What I Should Have Done

Me- Your honor, may I question the witness?

Judge- Well it is not, well I suppose so, but make it brief.

Ma- Thank you your honor. You said you are a rabbi in Baltimore and have been for 25 years. Is that correct?

Rabbi- Yes.

Me- Would you say that your community has over the years and still does, have a problem, with pedophiles? Child molesters.

Rabbi- A problem?

Me- Yes.

Rabbi- I wouldn't say the problem is any different then it is with other communities.

Me- Really? Where I live, we don't have that problem.

Rabbi- I don't know your community.

Me- But you would have to admit that there is a problem in your community?

Rabbi- As I said, not any different then other communities.

Me- In the 25 years you have been a rabbi in Baltimore, did you ever know a pedophile personally?

Rabbi- Personally?

Me- Yes.

Rabbi- I can't say that I have.

Me- Really? In the 25 years you've been a rabbi in a community that is, as you say no different then others when it comes to child molesters, you can honestly say you have never known one personally?

Lawyer- Objection your honor. The rabbi is not on trial.

Judge- Objection sustained.

Me- Your honor. I know the rabbi is not on trial. I am just attempting to illustrate that my granddaughter would be in harms way if she were to live in the rabbi's community. Please your honor, let the rabbi's answer be on the record.

Judge- Objection over ruled. Proceed.

Me- Thank you your honor. Rabbi, have you ever known a pedophile in the 25 years you have been a rabbi in Baltimore? I am not suggesting you are a pedophile rabbi. And I am not suggesting your friends were pedophiles. I just want to know if you ever knew the identity of one?

Rabbi- I can't say that I have.

Me- Didn't a member of your congregation make a documentary about being the victim of a pedophile when he was a student at a yeshiva?

Rabbi- Yes.

Me- And you have been a rabbi for the past 25 years, and during the time this member, excuse me, future member, was being molested in his yeshiva by a fellow rabbi of yours, and you are saying, under oath, that you were not aware that there was some kind of problem with anyone in your community?

Rabbi- There have been rumors over the years, but I was not aware who the pedophiles were.

Me- Were you ever curious? I mean, after all, this was and still is your community.

Lawyer- Objection your honor. The rabbi is being questioned as though he was on trial. This is not warranted.

Judge- Objection over ruled.

Me- Thank you your honor. Were you ever curious rabbi?

Rabbi- In our community, these issues were taken care of from within.

Me- From within? What does that mean?

Rabbi- We have always made sure that members, especially children of the community, were not in any way put in danger.

Me- How would you do that?

Rabbi- I was not a part of that process.

Me- Then how did you know?

Rabbi- I just did. In fact today, we have an organization that monitors the very problem.

Me- What problem rabbi?

Rabbi- What problem?

Me- Yes, what problem?

Rabbi- Pedophiles.

Me- Thank you. I just wanted you to say it. Tell me about this organization.

Rabbi- It teaches rabbis , as well as lay people, on how to recognize a pedophile. In fact as far as I know, we are one of the few communities that has such a plan in place. I guess you can say it is a "watch dog" type of organization.

Me- Why do you think it was so important for your community to have this "watch dog" type of organization, as you put it, in place? Do you think it's because your community has always had a monumental problem with child molesters and still does?

Rabbi- Whatever the case is, it is better to have them then not.

Me- Over the past 25 years, has anyone ever come forward to you and say that they were molested by someone they trusted, such as a rabbi?

Rabbi-  You mentioned the gentleman from my shul. He did.

Me- Let me rephrase the question. Prior to Mr. Doe, did anyone come forward and say they were molested by a rabbi in your community?

Rabbi- Not to my knowledge.

Me- What if they did? What would be the ramifications for that person?

Lawyer- Objection your honor. The question is irrelevant and hypothetical.

Judge- Objection over ruled.

Me- Thank you your honor. What would the ramifications be for that person?

Rabbi- It would be handled from within the community, as I previously stated.

Me- Within? Meaning what rabbi?

Rabbi- A beis din, a group of rabbis would listen to the testimony of the accuser and that of the accused and make a determination.

Me- Sounds kind of biased. Does it to you rabbi?

Rabbi- We take care of many issues within our community without involving others.

Me- Others? You mean non Jewish authorities?

Rabbi- Correct.

Me- What if a Jew went to non Jewish authorities and reported to them that he or she was molested by a rabbi?

Rabbi- We now encourage them to do so.

Me- Was that always the case, encouraging them to go to the non Jewish authorities?

Rabbi- No.

Me- Why?

Rabbi- It is a violation of Jewish law for one Jew to turn in another Jew to non Jewish authorities.

Me- Why?

Rabbi- Because historically, whenever that would happen, the non Jewish authorities would deal very harshly with the one that was turned over.

Me- But you said before that victims of molestation are encouraged to inform non Jewish authorities about such cases.

Rabbi-  In the case of molestation, or abuse yes.

Me- That was not always the case. You know that rabbi. What changed that?

Rabbi- Times have changed. Abuse is not tolerated in Judaism.

Me- Times have not changed Rabbi. The molesters that your community dealt from "within" got caught, and as a result you and many of your colleagues are considered as accomplices. That is the only reason why your "watch dog" organization exists. Not for the protection of the innocent, but as a deflection of the crimes committed. The molesters identities were protected by the ones the innocent trusted the most.

Rabbi- Ahem ( throat clearing)

Me- What was the status of those Jews that did turn a child molester over to non Jewish authorities before the "change"?

Rabbi- They did not have a place in the world to come.

Me- So now that times have changed, did God knock on the door of the ones that did not have a place in the world to come, and say to them, "you can come in now, the rabbis said so". Or did God know you were wrong all along?

Lawyer- Objection you honor!!!!

Judge- WOW!!!!!! Proceed. 
Me- How many synagogues are in you community?

Lawyer- Your honor, I just want to remind you that you told him to be brief, and not only that, my client has a plane to catch in a few hours.

Judge- Counsel, I don't need you to tell me what and who I reminded.

Me- Thank you your honor. Rabbi, how many synagogues are in your community?

Rabbi- I would say approximately 12 to 15.

Me- And on a typical Saturday morning, the Sabbath, what time does services start?

Rabbi- In my shul, 9:00.

Me- Would you say that is probably the time these 12 to 15 other shuls, I mean synagogues, give or take a half hour, start Sabbath, Saturday morning services?

Rabbi- Yes.

Me- What time are these services over?

Rabbi- 11:30-12:00.

Me- After services, would you tell the judge what then happens.

Rabbi- Well, we have something to eat.

Me- Your honor, after services, as the rabbi said, food is served. It is usually sponsored by some member of the synagogue in honor of a life cycle event, such as a birth, bar mitzvah, wedding, etc.....

Judge- Go on.

Me- This usually takes place not in the sanctuary, but in a separate room.

Lawyer- Your honor!

Judge- Proceed.

Me- Rabbi, would you say that people from these other 12-15 synagogues go to other shuls such as yours, after their services are over, just to say hello and wish there friends a good sabbath during this time when food is being served?

Rabbi- Yes

Me- And would you say that these 12 to 15 other shuls also serve food, lets call it lunch, as well. Some more elaborate then others?

Rabbi-Yes.

Me- And would you say the rooms where lunch is being served, in your shul and the other ones as well, is more crowded then the sanctuary where the services were held ?

Rabbi- I don't understand your question.

Me- Well, in the sanctuary, typically, you honor, rabbi, as you know, there are mostly men. Would you agree with that rabbi?

Rabbi- Yes.

Me- And so after services, your Honor, the wives and the children, typically will meet their husbands. So the room where lunch is being served, well lets just say, it can get noisy, crowded, all in a good way. Would you agree with that rabbi?

Rabbi- Yes.

Me- Rabbi, do you know everyone who walks into your shul when lunch is being served?

Rabbi- Most people I recognize.

Me- Does that mean everyone?

Rabbi- No, not everyone, but most people.

Me- Did anyone ever walk into your shul, for lunch, that roused any suspicion on your part?

Rabbi- Suspicion? I really can't say.

Me- Would you say that if a pedophile walked in, considering the noise and crowd, he or she would be able to touch an innocent child in an inappropriate way?

Rabbi- My community, as I stated earlier, watches for this problem.

Me- So you think it's impossible for that to happen?

Rabbi- Impossible? No. Highly unlikely though.

Me- But possible?

Rabbi- Highly unlikely, but possible.

Me- I was just wondering. What is the fate of those who knew the identity of a pedophile and never turned them in. Do they go straight to hell?

Lawyer- Objection your honor!!!!

Judge- Objection over...., objection sustained.

Me- Thank you. No more further questions you Honor.


The above questioning, unfortunately, never took place. Perhaps if it did, the outcome would have been different.

What A Week

This past week, marked the 40th year since Roe V. Wade, which was a legal case decided in 1973 by The US Supreme Court, that held unduly restrictive state regulation of abortion, to be unconstitutional. I have clearly made my case on this issue in previous blogs, (read, On My Mind & Thinking Out Loud) and my passion for that position, just increases, with the passage of time.

I'm reminded of a story told to me once about a man who was very pro abortion. Just for the record though, as far as I'm concerned, there really is no such thing as pro choice. The term pro choice to me, is an euphemism for something much more sinister. In any case, this man was not only a strong proponent for abortion, he also endorsed any and all legislative attempts to enact it into law.

One day, he found out that his daughter had an abortion. He never knew that she was ever pregnant. Never again, I was told, did this man mention the word abortion. And when he died, he never had the privilege of being someones grandpa.

President Ronald Reagan once said that, "I've noticed that everybody that is for abortion, has already been born". And whomever Grace McGarvie is, she said, "republicans are against abortion until their daughters need one", (I'm not 100% sure about that) "and democrats are for abortion, (that I am sure of) until their daughter wants one".

And then there's Hillary "what difference does it make" Clinton. All the difference in the world Mrs. Clinton, all the difference in the world. And by the way Mrs. Clinton, the democrat party will do the same thing to you in 2016 that they did in 2012, when they went with the young black guy and threw you under the bus, and played the race card on Bill.

Back in the 1960's, maybe early 70's, there was a TV show called The Lloyd Thaxton Show. If I remember correctly, it was a zany take off of Dick Clarks, American Bandstand. In any case, Thaxton used to  lip sync to a song on every show, and do it with humor. At the time, Eddie Fisher had a big hit with the song, "With These Hands". Thaxton came out with these huge floppy hands, and with all seriousness, lip synced (is that a word) to the song. My brother and I watched it together, and never forgot how much it made us laugh.

This of course brings me to Beyonce's lip sync of our National Anthem at the inauguration of the next phase of the regime. (see my blog If Only Romney Won) First of all, to lip sync is sometimes obvious, as in the case of Lloyd Thaxton, and at other times, it can be meant to deceive. Enough said.

All I know is, that the likes of an Ella Fitzgerald or Margaet Whiting, (go to Pandora and introduce yourself to Mrs.Whiting)) would never, ever do such a thing. Singers back then were so much more experienced performing live.

I never got into the Lance Armstrong bike thing. I know some great people that have though. In any case, I always thought that bike riding was something one did to get from one place to another. I also understand it is a sport, and a very competitive one at that. But there is something elitist about it, as opposed to running. Me, I have run with the Nike Pegasus shoe, (it really is a sneaker) for many years. The most I have paid for it was $79.00. The rest of my attire is something from the late 80's to mid 90's.

Bikes probably go for $1200.00, the outfit, with proper shoes, I don't know, $300.00?  When I'm out there running, and I see a bike or two coming toward me, I just feel as though I should just stop, move to the side, salute and then bow.

New York senior Senator Chuck "U" Schumer, (that's what Rush Limbaugh appropriately calls him), said he met with Obama choice for Defense Secretary, former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel. Schumer met with Hagel, seemingly, to clarify some statements Hagel has made about Israel, Hamas, Iran etc..... Schumer came out the meeting, "convinced", that Hagel no longer detests Israel. Really? All that proves is one thing, and one thing only, and that is, that Schumer, et al, are liberals first, before they are anything else.

Other then the regimes leader, where else do flies hover around?

My 17 year old son Zach showed me something on his cell phone, that convinced me that some of the things I say are getting through to him. He pulled up something on the internet that showed how historically tyrants, in order to gain control, take the guns away from the citizen. He gets it, because he's a patriot.

The Last Word

This past August,  I wrote my first blog, entitled, "Dear Orthodox Judaism". I followed it up in September with another personal shot at orthodox Judaism, this time, by adding the roman numeral 11, to indicate that I had more to say. That blogs title is, "In Case You Were Wondering 11". I make mention of the latter and former, only as a frame of reference. In those two piece's, I indicate how at first I became enamored with orthodox Judaism's entire life style, and then ultimately, with the rearing of its ugly heads, namely their rabbis, I became so disappointed, disgusted,..... you name it, and I became it.

Just for the record, if you are an orthodox rabbi, my personal feelings and experiences may or may not include you. If it does include and offend you, I really don't care. I just want you to know, that I am completely done with you. Any organization, and that is all you really are, that can persuade someone , to keep grandchildren away from their grandparents, is sick in the head. And that is precisely what you have done.

So effective immediately, you are all fired.

Keep Politics Out Of It

No words can describe what happened on Friday in Newtown. Sometimes, in fact, it's better that no words be spoken at all. Trying to find a segue into what I want to convey though, is proving to be difficult. So here goes. The left will do everything in their power to lay the blame on conservatives. They have already started with their reference to the second amendment, and how gun control needs to be enforced.... All this already, as nearly thirty people, most of them children, are dead.

On Friday, nearly everything that the media reported was incorrect, which leads me to believe that right from the start, it was their liberal anti second amendment agenda that was making them almost giddy. When it came to reporting on Benghazi, that same media refused to report much, if anything, citing that they did not have all the facts.

Schools are gun free zones. Everyone in such a zone is helpless. The one with the weapons knows this. Mass shootings usually occur where guns are banned, in places such as schools and movie theaters. Going foward, someone at the schools or movie theaters, etc., needs to be trained on how to use fire arms.

Here is where it gets tricky for me. I did not vote for Barack Obama because I don't trust, or believe in Barack Obama. So when he spoke on Friday, and became emotional, I'm sorry, but I could just gag. Here is a man who said that, "these children had their entire life ahead of them". (no truer words could have been said), but Barack Obama is a proponent of not only abortion on demand, but infanticide as well. Didn't those children have their entire life ahead of them too?

From Bob Costas to Geraldo Rivera, please do not think your voice is what's needed now. Your observation's are no more poignant then anyone else's. What the people want are the facts about the murderer, not some political message. Other then that, we are helpless, unless we do away with gun free zones.

Maybe Another Time

Something has passed me by, and there is nothing I could do, to get it back. Neither can you. It's called timing. "Timing is every thing kid", a great philosopher and garment center salesman once told me. "You either got it, or you don't". This great piece of wisdom was handed down to me in the show room, of some dress manufacturer in New York's garment center, sometime in the 1970's. Both of us had an appointment with the same designer, at the same time and we were competitors. Each of us sold printed interlock fabric for missy size dresses and blouses. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's okay. 

I have been thinking about the above (timing) for a few years now. It started when I was reading The Boys of Summer, by Roger Kahn. Kahn takes you back to the Brooklyn Dodger days, right around the time when Jackie Robinson broke what is referred to as, "the color line," in major league baseball. That year was 1947. What made the book so fascinating for me, was that Kahn tracked down the players who played alongside Robinson, well after they had retired. He did this in order to hear from them first hand, what is was like to be a Brooklyn Dodger,  not only in 1947, but for the next ten years as well.

One of the things I got from the book then, which still resonates with me, is that I think I may have been  born too soon. When the Dodgers left Brooklyn, the year was 1958. I was seven years old then. I have absolutely no recollection of ever seeing the Dodgers play. I do, however, remember seeing Ebbets Field from a distance, when my father would take me to Prospect Park. We would walk the few extra blocks from the subway station, in order to catch a glimpse of the "old ballpark", as my father would call it, before it was leveled. Today, of course, there is an apartment building on the very site where Ebbets Field once stood.

The Boys of Summer has such a wide variety of anecdotes . One of them was so powerful. It involved right fielder Carl Furello. When Kahn tracked  Furello down, he was working on the construction site of the World Trade Center. Kahn, in his description of the grounds at this early stage of construction, said it looked like an "aerial bombardment" leveled the place.

A few years ago, the documentary, "The Ghosts of Flatbush", emphasized the relationship that existed between the Brooklyn ball club, and their fans. That relationship was very intense. So when the Dodgers left after the 1957 season, it was as painful for a sports fan as it gets. Having read quite a number of books about the Dodgers over the years, and having seen not only The Ghosts of Flatbush twice, but other Dodger footage as well, I knew in my heart, I would have been a Brooklyn Dodger fan.

So here I am, living in Atlanta for 22 years, still a Jet, Met, Knick & Ranger fan, and holding on for dear life. And what does Brooklyn now have? The Brooklyn Nets! Don't misunderstand me. Even if I still lived in Brooklyn, I would never, ever be a fan of the Nets. Unless it benefited your team in the standings, no self respecting Yankee fan would ever root for the Mets, as would no Jet fan root for the Giants, Ranger fan for the Islanders, and of course, no Knick fan would ever root for the Nets.

One of the more fascinating outcomes of all this, is where the Brooklyn Nets actually call home. It is named The Barclays Center, and it is located on the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Atlantic Avenue. Walter O' Malley, the owner of the Dodgers in the 40's and 50's, actually wanted to stay in Brooklyn. Robert Moses, who at the time was the most powerful man in New York, offered O' Malley a piece of land in Flushing, Queens instead, (which eventually became the site for Shea Stadium). O' Malley wanted the land on the exact same site where the Nets now call home, citing the many public transportation options available that would get the fans there. He even wanted a dome stadium built at the time. O' Malley certainly angered many people by leaving Brooklyn, but Moses apparently left him little or no choice. To say that O' Malley was a visionary though, is an understatement.

Well, as history played itself out, the Dodgers, and the Giants also, left New York in 1958, and moved to California. Where would all this leave me now if I was born sooner in order to experience the Brooklyn Dodgers? Either in a nursing home, or on the other side.

Delusions of the Day 111

I just read some articles on the New York Post web site. That paper is really remarkable, always has been. This is what I read about. A transvestite and a fireman are in court, a sleazeball Satmar who obviously doesn't get enough nooky at home, the Knicks beat the Heat by 20 points, ( I watched it last night), and Bill O' Reilly, opining on the difference between Sean Connery and Daniel Craig as James Bond.

O'Reilly, being the traditionalist that he is, of course went with Sean Connery, an observation I completely agree with. I myself have not seen Skyfall, which is the most recent Bond film. In any event, O' Reilly makes the case that Craig is much too serious, (something I have always said) while Connery is anything but.

Connery smoked, drank, gambled and "womanized". I love that word. Craig, on the other hand, rarely smiles, doesn't seem to be having fun, and from what I remember from one of his Bond films that I actually did see, he just doesn't have that "twinkle" in his eye, that Connery had. Sean Connery played Bond as though he knew that you knew, that this was just a movie. Craig, on the other hand, gave me the impression that he believes that he, really is James Bond.

Today is December 7th. Seventy one years ago, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Come on rabbis. Say something about it tomorrow from the pulpit.

I was just wondering if the Syrians have the WMD's that Saddam Hussein was suspected of having.

I have decided not to discuss or debate Israel with anyone who cannot answer the following questions. What happened in 1947 at the UN, what followed in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973? If they cannot answer any of these questions, there really is no reason to proceed.

Delusions of the Day 11

Jets coach Rex Ryan announced that Mark Sanchez will start this Sunday. That is delusional.

Bob Costas seems like a nice guy, but I need his opinion, like I am glad that Mark Sanchez is starting this Sunday.

Jason Whitlock, whose article seemed to inspire Costas comments, wrote that the NRA is the new KKK. Really Mr. Whitlock? Did the NRA abort 14 million black babies since the 1970's?  No! Planned Parenthood, which is an organization you most likely support, has.

Now that the Palestinians have the same status at the UN as the Vatican, maybe they can meet for lunch and discuss what's in Israel's best interests.

The Czech Republic, (who along with Canada and The United States of America, voted against the Palestinians UN bid), was the sole country to buck a world wide arms embargo against Israel in 1948, and supplied Israel with much needed planes during The War of Independence.

Seinfeld, by just 2% points, beat out The Honeymooners as the greatest sitcom ever. That only proves that The Honeymooners is the big winner here. Why? Because it had a very short run, it is in black and white, and most people under the age of thirty (I think), probably never saw it. It was that funny.

Does every NBA team have a personal tattoo artist? For some reason, I can't imagine Red Auerbach agreeing to that.

I am living in Atlanta for 22 years, but I'm still a Jets and Mets fan. I know what you're thinking, "loser". You might be right about that. I will admit, however, and I have tried to explain this to my friends in New York,  that the front office of both the Falcons and the Braves, are far superior to those of the Mets and Jets. (same applies for the Hawks vs Knicks).

You Yankee and New York football Giants fans, keep out it.

I understand Obama has consulted with Al Sharpton about tax rates. Finally, I'll get a good nights sleep.

Hillary, whatcha gonna do?

Jazz great Dave Brubeck has died. His "Take Five" is the greatest driving songs ever.