Y
ou are faced with a
choice. The stereo-
typical image of this
decision making is the angel
on one shoulder and the devil
on the other.
You do not
have to be a
believer of
either of these
“beings” to
incorporate ref-
erences to them
in your daily
conversation.
Here are some examples.
If you speak vehemently
for or against an issue, you
may be identified as either an
angel’s or a devil’s advocate.
If your argument is emo-
tionally wrought, it could
be one that would make the
angels weep. If you win, you
may be said to have a guard-
ian angel.
Were you aware that a stock
that has declined or a compa-
ny that is now failing has been
referred to as a fallen angel?
(Well, now you know.)
The truly charitable per-
son is often said to be on
the side of the angels. A
good-hearted person is some-
times described as an angel.
Be aware that fools rush in
where angels fear to tread; so
if you are thinking of being
an angel in a theater venture
(a backer of financer), you
have been warned.
On a track to being lazy?
Remember that the devil finds
work for idle hands. Idleness
may then lead to trouble mak-
ing and you may be full of the
devil and addressed as “You
devil!” When you are caught,
there may be the devil to pay.
When you next appear in
public, someone may remark,
“Speak of the devil.” When
you do not care what others
may think, you are said to
have a devil-may-care atti-
tude.
Someone who is on the
straight-and-narrow path is
fearful of catching the devil
otherwise. When faced with a
tough decision, such a person
may feel he is between the
devil and the deep blue sea.
I personally have been
known to do a devil of a job
making a devil’s food cake
and an angels’ food cake. But
why not? They’re both sweets
— a no-brainer there!
SY
MANELLO
Editorial
Assistant
PURELY COMMENTARY
for openers
The Good, the Bad …
commentary
Ethnic Studies Issues Remain Unresolved
S
ome Jews are declar-
ing victory. Their
long battle to alter the
draft of the proposed Ethnic
Studies Model
Curriculum
(ESMC) for
California
public schools
ended with an
outcome that
left the Simon
Wiesenthal
Center “encouraged.” The
effort to remove overtly
antisemitic and anti-Israel
content from the docu-
ment was approved by the
California State Board of
Education.
Yet, the Wiesenthal Center
remains “concerned” about
the program. The American
Jewish Committee agreed.
It referred to the ESMC as
“fundamentally flawed.”
StandWithUS concurred, call-
ing it “problematic.”
At stake was a new school
course requirement for
schools from K-12 that
would make the study of the
histories, struggles and con-
tributions of Asian, African
American, Latino and Native
American communities an
integral part of public edu-
cation in the nation’s most
populous state. The fourth
and revised draft of the cur-
riculum now includes material
about, among others, Jews,
Armenians and Sikhs.
The first draft, which pro-
voked a strong protest from
Jews, included antisemitic and
anti-Israel language. It effec-
tively endorsed the boycott of
Israel by listing it alongside
the Black Lives Matter move-
ment and #MeToo protests
against sexual harassment as
praiseworthy activities.
It referred to the establish-
ment of modern-day Israel by
the term nakba, the Palestinian
word for “catastrophe.” It
spoke of Jews gaining “race
privilege” because of their
skin color, which makes them
part of the oppressive major-
ity grinding down minori-
ties. And it even included a
song lyric that spoke of Jews
manipulating and controlling
the press.
That’s all gone from the
final draft that’s been approved
and included in it now are les-
son plans on American Jews,
including one on the Mizrachi
Jewish experience that dis-
cusses antisemitism. Both con-
tain the widely accepted defi-
Jonathan S.
Tobin
JNS.org
continued on page 10
4 | APRIL 1 • 2021