Tell Me Why
Elizabeth Applebaum
AppleTree Editor
0: I was recently reading in
the National Enquirer —
I don't actually buy it, of
I course; it's my husband's
copy — that Jodie Foster and
I actor Russell Crowe are
romantically involved. I just
saw him in the new film
Gladiators, and that got me
I wondering: were there any
Jewish gladiators?
I A: Yes, there certainly were. During
the Roman occupation, gladiatorial
contests were held in Israel. Very few
persons volunteered to be gladiators.
Their ranks were drawn from slaves,
prisoners of war and criminals con-
; demned to death. As the Roman
appetite for gladiatorial spectacles
increased, fighters were drawn from
,
I ,
offenders convicted of minor crimes.
Debtors who could not satisfy their
I creditors sometimes sold themselves
I into slavery and fought as gladiators.
As you can well imagine, most of
I the men forced into the gladiatorial
life were unhappy. Although suicide
I was common, many, if not most, of
I the fighters ended up dead in the
I arena anyway. To be sure, some of
I the successful gladiators who actually
I enjoyed their careers were psycho-
: pathic killers. There were Jews
I among them, and the Talmud records
I that many of them renounced Judaism
I and delighted in the resulting anguish
I of the Jewish communities.
Probably the most famous Jew who
was a gladiator was Shimon ben Lak-
ish, also known as Resh Lakish. He
I lived in the Land of Israel in the third
century C.E. Somewhat wayward in
I his youth, he sold himself as a gladia-
tor because he had no other way to
I make a living. After a chance meet-
' ing with the renowned Rabbi
Jochanan, Resh Lakish became a
I devout Jew and a brilliant student of
the Torah. He developed into a
I major Torah scholar in his own right
•
VG)
7/7
2000
1 00
The Glad
Gladiator
The famous Jewish fichter
who became a Torah scholar.
and was highly respected for his for-
bearance, personal integrity and love
of the Jewish people and Land of
Israel. His legal opinions and deci-
sions are quoted in the Talmud and
other rabbinic literature.
Q: I know Hollywood is
wacky but, come on. Did
Lucille Ball REALLY hire a
famed Jewish makeup artist
to help her prepare for her
court appearance during
divorce proceedings from
Desi Arnaz?
A: Only in Hollywood, my friend.
It's true. Ball was, like many stars of
the 1940s and 1950s, a longtime
fan of Hal King, first leading make-
up artist, then "cosmetic beautifier"
and finally "director of beauty" (I am
not making up these titles, I promise)
at Max Factor's Hollywood salon.
For a time, the I Love Lucy show
even included the credit: "Make-Up
by Hal King." Ball and King tem-
porarily ended their partnership,
then reunited when Ball was head-
ing for divorce court. After that, she
became his No. 1 client and Robert
Salvatore replaced King at the Max
Factor salon.
Q: I notice that President Bill
Clinton received the Charle-
magne Award during his
recent visit to Europe. Did
Charlemagne have anything
to do with Jews?
A: The historical record shows that
Charlemagne (742-814), king of the
Franks and first emperor of what later
came to be known as the Holy
I Roman Empire, probably had little to
do with the Jews of his realm. Among
the few Jews that we know of whose
paths crossed with Charlemagne
were his physician, named Ferragut,
and an interpreter, Isaac, who was
part of a delegation Charlemagne
sent to the Caliph Harun al Rashid.
As ruler of a vast group of territo-
ries, Charlemagne tried to impose
unity through a common faith, Chris-
tianity, so his relations with the Jews
. were influenced by the theological
policies of his administration. His
royal court included a special Christ-
ian official to administer the laws
affecting the Jews. These laws restrict-
ed business dealings by Jews and put
Jews at a legal disadvantage in dis-
putes with Christians.
Because of his military successes,-
his position as the first ruler of a Christ-
ian empire in the west and his physi-
cal presence (he was said to stand
almost 7 feet tall), Charlemagne,
almost before his death, was made a
legendary figure. Like so many others,
the Jews had their own stories of
Charlemagne.
One legend has it that the Jews of
Narbonne, in the south of France,
helped to drive out the Muslims, thus
securing the victory of Pepin the Shor e
father of Charlemagne. As a gesture
of appreciation, the Narbonne Jews
were given the right to be governed
by a Jewish king, and Charlemagne
invited Rabbi Machir ben Yehuda to
become the founder of the Jewish
dynasty. (Machir was the younger
brother of Rabbi Gershom ben Yehu-
da, who issued the famous edict pro-
hibiting polygamy.) The story proba-
bly has a basis in fact because for
centuries the Jews of Narbonne
owned property, and for a time, wer
self-governing.
Another tradition holds that it was
Charlemagne that brought the Kalom,
mus family from Italy to Germany. Th(
Kalonymus family is historically signifi
cant because most of the rabbinic
. and communal leaders of German
Jewry from the 9th to the 1 3th cen-
turies were drawn from its ranks. To c
large extent, it also was responsible
for the mystical movement known as
Chasidei Ashkenaz that helped form
the character of German Jewry.
The Kalonymus family originated
from the city of Lucca in Tuscany, ano
by the 800s already included a num
ber of prominent rabbis and scholars
: For unknown reasons, a king of the
Franks moved some members of the
family from Lucca to Mainz and othe
cities along the Rhine River. Although
some ancient texts name Charle-
magne as the king responsible for
their transplantation, many scholars
believe it actually was Charlemagne
grandson, Charles the Bald.
o you have a question for Tell Me Why? Questions may cover any field of Jewish life, history and religion, but
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