SALE
prepares for Rosh Hashanah and
Yom Kippur. Although Zev ad-
mits that blowing the shofar is
"hard work," he says it's his fa-
vorite part of the holiday.
It's supposed to remind us of
great events in Jewish history and
make us think about the impor-
tance of being good Jews. Jews
believe that everybody was creat-
ed in God's image and each of us
deserves dignity and respect.
Ms. Brown also is the author
of Hello Amigos! and Chinese
New Year. Mr. Kobre, whose
work has appeared in Time and
Rolling Stone, teaches at San
Francisco State University.
H
man, friends said, did not believe
in an afterlife.
16 1 armor was a mere 3 years
old when he realized he was
"divine." He liked to act out
the story of Exodus, starring
himself as the burning bush.
A few years later, he an-
nounced, "I'm a genius."
By the time he was an adult,
Junior became convinced he was
the messiah. He christened him-
self Yahweh Ben Yahweh and es-
tablished an inner-city Black
Hebrew cult that murdered, stole
and amassed $100 million in real-
estate holdings.
Pulitzer Prize winning jour-
nalist Sydney P. Freedberg
chronicles the unusual journ.ey of
Yahweh Ben Yahweh in the new
Brother Love: Murder, Mon-
ey and a Messiah (Pantheon).
He was born Hulon Mitchell
Jr., and was first called Junior.
Later, he would take a variety of
names for himself, including Hu-
lon X, Hulon Shah, Father
Michel, Brother Love, Moses Is-
rael, Emmanuel, Och (brother)
e was the ultimate
swinger. In Swing,
Swing, Swing (Norton),
Ross Firestone tells the
story of jazz legend Benny Good-
man, a man raised in a Chicago
ghetto who became a high-soci-
ety figure whom the author de-
scribes as "a truly original,
undeniably American artist."
Benjamin David Goodman
was the ninth of 12 children born
to Dora and David
Goodman, a tailor.
They lived in a base-
ment and always were
struggling for money.
Sometimes the Good-
mans had rolls and cof-
fee for breakfast; other
times it was nothing.
Benny started play-
ing the clarinet when
he was 10. He took
lessons at Hull House,
a kind of social center
established to help way-
ward boys in the neigh-
borhood. His practicing
was incessant — a trait
he would continue
throughout his life.
In Swing, Swing,
Swing, Mr. Firestone
traces Mr. Goodman's
path from Hull House
to Hollywood, where he
had the reputation of
being a talented, if
Sydney P. Freedberg: A criminal named Yahweh,
rather quirky, musician Junior,
Brother Love.
who had no patience for
players who didn't keep his beat. Moshe Israel and finally Yahweh
When the phrasing was off or Ben Yahweh (God, the son of
the intonation a little shaky, Ben- God).
ny had a habit of peering over his
Mitchell's first temple was in
glasses with a look of such icy dis- a Florida warehouse. He called it
belief that it could make strong the Temple of Love. It was deco-
men tremble. Someone, possibly rated sparsely, though pictures
trombonist Murray McEach- of and references to the group's
ern...was reminded of the "Paral- leader were everywhere.
ysis Ray" in the Little Orphan
"Life is better with Yahweh,"
Annie comic strip and started us- one sign read. And just in case
ing the term for the formidable anyone thought life elsewhere
Goodman stare. The term caught might be better, a select group of
on, and "the Ray" took its place henchmen, the Circle of Ten, was
alongside such other mystifying there to assure followers it was
idiosyncrasies as Benny's endless not.
quest for the perfect reed and his
Mitchell amassed both support
inability to remember his side- (Louis Farrakhan labeled him "a
men's names.
builder" and asked God's bless-
Mr. Goodman died of a heart ing for "Yahweh Ben Yahweh, for
attack in 1986, without a thought we know that the government is
of bringing his winging sound to
that Big Band in the sky. Good- ODYSSEY page 90
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