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A documentary film tells
the story of a modern-day Schindler.

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Russian emigrants
in transit to Israel.

RICHARD LUF RANO

Special to the Jewish News

T

here are moments in American
cinema that force even the
toughest "I-never-cry-during-
movies" filmgoers to weep like
mama's boys. Such a scene happens at the
end of Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List.
The war is over and Oscar Schindler and
his wife, both criminals of war, are prepar-
ing to flee Schindler's factory. As Schindler
moves toward his car, he breaks down and
cries tears of regret: "I could have saved
.
one more person."
In a world haunted by clamorous
echoes of Kosovo, Rwanda, Sudan and,
most recently, East Timor, tears are a
belated recognition of the crime of human
indifference. Upon hearing Schindler's
admission, we cry because we wish we
were doing more.
When Lon Calloway, a retired 78-year-
old pastor from Springfield, Mo., heard
Schindler's words, he decided he would do
more.
In Missouri, where Calloway lives, the
locals refer to him as "The Muffin Man."
That's because a few years ago, as
Calloway tells it, he became outraged
when the neighborhood's Bob Evans
restaurant removed a specific
type of breakfast muffin from
their breakfast menu.
"I got on the phone to the
company's headquarters in Ohio
and said, 'What do you mean
you're canceling the muffin?
You've. got a great product and a
satisfied customer base down
here. That's bad business,' " said
Calloway. "In a few weeks, they
put the muffin back on the
menu. And the local paper called
me "The Muffin Man."
While breakfast muffins may
comprise a bizarre legacy, when
viewed in the context of convic-
tion, the story is a telling illustra-
tion of Calloway's nature. When
he wants something done,
Calloway does it himself.
Lon Calloway has always
felt a deep respect for the
Jewish people.
"I am a- manof the book. And
Israel is the land of the book," he
said. "I made my first trip to Israel 25
years ago and I remain amazed by the
country and the odds against which its
people have had to fight. ... I have a copy
of the film about Golda Meir in my
library. Whenever I've had the opportuni-
ty to travel to Israel, I always feel as

Richard Lufrano is an Atlanta-based

freelance writer.

Jr1

2/11
2000

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