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Bess And The Rebbe:
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f you thought the com-
bination of former beauty
queen Bess Myerson and
reputed mobster Carl
"Andy" Capasso was odd,
how about Ms. Myerson and
the Lubavitcher Rebbe?
Ms. Myerson, like many
another Jew facing a per-
sonal crisis, went to
Brooklyn's Crown Heights
in search of words of wisdom
from the Lubavitcher Rebbe
following her 1987 indict-
ment on criminal conspiracy
and obstruction of justice
charges.
Ms. Myerson, who was
Miss America in 1945 and is
now near 70, was New York
City Cultural Affairs Min-
ister at the time and Mr.
Capasso, who was serving
time in jail for tax evasion,
was her lover.
The charges stemmed from
their alleged attempt to
bribe a judge by putting her
daughter on the city payroll
in return for the judge's
reducing the amount of
alimony paid by Mr. Capasso
to his ex-wife.
Ms. Myerson, Mr. Capasso
and the judge were eventual-
ly acquitted, but not before
the tabloids had a field day
with the 1988 trial. Making
things worse for Ms. Myer-
son was her arrest on
shoplifting charges in May
1988.
What is most odd about
this tale, however, is how
Ms. Myerson managed to
find her way to the Rebbe's
Eastern Parkway domain.
If this story reads as if it
were scripted in Hollywood,
that's because it was.
Chabad, as curious as it
may seem, has considerable
support within Hollywood's
Jewish community — by and
large from Jews whose per-
sonal lifestyles are anything
but observant, but who like
having a connection to their
Jewish roots.
One Chabad rabbi in Los
Angeles with a large show
business following is Shlomo
Schwartz, who spent more
than a dozen years as West
Coast Chabad's campus
outreach director. But he
and his wife, Olivia, now run
their own organization, the
Chai Center of Los Angeles.
As it happens, Ms. Myer-
son, who was brought up in a
Ira Rifkin is an assistant
editor at the Baltimore Jewish
Times.
secular, Yiddish-speaking
home in the Bronx, has a
daughter, Bara, a Hollywood
screenwriter, who attends
classes in Judaism offered by
the Schwartzes. Actors
Richard Dreyfuss and Elliot
Gould have also attented the
classes.
Ms. Myerson was brought
to one such class by her
daughter, who also took her
to Friday night dinners at
the Schwartzes' home.
"Bara came here with zero
Jewish understanding,"
Rabbi Schwartz said in an
interview. "Her father was
non-Jewish; her husband
was non-Jewish, and her
mother had taught her
nothing because she didn't
know anything herself.
"They come to class, and,
boom, they start drinking it
in. They can't get enough of
Yiddishkeit, all of a
sudden."
Ms. Myerson — who no
longer grants interviews —
met the Schwartzes before
her legal troubles shifted
into high gear. But it was
not until after her indict-
ment, which plunged her
into an emotional tailspin,
that the Schwartzes took her
to meet the Lubavitcher
Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem
Mendel Schneerson.
"The Rebbe blessed her
and gave her an extra dollar
for double salvation," Rabbi
Schwartz recalled.
Rabbi Schneerson is in the
habit of giving visitors $1
bills, which they in turn are
supposed to double and con-
tribute to charity.
"He also told her she
would be okay and would be
found innocent," said Rabbi
Schwartz. "Boom! A few
months later she's exoner-
ated.
"She goes back to
Brooklyn to thank him,"
Rabbi Schwartz continued.
"And he doesn't miss an op-
portunity. He tells her that
since she's a public figure,
she should speak out public-
ly in support of Judaism."
In mid-December, Bess
Myerson — her New York
apartment now graced by
mezuzot put up by Rabbi
Schwartz — was the
headline speaker at a Los
Angeles fund-raising dinner
benefitting the Chai Center.
In her talk, Ms. Myerson
thanked the Schwartzes for
"(opening) a door which had
been closed." She also noted
the inner peace she experi-
enced from lighting Sabbath
candles. ❑