I

•• •

band), she was rarely identified as a
Jewish journalist.
Particularly when reporting for UPI
from the Middle East, she didn't mind,
and although she didn't deny her
Judaism, she didn't bring it up. In fact,
while reporting from Jerusalem, even
when her brother, an Orthodox rabbi,
was living close by, she says that people
didn't pick up on her Judaism.
The author, 55, grew up in Kansas
City; her family belonged to a
Conservative congregation and was
"not casual about their Judaism."
She and her husband, who comes
from a distinguished Jewish family from
Milan, now belong to several syna-
gogues and observe traditions at home.
That the book has so many Jewish
elements "just happened," Kroeger
explains; it wasn't something she
planned or even recognized as she
selected her subjects.
The first story is about a screenwriter,
a light-skinned black man, David
Matthews, who grew up, as she writes,
passing as a white Jew. His mother,
who left him at birth, was Jewish, so he
is halachically Jewish. On his father's
side, he is the son and grandson of dis-
tinguished black journalists and com-
munity leaders.
Kroeger writes that this was passing
"because he experienced the act as pass-
ing while he was doing it. ... It was
passing because he deliberately with-
held information about his African-
American heritage whenever he sensed
it would get in his way."
As a young boy, he felt most com-
fortable with Jewish kids, and wanted
them to think that he belonged, and
that sensibility continued.
Kroeger also writes of a Puerto Rican
young woman, Vivan Sanchez, who
excelled in school as a child and hid her
lower-class background from her class-
mates, and hid her academic success
from neighborhood friends. Now
involved in desktop publishing, she
converted to Orthodox Judaism.
As a convert on Manhattan's Upper
West Side, she would sometimes pres-
ent herself as having a Sephardic back-
ground, as she didn't feel comfortable
with the usual reactions to her back-
ground. She is no longer Orthodox,
but living Jewishly in New Jersey. The
pain in this story is particularly evident.
And most powerful is the story of
Rabbi Joel Alter, who grew up as a com-
mitted Conservative Jew, graduated from
Columbia, taught at the New York Jewish
day school Ramaz and then applied to
school at the Jewish Theological
Seminary, where he would later pursue
rabbinical ordination.

At that time,
he was 24 and
only beginnirig
to come out to
himself
He began
studying at the
Seminary in
1985, aware of
the Seminary's
stance on homo-
Rabbi Joel Alter's
sexuality. As he
story
of passing is
progressed
a powerful one.
through the pro-
gram, he shared
the fact of his homosexuality with a few
dose friends and later with his family, and
was otherwise very private, worried about
his status in the school. He chose secrecy,
and was ordained in 1996.
Kroeger tells his story in detail, and
also interviews Rabbi Gordon Tucker,
who was dean at JTS for some of the
years that Rabbi Alter was in school.
Ironically, toward the end of his student
career, Rabbi Alter was featured on the
cover of a JTS brochure, and he was
frequently sent out as a speaker, as one
Of the school's best recruiters.
Rabbi Alter is now director of Judaic
studies at the Shoshana S. Cardin
Jewish Community High School in
Baltimore; he joined the faculty this .
year, after teaching for seven years at a
school in Washington D.C.
Reached at his office, Rabbi Alter says
that although he has told his story in
different settings, this is the first time
that it appears so prominently in print.
Asked about the word "passing," he
says that it wasn't a word he used. "I •
would say that I was very conscious of the
fact that there were things I could not
speak of in my own name. The 'Don't
ask, don't tell' analogy was really there."
When he entered the seminary, he was
certain that he wanted to go into Jewish
education, as he has done, although he
also flourished in his student experience
working with Rabbi Morris Allen in his
Minnesota congregation and became
attracted to the pulpit.
But, for a host of reasons, he recon-
ciled himself to teaching, although he
hasn't ruled out pursuing a pulpit in the
future. Last Yom Kippur, Rabbi Allen
spoke about Rabbi Alter's story, about
the walls people build of different kinds.
Looking back, Rabbi Alter says that
JTS was a very positive experience for
him, and also a very difficult experience.
He remains confident that the move-
ment will overturn its traditional prohi-
bitions on homosexuality "and that this
will happen halachically." He hopes that
his story, as it appears in Passing, will
have impact. ❑

CUUI S1AAS

The creators of Forbidden Broadway present a
holiday spoof even a Yiddishe Kupp would love!
Now Playing through January 4

Restaurant & New Year's Eve Packages -
Available with the Century Grille

Call Now! (313) 963-9800

333 MADISON • DOWNTOWN DETROIT

WWW.GEMTHEATRE.COM

"Pure perfection."

—Kate Lawson, Detroit News

"Exceptional pie."

—Keely Wygonik,
Observer & Eccentric

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

(248) 855-3555
24275 14. Mile

(248) 888-4888
24369 Halsted

(S.E. corner of 14 & Middlebelt)

(just North of Grand River)

,ea 1-
t 1
The HI

Mediterranean Cuisine

Outstanding Excellence (f5,
5
nor Quaiit

with coupon

Expires 1/31/04

28639 Northwestern hwy. • 5outhfieici On the romenade flaza

248.827.0077 • fax: 2+84$ 2,1

W idlitYa

0140,0171eAV

d.tv
(q-rieridy,ff-Cary- t -Colidai

27925 Golf Pointe Blvd.
Farmington Hills, MI 48331

(on 12 Mile between Halsted & Haggerty)

248489.9400

Open for lunch weekdays

C

Open for dinner 7 nights a week

12/12

787510

2003

93