Significant Moments: Me, the Rabbi, and the D.C. City Officials

The only defense . . .
Dan Levin, Spinoza.
. . . the Amsterdam ghetto . . .
Erica Jong, Fear of Flying.
. . . knew, against the ever present possibility of anti-Semitic reaction, was to show a constant pious face to the outside world. Strict observance of doctrine, a resolute belief in dogma, could compel the grudging respect of the most dogmatic predikants. These facts of life the truth-seeker [Spinoza] insisted on ignoring.
Dan Levin, Spinoza.
Things had to be brought to a conclusion . . .
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, The Final Days.
And so, on . . .
Thomas Carlyle, The French Revolution.
. . . July 24, 1656, the religious and secular authorities of the Jewish community . . .
Will Durant and Ariel Durant, The Story of Civilization: Part VIII. The Age of Louis XIV.
. . . hands folded, tight-lipped, hats on head . . .
Simon Schama, Rembrandt’s Eyes.
. . . solemnly pronounced from the pulpit of the Portuguese synagogue the full excommunication of “Baruch d’Espinosa,” with all the customary curses and prohibitions: no one was to speak or write to him, . . .
Will Durant and Ariel Durant, The Story of Civilization: Part VIII. The Age of Louis XIV.
. . . harbour him or join him . . .
Richard Wagner, Lohengrin.
. . . or do him any service, or read his writings, or come within the space of four cubits’ distance from him. [Rabbi] Morteira went before the Amsterdam officials, notified them of the charges and the excommunication, and asked that Spinoza be expelled from the city.
Will Durant and Ariel Durant, The Story of Civilization: Part VIII. The Age of Louis XIV.


The Record on Appeal (at pages 15-16) in Freedman v. D.C. Dept. Human Rights contains the following findings of fact made by the D.C. City Officials upon consideration of Rabbi Lassman's statements:

"On or about early August 1991 an employee, Lutheria Harrison, who at that time was assigned to a work cubicle adjacent to the Complainant, was talking to another employee, Beatrice Spates, about her July telephone bill, emphasizing the word at her desk, stating in a markedly audible tone of voice, the chilren's rhyme, "liar, liar, pants on fire." On another occasion a brief time later, Lutheria Harrison, upon entering Chris Robertson's office to attend a weekly Litigation Support staff meeting, sighed the Yiddish phrase, 'Oy, veh.'

Complainant told Mssrs. Race and Lassman that he interpreted the word "July" as a homophone for the phrase "Jew Lie," and that these anecdotes suggested that some of his co-workers may have had an anti-semitic animus. Mr. Lassman requested that complainant provide additional anecdotes that might suggest an anti-semitic bias by employees. In response to Mr. Lassman's question, and not on Complainant's initiative, Complainant mentioned that the mascot of the Litigation Support group was a pig. (At this point Mr. Lassman turned to Mr. Race and said, 'Dennis, you're not Jewish. Jews aren't allowed to eat pork.')"

Yes, it's official, Jews aren't allowed to eat pork.