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xiphiasElizabeth Brook's father is David H. Brooks, a defense contractor who made hundreds of millions of dollars selling sub-par body armor to the United States Army.
Her Bar Mitzvah included Aerosmith, Tom Petty, Kenny G, and 50 Cent as acts. It cost an estimated $10,000,000.
He also stiffed the help, paying them HALF what he agreed to. As Susan Felber realized, her brother, who barbacked the event, made less money for 44 HOURS of work than any one of the guests got in their goodie bags.
My question: can we find out what shul David H. Brooks goes to, and do we have any connections to the rabbi of that shul -- and can we have that rabbi issue a cherem against Mr. Brooks?
(As one comedienne commented, "At the kiddush, Mr. Brooks drank a large glass of the blood of Christian children, just to make certain that he didn't miss any potential offensive stereotypes.")
There comes a level of crudity that turns into a . . . well, the only word that comes to mind is shonda. I mean, no word in English seems to have the emotional impact.
And I think that this is a case where the Jewish community as a whole has to stand up and say that we don't stand for 1) selling substandard body armor to the army of our own country, 2) stiffing the help, or 3) turning a celebration of a religious event into a FUCKING LAUGHINGSTOCK OF OVER-THE-TOP CONSUMERISM. I mean, I can't even find a word in YIDDISH to express what this. . . THING is. "Ungepatch" is far, far to kind. "Shonda fur di goyim" is certainly a part of the problem -- when you act THIS badly, THIS obviously, in ways that reinforce preexisting negative stereotypes, well, that's what the phrase "shonda fur di goyim" is for. But, hell, he'd deserve a cherem even if this happened entirely within the Jewish community.
So: how do we go about contacting his community and issuing a cherem? I doubt HE'D care much -- I doubt he goes to shul. But I think it would send an important message to the world: this isn't who we are.
Her Bar Mitzvah included Aerosmith, Tom Petty, Kenny G, and 50 Cent as acts. It cost an estimated $10,000,000.
He also stiffed the help, paying them HALF what he agreed to. As Susan Felber realized, her brother, who barbacked the event, made less money for 44 HOURS of work than any one of the guests got in their goodie bags.
My question: can we find out what shul David H. Brooks goes to, and do we have any connections to the rabbi of that shul -- and can we have that rabbi issue a cherem against Mr. Brooks?
(As one comedienne commented, "At the kiddush, Mr. Brooks drank a large glass of the blood of Christian children, just to make certain that he didn't miss any potential offensive stereotypes.")
There comes a level of crudity that turns into a . . . well, the only word that comes to mind is shonda. I mean, no word in English seems to have the emotional impact.
And I think that this is a case where the Jewish community as a whole has to stand up and say that we don't stand for 1) selling substandard body armor to the army of our own country, 2) stiffing the help, or 3) turning a celebration of a religious event into a FUCKING LAUGHINGSTOCK OF OVER-THE-TOP CONSUMERISM. I mean, I can't even find a word in YIDDISH to express what this. . . THING is. "Ungepatch" is far, far to kind. "Shonda fur di goyim" is certainly a part of the problem -- when you act THIS badly, THIS obviously, in ways that reinforce preexisting negative stereotypes, well, that's what the phrase "shonda fur di goyim" is for. But, hell, he'd deserve a cherem even if this happened entirely within the Jewish community.
So: how do we go about contacting his community and issuing a cherem? I doubt HE'D care much -- I doubt he goes to shul. But I think it would send an important message to the world: this isn't who we are.