSTON — A year ago, Theo Epstein — the man who engineered the risky trades that vaulted the Boston Red Sox to their first World Series victory in 86 years — was having trouble convincing Arizona pitching ace Curt Schilling to come to Boston. Schilling, one of the game’s most formidable starting pitchers, began his career in Boston and felt it would be a comedown to end it here. Schilling, of course, wanted what any pitcher wants: to help the team he joined win baseball’s highest honor. And Boston, let’s face it, had broken too many hearts for too long to be a serious contender — he thought. Epstein traveled to Pheonix to have Thanksgiving dinner with the Schillings. And — in a story making the rounds of the Boston sports community in the aftermath of the Sox four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals — he told Schilling: You can join any good team and hope to snag baseball’s top trophy. But nowhere but in Boston can you make the history books because it’s been so long since we won. The story may or may not be true, but it illustrates one of the qualities that has made the Jewish Epstein — at 30 the youngest general manager in baseball — the wunderkind of the baseball management world. Increasingly, he is being recognized as a big-picture thinker in a world of hip shooters, a consensus builder, and a shrewd risk taker. He’s also, according to the otherwise critical Boston sportswriting community, a straight shooter, a fair-to-middlin’ rock guitar player, and a hell of a nice guy. With Epstein as GM, and players Gabe Kapler and Kevin Youkilis (two of major league baseball’s nine Jewish players) on the roster, the Sox are, in a manner of speaking, the most Jewish team in baseball. The team’s victory was laden with symbolism. Jewish numerologists found it significant that it’s 18 years since the Sox last played in the World Series. That there was a total eclipse of the moon the night the Sox dispatched St. Louis — could that have been the Almighty’s way of signalling that the famed Curse of the Bambino was vanquished, along with the Cards? Since the Sox last won what is grandiosely called the World Series, ten general managers have sought to exorcise the curse allegedly created when team owner Harry Frazee, in 1920, sold star George Herman “Babe” Ruth to the archrival New York Yankees to raise money for a Broadway show venture. According to legend, Ruth, “the bambino,” has exacted his vengeance on the Beantown franchise ever since. Epstein grew up in nearby Brookline, MA, worshipping the Sox. His mother Irene ran a boutique. His dad, novelist (San Remo Drive) Leslie Epstein, a former Rhodes Scholar, is head of the creative writing department at Boston University. His grandfather Philip and Philip’s twin brother Julius were famous Hollywood screenwriters; they won an Oscar for Casablanca. Like Philip, Theo has a twin brother too: Paul, a social worker. He also has a younger sister, Anya, an Emmy-winning television writer. The last time the Sox played in the World Series, Theo and Paul, then almost 13, sat poised on the top of the living room couch, ready to “leap off in celebration” of a Sox victory, Epstein remembered in an interview. Their hopes were dashed when a routine ground ball unaccountably dribbled through the legs of first baseman Bill Buckner, adding to the baggage the Sox have carried with them in the years since. Theo was a smart kid — he scored in the high 1400s on his SATs at Brookline High — but baseball was always his passion. He played on the school baseball team all four years, ending as a varsity reserve middle infielder, and he would analyze the games endlessly, his family remembers. He went on to major in American studies at Yale, interned with the Baltimore Orioles and went with its top executive Larry Lucchino to San Diego. At the urging of Lucchino, his mentor, he worked nights to earn a law degree (“it gave me a seat at the table,” he reasoned) at the University of San Diego, then came to Boston when Lucchino became president and CEO of the Sox in 2002. Epstein was actually Red Sox owners’ third choice for general manager when he was named two years ago. “Hiring Theo was a calculated risk,” John Henry, the team’s principal owner, told the Boston Globe. “We thought we would be criticized for placing a team of this magnitude in the hands of someone 28 years old. But we were very confident he was the right guy.” Epstein’s age turned out to be a benefit in relating to the players. “He was the same age as many of the players and they quickly found out he was a man to respect,” says Sox watcher Neil Denenberg of Boston. He also had chutzpah, engineering a series of trades and free agent signings that brought slugger David Ortiz, Schilling, and closer Keith Foulke to Boston, along with Todd Walker, Bill Mueller, Kevin Millar, and most recently first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz and shortstop Orlando Cabrera. To land Mientkiewicz and Cabrera, Epstein took a monumental risk, trading away superhero shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, the most popular man on the team. Fans were outraged, but the owners stood by him — in fact, it was a collective decision. But Epstein staked his career on that one, reasoning that the Sox had, at all costs, to shore up its defense, and that the injury-plagued Garciaparra could no longer be counted on for day-to-day performance. He was right. At one time over the summer, the Sox were 10-1/2 games behind the league-leading Yankees. Epstein alone did not turn the team around. We can’t forget the laid-back leadership of manager Terry Francona, nor the fact that a franchise largely known for its individual stars became, little by little, a high performing team, with members reinforcing each other both on and off the field. The fact that management relaxed clubhouse rules to allow Johnny Damon to let his hair grow, let the players ride their Harleys, and otherwise allow for individual self-expression, helped build an esprit de corps that is rare in recent Red Sox history. Epstein wasn’t alone in initiating, or assenting to, all these changes. But it may fairly be said that he was the catalyst. Martin Abramowitz, the man who created the Jewish baseball card series, is a close observer and self-described diehard Sox fan. He sums up Epstein’s contribution this way: “I’m impressed by the planfulness and the gutsiness of his tenure. He took the hard decision to focus on defense at mid-year. He was willing to take the huge risk of trading Nomar. He never let the tensions of contracts and free agency cloud the atmosphere of the team. Sure these were collective decisions, but someone has to work at forging a consensus. That’s what Theo does as general manager.” Initial
Design for Gloucester WWII Memorial Troubles Many Gary
Band A proposed design for a WWII memorial in Gloucester has sparked a controversy due to the similarity it bears to a symbol designed by Albert Speer for the Nazi regime in 1937. It began when architect Richard Bernstein of Gloucester saw an artist’s rendition of the design next to a fundraising box at a local store. “The two images together illustrate the shocking similarity of symbolism and proportion [to the Speer design],” Bernstein said. “What moved me to make an effort to stop this [memorial from being built] was how disturbing it was to me that the Gloucester WWII Memorial Committee would be attracted to and select an image which was also a choice of Hitler and the Third Reich.” Roger Armstrong, president of North Shore Artists Association, of which Bernstein is also a member, submitted the design. The design process was open to the public, but only four designs were submitted, all by committee members. While Speer’s concept never came to fruition, it has been described as a symbol of Nazi world dominance. Bernstein says that if such a similar monument is constructed, it would be a great embarrassment for the city of Gloucester. Following articles on the controversy that appeared in the Boston Globe North Section and the Gloucester Times, Bernstein says, “98 percent of [the letters to the editor] were in support of my position.” According to Rabbi Myron Geller of Temple Ahavat Achim, “I think that having a monument for WWII veterans is a wonderful thing. However, given the many possibilities for memorializing them, there’s just no need to offend anyone instead of honoring the memory and contributions of these veterans.” It’s been two years since the WWII Memorial Committee began its campaign to raise the $140,000 to build the monument. So far $60,000 in private donations has been collected and another $65,000 state grant was made by the Department of Veterans Affairs. In July, the committee signed a letter of understanding with the city calling for the monument to be built on Stacy Boulevard between the Fisherman’s Memorial and the Gloucester Fisherman’s Wives Memorial. The memo also gives the city final approval over the monument. Gloucester Mayor John Bell, who signed the memo, said he does not support the current design. He formed a new art committee to work closely with the 18-member Memorial Committee, allow for more design submissions and a public review process. Bell also said that Hamilton State Sen. Bruce Tarr, who lobbied the state for public funds, and Gloucester State Rep. Anthony Berga have gone on record saying they would not support a project that is not open to public review. Mike
Linquata, 79, owner of Gloucester House restaurant, is the chairman of
the Memorial Committee. A member of the 134th Infantry Regiment and a
prisoner of war in Germany, he had hoped to dedicate the monument on Memorial
Day 2005 to honor the approximately remaining 1,000 Gloucester WWII veterans.
He estimates that 100 Gloucester vets die each year. Adamant at first
that the city go ahead with the design Armstrong had submitted, Linquata
agreed to see more designs if the city insisted. They held a joint meeting Oct. 27 where Bell said the two groups “seemed united in the same mission: to create a process to put an appropriate monument on the agreed site sometime over the next year.” “I’m glad that a new committee was formed by the mayor,” Bernstein said, “and I’m happy that my efforts opened a dialogue. I understand the sense of urgency, but we shouldn’t rush to build the wrong thing. It’ll be there long after we’re all gone.” Messianic Congregation Plants Roots on the North Shore Gary
Band [Editor’s Note: A congregation of ‘Messianic Jews’ — people who consider themselves Jews but worship Jesus — has established itself in Beverly. We present this story about them and their leader, who calls himself a rabbi, because we think readers deserve to know about this development in our community. It is not an endorsement of their views or activities.] BEVERLY — Housed in the basement of the Church of the Nazareen on Cabot Street, Shomer Yisrael, a Messianic synagogue led by Rabbi Louis Vos Levitz has been in operation since November 2003. Vos Levitz, 54, who was raised in a secular Jewish household in South Africa, did not attend rabbinical school. He did go to a “bible academy” in Cape Town, but says he had conflicts with the the academy’s “understanding of the scripture.” He later studied under a group of Messianic rabbis and was ordained as one himself. It was in 1983 that Vos Levitz says he “made a return” to a religious life. “Alongside with coming to believe that Yeshua is the Messiah, the more I read the more I had a fire in my heart to return to Torah,” he says. “It was pretty rapid. In a matter of one day, I tossed all the trayf out of my house, and progressively became Shomer Shabbas.” His wife also converted to Judaism. Begun in the 1960s but gaining more momentum over the last 10 years, Vos Levitz describes Messianic Judaism as “a movement of synagogues that helps Jewish people reconnect with Jewish life. “We have a bias who the Messiah is, of course.” He says his hardest task, and what he hopes to do, is find Jewish people “caught up in the church world and bring them home.” He says he believes Messianic Judaism could be the conduit between the Christian and Jewish worlds. Including Shomer, there are five Messianic synagogues in Massachusetts, Maine and Connecticut. Vos Levitz, who lives in Dover, Massachusetts, came to America seven years ago and started his congregation as a chavurah, holding services in people’s homes. His now centralized congregation currently has a 30-family membership. Though no minyan yet, they hold Yom Tov and weekly Shabbat morning services, Shabbat dinners at member’s homes, and a Torah study class on Tuesdays. Instead of set dues, they rely on contributions from its members. The congregation is also supported by private contributions and a small stipend from the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, he says. Shomer Yisrael is also a member of the New England Messianic Jewish Council. And through contributions, the congregation recently acquired a $15,000 Torah from Israel. How does Messianic Judaism differ from Jews for Jesus? Vos Levitz says Jews for Jesus believe Jesus is the Messiah but within the evangelical church. They also follow the Christian calendar and celebrate Christian holidays. “It’s like heaven on earth to believe Yeshua is the Messiah and be encouraged to practice Judaism,” Vos Levitz contends. “I don’t blame one Jewish person for rejecting Jesus as the Messiah. Most Jewish people have been told he wasn’t. The Jewish response to Yeshua is a reaction to Christianity. We have forgotten what we believe. But I don’t want to grow our congregation at the cost of others. That’s piracy. However, I don’t believe there’s one thing we’re practicing that’s contrary to mainstream Judaism.” Barbara Eyges of Marblehead has been a member of Shomer Yisrael from the day it started. “I was so happy to have them start the synagogue, because I didn’t know where to go to worship,” she says. “I guess I could have gone anywhere, but I was having an identity crisis. I was attending a church, but it was very confusing for me at first. I thought because I believed in Yeshua as the Messiah, that I needed to go to church. I didn’t know there were any options.” Though she attended Hebrew school, Eyges says she was brought up “nominally Jewish,” and has been on a spiritual journey ever since. “For me I always believed in Yeshua. It was just something I felt in my heart. Why can’t Jewish people believe in Jesus? The answer I got was ‘We don’t.’ The most unusual thing is that coming to know Jesus brought me back to Judaism, which is so unusual. From day one, I’m thinking, how did Jesus worship? How did he live? What was it like in the first century? Through these questions, Eyges said she “finally connected and understood Judaism.” “I
believe the Messiah’s coming [back], just like like every other Jew,”
she says. “But I feel such a stronger connection to Hashem and my
life is totally different since I started believing. I understand why
most Jewish people don’t believe in Jesus. It’s partly from
reading the Gospels, and also what’s happened over the last 2000
years to Jewish people. I feel bad that I’m not accepted as being
Jewish. I’m personally very observant. I keep the Sabbath and have
a kosher home. I do hope in time that we will be accepted as a Judaism.” Mark
Weiss of Peabody has also been a member since the congregation’s
inception and recently became its president. After being a member for 11 years, Weiss said coming to Shomer Yisrael was a tough decision, but says he felt “the Lord was calling me here.” He also keeps kosher and is Shomer Shabbas. Weiss says he has “been a believer” since 1986. “To me [this type of practice] is very important. I’m still a Jew. And though others would beg to differ, I feel more Jewish than ever. We just ask that people keep an open mind.” On
the Quest for Personal Renewal Gary
Band MARBLEHEAD — As part of the fall Seminars for Adult Jewish Enrichment (SAJE) series, “What Does It Mean to be Jewish,” three people who found their way to Judaism spoke on “The Quest for Personal Renewal” at the JCC in Marblehead October 27. Quoting the late author and oral historian Spaulding Gray, Rabbi Lee Levin of Temple Shalom in Salem began by saying, “When we speak autobiographical words, we speak those that are most universal.” Levin went on to relate the substance of his journey back to Judaism, beginning with walking into Temple B’nai Brith in Somerville 10 years ago — the first time he went to temple as an adult — and eventually deciding to enter the rabbinate. As a “wandering graduate student” pursuing his doctorate and teaching economics at Merrimack College in 1994, Levin said he “found himself without a community” and wanted to find out what went on inside the temple just down the street from where he was living in Somerville. “I found out the time services started, and later found out Jews don’t tend to show up on time for them,” Levin jokes. At some point the patriarch of the temple said to him, ‘it was so nice to have you. I hope you come back.’ And he did. It was also the place where Levin met his future wife, Karen. In engaging in Jewish life, Levin said he felt like he was “stepping into something larger than myself. His most religious experience before that was a cross-country motorcycle trip. But Judaism, he says, was something through which he could engage all the parts of himself. “I found that in shul I could be intellectually, socially and politically involved. It’s a place where I can learn and teach for the rest of my life, and everything is new and interesting.” Douglas Reeves of Swampscott, founder of the Center for Performance Achievement in Swampscott, converted to Judaism. A devout Christian who was reportedly once a lay leader to some 90,000 people in the Rocky Mountain region, Reeves says he went through a “slow but sure rejection of where I was.” Married with a wife and children, Reeves said his wife told him ‘don’t do this for me or the kids, but for yourself.’ “As much as I love aspects of the Christian faith, it is at times wrong and hateful and I could no longer practice it. Was it without regret? No. But at the end of the day I’ve never turned back.” Charlotte
Gordon, an author from Gloucester, says she “feels like a bridge”
between her Jewish father and non-Jewish mother. As she got older, Gordon said she realized she was Jewish. “I was an intellectual like my grandparents,” said the Harvard grad. “I was agnostic, I was cool, I lived in Paris. I did all that.” But, by age 27, the writer composed a poem taking on the voice of her father trying to answer the question of why he would be moved to convert to Christianity. An older Jewish writer saw the poem and took Gordon under his wing. This put her on the path of teshuvah, or return, to her father’s side of the family, and says she was “made whole by it.” “My path to Judaism had to begin with a rejection of Christianity. I loved my Christian heritage, but I could not continue to embrace a faith that had embedded anti-Jewish premises, that taught such horrible things about my father.” And with the help of some friends in Gloucester, Gordon converted to Judaism last summer. Despite Republicans’ Best Efforts, Jews Still Vote Strongly Democratic Ron
Kampeas WASHINGTON — The past four years have seen a defining terrorist attack, a divisive war and a radically different economy, but at the ballot box, it seemed, not much had changed: Election night produced pretty much the same electoral map, pretty much the same angry, polarized nation and pretty much the same anxious obsession with a single state and how it counts its ballots. And Jews, for their part, voted pretty much the way they did four years ago. Expectations that Republicans would make inroads into decades of Jewish support for the Democratic Party ran into a wall of Jewish votes for Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the Democratic candidate. President Bush’s unprecedented closeness to Israel and his reputation for toughness on terrorism did little to shake the traditional 3-1 Jewish break for Democrats. Two national exit polls showed that Bush gained only slightly more than the 19 percent of the Jewish vote he scored in 2000: One, from the Associated Press, split Kerry-Bush 77 percent to 23 percent; another, from CNN, went 76 percent to 24 percent. A phone poll by pollster Frank Luntz in Florida and Ohio, two battleground states, split the vote 72 percent to 25 percent in Kerry’s favor, suggesting that the Bush campaign’s blitz in those states in the final days might have had a small degree of success. But local networks said both Florida and New York split the Jewish vote, with 80 for Kerry, 20 for Bush. Luntz’s poll also showed a strong Orthodox trend toward Bush, with 69 percent of Orthodox respondents in Florida and Ohio saying they voted for the president. That conforms with earlier data in American Jewish Committee polling. Despite the unprecedented resources — by both campaigns — devoted to swaying the Jewish vote, in the end, it was doubtful that Jewish voters played a central role in determining the outcome in any of the swing states. Republican jubilation at Bush’s showing — he led the popular vote and took the overall electoral vote only on Wednesday morning — was more muted among his Jewish supporters. “It’s not adequate from my point of view,” said Ed Koch, a former mayor of New York City who stumped hard for Bush among Jews from Iowa to Florida. Koch, a Democrat who said Bush deserved Jewish votes because of his unstinting support for Israel, sounded a familiar Republican Jewish theme: The president deserves Jewish gratitude. “I’m glad it was an improvement,” Koch told JTA, but added, “I think he deserved much more.” It was a theme that played itself out in a flurry of Op-Eds targeting Jewish readers in the final days of the campaign. Others said that expecting any voter to cast a ballot in thanks was unrealistic. “Jews are multi-issue voters,” said Hannah Rosenthal, executive director of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the umbrella body for local community relations groups. Rosenthal cited as an example the strength that evangelical Christians enjoyed in the Bush administration and in the Republican-controlled Congress. “There has been a nervousness on the part of the organized Jewish community, not just at the national agency level, but also at the community level, at the close association with evangelical values,” she said. “It is perceived by many in this country as intolerant, and Jews as a people, as a religion and as voters look toward tolerance, big-tent pluralism and outreach.” Concerns about keeping the church out of state affairs figured large in questionnaires returned to American Jewish Committee pollsters in four swing states where both parties had targeted the Jewish community in an ad blitz. “People voting for Kerry cited domestic policy, church-state separation, abortion, stem-cell research, Supreme Court nominations and President Bush’s leadership qualities,” said David Harris, the AJCommittee’s executive director. The increasingly tangled Iraq war and an economy dogged by joblessness also figured in the pro-Kerry vote among Jews. Republicans were especially determined in Ohio. Party activists urged fervently Orthodox Jews to get out the vote, knowing that the community trends heavily to Republicans. An AJCommittee Election Day survey among Russian Jews in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey showed a 75-25 split for Bush. Respondents tended to explain their vote by citing Bush’s strong leadership qualities. Such trends, buried in statistical data, encouraged Republicans to look beyond their disappointment at what was only a small Jewish shift toward Bush. According to Ira Forman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, “There is no automatic Jewish majority for the Democratic Party,” he said. “We’ve got to work every election.’’
Tel Aviv Bombing Kills Three Dina
Kraft TEL AVIV — When a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in a Tel Aviv market known as a rare oasis of Arab-Jewish co-existence, he shattered not only victims’ bodies, but the market’s peaceful — if sometimes raucous — give and take. Splattered
sweet potatoes and toppled stacks of children’s clothing lay strewn
alongside the dead and injured on the singed pavement of the open-air
Carmel Market after a deadly bombing, which took place amid the bustle
of mid-morning shopping. “The
people here are real, they yell, they shout, but they are the most genuine
people you will ever meet,” said Ronen Gil, 37, who runs his family’s
butcher shop a few yards from where the bomb went off. Both Arabs and Jews own shops in the market, and Gil said one of the injured was an Arab who makes a living selling dates and guavas. Both Arabs and Jews rushed to help the injured. The bombing killed three people — Shmuel Levy, 65, of Jaffa; Tatiyana Akerman, 32, of Tel Aviv; and Lea Levin, 64, of Givatayim — and about 32 were injured. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility and identified the bomber as teenager Amar al-Far, from a refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus. Police officials on the scene said the bomb itself was relatively small. The sign over the Shamai Cheese Shop hung broken in two, its glass shattered on the ground below. Nearby, in one of the market’s busiest sections, the bomber had detonated his explosives. “The bomber probably knew quite well where he was,” said Avi Chayo, 28, who was slicing chicken breasts at his family’s store when the bomb went off, turning everything into a haze of smoke and screams. Police detectives and forensic experts swarmed the area along with religious members of the chevra kadisha burial society, who wore white plastic gloves as they picked through the debris to collect body parts and other human remains.
In
the ‘Big Inning’ Rabbi
Steven J. Rubenstein While watching the Red Sox and the New York Yankees battle it out for the bragging rights to the American League pennant for 2004, I noticed that many a bat was split as pitchers and batters dueled for supremacy. One of the most gratifying of moments is seeing a bat splinter across the infield along with the ball. As a youngster, my friends and I took great pride in our bats, taping the handles and oiling the barrels, rubbing them smooth between games, hoping that this would protect them from a similar outcome. I recall from my high school days a bat named “Wonderboy” that Roy Hobbs carried around in a bassoon case to protect it from harm. According to Bernard Malamud, author of The Natural, Wonderboy was carved by Roy from a tree that was “split by lightning” when he was a young kid. What made the bat so special was its color, pure white, representing the sanctity of the sport and its sacred place in American society. When Roy Hobbs respected his bat, it delivered him much success. In the early days of baseball when the size and the shape of bats were not regulated, the players made their own. What they discovered from experience is that the bats with rounded barrels, in opposition to those with flat surfaces, seemed to work best. In 1859, a rule was established limiting the barrel to a diameter of two and a half inches, although the bat could continue to be of any length desired by the player. Ten years later, in 1869, another rule was established limiting the length to 42 inches, which is the standard to this day. A distinguishing mark on the bat carved by Roy Hobbs was a lightning bolt, to mark its origins. The first bats to be manufactured also included a lightning bolt as part of its trademark. When Louisville player Pete Browning broke his only bat in a game in 1884, the 17-year-old son of a carpenter came to his rescue and fashioned what has become an industry standard, the Louisville Slugger. The boy’s name was John Hillerich. Legend tells us that Pete Browning went three-for-three the next day with his new bat made out of ash wood. It didn’t take long before other players had their bats custom-made by Hillerich and his new partner, Frank Bradsby, whose names now appear along with the trademark, Louisville Slugger. The first player to endorse his name for commercial distribution was Honus Wagner in 1905. Today many players have their personal bats reproduced for sale in stores. During those early years, players experimented with various types of wood. At first, players gravitated towards hickory and Cuban timber because the wood was denser, although the wood was also heavier. In time, players sought a lighter wood. That is when Pennsylvania and New York ash wood became popular. Now some players seek out maple wood for their bats, since Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs in one year with his maple wood bats. What intrigues me most about bats is the superstitions that players (and fans) invest in them. In one movie, Major League, we are introduced to a player who holds a voodoo ceremony before each game to rouse the spirits to make his bat come alive. In the professional world of baseball, Ted Williams spent hours at the Louisville factory picking out the right wood for his bats, looking for the pieces of wood with the narrowest grains. In contrast, Al Simmons sought out those pieces of wood with the widest grain. Another player selected only those barrels that had the right “ping” to it when it hit the cement floor. At the moment, I am in the process of bidding on a bat emblazoned with the signature of “Buddy Myer” who played the majority of his professional career of 17 years with the Washington Senators between 1925-1941. He did play for two years in Boston, which is probably how this particular bat ended up being forgotten in someone’s attic in Newburyport. As
much as I enjoy collecting pieces of the game, including used bats of
various players, there is a mystery that surrounds owning the entire thing.
The smudges and the dents leave us wondering how they got there, and the
players that they moved along the bases. What pitchers did Buddy stare
down, overpowering their fast balls or their curves, sending the ball
through the infield, or into the outfield? Even though he responded that he wished to become the greatest player there ever was, the woman persisted, “Is that all?” Confused by her inquiry, Roy asked, “What more is there?… You mean the bucks! I’ll get them, too.” With that, she retorted, “Isn’t there something over and above earthly things, some more glorious meaning to one’s life and activities, than baseball?” What we all know, and Roy Hobbs must try to figure out for himself, is that baseball is indeed more than a game. It is symbolic of the American character. Just as a batter commands the respect of the pitcher, we who watch what happens must also have a respect for the rules and rituals that are a part of baseball, as well as the memories that the game creates. I will always recall the faces of the fans; their eyes covered or their hands held together in prayer as the innings wore on at Fenway Park during the ALCS series with the Yankees. The Red Sox organization has reminded its fans to “Keep the Faith” and to “Believe”. From the Boston Globe, we read, “Sox questions? We have the answers. Prayers? We’re working on it.” And so am I… Steven Rubenstein is the Rabbi of Temple B’nai Abraham in Beverly. He enjoys combining his hobby of collecting baseball cards with the aura of being Jewish in a professional sport. Jewish Gifts of Love and Celebration Judith
Broder Sellner A
Jewish holiday or simcha calls for a Jewish gift. And among the most attractive,
high quality, and relevant choices are gifts made in Israel. From a land flowing with outstanding, internationally acclaimed artists and artisans, selecting a small sample for gift possibilities can be challenging. Here are some ideas. The Israel Government Coins and Medals Corporation may not sound like a gift resource, but this organization commissions and distributes much more than its name suggests. Special coins come in pendant styles in gold or silver. Sweet gifts for table use and display in IGCMC’s Designer Collection are young artists’ variations on the honey jar and server. Other gift ideas from IGCMC include paintings, sculpture, and commemorative medals. Get information at www.coins.co.il, or email medals@coins.co.il. Among Israel’s most prolific and creative Judaica artists is Frank Meisler, who designs sculptured metal pieces for decoration, ceremonial use, or a combination of the two in his Old Jaffa studio. Remove the candleholders from his Chanukah menorah, Lion of Judah or Magen David/Jerusalem design, and the base holds a pair of standard candlesticks. His “Tree of Life” sculpture’s branches open to reveal a pair of candleholders for Shabbat and holidays. Other welcome Meisler gifts include elegantly-decorated double candlesticks, kiddush cups, mezuzahs, and ketubah cases. His Noah’s ark and Chassidic musician sculptures are favorite gift items. Meisler’s works usually include moving parts, elements of Jerusalem architecture, and Hebrew lettering. Available in fine Judaica and museum shops or via fmeisler@netvision.net.il. Yemenite filigree, an intricate form of silver work handed down from generation to generation, represents a very special, almost uniquely Israeli art. Also working in Old Jaffa, eighth-generation filigree master Ben Zion-David creates jewelry, kiddush cups, menorahs, Havdalah spice containers, and more. A sterling silver linked bracelet with discs featuring Star of David symbols alternating with discs framing gemstones makes a great attendants’ gift. Visit www.yemenite-art.com. The
art of papercutting became popular among poor Jews in European shtetls
because it required only paper and a knife. Over time, artists developed
more elaborate designs and styles, and papercuts today are sought after
for decorative and ritual purposes, notably as ketubot. Artist Raphael Abecassis creates radiantly colorful paintings in a primitive art style with his special dynamics. Often designed with several levels and directions, his works interweave biblical or historical Jewish events, Judaic symbols, and Hebrew calligraphy. Among his limited edition series, the “Song of Songs” and “Festivals” as well as paintings symbolizing bar mitzvah, Woman of Valor, and blessings for the home make appropriate gifts for special occasions. His works in decoupage layered papercuts include bar and bat Mitzvah themes. For more information, contact Bittan Fine Art, 818-501-4091, or visit www.bittanfineart.com then click on Bittan Fine Art, then Raphael Abecassis. Avner Moriah’s paintings, based on biblical and recent Jewish history themes, reflect the sun and stone of his native Jerusalem and will brighten any home. Many of his numbered lithographs emanate from larger murals created for museums and other institutions. Most relevant as wedding and bar/bat mitzvah gifts are those from the “Gathering at Mount Sinai” and “Women’s Zodiac” series. For examples, go to www.jerusalem-landscapes.com and click on Catalogue. Practical and affordable Judaica from C.J.Art uses Israel’s natural raw materials, stone and glass, to create beautiful Chanukah menorahs, candlesticks and candelabras, havdalah sets, seder plates, challah boards, and mezuzahs, which are both useful and decorative. The web site www.cj-art.com is incomplete but helpful. Always reliable for beauty and relevance, the ceramic works of Danny Azoulay are readily available in local Judaica gift shops. Mostly in ivory with hand-painted arabesque designs featuring rich blues, soft pastels, and gold highlights, Azoulay’s collectibles include mezuzahs, tzedakah boxes, Chanukah menorahs, havdalah sets and spiceboxes. His unique ring holders make special gifts for bride or bat mitzvah. He also designs ceramic and laser-cut Blessing for the Home pieces. Appropriate to Israel’s position along the ancient Silk Route, Yair and Yael Emanuel design brilliantly colorful, hand-painted silk tallit sets, challah and matzoh covers, wooden kiddush cups, challah boards, and Passover seder pieces. Widely distributed in retail gift shops, they are also available from The Source catalogue and website, and from www.sunshine-up.com, where you’ll find a wide range of gifts at reasonable prices. The Elegant Table seeks out special textile arts from Israel to import and distribute. Shabbat and holiday tablecloths from Be’er Sheva, made of white-on-white, soft terylene, are embellished with silver-outlined symbols: challah, kiddush cup, decanter, and candlesticks. The designs are placed at the ends rather than in the center where serving pieces hide them. From a kibbutz near Ashdod come tallit sets of 100 percent raw silk. Individually hand-painted designs are machine-applied to tallit and kippot. Four designs are available in any color choice, requiring advance ordering for the hand work. Many other attractive and useful fabric items include challah and matzoh covers, holiday aprons, and bibs. For retail outlets, visit www.judaicawithaflair.com. While these are just a sampling of the meaningful gifts available from Israel, the web sites shown and others you may find through various Internet search engines will add many more. Not only will your gift stand out from the other guests’ checks, bonds, and place settings, you will help stimulate both Israeli and American economies by purchasing Israeli-made gifts sold in American shops, and through catalogs and websites. Judith Broder Sellner, a freelance writer in New York, visits Israel often in search of article ideas about Judaica gifts and Jewish artists. Brisket,
Borscht and Babka Susan
Jacobs
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Scholz
Receives Merrimack College Fellowship
Birth Announcements Stephanie (Wayne) and Matthew Bloch, of Brookline, welcome the birth of their twin sons, Riley Davidson (Rashii David) and Jonah Stuart (Shalom Yahonah) Bloch on September 8. Riley is named in loving memory of his maternal great-grandmothers, Ruth Wayne and Pauline (Davidson) Weinberg. Jonah is named in loving memory of his grandfather, Stuart Bloch. Grandparents are Judy and Clarence Wayne of West Bloomfield, MI and Marilyn and Arnold Baer of Swampscott. Great-grandmother is Evelyn Shecter of Salem. Yulia and Dmitry Tkach of Peabody announce the birth of their daughter, Alicia Anne Tkach, at Salem Hospital on September 18. She joins 3-year-old Maxim at home. Grandparents are Nina and Alexander Zubko of Minsk, Belarus, and Leonid Tkach and Natalia Kanashevich of Salem. James and Jodie Uzdarwin of Ipswich announce the birth of their son, Ethan Clark Uzdarwin, at Salem Hospital on October 2. Grandparents are Linda Goodman Murphy of Ipswich, Edward Murphy of Concord, Karen Clark of Danbury, CT, and the late Susan Chapman of Stafford, CT. Daniel and Erin Harrington of Haverhill announce the birth of their son, Benjamin Patrick Harrington, on October 22 at Beverly Hospital. Grandparents are Joseph and Cynthia Douglas of Salem, and John and Mary Harrington of Swampscott.. |
Wedding
Maurice & Esther Schwartz Celebrate60 Years of Marriage
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New
People in the News Policy |
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World Jewry
Israeli
Official: Disengagement Needs Arafat
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Yasser Arafat’s illness threatens Ariel Sharon’s
disengagement plan, Israel’s military intelligence chief said. “Once
Arafat is no longer in the picture, pressure will grow on Israel to make
the disengagement plan a matter of bilateral agreement” with the
Palestinians, Maj. Gen. Aharon Ze’evi-Farkash was quoted as telling
the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Nov. 2. The
Israeli prime minister is billing his plan to withdraw unilaterally from
the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank next year as Israel’s answer
to Arafat’s intransigence. With the Palestinian leader stricken with
a mysterious illness in France, there is speculation that he could be
succeeded by someone more willing to compromise with Israel.
9/11 Born
in Beirut?
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Osama bin Laden claimed Israel’s invasion
of Lebanon inspired the Al-Qaida attack on the World Trade Center. “When
I saw the destroyed buildings in Lebanon, it raised in me the notion of
punishing the unjust in a similar manner, and destroying towers in the
United States, so that they would taste some of what we were tasting,”
Bin Laden said in a recorded statement aired by Al-Jazeera Oct. 29, and
further assailed Israeli crackdowns in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Many
in the Arab world believe the United States, as the Jewish state’s
main ally, was complicit in the 1982 Israeli mission to crush the PLO
in Lebanon.
Gaza Violence
Simmers
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Palestinian terrorists shelled the synagogue of
a Gaza Strip settlement, wounding an Israeli. At least seven mortar bombs
hit Kfar Darom Oct. 31, one of them landing on the community’s synagogue
and wounding a 20-year-old resident who stood outside. Israeli aircraft
scoured nearby Palestinian villages for the mortar crews, but exercised
extra caution in light of intelligence warnings that terrorist groups
could have anti-aircraft capabilities. “It is possible that the Palestinians
managed to smuggle some anti-aircraft missiles into the Gaza Strip,’’
Shin Bet chief Avi Dichter told the Cabinet Oct. 31.
Jewish
Tombstones Defaced in France
PARIS (JTA) — Close to 100 tombs at a Jewish cemetery in eastern
France were defaced with anti-Semitic and racist slogans. The slogans,
which were discovered on 92 tombs at the cemetery near Strasbourg Oct.
30 included swastikas and neo-Nazi insignia. French President Jacques
Chirac condemned the act and called on the government “to take all
the necessary measures without delay in order that the authors of this
odious act are found, arrested and brought before the courts.”
British
Jews Up in Arms
LONDON (JTA) — British Jews are outraged by an anti-Israel article
in a publicly funded newspaper. An article about an upcoming Palestinian
trade fair in the November edition of The Londoner accused Israel of “strangling
the Palestinian economy” via “hundreds of military checkpoints
in the areas it occupies in defiance of United Nations resolutions.”
The Board of Deputies, British Jewry’s main group, issued an angry
complaint to the Greater London Council, headed by Mayor Ken Livingstone,
decrying the lack of context in the article’s “vicious anti-Israel
propaganda.” But a spokesman for the council said: “The article
was not politically biased. It was factually correct, explaining that
the Palestinian economy has been devastated by the illegal occupation
of Palestinian territories by Israel since 1967 in defiance of international
law and United Nations resolutions.’’
Tutu Backs
Holocaust Studies
CAPE TOWN (JTA) — Archbishop Desmond Tutu introduced new materials
on the Holocaust for teachers and students. At an Oct. 21 reception held
in the Nobel Prize winner’s honor at the Cape Town Holocaust Centre,
the Desmond Tutu Lessons for Humanity awards also were inaugurated. These
will be presented annually to teachers in recognition of outstanding student
projects connected to the Holocaust. The materials consist of 30 classroom
posters, a learner interactive resource book, an introductory video incorporating
survivor testimony and a teacher’s manual and guide for the video.
They are intended to serve as back-up for teachers in Holocaust Studies,
which is to be a compulsory part of history and social science for ninth-
and 11th-grade students by 2006.
‘Pincus and the Pig’ Provides a Holiday Alternative to ‘Nutcracker’
Susan
Jacobs
Jewish Journal Staff
Pincus
and the Pig: A Klezmer Tale offers Jewish families a wonderful alternative
to the ubiquitous Nutcracker performances that abound during the holiday
season.
The play, written by Maurice Sendak with musical arrangements by the Boston-based
Shirim Klezmer Orchestra, will be performed Sunday, November 21 at 11
a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Coolidge Corner Theater, 290 Harvard St., Brookline.
Sendak is perhaps best known for his award-winning children’s book, Where the Wild Things Are. Pincus and the Pig is a Yiddish reinvention of the classic Peter and the Wolf story, where Peter becomes Boychick Pincus, and the wolf becomes Chozzer Pig.
Sendak was familiar with Shirim Klezmer Orchestra, thanks to their version of Tchiakovsky’s Nutcracker entitled, Klezmer Nutcracker.
For this humorous show, designed to appeal to children as well as adults, the klezmer septet created a unique score incorporating Russian, Middle-Eastern and Chassidic influences.
For those who can’t attend the live show, a CD package that includes Sendak’s narration, a glossary of Yiddish terms by Fishel Bressler, a full-color illustrated booklet, and stickers of the characters, is available for $16.99 at Barnes and Noble. The CD also contains klezmer interpretations of Rimsky-Koraskov’s Scheherezade and Mahler’s Fifth Symphony.
Tickets to Pincus and the Pig: A Klezmer Tale are $18/adults; $12/children under 12. Call Concertix at 671-876-7777, or order online at www.Concertix.com. For directions to the Coolidge Corner Theater, call 617-734-2500.
Israeli Actress Raises Awareness About Domestic Violence
Susan
Jacobs
Jewish Journal Staff
MARBLEHEAD — Domestic violence is defined as the emotional, physical, sexual or financial abuse of a spouse, child or older family member. Despite the “myth” that Jewish families are immune from abuse, up to one-third of American Jewish households experience some form of domestic violence. The syndrome affects Jews of all socioeconomic, ethnic and educational backgrounds. Statistics indicate that Jewish women, who tend to shoulder the blame for the violence in their homes, remain in abusive relationships five-to-seven years longer than the general population.
On October 24, in observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, several North Shore Jewish agencies presented Flowers Aren’t Enough, a one-woman show depicting a Jewish victim of domestic violence, at the JCC in Marblehead. The powerful monologue was written and performed by Israeli actress Naomi Ackerman.
Approximately 100 women and men attended the one-hour performance, which was followed by a 45-minute discussion with Ackerman.
Flowers Aren’t Enough was originally produced in Hebrew under the auspices of the Israeli Ministry of Welfare.
Ackerman, who was born in Los Angeles but moved to Israel when she was nine, interviewed abused Jewish women at a shelter in Jerusalem. Her heart-breaking monologue is woven from their true stories.
In Flowers, she tells the story of Michal, a young woman from an upper-middle class family who finds herself in an abusive relationship. Michal’s husband, an educated lawyer, begins by verbally abusing his young wife. The abuse gradually escalates to physical violence. The situation becomes so intolerable that ultimately, Michal believes her only option is suicide. In the hospital after her unsuccessful attempt, she makes the painful but heroic decision to sever the relationship that has kept her enslaved.
Since its debut six years ago, Ackerman has performed Flowers Aren’t Enough almost 800 times for organizations that address domestic abuse, women’s groups, police officers, doctors/nurses, yeshivas, community centers, high schools and prisons. These performances have taken place in the United States, Israel, India, Australia, New Zealand and Yugoslavia.
“I would love to apply for a visa to bring the show to a country that says, ‘Come and visit, but we don’t need this show.’ Unfortunately, domestic violence happens in every country and in every culture,” says Ackerman.
Statistics underscore the truth of these statements, especially in America. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a woman is beaten every 12 seconds. The Surgeon General reports that domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women ages 15-44 in the U.S., more than car accidents, muggings and rapes combined.
Despite its prevelance, a taboo persists regarding discussing domestic violence.The local agencies that sponsored Ackerman’s performance, which included the Lynn-Swampscott-Marblehead Chapter of Hadassah, Jewish Family Services, Women’s Division of the Jewish Federation of the North Shore, the JCCNS, the Northern Shores Women’s American ORT and the sisterhoods of Temples Beth El, Emanu-el, Israel and Sinai, should be commended for raising awareness in the Jewish community about the issue.
Ackerman, who graduated from the prestigious Nissan Nativ Acting Studio in Israel and holds a B.A. from Hebrew University, also works as a mediator and conflict resolution specialist. She urges women who experience abuse to get help, and tells men to avoid hurting women.
“Your wife may be the biggest nudge in the world. So divorce her, don’t abuse her!” says Ackerman.
Resources
for Jewish women who experience domestic violence include:
Kol Isha (Jewish Domestic Violence Program), 617-558-1278
Shalom Task Force Helpline, 1-888-883-2323
Help for Abused Women and their Children (HAWC), 978-744-6841
Massachusetts SafeLink, 1-877-785-2020
Support Committee for Battered Women, 1-800-899-4000
National Domestic Abuse Hotline, 1-800-799-SAFE.
Why Bush Won; What Happens Now
The U.S. electorate has spoken: A divided America prefers George Bush to John Kerry. By a razor-thin majority, a record number of voters handed the incumbent president a second term in the White House November 2.
Bush ran, it must be said, a masterful campaign, manipulating the trappings of presidential power while wrapping himself in the flag after 9/11. Following the Reagan success formula and helped by his possession of a common touch that resonates with average voters, Bush cast himself as a strong, no-nonsense leader who personifies the traditional values of God, country, and the American Way.
He successfully depicted the intellectual Kerry as a free-spending “Massachusetts liberal,” a flip-flopper, and an internationalist who couldn’t be trusted to protect America’s interests in the world. And for those who were on the fence, many decided it was wiser to choose “the devil we know than the devil we don’t.”
Bush staked his presidency — and his place in history — on the war in Iraq that he initiated under what turned out to be false pretenses. A less popular leader would have been ousted for the venture, which has cost more than 1,000 American lives, alienated many of our allies, embittered the Arab world, hurt the U.S. economy, and left Iraq, so far, in chaos. But Bush’s handlers managed to turn the war to his advantage time and again by invoking the fear of terrorism, and making the President appear resolute and determined.
Using simple words and slogans, projected with unwavering confidence, Bush turned aside wave after wave of adverse developments: the Abu Ghraib beatings, the 9/11 commission report denying a link between Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden, the failure to find Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, the flu-shot shortage, the stolen Iraqi munitions, the outsourcing of thousands of U.S. jobs, and the new bin Laden tape that emerged over the last weekend of the campaign.
A craftier opponent would have found ways to stick responsibility for the nation’s ills on the man in the White House. But Kerry was too nuanced and he lacked an instinct for the jugular. Imagine if instead of fumbling over the bin Laden tape, he had jabbed an accusing figure right into the TV camera and declared: “Mr. President, that man would be dead now if you were doing your job.”
Kerry, like Gore before him, was not the ideal Democratic candidate. He came across as aloof; he had an undistinguished record in the Senate; he did appear to be on both sides of many issues, and — let’s face it — he is more liberal than a majority of the American populace.
That’s all in the past now, of course. In the future lie at least three Supreme Court appointments, the challenges of extricating the nation from the Iraqi morass, of repairing the damage done to America’s standing in the world, restoring good relations with our allies, reviving the economy, finding a new formula for stability in the Middle East and dealing with the ever tricky Israeli-Palestinian conflict, now complicated by the possible fatal illness of PA president Yasser Arafat.
Bush clearly has his work cut out for him. He can seek to approach his challenges in a way that will unite the country or continue on a path that intensifies the divisions. The choice is up to him.
How About Them Red Sox?
They
fulfilled the impossible dream, coming back from a 3-0 deficit to dispatch
the Yankees in the playoffs, then sweeping the World Series to vanquish
what was touted as the best team in baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Red Sox prevailed because of good coaching, great individual playing,
and admirable team spirit. And having waited 86 years for this victory,
everyone in Boston can hang their heads a little higher this year. The
lesson for the rest of us is this: Never give up. Pursue your dreams.
Persevere. And we too may achieve the impossible.
— Mark R. Arnold
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DOV
BURT LEVY Dov Burt Levy is a Salem, MA based columnist. He can be reached at dblevy@columnist. com.. |
How has the Jewish community’s response to anti-Jewish or anti-Zionist provocation changed over the years? Let’s go down south, and I don’t mean South Boston, for an update.
The weekend of October 13 turned Duke University in Durham, NC, into a battleground between the anti-and pro-Israel forces operating on the nation’s college campuses.
That weekend at Duke, the Palestinian Solidarity Movement held its 4th annual conference, issuing calls for the university to shed its Israel-related investments in order to promote an “end of the Israeli occupation” and to give Palestinian refugees the “right of return to the homes they left in 1948.”
To most Jews and Israelis, these are fighting words: Disinvestment (withdrawal of capital from a country) was a major tactic in the battle to topple South Africa’s apartheid regime.
Some 50 percent of Israelis are willing to withdraw from most land occupied by Israeli troops during the 1967 war begun by Egypt, Syria and Jordan. But to couple that withdrawal with the right of return is tantamount to destroying Jewish Israel. Besides, the number of Arabs fleeing Israel — mostly urged out by Arab states opposed to the UN Resolution of 1947 establishing a bi-national Jewish and Arab state — is just about equal to the number of Jews forced out of Arab countries in the following years.
In response to the calls for disinvestments, Duke’s Hillel affiliate and an ad-hoc coalition of student groups, countered with: a rally and rock concert to raise funds for victims of terror in Israel and other countries, discussion groups, visiting speakers, and over 65,000 signatures on a petition against Palestinian terror. In addition, the Duke administration put out a statement saying that while campus free speech permits a Palestinian conference, the university has no sympathy for disinvestments against Israel.
Our question is answered. Today, when faced with a direct anti-Jewish provocation, we fight. Fight publicly. We don’t give an inch to those who would destroy us. We rally support.
Publicly fighting back was not always our response. Elders among us remember when “quarantine” was the policy.
Quarantine meant not giving additional publicity to anti-Semites by openly opposing them. Rather, the theory was that, left alone, they would discredit themselves. Another tactic was to provide information to the press, government officials, educators, clergy and other opinion makers all through the year, not just during an inflammatory incident. We fought ignorance and misunderstanding with education so the community would not be fertile ground where the seeds of anti-Jewish or anti-Israel propaganda could sprout.
That work still goes on, of course, with different emphases and styles, whether at the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, Hadassah, the Simon Weisenthal Center, B’nai Brith, CAMERA or others. But now, faced with a public challenge by individuals, organizations or politicians, most of our community feels the wisest course of action is to publicly challenge the bigots, haters, holocaust deniers, and anti-Israel revisionists.
This assertive response is not without minefields.
The
week following the Duke conference, the campus student newspaper, The
Chronicle, ran a signed editorial about as harshly anti-Jewish as I have
ever seen. The column, entitled “The Jews,” blamed the Jewish
counter-conference for defying free speech at Duke, accused Jews of exploiting
the Holocaust for political gain, and renewed the slander of “exorbitant
Jewish privilege in the United States.”
Fighting words again. The battle continues in Durham and is likely to
be joined at Boston’s many universities as well. Forewarned is forearmed.
Israel, Like the Red Sox, Ultimate Underdogs
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ELLEN GOLUB Ellen Golub teaches journalism at Salem State College.She can be reached at elkele@attbi.com |
We’re
sorry we won it
We guess we shouldn’t have done it.
We’re awfully sorry.
We’re sorry we won the war.
— Song from a post-1967 Israel revue
It’s my father’s ultimate put-down, his response to whatever he is wiping his hands of. “You want to buy a new car when you’ve only worked at this job for three days?…” “You want to send your kid to an Orthodox school when you don’t even believe in God? Well, then, good luck to you and the Red Sox.”
For all 86 years of his life, my father has had good reason to cite the Red Sox as the ultimate in lost causes. After all, the year of his birth, 1918, was the last time the home team won the World Series. Though he has lived the better part of a century, he had never been alive at a time when the Red Sox won the World Series.
So as the confetti fell on the Red Sox parade, my father was as non-plussed as anyone to see a triumphant team steaming down the Charles River. “I never thought they could do it,” he said incredulously. “They were always the underdog. “
“Now
you’re going to have to think of them with new respect,” said
Yoni, at 17 a worshipper of splitters, curve balls, and sinking fast balls.
“Respect?” asks my father, “for a bunch of guys whose job
it is to hit a ball with a stick?” Clearly he has several decades
on my easily bedazzled son.
But at that moment — like all Zionists who see around the corner, through the bull, and into the future — I began to worry about Israel.
Because Israel is just like the Red Sox.
I don’t mean the ball and the stick thing. It’s even obvious to teenage boys that Israel is a lot more serious than sports. But like Red Sox Nation, Israel was the sympathy vote, the ne’er-do-well people who had suffered so much through history.
Poor little Israel, everyone used to say. Look how heroic they are. England and the U.N. gave the Jews a little strip of desert and swamp. And against all odds — surrounded by 40 million Arabs intent on her destruction — Israel has continued to survive and flourish.
In the shadow of the Holocaust, a horror so unspeakable it made all of humanity feel guilty, the world felt sorry for the Jews. We were the ultimate underdogs, the honorary patron saints of lost causes. As a nation, we were seen as both industrious and pitiable. Little Israel, a state no larger than New Jersey, made the desert bloom. Israel grew valiant young sabras and gorgeous red tomatoes. Good luck to you and Israel — who woulda thunk success could be that sweet — or that damning?
What happens to public opinion when little underdogs succeed? What happens if the mighty Red Sox send the big, tough Yankees home crying? Or if stoic little Israel gets tough with the Palestinians?
The answer? Public opinion, that massive, fickle couch potato, clicks on to another soap opera wherein Israel becomes the army of occupation, the arrogant enemy of human rights and leftist blather. Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the world’s newest underdog: the Palestinian people.
The impossible dream is, from a popular perspective, literally impossible. Because in public opinion, a winning David quickly becomes the new Goliath. And then everyone begins to hate Goliath. You don’t think so? Google the word “Zionism” and see what the world thinks of Herzl’s dream.
You will see, in picture and prose, a failure of the world’s moral vision in the popular imagination.
And if you think I’m wrong, good luck to you and the Red Sox.
So What’s Jewish About the Red Sox?
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STACEY MARCUS Stacey Marcus runs Grapevine Communications and is also a freelance writer who resides in Marblehead. She invites readers to contact her at grapecom@aol.com.
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It’s the night after the World Series and nothing seems more important than savoring the pixie-dust feeling of the Red Sox sweeping the World Series. Finally, I get to share with my children a slice of the American dream that tastes wholesome and delicious. Nothing else seems to really matter at this time. Not the lunar eclipse, the Presidential election or the fact that what I planned to write about this issue could never compete with the Red Sox breaking the 86-year-old curse.
It’s such a rare commodity to bask in the glory of a positive moment in history, we need to pause and rewind. I scan the news for some fodder on Jews and the Red Sox and notice General Manager Theo Epstein. I think, now there’s a really smart, good-looking Jewish guy. I do a little research and discover not only is he born into a creative and connected family, he scored high on his SATs and went to Yale.
He’d be a great catch for one of my daughters, but then I remember that they are 15 and 11 and think I better find another angle.
A little more research reveals that Red Sox muscle-boy outfielder Gabe Kapler and third baseman Kevin Youkilis are both Jewish, which is almost as interesting as this piece of trivia: According to Craig Muder of the Utica Observer Dispatch, “Of the 14,000 players to have ever played major league baseball, only 144 have been Jewish.”
And while dropping names and statistics are interesting, I must confess that the true thing that the Red Sox and being Jewish have in common is that they make me remember my zayde. He used to sit in a burgundy leather chair, puffing on his pipe while a Red Sox announcer droned on in the background. I would intermittently sit on his lap, run in and out of the front door and swipe some cookies from the kitchen table. I never much paid attention to the Red Sox or whether they were winning or losing.
Zayde was alive in the Babe Ruth era, although he was a mere tot when the Bambino curse was first cast. While he never witnessed the Red Sox win a World Series when he was an adult, he remained an ardent fan. He sure loved to watch the game with his grandchildren tumbling around. And while World Series moments sometimes come around once in a lifetime if you’re lucky, being surrounded by a loving family can make you feel like you hit a home run every day of the week.
So
all I have to say about the Red Sox and being Jewish is mazel tov
and let’s do it again next year in Fenway under some lucky stars.
In the meantime, let’s let the magic linger just a bit longer.
A Strategic Doctrine for the Next 50 Years?
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DANIEL PIPES Daniel Pipes (www.DanielPipes.org) is director of the Middle East Forum and author of Militant Islam Reaches America (W.W. Norton). |
As Americans pick a president, one key criterion is how the war on terror
is going. Is George W. Bush correct in his positive view or John Kerry
in his negative one?
This same debate, interestingly, is also taking place within conservative circles, where analysts sharing the same basic outlook — that Americans are fighting for their very existence — come to dramatically different conclusions. Consider the contrasting views of two important voices on the right, Mark Helprin and Tod Lindberg.
Helprin, author of such powerful novels as A Soldier of the Great War and Winter’s Tale, writes a despairing analysis in the current issue of the Claremont Review of Books where he finds America’s failure today to understand the threat it faces “comparable to the deepest sleep that England slept in the decade of the 1930s,” when it failed to perceive the Nazi menace.
Helprin finds that the country, and its elites in particular, remain enamored with the illusion that it can muddle through, “that the stakes are low and the potential damage not intolerable.” In other words, 9/11 did not serve as a wake-up call. He calls on Americans to make up their collective mind and answer the simple question, “Are we at war, or are we not?” If not, they need not worry and can remain happily asleep in pre-9/11 mode. If they are, “then major revisions and initiatives are needed, soon.”
Helprin sketches out the steps needed for serious war-fighting, both abroad (focusing on Iraq and Iran) and at home. The latter include: truly secure the borders with a 30,000-strong Border Patrol, summarily deport aliens “with even the slightest record of support for terrorism,” closely surveil American citizens with suspected terrorist