In 1954, Mark David Zimmerman, author of RASHI, RAMBAM and RAMALAMADINGDONG, was born in New Orleans to Orthodox Jews–Irvin, from Louisville, Kentucky, and Dena, from Houma, Louisiana in Cajun country. That combination set him on his Jewish path, one that was filled with tradition but also very far from tradition. Mark went to Sunday School and Hebrew School, celebrated his bar mitzvah on the last day of the Six-Day War (thanks for the perfect set up for a bar mitzvah speech), and was active in the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization. He celebrated the Jewish holidays, but Mardi Gras, the pre-Lenten bacchanalia in New Orleans, was also a major part of his growing up and costuming, more so than Purim! Mark worked part-time at the New Orleans Jewish Community Center from junior high through college, spent a half year on a kibbutz after college graduation, and then served his social work field placement at the JCC, leading to a full-time position as the Children’s Worker and Day Camp Director upon graduation from Tulane’s School of Social Work. He later worked at the Tulsa Jewish Community Center and also served as Executive Director of a Jewish charitable agency on Long Island, New York, while devoting his volunteer efforts to his synagogue and his children’s Jewish day school.
His writing skills were focused on a number of publishing projects, including a Long Island family activities guidebook, and children’s musical theater productions, including Alphabeddy, about a town that had to deal with the theft of the Letter E from their National Library (try saying even one complete sentence without using the Letter E - I bet you can’t do it).
With that varied Jewish and creative background Zimmerman was well qualified to offer Jewish trivia questions with answer choices that included the most ridiculous made-up answers over the last dozen years. But Zimmerman has decided to hang it up and devote his time to other endeavors, so this will be the final RASHI, RAMBAM and RAMALAMADINGDONG weekly trivia question. Mark wants to thank all of his readers and followers for their support.
So now, the final Jewish trivia question. And this one focuses on the Jewish life of Mark D. Zimmerman himself. Among the many “Jewish” moments in Mark’s life, at least one Jewish event was a bit off-kilter. Which of the following is a true story from Zimmerman’s Jewish life?
6 month old Mark D. Zimmerman and his mom.
A. The first time Mark ever saw the play Fiddler on the Roof was at the Jewish Community Center, where it was presented by a Catholic boys high school, with a priest playing the role of Tevye.
B. Mark’s first experience with snow, which included being pushed down into a snowbank, took place in Israel.
C. Mark was traveling through Europe after college, and he happened to be in Germany on his 22nd birthday. He spent that morning touring the Dachau Concentration Camp, and on the train ride back to Munich, he was befriended by two older couples from Oklahoma. Upon learning it was Mark’s birthday, the Okies invited him to be their guest at a Munich beer garden. The combination of a concentration camp tour and beer steins in Munich made for a most unusual birthday celebration.
D. In early December when Mark was in 2nd grade at a public school, he raised his hand and told the teacher that it was not right that she was planning Christmas activities, as they never do Jewish things, only Christian things. When the teacher asked what Christian things they’ve done, he looked puzzled for a minute, and then said, “Thanksgiving?”.
E. At Mark’s bar mitzvah, he was disappointed when the cute girl only shook his hand in the receiving line rather than kissing him. And then her father gave him a kiss.
As we celebrate the 8th day of Chanukkah, many of us still have dreidel songs spinning in our heads. But some of us have other more recent Chanukkah songs on replay that add another level of fun to the holiday. Many are spoof songs based on famous pop music, such as Bohemian Chanukah by Six13, and The B-Boyz song (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Dreidel) which is based on the The Beastie Boys’ song (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!). There is also a growing list of new and enjoyable Chanukkah songs, the most famous of which is Adam Sandler’s The Chanukah Song. Others include Candlelight by the Maccabeats, Hanukkah (Favorite Time Of The Year) by rapper Too $hort, Happy Joyous Hanuka by the Klezmatics, and 8 Days (of Hanukkah) by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings. There is one Chanukkah song by a New York rock band, the LeeVees, which somehow manages to work what unexpected words into the lyrics?
Tiki Menorah at 100 Men Hall D.B.A. in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi by Mark D. Zimmerman
Jews around the world are gathering together to light the menorah in celebration of Chanukkah, the festival of lights. Even in difficult times, we are strengthened by the words of Anne Frank, who wrote, “At such moments I don’t think about all the misery, but about the beauty that still remains.” With that in mind, we will eat latkes and sufganiyot, we will play dreidel games, and we will light the eight candles as we remember the miracle of the oil in the Temple. And as we celebrate with these annual traditions, Jews are always looking for a new angle to bring additional joy to this holiday, even in simply finding the best new names for the old celebrations! Which of the following are actual Chanukkah celebrations that will be taking place this week?
Happy Chanukkah from RRR by Mark D. Zimmerman is in the public domain
A. Chanukah Pajamakah Havdalah and Chanukah Extravaganzukah.
Renowned architect Frank Gehry (née Goldberg) died last week at the age of 96. While best known for designing buildings such as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and private residences such as that of Michael Eisner, Gehry also designed sculptures, theater stage sets, jewelry, and furniture, as well as the World Cup of Hockey. Gehry was the son of Irving Goldberg, a first generation American whose family emigrated from Russia, and Sadie Kaplanski Goldberg, an immigrant born in Łódź. Gehry, having suffered from antisemitism as a child, decided to change his last name in college at USC so that he would be accepted into the university’s architectural fraternity. He graduated in 1954 from USC’s School of Architecture, briefly studied at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, and then apprenticed at an architectural firm in Los Angeles. He eventually established his own firm, Frank Gehry and Associates, and went on to a highly successful career with worldwide fame. Among his other well-known designs were the California Aerospace Museum, the Cinémathèque Française in Paris, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. In 2010, Gehry designed the Beekman Tower in Manhattan, which was next door to the Trump World Tower, and which was a few centimeters taller, surpassing the Trump building to become the tallest residential building in New York, leading Trump to criticize the Beekman, noting that “it’s always very tough to make something successful at the high-end level with a public school in the building.”
While Gehry’s Judaism was not a primary part of his identity, what is one creative design that he noted was inspired by his religious background?
A. Banneker Fire Station in Columbia Maryland, which includes a torch sculpture that was inspired by the eternal flame which Gehry saw in his synagogue when growing up.
B. Dancing House in Prague, which includes a bas relief over the main entrance which features dancers from different cultures including some inspired by Gehry’s vision of Israeli chalutzim (pioneers) performing Jewish folk dances.
C. The Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem, which features two copper pillars by the entrance, representing the Boaz and Jachin pillars of the first Temple.
D. The Walt Disney Concert Hall which features a series of sculptures of musical instruments throughout history, the oldest of which is a sculpture of Miriam and her timbrel leading the Israelite women in dance across the Red Sea.
E. Gehry’s Fish Lamps sculptures, which were inspired by the carp which his grandmother would put in her bathtub in preparation for making Passover gefilte fish.
More than ten years ago, scientists began to develop lab-grown meat derived from animal cells, leading to questions of kashrut among Jewish authorities. Most agree that the product can be kosher if the animal from which the cells are taken is a kosher animal, and the production process is monitored and certified by a kosher certification agency. Recently, scientists have had success creating lab-grown milk by inserting certain genes into a yeast or fungus. What is the current thinking about the kosher status of that product?
A. Lab-grown milk is considered to be milchig (dairy) because it is produced from cow’s milk cells.
B. Lab-grown milk is considered to be fleishig (meat) because it is produced from cow cells.
C. Lab-grown milk is considered to be pareve (neither meat nor dairy) because it is made from a synthetic gene and not from a real cow cell.
D. Because the rabbis simply can’t agree on whether lab-grown milk is milchig, fleishig, or pareve, the bet din (religious court) has decided to call it milchig on Sunday and Wednesday, fleishig on Monday and Thursday, and pareve on Tuesday and Friday. On Shabbat the rabbis have ruled that only schnapps can be drunk.
E. In Judaism there is a concept of mar’it ayin, where appearance matters. Even if something is certified kosher, if it would look otherwise to observers, it would therefore be considered unacceptable unless the user made the distinction clear. For example, it is recommended that when drinking almond milk with meat that the label of the almond milk be visible to others. Similarly, because of the concept of mar’it ayin, it is recommended that when drinking lab-grown milk with a meat meal in public, the scientists who created the product should be sitting next to you in their lab coats.
Three major kosher certifying agencies (OU Kosher, Star-K, and OK Kosher) have announced a new stricter policy regarding the kashruth of beer. Until now, beer was considered kosher whether or not it had an official hechsher. This was because the ingredients of beer were limited to grain, water, hops and yeast, all of which are considered to be inherently kosher. Many beers already have kosher certification, including major producers such as Samuel Adams, Heineken, Coors, Budweiser and Miller. And there are many small craft beers that are certified kosher, with almost a thousand beers appearing on a list released by the three certifying agencies, including such brands as Orange You Glad It's An IPA, Berry Weiss, Hop Nosh Tangerine IPA Beer, and Lesser Jesus Pale Ale. But many other national, regional, and local craft beers will no longer be acceptable after January 1, including Sierra Nevada and Dos Equis. What is one of the ingredients that is occasionally added to some craft beers that would render the drink unkosher if not certified?
The Trump administration has targeted many universities, demanding changes in regard to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies. Many universities have had government funding withheld, and some have been pressured to sign a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” which would require universities to exclude consideration of race, gender and ethnicity in admissions, maintain strict traditional views on gender, and prohibit certain campus student demonstrations. This last issue particularly targets pro-Palestinian demonstrations which have taken place on many campuses, creating uncomfortable situations at the least for many Jewish students, and in some cases danger to those students. While one motive behind the administration’s efforts is to force universities to offer more protection to Jewish students against antisemitic attacks, these policies can actually make it more difficult for university administrators to serve all of their students well.
Earlier this year, Jim Ryan was forced out of his position as president of the University of Virginia under pressure from the Republican governor Glenn Youngkin, who had drafted a plan to ban DEI in public schools and universities including UVA. The governor and the United States Department of Justice claimed that Ryan failed to uphold the DEI ban. Ryan denied this and claimed that he did institute the new policy, but that the policy was vague and flawed. He gave examples of problems with the new policy, including that it could actually have a negative impact on Jewish students, saying what?
A. “For example, did it mean that we could no longer try to recruit qualified first-generation students from rural parts of Virginia, or offer financial aid, or even enroll Jewish students, because each of those efforts would be advancing diversity, equity, and/or inclusion?”
B. “For example, did it mean that we could no longer try to recruit qualified first-generation students from rural parts of Virginia, or offer financial aid, or even keep our Hillel House on campus, because each of those efforts would be advancing diversity, equity, and/or inclusion?”
C. “For example, did it mean that we could no longer try to recruit qualified first-generation students from rural parts of Virginia, or offer financial aid, or even allow Jewish students to miss class on the High Holidays, because each of those efforts would be advancing diversity, equity, and/or inclusion?”
D. “For example, did it mean that we could no longer try to recruit qualified first-generation students from rural parts of Virginia, or offer financial aid, or even have our theater department stage Fiddler on the Roof, because each of those efforts would be advancing diversity, equity, and/or inclusion?”
E. “For example, did it mean that we could no longer try to recruit qualified first-generation students from rural parts of Virginia, or offer financial aid, or even serve matzah in the dining halls during Passover, because each of those efforts would be advancing diversity, equity, and/or inclusion?”
Rabbi Arthur Waskow died last month at the age of 92. His original professional life was in the political world, as a legislative assistant to Congressman Robert Kastenmeier of Wisconsin, and later as a founder of the Institute for Policy Studies. He was an alternate delegate to the Democratic Convention in 1968 in support of Robert F. Kennedy, but following Kennedy’s assassination, he nominated the Reverend Channing Phillips for president, the first Black American to be nominated at a major party convention. He became more active in Jewish and progressive political life, publishing the Freedom Seder Haggadah in 1969, which focused not only on the Exodus from Egypt, but also on the modern civil rights and women’s rights movements. Said Waskow, “a Freedom Seder should be not only a ritual remembrance, not only a shared promise for the future, but itself a political act.” He was active in the anti-Viet Nam war movement, attending many sit-ins and being arrested multiple times. He also protested the treatment of Soviet Jews, apartheid in South Africa, and the Iraq War. By the 1970s, he became a leader in the Jewish renewal movement, first by founding the Fabrangen Havurah and later founding the Shalom Center and ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. In 1995 he was ordained as a rabbi by a bet din comprising Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Rabbi Laura Geller, and two other Jewish authorities. He wrote multiple books, advocated for LGBT rights, promoted a two state solution for Israel and Palestinians, and co-created “Kol Nidre in the Streets” as part of the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations. He was honored as one of the Forward Fifty, Newsweek’s Most Influential Rabbis, and T’Ruah’s Lifetime Achievement Human Rights Hero, and he received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. In his Freedom Seder Haggadah, Rabbi Waskow included the song Let My People Go, to which he added an additional verse which ended with what words?
Reb Arthur Waskow by jane d. is licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A. Join UP, People – Freedom in every land, Tell ALL Pharaohs: Let My creation grow!
B. Stand UP, People – Spread love across the land, Tell ALL Pharaohs: Let My creation grow!
C. Rise UP, People – Rise up in every land, Tell ALL Pharaohs: Let My creation grow!
D. Raise UP, People – Peace be with everyone, Tell ALL Pharaohs: Let My creation grow!
E. Explore NEW Worlds – Live long and prosper too, Tell ALL Klingons: Let My starship grow!
Vice President JD Vance addressed a crowd at a Turning Point USA event where he spoke of his wife Usha’s religion, which is Hindu. Said Vance, “I believe in the Christian gospel and I hope that eventually my wife comes to see it the same way.” There are only a few thousand Hindus living in Israel, most of whom are Jewish, but who adopted Hindu beliefs and practices in addition to or instead of their Jewish beliefs. Many of these Israelis took on the Hindu faith following visits to the Indian city of Vrindavan, where Krishna is said to have spent his childhood, or Mayapur, a major pilgrimage site in India. One large Israeli Hindu community lives in the town of Katzir-Harish in northern Israel, while another group lives in the West Bank town of Ariel. One of the major holidays in Hinduism is Krishna Janmashtami, which Israeli Hindus will celebrate next year on September 3 and 4, including the offering of 108 vegetarian meals in honor of the birth of Lord Krishna. What are people who follow both Jewish and Hindu tradition called?
President Trump ordered the tearing down of the East Wing of the White House in preparation for the building of a 90,000 square foot ballroom. Advocates state that the facility is needed as large state dinners are currently held in an outdoor space under a tent. Critics note that the expansion of the White House was done with minimal planning and consultation, with disregard for the historic space that has been demolished. Israel’s early presidents lived in their own housing until 1971, when President Zalman Shazar inaugurated a new facility known as Beit HaNassi, hebrew for House of the President. Besides being the residence of the President, Beit HaNassi is known for its artwork, including the Wall of Praise to Jerusalem by Moshe Castel, stained glass windows by Reuben Rubin, and a painted 63-panel ceiling by artist Naftali Bezem in the building’s reception hall.
Beit HaNassi underwent its own renovation in 2011 under the impetus of then-president Shimon Peres. Among the changes he made to his residence were removal of columns in the reception room which blocked views of attendees, improving the outdoor patio used for cocktail receptions, and an upgrading of the kitchen (which was described as “Ben-Gurion spartan with formica surfaces”). What are visiting world leaders asked to do when they pay a visit to Beit HaNassi?
A. They are asked to participate in a service in the garden of the house as a memorial to Israel’s fallen soldiers.
B. They are asked to sign their name on the Kotel shel Shalom HaOlam, the Wall for World Peace, which includes a stained glass window designed by Marc Chagall.
C. Pope Benedict XVI planted an olive tree in Beit HaNassi’s peace garden upon the request of President Shimon Peres, and subsequent world leaders have continued this tradition.
D. They are asked to put a token donation into the residence’s Tzedakah Box (designed by artist Yaacov Agam) with pictures of this donation used to promote charitable fundraising in the visiting leader’s home country.
E. They are asked to purchase a bitcoin with a picture of the current president on the e-currency.
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