The Chosen People

Saturday, November 11, 2023 

According to Christopher Wray, Director of the FBI, “although Jews make up only about 2.4% of the US public, they account for about 60% of all religious-based hate crimes.”  

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67281042

.  .  .

Sunday, November 12, 2023

For a bit of voyeurism, we have the most expensive zip codes in the U.S.  

https://www.realtyhop.com/blog/most-expensive-us-zip-codes-2023/

California has 61 of the 100 most expensive zip codes, while New York State trails with 18.  Only 12 states have at least one location.  Los Angeles itself has seven, the Holy Land relatively impoverished with five.

.  .  .

The Gannet newspaper chain, the nation’s largest, has appointed an exclusively Taylor Swift reporter.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/08/style/taylor-swift-reporter-bryan-west.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Let me confess that I am aware of Taylor Swift’s reputation, but I don’t know her music.  She is obviously fantastically successful; it is estimated “her tour could help add $5 billion to the worldwide economy.”  

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/taylor-swift-eras-tour-boosted-economy-tourism-federal-reserve-how-much-money-made/

That seems to merit the attention.  But, can a person identified male at birth do justice to one of the most important females in the world?  Is he right handed?  

Taylor Swift is right handed.  

https://celebanswers.com/is-taylor-swift-left-handed/

He’s also white.

Monday, November 13, 2023

Not only is “La Traviata” an opera by Giuseppe Verdi, at 101 West 68th Street, it is the pizzeria closest to the Metropolitan Opera House, beating Francesco’s Pizzeria, 186 Columbus Avenue, by a few yards.  While pizza is available at several restaurants bordering Lincoln Center, they don’t focus on pizza and they certainly don’t sell slices.  So, it was La Traviata for lunch before a visit to Dr. K, my Down-Thereologist.  You are certified as an old man once you have troubles Down There.  Dr. K was very helpful, telling me to lose 30 years.

As to the pizza, I had a bacon/pepperoni slice ($6) and a mushroom slice ($4).  They were so good, I didn’t mind the high prices.  Pizza by the slice risks drying out in the reheating.  Fortunately, the mushroom pizza was just being baked when I ordered, while the meat slice survived reheating nicely.  I’m ready for an encore.

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

New York State is about to decide that high school students “would also be given new ways to show they are proficient in skills, such as capstone projects, presentations or ‘performance-based assessments’” instead of the traditional Regents examinations.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/13/nyregion/regents-exams-new-york.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

My first reaction to this story was that it is another example of the dumbing down of our society, a fear of making distinctions.  My next reaction was more personal.  Through college, I was a mediocre student, but I usually did very well on standardized tests, including the New York State Regents examinations.  Give me a #2 pencil and a little bubble to fill in and I was in my comfort zone.  It was no surprise that I tanked on the French Regents, getting a 71, because I had to write something, not rely on my guessing at multiple choice.

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Stony Brook Steve and I joined Michael Ratner and his grandnephew David S. for lunch at Wo Hop, 17 Mott Street.  Michael believed it was time to introduce David to the finer things in life and we aided in the initiation, with egg rolls, duck chow fun, beef with scallions, honey crispy chicken and pork fried rice.  With a generous tip, as always, the bottom line was $90.  The boy has a bright future.

Friday, November 17, 2023

Jews don't need enemies, although so many volunteer for the opportunity.  We have a basic divide between the observant and the non-observant.  Within each segment we have denominational differences.  Apart from this, we are separated on an ethno-national basis, Ashkenazi vs. Sephardi, roughly European vs. Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) Jews.  Ashkenaz is the Hebrew word for Germany; Sepharad is the Hebrew word for Spain.  Yes, Spain is in Europe, but after the expulsion from Iberia in 1492, Jews who were not killed or converted moved into Mediterranean lands, joining Jewish populations with ancient roots.  Sephardi has become the catchall term for those Jews.  American Jews are Ashkenazi on the whole; Israel was 15% Sephardi at its founding, now 55%.  However, American Jews remain largely ignorant of the Sephardi, past and present.

This was the point of a talk by Henry Green, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Miami, tonight at West End Synagogue.  American Jews still live in the shadow of the Holocaust.  The majority of Israeli Jews were insulated from it, but they (their ancestors) faced their own turmoil.  In 1948, when Israel was founded, there were 850,000 to one million MENA Jews.  Today, 15,000 is a good guesstimate.  https://sephardicu.com/history/jewish-population-in-10-islamic-countries/

 

Not unlike the exodus of Arabs once the state of Israel was established, Jews were pushed and pulled out of lands they had populated for centuries.  The resulting animus towards Arabs is a critical driver in Israeli politics today.  Meanwhile, Bibi Netanyahu's governing coalitions have been built around Sephardi political groups in opposition to European manners and mores.