9:15 a.m. -- Jewish community leaders hold press conference to request that a federal judge agree to distribute a $1.25 billion Swiss bank settlement to support services for elderly holocaust survivors; Schick's Manor, 4901 12th Ave., Brooklyn.

Greatest articulation of the whole Passion thing comes from Dude in comments to Kraut's post.

I have always thought that this whole Passion thing was the Y2K of anti-semitism. Much ado about nothing.

Rabbi Yaakov Feldman is basically serializing a translation of one of Rabbi Yehudah Ashlag's works, what seems like the first such project for a J-book author.

So Eric J. Greenberg was recently tossed from the New York Jewish Week and Nacha Cattan delivered her two weeks' notice to the Forward. Casual observers might assume this to be simple coincidence, but insiders are murmuring about something rather more sinister: Greenberg and Cattan will serve as the right arm and leg, respectively, of a Voltron-esque super-robot, to be populated with three additional J-weekly expatriates, meant to deliver to the J-journalism world that which it has thus far failed to deliver: coverage of Holy Joe, 24/7.

I'm glad that the discussion of my Shapiro article has gone so well and remained so civil. There are a few points raised that I want to address now, and I'll raise some additional issues of my own.
In order of appearance:
1) Since when is dorm room material at Ner worthy of mention? There are all sorts of things that go around."
Since forever, the literature that has circulated in whatever circles has been of significant import. One commenter noted the spread of haskalah literature in batei midrash; one can add to that controversial content in everything from newspapers to even -- at times -- Maimonides. In the case of Shapiro's article, according to accounts from those present, the spread at Ner Israel was unique, or at least quite rare.
2) Bleich doesn't hold Parnes' position...According to Bleich one is permitted to read this stuff, you just can't believe it!
Without asserting anything on Bleich's behalf, it is most certainly the case that many Jews maintain this view...but many Jews don't. Parnes would be one, and I'm sure that if we tried we could list many, many more. It's important to note that some might make gradations of what heresy is acceptable, such that they would permit reading of, for example, a work of Shakespeare that contains Christian beliefs and something like the New Testament, or even Milton or somesuch.
3) "As usual, you do your best to create controversy and sensationalize -- while ignoring the substantive aspects of the issue."
While there's always one schmuck who leaves a comment like this, in the case of this article, I think the need for recognition of the actual controversy is compelling. In the first, of course, the book was obviously already raising controversy: it was the best-selling book at the Seforim Sale, at least one bookseller has had to return its copies owing to community complaints. In another way, I think I'm getting to the story before it becomes a larger controversy, which is to say that I think it's important for newswriters to recognize trends as they're forming and ongoing rather than to write a history of them after hundreds of thousands of people have already read about them; inasmuch, my perspective is different from, say, the New York Times, but I think I'm right.
Of course, Shapiro's book alone is only going to be controversial; it is his book combined with a number of other important elements that is going to form schisms and great waves of tumult throughout the Jewish community.
4) "I often wonder how close we are to the day when traditional Conservatism and liberal Modern Orthodoxy find enough in common to work as one group. There really is little left between them theologically; the major difference is in the observance level of the laypeople."
And between certain communities, that difference in observance level is largely absent. However, it's important to note that Yeshiva University still claims -- and will claim for at least a little while more -- to be the beacon for Modern Orthodox action and inquiry.
As well, the gap between "traditional Conservatism" and "Conservatism," is quite large, as well. In the original version of the article, I had quotes from Rabbi David Halivni-Weiss, who broke away from the Jewish Theological Seminary and the Conservative movement to form a more conservative Union for Traditional Judaism, an institution and community that has largely assimilated into the Orthodox on the Right and Conservative on the Left. Halivni-Weiss asserted in the interview that UTJ has largely ceased to exist and that, as well, he doesn't think he's really considered Conservative anymore -- owing almost entirely to the Conservative movement's continual shift. He also spoke of Modern Orthodoxy as theologically inept.
But theology is a quirky thing. Just because someone's on the leftward spectrum of Orthodoxy doesn't mean one is less loyal to a very literal reading of Maimonides' Thirteen Principles; opposingly, those on the rightward spectrum are often not literalists. The divide here is less straightforward than scattershot.
4) "I would need to read the book myself, but in the article you have chosen the weakest example of refutation of Rambam.
Virtually all Orthodox (even right-wing) know and understand that the Gemara asserts that the last few verses of the Torah might have been written by Yehoshua. It is not the "Exclusively Mosaic" authorship that is meant by Rambams principle (the simplest way that we know this is because we are pretty sure that the Rambam himself knew the Gemara). Thus there are many understandings of this principle, but virtually none understand them to mean that if you believe that Yehoshua wrote the last few verses that you are a heretic."
Using the eigth principle -- that of Mosaic authorship -- was a conscious choice on my part. With all due respect to Dude, I speak with a great variety of sources in the rabbinic, academic, and communal worlds on a regular basis for all of my stories (only a small portion are ever explicitly mentioned in an article), and think that I have a greater grasp of what a varied array of religious thinkers assumes. And I have found that many contemporary Orthodox thinkers do not assume that the last eight verses of the Torah were authored by Joshua. In fact, I have heard a fair number refer to Ibn Ezra's comments regarding the concluding verses as not really meant to indicate that Joshua authored them. That they not only maintain that the verses are not authored by Joshua, but even disagree that certain traditional commentators thought them to be so, indicates not just a belief in complete Mosaic authorship, but a very deep-seated one. Moreso, other differences among versions of the Torah, and the idea that different versions could have existed at the same time (such as durign Maimonides' life), are explicitly and vehemently rejected.
After conducting my research, I found that the Eighth Principle was the best candidate for discussion in the article.
5) "It definitely means that Modern Orthodoxy, or a part of it, is heading in the same direction Conservative and Reform headed in: Repudiate the small stuff, then move on to bigger things to discard."
As Shapiro makes quite clear in his introduction, for contemporary Orthodoxy, Maimonides' Thirteen Principles are most certainly not, "The small stuff."
6) "Was Rav Saadya Gaon a heretic for only having three ikkarim, and not the thirteen of the Rambam?"
While the practice of denying certain of Maimonides' principles as ikarim, or absolute fundamentals for Jewish faith, while maintaining them as beliefs is discussed at length in Shapiro's book, the more relevant sources are those which deny the validity of Maimonides' principles outright.
7) "R. Bleich is only claiming that the doctrine of normativity applies not just wrt to halachic issues but to issues of belief also. As I recall, he bases this on the chasam sofer. The point he is making is that ONCE a belief becomes normative, it becomes binding."
This seems a fair summary of Bleich's opinion.
8) "As to the discussion above about he Ikkar that the entire Torah was written by Moshe: the thirteen Ikkarim as found in siddurim after shacharis are simply summaries (not written by Rambam) of the Ikkarim sent forth by the Rambam in hakdama to perek chelek. If anyone would bother to read the Rambam's actual description of the Ikkar, they would see that Moshe receiving the entire torah is a side point there mentioned in half a sentence, and it's not even clear from the source that the Rambam is saying there that Moshe received the entire Torah, his emphasis is more on the fact that the entire Torah is divine."
The degree to which Maimonides agreed with contemporary readings of his principles is obviously relevant to this discussion. However, all parties would likely agree that it's a fair amount more productive to deal with the views of other traditional figures throughout time than to open the can of worms that reading Maimonides -- and all its esotericism or non-esotericism -- brings to the table.
9) "The Ralbag did not deny any of the Ikkarim. Shapiro is mistaken on that issue."
I think this topic was raised in the comments by someone claiming that Bleich, not Shapiro, would have considered Gersonides a heretic today. However, since the topic was raised, here is a (partial) summary of what Shapiro has to say about Gersonides: He denies creation ex nihilo; He believes that a prophet similar to Moses will arise outside of the Jewish nation; He assumed Ibn Ezra did not believe in the fullest potential for God's omniscience; Gersonides opposes Maimonides' Tenth Principle, and "develops the distinction between God's knowledge of the universal and the particular"; Gersonides agreed with Maimonides that "intellect is the source of immortality," (Shapiro's words) something that Shapiro takes to be in contravention to contemporary perspectives of reward and punishment as declared in the Eleventh Principle.
10) I noted in my report of Shapiro's speech that during q&a, Shapiro denied that philosophy needs to be subject to halachic scrutiny. This view is fatal to the argument presented in Shapiro's book. Once philosophy is permitted to operate in an extra-halachic fashion, it doesn't matter much what Maimonides or anyone else thought and "heresy" becomes a label without much meaning or practical implications; inasmuch, all of the research documented in Shapiro's book becomes worthwhile only as a matter of recording intellectual history, and not in any fashion for protesting contemporary Orthodox perspectives that do assert an halachic boundary for philosophy.
Shapiro can't have it both ways: either one abandons the idea of participating in an halachic debate, or one doesn't. If one does abandon the idea, one can allow people like Menachem Kellner to fight one's fight over the separation of philosophy and halacha. If one doesn't, one must acknowledge that the theologies maintained throughout Jewish history were part and parcel of the halachic process, and any arguments brought to bear today are part of that.
Of course, Shapiro's perspective on his book doesn't matter at all. Once a book is released, people are free to use it for whatever they choose. My assumption is that most people won't deny that it is relevant to the halachic process.

So I'm sure there's a place in blogger Hell for citing a Times article as though it were NEWS or anything, but this one has particular resonance with me, just two days post my anatomy course. In light of the whole UCLA cadaver scandal and an article in this month's Harper's, today's Times has an piece on donations of cadavers for medical study.
The stories reported in these forums are troubling, but I'm focusing on a specific quote, which I think has relevance to the Einstein anatomy program:

"Sidney Liroff, who died two years ago this month, willed his body to U.C.L.A. as a gift to science. His widow, Selma, 81, said that she had planned to follow him, even though they are both Jewish and, according to custom, must be buried intact within 24 hours of death.
"We just wanted quietly to do a good thing," Mrs. Liroff said in an interview this week. "We are kept alive by science. Research is a good thing. That's why we did it."
But having learned of the scandal at U.C.L.A., she said, she has no idea what happened to her husband, and she is devastated. "It's ghoulish," she said, her voice hoarse and crackling. "Imagine the pictures that come up in my mind."
Mrs. Liroff said she had been promised that her husband would be returned to her after research was completed. She wanted to scatter his ashes in a rose garden. But when she called the university she was told by a technician that her wishes could not be accommodated.
"We were married for 57 years," she said. "I just wanted him back.""

Re: The Passion & anti-semitism
I apologize at the outset if I am repeating anything that has already been noted. I haven’t had the opportunity to go through all relevant posts in detail. (Also, if anything here seems like it should be italicized, pretend that it is. I didn't have the patience to re-italicize things when I posted.)
First, I haven’t seen the movie, and I don’t intend to pay money to do so. Not for any ideological reasons. I’m just not interested enough to pay money to see it. Kinda like most other movies. But I digress. As I hope will be evident from the thrust of my analysis, not viewing the movie may actually be a key ingredient in commenting intelligently about its anti-Semitism or lack thereof.
Alright, next. For our purposes, there are two kinds of anti-Semitic content: a) inherent anti-Semitism and b) effective anti-Semitism. [Harvard President Lawrence Summers made a similar (though not identical) distinction in his discussion of the attempted divestment campaign. However, I’m going somewhere else with this.] The important thing to realize is that each type of anti-Semitism can exist independent of the other. Instead of formulating precise definitions of these concepts, which would be a difficult task and would doubtless inspire (mostly trivial) objections, I’m just going to provide general ideas and specific examples that should clarify the gist of what I’m saying.
Let’s go in reverse alphabetical order and talk first about (b) effective anti-Semitism (or “anti-Semitism in effect”). Basically, “effective anti-Semitism” is an action/speech/activity that will almost certainly result in the undeserved bodily harm of, or the undeserved threat of bodily harm to, Jews. There need not be anything inherently negative about the action/speech/activity being committed, and it is entirely irrelevant whether the person committing the act intends his action to have such an effect. As I’ll try to make clear, with this kind of anti-Semitism, only context matters.
Let’s take the following example: Bill, a Christian, places a yellow star upon the lapel of Aaron, a Jew, who is walking down the street. Is Bill’s action effective anti-Semitism? Well, that depends. If the action occurs in Warsaw in the early 1940s, the action is (barring some weird scenario) indisputably anti-Semitic in effect. The marking of Aaron as a Jew, in this context, will almost certainly lead to the undeserved bodily harm of (or to the undeserved threat of bodily harm to) Aaron. Now, Bill may in fact love Jews. He may sincerely be acting because he believes that a fashionable yellow star really completes Aaron’s outfit. Nevertheless, since Bill’s action will almost certainly cause the aforementioned un-pleasantries, it is anti-Semitic in effect, regardless of Bill’s intent.
However, if the activity described above occurs on Fifth Avenue in New York in 1998, at the Israel Day Parade, it cannot be effective anti-Semitism. In fact, in this scenario, the context robs the activity even of the possibility of effective anti-Semitism. Indeed, Bill may in fact be a rabid Jew-hater. He may have delivered the keynote address at the KKK annual dinner. Still, since in this situation his action will almost certainly not result in harm to Aaron, Bill cannot be honestly charged with effective anti-Semitism.
Why is this relevant to The Passion? Because of one important fact that seems to have been muddied in some of the, alas, copious punditry on this topic: the filming and release of the Passion cannot, in any way (at least presently), be fairly considered as effectively anti-Semitic. There has yet to be a single documented case in which the viewing of the movie has caused bodily harm or even the threat of bodily harm to a Jew or Jews. Moreover, Gibson and whoever else was involved in making the movie were entitled to the reasonable expectation that the movie would not foment danger for the Jewish community. I’ve read more times than I can remember, in condemnations of the movie, that the movie is exactly like the “Passion Plays” that were performed in medieval Europe, which often featured pogroms as an encore. Well, whoop-de-damn-do. Guess what? WE DON’T LIVE IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE. The innuendo of guilt-by-association that is implicit in this comparison is nothing more than, well, innuendo.
If, in the example we are working with, someone were to comment that the affixation of the yellow star upon Aaron at the Israel Day Parade is effectively anti-Semitic because it is exactly like the fixing of a yellow star upon a Jew in Warsaw in the early 1940s, the appropriate response would be, “No, you idiot. They are not the same because Bill does not live in Warsaw in the 1940s.” The same logic, with one qualification that I will address presently, applies to the Gibson movie. No matter how hard one tries to link Gibson’s Passion to the horrors engendered by performances of the same genre centuries ago, the attempt must fail because the contexts are entirely different and cannot be otherwise.
Now, there are two points within this line of reasoning that need to be aired. 1) We can push our point about effective anti-Semitism one step farther. It is theoretically possible that Mel Gibson, deep within, actually hopes that the response to his movie will be the same as were the responses to the medieval passion plays. Perhaps Gibson wants Christians in the United States to start slaughtering innocent Jews. But even if he does, since the prospect of this happening is virtually nil – and the average person would expect it to be nil – the movie still wouldn’t qualify as effectively anti-Semitic. In other words, even if Gibson were to want the movie to be effectively anti-Semitic, that would not make it effectively anti-Semitic. [I should stress that to charge Gibson with this view without proof, and I certainly don’t have any, would be disgusting; I raise the possibility simply to illustrate a point].
2) There is a sense in which one could make a valid comparison between Gibson’s Passion and medieval passion plays. One could make the claim that, in copying an action that in previous eras had resulted in effective anti-Semitism, it is clear that the copier intends the activity to be anti-Semitic. There are three things to realize about such an argument: a) It does not deal with effective anti-Semitism but inherent anti-Semitism, which will be discussed later. b) It does not seem to be the argument being made by those who condemn Gibson’s movie on the basis of comparisons to passion plays. And if it is, the arguers do not make this clear, preferring instead to rely on their very invocation of the comparison to make their point. c) It is wrong in any case.
But this last point really takes us adrift into the world of inherent anti-Semitism. Which I will gladly lead you into. Another time. Soon, I hope.
Also, a belated happy birthday to Rebecca Moses.

7 p.m. -- The Orthodox Church in American hosts visit by the Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God; Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral, 59 East 2nd St., Manhattan.
--Note: In July, the icon will be returned to the monastery in Tikhvin, Russia, after a 55-year sojourn in the U.S.

Some great Jesus mods over at Fark. Some of my favorites are the Fear and Loathing image, the Jaws parody, Dude, Where's My Cross?, and Terminator.
Some probably borders on offensive to our religious Christian readers, but Jesus holding a boombox for Ione Skye...that's precious.
(Thanks, Josh)

The Public Editor is on the case! I just received an e-mail from Daniel Okrent's assistant asking for clarification on some facts, which I guess means that the matter of Rabbi Adam Mintz's correction may receive the attention it's due.

Author Challenges Rambam's Principles, my Shapiro story for the Forward.

Other slogans suggested:
1) Leo Strauss Approved!
2) Because the Elders make the calls!
3) Wolfowitz Rules!
(GeorgeWBush.com via Wonkette)

Huh?

11:30 a.m. -- Clergy with the gay and lesbian synagogue, Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, and their supporters pledge to continue to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies

So both Chaim Berger of New Square and Abu Abbas have died in US custody.
Y'know, there aren't any pictures of the two of them in the same place at the same time.

Doubleheader! We report, you decide who's got more credibility:

7:15 p.m. -- The Anti-Defamation League hosts panel discussion on Mel Gibson's ``The Passion of the Christ''; Congregation Rodeph Sholom, Eisner Auditorium, 7 W. 83rd St.
8 p.m. -- Yeshiva University Jewish historian Dr. Louis Feldman discusses the death of Jesus and Mel Gibson's ``The Passion of the Christ''; Jewish Community Center in Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Ave., at 76th Street.

Update to Elder I’s post below about Defense Undersecretary Dov Zakheim:

According to the Jerusalem Post, it seems that Mr. Zakheim is using the “spend more time with my family” excuse while cashing in big time by using the revolving door to become a partner at mega defense contractor Booz Allen.

Alessi, the Italian manufacturer, has a designer named Ron Arad.

After "The Passion," Mel Gibson may never have to work again!

Man, he better give some real fat donation to the ADL for all the work they did.

EphShap's on the ball again, catching the resignation of the Jewish Undersecretary of Defense Dov Zakheim. EphShap doesn't note that the craziest coverage comes from Al Jazeera, which insists upon referring to him as "The rabbi," throughout.
Almost precisely two years ago, a number of the Elders worked together on an exclusive story about Zakheim's withdrawing his nomination for the Yeshiva University presidency. Note that our article never once refers to Zakheim as "rabbi," with good reason. That Al Jazeera chose to latch onto this minor -- and perhaps somewhat erroneous -- characterization speaks many volumes.
Of course, this is the same news outlet whose DC Bureau Chief referred to Paul Wolfowitz as similar in influence in the Bush administration to Uday and Qusay Hussein under Saddam's regime.
Al Jazeera is blatantly anti-Semitic, but few seem to care.

EphShap notes yesterday's correction in the NYT of last week's article on circumcisions containing a controversial quote from Rabbi Adam Mintz, that wasn't truly reflective of what he said. The correction states:

An article last Wednesday about the growing trend among American Jews to celebrate the circumcision ritual of the bris outside the home or synagogue and with increasing elaborateness included a quotation from Rabbi Adam Mintz of the Lincoln Square Synagogue in Manhattan that referred imprecisely to his attitude about the timing of the rite, ordinarily carried out eight days after birth. He says that in remarking, "Sunday is the most popular day, and even among the Orthodox, people are choosing the date that's most popular," he did not intend to suggest that a bris could be postponed for the sake of holding a party at a convenient time ? but rather that if it had to be delayed on justifiable grounds, there might then be flexibility in scheduling.

I have no idea!!!!

Marc Shapiro's lecture on "Maimonides: Between Reason and Revelation"
Shapiro starts by noting the influential nature of Maimonides, at a length and specificity that doesn't need to be relayed here. He then goes on to declare that Maimonides has been interpreted differently over the years.
In the handout accompanying the lecture, he references a title page to the Mishnah Torah printed in Amsterdam in 1700; the titlepage has an illustration that includes Moses on the left (with horns) and Maimonides on the right, with two less-than-fully-dressed women above them. This doesn't do much to illustrate his point regarding differing interpretations of Maimonides, though it does illustrate the reality that different communities with different perspectives approached Maimonides' text. He says that the title page itself is rare, that while Harvard has four copies of the volume, only one has the title page, as, "When they shipped it out from Amsterdam to Poland, it was ripped out."
He's now getting into his thesis as presented in his book, which essentially argues that prior to the modern period, traditional Judaism did not universally accept Maimonides' Thirteen Principles of Faith. He summarizes the Principles and gives some cursory reference to the disagreement about them.
On the topic of Maimonides' exhortation not to explain the secret philosophies of his work, The Guide for the Perplexed, Shapiro lists a series of rationales provided by his explicators. Narboni and Caspi: his secrets are already known, because of Greek philosophy. Ibn Tibbon: The Christian society is different from Islam, because in the Christian world, they're familiar with philosophy. Others note that incorrect interpretations are "already out there" and therefore need to be corrected.
To explain Maimonides' esoteric approach, he discusses the potential contradictions regarding creation ex nihilo, explicating from Leo Strauss and others, leading to the conclusion that the esoteric Maimonides allowed for creation from eternal matter.
In summation, he offers the contrast in approach to esoteric interpretations of the Maimonides. "In the yeshivas," he says, Maimonides' halachic work is important and his philosophical work is considered important as well, "but it is only studied on the surface, where it is glatt kosher." Academics study Maimonides almost entirely under the surface, "and this is what the Rambam said to do."
In a cute q&a moment, one attendee asks a question regarding Maimonides' choice not to teach his esoteric elements to the masses. In response, at one point, Shapiro mentions that one doesn't go to Meah Shearim to teach them evolution; this generates an interesting rise out of another attendee who questions those near her about the appropriateness of referring to Meah Shearim as "the masses." It's an interesting moment in deferring authority to the Right not because of anything relating to expertise, but merely by virtue of its being Right.
In another q&a moment, pressed on how we differentiate between accepted and rejected halachic positions, Shapiro emphasizes that he does not think his argument needs to be tied to the halachic debate, as it's a discussion of philosophy. This will contrast sharply with the views of many halachic authorities.

Powell expresses concern with rising anti-Semitism

Earlier today:

4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. -- Palestinian and Israeli medical professionals discuss ``The Health Impact of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict''; Cornell Medical School

Tonight at Chovovei Torah:

Tuesday, March 9, 2004 7:30 PM
Dr. Marc Shapiro
Maimonidies: Between Reason and Revelation

The new homosexual fetish for...Chasidic men.
gentile for orthodox - m4m - 29

masculine, discrete, bi- whiteboy, looking to explore with orthodox (pref. hassidic) Jew. I've seen lots around the neighborhood, been with few men, but am very turned on by the orthodox...perhaps this is a fantasy of mine.
I'm not looking for a boyfriend, this most likely will be a one-time thing. I'm 29, nice shape, all-American type looks, safe, ddf, etc.
you should be clean, under 35, and a no-smoker.
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
this is in or around Bedford Ave.

(via Engadget)
UPDATE: Apparently, the guy who made the image is getting somewhat overloaded with hits; if the image doesn't load, click through to his page and click on the link there for the larger image which, presumably, is more likely to load.

Interesting. Pomeranz Books is selling Making of a Godol for $2,000, but their most recent auction -- back on August 13th -- garnered only $1,400.

Tuesday:

1 p.m. -- Israeli U.N. Ambassador Dan Gellerman discusses ``Bridging the Rift'' initiative between Jordan and Israel at the Forum Club luncheon

Abe Foxman, take note. The Yada Blog finds Steven Spielberg's expectation for seeing The Passion:

"When I do see the film, the first person who will hear from me will be Mel Gibson and no one else," says Spielberg."

Mishloach manot (nee "Shlach manes") are so mysterious. First, you get sick pigging out; then, you reach over while you're working and realize the only item left is a small bottle of jam.
UPDATE: Until you move one of the empty boxes and find mixed nuts and Paskesz "Fancy Candy"! Huzzah!

This should be interesting:

7:30 p.m. -- Nursing home residents embark on ``Chutzpah Mission'' to Israel; El Al Flight .2, John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Blake Eskin rounds up the anti-Fiddler sentiment that has seen a number of critics demeaning the current production as not Jewish enough. While some of the criticisms seem more salient than others (WaPo's noticing that "mazel tov" is pronounced "mazel taff" is a great one), the only thing missing from the current Fiddler, it seems, is the sound. After all, they look Jewish. The "taff" difference grates on my ears, because it indicates a very specific distance from the tradition necessary to produce such a mispronunciation, but Fiddler as a true representative of tradition was a chimera anyway, and that didn't stop people from using it as such, "taff" or "tov" (or "toyv") aside.
Eskin notes the degree to which Fiddler became a sourcebook for Jewish tradition in a way that scripture had previously for the average Jew. To whatever degree it's truly accurate that Jews used to know a lot of scripture, I'll take Eskin's word for it on the Jews of last generation knowing a lot of Fiddler.
I have relatively little familiarity with it (the last time I saw it I was in single digits, age-wise); I think the rest of my family knows it a bit better (my sisters watched the whole four hours or somesuch of the film), but it's served mostly to provide easy jokes. It's just so simple to intone "Is this the little girl..." for a quick laugh at nearly any point, as well as sundry other elements of the play -- so long as they're not too obscure. And speaking of obscurity, I wouldn't have been able to tell you before reading Eskin's essay that Fiddler includes a pogrom; I've read about pogroms, and a ruined wedding with broken dishes, they most certainly were not. As John Heilpern in the New York Observer wonders, "Was ever a pogrom so mild and even hopeful?" Heilpern continued, "Apparently, the Fiddler revival doesn?t seem Jewish enough to some. It never was Jewish enough, but let that pass."
And, indeed, in our diverse understanding of what Judaism is -- and more specifically Jewish cultures are -- Fiddler appears as something we can all understand, perhaps even cheer, but something that can only tell American Jews a very small part of the story. As Eskin concludes:

...The show's Yiddish textual, musical, visual, and geographical setting make Fiddler a popular touchstone of what it means, or once meant, to look, sound, and act Jewish. (Today, alternative models abound; on Sex in the City, Charlotte York becomes a Goldenblatt, then adopts a baby girl from a Chinese Anatevka.) Still, people struggle to differentiate between outward manifestations and what it means to be Jewish. Part of Swiss clarinetist Bruno Doessekker's transformation into Holocaust survivor Binjamin Wilkomirski was getting his hair curled and putting on a Yiddish-inflected German. I've also watched a real cousin develop a slouch over the past few years as he became a ba'al teshuva. Some of what he does?recite prayers, lay tefillin?requires acting and sounding differently than he once did, but his bold Boston accent has receded in favor of an Ashkenazic lilt he picked up from teachers or friends at yeshiva. Such performances should not be necessary to convince others?or oneself?of who you are.

For thousands of years, Judaism has remained constant in its adaptability, as Talmudic disputatiousness and contemporary needs have urged multiple reinterpretations of ancient scripture. Nowadays lesbians get married under the chuppah, boys talk baseball at their bar mitzvahs, and Passover seders proclaim the rights of Palestinians. But one Jewish text has remained resistant to renovation, with strict prohibitions against any alterations to the practice it originally laid out. Call it the 11th commandment: Don't fuck with Fiddler.

Gregg Easterbrook gives a roundup of books he's been reading, one of which debunks Nostradamus.

Naomi Schaefer writes in this week's Boston Globe "Ideas" section that while we are seeing potential church schisms, we may also see mergers; basically, she just explains an article from the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Chicago's Rabbi Harry Maryles weighs in on the cardinals' visit to the YU beis medrash, but doesn't offer much by way of substance. I hadn't blogged R' Chaim Dov Keller's letter, because it was part of a series of letters I'd been meaning to get to; I'll try to post more on it soon.

ImPassioned, done pretty.
Mobius has assembled the J-bloggers' Purim issue in prettiness here. There may be additions to come, but it sure does look nice, don't it?

ImPassioned
In a rush, I e-mailed a bunch of J-bloggers to try to put together a Purim issue in a few hours. Some of the submissions are still rolling in, and we might put together a .pdf or separate page for it later. Meantime, I'll put stuff up in this post, and may or may not get to all of it here.
Individual contributions are anonymous, but the list of contributors includes:
The Village Idiots
Zackary Sholem Berger
Kumah
Waldheim
Jewschool
Okay, here goes:
Bloggers' Reactions to the Purim Story
Click Here
Top Ten Usernames for the Forward's Registration-Only Website
10) GramaLuvr
9) anti-Orthodox
8) BundistInFL
7) Shar0nH8r
6) RichArbeiter
5) L0werEastSideR0ks
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Press Releases You Didn't See
PRESS RELEASE ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE

ADL SHOCKED AT GEORGE TAYLOR'S BLATANT ANTISEMITISM

New York, March 7, 2003--Abraham H. Foxman, the world's sole arbitrator of what is and is not antisemitic, announced that his next-door neighbor, George Taylor should be ashamed of himself for his antisemitism. Acting in his role as the spokesman for all American Jews, President Foxman said he was shocked and disappointed in his neighbor's bigotry against Jews.
Taylor's shocking antisemitism came to light during a dispute with President Foxman over a shared driveway. "George's refusal to pay for half of the repaving costs is an obvious and disturbing sign of his bias," said President Foxman. "Jews all across the United States recognize that anyone with whom I disagree is an antisemite. Therefore, since George and I are having a disgreement, he must be an antisemite."
While at first glance, the dispute between Taylor and the Jewish People may seem trivial, President Foxman explained that it is important to note every act of antisemitism. "At this time of decreased endowments and smaller foundation support, it is incumbent on Jewish spokespeople like myself to highlight every act of antisemitism as if it heralded the building of new concentration camps," President Foxman said. "We must never forget what can happen as a result of turning a blind eye to bigotry. Everyone knows that the rise of Hitler came as a direct result of a dispute about a hedge he had with a Jewish neighbor."
"It is easy for George to make amends," said President Foxman. "All he has to do is announce, loudly, that he supports the Israeli government, no matter what it does. As I established with Billy Graham and Silvio Berlusconi, all that is required for an antisemite to make up with the Jewish People is for them to blindly support the Israeli government."
The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and igotry. Its president, Abraham H. Foxman is recognized by news organizations around the world as the official spokesperson for Jews.
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PRESS RELEASE ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE

ADL AND WARNER BROTHERS SIGN FIVE-YEAR MARKETING AGREEMENT

Hollywood, March 7, 2004--ADL President Abraham H. Foxman, the self-appointed Offical Arbiter of Antisemitism, and Barry Meyer, the Chairman and CEO of Warner Brothers Entertainment, announced today the signing of a landmark marketing agreement. According to the agreement, Warner Bros. and the ADL will jointly choose one film a year to be denounced as antisemitic.
"We saw what a publicity boon Abe's hysteria was when it came to 'The Passion.' When I saw the amount of column inches of editorial content about Mel's movie, I knew I had to get into that sort of action." Meyer said. "Warner Brothers is pleased to be entering into this historic agreement with an organization recognized the world over as the only
spokesperson for the Jewish People."
Foxman heralded the agreement also, calling it good for the Jews. "Every time I decide that something is antisemitic, donations to the ADL skyrocket. Since what's good for the ADL is good for the Jews, regular hysteria about mounting antisemitism is a boon to our community."
The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry. Its president, Abraham H. Foxman is recognized by news organizations around the world as the official spokesperson for Jews.
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Two Ultra-Orthodox boys try a cigarette on Purim, a festive holiday on which children are given license to misbehave.

1 p.m. -- Two dozen black, Jewish and Hispanic teenagers who perform in a controversial new play ``Crown Heights'' share their impressions and experiences together with playwright Lenora Fulani; The All Stars Project's performing arts project, 543 West 42nd Street between 10th and 11th avenues.

Of course, some people don't have a sense of humor on Purim day:

3:30 p.m. --
Members of Neturei Karta, an ultra-Orthodox sect that does not believe in the state of Israel, demonstrates; intersection of Lee Avenue and Hewes Street, Brooklyn.