A

Hostility To Religion,
A Forgetful
Little Menorah,
and Henry James

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

assionate advocates
of sappy humor
(like cute-kids sit-
coms) may find this
author too much.
But anyone with a
decisive wit who is
interested in con-
temporary America
and religious prac-
tice will not want to
miss the latest by author
Stephen (Reflections of an Af-
firmative Action Baby) Carter.
Mr. Carter's The Culture of
Disbelief (Basic Books) de-
scribes — often with refreshing
sarcasm — the way in which
American law and politics triv-
ialize religious devotion. A self-
described liberal who strongly
advocates separation of church
and state, Mr. Carter also bet
lieves the United States has
become such that religious men
and women must act as though
their faith doesn't matter.
Those whose views and opin-
ions are shaped by religious
teaching are regularly scoffed
at, says Mr. Carter, a law pro-
fessor at Yale. He cites public
suspicion of anyone in the least
bit "different": from Jehovah's
Witnesses, whose religion for-
bids them to get blood trans-
fusions, to Jews who cannot
work on Saturday because they
are observing Shabbat.

In contemporary American
culture, the religions are more
and more treated as just pass-
ing beliefs — almost as fads,
older, stuffier, less liberal ver-

sions of so-called New Age
— rather than as the fun-
daments upon which the
devout build their lives.
And if religions are fun-
damental, well, too bad —
at least if they're the
wrong fundaments — if
they're inconvenient, give
them up! If you can't re-
marry because you have
the wrong religious belief,
well, hey, believe some-
thing else! Ifyou can't take
your exam because of a
Holy Day, get a new Holy
Day! If you must go to
work on your Sabbath, it's
no big deal! It's just a day
of Pick a different one! If
you can't have a blood
transfusion because you
think God forbids it, no Carol De Chellis
problem! Get a new God!
versity professor, tells the story
And through all of this trivial-
of the mass murder/suicide of
izing rhetoric runs the subtle but
Viennese women. Suspects in
unmistakable message: pray if
the case include a variety of
you like; worship if you must;
"real" characters, like Freud
but whatever you do, do not on
and Jung, and authors Henry
any account take your religion
James and Edith Wharton (the
seriously.
latter who is in Vienna for a
delectable romantic interlude).
The Little
And there's more: like an Amer-
Menorah Who
ican family, the Mains, and Po-
Forgot Chan-
lice Inspector LeBlanc from
ukah (Union of
Paris.
American He-
As the crimes continue and
brew Congrega-
their notoriety grows, more and
tions Press) tells
more of Viennese society begins
the tale of a certain little meno-
insisting the murders must
rah, a girl named Debra and a
have been committed by the
candle called Shammes.
Jews. The city is seething with
The menorah takes a tumble
anti-Semitism, which threatens
one day, leaving him with tem-
to become out of control if In-
porary amnesia: He forgets the
spector LeBlanc does not soon
story of Chanukah just as the
solve the case.
holiday is about to begin. Then
Ms. Hill also is the author of
he is placed beside Debra's
Jeremiah 8:20, Let's Fall in
grandmother's big brass meno-
Love and The Eleven Million
rah, which each night tells a
Mile High Dancer.
new part of the story of the Mac-
cabees' victory over the Greeks
Reconstruc-
and the miracle of the oil.
tionist movement
Included is a cassette tape
founder Morde-
featuring a narration of the
chai Kaplan is
book and original music and
the focus of the
lyrics for "Debra's Dreidel Song"
new Judaism
and "The Candles' Song."
Faces the
The Little Menorah Who For-
Twentieth Century from
got Chanukah was written by
Wayne State University Press.
composer-author Jerry Sperling
It was written by Mel Scult, pro-
and illustrated by Giora Carmi,
fessor of Judaic Studies at
whose previous works include
Brooklyn College and author of
Deena the Damselfly and A
two previous studies of Rabbi
Torah Commentary for Our
Kaplan.
Times.
This latest biography focuses
on the early years of Rabbi Ka-
In an un-
plan, an observant Jew and de-
usual and
voted Zionist who struggled to
haunting ad-
make Judaism "Reconstruc-
venture, au-
tionist compatible" with life in
thor Carol De
American society. Though a
Chellis Hill
well-known and well-respected
takes readers
figure, Rabbi Kaplan was
back to the Vi-
plagued, throughout much of
enna of Sigmund Freud and
his life, by self-doubt.
Carl Jung in Henry James'
Judaism Faces the Twenti-
Midnight Song (Simon &
eth Century incorporates in-
Schuster).
sights the author gained from
Ms. Hill, a New York Uni-
unpublished letters, sermons