tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post8508988088035922701..comments2023-09-11T17:58:13.764-04:00Comments on The Rebbetzin's Husband: Bernie Madoff vs. Leonard Abess and Sidney FrankThe Rebbetzin's Husbandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14977193945074906534noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-20706676984092843822009-05-26T11:13:20.840-04:002009-05-26T11:13:20.840-04:00nmf#7-
Thanks.
Isaac-
I'm not one to see a Jew-ha...nmf#7-<br />Thanks.<br /><br />Isaac-<br />I'm not one to see a Jew-hater under every rock, but the Madoff coverage I have seen has emphasized the Jewish element far beyond its direct relevance. You might also look <B><A HREF="http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/01/24/is-madoff-being-jewish-fair-game-for-the-media/" REL="nofollow">here</A></B> for a brief note by someone (who is not Jewish) on the topic.<br /><br />Feuerstein is a worthy note, but he emphasized his Judaism as part of his decision-making process. I heard him speak at Kutztown University several years ago, and almost the entire talk was from Pirkei Avot, with direct citation.The Rebbetzin's Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14977193945074906534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-67508786762996450902009-05-26T04:02:06.349-04:002009-05-26T04:02:06.349-04:00Excellent point.Excellent point.nmf #7https://www.blogger.com/profile/02930286227301917330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-26021345958481226452009-05-25T23:44:11.954-04:002009-05-25T23:44:11.954-04:00I'm all for bashing double-standards when they com...I'm all for bashing double-standards when they come up, but I don't think that this particular collection of anecdotes is convincing.<br /><br />On the Madoff side, if you look at what I think is the <A HREF="http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/11/markets/madoff_fraud/index.htm?postversion=2008121206" REL="nofollow">first CNN article</A> on Madoff, you'll find nothing about the fact that he's Jewish. Of course, it became part of the story as more and more was written about him, but that's at least partly because a lot of the financial relationships he had were with Jewish organizations and with his network of Jewish friends.<br /><br />On the other hand, Aaron Feuerstein, the "Mensch who Saved Christmas," was well known in the press as a Jew. The only contemporaneous (Dec. 1995) mention from CNN that I could find on the web was a little news capsule, so this isn't comparable, but <A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/16/us/plume-of-hope-rises-from-factory-ashes.html" REL="nofollow">here</A> are <A HREF="http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20102719,00.html" REL="nofollow">two</A> MSM news stories that mention his Judaism. But anyway, if your standard is what's prominently part of the general story told in the press, as it apparently is, I think it's clear to anyone who remembers the story from back then that Mr. Feuerstein made a big Kiddush Hashem.<br /><br />Of course, Madoff got more total coverage than Feuerstein, Abess, and Frank put together, but the disproportionate notoriety of evildoing in the press is not hard to explain without resorting to ethnic bias.Isaac Moseshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02233147336865587233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-54177713352167448252009-05-25T18:02:28.236-04:002009-05-25T18:02:28.236-04:00ProfK-
I hear, but I am not sure I agree. It's leg...ProfK-<br />I hear, but I am not sure I agree. It's legitimate to be ambivalent about this; there are positive/mitigating arguments as well. And I don't hear anyone complaining about Augie Busch, you know.The Rebbetzin's Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14977193945074906534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-28210744801616419182009-05-25T16:13:55.201-04:002009-05-25T16:13:55.201-04:00You can't have it both ways Rabbi. You can...You can't have it both ways Rabbi. You can't ask why they didn't mention that Mr. Frank was Jewish at the same time that you you are not proud of the way he made his money. That kind of ambivalence could give rise to some real anti-semitic comments. You know, along the lines of "that#%(*&*%(&* Jew gets our kids addicted and then tries to buy his way out by giving out scholarships!!!! Even their rabbis don't think how he made his money is right." Enough said.ProfKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17954446826821665314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-57223144888693365752009-05-25T16:05:25.053-04:002009-05-25T16:05:25.053-04:00I thought someone might ask me about Rav Pappa. Bu...I thought someone might ask me about Rav Pappa. But my answer is that there is a difference between producing alcohol and marketing it the way it is marketed today. See the article for some of his pioneering methods. I'm not into it.The Rebbetzin's Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14977193945074906534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7898782635470765614.post-12213854670829284752009-05-25T16:03:27.949-04:002009-05-25T16:03:27.949-04:00"I’m not proud of a Jew making money off of market..."I’m not proud of a Jew making money off of marketing alcohol"<br /><br />Why not? It's time honored. From Rav Papa to the Bronfmans.ADDeRabbihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11749876612695930184noreply@blogger.com