Metro

Exodus/Emancipation

WSU prof's 11-year project compares
slavery in biblical Egypt to America.

Alan Hitsky
Associate Editor

write, a couple of years to find a pub-
lisher and several more for the volume
to be produced. But it is now in print,
pre-Passover breakfast lec-
just in time for Passover and Sunday's
ture in 1998 turned into four launch party at YIOR Tanzman and his
lectures. Eleven years later, it wife, Louie, are hosting Sunday's event.
has turned into a 450-page book com-
Exodus and Emancipation is divided
paring the black slaves of America and into three parts: "Journey Into Slavery:
the Hebrew slaves of Egypt.
Wagons and Ships;' "Slave Experience:
Kenneth Chelst of
Political Slavery vs. Personal Chattel"
Southfield will dis-
and "Freedom's Road: Exodus and
cuss his work at 10
Emancipation." The jacket calls the
a.m. Sunday where it book a new perspective on saga of
began, at a free pub-
the Jewish people's enslavement and
lic breakfast at Young departure from Egypt by comparing
Israel of Oak Park.
it with the African-American slave
Chelst, an engi-
experience in the United States, their
neering professor
Kenneth
emancipation and subsequent fight
at Wayne State
Chelst
for dignity and equality.
University in Detroit,
"Finding the right phrases and
an ordained rabbi and a member of
context — that was a challenge said
Young Israel of Southfield, was asked
Chelst. "We tried to get direct quotes
by YIOP member
from historic black
David Tanzman to
figures" to illustrate
discuss the slavery
the major points.
topic 11 years ago. The
Drawing on the
EXODUS:8nd
one lecture became
Haggadah,
he wrote
EMA NCIMTION
four, and at the con-
that the first plague in
clusion, Chelst handed
the in the list of 10 in
Tanzman his notes.
the Passover story —
"Wait, Kenny, you're
the Nile River turning
not done," Tanzman
into blood — was a
recalls saying."You've
direct corollary to God
got the outline here
seeing the Egyptians
for a great book."
drowning the Hebrew
Chelst protested that
infants.
he had neither the
He also quotes
time nor the money,
Abaham Lincoln, who
estimating it would cost $30,000
saw the Civil War as God's punishment
to hire graduate students to do the
of both the North and the South.
necessary research. Two weeks later,
The jacket, with the red, black and
Tanzman handed him a check.
green colors of the black liberation
Chelst's book, Exodus and
movement, shows a picture of black
Emancipation — Biblical and African- slaves superimposed over a Passover
American Slavery (Urim Publications,
seder plate.
$34.95), was funded by the late Flora
The book is available at Spitzer's
S. Hoffman.
in Southfield, Borenstein's in Oak
Chelst said it took nearly a year to
Park, and online at Amazon.com and
get started on the project, six years to
BarnesandNoble.com . El

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