I’ll never forget the first time I heard an actual human being tell me about the concept of anti semitism. My friend Elliot Lazerwitz explained it to me, and I thought he was crazy to think such a thing could even possibly exist. I’d grown up Lutheran. I was 12. It was 1969, a time of great Jewish comedians and intellectuals. My favorite book was about a Jewish kid spending a day trying to survive in the slums of Brooklyn. I thought there were three kinds of monotheists in the world, all allied, Protestants, Catholics and Jews. Half the Bible was Jewish. He started talking about all the great baseball stars that were Jewish and I was like why? He easily convinced me I was blissfully ignorant, and I conceded that it seemed true that somewhere out there were deluded people who hated Jews. But I never understood it. Why? There is no why. Only bullshit. Only hate.
Elliot moved to Israel with his Zionist family a few years after I became friends with him. Last I heard from him he was living in Tel Aviv and was married. I hope to god he and his family are safe.
Nice post. So glad to see you writing again.
Amen!
I’ll never forget the first time I heard an actual human being tell me about the concept of anti semitism. My friend Elliot Lazerwitz explained it to me, and I thought he was crazy to think such a thing could even possibly exist. I’d grown up Lutheran. I was 12. It was 1969, a time of great Jewish comedians and intellectuals. My favorite book was about a Jewish kid spending a day trying to survive in the slums of Brooklyn. I thought there were three kinds of monotheists in the world, all allied, Protestants, Catholics and Jews. Half the Bible was Jewish. He started talking about all the great baseball stars that were Jewish and I was like why? He easily convinced me I was blissfully ignorant, and I conceded that it seemed true that somewhere out there were deluded people who hated Jews. But I never understood it. Why? There is no why. Only bullshit. Only hate.
Elliot moved to Israel with his Zionist family a few years after I became friends with him. Last I heard from him he was living in Tel Aviv and was married. I hope to god he and his family are safe.