Opinion

Yes, I was in high school. And yes, I listened to popular music. And yes, these title words are from those boys from Queens, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. The reference to Joltin’ Joe is Joe DiMaggio, who was a retired baseball superhero and left the country bereft of an American idol.

My column last week, “Orthodoxy On Ice,” raised a handful of eyebrows. From the few critical or questioning comments I received, I think it was understood and appreciated by most but misunderstood by some. I would like to clarify my position on sports in Orthodox life, as I believe the subject is an important one.

Whenever a major incident happens in the Jewish community, the political fallout is inevitable. It’s in our DNA. We seem not to be able to be happy unless we can get embroiled in a good argument. The near-tragic hostage situation in Colleyville, Texas, this past Shabbos was no exception.

So here we go again. We as Orthodox Jews must decide whether we should exult or cringe when we find that one of our own made it big in the sports world.

I recall sometime in the early 1980s hearing about a new term “palimony.” That was a term used when celebrities lived with each other but did not bother marrying, and then demanded spousal support upon divorce. I remember thinking to myself, What is this world coming to? Can it be that depraved people live sinfully with each other and yet want recognition of marriage when it comes to financial settlements?

My father zt”l was a huge believer in establishment Judaism. He correctly felt that without the established organizations, we would not have been able reestablish ourselves as a vibrant community following the destruction of our people in Nazi Europe.