Opinion

A MIX OF IDEAS

Dry Bones C.HANUKAW
2 009

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Editorial

Fighting Anti-Semitism

A

nti-Jewish sentiment flares up
in many different forms. Anti-
Zionism, Holocaust denial, neo-
Nazism, the U.N. Human Rights Council,
the Arab League and others examples of
Jewish hatred constitute the scope of anti-
Semitic acts confronting American Jews.
So America's new special envoy to
monitor and combat anti-Semitism cer-
tainly will have her hands full not only
in rooting out and responding to hate,
but also serving as lead ambassador for
teaching why such intolerance has no
place in a civilized world.
We know Hannah
Rosenthal from her five
years as executive direc-
tor of the Jewish Council
for Public Affairs, the
umbrella agency for
synagogue movements,
national organizations
Hannah
and local Jewish com-
Rosenthal
munities across North
America.
And she's genuine.
Rosenthal, 58, worked for the
Department of Health and Human
Services during the Clinton administra-
tion. She's a former rabbinical student

whose father was the only member of his
family to survive the Holocaust. Those
political, theological and Shoah roots give
her important texture for her new job.
Her conditional support for Israeli poli-
cies has sent up red flags among right-
wing Zionists.
For instance, she has served on the
advisory board of J Street, the so-called
"pro-peace, pro-Israel" organization that
boasts a strict diet of leftist leanings, some
of which seem to actually conspire against
the Jewish state. We're befuddled by J
Street's seeming faith in Palestinian lead-
ership to be a viable peace partner with
Israel, but it has stirred important debate
about the Palestinian reign of terror and
the Israeli government reaction.
Still, we're confident Rosenthal will
overall be a staunch defender of securing
the State of Israel and its unique way of
life as the Jewish ancestral homeland. She
calls anti-Semitism "a human rights issue
which is exactly what it is.
We like her notion that "the worst dan-
ger Jews face is isolation:' hence her devo-
tion to "enlarging the tent and enlarging
the table."
She told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency,
"Some of the criticism Israel sees and its

isolation in the United
Nations clearly comes
from a place of anti-
Semitism, but not all of it
does. We need to call out
anti-Semitism when it's
there."
The Anti-Defamation
League validates her
appointment, saying it
"signals the continued
seriousness of America's
resolve to fight anti-
Semitism."
The post has been
vacant since Gregg
Rickman left at the end of
the Bush administration.
In a Nov. 20 statement, the
State Department cited
a growing trend of anti-
Semitic hate crimes and discrimination
around the world."
"As special envoy:' it continued, "Hannah
will lead our efforts to focus our diplomat-
ic energies on challenging these deplor-
able acts. As special envoy, she also will
work with governments and civil society
organizations across the globe to promote
tolerance."

HAPPY CNANUKA

(C

DryBones.com

Hannah Rosenthal didn't seek out the
job; she was content serving as vice presi-
dent for a Madison, Wis., nonprofit, WPS
Health Insurance Co. But she has the skill
set to succeed in the high-stakes corridors
of Washington.
U.S. Jewish leaders are obligated to
watch how her initiatives play out in the
quest to safeguard us against religious and
ethnic attacks. II

Reality Check

Turntable Blues

I

had to say goodbye to a lot of old pals
this month. Some of them have been
hanging around for more than 50
years, but Sherry was adamant. Off they go,
like a bunch of rowdy friends who drank up
all the beer and then passed out on the sofa.
They were my old long-playing record
albums, the vinyl crowd, each in its own
colorful container, each with a memory to
recall.
Not like the paltry eight-track and CDs
covers, the shrunken heads of American
music. No, some of these were full-blown
artworks, cultural icons.
The Beatles crossing Abbey Road.
The Bernard Buffet lithographs of Ella
Fitzgerald singing the five-volume
Gershwin Songbook. Jelly Roll Morton
surrounded by an overgrown floral fantasy
that evokes the steamy New Orleans of jazz
legend.
But we've downsized. Out of the house,
into an apartment and there's no more
room for Jelly Roll.
As I cleared them away, though, I was

amazed at how each seemed
to correspond to the times of
my life. Here is the oldest: The
movie sound track of "Kiss Me
Kate" from 1953. My dad gave
me $5 and off I went to the
13th floor of Hudson's.
Unfortunately, the album
I had set out to buy was the
score of "The Bandwagon:'
but it was not in stock. So
"Kate" seemed to be a likely
substitute. My dad, however,
interpreted this switch as an
ominous sign of impulsive
consumer irresponsibility.
Turned out he was right. But we kept the
album.
Here is a Duke Ellington album I bought
on the first day I ever spent by myself in
New York City. In those years, the mas-
sive discount record store, Sam Goody's,
used to take out huge ads in the Sunday
papers, and I told myself there were two
Manhattan things I wanted to accomplish

on that summer afternoon: Visit
a great museum and buy an
album at Goody's.
The Cloisters and the Duke
were a great mix — especially
since you had to take the A Train
to get to the museum overlook-
ing the Hudson.
Let's see. What else do we have
here?
The essentials of any Jewish
home: Fiddler on the Roof
Sinatra and Streisand, Mel
Brooks and Carl Reiner doing
The 2,000 Year Old Man.
Turk Murphy. Maybe you never
heard of him, but he was a traditional
jazz trombonist based in San Francisco.
For a while when I was in college, I was
enamored of that musical style and on
New Year's Eve of 1963 a visit to his club,
Earthquake McGoon's, was a must.
I was in California looking for a job and
probably had one secured. But there was
something in the music that night; and

when I walked into the warm January eve-
ning, I already had decided to come back
and try my luck at the Free Press, instead. I
bought one of his albums on the way out the
door. Both decisions were the right ones.
How about one more spin around the
turntable for old times' sake. Sinatra guid-
ing my shattered heart through the classic
laments on Only the Lonely, as another
romance sputtered and died. Here is the
original cast version of Camelot, the first
show I ever saw on Broadway. There is
Who's Next, with the blaring '70s anthem
"Won't Get Fooled Again."Yeah, right.
The Swingle Singers and their jazz riffs
on Bach from the '60s. Tommy Makem
and the Clancy Brothers and Ireland's
sweet call. Through college years, into
marriage, Disney albums as the kids came
along. Story of a life.
So long, it's been good to know you. But
we're downsizing, you know. n

George Cantor's e-mail address is

gcantor614@aoLcom.

December 10 • 2009

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