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Southern Jewish Life August 2024 • Volume R1, Issue 3

REGIONAL

LOVE AND HATE IN NASHVILLE

THE ORIGINAL KOSHER BBQ CONTEST RETURNS LOUISIANA’S TEN COMMANDMENTS BATTLE WEARING JEWISH PRIDE WITH OLAM TOVA THE JEWISH NEW YORK ROOTS OF “WAR EAGLE,” WITH CHRISTMAS THROWN IN APPRECIATING KINKY FRIEDMAN ARKANSAS CHRISTIANS AND JEWS WORK TOGETHER THROUGH JNF Above, Israel breakfast at NRB convention Right, neo-Nazis march in downtown Nashville

‘The Cup Above Redemption’

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Southern Jewish Editor These are definitely unsettling times. As of this writing, we are well over 300 days with Israeli hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas. Hezbollah has been ramping up its attacks in Israel’s north, and tens of thousands of Israelis are still displaced within the country because of hazards in the north and near Gaza. Iran has been playing a waiting game, whether because of external pressure to not escalate, an internal realization that they are a paper tiger, or a strategy of psychological warfare. Classes are beginning at universities across the country, with empowered anti-Israel groups determined to escalate in the face of feckless administrations who are more concerned with appearing tolerant than, say, student safety and establishing boundaries. Political chaos reigns in the U.S., with sharp polarization and demonization of the other side. In the span of a few days, there was an assassination attempt on Trump, and Biden deciding it was time to hang things up and give the reins to Vice President Kamala Harris. While some celebrated the move, others saw it as bad news for U.S.-Israel relations, give the leanings of advisors that Harris has surrounded herself with (and the fact that her husband is Jewish apparently has almost no significance on that front). Just before press time, she named a Jewish outreach coordinator who was involved in the Iran nuclear deal and has raised eyebrows among much of the pro-Israel community. Meanwhile, anti-Israel groups are invoking Chicago 1968 in the runup to this year’s Democratic National Convention — in Chicago. There are positives, though — Israel’s record seven medals in the Paris Olympics, the coalition coming together to counter Iran — including Jordan and the Saudis. In this issue, there’s also an examination of an event in Nashville that was a boost for anyone who supports Israel — the National Religous Broadcasters convention earlier this year, which was an oasis in what has been a contentious public square since the Gaza war began. The Jewish world has historically worked with left-leaning churches and seen evangelicals as political opponents. But the alignment has been flipped on its head in recent years, with “social justice” favoring the Palestinians and excluding those who support Israel, while a theological shift in evangelical circles regarding the Jews has led to a greater appreciation for the Jewish people and Israel, and even a sense of obligation and responsibility, especially given the church’s anti-Jewish history. It is something the Jewish world is still getting used to, especially since on many of the political positions, the communities remain far apart. But at a time when traditional allies are silent, we need all the friends we can get, and we can ill afford to ignore an extended hand of friendship. And in our experience, developing those bonds helps make headway on those other issues. This issue discusses the new Ten Commandments mandate in Louisiana, and we reprint a new version of our award-winning “Ten Problems with the Ten Commandments” piece. If we are engaged, we can represent that opponents of the Ten Commandments in schools mandate aren’t a bunch of God-hating atheists — there are major objections on religious grounds by people who take the Ten Commandments seriously. As we navigate these times, it is important to stay informed, and to have a quality, independent source of news about our community. If you haven’t already, subscribe to Southern Jewish Life Regional Edition today, and help us spread the word. And we appreciate any additional support as Lawrence Brook, Publisher/Editor well!

Agenda ASBEE Kosher BBQ Contest returns 6 Expanding Shabbat Dinner in the Carolinas 8 JFS Richmond to celebrate 175 8 Florida’s Israel license plates 9 AEPi launches Chapter Without Walls 9 Charging Antisemites with harassment 10 Israel Gala in Durham 12 Historical Groups holding conferences 14 Major gift expands JCRS college aid 16

Focus: Love and Hate in Nashville

At the NRB convention in Nashville

Feeling the Love at NRB “Most significant” Israel breakfast Unveiling the Friedman Plan for Peace Promoting Voluntourism to Israel In the Israel War Room Eyewitness to October 7 Responding to Hate Groups

N.C. flag incident shows U.S. also targeted Speaking out against silence ZAKA: The mental toll on volunteers Proud and Bold: Israel pride clothing South Carolina adopts IHRA Christians and Jews work together in Arkansas Ga. Rep launches Trees for Trolls The Ten Commandments in Louisiana

18 20 22 26 34 36 40 55

Opinion Ten Problems with the Ten Commandments Surprising Safety of Southern Judaism

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58 61

Arts Appreciating the Kinkster Collecting Torah pointers

42 45 47 48 49 49 52

64 68

Sports Mannon medals with Israel Willie Mays’ Jewish Friends “War Eagle” N.Y. Jewish Roots Coach Calipari’s Kindness

Books

72 73 74 75

Southern “Treasure” ABC’s of Ned

76 78

Rear Pew Mirror

Last September, the new Sea Shul on 30A in the Florida panhandle held its first Rosh Hashanah services, on the beach. This year, they are planning an Erev Rosh Hashanah service, yoga and meditation service, Tashlich and a concluding service and dinner on Oct. 4 at the Watersound Beach Club. Early bird tickets for the dinner are already available.

Southern Jewish Agenda The original kosher BBQ contest returns after hiatus While many communities now have a kosher barbecue contest, the original is gearing up for its 33rd competition, returning after a four year absence. The ASBEE World Kosher BBQ Contest and Festival will take place at Baron Hirsch Congregation in Memphis on Aug. 25. Over 40 teams will compete in beef brisket, beef ribs, chicken and beans, looking for the title of Grand Champion. There will also be prizes for creativity in team name and booth design. The contest began in 1988 as a project of Anshe Sfard Beth El Emeth, an Orthodox congregation with roots going back to 1861. It was meant to complement Memphis in May, the annual world championship of barbecue, which is decidedly un-kosher. The competition grew, drawing thousands of attendees, with teams from just about every Jewish organization in town, and also attracted Christian and Muslim teams. In 2011, the Halal Smokers won third place in the brisket category. A three-on-three basketball competition added to the event’s growth, along with a pickle-eating contest. The basketball tournament returns, and will also include free throw and three-pointer shooting contests. Admission to the event is free. Those attending can purchase barbecue beef and chicken sandwiches, burgers and other items at the Cowsher Cafe. The Kiddie Corral will include face painting, a petting zoo, bounce house, train rides and more. The 32nd annual event was scheduled for September 2020, but was postponed because of Covid. Then came another challenge — over time, ASBEE’s membership had declined from 400 families to about 250, and in the fall of 2020, they

sold their building and moved into Baron Hirsch’s facility. In 2023, the congregation officially merged with Baron Hirsch. Team registration is $200, with registration due by Aug. 1. After registering, teams will be able to customize their protein selections. Registration includes a smoker and two grills. Registration for the basketball tournament is $25 and includes a tournament T-shirt. Day-of entries are welcome, cash or Venmo only.

Holocaust Museum Houston’s new CEO dies days after being hired The announcement of a new chief executive officer for Holocaust Museum Houston took an unexpected, tragic turn. On May 2, the museum announced that Ivan Wolkind had been hired. On May 8, while working out at a gym in Los Angeles, he suffered sudden cardiac arrest and died two days later. He was 56. His death stunned the Los Angeles community, where he had been chief operating and chief financial officer for The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles for 13 years, before becoming CEO of Magen Am USA last year, a nonprofit organization that provided security services along the West Coast. In addition to his Federation position, in 2014, Wolkind trained at the Los Angeles Police Academy and held a vol6

August 2024 • Southern Jewish Life Regional

unteer position as a sworn reserve officer for 10 years. From 2017 to 2023 he was a national board member and later chairman of the board of the FBI’s Infragard National Members’ Alliance. The museum named Linda Burger, who retired as CEO of Jewish Family Service of Houston in 2022, as interim CEO. Tamara Savage and Kristin Albers Lamm, who were acting co-executive directors for the previous 11 months, will continue their roles as managing director and chief financial officer, respectively. Holocaust Museum Houston is a regional education hub and the fourth-largest Holocaust museum in the United States, as well as the first to be fully bilingual in English and Spanish.

From Medicine to Intelligence:

How the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s unique partnership with the Israeli Defense Forces is bettering the world Since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks against Israel, the students and faculty at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have been focused on their continued mission of making the world a better place. Yishai Fraenkel, vice president and director general of the university, says the campus Photo by Yoram Aschheim communities of the 100-year-old institution are experiencing a range of psychological and emotional traumas. There are those who have lost friends or family members or have suffered physical injury themselves. Still, they strive for a sense of normalcy. “We are not stopping. We are not halting or looking for excuses,” says Fraenkel. “Hebrew University is one of the most important civilian institutions in Israel, and we want to continue offering a world class education and world class research.” While their academic offerings cover a broad spectrum of disciplines from social sciences to medicine, the university’s partnership with the Israeli military has resulted in multiple programs that have been advancing research and development on a global scale for decades. “We have three major programs done in collaboration with the Israeli military: Havatzalot, Tzameret and Talpiot,” explains Fraenkel. “These military programs are very important because this is an army to protect democracy, which is very precious.”

Havatzalot: Training future military intelligence leaders

More than a decade ago, the Military Intelligence Division established a program to recruit members of the Israeli Defense Forces with the potential to excel as officers in the field of intelligence. The program has been at Hebrew University of Jerusalem since 2019. “Havatzalot is a three-year program that allows young students who are also cadets to complete a double-major bachelor’s degree with a combination of military studies and one other science like mathematics, computer science, economics and sometimes philosophy,” says Fraenkel. “They finish their training, and they serve basically as the backbone of Israeli intelligence.” Troops who join the program graduate with the rank of lieutenant and must join the Military Intelligence Unit for at least six years.

Tzameret: Elite military medicine that save lives

Serving as a military doctor is not for the faint of heart, and admission to the Tzameret program is highly competitive. Candidates for the program must meet rigorous cognitive and physical fitness requirements. While participating in the program, students are allowed to defer their military service and later give five years as military doctors in the IDF. One of the main objectives of the program is to increase the number of career military physicians. The more highly trained doctors in the field, the better for anyone in need of critical care. The program is in its tenth year. As of the 2018-2019 academic year, the total number of new military

physicians in training, including those that have already finished training, exceeds 590. Like many of their other programs, Tzameret has a global reach. Up to 20 students in their sixth year of study are selected to participate in a onemonth exchange program with other military-oriented medical programs around the world.

Talpiot: Cultivating the next generation of leaders in defense and technology When you think of Talpiot, think of it as training people who develop technologies like the Iron Dome. The Talpiot pro- Photo from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem gram is one of the most prestigious academic and military programs in Israel, selecting exceptionally talented individuals from across Israel for training in science, technology and leadership. “Talpiot takes those extremely bright scientific minds, those who excel in mathematics and physics so they can apply their talents to the development of military technology,” says Fraenkel. “Many graduates of this program go on to have a successful military career and later make their way into civilian life as successful entrepreneurs. They’re idea generators.” Though these three programs might be the most well-known, you’ll also find programs like the Institute for Research in Military Medicine where research and development in the areas of post-traumatic stress disorder, combat casualty trauma and forensic medicine (or identifying victims) takes place. Additionally, the six-year-old Bina Elite Dentistry Reserve Track allows student-soldiers to maintain rigorous combat training standards. The Bina cadets serve as critical dental officers as needed.

Solidarity across an ocean

These programs, Hebrew University and the wider community are receiving critical support through the We Are One campaign, a special initiative organized by American Friends of Hebrew University along with the international chapters of the organization. “First and foremost, the We Are One campaign shows the solidarity of people throughout the world,” says Fraenkel. “Secondly, given these hardships as a university, the campaign makes it possible for us to continue our mission. We’re not just pursuing life, but the fullness of its potential.” Resources from the initiative support a wide range of immediate community needs from mental health services and legal assistance to hosting displaced individuals and funding unique scholarships for reservists called to duty. The initiative is also looking at rebuilding the future with programs promoting mental health, a shared society between Arabs and Jews and even agricultural innovation.

Show your solidarity with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem by giving to the We Are One campaign.

Learn more or donate at AFHU.org August 2024 • Southern Jewish Life Regional

From left: Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon, Tina Kempin-Reuter, Miriam Schler, Meredith Jacobs and Joyce Vance.

Speaking out about silence

Women’s panel discusses the lack of response to Hamas’ sexual violence against Israelis The mantra that when it comes to sexual violence, women are to be believed and such actions condemned has been prominent in recent years, with the emergence of #MeToo and the Women’s March. But the sudden silence when Hamas terrorists perpetrated rape, torture and mutilation on Israeli women on Oct. 7 has shocked and frustrated Jewish women and a few allies — but not the vast majority of those who were presumed before Oct. 7 to be allies. That frustration was evident at “Using Our Voices,” an international panel at the Birmingham Museum of Art on April 4. Coordinated by the Women’s Philanthropy division of the Birmingham Jewish Federation, the panel was moderated by former U.S. Attorney and MSNBC legal analyst Joyce Vance. About 300 attended the discussion among Jewish Women International CEO Meredith Jacobs, University of Alabama at Birmingham Institute for Human Rights Executive Director Tina Kempin-Reuter, Tel Aviv Sexual Assault Crisis Center Executive Director Miriam Schler, and Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon of the Israeli consulate in Atlanta. Zhaundra Jones, vice president of philanthropy and learning at the Women’s Foundation of Alabama, welcomed the audience to the discussion of “a matter of grave importance.” She condemned the “heinous acts of violence and terror” on Oct. 7, and said “WFA stands firmly against any violence against women.” 20

August 2024 • Southern Jewish Life Regional

She concluded by referencing Martin Luther King’s disappointment in “the appalling silence of the good people” in the face of injustice. Vance started the discussion by detailing Hamas’ use of sexual violence as a tactic of war. “This was not a byproduct of war, it was a deliberate way of striking fear.” But the women’s groups who would normally be outraged met the news with a “shrug,” as “there was silence and even denial that the sexual assaults and rapes that were well documented had occurred.” Vance noted, as did the panelists throughout the evening, that “we should have no difficulty in saying that rape is wrong. Rape is always wrong, it does not matter who the victims are.” In the face of the silence, Vance said, “we can arm ourselves with information… we can have a willingness to speak out.” Jacobs said JWI is part of a feminist coalition, with a call among the group leaders every Thursday. During the call the Thursday after Oct. 7, the facilitator, who is Jewish, asked Jacobs if she wanted to talk about what happened. “Normally, that is what we do,” she said. But she sensed that it would not be safe for her to discuss it, and declined, as did Sheila Katz from the National Council of Jewish Women. October 7 was still brought up during the call, and Jacobs said usually when something like that happens, the chat is filled with hearts, direct messages, others asking what they could do.

mented, took pride in those atrocities they were commitSilence. ting, they uploaded them to social media.” “I have not returned to those calls,” Jacobs said. Another objection, a lack of forensic evidence, comes In those spaces, she explained, “we are taught to believe from watching too many crime shows. There were 1200 all women,” but in this case, proof was demanded. Not only murdered by terrorists on Oct. 7. The crime scenes were that, the narrative was twisted around to state that “rape is places of active warfare, “the last thing people were thinking resistance.” about was extracting evidence of sexual assault,” Schler said. That narrative says “those women deserved what hapThere were truckloads of bodies that had to be identified pened to them. That somehow their bodies represented the and then given to their families for burial. state of Israel, the oppressor… it is beyond horrific. The ”double standard and hypocrisy” have been “a huge “The disbelief has been so painful. I believe it is antisedisappointment, a feeling of betrayal, a feeling of abandonmitic. It is dehumanization, it is delegitimization and it’s a ment.” double standard,” echoing Natan Sharansky’s definition for Based on the testimony of hostages that were released when criticism of Israel crosses over into antisemitism. toward the end of last year, Sultan-Dadon said, there is ev“One of the worst traumas for us was the deafening siidence that hostages are facing sexual violence in captivity. lence of the world,” Schler said. The feminist icons she was “It cannot be that every person in the world who talks about raised on, such as Judith Butler and Susan Sarandon, were human rights is not screaming for their release.” stating “either it didn’t happen, or it was justified because of Kempin-Reuter said sexual violence is the occupation.” prevalent in war, but even in the Geneva “No matter what your political opinion #MeToo unless Convention in 1949, it wasn’t really talked is… rape can never be a weapon of war.” about. It wasn’t until the 1990s in Rwanda Jacobs said the United Nations was silent. the victim is and Yugoslavia that attention started to be Finally, 50 days after Oct. 7, there was a paid. Israeli tweet condemning the Hamas attack and Even so, sexual violence is still seen as a calling for the release of the hostages. “It “side note” to war, and it takes a long time was deleted,” Jacobs said. for any type of prosecution. She said there were four trials After numerous Jewish women’s leaders pressured the a couple years ago for crimes that took place in the 1990s. U.N. in December, a special envoy was sent to examine “There could and should be more done from international what happened, and though she characterized the result actors.” as positive, she said the envoy complained about not being Schler said not to look for criminal prosecutions for Oct. able to talk to survivors. “There are very few survivors left,” 7. Most survivors will not come forward, and most don’t Jacobs said, “and they aren’t going to trust the U.N.” know who the perpetrators were. “We’re talking about Schler said that is part of an unrealistic expectation being thousands of terrorists who infiltrated Israel.” And many of imposed on Israeli victims. “It is as if everything we know the surviving terrorists are likely to be released in a possible about sexual assault and what happens to victims has been swap of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages. erased when it comes to the victims of Oct. 7.” The message of tearing down the silence and the double While skeptics demand more evidence, Schler said what standard is needed, Sultan-Dadon said. “Silence is not an is actually available is the dream of everyone involved in option… if I am not taking a clear stand and using my voice prosecuting sex crimes. “If they had this amount of eviagainst evil, then I am enabling evil.” dence — it’s always he said, she said. We never have this “The astonishment in Israel,” Sultan-Dadon said, “is that abundance of evidence,” from eyewitnesses who were forced we woke up to the realization that while so many speak of to watch their loved ones being raped, to the perpetrators human rights… all of a sudden, when it comes to Israel, to filming their actions. Israeli women, those values do not apply. Similarly, “victims don’t come forward” in the vast ma“That is what we still can not digest.” jority of cases, especially to relive their trauma in public. Jacobs related a story from San Diego, which welcomed There’s a demand “to be this freak show where the survivors a delegation from its Israeli sister city. As the community have to come out in front of the world… and tell their story.” came out for a huge welcome, a young Israeli girl burst into Sultan-Dadon noted that many victims can not give their tears. The girl, Jacobs said, expressed “I thought everyone stories “because they are no longer alive.” But there is plenty hated us.” of evidence, because “the perpetrators themselves docuAugust 2024 • Southern Jewish Life Regional

Proud and Bold Olam Tova launches with clothing designs promoting Israel

At a time when many people are reluctant to make a public display about supporting Israel, Jenna Galbut is helping people wear it on their sleeves. And their chests, their legs, their foreheads…

August 2024 • Southern Jewish Life Regional

Galbut, who made a name for herself in the last decade as a personal development guide online, and has more recently done brand development and investment advising, recently opened Olam Tova, an online clothing store with bold, youthful designs that carry a message — that the wearer is a proud supporter of Israel, and isn’t going to hide it. The clothes also have another purpose — profits are sent to help Israel recover from the Oct. 7 attacks. Olam Tova, Hebrew for “A Good World,” is part of her response to how October 7 changed her outlook, and enables people to “support Israel, and look good doing it.” On July 24, there was a launch party in Miami for Olam Tova, with singer and social media influencer Montana Tucker as keynote speaker. The evening also included former Israeli spokesman in Britain Eylon Levy, who is the subject of one of the designs. Also on the program were IDF paratrooper Sam Fried, UnOrthodox comedian Chani Lisbon, author Dov Forman, activist Adela Cojab, comedian Yechiel Jacobs, life coach Vivace Maxvictor and producer Zack Sage Fox. “Growing up, I was very Americanized,” Galbut said. “A lot of American Jews took Israel for granted — it would always be around, we didn’t have to worry.” But growing up with relatives who survived the Holocaust, she was taught to “be careful,” that there is never a period of 100 years without something bad happening to the Jews. October 7 “shifted and repositioned my identity,” while being very depressing. She had been active with the Me Too movement and marched with Black Lives Matter, but found that when it came to the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, her concern and solidarity for their causes was not reciprocated. “It was really hard being abandoned by my friends, the people I marched with,” she said. “I’m showing them video of October 7 and they won’t say a thing. That was really heartbreaking.” She decided to channel her energy into doing something for Israel. She has a friend who is connected to a family in Kfar Aza that stayed in hiding for 48 hours as Hamas rampaged through the area. “When they came out, everyone was dead.” She really wanted to be able to help families like that, and came upon the idea of designing Israel-themed clothing as a way of raising a lot of money quickly, to help Israelis.

She figured that she taught herself how to design materials when she self-planned her wedding in 2022, so “I could probably figure this out.” In November, she started organizing Olam Tova and coming up with “trendy and cool” Israel-related designs. It turns out that the clothing has a dual purpose. In addition to raising money for causes in Israel, it is a physical demonstration of support. “It is time to start being loud and proud, because we won’t survive otherwise,” she said. “We don’t have time any more to be hiding.” Fashion “is inherently activism,” she said. “Any time you are wearing an article of clothing… you are sending a subliminal message to the one who is seeing it.”

Wearing Israel In May, she did photo shoots in Mississippi and Georgia, spotting the occasional Israel flag on the back roads or outside a church. Some Olam Tova designs are more subtle, like a turquoise, blue and green pattern with the Hebrew word Shalom in black, or the word ‘Freedom” with a subtle American and Israeli flag pattern. Others are much more pointed — shirts that say “Hamas was not expecting October 8 Jews” and an even more direct play on the Hebrew phrase for “The nation of Israel lives” — “Am Yisrael F—ing Chai,” only the actual shirt eschews the hyphens. Bad words are a motif for other shirts, such as one stating “’Israel’ and ‘Jewish’ are not bad words,” and “If Zionism is a dirty word, then talk dirty to me.” Other phrases include “Spread hummus not hate,” “Only losers are antisemites,” “Dear Antisemite, your hate only makes us stronger,” “Zionism is sexy” and “Jews bite back.” The abandonment she felt from previous allies after October 7 is manifested in a shirt with the quote “I was a bleeding heart liberal but they left me with a bleeding heart.” There are dresses with Israeli flag, Chai or Israeli national seal patterns, Israeli flag leggings, and a July 4 pattern in reds and blues incorporating five- and six-pointed stars. August 2024 • Southern Jewish Life Regional

There are sneakers with Israeli flag designs, and for beach activism certain to draw attention, an Israeli flag bikini. For those at the other end of the clothing spectrum, there is a Tznius collection for dressing modestly. In June, a few of the Israeli flag items, including yoga leggings, the bikini and a pencil skirt added a rainbow motif for Pride Month. A ‘Pride” tank top includes the Israeli, U.S. and Pride flags. Not everything has to do with Israel. Some patterns incorporate bagels, nosh or hamsas, or a “Schvitz” shirt perfect for this summer’s heat. In addition to clothing, Olam Tova offers many of the patterns on suitcases, travel bags, hats, pet clothing, slide sandals, weekend bags, socks and yoga mats. Galbut sees Olam Tova creating “a community of like-minded individuals who share a passion for Israel and Jewish causes,” confronting and changing the narrative set by anti-Israel groups. If one feels too self-conscious, Galbut said to go out with friends who are wearing similar messaging, as there is strength in numbers. Not everyone is bold enough to be the “the first wave of pioneers to take it on and have courage” to wear these messages. “We’re doing it. The first wave is already here,” which will prompt others to join the second wave. “Join the first wave, or join the second wave,” she urged. Orders can be placed at olamtova.com.

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“Insulting” interpretation

In voting against antisemitism measure, Reps. Gaetz, Greene claim stating that Jews killed Jesus would be considered a criminal act; pro-Israel Christian groups say that’s nonsense While many House Democrats opposed a bill defining antisemitism on the claims that it might criminalize anti-Israel rhetoric, some Republican opponents used an even older argument — that it would criminalize Gospel claims that Jews killed Jesus. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Matt Gaetz of the Pensacola area of Florida made that claim in defending their vote against the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which passed the House 320-91 on May 1. There were 70 Democrats who voted against the bill, and 21 Republicans. The bill, aimed at combating rampant antisemitism on U.S. college campuses, adopts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism in determining whether a crime is antisemitic. It would require the Department of Education to use the IHRA definition when considering whether Jews had been discriminated against under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The IHRA definition is not binding under law. The U.S. Department of Education has used the IHRA definition of antisemitism in civil rights cases since 2018. Former president Donald Trump issued an executive order applying the IHRA definition to Title VI cases in 2019. Opponents of the IHRA definition, which has been adopted by dozens of countries and a majority of U.S. states, claim the definition goes against First Amendment rights of freedom of speech, but the IHRA definition comes into play only after a crime has been committed, as an advisory opinion of whether or not antisemitism was part of the motivation for committing the crime. Those simply making statements defined by IHRA as antisemitic could not be prosecuted for their speech, but if they committed a connected crime, that speech could be used as a factor to determine whether hate crime status should be used. One example cited is that a school administrator could not be targeted for online posts that run afoul of the definition. However, if there is a Title VI suit against the university by Jewish student organizations who are the only ones running into “no available space” responses to routine facilities requests, and that administrator is in charge of coordinating those spaces, the hostile posts become germane in determining if discrimination is at play. Greene said that she would vote against the bill because of the role of “the Jews” in the crucifixion. “Antisemitism is wrong, but I will not be voting for the

Photo by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) at the 2021 AmericaFest in Phoenix, Ariz.

Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 (H.R. 6090) today that could convict Christians of antisemitism for believing the Gospel that says Jesus was handed over to Herod to be crucified by the Jews,” Greene wrote. Crucifixion was a Roman form of capital punishment, and in those days the Jewish leaders did not have the authority to condemn anyone to death. Greene cited the definition’s ninth example, “using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.” The claim that Jews killed Jesus fueled church-sanctioned antisemitism and mass murder for centuries. In modern-day usage, anti-Israel groups routinely use imagery of Israel — and Jews in general — crucifying Palestine, killing Jesus a second time, or tying Israel’s actions against Palestinians as having its roots in the Jewish treatment of Jesus. Responding to Greene, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta said there is no controversy in the IHRA’s definition of that argument as antisemitic. “Blaming Jews for the death of Jesus is antisemitic. It has been the most consistent, most used excuse for Jew-hatred for nearly 2,000 years.” Gaetz said “This legislation is written without regard for the Constitution, common sense or even the common understanding of the meaning of words,” Gaetz wrote. “The Gospel itself would meet the definition of antisemitism under the terms of this bill!” “The Bible is clear,” Gaetz added. “There is no myth or controversy on this.” August 2024 • Southern Jewish Life Regional

Becoming family through supporting Israel Jewish, Christian communities in Arkansas work together to benefit JNF projects After the horrors of October 7 became apparent, the Jewish National Fund-USA assisted in evacuating residents from the communities near Gaza to the region that a coalition of Christians and Jews in Arkansas have been investing in for the past decade, said Reagan Weil, JNF-USA Southwest regional director. He made those remarks at a Feb. 29 “Build Together: Arkansas Stands with Israel” interfaith event in Little Rock, while reflecting on how the Christian and Jewish communities in the state have been working together on several initiatives in Israel, while building their own friendship at home. Held at Agudath Achim in Little Rock, the event was co-hosted by the Jewish Federation of Arkansas, Lubavitch of Arkansas, Congregation B’nai Israel and Commission Fields, an Arkansas-based non-profit that does faith missions from “A to Z, agricultural to Zionist,” connecting Christians to their Hebraic roots. JNF-USA CEO Russell Robinson attended the event, discussing how their Israel team mobilized to support the affected communities, evacuating, feeding, clothing, and providing other supplies and trauma therapy to tens of thousands of evacuees. At the time of the event, JNF-USA had raised almost $60 million in immediate relief funds through its Resilience Campaign, including a “Livnot B’Yachad — Build Together” plan, to restore the Israel Envelope near Gaza. “With volunteers from Israel and around the world coming together and working with community leaders, we will rebuild, repaint, and replant,” said Robinson. “We will provide new furniture. We will place benches on front lawns, redo the roads, rebuild parks, and repaint shelters and buildings. The sound of building is the sound of creating tomorrow.” At the event, the Federation presented a check for $36,000 toward the effort.

Cathie Dorsch was on the pastoral staff of Agape Church in Little Rock, which has long held Nights to Honor Israel. Dorsch said she “grew up loving Israel, and being part of a congregation that wanted to do tangible things.” She became friends with Tettlebaum, and while serving as interim principal of her school, she hosted Tettlebaum, Weil, and Joel and Irene Spalter for a meeting in the school office. The Spalters, of Fayetteville, are members of the JNF Housing Development and Arava Task Forces. At the time, the school had launched an introduction to Hebrew class, and “B’reisheet,” Hebrew for “in the beginning” was on the blackboard. “Joel walked in and saw the Hebrew, it probably looked very elementary, and said ‘can you read it.’ I read it to him and we laughed.” It was an auspicious beginning, and the group evolved from there. The first project they supported together was a Magen David Adom emergency station at JNF’s new Emergency Response Center in the central Arava region, in Southern Israel near the Jordanian border. In November 2016, the Federation voted to commit to raising $100,000 toward the project to replace a dilapidated 40-year-old clinic, located in a place 80 miles from larger communities like Beersheva and Eilat. In all, Arkansas donors contributed $200,000 toward the effort. According to a 2019 Federation release, “The further development of the Arava depends on the region’s ability to provide basic public services to its current and future residents.” In 2018, the group participated in a mission to Israel, to dedicate the facilities Arkansas had supported. Weil said that trip “really solidified the connection between the Agape Church and the Jewish community,” and the church has focused its philanthropy from their Nights to Honor Israel on the joint projects sponsored by the Arkansas Jewish community. Dorsch said she “has evolved from being a friend on the periphery to a real family member,” and “I don’t think we Interfaith partners knew at the time how far we could go.” Marianne Tettlebaum, former executive director of the She left Agape and started Commission Fields that year, Jewish Federation of Arkansas, said developing the partner- her work evolving “into a network of clergy and partners, ship was one of the highlights of her tenure. It is estimated who want to do this through the Arkansas community.” that there are about 2,250 Jews in Arkansas. On the 2018 trip, they decided their next project would “We’ve become family over the last eight years,” Weil said. be the Red Mountain Therapeutic Riding Center, and 36

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Arkansas delegation at the Red Mountain Therapeutic Riding Center August 2024 • Southern Jewish Life Regional

Southern Jewish Cover Story Editor’s Notebook

Feeling the Love in Nashville National Religious Broadcasters’ Christian Media Convention has special emphasis on standing with Israel With its indoor river and expansive gardens, the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville seems like its own little bubble in the universe. For those who have been dealing with the venom and invective aimed at Israel and its response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 invasion and massacre, with anti-Israel demonstrations taking place repeatedly across the country and worldwide, the hotel was indeed an oasis as the National Religious Broadcasters held its annual Christian Media Convention in late February. Even with a neo-Nazi group marching on downtown Nashville a couple days earlier. Reflecting the high level of support for Israel in the evangelical Christian community, NRB has long been vocally supportive of the Jewish state, with an annual Israel breakfast and usually a session or two about Israel. In 2019, there was a particular emphasis on encouraging Christians to speak out against a national rise in antisemitism. With the war against Hamas raging, this year’s NRB had much more of a focus on Israel, with numerous expressions of love and support. Along with the breakfast, there were several programs with families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, discussions on how to support Israel, and the announcement of an NRB fact-finding mission to Israel that took place the end of May. Troy Miller, CEO of NRB, told this publication that he had visited Israel in December, and saw the aftermath of Oct. 7. “There is no other description, it was pure evil,” he said. “This was an attack on the Jewish people and on humanity.” Keep God’s Land, a new organization dedicated to advocating for Israel to maintain sovereignty over the territories that most of the world chalks up to a future Palestinian state, was also unveiled, with former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman unveiling his peace plan that would keep Israeli control of the territories while giving Palestinians maximum autonomy. With that, NRB made headlines through the Biblical Heartland Resolution, a request for member outlets to stop using 42

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the term “West Bank” in Middle East coverage, and instead use the correct Biblical names, Judea and Samaria, as the term “West Bank” referred only to the 19 years Jordan held the area, from 1948 to 1967, while Judea and Samaria go back to Biblical times. The NRB also passed a resolution pledging “its continued support and friendship with Israel in her time of need,” condemning terrorism and calling on the hostages to be released, and noting the important role Christian media play in educating about antisemitism. The resolution said “an attack on the Jewish people and their historic connection to the Land of Israel is an assault on the deep roots of the Christian faith.” Hosted by Israel’s consulate in Atlanta, there were also screenings of the 45-minute documentary of raw footage from the Oct. 7 attacks, filmed by Hamas members who were looking to boast about their atrocities. The Israel365 news outlet held an Israel War Room experience, with briefings on the situation, a conversation with hostage families and suggestions on how to engage in the social media battle. The Israel Prime Minister’s office hosted “Bear Witness,” an immersive virtual reality visit to the aftermath of Oct. 7. In the expo, there were numerous Israel-focused booths, including Magen David Adom, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Tennessee-based Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, the Philos Project’s White Rose Resistance, and the Israel Ministry of Tourism, along with a couple vendors of Israeli products. Perhaps reflecting the war-time situation, there were fewer organizers of tours to Israel than usual. “The Christian community has always had a strong affinity for Israel and for the Jewish people,” Miller said. “The events of Oct. 7 have only solidified that,” and while many among the left and progressive communities have “abandoned” Israel, “the Christian evangelicals support Israel stronger than ever.” Getting a geographical briefing inside the Israel War Room at the National Religious Broadcasters convention.

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The concept of Christian support for Israel is still relatively new to many in the Jewish community, especially as it comes from a segment of the Christian world that the Jewish community has not regarded as a traditional ally, given mainstream positions in the American Jewish community regarding separation of church and state, teaching of evolution instead of Creationism, abortion rights and acceptance of the LGBTQ community, to name a few where Jewish views and evangelical activism diverge. Not to mention historical concerns of a conversionary agenda. But with “mainstream” churches and left-leaning non-profit advocacy groups becoming neutral or outright hostile to Israel, many in the Jewish community have felt abandoned by their traditional allies that they have worked with on social justice issues, while the evangelical community has been supportive and vocal on behalf of Israel and in fighting antisemitism on its own, without lumping it in with fighting other forms of hate. While many Jews assume this is just a ploy to missionize, there has been a major shift in the Christian world over the last several decades. Replacement theology, the idea that the church replaced Jews in God’s covenant and that Christianity was supposed to replace, or fulfil, Judaism, has been increasingly rejected. Instead, there is an emphasis on a continuing role that the Jewish people play in history, and that the divine covenant between God and the Jewish people endures — and Christians feel they have been added as a branch, rather than replacing the tree. The most vocal pro-Israel Christian groups, such as Christians United for Israel, won’t go anywhere near missionizing. Now, that isn’t universal — there are still some groups whose goal is to convert the Jews, and a couple of them had booths in the NRB expo, though there seemed to be more who were working on missionizing the Muslim world. But for most Christians, it all rests on Genesis 12:3, where God tells Abraham that He will bless those who bless him, and curse those who curse him. They’d much rather be on the side of blessing. And from there also comes the notion of shared values, democracy, strategic importance as a beacon of freedom in a tough part of the world. They also feel a debt toward the Jewish people, as their savior, Jesus, was Jewish, lived in a Jewish context, and the first part of their scripture came from the Jews. Without the Jews, they would not have knowledge of God, notwithstanding the difference of opinion we have over God’s nature. There is an ever increasing number of organizations with Christians and Jews, often Orthodox and many in the territories, working together for Israel causes. There are also institutes where Christians go to learn the Jewish approach to scripture. 44

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The re-establishment of Israel not only was a key in the repudiation of replacement theology, it and Jewish immigration to Israel are seen as fulfilments of prophecy and the truth of the Bible. Many Jews express concern that this support is ultimately about sparking a battle of Armageddon, but again, there is a wide range of opinion within Christianity as to what will ultimately happen, and most Christian supporters of Israel are thinking about today, not some ultimate battle where they say the timing is up to God and not man, and which isn’t part of the Jewish worldview regardless. That is embodied in the joke about Jews and Christians waiting together for the messiah, and then asking “first or second visit?” Until then, the sentiment is, why not work together on an important common cause? In 2015, a large group of Orthodox rabbis in Israel published “To Do the Will of Our Father in Heaven: Toward a Partnership between Jews and Christians,” which says that neither Jews nor Christians can bring redemption on our own, it must be a partnership. Around the same time, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI stated that the Catholic Church is called to dialogue with, not missionize, Jews, as Jews “alone, among all people” already know God. Even with the knowledge of how Christian theology and views of the Jews have changed, attending NRB is still a paradigm shift that can sometimes be uncomfortable, coming from the political worldview of the American Jewish community to an expo where booths include groups that fight against abortion, advocate against the “LGBTQ agenda,” with an increased emphasis on transgender issues this year, and advocacy for Christian “religious freedom” in government. To be an actual NRB member, one must profess faith in Jesus and subscribe to certain views about marriage and sexuality. As the very small Jewish presence at NRB increases, this year there was a bit of a change in that when someone mentioned being Jewish, it was much less common for the followup question to be “messianic?” Mostly because that has been the segment of what they perceive as the Jewish community (mistakenly) that is most likely to have engaged with them in the past. A gentle “no” was never an issue. But at a time when Jews around the world are wondering if we need to hide who we are, NRB was a place where one could wear a yarmulke the whole time and not have a care in the world. And it is preferable to have people genuinely praying for your well-being than being out on the streets calling for your destruction. What follows are some of the events from this year’s conference.

“Significant” breakfast Early in the morning of Feb. 22, hundreds of delegates to the NRB convention turned out for “one of the most significant Breakfasts to Honor Israel in the history of the NRB.” That was how Chris Mitchell, Jerusalem bureau chief at CBN News and emcee for the breakfast, described the soldout event. Mitchell noted the show of support for Israel comes during the war against Hamas, the possibility of a wider war with Hezbollah, legal proceedings in heavily-biased international courts, a United Nations that has “a lopsided General Assembly and a hostile Security Council,” and efforts in Washington to impose a two-state solution “that would divide God’s land.” Not to mention Iran’s “genocidal plans to wipe Israel off the map.” “Our times cry out for unprecedented cooperation between Jews and Christians,” Mitchell said. The keynote address was given by International Christian Embassy Jerusalem President Juergen Buehler, who has lived in Israel for 30 years and has two sons in the Israel Defense Forces, including one in Gaza. He said Israel needs to have a decisive victory over Hamas so there can be a Marshall Plan for Gaza, and a deprogramming of the decades of Palestinian hate education regarding Israel and Jews. He related what his father told him about his own experiences as a soldier for Hitler’s Wehrmacht. “You have to be thankful what America did to our nation. They brought us to our knees to eradicate any form of Nazism from our country.” Buehler said “We are praying at the ICEJ every day that God would release 4000 missionaries to Gaza” to build schools and hospitals, “to educate a new generation… like America did 75 years ago to my country.”

Fighting Hamas a moral issue Anat Sultan-Dadon, Israel’s consul general to the Southeastern U.S., told the crowd that supporting Israel against Hamas “is not a political issue, it is a moral issue.” She reiterated that Israel did not want this war. “Our choice as a people and a

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Israel Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon

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Responding to Hate in Nashville Neo-Nazi groups target city for numerous high-profile actions While much of the country has been dealing with a surge of antisemitism from anti-Israel activists and groups taking over college facilities, Nashville has been dealing with a rash of hate from a more “traditional” source — neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups. After numerous parades and incidents, on July 21, hundreds attended a peace rally organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville at the Bicentennial Park Amphitheater. “What was so heartening to me was the number of non-Jewish Nashvillians who came to support our community,” Judy Saks, a former editor of the Nashville Jewish Observer, told JNS. “The women next to me were Catholics. Another from a Baptist church,” added Saks, who is part of the progressive group Nashville Jewish Social Justice Roundtable. “I felt surrounded and supported by Nashville neighbors, who believe hate has no home here.” Ellen Levitt, who is very involved in the Nashville Jewish community, also attended the event and was encouraged that “citizens of all religious backgrounds” rejected the bigotry of neo-Nazis. “Our community was absolutely united in our message that people of all faiths and beliefs are welcome to live openly and free in our city,” she told JNS. “It was especially gratifying to watch the Nazis leave the event once it was clear that their efforts to disrupt our show of unity were unsuccessful.” Freddie O’Connell, the Nashville mayor, attended the July 21 rally. “As someone who stands here before you today because some of my ancestors escaped the Holocaust in Poland — and not all of them — I defiantly tell you, while shocked that I even have to, that Nashville stands strong against Nazis, and those who share their hateful ideology,” O’Connell said, according to the Tennessean. The mayor has said that he is of Jewish ancestry. “Over the past few weeks, we have seen clown cars of a circus of fear and hatred bring their tour to Nashville in rented box trucks,” he added at the rally. “Those who abuse the powers of the First Amendment for the powers of hatred and fear are not entitled to tolerance and acceptance. We will continue our efforts to ensure they confront ongoing difficulty when they try.” 52

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“In the face of this darkness, it is time for all of us, Jews and non-Jews, to stand together and say ‘enough’,” Leslie Kirby, the president of the Nashville Federation, said at the rally. The groups’ hate “does not end with us, it extends to anyone they define as ‘other’.” She added that elected officials have “not done everything they could do to keep us safe.” There was also an unwanted presence, as a group of neo-Nazis gathered outside the area and attempted to shout down speakers. They especially shouted over Council member Sheri Weiner, who spoke of being harassed while walking to school growing up in Memphis, with rocks hurled at her to taunts of “Jew girl.” Weiner spoke of how the swastika-bearers were going after Nashvillians visiting the courthouse daily, and attacked citizens in the Council chambers. “Ultimately though, the strength of Nashville prevailed, as we linked arms and stood against the weak, misguided, and vile visitors who sullied our public square.” “One of our community members reached out to me earlier this week and said ‘Leslie, it feels like we’re under siege. What do we do?’” Kirby said. “This, all of us here together. This is what we do. Nashville together, Nashville united, Nashville strong.” She spoke of the “hope” that comes from community response, like the cleaning of antisemitic graffiti in the Sylvan Park neighborhood last year. Rabbi Dan Horwitz, Federation CEO, explained how his grandmother survived the Holocaust and made it to America, wondering “what her response would be if she knew that we were still fighting against Nazi hate and its underlying ideology generations later in the United States.” “What helps me cope is that people of good will are speaking up,” he said.

Numerous Marches The series of events started on Feb. 17, when Blood Tribe, a group of neo-Nazis, marched in downtown Nashville. Governor Bill Lee responded that “Nazism and antisemitism should never be tolerated in any form. As Jewish people around the world continue to face persecution, Tennessee remains unwavering in our support for the nation of Israel and her

Courtesy Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville

A rally against antisemitism hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville on July 21, 2024.

people.” There was a march in the city by Patriot Front on July 4, where chants included “Reclaim America,” “Sieg Heil” and “Deportation saves the nation.” On July 6, the Federation issued a statement saying this was not a free speech issue, as the white nationalist groups had broken multiple local laws, condemned the groups “in the strongest possible way” and referred to them as “cowards and criminals.” There was another downtown protest on July 14, which resulted in two arrests after a member of a group carrying Nazi flags struck a bartender with a flagpole. Before the flagpole fight, there was also a confrontation where some of the supremacists harassed a group of five Black youth, ages 9 to 14, who were playing drums on Broadway. On Aug. 6, the Metro Council passed a resolution denouncing the neo-Nazis for that encounter. After the group demonstrated at Broadway and Third Street, they started marching south on Third. There, bartender Deago Buck got into a confrontation with one of the supremacists. When they were separated, Ryan Scott McCann, 29, of Ontario, Canada, struck Buck in the face and ribs with the flagpole. He was charged with felony aggravated assault.

Buck was also arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting police, both misdemeanors. On July 17, Chief of Police John Drake issued a letter “to our Nashville neighbors” sharing concerns over the demonstrations and hate speech, “which I publicly condemned last weekend.” He said his officers were using their presence to deter confrontations between group members and citizens, and will swiftly make arrests for violations of Tennessee criminal law. “As unsettling as the protest actions of this group are, even Nazi hate speech is protected under the United States Constitution,” he noted, adding that there are also free speech exemptions to municipal parade permit requirements. Drake added that they feel the group has a short-term rental in Scottsville, Ky., about 60 miles northeast of town, and travels to Nashville from there. Early in the morning on July 18, antisemitic flyers were dropped in yards in Gallatin. The group also took over a bridge in Madison on July 15, waving swastika flags and giving the Nazi salute to motorists below. The group then sought to take over a city council meeting on July 16. Several members of Whites Against Replacement August 2024 • Southern Jewish Life Regional

Southern Jewish Opinion

Ten Problems with the Ten Commandments: Louisiana Version Editor’s Note: A version of this editorial originally appeared in our publication in September 2001, during the Judge Roy Moore monument dispute at the Alabama Supreme Court building. It was updated slightly to refer to a 2014 Alabama bill to require its posting in government buildings, and again here in June 2024, after Louisiana mandated the Ten Commandments be displayed in every school. The original piece won the 2001 Simon Rockower Award for Excellence in Jewish Journalism from the American Jewish Press Association, first place in the editorial category. Written by Larry Brook, editor. Several years after Alabama embarrassed itself repeatedly over graven images of the Ten Commandments, Louisiana ran head-first into its own controversy in mandating that the Ten Commandments be displayed in the state’s schools. Perhaps the state’s Chabads can donate the posters, in the original Hebrew, of course. If we want to be authentic to the divine word… Clearly, the legislature is trying to flex those religious-majority muscles on feel-good legislation that signifies nothing. The battle lines are being drawn yet again between good Christians and the evil forces of atheism and secularism that want to… what, exactly? There are many reasons for people who take the Ten Commandments seriously to oppose efforts to have them placed as a trophy in schools or any government buildings. There are many problems with the claim that the Ten Commandments form the basis of our legal system and society. A closer examination of the Ten Commandments, where they came from and what they mean gives numerous arguments — even ignoring the obvious problem with breaking the separation of church and state.

Here are 10 such problems: 1. What is the First Commandment? According to Christian versions, it is “You shall have no other gods before Me.” But in the original Hebrew, the First Commandment is “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt.” Even allowing for intermarriage over the last couple millennia, the vast majority of Louisianans can not say their ancestors were slaves to Pharoah in Egypt. Therefore, the Jewish First 58

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Commandment is ignored, and the second one is split in half — into two commandments, covering other gods and graven images separately. Some versions we have seen, including the mandated Louisiana version, have the first phrase of the First Commandment, skip the Egypt part, then list both halves of the Second Commandment — resulting in 11 Commandments. 2. Define “other gods.” According to Judaism, God is an infinite, indivisible entity that cannot be defined or limited in any way. God has no human form. In Christianity, there is a very distinct idea of God — the trinitarian form, of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Son, named Jesus, is regarded as God “in the flesh,” in human form. To Judaism, the notion of a human regarded as God is anathema. One could even say such a philosophy violates the prohibition against “other gods,” according to Jewish interpretations. 3. Bug off, Uncle Sam. Where in the Louisiana Code is faith in God mandated? And of such faith, where is it written what form of deity should be worshiped? Is it against state law to be an atheist? To believe that Elvis Presley or Drew Brees was God? By now, we have covered the first three Commandments. We have yet to find one that has any relevance to the Louisiana Code. One may argue that our Founding Fathers felt human rights were inalienable because they are God-given, not granted by government or by man. True, they did hold that philosophy, and it is a philosophy that should hold government in check, but they were deliberately vague about defining our Creator. The concept of inalienable rights from a higher power belongs to national history and, even with the separation of church and state, must be understood. But after starting with that premise, the law itself is of this world. A judge should be concerned with what is in the law books, and the legislators should concern themselves with the earthly affairs of state. That is their job. 4. Remember when? The Fourth Commandment is about the Sabbath. Again, this is an area where the state has little to say. “Blue laws” closing businesses on Sunday are a thing of the past — the only remaining restrictions in some places are on alcohol sales on Sundays. But remember, the Sabbath originally was sundown Friday

to sundown Saturday, and still is for us. It is a time when there The concept of “keeping up with the Joneses” comes directly is supposed to be no commerce, no work. Any bets on the from that. chances of legislation being passed to cover that? Especially That commandment, though, is interpreted as prohibiting during college football season? Ready for Tiger Stadium After the type of desire that would cause one to break laws in order Havdalah? That will happen about the same time you see a to gain what one desires. It’s perfectly fine to desire your glatt-kosher boudin and cracklins stand in Lafayette. neighbor’s new car, quite another to steal it. The Sabbath Day was also given by God as “an eternal sign Further, coveting by itself could be construed as a thought. between Me and the children of Israel,” a sign of the eternal Many of those on the end of the political spectrum who nature of God’s covenant applaud the Ten Commandwith the Jewish people. Inments mandate also are teresting, then, that the only against hate crimes legislapeople who observe the origtion. Such legislation calls for inal Sabbath day is the Jewish added penalties for actions people. Christians, aside that came forth because of from a few small offshoots, thought. Punish the action, observe Sunday. Muslims not the thoughts, the arguobserve Friday. ment goes. If the state gets Shall Louisianans “reinto the business of policing member” the Sabbath day? coveting, it is doing the same It could be seen as evidence thing. that we Jews are not damned, 8. Graven images. What that our covenant with God is the political display of the endures, and that our souls Ten Commandments itself if need not be “saved” by not a graven image? The two well-intentioned missionaries tablets have become a larger who think we are missing than life symbol, one seemsomething. Good luck selling ingly infused with mystical that idea. power. Its absence is blamed 5. Their honor: Honoring for the downfall of American one’s parents is something to schools. The hand-carved strive for. However, it too is plaque Alabama Chief Justice none of the state’s business. Roy Moore hung in his Where does the state mancourtroom three decades ago date conduct toward one’s was deemed so important parents? nothing short of an action by the National Guard could 6. So much for the milicause Moore to remove it. tary. The Sixth Commandment prohibits killing, A cult of worship seems according to Louisiana. Howto be growing around the ever, the original Hebrew Ten Commandments — and This Ten Commandments monument was at the center of a 2001 word is for murder, not for a significant percentage of controversy in Alabama’s Supreme Court building. all killing. One is justified in those passionately behind killing an attacker. If all killing is against the Ten Commandthis couldn’t list all 10. ments, we’d better dismantle the military right now. Again, the 9. Curse of the law. The passion behind the Ten Commandlikelihood of folks in Louisiana going for that… ments is even more puzzling because of Christian theology. 7. What do you want? Taking the literal words to another The “Old Testament” law, of which the Ten Commandments commandment… one should not covet. That is a major prob- is central, is seen by Christianity as a curse. It is so difficult lem, because coveting is the whole foundation of capitalism. to follow to the letter that no one could possibly get it right, August 2024 • Southern Jewish Life Regional

Southern Jewish Arts

They ain’t makin’ Jews like Kinky any more Editor’s Note: This publication isn’t into “trigger warnings,” but if you’re not comfortable with certain words being discussed in an historical context, just be aware… Richard “Kinky” Friedman, novelist, country songwriter and occasional politician known for his quirky humor and passion for all things Texas, died on June 27 at his longtime family home at Echo Hill Ranch, a former Jewish summer camp his parents ran and which remained his home. He was 79. According to friends, the Kinkster, as he was often called, had Parkinson’s disease. In 2006 he ran a gubernatorial campaign in Texas, confounding many as to whether it was a serious run. Behind slogans of “how hard could it be?” and “why the hell not?” he got 12 percent of the vote, and then unsuccessfully ran for agriculture secretary in 2010 and 2014. Born in 1944, he formed a satirical country band in the early 1970s, Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys, a name that his father hated. Among his more famous songs were “They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Anymore,” a slur-filled piece about the idiocy of bigotry, and “Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed,” which roiled feminists. He also recorded what is probably the only country song about the Holocaust, “Ride ‘Em Jewboy.” He claimed to be the first fully-Jewish performer at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. The tape of his performance for Austin City Limits is reportedly the only one that never aired. He was boldly Jewish, commenting during a series of concerts in Europe that the Germans are his second-favorite people. “After everybody else.” A poster with a black-hat-and-payos bedecked Friedman, smoking his trademark cigar, touted his 2011 Chanukah tour. Below is based on interviews this publication did with Friedman in 2005 and 2012: 64

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For Kinky Friedman, being able to draw a crowd after 40 years in the business was “very satisfying.” In 2012, the outspoken Jewish country songwriter and performer embarked on a Southern Discomfort tour that took him through the Deep South in a new way. While he was best known for being in the band with the Texas Jewboys in the 1970s, this was a solo tour. When seeing a performer solo, Friedman said, one gets to really see who the performer is, and “the solo nature of this gets the lyrics across.” He visited a lot of places “I haven’t been to in a very long time, or that I haven’t been to at all.” The performances were mostly music, with some humor and politics thrown in, as well as a reading from his new book, “Heroes of a Texas Childhood,” which he had available for signing, “and I will sign anything except for bad legislation.” That was one of his campaign slogans in 2006 when he ran for governor of Texas, coming in fourth in a six-man race. After 2010, he was said to be swearing off running for office but then said “I don’t know. Rick Perry’s run for president has really improved my image. It’s made George W. look like Thomas freakin’ Jefferson.” “I grew up in Texas and I admired the country music greats. I was also heavily influenced by Irish folk music,” said Friedman. “When I was young, I knew I wanted to make it as a country music star. But I had several strikes against me; I was Jewish, from a middle-class family and I ended up getting a college degree. Most country stars at the time and in the past were not Jewish and came from poverty,” he said. “I wanted to be a country music singer growing up so that’s why I am a novelist now,” said Friedman, adding that “being from Texas is conducive to being a satirist.” As a child, Friedman wrote his first song, the somewhat distasteful “Ol’ Ben Lucas.” The song only charted in his head, but through his late childhood and early adult years, he would continue to write and perform humorous music with roots in country and folk balladeering.

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Inspired by President John F. Kennedy, Friedman joined the Peace Corps after graduating from the University of Texas and went to Borneo. “I taught farming to people who had farmed perfectly well for 2,000 years,” he said. Friedman would come back to Texas and team up with some friends to form the Texas Jewboys. Another Jewish man by the name of Robert Zimmerman (known to most as Bob Dylan) liked the group and would bring the Jewboys on tour as his opening act in the 1970s and early 1980s. The Texas Jewboys were known for pushing the envelope with some of their songs, or shredding the envelope altogether. When he ran for governor, the lyrics of “They Ain’t Making Jews Like Jesus Any More” became an issue because of the presence of the word “nigger.” It also contained numerous other ethnic slurs. “I was surprised how people completely distorted that when I ran for governor,” he said. Inspired by a bar-room brawl in the Texas Hill country, the song is actually an anti-bigotry anthem. “I was called a racist because of those lyrics. You can’t explain it. You get defensive and I couldn’t believe it.” He noted the irony in that he was the only candidate against the death penalty, and the only one who was a part of the civil rights movement, “that actually picketed segregated restaurants and other places… and yet they hung me out as a racist. Of course, they think Mark Twain was a racist.” He noted that in many places, there are efforts to get “Huckleberry Finn” banned because of that word, which completely misses the importance of Twain’s novel. “It’s the first novel that takes a guy like Jim and makes him the guy with humanity, dignity and honor, and he’s surrounded by scoundrels and hypocrites who are all white,” he noted. He decries political correctness. “Nigger,” he asserts, “is a lot nicer word than going around saying ‘the n-word.’ That’s about the worst thing — it goes against everything Lenny Bruce believed, and Richard Pryor believed.” He tells audiences “If a young Richard Pryor walked in here tonight we couldn’t make a star of him in this country. The same is true of Mel Brooks, George Carlin, Lenny Bruce… and that represents a cultural step backwards, a giant one. I thank the Lord we still have ‘They Ain’t Making Jews’.” The previous summer he toured Australia, and noted that the audience “laughed when something was funny and cried when something was sad. They didn’t look around to see what the rest of the audience was doing. “In America that’s what you see,” he said. “Our puritanical roots are showing. We ‘re just hung up politically, racially, sexually, spiritually. Maybe one of the most hung up societies on Earth.” 66

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But he keeps trying. “Blessed is the match that kindles the flame. The pendulum has to swing back on political correctness,” he said. A song’s life is interesting, he noted. “Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed” actually started a riot during a 1973 performance at the University of Buffalo as a “crazed group of lesbians” attacked the stage. “It may sound humorous… they were winning. They were smashing things, beating up the Texas Jewboys,” and the campus police had to escort them out of town. He was soon awarded the Male Chauvinist Pig of the Year by the National Organization for Women because of the song. “That one today is now a harmless feminist ditty,” he said. Regarding “They Ain’t Making Jews,” Friedman joked “I am glad that Mel Gibson didn’t contact me about remaking the song for his movie (“Passion of the Christ”).” Then he added about the movie in humorous Kinky style, “it would probably make a good book.” He wrote “Ride ‘Em Jewboy” in tribute to the victims of the Holocaust while in the Peace Corps, working for “11 cents an hour. Best job I ever had.” The up-front nature of the Jewboys caused some problems in the Jewish community. “Store chains owned by Jews, Jewish executives at record companies. We had a sweet record deal blown down like that by just the name Texas Jewboys or by some of the songs,” he said. But that has turned around also. At a show in Tucson, he was amazed at how many in the audience were Jewish — probably half the crowd. During his 2012 tour, he hoped the Jewish communities in the South would help him achieve his two favorite words in the English language — “sold out.” On the other hand, he was proud that he never “sold out” in a different sense, being true to himself instead of seeking mainstream popularity — even while running for office, where that sort of thing goes with the territory. “Every artist wants immortality, but too much success takes immortality away in my mind. I fight popularity.” During his gubernatorial run, he said “I’m not a politician. I am not a bureaucrat. I am a writer of fiction who speaks the truth and I want to bring back the glory of Texas.” Friedman said that “people have asked me if this is a joke. I’d always seen myself, in the words of Billy Joe Shaver, as a serious soul nobody took seriously. Why should they take me seriously now?” The question, he noted, was “whether my candidacy is a joke or whether the current crop of politicians is the joke.”

Jewish influences Being Jewish, he said, “is very subliminal sometimes. It has to do with interweaving your life and your art.” He said, “In Judaism, humor is a vessel of truth for mankind.” He also likes being the underdog, which is how he describes the Jewish religion over time. “A lifelong love of the underdog has been accrued to the Kinkster because of Judaism. A good Jew is a good thing and by that same token, a good Christian is a good Christian. “We need more good people in this world. Someone like Mel Gibson thinks that he has done a good service and that he is a good Christian, but he really is not,” said Friedman. As his music career gracefully came “to a screeching train wreck” in 1984, as Friedman put it, he began working on his first novel. He decided to try his hand at writing mysteries since he and his mother, Min, had always been interested in reading them. Friedman felt that he should use his own name and those of his friends as various characters in the stories. He made himself the retired country music performer turned detective and the setting, for the most part, was a loft on Vandam Street in the Greenwich Village section of New York City. His first book was titled “Greenwich Killing Time.” “I have churned out — um, I mean carefully crafted — 17 novels now,” said Friedman in 2005. Some of his books are even in Hebrew and have been released in Israel. He wound up releasing 20 novels and seven non-fiction books. “Heroes of a Texas Childhood” profiled 23 Texans who were and are very influential in Texas history. Of the 23, he said, “you probably know more of them than most college graduates in Texas,” he said, critiquing the lack of historical awareness among today’s youth. “They don’t know on whose shoulders they stand,” Friedman said, and noted that if he had been elected, the book would have been required reading in the public schools. When asked if he felt that songwriting or novel writing was more difficult, Friedman chose the former. “Songwriting is the hardest thing in the world, even more so than poetry. The best work is about tragedy, like you are trying to pay the rent but you are failing,” he said. He bemoans the current state of the music industry, saying there are few out there with staying power. You’re not going to see a young John Lennon come along today, because acts become “a product instantaneously, like Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga. They’re not stars, they’re a product. If they wrote beautiful stuff, you’d never know it.” Nashville is filled with “corporate whorehouses” filled with

songwriters who churn out product. “Everything they do is derivative. It’s selling, someone is recording it, so it’s making money. It manages to be important without being significant.” And yet, in decades of that process “no one has written ‘Hello Walls,’ and no one has written ‘Me and Bobby McGee’,” he said. “Three stoned drunk guys, Willie Nelson, Roger Miller and Kris Kristofferson, wrote so much classic stuff in a short period of time in the same town.” To really see an inspiring show these days, “you gotta go see a geezer these days.” He added, “I don’t count myself in that category, at least not yet. In addition to politics, his novels and his interest in animal rescue, he started his own cigar line, run by former sidekick Little Jewford, and included cigars named after his Utopia animal rescue ranch, Willie Nelson and the Texas Jewboy. He also launched Man in Black tequila, “the best Mexican mouthwash you’ll ever drink,” saluting Zorro, Paladin and Johnny Cash. (2005 interview by Lee Green).

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Handing it over

Collection of over 150 Torah Yads donated to University of Virginia museum

By Menachem Wecker (JNS) — Clay Barr’s husband Jay D. A. Barr had been ill for “quite a long time” when she brought him home in early 1994. “There was no more to be done, and I’m pacing around thinking this wonderful 57-year-old man needs to have some memorial so his name will keep being spoken,” she told JNS. “In the Jewish religion, if your name is spoken, you’re not completely gone.” Then she remembered that he had gifted two antique Torah pointers — or yads in Hebrew — that he bought at Sotheby’s that January to their synagogue, Congregation Beth El in Norfolk, Va. The Conservative shul traces its origins back to 1850 and was where her husband had his bar mitzvah. “He loved the hand in art. So it seemed, ‘Aha!’ I had an epiphany,” Barr told JNS. “This is what I’ll do to memorialize him. It will be 30 years come the second of July that he died. This has been a dedication of 30 years so far. Hopefully, I’ll hang around and make it a lot longer.” As it approaches the three-decade mark since her husband died, Barr, who is in her early 80s, has gifted a minimum of 150 Torah yads, or hand-shaped pointers, to the Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Torah pointers enable the reader (ba’al koreh) to follow along in the scroll without touching the parchment, which is religiously anathema. For centuries, yads were made of silver and adorned with 68

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baroque embellishments. Barr’s collection includes pointers that date back some 325 years. She owns one with a ruby ring dated around 1700; an Italian pointer likely made in the 17th or 18th century; a 1789 German wood yad with three movable spheres; and an 18th-century Dutch silver one. She’s particularly proud of one by an English artist whom Barr calls “truly astounding.” “Hester Bateman to this day is the most renowned English woman silversmith. She inherited her husband’s business on his death — ran it for 20 years, in which time she made about 1,000 pieces,” Barr said of Bateman (c. 1709-94). “But they were all for the home. She made teapots. She made bowls. She made creamers. She never made anything for outside the home,” Barr added. “How she ever happened to make a Torah pointer, how I was ever lucky enough to see it at auction and get it, it’s just remarkable. That’s from 1781.” The New York auction house Kestenbaum & Company, which sold a Bateman Torah pointer for $5,000 on June 25, 2015, tells the story a little differently. It dates the pointer, which it says “perfectly demonstrates Bateman style,” to 1778 and notes that Bateman made George III silver Torah finials for England’s Great Portsmouth synagogue, which Christie’s sold for a little more than $300,000 in 1999, and a 1781 silver Shabbat hanging lamp now at the Yeshiva University Museum. However infrequently Bateman created Judaica for use outside the home, Barr told JNS that the bulk of her energy and interest has been devoted to commissioning contempo-

Photo courtesy Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia.

Torah pointer (yad) by Hester Bateman (1781). Barr Foundation collection.

rary artists to make new Torah pointers. “That excites me,” she said. “I really don’t haunt the auction houses,” she said, adding that her sister collects 17th-century Dutch paintings — the era of Rembrandt — which she finds dull. “I’ll always eat the chocolate dessert and skip the lemon,” Barr said. “We all have things that please us, and certainly contemporary pleases me more at this point than antiquity, though I was raised with antiquity.”

Concrete, Legos, skateboard As a collector, Barr is very interested in materials, and she has hired artists to create Torah pointers out of things that would have surely astounded the Jews who used the silver ceremonial objects in the 18th century, which form the chronological beginning of her collection. Her father worked in the concrete business, so Barr commissioned the Israeli designer Marit Meisler to create a cast concrete yad in 2001. Barr’s grandson made a Torah pointer out of a toilet paper roll and a chopstick, which “has caused a sensation,” she told JNS. And she recently received a yad she commissioned out of Lego. “It’s certainly not the most gorgeous in the collection, but this is just to show this is what that man works in,” she said. In 2004, Barr hired Wendell Castle to make a silver and stained-walnut Torah pointer that lies on a hand, made of foam board and painted with acrylic, which rests on a rose-

wood and maple wood table. When the furniture maker and sculptor in Emporia, Kan., died in 2018 at age 85, The New York Times described him as a “whimsical designer who coaxed wood into weird, mind-bending shapes that blurred the boundary between serviceable furniture and fine art.” “He’s this great famous man, and I’m talking to him like I’m talking to you. He was easy to talk to,” Barr told JNS. “We went back and forth over a year, and he finally said, ‘I’m a furniture maker. I’m going to make a table. I’ll put a hand on it. And we’ll put a Torah pointer.’ I said, ‘Great, Wendell. Go’.” Four years earlier, Barr commissioned Orthodox Jewish N.Y. artist Tobi Kahn — whose work, in part, is among the collections of the Guggenheim Museum, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Phillips Collection (Washington), Minneapolis Institute of Art and Yale University Art Gallery — to make a Torah pointer. Kahn’s wood and acrylic yad has an organic feel, perhaps evoking a flowering plant or a seal balancing a ball on its nose. Barr met Kahn at a dinner party, and he invited her to his studio one Sunday in Queens, N.Y. She saw a table full of stuff he had found out on walks. “I picked up three pieces from nature and put them together and I said, ‘OK, Tobi. Make me a Torah pointer,’” Barr said. “If you look at it, there are three very distinct pieces from nature that he put together, and I think it’s wonderful.” She also admits to being a “little addicted” to the work of jewelry maker Tom Herman — whose company is called August 2024 • Southern Jewish Life Regional

Posthumous Publisher: Goldbergs do “The ABC’s of Ned” Tribute to long-time head of Jewish Children’s Regional Service is fundraiser for agency As the first Father’s Day approached since the death of longtime Jewish Children’s Regional Service executive director Ned Goldberg, his family launched a tribute in the form of a children’s book. “This marks my dad’s long-awaited publishing debut,” said Adam Goldberg. “The ABC’s of Ned” highlights his “Ned-isms,” from A to Z. Adam explained that “as my dad’s cancer progressed, my family decided to write a children’s book as a creative coping mechanism. We wrote this book, with my dad’s help.” In the 1980s, Ned nearly published a comedic manuscript titled, “The Single Man’s Illustrated Dictionary.” However, he soon met his wife, Wendy, and “lost all credibility within the singles community.” Ned is described as an avid fisherman and a collector of rocks, shells, souvenirs, close friends, distant cousins, and stories. In his lifetime, he cared for two dozen turtles, a vibrant fish tank, and had a deep love for all living things and helping others. The book is illustrated by Gripless, Zach Weinstein. Proceeds from the book go to JCRS, which provides needbased services to Jewish youth in a seven-state region that includes Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisi-

ana, Oklahoma and Texas. The agency, which was formed out of the closure of the Jewish Children’s Home in New Orleans after World War II, provides need-based overnight summer camp scholarships and college aid. Under Ned’s leadership, the portfolio widened to include special needs and disaster relief, along with JCRS coordinating PJ Library regionally. The agency also serves Jewish adults who are isolated in specialized adult care facilities.

Authors seek food-related stories of Southern Jewish celebrations The co-authors of “Kugels and Collards: Stories of Food, Family and Tradition in Jewish South Carolina” are looking for Southern Jewish food stories throughout the region for their new work, “Southern Simchas: Food Traditions for Jewish Celebrations.” “Kugels and Collards” was published in 2023 by Lyssa Kligman Harvey and Rachel Gordin Barnett, based on their blog that collected South Carolina Jewish family food-related stories and recipes. While touring to promote the book, they have found that

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many of the South Carolina stories are echoed throughout the Jewish South, so they began this project to tell those stories. They explained that Jewish life cycle rituals always involve food, and they want to chronicle the tendency in the South to incorporate Southern aspects into Jewish practices. They are looking for story contributors to do a 900 to 1100 word piece exploring how their family life cycle events have endured through time and evolved with the addition of new family customs. They are looking for pieces related to family brises, namings, bar/bat mitzvah, confirmations and weddings. The stories should encompass family history, traditions and foods. They encourage the inclusion of three to five family photographs and, where possible, one or two recipes or menus. Marcie Ferris will be writing the introduction. Those interested in submitting a story should email rgbarnettsc@gmail.com by Sept. 30. Submissions will be due on March 1. They hope to have a good representation from throughout the region, and want to be sure that smaller communities are represented.

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Rear Pew Mirror by Doug Brook P’Sukei Man Billy Joel recently released his first new song in decades. In recognition of this Messianesque return, this column presents another nevertofore heard classic. The few. The proud. The people present at the start of Shabbat morning services. The nearly several people who pray the introductory Psalm-filled service, P’Sukei D’Zimra. The least we can do is give them a song. As we’re always ready to do the least, here one is. In 1973, Billy Joel released what would become his signature song, “Piano Man.” As with many songs by many artists, this ballad went through early iterations that significantly differed from how it was ultimately recorded. Owners of the My Lives boxset have heard the demo track where he sings, “Sing us a song, little piano man.” In this take, at nine o’clock on a Saturday “drinks were going fast,” and the old man sitting next to him was “dreading the time that has passed,” along with other lyrical changes, more prominent harmonica, and excessive reverb. This happened with many of his songs, such as “I’ve Loved These Days” originally being “These Rhinestone Days,” “Worse Comes to Worst” was originally “New Mexico,” “The Longest Time” has roots in “The Prime of Your Life,” “Elvis Presley Blvd” evolved from “The End of the World,” and “Only the Good Die Young” was a reggae track until the drummer, the great Liberty DeVitto, hurled his drumsticks in protest. According to legend, even “Honesty” was once “Sodomy,” though it was never clear if this alternate lonely word was in allusion to the book of Genesis or Leviticus. But Billy Joel, like so many of us, is a nice Jewish boy. So, it’s little-known that an even earlier version of the song that ultimately became “Piano Man” was, in fact, a tribute to those early-morning Saturday stalwarts who get the service going so latecomers don’t have to wait too long for the Kiddush luncheon afterward. It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday The regular crowd shuffles in, There’s an old man sittin’ next to me Wonderin’ when we’ll get a minyan. He says, “Son, can you daven the liturgy? I’m not really sure how it goes But it’s now nine-o-eight and the rabbi is late, And I’m late for my mid-morning doze.” La, la-la, di-di-dum All Shabbos I bi di-bum Sing us a Psalm, you’re the P’Sukei Man, Sing us a Psalm today, Well, we’re all in a tallis and yarmulke And you’ll get us ready to pray. 80

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Now Sy in the back is a friend of mine At the ripe young age of eighty-three, And he’s quick with a joke I heard last time we spoke But it still gets a laugh out of me. He says, “No, I don’t know where the rabbi could be,” As a smile ran away from his face, “So, I better come up with a sermon dvar, Or we’ll never get out of this place.” La, la-la, di-di-dum All Shabbos I bi di-bum Now Saul is a retired physicist Who never had time for a wife, And he’s talkin’ with Dvorah, who’ll soon chant the Torah To teach us some more about life. And the board members arguing politics As we hear about sinners getting stoned, Yes, they’re standing and praying in cold silence But it’s better than prayin’ alone. Sing us a Psalm, you’re the P’Sukei Man, Sing us a Psalm today, Well, we’re all in a tallis and yarmulke And you got us ready to pray. It’s a pretty good crowd for a Saturday And the rabbi he gives me a smile, He arrived nine-fifteen which by me went unseen I forgot about life for a while. And the courtyard, it sounds like a carnival, And we’re starting to smell lox and schmear, And they sit in the back and sneak their kids a snack And say “man, how long have you been here?” La, la-la, di-di-dum All Shabbos long bi di-bum Sing us a Psalm, you’re the P’Sukei Man, Sing us a Psalm today, Well, we’re all in a tallis and yarmulke And you’ll get us ready to pray. Doug Brook is a lifelong Billy Joel obsessive wannabe fanatic, whose first date and first concert ever were both the Billy Joel concert on March 7, 1987, at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center Arena. Even though she brought a friend. And her father drove us. (Yes, he had to research the exact date.) He also always gets to services by nine. (Him, not Billy Joel. That we know of.) If you want to actually hear the song, check out the Rear Pew Mirror podcast. To acquire the FIVE-star rated Rear Pew Mirror book, read past columns, or listen to the FIVE-star rated Rear Pew Mirror podcast, visit http://rearpewmirror.com/.