A Semitic learning curve - enjoyable forays with the faithful - no secrets, no conspiracies.

Since becoming secular at an early age I have always marvelled at people of faith. Some are young, naïve and gullible yet many are also driven, intelligent and mature adults. And many are respected friends of mine, although they are far outnumbered by folk who would describe themselves as agnostic, atheist and/or non-God-fearing.

Since I knew the 'drum' and basics about Christianity, including the ‘hold’ it gets on some of its followers, I determined to learn about what makes some Jews and Muslims follow the ‘book’(s), mores and cultural proclivities. The first thing I have learned is that, like Christians, most people of other backgrounds, while invariably proud of their background and heritage, do not attend worship on a regular basis. My quest was to find out more about those who did.

After chance invitations I have now spent several years attending one of the country’s largest and best endowed synagogues as well as Sydney's most centrally situated mosque. It is probably no coincidence that both are located in small back streets, one in Surry Hills, just a short walk from Hyde Park and the other in Bondi Junction near Edgecliff, New South Head and Victoria Roads. The locations in residential streets probably stems from early beginnings in private houses, these being minority religions. 

In my attendance, I have been frank with anyone who asked that I was a respectful outsider / visitor who was intent on learning more about their religion, something which was absolutely true. If anybody quizzed me further, I would tell them that I was of a secular persuasion with no religious affiliation, originally from an Australian Anglican/Catholic family background (also true).

My observations have been written into a private weekly diary. I am a compulsive writer and most of it is chaff indeed … but there are some 'high points' which may well be of wider interest, such as observations on Ramadan, the Holy month for Muslims and Yom Kippur, Rosh HaShana and the High Holidays for Jews.  The events, personalities, ceremonies, fasts and feasts all bear mention. Some may be surprised to hear that I have largely met delightful, well rounded and interesting people ... with only a minority of others.  In fact the former outnumber the latter by hundreds to single figures.

I hope that some may be interested to follow my 'journey' which has been fascinating and enjoyable.  Some may also like to know about the range of prominent people I have met from politics, business, the clergy and the professions (and even political prisoners).  Or about cantorial music which can be glorious (and diabolical) and muezzin calls to prayer.  Or the relative home comforts of a synagogue (furniture, air-con, whisky, music) from the austere accoutrements of a mosque by comparison (basic running water and extensive carpets).  Yet also the amazing similarities between the two religions?  Each of these could form a chapter in a small description. 

At the outset I would like to thank the congregations, management and clergy of both Central Synagogue and Surry Hills Mosque for their continued red-carpet welcomes, hospitality and cordial relations for their unfettered welcome to this respectful secular guest. 

More anon should anybody be interested. 


Second posting following introduction of my attendance at synagogue and mosque over a number of years:

Dear Reader,

Having immersed myself in Judaism and Islam for about one hour per week for a number of years I record here some of my observations. Further down the track I may try to draw some conclusions from these descriptions.

Some may be surprised that I was accorded the welcome I was in both institutions. Despite telling clerics and congregants who I met that I was an outsider intent on learning about their religion, there were almost universally positive reactions. One of the negative ones was in jest, another pointedly but politely questioning whether I was going to convert, a perfectly reasonable request.

I have noted many close parallels between Islam and Judaism and yet in my inter-faith discussions, many of these similarities, when revealed, come as a total surprise, even to educated people from both faiths. Some even express doubts as to their veracity. For example, Muslims bless Abraham, Jesus and the Virgin Mary and also revere the Torah and Gospels - something many Jews and Christians do not know.  Many Muslims find it hard to believe that Jews also fast on special days according to their (also) lunar calendar.  

I will broach a few here, knowing this is a superficial impression from a non-expert outsider. The singular differences, which are equally noteworthy, I will try to deal with at a later date. Here is a list of the topics I found to compare between the two religions:
Monotheism
The Rabbi and the Imam
Fasting
Positions for prayer
Prayers
Chanting weekly prayers 
Dietary laws
Circumcision
Holy writings
The Hebrew and Arabic alphabets
The lunar calendar
Prophets
Giving to charity
Pilgrimages
The name of the deity

Monotheism is strongly emphasised in both Semitic religions and the word for ‘one’ is used all the time. Even the very word in Hebrew and Arabic is almost the same - as is their universal greeting and its response (see below). Jews and Muslims are all taught to be wary of the Christian trinity as either dividing the deity or diluting it, something which is considered sinful by both. Yet strangely, in Islam, Mary, mother of Jesus, is given great respect and accorded her own chapter in the Qur’an (Sura Maryam).

The Rabbi and the Imam are both respected senior educated men (traditionally always men but some women have been accepted as rabbis in non-orthodox congregations).  However, they are not considered 'priests' as in Christian sense.  Nor are such people needed to intercede between humans and the deity.  The rabbi and imam are teachers, advisors and celebrants for births, deaths and marriages ('hatch, match and dispatch').  Indeed, all who pray in a mosque or a synagogue are considered equal.

Fasting is considered fundamental in both religions. While daytime fasting during the Holy month of Ramadan is well known, less well known are the Jewish fast days of which there are half a dozen each year. Muslims I have spoken to are often surprised and amazed that Jews fast for 24 hours (plus), a substantial feat, performed by most observant Jews on the Day of Atonement (as with Ramadan, pregnant women, children and sick/elderly people may be exempt). There are about six other Jewish fast days, one also full-day, others daytime only.

Positions for prayer. Jews and Muslims sometimes point out that despite a strong emphasis on prayer, they never kneel as Christians do. Yet the well known Muslim habit of bowing forward devoutly onto all fours for prayer comes from the Jews who do it only once (or maybe twice) per year, at the most Holy times of the High Holidays. And the crouching position appears to be very similar to that of the Muslims at ‘saleh’. With a common insistence on cleanliness for prayer, after the end of the yearly supplication, hands on the floor (or paper covering if made of stone), the Jews go to wash their hands before going on with the service. The carpet of a mosque is considered ‘clean’ since shoes are not worn inside - and furthermore, all congregants are expected to perform ‘woodoo’ or formal washing prior to the service.  These efforts are different from Jewish ceremonial bathing which occurs in a mikvah pool. 

Prayers in the Semitic cultures are generally made whilst facing one of the Holy places such as Jerusalem or Mecca. The house of worship also needs to face the correct direction. Thus geography, topography and also astronomy are important in setting locations and crucially for timing prayers, services and fasting. When in Jerusalem, Jews generally face east and when in Mecca Muslims may face the Kaaba (Abraham’s monument) or sometimes, Medina.

Chanting weekly prayers. During the weekly community prayer service about half of the prayers are either chanted or sung with strict rules for the chief cantor or prayer leader who is obliged in both religions to wear a special shawl and cap.  The individual words of the prayers are crucial to both Muslims and Jews with attention to accuracy and traditional languages used, Classical Arabic, Aramaic or Hebrew. 

Dietary laws have many similarities, most obviously banning products of porcine origin. The purity of ingredients and traditional manner of slaughter are also crucial to both cultures. Strict Jews have rather more regulations making many western meals unacceptable (including spaghetti Bolognese, and for several possible infringements). Yet fruit, vegetables, eggs, white fish and chicken are generaly ‘kosher’ (as long as the chicken was killed kosherly). Mature cheeses, much seafood and gluteal-end red meat (eg. rump or fillet beef or lamb) are unacceptable to ‘frum’ Jews for a variety of complex Biblical reasons.

Circumcision. Both Jews and Muslims consider male circumcision as a Holy Covenant and apart from boys with haemophilia or other medical reasons the rate is close to 100%.  Jewish boys are traditionally circumcised at a 'brit mela' ceremony on the 8th day of life which is performed by a 'mohel' who may be a Rabbi or a surgeon (or rarely both).  Muslim boys also usually have the operation (khitan) as babies but this varies between sects and countries although the destructive procedure is not mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. 

Holy writings are revered and sacrosanct in both religions to the extent that copies of the Qur’an and Torah are treated as one would another person. Every letter of every word is considered to be inspired by the deity and mistakes in manual copying are avoided by rigorous double checking down the centuries until modern printing (which is still not accepted for the most formal readings). Old copies cannot just be thrown away but need formal retirement and storage and/or burial. Needless to say, the language and date of the delivery of the words from the deity is also considered crucial, in the case of Hebrew of about three millennia ago (therefore in scroll form) and Arabic of about 1400 years ago (by which time the book or codex had been invented). Both of these languages are still in existence today largely due to the Holy writings, just as modern English dates from the time of the King James version of the Christian bible and the works of William Shakespeare.

The Hebrew and Arabic alphabets, while they look very different superficially, have many things in common. They are both read from right to left and thus books open the opposite way to European volumes. There are few vowels in the traditional written languages so these must be gleaned at by the context of the rest of the word and sentence. Modern Hebrew and Arabic both have a system of annotations which supplement the existing letters, clarifying the meaning and pronunciation.

The lunar calendar is used in both religions and thus observing the heavens is essential where the start of each month corresponds with the first sighting of the new moon. Some ancient Jewish festivals occur on the first of the month whereas more recent ones often on the 15th, the latter corresponding with the full moon. The Jewish calendar is brought into line with the solar year by the addition of an extra month five times every nineteen years. This brings them to being within seconds of the true secular, solar year. The Islamic year loses about eleven days each year against the seasons and so Ramadan will occur in summer for a decade, then recede to spring, winter and so forth. This is sometimes cited as bringing equality to Muslims who live in the northern and southern hemispheres. Passover and Shavuot, by contrast, are always in the northern spring or the southern autumn.

Prophets are quoted, blessed and revered in both religions. Yet it may surprise some to know that the Muslims place Abraham, Moses, Noah and Jesus into positions of importance. They also revere the Torah (or Tawrat) and its contents, despite believing that some of it has been corrupted since first delivery from the deity. Likewise the New Testament of the Christians which is largely accepted, the teachings and ministry of with Jesus and his disciples, but with the exception of the resurrection.

Giving to charity is essential in both religions and they even related semitic words, ‘tzedakah’ and ‘zakat’. There are strict rules in both religions, each with the same intent. The funds usually should go to poor people of that religion unless there are no poor people of that religion in a particular area in which case it can be given to others. Such funds cannot go to family members who are expected to be looked after separately. Nor can community taxes replace this duty. In both cases the money should be given directly to the poor person who should be thanked for accepting the alms and allowing the giver to ‘purify’ their remaining wealth. In both religions it is preferable to give directly to the poor person but I note that there is sometimes an intermediary at least to do the ‘match-making’.

Pilgrimages - old and new. Both religions frequently refer to ancient pilgrimages to and from cities of great importance.  Modern believers are encouraged to visit these places and even relive these journeys.  Meccah to Medina, Hebron to Egypt, Egypt to Jerusalem, Meccah to Jerusalem (Al Aksa).  These routes are referred to frequently in the scriptures and histories of the Jews and Muslims. For modern day adherants, the Hajj for Muslims and Aliya for Jews are essential trips for the faithful wherever they may live today as long as they can afford it.

The name of the deity. In both religions the actual name of the deity is crucial and must never be taken lightly. In fact in Judaism the actual name, while written in the prayer book, is normally not mentioned out loud.  Even in English it is considered respectful for Jews to write “G-d”.  In place of the full name the alternatives Adonai or Eloyhim are spoken (or sung).  In common parlance out of prayer the term HaShem (‘the name’) is used.   

In Islam and in fact in Eastern Christianity the correct name is “Allah” but for the Muslims it is always followed by a respectful 'joiner', commonly “Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala” or ‘most glorified’, usually shortened in writing to “Allah (swt)” in the same way as in English their Prophet has 'PBUH' added (Peace Be Unto Him). “The Creator” is also a common term in sermons I have heard.


I hope that the above observations are of interest to readers ... and my apologies in advance for any simplifications or errors (which I will endeavour to correct if pointed out by readers). 


Footnotes: [the word for 'one': wahid (Arabic), echod (Hebrew); greeting: 'salam alaykum' (Arabic), 'shalom alechem' (Hebrew); in both languages the polite (and usual) response is the same with the two words in reverse order.]

"Plumbing in churches, mosques and synagogues" A practical note.

Most church services last an hour or less so toilets are not required by the great majority and in emergencies the priest's facilities would suffice.  Although their formal services only last from 20 to 40 minutes, Muslims need to do specific washing and ablutions before prayer ("wudu" in English).  Hence the mosque or mussalah needs to have appropriate facilities for washing feet and faces as well as toilets.  A natural inclination to pass wind while crouching at prayer should be averted by correct wudu.  During Ramadan many of the faithful remain in the mosque for extended periods, even overnight in the last ten days (especially odd numbered days).  The Jews' Saturday service can last around three hours, including long readings from Torah and Tanakh (haftorah), hence toilet facilities are essential, especially for the elderly.  On certain High Holidays Jews get onto the ground for particular prayers and will need to wash again before continuing with the service.  Another need for running water in or adjacent to the synagogue. 

Text of the Balfour "declaration" of 1917

The oft misquoted “Balfour declaration” (1917) should not be confused with the Balfour Declaration (1926) which referred to administration of the Dominions.  For former is in fact one single sentence, approved by the UK cabinet, in which a favourable view is expressed upon the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine, with detailed conditions.  [It contains at least one grammatical error.]

Wiki states: The Balfour Declaration (dated 2 November 1917) was a letter from the United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour to Baron Rothschild (Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild), a leader of the British Jewish community, for transmission to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland.

Text: “His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”

 

For a facsimile of the actual letter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Balfour_portrait_and_declaration.JPG

 

Where do I stand on Israel?

I believe in the inalienable right of all Jews to participate in the development of Eretz Yisroel. After centuries of pogroms, discrimination and marginalisation by Christians in the West, survival has often been the highest priority for European Jews. Persecution in Muslim countries was rarely as severe or frequent. Some of the greatest flourishing of Jewish thought was under Muslim rule (eg. Marmonides in Egypt). Yet modern Israel survives and advances despite both large and small skirmishes with its neighbours. 

Many commentators have expressed the view that the continued survival and prosperity of Israel long-term is inextricably linked to a genuine and enduring peace with the Palestinians, co-custodians of the Holy Land today.  With the current instability across the Middle East, Palestine could become the very model of a modern Arab state.

The citizens of the region should make these decisions themselves and it may be unfair and inappropriate for outsiders to take positions on the various options, just as we do not expect to be dictated to by outsiders on policy matters affecting Australians.  One can and should still sympathise with both Sabra and Palestinian families in Eretz Yisroel.  And we should never take our own political freedoms and prosperity for granted in the hope that others can aspire to the same. 

[with apologies to the Druze, Samaritans, Palestinian Jews and Christians for my simplification in my own feelings on these issues]

 

My visit to Crown Heights ... too much Jewish evangelizing to my liking! Hag sameach!

Fri 15th April 2011

I have been to Brooklyn many times but never visited Crown Heights. Hence, being so close and having the time after visiting the Fort Hamilton VA hospital (terrible war injuries, burns, amputations, etc), I disembarked at Atlantic Avenue to change subway trains and found myself besieged by young Jewish children inside the Subway station. They were running around accosting any passing Caucasian with boxes of matzoh on offer. “Are you Jewish?” I was asked while proffered some of the unleaven bread, all boxed up like a pizza. “Thankyou, no. I have my own. Chaag sameach!” And this was happening in the week before Pesach and several miles away from Crown Heights itself where I arrived shortly afterwards (Kingston Avenue) to find another hive of pre-shabbos, pre-Pesach activity mid-afternoon on Friday.



There were people everywhere carrying packages. Huge signs proclaimed Happy Passover, Good Yontif, Hag Sameach, etc. I asked one young man what all the packages were and he said mostly matzoh but some were of old food to be auctioned off for Pesach (one of the more bewildering Yiddish customs). I was accosted by numerous folk just walking down the street. “Do you know what day it is today?” … “Do you know who lived in this house?” … “Are you Jewish?” I now reply: “Well I’m just Jewish from the waist down” (which is perfectly true) ... “and I sing in shule each Shabbos” - it is only if I know them a lot better (or they are taxi drivers) I admit to being a student of comparative religions.

One incessant frum gent with tzitzit and curls bailed me up on the sidewalk and spent ten minutes bantering with me about religion, mitzvot, shule, chazzanut and the rest before eventually handing me a card he obviously kept for interloping goys like me, saying: “These are the seven rules for the ben noach”. In other words, ‘forget the 613’ or ‘get thee to anothery’. What an insult! On the card it stated that the USA was founded on these seven laws: Belief in one G-d; respect and praise for same; respect for human life; respect for family (this is not stated directly in the ten commandments from my reading); respect for others’ property; pursue justice; respect all creatures (this is also drawing a long bow from my admittedly very elementary Torah study). Like many religious endeavours this is a job-lot of motherhood statements mixed with what might be called mother-in-law views (or even mumbo-jumbo). It could be quite offensive to members of mainstream but non-Book religions such as Buddhists, Shintos and Hindus as well as to atheists of all backgrounds. [End of drosha from Reb Byrne!]

I walked to the end of the small shopping centre and took some photographs in this para-Stetel. On the corner of Eastern Parkway was a synagogue built into the basement of a 4 storey apartment building. It had racks of Siddurim outside the multiple doors, virtually in the open air. The entrance proper consisted of six glass double doors leading to a narrow foyer before more glass doors into the shule itself. As I could find no kippah box I did not enter (in fact there were hats aplenty and it seems that these folk do not use humble kippot but since I have never worn a hat in shule I felt a little chary about doing so. Inside the low-ceilinged shule I could see the devout a-davening … someone was reciting Kaddish aloud … others were reading Torah … it looked more like an industrial factory than usual impression of a shule. And this hive of religious activity was mid-afternoon, just a few hours before candle lighting time for Shabbos. One hopes these guys (only men, of course) got out of their tefila in time.


The Jewish Children's Museum.

Outside, as I took another photograph I was immediately ‘tackled’ by another of the frum faithful, asking personal details and relating things I did not necessarily want to know. Most important was that the day I had chosen to take a deviation to Crown Heights just happened to be the birthday of the revered Rebbe (of blessed memory). Torah is not big on birthdays. In fact the only one mentioned in the Pentateuch is that of Pharaoh before the dream interpretation story in Bereshis. But the Lubavichers use all opportunities to raise the profile of their movement and their Rebbe of blessed memory (Menachem Mendel Schneerson). They even have a "Mitzvah Tank" which is a huge mobile home which could be seen and heard roaming the streets of Manhattan blaring loud Jewish music, trying to attract the lapsed faithful back into the fold. I wondered if the Catholics should take a leaf out of the Lubavichers' book and inaugurate a moblie confessional and communion van.

My interlocutor had a familiar accent and by chance hailed from Melbourne. He said that his name was Alex back home … but he was now known as Moshe in America. If he were a convert I would be surprised but such speculation is inappropriate anyway, of course. He seemed to be on auto-pilot, telling me that ‘this was the apartment’ where the Rebbe first lived when he moved to America from persecution in Russia in the 1940s. ‘This was the building’ purchased for his wife and his library. It was just like a dozen other adjacent smart brick 3-storeyed buildings. A driveway and garage had been added on the left, semi-tastefully. The building adjacent, on the corner of Kingston Avenue, was the four storeyed building which had been converted (at least its basement) into a shule. Or so I was told by my fellow national with the baseball cap (‘it is plain black so I can wear it in shule’).


I was ready to settle my brain on the train home to assimilate all of the things that had happened already that day. However, this latter day apostle insisted on accompanying my into Manhattan on the number 3 subway. He prattled about the hereafter, divinity, conversion, kosher, Pesach and more. He was not necessarily a good ambassador for Judaism and eventually I had to tell him that I needed to slow down mentally to prepare for dinner that evening with not-so-frum Jews who are good friends in the city. I kept nice, fortunately and while we had exchanged first names there was no card, surname or email contacts mooted I’m pleased to say. He got out of the train at 34th Street, Herald Square. While he was trying, he was certainly enthusiastic. ‘Chaag sameach’ said I as he departed and the train proceeded to the upper west side.

Just off to Seder in 6 hours time (I wrote this piece a few days later and certainly not on Shabbat). My third family seder in the city over the years.



Apologies if any of this offends due to my half-goyish ignorance.
A page from my diary: A Month in New York. Blog: http://andrewbyrneinnewyork.blogspot.com/

Opera: http://andrewsopera.blogspot.com/



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Shylock, Shakespeare, and the Jews: Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice

“Shylock, Shakespeare, and the Jews: Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice”

Panel discussion Wed 13th April, 7pm Museum of Jewish Heritage.

Barry Edelstein, director, The Public Theater,
Professor James Shapiro of Columbia University,
Rabbi Steven Weil
Moderator: Patrick Healy, New York Times drama critic.

Dear reader,

This was a subject that has fascinated me since I was a teenager even though I am very much a Shakespeare novice. So, denying myself a Rachmaninoff concerto at Carnegie Hall, I attended this panel discussion on Anti-Semitism at the Museum of Jewish Heritage at Battery Point.

Rather than spirited debate, all three experts and the moderator seemed to agree on most of the themes raised. More diverse parties might well have had heated discussion using lines drawn from the play. An all-Jewish expert panel left no gentile expert to take the can or “blame”, even play devil’s advocate. The Merchant of Venice was a play for the London middle classes and a case might be made that the more anti-Semitic it was, the more effective it might be to make its audience question its themes, whether from a Christian, Jewish or humanist perspective. But this aspect was left as either self-evident or else too difficult by the panel.

We were told that William Shakespeare would never receive the ‘righteous gentile of the year’ award (laughter!). However it was agreed by our speakers that Shakespeare should probably not be characterised as any more anti-Semitic than most his era. I once quizzed Australia’s great Shakespearean John Bell in an unguarded moment. He said that he felt that on balance the play was probably not anti-Semitic.

Literary historians cannot agree on just where the Bard came upon his quite detailed knowledge of Jews … not to mention Venice, Verona, Cyprus, etc. It is doubtful that he ever saw a Jewish community unless he ‘slipped across the channel’ to Antwerp, Amsterdam or other cities with visible Jewish communities. We were told that the 13th century expulsion of the Jews from England was not a simple date by which all Jews had to leave. Even before this things were being made more and more difficult for Jews using ruinous taxation, education limitations and living restrictions. Eventually most of the community had either emigrated or converted. Those who made their Jewish faith public would be formally deported as happened, we were told, to a well known civil engineer in the service of Queen Elizabeth I. We were told that despite his position, knowledge and connections he was forcibly exiled. Even prior to the expulsion of the Jews in the 13th century by Edward I, Magna Carta did not apply to them as they were considered direct subjects of the Crown.

Hence the only Jews Shakespeare could have known would have been ‘private’ or ‘at home’ Jews who like covert Catholics under Henry VIII, became pseudo-Christians outwardly to avoid punishment and/or deportation. I have read that Queen Elizabeth’s physician Rodrigo Lopez, an Iberian exile, may have been a model for Shylock. He was executed after accusations of an assassination plot. The very lack of a real Jewish community to observe in England at the time may well have heightened the scope for wild anti-Semitic stories such as the ‘blood libel’.

Shakespeare would have seen Marlowe’s play ‘The Jew of Malta’ written just a few years earlier c1590. Despite being very popular at the time, we were told that Barabas was little more than a cardboard cut-out persona compared to the complex character of Shylock. Readers who know the play or who have seen a summary as I did, may find this an unfair simplification. The experts agreed that Marlowe’s play had a substantial influence on the character of ‘Shylock’.

One panel member said that Shakespeare would certainly have been familiar with the New Testament story of replacing the covenant of circumcision with a comparable but symbolic “bris of the heart” during baptism (St Paul’s letter to the Romans was mentioned). The notion of a bloody cardiac ‘covenant’ for the ‘pound of flesh’ is almost too ‘clever’ to be true. Yet it just may have been the homicidal intention of Shylock on his gentile adversary as the Bard often had layers of meaning in his writings. We learned that in Yiddish, ‘flesh’ can also refer to ‘penis’. By Christian tradition St Paul tried to attract more converts by eliminating the need for circumcision in his ‘new’ religion. Paul was born ‘Saul’ and only changed names, like so many other binominal biblical characters … in his case on the ‘road to Damascus’.

My long time Jewish mentor once told me that Pauline intolerance was disguised as liberalism. She also said that Jesus would have kept kosher and followed Jewish practices. Paul dropped both the kosher dietary laws as well as circumcision in order to ‘market’ his new religion to other Jews as well as gentiles, simultaneously bad-mouthing establishment Jews as an exclusive clique. My friend described St Paul as an ‘extraordinary spin doctor’, like some modern day politicians. Whether Shylock considered teaching the Christians a lesson from these tales is a matter for interesting speculation.

The panel members then dealt with the origins of anti-Semitism using New Testament quotes such as Matthew 23. Some blamed the Jews for the death of Jesus while others blame the Romans (and Herod was only nominally Jewish according to some sources). A contrary deduction to my mind would be for Christians to laud, or at least respect those responsible since it was the death of Jesus which was by tradition supposed to ‘cleanse the sins of the world’.

Mention was made of the ‘outsider’, stranger or underdog being used in Shakespeare’s plays, usually as minor characters. However, top billing went to the moor in Otello and to Shylock who parallel each other to some extent. Each man was needed to perform difficult tasks at the time by established society, despite their outsider status. We were given a brief quote from Otello as he is dying, likening himself to a dog.

The panel members were discussing the context of anti-Semitism in past eras, pointing out that it was ubiquitous and just ‘normal’ until very recent times in most western countries. To demonstrate this point, Rabbi Weil read out a brief quote and asked the panel and audience to guess its author. “The Jews, I find, are very, very selfish. When they have power, physical, financial or political neither Hitler nor Stalin has anything on them for cruelty or mistreatment”. With a silent and startled audience we were informed that it was written by Harry Truman when he was President. This also caused some consternation amongst the audience. The quote was from a private diary found years after the President’s death and published in the Washington Post in 2003. A Google search shows that Rabbi actually read out an edited version. The full version, while also outrageous (see below*) has some more caveats and details so readers may judge for themselves if it is any less offensive than the above excerpt. Importantly, while it refers to Jews, it generalises to other minority groups, or ‘under-dogs’ who may have become ‘masters’ themselves and subsequently forgotten their past. While it would be less than acceptable today, it was a shame Rabbi did not analyse the President’s meaning in relation to post war events, rather than using his words as a 'shock-horror' tactic to underline a point, and one well known to everyone in the room I suspect.

Indeed, we were also reminded that it was some of Truman’s actions, against the advice of his State Department, that probably allowed the State of Israel to come into being. [A cynic might say that the Anti-Semite in him might have hoped that the creation of Israel would cause all the Jews to migrate there and solve the perceived “Jewish problem”.] On a more positive note, Truman had a life-long Jewish friend and business partner for whom he apparently had the greatest devotion and affection. The rather shocking quotation was used by the Rabbi to show that ‘as a society we have moved along’ from the days when just about everybody was openly anti-Semitic.

In a number of other instances in his other plays Shakespeare uses the term ‘Jew’ as a derogatory generic in what might be throw-away lines by the characters involved: ‘You think me a Jew?’ Just as the President’s anti-Semitic quote was dismissed without analysis as an ugly historical exhibit, I was disappointed that the panel also overlooked Shakespeare’s own written words. I had hoped for some examples from the play of anti-Semitism and some balancing sentiments … but it was not to be. There is other racism in the play although nothing to rival the anti-Semitism (eg. Portia on Morocco and other suitors). I was also disappointed that we did not get some wisdom on how it was that of the hundreds of human situations one could write about, this time Shakespeare chose aspects of Jewish life in Venice, then a place of the most ‘international’ status, perhaps like New York or Shanghai today.

Our speakers touched on dozens of different productions of ‘Merchant’. Apart from all the varied adaptations in English they included a version in Yiddish in New York, in Hebrew in Israel and in Italian in Italy. Of great interest was the use of Shakespeare by the Nazi regime in the 1930 in German. There were many productions of Merchant in both Germany and Austria in the 1930s and during the war. Mostly these were substantially edited to keep consistent with the prevailing pure Aryan dogma. The (inter)marriage of Jessica and Lorenzo was often omitted … and on occasions Jessica was cast as an adopted Aryan child. The Germans apparently even called him “our” Shakespeare (Aryan, Christian, etc), a principle which, taken to its extreme, could have shortened the war considerably. We were told about a widely screened propaganda film version of the play, also carefully edited, made under the watchful eyes of Josef Goebbels. One speaker expressed some views about the educational and historical value of such films - ‘however shocking they may be by their nature’. Some of the worst examples have apparently been lost to posterity.

Another odd description from one of our panellists who happened to see a production in Italy in Italian when the play simply stopped after a commotion-filled courtroom scene. One of the characters, a well-known Italian comedy actor, came down to the front of the stage and made some hilarious comments about the ‘comedy’ that was to ensue.

There were various American versions of the play from the 1960s up to one recent production in Central Park followed up at The Public Theater with Al Pacino. The famous Hollywood actor reputedly said: “My parents are from Sicily, therefore I am a Jew” (more laughter). Daniel Sullivan also directed one classic production which was mentioned. Barry Edelstein make a note of the fact that Mr Sullivan is not Jewish which ‘must have enabled him to read the lines from an unbiased perspective although as a humanist he must also have cringed like any Jew at every negative sentiment in the play’.

It was “let slip” that one such production may be reprised in Los Angeles later this year This information may be been an intentional commercial ‘Wiki-Shy-leak’! Moderator Mr Healy said that his education was Jesuit but he wondered about how a Jew felt about the play and its author on first hearing the words from its characters. While ‘startled’ and ‘upset’ initially were some emotions given, it was not said that probably the main view of Jews would be that Shakespeare was just like everybody else. It was vexing to have the panel agreeing on just about everything with few if any point of discord, despite the huge gaps in our knowledge about the era, playwright and his chosen subject.

We were told that apart from a handsome portrayal of Shylock, the unique addition for Pacino was when holding the knife to extract the ‘pound of flesh’ from Antonio’s chest he apparently displayed absolute terror (rather than anger). The reason, we were told, was that in that the stabbing Antonio would likely have then led to the death of Shylock himself as well. If his own actions caused his own death, and since suicide is contrary to Jewish law, this would also condemn him forever, along with his quarry. It seems that for most people the turning point in the play is the near-murder of Antonio (the Merchant) when the play returns to being an involving comedy.

Almost as interesting as the panel discussion was my solitary walk northwards after the talk, passing Thames Street and Liberty Street towards the World Trade Center site. The coastal blocks from Battery Park contain dozens of new buildings on reclaimed land near the mighty Hudson River. By mid-evening the tallest were shrouded in cloud which made the tranquil early Spring night eerie indeed. Across the water the New Jersey coastline could clearly be seen including a huge bright red fluorescent clock face showing the current time. At Ground Zero, despite two new buildings are going up rapidly in opposite corners, there remains an enormous chasm amidst the dense surrounding development. The so-called (but now to be re-named) “Freedom Tower” has reached 62 floors, about half its final height. Another building on the south-east side looks to be up to about twenty floors. I understand that there are some monumental areas with pools of water as well as some open space and visitors’ center with a dedication to those who lost their lives as a result of the attacks. Another unique day for a traveller in the Big Apple.

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

* Full quote from Harry Truman’s private diaries: "The Jews, I find, are very, very selfish. They care not how many Estonians, Latvians, Finns, Poles, Yugoslavs or Greeks get murdered or mistreated as D[isplaced] P[ersons] as long as the Jews get special treatment. Yet when they have power, physical, financial or political neither Hitler nor Stalin has anything on them for cruelty or mistreatment to the under dog. Put an underdog on top and it makes no difference whether his name is Russian, Jewish, Negro, Management, Labor, Mormon, Baptist he goes haywire. I've found very, very few who remember their past condition when prosperity comes."

Central Synagogue concert at Bondi Junction.

‘Symphony for the Soul’ - Central Synagogue. Wed 20th October 2010

Once again this year we were privileged to have a full symphony orchestra with four cantors at Central Synagogue in Bondi, NSW, Australia for an evening of (mostly) Jewish music. The star of the night was the extraordinary Yitzchak Meir Helfgot from Park East Synagogue on East 67th Street in Manhattan. No less renowned is chief house cantor Shimon Farkas with son Dov Farkas and chazzan sheini Yehuda Niasoff making a quartet of rare quality.

For the first time on the concert stage was the recently formed Central Synagogue boys choir of seven members. Through the marvels of audio and video technology we were also joined by the great Moshe Koussevitsky who had one of the most extraordinary voices of all time, although he died in the 1960s. His voice recordings and video clips of his singing were cleverly joined and then spliced almost imperceptibly with Chazzan Helfgot’s singing in some of the most challenging pieces in chazzanut. We also heard a reconstructed recording of the great Ch. Rosenblatt with images from the early days of the 20th century.

The vocal program began with all four cantors doing Eshet chayil with great aplomb. Maestro Sobol had pre-recorded some introductory lectures on cantorial singing with some anecdotes and superlatives concerning 20th century schools in Europe and America, old recordings, Caruso and New York. Yehuda Niasoff sang Zol shoyn kumen to a handsome ovation while the first half finished with a Carlebach compilation from all chazzanim.

The second half was introduced by shule president Paul Keen, including an infomercial for the synagogue and appropriate acknowledgements. We heard no less than three pieces by the highly successful pop singer, dancer, performer and song-writer Ilan Kidron, voice behind the “Potbelleez” group. With a colleague on double bass he sang with almost swallowed microphone a modern song about the language of love. This was followed by ‘Je ne regrette rien’ by Dumont (in excellent French). After another cantorial pearl from Ch Helfgot (Achai giborei hathila), Mr Kidron sang his own Hebrew piece which was also well received.

Following the beautiful and demanding Habet mishamayim there was rapturous applause for Ch Helfgott who scratched his head and returned directly to the microphone as the orchestra proclaimed the introduction to 'Nessun dorma' which he sang with vast Pavrottian effusion. It was just a shame that the boys choir could not join in the ‘none shall sleep’ choral sections, but we can’t have everything.

The much anticipated (at least by me!) 'Granada' was wiped from the official program for some reason. This was most disappointing, partly because it is a wonderful rousing piece which Shimon Farkas would have sung beautifully. But in addition, the Spanish city of Granada represents one of the ancient seats of Jewish learning from the time of RAMBAM until the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. ‘Granada’ was replaced by a full-choir version of ‘Adon olam’ which really got the crowds clapping and singing along. I think they suddenly thought it was lunch time Saturday instead of a midweek evening. Even the elderly Russian lady sitting beside me knew the words (at least the rondo ending in 'sh’mo nikra').

This event, which after three years, seems like an annual fixture, is a colossal undertaking for a shule with no school, no yeshiva, no conservatory, no hospital or nursing home. However the kehillah is one of the best endowed in the country as well as possessing one of the largest and most comfortable synagogues in the world. The concert was well attended with only a sprinkling of empty seats I noted at the very rear sections. The full 2000 seats could not be used as much of the lower level was taken up with the stage, sound equipment, special effects lighting, smoke machines and stairways, etc.

We were told that any profits from the concert would go into added security for the community. The notion of ‘fortress Israel’ was also emphasised as the video accompaniment to one of the second half arias was the IDF in every conceivable field of active combat. These included blowing up targets, paratroopers en masse, missile launching and armed personnel carriers going through snow and desert sands. It was as far from the psalms of King David as one could imagine. A community member I questioned afterwards said that he thought it was ‘a bit out of place’. However, the very fact that it happened is a demonstration of the unity Jews have towards the State of Israel, despite the obvious and continuing problems of settlements, Gaza ghetto, occupation, etcetera.

As well as a cultural high-point, these concerts are a ‘thank-you’ for kehillah donors, some of whom were singled out for their generosity. This week marked the 80th birthday of Frank Lowy who was sitting with his party in the front row upstairs. Others who were specifically thanked included Harry Triguboff and his wife along with numerous sponsors of the night, personal and corporate.

If I had any comment on the content as a gentile outsider it would be that there could have been a Broadway piece, another operatic pearl as well as perhaps a comedy number. We were serenaded with “Mamele” and “My zaide” but no Hollywood song. The excellent and responsive symphony orchestra had no great classic piece to show off their art. I would have chosen a Rossini overture, perhaps the Turk in Italy … or Leonard Bernstein’s miraculous Candide overture would have been equally acceptable.

The audience might also have appreciated a break from the three high-voiced tenors, perhaps by a baritone or bass.

Comments by Andrew Byrne .. (mystery goy in shule).

Yitzchak Meir Helfgot in concert in Sydney. Cantors galore!

Thursday, 20 August 2009 7.30pm - “Symphony for the Soul”

Concert at Central Synagogue featuring Chazzanim Yitzchak Meir Helfgot, Shimon Farkas, Dov Farkas and Yehuda Niasoff with baritone Bob Borowsky and popular singer Jimmy Barnes. Sydney International Orchestra - conducted by Mordechai Sobol.


This splendid concert allowed almost 2000 Sydney-siders to re-live a glorious golden age of cantorial and klezmer singing.

After the overture (Engel’s wedding march) we heard the ever popular ‘Oseh shalom bimromav’ by the three cantors. We then heard a brief pre-recorded video introduction with the night’s conductor Dr Mordechai Sobol giving the history of some famous cantors of the 20th century. Yoselle Rosenblatt and Moshe Koussevitsky were featured in two brackets which were cleverly crafted by Ofir, the son of Maestro Sobol, who also conducted one of the items in the second half. V’lirushalayim Ircha and Lefichach were just two of numerous such cantorial ‘pearls’. Chazzan Helfgot’s singing was imperceptibly spliced into (and back out of) historical clips of the great singers as the orchestra continue to play the accompaniment. The blending/mixing of the sounds was ingenious as it was tasteful.

We were reminded that the great opera tenor Enrico Caruso lauded his friend Rosenblatt, saying that attending his Saturday synagogue services in New York was the equivalent of a singing lesson for him.

Bob Borowsky introduced his aria 'Di provenza il mar il suol' in its context in the story of Verdi’s La Traviata. His smooth ‘velvet’ operatic baritone was a nice contrast with the surfeit of tenors on the night. Those wishing to hear a soprano voice will be disappointed in an orthodox shule (unless it were a boy soprano). For others wanting more opera, the final encore was Chazzan Helfgot doing 'Nessun dorma' in the style of Pavarotti (and holding the last notes even longer!). This aria from Puccini’s Turandot was sung for the World Cup in Rome in 1990. These items were the high points for me, being an ‘opera nut’ before becoming a chazzanut nut.

Cantor Helfgot began singing ‘A Yiddishe Momme’ and was then joined for the second verse by Jimmy Barnes to a great applause. He sang with charm and emotion, including several lines in Yiddish.

The second half began with ‘What a wonderful world’, also sung by Jimmy Barnes. He spoke about his own Mogen Dovid which was passed to him from his mother and grandmother and was the only symbol of Judaism remaining in his life until quite recent times.

Two tributes to Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach started with his version of 'Lecha dodi, likrat kala'. Including Central Synagogue’s Chazzan Sheini Yehuda Niasoff there were now four superb cantors on stage at the one time! Han’shama Lach was followed by a lively orchestral medley of Jewish themes.

In a speech after the intermission we heard about the musical tradition at Central Synagogue along with details of the tragic fire and new modern synagogue, now 11 years old. Credit and thanks were given to Rabbis Levy Wolff, Mendel Kastel, Chazzanim Shimon Farkas and Yitzchak Meir Helfgot, Dr Sobol, Harry Trigaboff, Frank Lowy, Paul Keen, other board members, supporters and the many others involved in this huge undertaking.

Judging by the ovation a marvellous time was had by all and the audience of nearly 2000 indeed got their money’s worth! It was a rare treat to hear one of the world’s best cantors again in Sydney, along with local chazzanut talents and one of the most celebrated experts on Jewish music conducting a symphony orchestra in the country’s largest synagogue.

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..


Additional personal comments by way of 'post-script':

The essential cantorial talent to focus and project the voice was not on show due to the use of amplification. For those of us lucky enough to be in shule the follow Shabbos Ch Helfgot took to the Bimah as Ch Farkas was away for a family celebration. The visiting chazzan was so generous with his singing at Kabbalat Shabbat that he sang beyond the timed lights-out session! Fortunately there was a goy in shule who offered to turn them back on.

Just momentarily, at the highest, loudest and most sustained, the chazzan can sound like a chain saw in action … only then to melt again into mellifluous melody, unlike his two-stroke competitor. I just say this to emphasis the power and projection of chazzan’s highest notes which are indeed phenomenal by any measure. I believe that he sang notes higher than a C natural but I could be mistaken (Pavarotti was famous for his sustained high C’s).

I had a ‘date’ to attend with a cultured continental lady who is a Shoah survivor. However, she had a cataract operation the day before so I took my own family G-dmother, another woman of the world, if a slightly different world. Following my own bent she is a genteel gentile who dabbles Yiddish for part of each week. Like most everyone else, she was highly impressed by the entire evening, from the Australian National Anthem (everyone knew the words!) at the start to the Israeli one to finish the evening.

The concert finished with a native floral presentation and ‘Happy Birthday’ (strangely sung in English) for Mr Borowsky who turned 80 recently. He is one of the stalwarts of the Central choir, still singing year round after a lifetime of opera singing.