From: Ruth I Gordon <druthgo>
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2000 18:27:06 -0700

It's the first of the month so it must be "blowviation" time and thus I engage in same.

Yesterday, Rosh Ha-Shonah, the giggle boys (Simon & Pinkwater) giggled less than usual because Pinky, in particular, was vocally stereotyping what a Yiddish dialect in the English language might be--particularly on the vaudeville stage of 100 years ago. Were he to engage in "Amos and Andy"-isms, I'll bet people would rise up and scream. The book he presented (as sent by an editor at Scholastic--so now we know how that great critic of books for children arrives at his choices) is by Erik Kimmel, the re-arranger of folk tales, and somehow the story dealt with a theory of forgiveness. Except--well, why should I go into the problems of the text since I don't know if the book has notes (and if it does--what kid reads notes?) about true forgiveness for wrongs. According to Jewish law the wrong-doer must go to the wronged and face up to the wrongs in the ten Days of Awe between Rosh Ha-Shona and Yom Kippur. Also, at this season, there is a ceremony when "sins"
 are thrown into the water. I expect that Kimmel may have been referring to this. But--no mention of facing the wronged person and admitting wrong and asking for forgiveness? Bad. BAD. More important--shame, shame, shame on the giggle boys for their disgusting fake dialects and intonations--and on Rosh-Ha-Shonah on a Sabbath. ( I recorded it and listened later.)

Once again, the actor--Pinky--is more important than anything else and I don't give a fig if he is of Jewish origins.

 again perturbed.

(By the way, I never did receive a response from Simon about my general ill ease with the "Ambassador from the World of Kiddy Lit.) Did any of you?

 Grandma

"You may not be able to change the world, but at least you can embarrass the guilty." Jessica Mitford (191796)
Received on Sun 01 Oct 2000 08:27:06 PM CDT