LoCicero's Tragic Story of Sick Mind,
Rabbi's Murder, Probing of Social ills

How does one review a book that
deals with a murder in a syna-
gogue, with the death of a promi-
nent rabbi, with the mind of a lad
who committed the crime and
ended his own life; with the sick
boy's grandparents and parents
who were so well known to the
reviewer and the many characters
in the book also known intimately
to this writer'

Prentice-Hall published the book
by T. V. LoCicero who gave up a
teaching job at Lawrence Tech to
devote nearly four years to gather-
ing the material for the 380-page
volume. LoCicero's book is titled:
"Murder in the Synagogue," sub-
titled: "During a service in Con-
gregation Shaarey Zedek, Rabbi
Morris Adler was assassinated by
a brilliant student who protested
the moralities of a changing so-
ciety . . ."
Title and subtitle assume to tell
the complete story that involved

Richard Wishnetsky. Because it

covers such a vast field, resorts to
psychological and social analyses,
quotes from professors and stu-
dents, undertakes to chronicle his-
torical events, the author invites
conflicting reacties.
To a newspaperman, LoCicero
is a good reporter. If be were
assigned a story about a crimi-
nal or a hero, a genius or a
mixed-up person, anyone in the
limelight, the result of his efforts
would be viewed as noteworthy
for the thoroughness with which
be has dug up a mass of ma-
terial, for the keenness with
which be has gotten Richard's
teachers and friends to speak
about him, for the frankness of
expressions he has gotten out of
girt friends as well as boy pals.

It's a very sad story. The wife
of the murdered rabbi spoke out
as frankly as the friends of the
boy who was viewed as approach-
ing genius and who deteriorated
into arrogance, madness, conceit.
This is not the type of story to
be considered an authoritative
source for judging the religious
aspects of modern life, the changes
that have taken place in society
and in worship, the conflicts be-
tween parents and children, the
tolerance of friends to friends, the
readiness of professors to assist
students and to encourage them in
their studies.
It certainly does not justify judg-
ing teachers who have blundered
into building up an ego when, as
a matter of fact, they wanted to
encourage study and scholarship.
One must ask here whether tragedy
might have been averted if the
egoism of a conceited youth had
not been exaggerated.
It seems apparent that a lad
who had messiaak delusions
went to extremes to attain world
notoriety. Why was fantasy mag-
milled, deceit and esoceit over -
looked, emphasis on suicide given
too much credence? Loeicero
does more than report: he is, ti
a sense, the Analyst—an the
basis of reports be gathered from
so mazy sources. If the mock
had been used it would have been
the probing .1 a mild that trig-
gered a gun. But it was multiple
analyzing, testing of religion and
the Jewish comommity, delving
into history without giving his-
torians a cha.oce to defend them-
selves, theologians to Provide the
definition for their beliefs.

What we deal with here, there-
fore, Is tragedy—tragedy that does
not elevate either the faith that is
tested or the theological ideas that
are challenged (not by the author
but by the conflicts among the
book's characters). the Israel-
Zionist ideology that remains un-
explored.
The boy who died in the act of
a tragedy had returned from Israel
with a message to friends that be
bad discovered himself to be a
propbeL His student life is traced

"Walla ' /kW 'ispetlisicei:

We Wish All Our Customers and Friends
And The Jewish Community

of which reveal him to have been must remember is not a novel: it
A YEAR OF PEACE, HEALTH and HAPPINESS
smiling and laughing at one point, is reality!
—P. S.
crude and insulting at another—a
boy whose fate led him to a haven
Unpredictability, too, can be-
for sick-minded.
Actually he was free throughout come monotonous. — Eric Hoffer.
his life — he was free to judge
TIE DETROIT 'EWEN NEWS
others while deluding himself into
And Staff
self-ascribed greatness that was 20—Friday, October 2, 1970
condoned by many of his teachers
and friends.
Happy Now nor
If it were fiction, if the char-
acters had been distant, if all,
not a few, of the People quoted
549-7350
and alluded to had been de-
3826 N. Woodward, Royal Oak
PRESCRIPTION OPTICAL CO.
scribed as many are by LoCkero
26001 Coolidge
543-3343
as "pseud." — that the names
used were pseudonyms — it
would have been easier to accept
this book. But the people are
known, the tragedy is too near
LE SHONO TOVO
to as, that synagogue is where
we worship—how can we accept
it all with grace and say that the
book is anything approaching
pleasant reading?
While Detroiters who were close
to the scene of action and to the
actors in this horrible drama will
be saddened by what they read in
LoCicero's account and some may
be sorry it was written—there is
inevitably great sympathy for the
parents—there will be another sen-
timent: a regret that an evident
danger in a declining mind was not
checked in advance, that teachers
did not act promptly to prevent
escalation of dementia before it
grew into a danger, as it did.
How could so much incoherence,
the parent-child struggles and con
PFC. JOSEPH L BALE POST NO. 474
MORTON A. SILVERMAN—DETROIT
filets, the community-individual
Melvin Weinoardea, Commander
POST NO. 135
and rabbi-congregant jumbles, con-
Florence Weiss, Auxiliary President
fuse so many people?
Norman N. Robbins, Conuneader
CHARLES SHAPIRO POST NO. 510
Minnie Hart, 135 Airxiliary President
The academic community could
Giraffes .1. Reich, Commander
Ruth Mae Cohen, 411- Auxiliary President
be indicted for failure to detect
Janice Friedman, Auxiliary President
a danger to society in one they
JONES POST NO. 190
LT. ROY F. GREEN POST NO. 529
Joseph Jones, Commander
elevated int genius except for Prof.
Philip Goodman, Commander
Belle Cohen, Auxiliary President
Charlotte Zimmerman, who soon
Rosetta Weiner, Auxiliary President
recognized hi mfor the disrupting
LT. ELI LEVIN POST NO. 230
nuisance he was), yet it may
YETZ-COHEN POST NO. 530
Mck Edelman, Ceennseadar
have been so easy to be misled
Ray Weiss; Commander
FLINT POST NO. 231
Yette Glass, Auxiliary President
by the smiles of Richard, by his
Herman Cohen, Commander
constant quoting of many authors
SHOLOM POST NO. 537
Stella Komi., Auxiliary President
about whom and whose works he
Louis Weinstein, Commander
LT. RAYMOND ZUSSMAN POST NO. 333
may truly have known very little.
Tlsede Levy, Mailing Secretory
Soul Ferman, Commander
These are part of a tragedy that
HARVEY DATER POST NO. 559 (Lansing)
Same
Fische,,
Avarirrary
President
has been utilized 'for a book about
Bernard B. Friedland, Commander
a murder of a rabbi on a bimah
BLOCH-ROSE POST NO. 420
OAK
PARK POST NO. 716
(never before had that occurred in
Al Ilreantstein, Commander
Maurice J. Noble, Commander
Dorothy Goldberg, AuxWeery Presider*
history) and about a suicide that
Violet List, Auxiliary President
revealed the sickness of a mind
ROBERT J. RAFELSON POST NO. 431
PFC DORAN GOLDFARB TRI-CITY POST
that is so thoroughly explored in
Sam Solomon, Commander
NO. 727 (Saginaw)
a full-length book. LoCicero's
Lillian Stem, Auxiliary President
Dr. Lewis lawman, Commander
"Murder in the Synagogue" you

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