NBC's Tim Russert To Speak At Plum Street Temple Fundraiser

For those of you of the Gentile gland, and for those of you who have never been to Cincinnati, we have a true masterpiece of Judaica here in town called "The Plum Street Temple".

It comes from an era when the Reform movement was trying to make the statement, "This country is my Israel, this city is my Jerusalem and this building is my Temple."

Up until that time, traditional Jewish thought was that any Jewish settlements outside of Eretz Yisroel ("The Land Of Israel") were merely temporary and that, when Moshiach ("The Messiah") came, that all Jews would be instantly whisked back to Israel.

On top of that, historically Jewish communities were subject to pogroms (mass property damage and other abject forms of terrorism) and outright explusions from the country.

Something was different about America.

It seemed like a place that Jews could call a permanent home.

Particularly Cincinnati for some reason.

So they built a structure that, in some ways, resembles a Cathedral more than a traditional shul ("synagogue").

It also has elements that, on the outside, make it look something like a mosque, and that would take an hour to explain.

The building is wicked old though. It needs tons of maintenance, so apparently none other than Tim Russert, managing editor and moderator of NBC's "Meet the Press" is going to be at the Plum Street Temple on May 1st, speaking on the subject of his views of Washington politics as part of a fundraiser to collect money towards the restoration of the building.

It will cost you $75 to get in and the event starts at 7:15pm.

Get there early.

Parking goes fast at events down there.

It is also quite close to the location where Kabaka Oba was shot.

Any questions about the event can be directed to (513) 793-2556.

If you don't HAVE $75, but would still like to contribute to the restoration of the Plum Street Temple building, you can make a donation for as little as $5 through the K.K. B'nai Yeshurun - Wise Temple donation page or send a real check or money order to:

Isaac M. Wise Temple
8329 Ridge Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45236

More information on the history of the Plum Street Temple can be found here on the Wise Temple site.

Now who wants to contribute $75 so *I* can get in?? :)

The Bush-Cincinnati Connection

There was a fascinating article in this morning's Cincinnati Enquirer about the somewhat mysterious connection between the Bush family and Cincinnati.

The general idea is that Cincinnati is not a particularly large city, and the Bush family has no particular history here, however George W. Bush has spent more time in Cincinnati than any President since William Howard Taft, who was born here.

There's also this matter that the Indian Hill/Madeira ZIP code of 45243 gave more money to the Bush campaign than any ZIP code outside of Texas.

The Dean of Cincinnati wrote some of his own speculation this morning on why the "power elite" seem to have a disproportionate concentration in Cincinnati.

I don't know if I would agree with all his points, but there is something quite spooky about the fact that, although George W. Bush was not raised anywhere near Cincinnati and speaks a dialect not terribly common here, his way of looking at life seems to be quite well represented here.

Perhaps it has something to do with this pattern I've seen repeated in locals many, many times of spending most of their 20's drinking and causing chaos only to "find Jesus" and think that the only way to straighten out any other problem is by forcing people to turn religious.

But the most disturbing Bush trait that seems to be overrepresented in the Cincinnati area is that it is perfectly okay to bomb innocent people if it will keep the defense contracts coming in.

Sometimes it really makes me sick to my stomach to see people involved in the manufacture of weapons practically become physically aroused in public when they hear a new war is starting.

And of course I suppose if you don't have a bit of moral hesitation to think that there may be something wrong with the fact that you're deriving your profits from the utter destruction of innocent people, I'm pretty sure you're not going to pause for a second to consider whether or not you're treating your employees fairly.

Yep ... let me tell you ... if I could get out of this area, I would ...

Imperial Troops Invade Riverbend!

I'm not making this stuff up folks ...

Tonight the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra did a tribute to the film music of John Williams. It was similar to the exclusively Star Wars music presentation they did a couple of years with some of the May Festival Chorus doing "Kora Ratama" and the piece from the Obi Wan / Anakin duel at the tail end of Revenge of the Sith.

However, this time they did pieces from several other films scored by John Williams including Raiders Of The Lost Ark and Superman.

The conductor, Erich Kunzel, as also presented with a framed set of Star Wars commemorative stamps by local Postal Service representatives.

Of course there were Jedi all over the place as well as a MASSIVE invasion of Imperial troops - storm troopers, Endor troopers, TIE-fighter pilots, and of course Darth Vader himself.

Of course the actor playing Vader was a good head-and-a-half taller than the actor playing Anakin, but, I suppose there's only so much you can do at short notice.

I thought the show from a couple of years ago might have been the last time we saw such an assemblage of Star Wars characters in the area, but perhaps it's going to be a regular thing.

Of course I wonder if they are going to do a Star Trek concert any time in the near future ... :)