Rabbi Gabrielle's Defiance (19 page)

"You manage to knock my socks off every day,
Gabby. Just when I think I've got your number, you reverse field
and startle me. We walk down one sidewalk and you tell me to
reconsider
my
decision about leaving the
rabbinate. We turn and march up the same damn sidewalk and you
reveal that now
you
want to parachute from
the pulpit. So how foolish am I?"

"It's not you who is foolish, but me. This is
a one-time opportunity that's bigger than Gabby Lewyn. It's a
chance to reform the electoral process. The truth is, I'm not eager
to be a congresswoman, but I do want to run for office. From a
material point of view I have pretty much what I need and the perks
have little appeal. As for the celebrity, I can testify that it
isn't what it's cracked up to be. Process is everything. I believe
I can actually make a change in an electoral system that's badly
broken. And to do this, I need your help."

"You've got my vote. Where's the ballot box?"
he said while resuming their motion toward
Saloon
Can Do
.

"It's not the vote I need. I must have
someone to cover me on the pulpit during the campaign. There's no
way on God's earth I can campaign between now and November and ride
the bucking bronco at Ohav at the same time. I'd like to hold on at
Ohav through Pesach, then have you take over from April through
November. The board owes me a full year of sabbatical. I'm cashing
in my chips."

He issued a mocking hoot. "What happens when
you win, Congressman Lewyn?"

"I won't. Not against Toby Ryles. But I'm
going to run harder and faster than anyone you've ever seen."

"And what makes you think the board will let
you go during the lawsuit? For a politically savvy woman, you
haven't a clue. I'm toast. The board would love for me to
disappear. I might get a sweet severance check to go quietly."

She was now fast-walking, almost trotting to
keep up. "That's not true, Asa. You've done a remarkable job and
have many, many supporters. And as for the sabbatical, I'm overdue
now for two years. It's written in black and white. Stan Melkin and
half the board are lawyers and know how to read a contract."

"You always land on your feet. So what
happens when you win?"

"I told you – not a chance. But if
Rabono shel ha-Olam
shines his light on
me, then you stay on at Ohav as Numero Uno. When I lose, we
re-define the junior-senior relationship. I don't have that worked
out yet. I invite you to put your needs on the table and I'll
seriously entertain them. I promise you'll end up with far more
than you have now. You've got me over a barrel and can blackmail me
for whatever you want. Somehow, I'm not worried you will. I've
never seen you take advantage of anyone."

They were at the intersection with Wisconsin
Boulevard when he said, "What about the lawsuit? How can you run
for office with a major suit hanging over your head?"

"The way I see it, I have two alternatives. I
can let the suit consume me or get on with my life. Let others do
the worrying. This is Dominion Mutual's problem. Let the lawyers
handle it. They get paid handsomely. You and I don't."

"Running Ohav is a challenge without the
suit."

"I didn't ask you because I thought you
weren't up to it, Asa. I wouldn't propose this unless I had total
confidence in your abilities. I know you're having doubts about
your career, but this will provide an opportunity to test your
feelings. Give it a chance and come to an informed conclusion.
Doubts are indulgences of the leisure class. I guarantee you will
be so busy there won't be time to entertain many doubts."

He didn't look the least bit convinced.

"I need to make it worthwhile you
financially. This is what I'm prepared to do. During the months in
which you do my job, I'll swap salaries with you. You get paid my
salary, which is pretty cushy these days, and I'll take yours. That
should put many additional shekels in your pocket."

They arrived outside
Saloon
Can D
o, a location that made both uneasy. It was one thing
to take their chances about being seen inside with naked women on
stage, yet another to risk higher odds of being recognized by
passersby.

"A lot to think about," he said, nervous
about getting back to his piano. "Are you coming inside?"

She lifted her chin to regard the overhead
neon spelling out CAN DO. The thin bouncer opened the door a crack
and peered out into the street. "No, I think I've seen enough
female privates for one night. I'll leave that pleasure for you
boys. Can we talk more tomorrow? I don't want to rush, but the DNC
is putting pressure on me."

"Sounds as if you've already decided. You
still need to get the board's approval, which I'm prepared to bet
you won't."

She crumpled her shoulders like a schoolgirl,
twenty years her junior. "When I signed on be become Seth Greer's
assistant, I told them it would be a roller-coaster ride. So I have
disappointed anyone?"

"Chuck tells me that has always been the way
with you. He says he's exhausted trying to pick up the pieces." He
lips curled in gesture of disbelief as he shook his head, ready to
re-enter
Can Do
. "Get approval from the
board, and then come back to me."

Dimples that sank deep into the cheeks
punctuated her smile. While defiant and mischievous it was a
gesture had seen before – her signal of determination.

***

Stan Melkin believed that a board of
directors should decide only matters of principal, not details of
daily synagogue operations, and he molded his presidency
accordingly. When controversy arose, as it often did, he appointed
representative speakers to air conflicting points of view, and only
after all appropriate arguments were made, called for a decisive
vote. No postponements. No indecisiveness. No festering feuds.
While some board members criticized his autocratic style, most
commended his efficiency.

"He's better than anarchy," a supporter
commented, and appointed out that however severe the differences of
opinion, Ohav Shalom had never experienced a wholesale schism. A
few disgruntled members dropped their membership, but none
threatened to siphon off others by establishing a competitive
shul
.

The question of Gabby's sabbatical had been
postponed from October through January in favor of more pressing
concerns –
l'emergency du jour
, as Stan
was fond of referring to these firefights. He convened the February
meeting an hour early to address this question. Following that,
Disney Productions, was scheduled to make a presentation about a
re-enactment of the Passover epic and proposed television
collaboration with Ohav Shalom.

Board members were silently studying a
summary document when Gabby entered the conference room and assumed
her customary seat to the president's right. After surveying those
seated around the rectangular table, Stan Melkin glanced at his
watch to start precisely on the moment.

The vestige of a head cold was in his nose.
"I don't believe anyone would gainsay that Rabbi Lewyn deserves a
rest from her grueling pace. Eleven years of service to this
congregation should not be taken lightly. Her workweek isn't five
days like most folks, but seven. Even the Sabbath, if I'm not being
irreverent, is a workday for her. We all know that she is supposed
to take off Tuesdays, but that is
de jure
,
not
de facto
. Something always intrudes
into her private time."

"Hear, hear," Helen Blutton-Fine, British
born but married to an American think-tank executive, utilized a
British phrase for her enthusiasm and lightly clapped her palms. "I
for one don't understand how our rabbis keep going day by day. It's
positively exhausting to watch them. But by the same token, I
cannot conceive of running this place without Rabbi Lewyn.
Particularly, with an expensive lawsuit hanging over our
heads."

"Her sabbatical couldn't have come at a more
inopportune time," Morris Stein, a pudgy, good-humored restaurant
owner who was adept at dealing with personnel issues, intoned.
Morris was a newcomer to the synagogue leadership, working his way
up the ladder by serving on several under-appreciated committees
before finally being recognized by the governing board. A
charitable man, who couldn't imagine anything more worthy than
contributing to Jewish causes, was considered Stan Melkin's
right-hand man and a possible successor. He addressed Gabby
directly, "Given the Morgenstern lawsuit, do you think it possible
to postpone your sabbatical once again, at least until we see our
way clear?"

She had anticipated this and said, "Morris,
that's what I was asked to do when Rabbi Greer unexpectedly
resigned. And when the question arose again the following year,
matters were in such turmoil that everybody thought it advisable I
didn't exercise my right and the sabbatical got postponed again. I
recognize that these are trying times but there's always an
emergency in this
shul
. We never seem to
clear the docket. I'm not planning to follow the example of many
rabbis and study in Israel. I'm going to stay in town, so that if
required by the lawsuit, I can and will make myself available. Asa
Folkman is quite capable of handling daily operations. We've talked
about bringing on a young intern or new seminary graduate to
supplement his rabbinical services. Since so many people want to
serve in the nation's capital, finding the right fill-in shouldn't
be difficult."

Stan addressed Gabby directly. "We've had
considerable discussion about Rabbi Folkman's qualifications and
we're not as sanguine as you."

She had hoped nobody would take this
position, but was not entirely surprised. Her tone left no
ambiguity. "I work with Asa Folkman on a daily basis and can
testify to his professionalism and skill. I have complete
confidence in him."

"He doesn't seem to have his heart in the
job," Helen Blutton-Fine asserted. "There are rumors that he plays
piano in some pretty seedy nightclubs. I'm sure you know about
this, don't you, Rabbi?"
"Yes, of course. The congregation is the
beneficiary of his talent. Many of his liturgical compositions have
been incorporated into our services. Cantor Blass is working on
making a CD of his work. That he sometimes plays piano at night is
well known. He has a right to spend his free evenings however he
chooses."

"Is this a vocation or avocation?"
Blutton-Fine asked.

"Asa's first loyalty is with the
congregation."

Cynthia Messinger, chairperson of the
religious school committee, interjected, "These days he seems
withdrawn and sullen. We can understand a certain moodiness when
facing this suit, but that's not what this congregation needs in
these stressful times. We all feel blue and we need our leaders to
pick up us. His depression could be contagious."

Gabby canted her head in her direction. "He
naturally feels a measure of responsibility for what's happened and
feels somewhat isolated by widespread criticism. What he needs are
people who believe in him. Perhaps I'm revealing more than I should
but he doesn't feel much support. The rabbinate is a lonely
business, at the best of times. He's been deeply moved by Janean's
death and Tybee's injuries. You wouldn't want a rabbi who
wasn't."

Cynthia added, "More care in instructing the
Morgenstern girls would have spared Ohav this misfortune."

Gabby could not let this remark go without
rebuttal. "I sincerely hope your view is not widely held, Cynthia.
I don't regard Asa as negligent in any fashion. I would have done
exactly what he did. He had absolutely no reason to believe that
Janean and Tybee would light Chanukah candles without their
parent's supervision. The girls indicated that they wanted to learn
how to conduct the ceremonies in order to teach their mother and
father. Moreover, their parents encouraged us to instruct their
kids. Their faults as parents should not become an indictment of
Rabbi Folkman. I have already said how much I respect and admire
him. He deserves your confidence."

There was silence around the table. No heads
were nodding, yet no one openly challenged.

Stan, always keen to a legal settlement and a
self-proclaimed peacemaker, addressed Gabby. "Could you tell us
why, under these extraordinary circumstances, you feel unable to
postpone your sabbatical a little longer?"

"Two reasons, Stan. First, the suit may take
many months, perhaps years. Lawyers on this board are not going to
tell me that Chancery moves with alacrity. I'm told that courts of
law purposely create slownesss to promote settlements. Secondly,
what you're suggesting is a third postponement. I've already made
plans for this time. If I agree a third time, I'm setting myself up
for a fourth, fifth, and sixth postponement. It's already become a
habit."

Still in his soft, conciliatory tone, Stan
pursued. "We don't have the foggiest idea what those plans are,
Rabbi."

To share her idea about running for Congress
was certain to open a very big can of very long and slimy worms.
But how long could she expect to keep this board in the dark?
Experience had taught her not to wait until members learned about
such things in the rumor mill. Sweeping her glance around the
table, she returned to regard Stan. "My plan is to take off after
Pesach so I can run for the United States Congress in Maryland's
Eighth District. I've been approached by the Democratic National
Committee to campaign against Republican Toby Ryles. I know this is
a bombshell and I must assure you there isn't a remote chance I'll
win. As you all know, Toby is firmly entrenched and well-liked, a
personal friend of some who sit at this very table. But because
she's a Republican in a very blue district, she hasn't been an
effective legislator. Not one piece of legislation bears her name.
Her own party believes she's too liberal to trust and the
Democratic hierarchy avoids her because she's a Republican. I want
to give this a whirl. By November, it will be all over and I will
resume full responsibilities on the pulpit."