San Diego Jewish World

Wednesday, May 16, 2007    

Vol. 1, Number 16
 

France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Poland
record increases in anti-Semitic attitudes

JERUSALEM (Publicity Release)—A large number of Europeans continue to be infected with anti-Jewish attitudes, holding on to the classical anti-Semitic canards and conspiracy theories that have dogged Jews through the centuries, according to a new poll released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) this week. 

A survey of five European countries revealed that a plurality of Europeans believe Jews are more loyal to Israel than to their country and that they have too much power in business and finance.  The opinion survey of 2,714 adults – slightly more than 500 in each of the five countries – found an increase in negative attitudes toward Jews, or in some instances no change, from its 2005 findings.

Jews are more loyal to Israel than to this country.

§  Jews have too much power in the business world.

§  Jews have too much power in international financial markets.

§  Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust.

Respondents were also asked whether they agree or disagree with the following statement:

§  The Jews are responsible for the death of Christ; and

Findings Summary

•  A majority of those surveyed across Europe, 51%, believe that Jews are more loyal to Israel than to their own country, with a majority of respondents in Spain, Poland and Germany saying they believe that this statement is "probably true."

•  High levels of those surveyed still believe in the traditional anti-Jewish canard that "Jews have too much power in the business world." Overall, nearly 39% of all respondents believe this stereotype to be true.

•  Similarly, respondents still adhere to the notion that "Jews have too much power in international financial markets." Overall, 44% cling to the traditional stereotype.

•  Large portions of the European public continue to believe that Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust. Overall, 47% of those surveyed believe it is "probably true." In fact, a plurality of respondents in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain believe this notion to be true.

•  Overall, 20% of those surveyed continue to blame Jews for the death of Jesus.

•  Overall, 25% of those surveyed say that their opinion of Jews is influenced by the actions taken by the State of Israel. Of those respondents whose opinions are influenced, a majority, 52%, say that their opinion of Jews is worse as a result of the actions taken by Israel.

•  Nearly half of all respondents agree with the notion that "American Jews control U.S. Middle Eastern policy;" in Spain - 53%; in Poland - 56%.

•  Overall, 51% of respondents believe that Iran's nuclear program is being developed for military purposes, with an additional 16% believing it is both a weapons program and a nuclear energy program.  Only 14% believe it is solely for nuclear energy.

Attitudes 'Legitimize Anti-Semitism'

"Millions of Europeans continue to accept a wide range of traditional anti-Semitic stereotypes and conspiracy theories, including the charge that Jews are more loyal to Israel than to their home country. These attitudes help incite and legitimize anti-Semitism, including violence against Jews, and give us great concern," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.

"We are not surprised to find that a high percentage of the respondents in Spain and Poland hold negative views of Jews.  Given each country's history of animus towards Jews, it appears that anti-Semitism is ingrained in the fabric of each society.

"Equally disturbing is the finding that nearly half of all respondents, and a majority in Spain and Poland, believe that American Jews control U.S. policy on the Middle East, and old canard that has been resurrected in mainstream America and bolsters existing European attitudes.

"The findings of this survey demonstrate that individual governments and the EU, who have condemned anti-Semitism and sought ways to counteract it, need to find methods and implement programs that will break down the old stereotypes that die hard, and take leadership to make anti-Semitism unacceptable in their societies."

Country by Country Findings

In responding "probably true" to the statement, "Jews are more loyal to Israel than their own country," the 2007 survey found: (view graph)

§  France – 39%, up from 29% in 2005

§  Germany – 51%, down from 55%

§  Italy – 48%, down from 57%

§  Spain - 60%, up from 51%

§  Poland – 59%, up from 52%

In responding "probably true" to the statement, "Jews have too much power in the business world," the 2007 survey found: (view graph)

§  France – 28%, up from 25% in 2005

§  Germany – 21%, up from 20%

§  Italy – 42%, up from 33%

§  Spain – 53%, up from 45% 

§  Poland – 49%, up from 43%

In responding "probably true" to the statement "Jews have too much power in international financial markets," the 2007 survey found: (view graph)

§  France – 28%, up from 24% in 2005

§  Germany – 25%, up from 24%

§  Italy – 42%, up from 32%

§  Spain – 68%, up from 54% 

§  Poland – 54%, up from 43%   

In responding "probably true" to the statement "Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust," the 2007 survey found: (view graph)

§  France – 40%, up from 34% in 2005

§  Germany – 45%, down from 48%

§  Italy – 46%, down from 49%

§  Spain – 46%, no change

§  Poland – 58% up from 52%

ADL commissioned First International Resources to conduct the survey. Fielded in Europe by Taylor Nelson Sofres, the telephone interviews were conducted in the native language of each of the countries, among the general population. The margin of error for each country is +/-4 percent at 95% level of confidence.
 

The foregoing was provided by the Anti-Defamation League.
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Letter from Jerusalem

JERUSALEM—I responded to a note from Khalid that employed his usual collection of accusations about Israeli Nazis, Holocaust, genocide and other cruelties imposed on innocent Palestinians. I sent my reply to all the people who received his message, and thereby met some new friends.

The context is increasing chaos in Palestinian. The nth cease fire between Fatah and Hamas is in smoke. Deaths of fighters and others in Gaza have reached the level of 10-15 per day. It is small change compared to Baghdad, but a step up toward the big leagues. Hamas is blaming Israel for Fatah deaths, which Fatah is not buying. Somebody wounded an official Egyptian emissary on his way to a meeting called to arrange yet another cease fire.

Hamas is increasing the rain of rockets on Sderot. Thirty of its residents were hospitalized yesterday, two of them in serious condition. The assessment here is that Palestinians want to provoke an Israeli response that might bring them to stop killing one another. Israel's government pondered a range of options from a massive invasion to letting the Palestinians kill one another while the IDF demonstrates restraint. Restraint will play well outside of Israel, but not in Sderot. Chances are for something somewhere between the extremes.

Khalid is a resident of Hebron who studied in Oklahoma, then ran afoul of Israeli security and does not, or cannot leave his home town; Chris, is an American who mentions a background in the Peace Corp and more recently Iraq; Mary is an Israeli peace activist; Ahmed is an Arab from somewhere outside of Palestine; Joachim claims time spent in Israel and refers to Hebrew and Yiddish literature.

Khalid cannot resist the analogies of Israeli Holocaust and genocide, despite notes from me (and Mary) that he is infuriating many of the people he needs to convince. He predicts the imminent capture of Israeli government by Gush Emunim and other settler extremists, and then the onset of a Holocaust. Being confined to Hebron may shape his thinking. A high incidence of the Israelis he encounters or hears about are as far off the center as he is. I have tried, without success, to convince him that the settlers have no better chance than Mary of governing Israel.

Mary circulates among the Israeli left, perhaps further away than Meretz and its supporters, as well as among Israeli Arabs and Palestinians. She is hopeful of the proper values spreading further until they turn the Israel establishment. She is the most outspoken about my own isolation among people who think like I do. Either she does not know what prevails in a university faculty of social science, or that is not far enough to the left for her. We remain worlds apart. She recoils at Khalid's accusations about Israeli Nazis, but does not concede that Israelis who describe themselves as anarchists also limit their influence. As I understand political history, that label lost its appeal more than one hundred years ago.

Ahmed signs on to the conventional Arab view of who is responsible. He shows signs of recognizing other perspectives, but most of my notes come back on account of a problem with his address.

Chris sees an Israeli collapse due to our violation of all that is legal and decent. When pressed to compare recent Israeli and Palestinian accomplishments (who is collapsing?) he says that it may not be immediate, but sees an outer limit of three years. 

Joachim argues that Jewish involvement in efforts to help the people of Dafur are nothing more than efforts to masks the abominations that we are visiting on the Palestinians. He has some nasty things to say about Russian and Zionist Ashkenazim, as well as classical Hebrew texts that express Jewish affinity for the Promised Land. He is more impressed by segments of the Quran that tell him it belongs to the Palestinians.

This correspondence is instructive as well as annoying. I may be old and stubborn, but I continue to value my education, experiences, and judgment. Arrogance or self-respect? You judge. I remain convinced that my reality is real.

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Some deaf infants may regain hearing
without need for surgery, researcher says
 

HAIFA, Israel (Publicity release)—Clinical research conducted in the Department of Communication Disorders at the University of Haifa revealed that some children who are born deaf "recover" from their deafness and do not require surgical intervention. To date, most babies who are born deaf are referred for a cochlear implant.

"Many parents will say to me: 'My child hears; if I call him, he responds.' Nobody listens to them because diagnostic medical equipment did not register any hearing. It seems that these parents are smarter than our equipment," said Prof. Joseph Attias, a neurophysiologist and audiologist in the Department of Communication Disorders at the University of Haifa, who made the discovery.

There are two causes of congenital deafness among children. One is the lack of hair cells, receptors in the inner ear that convert sounds into pulse signals that activate the auditory nerve. The second cause is a malfunction of the nerves.  A child may be born with what appears to be a normal inner ear, but the hair cells do not "communicate" with the auditory nerves and the child cannot hear.

To date, doctors have recommended the same treatment for all children born deaf. Once a child has been diagnosed as deaf, doctors recommend a cochlear implant, a surgically- implanted electronic device that bypasses the hair cells and directly stimulates the auditory nerve. Attias stresses that a cochlear implant is an excellent treatment for children with congenital deafness whose hearing does not improve over time. However, it appears that some children are born with "temporary deafness" – a condition previously unidentified.

This discovery, like other revolutionary discoveries, was made by chance. A child who was born with malfunctioning hair cells and was scheduled for a cochlear implant was referred to Attias for a pre-surgical evaluation. The evaluation found that the child's brain and auditory nerves exhibited beginning responses to sound stimuli. The surgery was postponed. Follow-up visits showed increasing function of the hair cells and eventually the child reached a state of normal hearing.

Attias, who is part of a cochlear implant team at Schneider Children's Medical Center, looked in the department archives and found other, similar cases. "Because these children go through a series of tests and evaluations by different doctors, a process that often takes months, there are cases of children who were initially referred for the procedure who didn't have it done. Sometimes parents decide not to do the surgery; sometimes they do it elsewhere. I called parents and found another seven cases of children who were diagnosed as deaf, did not have the procedure done, and began to hear," said Attias.

Attias then found another five children who had been referred to him for pre-operative testing who had begun to hear. At the end of his clinical research, he identified a "window of opportunity" of 17 months during which deaf children may begin to hear.

"A child whose deafness is caused by a malfunctioning connection between hair cells and the auditory nerve should not have a cochlear implant in the first 17 months of life. Research results show the possibility that at least some of these children undergo the procedure for nothing," explained Attias.

He added that some of the children only develop partial hearing, which can be augmented with external hearing aids. Attias is now researching "temporary deafness" among young children, looking to find a way to identify those who
will recover and those who will not.

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Jews in the News          
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 Like you, we're pleased when members of our community are praiseworthy, and are disappointed when they are blameworthy. Whether it's good news or bad news, we'll try to keep track of what's being said in general media about our fellow Jews. Our news spotters are Dan Brin in Los Angeles, Donald H. Harrison in San Diego, and you. Wherever you are,  if you see a story of interest, please send a summary and link to us at sdheritage@cox.net.  To see a source story click on the link within the respective paragraph.
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* Is billionaire New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg thinking of financing his own run for the presidency as an independent.  U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) thinks it's a possibility.  Scott Martelle has the story in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Los Angeles County Court Commissioner Sam Bubrick is 90, but his friends of the bench and bar wouldn't let him retire, even if he wanted to.  Valerie Reitman has the story in The Los Angeles Times. 

*San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders says he really does know Aaron Feldman, notwithstanding his previous quote to the contrary to an investigative reporter for the San Diego Union-Tribune. The acknowledgment of his acquaintance with the developer of the controversial high rise building near Montgomery Field may be found in a column by Gerry Braun in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. The controversy over the building drew nine letters to the editor in the same newspaper.

*Legislation by U.S. Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) legislation to cut off funds for the Iraq War next March has won the endorsements of Senators Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barrack Obama (D-Ill.), the two leading Democratic presidential candidates.  Noam N. Levey has the story in today's Los Angeles Times. 

*Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney Tamar Galatzan appeared to have been elected to the Los Angeles City School Board in a successful challenge to incumbent Jon M. Lauritzen.  Howard Blume and Duke Hefland have the story in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Jordan's King Abdullah II that he is ready to meet with the leaders of the Arab world, but his comments were overshadowed by gun battles in which Hamas members executed eight police officers belonging to Fatah.  The Associated Press story by Ibrahim Barzak and Karin Laub is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Bernie Rappaport, chairman of Vistans for Civic Pride and Safety, is campaigning in favor of a June 5 local ballot measure that would change the status of Vista from a general law city to a charter city.  Matthew Rodriguez has the story in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Commenting on the death of Jerry Falwell, Brian Schaefer, coordinator for J-Pride, an organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Jews, said the former Moral Majority Leader's "hateful speech" had to be combated. A roundup story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.  Elsewhere, Reform Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, told the Los Angeles Times that Falwell often used religion to divide people, but he was genuine about getting people to express their religious faith. The story by Stephanie Simons is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey told a Senate committee that in 2004 Alberto Gonzales tried to get then-Attorney General John Ashcroft to sign a surveillance program authorization while he was recuperating in an intensive care room following surgery. Ashcroft refused, but Gonzales put through the authorization anyway,  Comey said. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said the incident suggests Gonzales has minimal regard for the rule of law. The Copley News Service story by Dana Wilkie is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. Meanwhile, the plan of current Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty to step down by summer's end prompted U.S. Sen. Arlen Spector (R-Penn.) to comment that under Gonzales, working for the U.S. Department of Justice is embarrassing. The Associated Press story by Lara Lakes Jordan is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Record producer Phil Spector walked out of his mansion and said, "I think I killed somebody," his chauffeur Adriano De Souza testified at Spector's trial on a charge of murdering Lana Clarkson.  Matt Krasnowski of the Copley News Service has the story in today's in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Harvey Weinstein, whose Weinstein Co. has five films to show at the Cannes Film Festival, explains why he undertakes the considerable expense of exhibiting there:  "If you got it, flaunt it," he advises.  The story by John Horn is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*White House spokesman Tony Snow said "all options are on the table" when asked if President George W. Bush would support the removal of embattled Paul Wolfowitz as president of the World Bank. The Washington Post story is  in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

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The Jewish Grapevine                                                    
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CYBER FUN—Cantor Sheldon Merel, emeritus chazan of Congregation Beth Israel, sends along this video from The History Channel detailing a landing by Israel Air Force pilot Zivi Nedivi after he lost a wing of his F-15 in a midair collision.  Talk about the right stuff! ... Hillel Mazansky, who is really good at finding this stuff, passes along an old Sid Caesar routine pantomiming a spat between a husband and wife set to the music of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony?  Can someone please tell us who the actress playing opposite him is?

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*Solomon Berman, 87, an Escondido resident who owned a hobbies and crafts store, died Saturday, May 12, leaving his wife Silvia; daughter Barbara Horn; son Barry Berman, three grandchildren and four great grandchildren.  Born April 23, 1920, in New York, he was buried at Beth David Cemetery in Elmont, N.Y. Am Israel Mortuary handled the local arrangements.

*Charles Bodzin, 84, a resident of San Diego, died Wednesday, May 9, and was buried at El Camino Memorial Park following services at Chabad of Poway. He is survived by his wife Dianne; daughter Elissa Herring; four sons: Stewart, Martin, Leon and Dr. Miles Bodzin; 15 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.  He was born October 3, 1922, in Brooklyn, N.Y.  Arrangements were handled by Am Israel Mortuary

*Sadye B. Kirman, 101, died Sunday, May 6, at her residence in Granada Hills, and was buried at the Home of Peace Cemetery in San Diego.  Born February 1, 1906 in New York, she had pursued a career in retail dry goods sales. A sister-in-law, Lillian Marcus, survives.  Arrangements were handled by Am Israel Mortuary.

*Esther L. Lassman, 84, of Chula Vista, died Wednesday, May 9, and was buried the following day at the Home of Peace Cemetery in San Diego.  Born April 9, 1923, in Cleveland, Ohio, she had a career as a teacher of weaving.  She is survived by her sister-in-law Jackie Lassman.  Arrangements were handled by Am Israel Mortuary.

*Radchila Radomyshelsky, 80, died Sunday, May 6, at her home in San Diego and was buried May 9 at El Camino Memorial Park at services officiated by Rabbi Yonah Fradkin of Chabad of San Diego. Radomyshelsky was born in Kiev, Ukraine, January 10, 1927, to Moses Lubinsky and Raziel (Gluzman) Lubinsky. Before her immigration to the United States, she had been employed by the Russian government as a pediatric nurse. She is survived by her husband, Leonid Radomyshelsky.  Arrangements were handled by Am Israel Mortuary.

*Lloyd E. Stein, 91, a former aerospace mechanical engineer who lived in retirement in Carlsbad, died Saturday, May 12.  He will be buried on Friday, May 18 at Sons of Zion Cemetery in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the same stat where he was born on April 16, 1916.  He is survived by his wife, Leone.  Am Israel Mortuary handled the local arrangements.

*Dr. George W. Weinstein, 72, a former president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology who resided in Encinitas, died Saturday, May 12, leaving a wife, Sheila; son Bruce of New York City,  daughters Elizabeth of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and Rachel of Campbell, California; a sister, Barbara, of Melbourne, Australia, and grandchildren Carlee and Sammy of Ponte Vedra Beach.  Weinstein was born January 26, 1935, in New Jersey, and eventually became so well-known in the practice of ophthalmology that he was listed both in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World. Am Israel Mortuary handled the local arrangements.

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Book on Jesus' crucifixion examines
Christian attitudes toward Jews 

Jeremy Cohen.  Christ Killers: The Jews and the Passion, From Bible to the
Big Screen. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.

Reviewed by Fred Reiss, Ed.D

WESTMINSTER, Calif.—Who killed Jesus? The debate is as old as the formal
structures of the Catholic Church. Christ Killer: The Jews and the Passion,
From the Bible to the Big Screen by Jeremy Cohen is not a whodunit, but rather
a thoughtful work that tracks the image of the Jews as Christ killers, presents
the Passion of Christ in the context of the time the New Testament Gospels
were written, and offers us an appreciation of the far-reaching effects
of the Passion story on the history of Western Civilization.

In the first of its three parts, Cohen inquires if the Gospel is history remembered,
or the co-opting and historicizing of biblical prophecy?  He clearly explains
the arguments of today’s leading scholars, and concludes that based on Gospel
inconsistencies, which imply faulty memories, the Gospels’ authors, who were
Jewish, most likely drew on Old Testament prophecies to write stories consistent
with the needs of the fledgling church. For example, did the authors of the
synoptic gospels see the sky grow dark during the crucifixion of Christ and
record it as history, or did they borrow Amos’ prophesy? “On that day, says the
Lord God: ‘I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad
daylight…. I will make it like the mourning for an only son?’” Cohen points to
several biblical allusions that link the Passion to the image of the Jew as the
murderer of God. In one example, Cohen shows how the Church compares
the binding of Isaac with the Jesus on the cross. Both are sacrifices to God; yet,
Isaac is not killed. Jesus’ sacrifice is greater. In another, he notes that the Church
compares the blood of the Passover lamb, whose blood saves the Israelites
from death with the blood of Jesus, which saves the world from sin.

Cohen also focuses attention on Melito of Sardis, the author of the poem
On the Pascha (meaning on the Easter, and by extension, on the Passover.)
Based on this poem, Cohen argues the festive Passover meal, which reenacts
the exodus from Egypt, might have been influenced by the order and content
of this poem. Jews are instructed to gather at the Passover table to retell the
events of the Exodus, the poem retells the story of Jesus’ liberation of humanity
from the bondage of sin. Among other allusions offered by Melito, the Passover
meal concludes with a special piece of matzah called the afikomen, a Greek
word that Jews translate as dessert. Melito says it derives from the Greek word
aphikomenos, meaning “he who is coming;” referring, of course, to Jesus.

In Part Two, which spans from the fourth to the mid-twentieth centuries, Cohen
traces the changing feelings of the Church toward Jews and how those feelings
translated into anti-Jewish actions. St. Augustine, repeatedly affirmed that the
Jews killed Jesus. According to Matthew, Pilate wanted to spare Jesus, but the
Jews demanded his death; thereby killing him through the “sword of the tongue.”
Furthermore, Augustine pointed out that in the New Testament account the Jews
swore that “his blood be on us and on our children.” Nonetheless, Augustine
said that the crime is mitigated because the Jews did not realize that Jesus
actually was the messiah and God.

Seven hundred years after the death of Augustine, at the dawn of the Age of
the Crusades, Christian scholars such as Anselm of Canterbury began
questioning the logic of the “blind ignorance of the Jews.” Adding to this were
the writings of Jews who converted to Christianity. From them, Christians
learned, much to their chagrin, that Judaism was not “the dead religion of
Moses,” but rather the living religion of the Talmud. Still more insidious for the
Jewish people were the Spanish and French Jews who opposed the writings of
the medieval period’s most famous Jewish scholar, Moses Maimonides. In 1232,
they extended an invitation to the Dominicans and Franciscans, asking the friars
to arbitrate the dispute.  The inter-religious ice was broken. For the first time in
church history, Christian authorities intervened in “the internal affairs of the
Jewish community.” By the late thirteenth century, the ignorant Jew had become
the willful Jew.

Beginning in the twelfth century and continuing into the twentieth century, Jews
faced accusations of ritual murder – the killing of innocent Christian children;
host desecration – the reenactment of killing Christ by stabbing the Host of the
Eucharist; and ritual cannibalism – the killing of Christians in order to use their
blood to make matzah. In the sixteenth century, Martin Luther blamed most of
the ills of contemporary society, among others, on Jews. The Holocaust, a direct
and insidious application of the Christ-killer theme, led to the Church’s
reexamination of their relationship with the non-Christian world, and Vatican II
adopted Nostra Aetate in October 1965.

Nostra Aetate altered the modern relationship between Jew and Christian. It
declares that Christianity arose from Judaism, recognizes that “despite the Jews’
failure to accept Jesus and his gospel,” God holds the Jewish people dear to Him,
calls for reciprocal respect and understanding, condemns the persecution and
hatred of any people, and renounces the teaching that the Jews “as a people
collectively bear the guilt for Jesus’ persecution.” The degree to which the
Church has succeeded in implementing Nostra Aetate is open to interpretation
and only time will tell if the Jew as Christ killer is imbedded too deeply in
the Christian conscience to eradicate by fiat.

The final part of the book focuses on the Passion story and the arts. Cohen notes
that during the Middle Ages, Christian art rarely portrayed the Jew as Christ
killer. However, hand-in-hand with the changing Christian outlook about the
Jew, which began in the twelfth century, art came to mimic those beliefs. On
stage, the Oberammergau (Germany) Passion play, which began in 1634,
demonized the Jew.  The play remained virtually untouched in its content until
the twentieth century when, in the aftermath of the Holocaust, criticism forced
changes in characterizations. Oberammergau’s Passion play is the town’s major
source of income; so revenue took precedence over religion.

Pasolini’s movie, The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, appeared in 1964.
Some critics said that the film negatively portrays Jews. In fact, one reviewer
charged that no film places responsibility for Jesus’ death on the Jews more
than this film. In contrast, Cohen did not feel that the film was overly anti-Jewish. According to the author, despite criticism from numerous Christian groups, Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) proved
especially creative. Nonetheless, he sensed that the viewer was unaware of the
conflict between Jesus and the Jews. The Gospel of John, directed by Philip
Saville, appeared in film in 2003. Cohen found this film to be “both credible and
gripping, nothing less than a tour de force.” Many consider the Gospel of John
to be the most anti-Jewish of the four Gospels; yet Cohen asserts that the film
“evidently seeks to dispel that impression on screen.” In fact, the film “tends
to deemphasize the responsibility of the Jews for the Crucifixion.”

Other Passion movies appeared during the last years of the twentieth century and
the beginning of the twenty-first, but none garnered more controversy that Mel
Gibson’s The Passion of The Christ. Both the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai
B’rith and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops jointly convened a
board of scholars and theologians “who expressed doubts and concerns over the
script.” Liberal Catholics opposed the film for not adhering to the official
position of the Church concerning the Jews, while conservative Catholics
claimed the film recaptured the “unadulterated truth of the Gospel.” It was
widely reported (and later denied) that the Pope declared, after seeing the film,
“It is as it was.” Gibson made claims for the film’s accuracy based on biblical
research. But, Cohen asserts that The Passion contains much material that is
not in the Gospels.

The book is accessible to both scholars and lay persons alike, and relates much
factual information in a well-written style. Yet it never really answers the
question “did they or didn’t they?” However, from the long view of history,
does it really matter?

Dr. Fred Reiss is a retired public and Hebrew school teacher and administrator. He is the
author of The Standard Guide to the Jewish and Civil Calendars and Public Education
in Camden, NJ: From Inception to Integration. His latest book, Ancient Secrets of Creation:
Sepher Yetzira, the Book that Started Kabbalah, Explained, will be published later this year.

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Arts in Review

 by Carol Davis
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Spotty, but promising, Josephine Tonight
at times brings Lyceum house down
 

SAN DIEGO—When Josephine Baker was growing up, she knew she didn’t want to wash the clothes of rich white people like her mother did. And she didn’t! While she did clean houses and did babysitting and against all odds, hers was truly a rags to riches story and one that deserves being told.

Lyricist/librettist Sherman Yellen, (the son of Jewish –Russian immigrants who grew up in poverty himself) and composer, the late Wally Harper put together the story of Baker’s growing up days in East St.Louis to her rise to stardom and fame as a Parisian sensation. With Yellen’s book and Harper’ music their musical biography,  Josephine Tonight, is currently being mounted on the stage of the Lyceum Space in downtown San Diego in the Repertory Theatre, through May 20. It is only the second time it has been mounted. Unfortunately it was less than ready for prime time on opening night.

By now, however, things have settled in, the pace picked up and the cast is more relaxed. That said, however, Yellen’s book still needs work. It’s spotty, gaps need filling in and some of the material could be eliminated. In short, it needs tightening and more coherency. It does however, have promise and the musical numbers are lively and true to the story.

Freda Josephine McDonald was born in 1906 to Carrie McDonald and  vaudevillian- drummer father Eddie Carson. Carson flew the coop shortly thereafter and  Carrie remarried but her new husband was always out of work. While she did other people’s laundry, young Josephine, somewhat of an anomaly for those times, was an independent woman who decided what she did, with whom she did it and when. No one could have forecast her rise to fame while she toured the United States with various acts and bands. She enjoyed some success at the Plantation Club in New York but was furious when she was not allowed in ‘white only’ restaurants. When she traveled to Paris for La Revue Nėgre it proved to be a turning point in her career.

Yellen’s story begins in the streets of St Louis with Josephine’s  mother singing an ode to dirty clothes, professing that one can tell a lot from the spots in the underwear. There we meet some of the people who will be influential in Josephine’s (Karole Foreman) early life; her mother Carrie,( Ida L. Rhem who was not ready on opening night), Big Bertha Smith (Candace Ludlow Trotter) and Frenchman John DeCarlo (Paul Colin). We learn from the outset the young Josie wants to be someone, a star; famous. She dances on the street and joins a musical comedy act that tours the black vaudeville circuit. This is where she meets up with Big Bertha who takes her under her wing. Trotter is a bigger than life character and next to Foreman, is the best thing the production has to offer. Her two show stopper numbers, “A Beautiful Friend” and “Bertha’s Blues” brought the house down. 

Under the direction of founding father and artistic director Dr. Floyd Gaffney, Common Ground Theatre (formerly Southeast Community Theatre) Josephine Tonight was  made possible by the city of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture and several other organizations. In his notes, Gaffney recalls, as a young man, seeing Baker in The Great White Way. It was her final farewell American Tour. It was only natural and right that Common Ground Theatre mount the staging of this important event in our history for more than one reason, not the least being about social equity and justice.

Josephine Tonight and Karole Foreman are a match made in heaven. Foreman is just right as the sassy singer who breathes life into a bigger than ever character and turns her into a stylish and mature woman. Support from Jason Mallery as Eddie Baker, one of Josephine’s husbands, Rhys Greene, and Chirell Warren as Mother and Father Jones, the couple whose act Josephine appears in gets some fun time in with the cakewalk, “Slap Happy Joneses”  and a daffy number, “Chicken Strut”.  Araceli Carrera choreographed.   Pianist Lionel Jasmin and drummer Joseph Young, Jr. provided the music. Next time out, a full band would give the overall feel of a big time musical.

Josephine Tonight will continue through May 20.For more information call (619) 544-1000.

See you at the theater.

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