A while back, I met a young man. He was affable, friendly and quite rambunctious. You would never know by casually meeting him that he was fighting a potentially fatal brain tumor.
We got friendly and spoke daily. One day, he told me that he was going for an operation, the doctors were going to try to remove the tumor from his brain. He explained that his chance of survival was minimal. He was naturally scared, he cried, he prayed, but the one thing he didn't do was self pity. He explained that self pity was for the weak and he was strong. He explained that in order to survive the operation, he had to remain strong, he had to fight.
The night before he entered the hospital, we spoke. At the end of a very emotional conversation, the young man said to me 'never say goodbye, always say cya later. Goodbye is so final and life is so fluid and we never know what G-d's plan is.'
He survived the operation and is doing fine now, but those words resonated in my head. Never say goodbye.
Last night I hosted what I expect will be my last radio show for quite a while on 1650 AM Radio Shalom Montreal. There was some sadness, but the truth of the matter is it came down to economics.
Radio Shalom Montreal is a noble project that is struggling. It is struggling not due to the global economic situation, nor was it victim to scammers like Bernard Madoff. It is struggling due to the apathy of the Montreal Jewish Community, a community wealthy enough to donate multiple millions to the local Federation, but apparently not wealthy enough to support a local Jewish radio station. It's a sad commentary.
There's an old song who'se refrain states 'Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone' ..Montreal has lost The Howie Silbiger Show and is at risk of losing Radio Shalom...
So to my radio fans, thank you for your support, thank you for being there, calling in and taking part in Jewish talk radio in Montreal. To quote my young friend, Cya later..
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Would we know a Maccabi?
Chanukah, the festival of lights. The celebration of the Jewish victory over the Hellenists and the ultimate survival of the Jewish people.
Today we marvel at the thought of a Jewish ruffian, standing up to the ruler of the land and saying No. We call Judah Maccabi a hero, we hail him, remember him and celebrate his victory. But what about modern day Maccabis, what about the men and women who fought and continue to fight for Jewish values and Judaism?
Historically, modern day Maccabis have been shunned. Take, for example, Vladamir Jabotinksy. The following is from the Wikipedia entry for Jabotinksy:
"During the 1930s, Jabotinsky was deeply concerned with the situation of the Jewish community in Poland. In 1936, Jabotinsky prepared the so-called 'evacuation plan', which called for the evacuation of the entire Jewish population of Poland to Palestine. In 1936, Jabotinsky toured Eastern Europe, meeting with the Polish Foreign Minister Colonel Józef Beck; the Regent of Hungary, Admiral Miklós Horthy, and Prime Minister Gheorghe Tătărescu of Romania to discuss the evacuation plan. The plan gained the approval of all three governments, but caused considerable controversy within Polish Jewry, on the grounds that it played into the hands of Polish anti-Semites. In particular, the fact that the 'evacuation plan' had the approval of the Polish government was taken by many Polish Jews as indicating Jabotinsky had gained the endorsement of what they considered to be the wrong people. The evacuation of Jewish communities in Poland, Hungary and Romania was to take place over a ten-year period. However, the controversy was rendered moot when the British government vetoed it, and the World Zionist Organization's chairman, Chaim Weizmann, dismissed it. Two years later, in 1938, Jabotinsky stated in a speech that Polish Jews 'were living on the edge of the volcano' and warned that a wave of bloody super-pogroms would be happening in Poland sometime in the near future. Jabotinsky went to warn Jews in Europe that they should leave for Palestine as soon as possible."
Of course the Jews of Poland looked at Jabotinksy as a nutball, they ignored his warnings and were ultimately marched to the Gaz chambers of various concentration camps.
Jabotinksy was a failed Maccabi, he put himself forward but was unable to guide the troops and furthermore, when the Irgun lost the power struggle against the Hagganah, Jabotinsky, who died in 1940, was soon forgotten.
Simon Weisenthal was another Maccabi. After surviving the death factories of Germany, Weisenthal went on to form an institute dedicated to the hunting of Nazi murders. Weisenthal was instrumental in the hunting and capture of Nazis Adolf Eichman and Karl Silberbaur.
While honoured extensively, Weisenthal failed to ignite the spirit of the Jewish people of North America to pressure their governments (notably Canada and the US) who had and still have a dismal record of persuing Nazi war criminals.
Rabbi Meir Kahane was a controversial character. The Founder of the Jewish Defense League, an organization dedicated to protecting Jews in New York City and bringing the plight of Russian Jews to the forefront.
While noble for the feat of transforming pacifist 1960 era New York Hippies into a militant fighting machine, Kahane failed to gain mass North American appeal. His Maccabian revolutionary stance was overshadowed by what mainstream Jews perceived, rather than the reality.
Kahane's transition from the streets of New York to the Israeli Knesset and the publication of dozens of books, didn't quell the lies about his philosophy, some which continue to be repeated today. These lies, some contrived by other Israeli political parties, contributed to him being banned from the Knesset in 1988.
Kahane failed as a true Maccabi, simply because North American and by extension, Israeli Jews refused to accept a strong, charismatic Jew who was able to physically defend himself. The week before his murder in 1990 by Al Queda, Kahane stated in an interview that if he was going to be assassinated, it would be by Jew. He was killed by an Arab, El Sayid Nossair, after giving a speech in New York City. Nossair, acquitted of the Kahane murder, was later arrested in the Al Queda plot to blow up the World Trade Center in New York in 1993.
These three failed Maccabis are just a few of many that have come and gone, but have been unable to ignite the Jewish spark in mainstream Jews.
Would we accept a Maccabi today? Probably not. Julius Cesar said it the best, 'if you leave the Jews alone, they will turn on each other and self destruct'.
Intermarriage is at over 50%, and climbing, Jewish family values have disintegrated and Kosher eating has declined. The Jewish world is at a sorry state, I could only hope that a Maccabi will arise and return us to our former glory. If not, I'm afraid we may be doomed.
May the lights of the menorah be a shining beacon upon the nations.
Howie
Today we marvel at the thought of a Jewish ruffian, standing up to the ruler of the land and saying No. We call Judah Maccabi a hero, we hail him, remember him and celebrate his victory. But what about modern day Maccabis, what about the men and women who fought and continue to fight for Jewish values and Judaism?
Historically, modern day Maccabis have been shunned. Take, for example, Vladamir Jabotinksy. The following is from the Wikipedia entry for Jabotinksy:
"During the 1930s, Jabotinsky was deeply concerned with the situation of the Jewish community in Poland. In 1936, Jabotinsky prepared the so-called 'evacuation plan', which called for the evacuation of the entire Jewish population of Poland to Palestine. In 1936, Jabotinsky toured Eastern Europe, meeting with the Polish Foreign Minister Colonel Józef Beck; the Regent of Hungary, Admiral Miklós Horthy, and Prime Minister Gheorghe Tătărescu of Romania to discuss the evacuation plan. The plan gained the approval of all three governments, but caused considerable controversy within Polish Jewry, on the grounds that it played into the hands of Polish anti-Semites. In particular, the fact that the 'evacuation plan' had the approval of the Polish government was taken by many Polish Jews as indicating Jabotinsky had gained the endorsement of what they considered to be the wrong people. The evacuation of Jewish communities in Poland, Hungary and Romania was to take place over a ten-year period. However, the controversy was rendered moot when the British government vetoed it, and the World Zionist Organization's chairman, Chaim Weizmann, dismissed it. Two years later, in 1938, Jabotinsky stated in a speech that Polish Jews 'were living on the edge of the volcano' and warned that a wave of bloody super-pogroms would be happening in Poland sometime in the near future. Jabotinsky went to warn Jews in Europe that they should leave for Palestine as soon as possible."
Of course the Jews of Poland looked at Jabotinksy as a nutball, they ignored his warnings and were ultimately marched to the Gaz chambers of various concentration camps.
Jabotinksy was a failed Maccabi, he put himself forward but was unable to guide the troops and furthermore, when the Irgun lost the power struggle against the Hagganah, Jabotinsky, who died in 1940, was soon forgotten.
Simon Weisenthal was another Maccabi. After surviving the death factories of Germany, Weisenthal went on to form an institute dedicated to the hunting of Nazi murders. Weisenthal was instrumental in the hunting and capture of Nazis Adolf Eichman and Karl Silberbaur.
While honoured extensively, Weisenthal failed to ignite the spirit of the Jewish people of North America to pressure their governments (notably Canada and the US) who had and still have a dismal record of persuing Nazi war criminals.
Rabbi Meir Kahane was a controversial character. The Founder of the Jewish Defense League, an organization dedicated to protecting Jews in New York City and bringing the plight of Russian Jews to the forefront.
While noble for the feat of transforming pacifist 1960 era New York Hippies into a militant fighting machine, Kahane failed to gain mass North American appeal. His Maccabian revolutionary stance was overshadowed by what mainstream Jews perceived, rather than the reality.
Kahane's transition from the streets of New York to the Israeli Knesset and the publication of dozens of books, didn't quell the lies about his philosophy, some which continue to be repeated today. These lies, some contrived by other Israeli political parties, contributed to him being banned from the Knesset in 1988.
Kahane failed as a true Maccabi, simply because North American and by extension, Israeli Jews refused to accept a strong, charismatic Jew who was able to physically defend himself. The week before his murder in 1990 by Al Queda, Kahane stated in an interview that if he was going to be assassinated, it would be by Jew. He was killed by an Arab, El Sayid Nossair, after giving a speech in New York City. Nossair, acquitted of the Kahane murder, was later arrested in the Al Queda plot to blow up the World Trade Center in New York in 1993.
These three failed Maccabis are just a few of many that have come and gone, but have been unable to ignite the Jewish spark in mainstream Jews.
Would we accept a Maccabi today? Probably not. Julius Cesar said it the best, 'if you leave the Jews alone, they will turn on each other and self destruct'.
Intermarriage is at over 50%, and climbing, Jewish family values have disintegrated and Kosher eating has declined. The Jewish world is at a sorry state, I could only hope that a Maccabi will arise and return us to our former glory. If not, I'm afraid we may be doomed.
May the lights of the menorah be a shining beacon upon the nations.
Howie
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Obama, Leftists, Affirmative Action and Race
It amazes me that so-called anti-racist liberals are celebrating the election of Barak Obama to the US Presidency. In the few conversations I've had with such people, they laud the maturation of the American people in finally accepting a Black as president. They wax nostalgic about how Martin Luther King, Corretta Scott King and Rosa Parks would be smiling brightly at the sight of a Black Man taking the White House. They smile a dreamlike smile and call the election 'historic' and 'monumental' and point out that just 50 years ago, Blacks were being lynched in Virginia, a state that overwhelmingly voted for Black Barak.
How racist.
Politics is a dirty game and nobody plays it dirtier than the United States. It is true that Barak Obama is the first Black President of the US, but should skin color be the criteria for voting in a world leader?
The talk about Obama from Obama supporters reminds me of the supporters of Affirmative Action, a policy of reverse discrimination which somehow 'fixes' the discrimination faced by Black Americans for centuries. Those employers taking part in Affirmative Action are supposed to choose the Black candidate for the position over the White candidate if their qualifications are somewhat equal. The action does not take into account the personality, the likability or even the potential of the person doing a stellar job. All it takes into account is, if, on paper, the person is as qualified as the other and if the person is Black. It's a racist policy which does no service to either candidate and which can potentially put an employee in a job that doesn't fit.
I worked for a radio station a while back which had an equal opportunity policy. Basically that meant, if you were a white male, you had no chance, whatsoever, of ever attaining a job at this station. Their criteria forced them to first hire female voices (Some of which were terrible), next minorities, Amer-Indians, Blacks and finally if all else fails white males. The rational, simply white males have dominated radio for decades, it's time to give other people a chance.
So basically, in both these scenarios, if you were a white male, you were screwed. Simple as that.
So how does all this tie into the election of Barak Obama? Simply put, it's amazing how politics creates strange bedfellows and how people's true racist feelings come flooding forth on or just after election day.
Obama supporters are lauding the election of the first Black President. They are not lauding the election of a qualified president, a statesman, a Democratic president to take them out of the Bush years, but merely a Black president. Color takes precedence, Color makes the President. As one Obama supporter told me on my election coverage special on Radio-Shalom Montreal (1650 Am - www.radio-shalom.ca), 'I wanted to be part of history, I wanted a Black President, I voted Obama!'
Conversely, the Republicans are making the best out of a bad situation. They never, once, during their campaign mentioned Obama's skin color. They held their dignity and discussed the issues, Obama's political affiliations, Obama's track record (which is non-existent) and Obama's qualifications to hold the highest office in the land.
Those who focus on color rather than qualifications when it comes to Obama should take a close look at themselves and wonder how they became blatant racists.
How racist.
Politics is a dirty game and nobody plays it dirtier than the United States. It is true that Barak Obama is the first Black President of the US, but should skin color be the criteria for voting in a world leader?
The talk about Obama from Obama supporters reminds me of the supporters of Affirmative Action, a policy of reverse discrimination which somehow 'fixes' the discrimination faced by Black Americans for centuries. Those employers taking part in Affirmative Action are supposed to choose the Black candidate for the position over the White candidate if their qualifications are somewhat equal. The action does not take into account the personality, the likability or even the potential of the person doing a stellar job. All it takes into account is, if, on paper, the person is as qualified as the other and if the person is Black. It's a racist policy which does no service to either candidate and which can potentially put an employee in a job that doesn't fit.
I worked for a radio station a while back which had an equal opportunity policy. Basically that meant, if you were a white male, you had no chance, whatsoever, of ever attaining a job at this station. Their criteria forced them to first hire female voices (Some of which were terrible), next minorities, Amer-Indians, Blacks and finally if all else fails white males. The rational, simply white males have dominated radio for decades, it's time to give other people a chance.
So basically, in both these scenarios, if you were a white male, you were screwed. Simple as that.
So how does all this tie into the election of Barak Obama? Simply put, it's amazing how politics creates strange bedfellows and how people's true racist feelings come flooding forth on or just after election day.
Obama supporters are lauding the election of the first Black President. They are not lauding the election of a qualified president, a statesman, a Democratic president to take them out of the Bush years, but merely a Black president. Color takes precedence, Color makes the President. As one Obama supporter told me on my election coverage special on Radio-Shalom Montreal (1650 Am - www.radio-shalom.ca), 'I wanted to be part of history, I wanted a Black President, I voted Obama!'
Conversely, the Republicans are making the best out of a bad situation. They never, once, during their campaign mentioned Obama's skin color. They held their dignity and discussed the issues, Obama's political affiliations, Obama's track record (which is non-existent) and Obama's qualifications to hold the highest office in the land.
Those who focus on color rather than qualifications when it comes to Obama should take a close look at themselves and wonder how they became blatant racists.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Wikipedia, Notability and Fame
This week was very interesting.
A friend of mine noticed a Wikipedia page with my name attached to it and a somewhat detailed biography of me written there. Since I didn't write the biography and it was relatively accurate, I was a bit flattered that someone bothered to spend there time to research me and write the thing, it was long and quite detailed. Today, Wikipedia removed my biography saying that I was not notable enough to warrant one on their site.
While most people would be insulted, I agree. Some people let fame and notability get to their heads. Some thrive on the fact that everyone knows every intimate detail of their lives and they build their lives around this false and disturbing concept of self importance.
I do not consider myself a notable person, I'm a regular guy who works hard to try to make the world a better place. I host a radio show, I'm "known" by lots of people, but at the same time, I'm humbled by the fact that anyone listens. I'm known to ask people who tell me that they listen to my show "why?".
I was embarrassed by the Wikipedia article and I'm glad Wikipedia had the good sense to remove it, but I thank the person who posted it for caring.
A friend of mine noticed a Wikipedia page with my name attached to it and a somewhat detailed biography of me written there. Since I didn't write the biography and it was relatively accurate, I was a bit flattered that someone bothered to spend there time to research me and write the thing, it was long and quite detailed. Today, Wikipedia removed my biography saying that I was not notable enough to warrant one on their site.
While most people would be insulted, I agree. Some people let fame and notability get to their heads. Some thrive on the fact that everyone knows every intimate detail of their lives and they build their lives around this false and disturbing concept of self importance.
I do not consider myself a notable person, I'm a regular guy who works hard to try to make the world a better place. I host a radio show, I'm "known" by lots of people, but at the same time, I'm humbled by the fact that anyone listens. I'm known to ask people who tell me that they listen to my show "why?".
I was embarrassed by the Wikipedia article and I'm glad Wikipedia had the good sense to remove it, but I thank the person who posted it for caring.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
The Clerk and the Customer (A Horror Story)
I'm not perfect, I never pretend to be perfect and on my radio show (http://www.truetalkradio.com) my flaws come out pretty clearly. Being not perfect, I could understand and empathize with the imperfections of other people and possibly forgive them for some of their indiscretions.
The other day I was in a kosher restaurant standing in line waiting to order. I was third in line, two guys, both religious, with kippas and tsitsis hanging out, were together were standing in front of me and the order clerk was nowhere to be found. The two guys started talking about how they were in a rush and the clerk wasn't there. One guy turned to his friend and said, 'ah the hell with it' and proceeded to walk around the counter and start punching things into the clerks cash register.
Now if you never worked for a retail store, you probably wouldn't know that the clerk is responsible for all cash in his drawer. If any money is missing at the end of the day, and his cash doesn't balance, the clerk is personally responsible to replace that money out of his pocket. So most cashiers are pretty touchy when it comes to other people touching their cashes.
Coincidentally, the clerk came out as the guy was playing with his cash. He calmly and politely asked the guy to please not touch his cash and to go back to the other side of the counter and he would be more than happy to serve him. The customer then did the unthinkable. He unleashed a long string of profanities (very bad words) followed by, and I'm going to use a direct quote, "we should all learn our place in the world, you are a $12 an hour food jockey, I'm the customer. You serve me, it's like I'm the master and you are the slave."
The clerk, surprisingly, kept his cool and told the customer that he would not serve him. The customer then proceeded to flip out. First he tried to stare down the clerk in an aggressive fashion, the clerk just stood there and met him eye to eye. Then he said 'get me my food, you damn 40 year old bachelor'. where the clerk politely asked him to leave the restaurant.
The customer refused to leave and was getting more agitated as the minutes passed. The clerk called the next in line and the customer went ballistic.
"I'm going to teach you a lesson" he bellowed at the clerk, "I'm going to prove to you that I'm the master and you're my bitch!"
With that the customer proceeded to call a number on his cellular phone. The clerk stepped back, leaned against the wall behind him and watched. The customer said "You're just a lowly clerk, you can't decide who gets served and who doesn't. Know your place in life, know who the boss is."
The customer then left the restaurant. Two minutes later the restaurant phone rang, the clerk answered. By the sounds of the one side of the conversation I heard, it was the owner of the restaurant ordering the clerk to serve the customer. The clerk adamantly refused, never explaining himself, but invited the owner to come down to the restaurant to serve these guys or inviting the clerk to come out. He said that he would never serve these two again and hung up.
He proceeded to serve the other customers in line in a professional and calm way. When we started talking to him about the incident, he didn't answer, asking us to drop it and just order. It was amazing how calm he remained.
Five minutes later the owner of the restaurant walked in laughing with the two customers. They walked up to the counter, the clerk looked at the two guys, the owner stood behind him.
"Serve them" said the owner. "No." responded the clerk. The stare down started again. "I'm telling you one more time, serve them" said the owner. The clerk turned and walked out of the room. The owner followed him to the back. Minutes later another employee came out and took the customer's order. The customers got their food at the end and after a few short profanities about the clerk, turned and left.
This story has been running around in my head since it happened. I didn't believe it then and even now, after a few days and talking about it on the show and writing about it I still find it horrifying.
There are three incredibly disturbing factors in this story.
The first I want to talk about is the sense of entitlement the customer felt over the clerk and the attitude used to degrade and demean a service person.
I don't give a rats petunia how much money you make, what kind of car you drive or what social status you think you have in life. People are people, human beings deserve dignity and respect. In this case, the clerk had done nothing wrong. He asked a customer not to touch his cash register, he is responsible for the money, this is his living, his livelihood, nobody has the right to touch it. For the customer to go off on him, the way he did, and this guy seemed like a fairly normal person, is repulsive, regrettable and quite disgusting.
Customers in the store were disgusted, many screaming at this guy to shut up. The clerk must be commended for keeping his cool, but imagine yourself facing this kind of tyrannical ranting. Imagine being on the receiving end of such a personal attack. How would you react? I probably would jump across the counter and throttle the customer, I would find it very hard to keep my cool. As a customer I'm ashamed to say, that besides exchanging some verbiage with the customer, I did nothing to interfere with the chain of events. It's shameful that I didn't step forward and help calm the situation, but all of us in the restaurant were in a state of shock. The scenario was quite unbelievable.
The second issue that repulses me is the reaction of the restaurant's owner. He didn't even ask the clerk for an explanation. He just came in, laughing with the customer, and demanded the clerk serve him. This kind of disrespect of staff is typical of most Kosher establishments, but in this case, quite gross and fairly disturbing. The clerk was an older person, probably in his mid to late 30s, I don't know his financial situation nor do I know why he chose to be a clerk in a kosher restaurant, but one has to assume he needs the job to survive.
As an employer I hire people and trust that they make decisions that will benefit the company and are based on solid background. Since this clerk didn't seem to have any mental deficiencies (unlike the customer) and since he had been working at this establishment for quite a while, I find it infinitely impossible to believe that the owner of the establishment would embarrass and degrade him like that. To me that's shameful.
Incidentally all of us in line walked out when the owner tried to force the clerk to serve the customers.
The third issue that really saddens me is that these two guys were "religious", wearing kippas and tsitsis.
This event took place during the three weeks, a time of careful contemplation, a time of mourning and a time of repentance. It is during these three weeks that we work to make the world a better place, to break down the boundaries between us and to attempt to usher in the age of moshiach.
It is said that the second Jewish Temple was destroyed because of unwarranted hatred between Jews. The story of Karmtza and bar karmtza (http://www.ou.org/yerushalayim/tishabav/kamtza.htm) is the oft quoted story when it comes to Tisha Baav and the three weeks. Their dispute was the catalyst for the destruction of the temple.
That said, religious people do not act in the manner that this guy acted in, so one can only assume he was an impostor. Impostors give religious people bad names. Imagine the other customers, none who were religious, experiencing this kind of show and basing their opinions of religious people on this customer.
This is the type of event that is stopping moshiach from coming. This is the type of event that divides us as Jews, as humans and as civilized individuals. Until we have the ability to get over ourselves, we could never make the world a better place.
The other day I was in a kosher restaurant standing in line waiting to order. I was third in line, two guys, both religious, with kippas and tsitsis hanging out, were together were standing in front of me and the order clerk was nowhere to be found. The two guys started talking about how they were in a rush and the clerk wasn't there. One guy turned to his friend and said, 'ah the hell with it' and proceeded to walk around the counter and start punching things into the clerks cash register.
Now if you never worked for a retail store, you probably wouldn't know that the clerk is responsible for all cash in his drawer. If any money is missing at the end of the day, and his cash doesn't balance, the clerk is personally responsible to replace that money out of his pocket. So most cashiers are pretty touchy when it comes to other people touching their cashes.
Coincidentally, the clerk came out as the guy was playing with his cash. He calmly and politely asked the guy to please not touch his cash and to go back to the other side of the counter and he would be more than happy to serve him. The customer then did the unthinkable. He unleashed a long string of profanities (very bad words) followed by, and I'm going to use a direct quote, "we should all learn our place in the world, you are a $12 an hour food jockey, I'm the customer. You serve me, it's like I'm the master and you are the slave."
The clerk, surprisingly, kept his cool and told the customer that he would not serve him. The customer then proceeded to flip out. First he tried to stare down the clerk in an aggressive fashion, the clerk just stood there and met him eye to eye. Then he said 'get me my food, you damn 40 year old bachelor'. where the clerk politely asked him to leave the restaurant.
The customer refused to leave and was getting more agitated as the minutes passed. The clerk called the next in line and the customer went ballistic.
"I'm going to teach you a lesson" he bellowed at the clerk, "I'm going to prove to you that I'm the master and you're my bitch!"
With that the customer proceeded to call a number on his cellular phone. The clerk stepped back, leaned against the wall behind him and watched. The customer said "You're just a lowly clerk, you can't decide who gets served and who doesn't. Know your place in life, know who the boss is."
The customer then left the restaurant. Two minutes later the restaurant phone rang, the clerk answered. By the sounds of the one side of the conversation I heard, it was the owner of the restaurant ordering the clerk to serve the customer. The clerk adamantly refused, never explaining himself, but invited the owner to come down to the restaurant to serve these guys or inviting the clerk to come out. He said that he would never serve these two again and hung up.
He proceeded to serve the other customers in line in a professional and calm way. When we started talking to him about the incident, he didn't answer, asking us to drop it and just order. It was amazing how calm he remained.
Five minutes later the owner of the restaurant walked in laughing with the two customers. They walked up to the counter, the clerk looked at the two guys, the owner stood behind him.
"Serve them" said the owner. "No." responded the clerk. The stare down started again. "I'm telling you one more time, serve them" said the owner. The clerk turned and walked out of the room. The owner followed him to the back. Minutes later another employee came out and took the customer's order. The customers got their food at the end and after a few short profanities about the clerk, turned and left.
This story has been running around in my head since it happened. I didn't believe it then and even now, after a few days and talking about it on the show and writing about it I still find it horrifying.
There are three incredibly disturbing factors in this story.
The first I want to talk about is the sense of entitlement the customer felt over the clerk and the attitude used to degrade and demean a service person.
I don't give a rats petunia how much money you make, what kind of car you drive or what social status you think you have in life. People are people, human beings deserve dignity and respect. In this case, the clerk had done nothing wrong. He asked a customer not to touch his cash register, he is responsible for the money, this is his living, his livelihood, nobody has the right to touch it. For the customer to go off on him, the way he did, and this guy seemed like a fairly normal person, is repulsive, regrettable and quite disgusting.
Customers in the store were disgusted, many screaming at this guy to shut up. The clerk must be commended for keeping his cool, but imagine yourself facing this kind of tyrannical ranting. Imagine being on the receiving end of such a personal attack. How would you react? I probably would jump across the counter and throttle the customer, I would find it very hard to keep my cool. As a customer I'm ashamed to say, that besides exchanging some verbiage with the customer, I did nothing to interfere with the chain of events. It's shameful that I didn't step forward and help calm the situation, but all of us in the restaurant were in a state of shock. The scenario was quite unbelievable.
The second issue that repulses me is the reaction of the restaurant's owner. He didn't even ask the clerk for an explanation. He just came in, laughing with the customer, and demanded the clerk serve him. This kind of disrespect of staff is typical of most Kosher establishments, but in this case, quite gross and fairly disturbing. The clerk was an older person, probably in his mid to late 30s, I don't know his financial situation nor do I know why he chose to be a clerk in a kosher restaurant, but one has to assume he needs the job to survive.
As an employer I hire people and trust that they make decisions that will benefit the company and are based on solid background. Since this clerk didn't seem to have any mental deficiencies (unlike the customer) and since he had been working at this establishment for quite a while, I find it infinitely impossible to believe that the owner of the establishment would embarrass and degrade him like that. To me that's shameful.
Incidentally all of us in line walked out when the owner tried to force the clerk to serve the customers.
The third issue that really saddens me is that these two guys were "religious", wearing kippas and tsitsis.
This event took place during the three weeks, a time of careful contemplation, a time of mourning and a time of repentance. It is during these three weeks that we work to make the world a better place, to break down the boundaries between us and to attempt to usher in the age of moshiach.
It is said that the second Jewish Temple was destroyed because of unwarranted hatred between Jews. The story of Karmtza and bar karmtza (http://www.ou.org/yerushalayim/tishabav/kamtza.htm) is the oft quoted story when it comes to Tisha Baav and the three weeks. Their dispute was the catalyst for the destruction of the temple.
That said, religious people do not act in the manner that this guy acted in, so one can only assume he was an impostor. Impostors give religious people bad names. Imagine the other customers, none who were religious, experiencing this kind of show and basing their opinions of religious people on this customer.
This is the type of event that is stopping moshiach from coming. This is the type of event that divides us as Jews, as humans and as civilized individuals. Until we have the ability to get over ourselves, we could never make the world a better place.
Friday, May 23, 2008
The Assassination of a Head of State
Yesterday, a listener called the show and advocated the assassination of the Prime Minister of Israel. My first reaction was shock and outrage, it was my gut reaction to a preposterous suggestion on live open air radio. Even more infuriating at the time was the fact that I felt Rabbi Shlomo Mahn, my long suffering co-host, did not say enough to distance himself from the suggestion.
After listening to a tape of the show this morning, I may have been too harsh on Rabbi Mahn. While I feel he may have been clearer in his initial reaction to the caller, I also feel that this prevailing sense of hopelessness felt by a majority of diaspora Jews (especially those not deluded by the hatred expressed by groups such as the Netury Karta and Peace Now, who are hellbent on destroying the State of Israel) that Prime Minister Olmert is selling out the country. If I was too harsh on my good friend, the Rabbi, I apologize.
We have a responsibility as talk show hosts to choose our words and reactions to words carefully. We have specific responsibilities to the government who grants us our license and we have a fundamental responsibility to the listeners who invest hours of their lives listening to our show. While sometimes, sitting in a small room with a couple of microphones makes you kick back and relax, the truth of the matter is that radio and words could be dangerous if we are not careful what's said.
When the caller first suggested that someone in Israel get caught in friendly crossfire, I initially laughed, I honestly thought he was joking. But when he emphasized that he thought that Olmert should get shot, that's where I took issue.
I was working as a newspaper columnist when then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. I remember clearly the vilification of the religious and right wing, repercussions still felt today. I remember The Montreal Gazette's front page story quoting a fringe rabbi saying that Orthodox Jews have blood on their hands. I remember the furor that erupted when my column was published condemning The Gazette for such blatant hateful and not overly accurate ramblings.
To attempt to build up the same furor that preceded, but not necessarily resulted in the unfortunate murder of Yitzhak Rabin is unacceptable discourse both on my radio show and in society as a whole. The caller should be ashamed of himself.
Have a great Shabbos
Howie
After listening to a tape of the show this morning, I may have been too harsh on Rabbi Mahn. While I feel he may have been clearer in his initial reaction to the caller, I also feel that this prevailing sense of hopelessness felt by a majority of diaspora Jews (especially those not deluded by the hatred expressed by groups such as the Netury Karta and Peace Now, who are hellbent on destroying the State of Israel) that Prime Minister Olmert is selling out the country. If I was too harsh on my good friend, the Rabbi, I apologize.
We have a responsibility as talk show hosts to choose our words and reactions to words carefully. We have specific responsibilities to the government who grants us our license and we have a fundamental responsibility to the listeners who invest hours of their lives listening to our show. While sometimes, sitting in a small room with a couple of microphones makes you kick back and relax, the truth of the matter is that radio and words could be dangerous if we are not careful what's said.
When the caller first suggested that someone in Israel get caught in friendly crossfire, I initially laughed, I honestly thought he was joking. But when he emphasized that he thought that Olmert should get shot, that's where I took issue.
I was working as a newspaper columnist when then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. I remember clearly the vilification of the religious and right wing, repercussions still felt today. I remember The Montreal Gazette's front page story quoting a fringe rabbi saying that Orthodox Jews have blood on their hands. I remember the furor that erupted when my column was published condemning The Gazette for such blatant hateful and not overly accurate ramblings.
To attempt to build up the same furor that preceded, but not necessarily resulted in the unfortunate murder of Yitzhak Rabin is unacceptable discourse both on my radio show and in society as a whole. The caller should be ashamed of himself.
Have a great Shabbos
Howie
Friday, May 16, 2008
Ehud Omert - War Criminal?
I've been thinking that perhaps Ehud Omert, the Israeli Prime Minister is a war criminal. First he uprooted thousands of Jews and abandoned them into trailer parks. Then he went and allowed enemies of his State to occupy the previous Jewish towns and launch missles into his population centers. No reaction.
His own President, noted dove Shimon Peres, recently said that the only way the Israelis could stop is by re-occupying Gaza, but they won't do it.
So the Israeli government is once again sacrificing Jews for the farce of peace...How sad.
Charge Ehud Omert with war crimes today.
Howie
His own President, noted dove Shimon Peres, recently said that the only way the Israelis could stop is by re-occupying Gaza, but they won't do it.
So the Israeli government is once again sacrificing Jews for the farce of peace...How sad.
Charge Ehud Omert with war crimes today.
Howie
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Ah the blog...
So we have been promising show blogs from the people running the show and here we are, my first one.
I first off want to thank you all for tuning in, it is truly an honor to be welcomed into your lives every day and I thank you for this wonderful opportunity.
Ok enough of the mush, let's get down to reality. The State of Israel is in pain, I hear it crying out to the Jews of the Diaspora, screaming for us to protect its holy sites, it's polished stone and its existence within the State of Israel.
The city remembers when it was under Jordanian rule and all Jewish holy sites were desecrated or destroyed. It remembers the Romans and the Greeks, the Assyrians and Egyptians. The city has a long memory and knows now that the fullest peace it has ever experienced was that under Israeli rule.
For a while, Palestinian genocidal terrorists did not dare attack Jerusalem, the city was seen as holy and untouchable. But as the zealots continued to rile the masses and the hatred of thousands of years boiled to the top of the pot, Jerusalem became like everywhere else in Israel, a target.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Omert is planning on re-dividing Jerusalem for a promise of peace. As a Jew I'm appalled, as a historian I'm disgusted and as a rational observer of politics I'm scared.
George Santayana once said, 'those who don't remember the past are doomed to repeat it'. These are in fact one of the first words you see on a plaque mounted in the entrance of the Majdanek death camp museum in Poland.
The Polish Government seems to understand Santayana, it's disturbing that the Israeli one doesn't.
Keep your eyes on this blog for more thoughts and comments from me and please feel free to respond.
Howie
I first off want to thank you all for tuning in, it is truly an honor to be welcomed into your lives every day and I thank you for this wonderful opportunity.
Ok enough of the mush, let's get down to reality. The State of Israel is in pain, I hear it crying out to the Jews of the Diaspora, screaming for us to protect its holy sites, it's polished stone and its existence within the State of Israel.
The city remembers when it was under Jordanian rule and all Jewish holy sites were desecrated or destroyed. It remembers the Romans and the Greeks, the Assyrians and Egyptians. The city has a long memory and knows now that the fullest peace it has ever experienced was that under Israeli rule.
For a while, Palestinian genocidal terrorists did not dare attack Jerusalem, the city was seen as holy and untouchable. But as the zealots continued to rile the masses and the hatred of thousands of years boiled to the top of the pot, Jerusalem became like everywhere else in Israel, a target.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Omert is planning on re-dividing Jerusalem for a promise of peace. As a Jew I'm appalled, as a historian I'm disgusted and as a rational observer of politics I'm scared.
George Santayana once said, 'those who don't remember the past are doomed to repeat it'. These are in fact one of the first words you see on a plaque mounted in the entrance of the Majdanek death camp museum in Poland.
The Polish Government seems to understand Santayana, it's disturbing that the Israeli one doesn't.
Keep your eyes on this blog for more thoughts and comments from me and please feel free to respond.
Howie
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