By Vic Rosenthal
J Street: Hello, J Street. Ben Ami speaking.
Rabbi Malcolm Shain: Bon Ami? No, I didn’t want cleanser. I’m looking for J Street, the Pro-Israel, Pro-peace people.
JS: This is J Street. Although we could really use some Bon Ami. I can’t describe how disgusting the sink is since all the help quit. First we lost Spitalnick and Luria, and now Susskind has gone to Tides. Hmm, maybe some Tide would work on this sink.
MS: Oh. Well, I’m calling about the job…
JS: Great! Come over right away, and bring your mop and Bon Ami.
MS: No, not the janitorial job. I mean the Rabbinic Organizer that you advertised for. I’m Rabbi Shain. You can call me Mal.
JS: Oh. Are you sure you didn’t want the janitor position? It’s so hard to get good help these days. Well, we need to organize the Rabbis just as much as we need to clean the sink, so let’s go with that. First of all, I need to ask you one important question: are you absolutely, 100%, totally pro-Israel? Because that’s something we won’t compromise on.
MS: Positively. Whenever I’m in Israel, I join demonstrations in Sheikh Jarrah or Bili’in. I work with Rabbis for Human Rights to protect Palestinian olive groves against those evil settlers. I work tirelessly for the Lef– er, I mean, for democracy. Because I love Israel and want to make it better!
JS: Well, that sounds good. What about here in the US?
MS: I’m pro-Israel here, too. I lead encounter groups for American Jews to meet real Palestinians to learn how indigenous people are mistreated by the right-wing regime in Israel. Did you know that all Hamas wants is to end the occupation — and Bibi bombs them for it!
JS: Yes, Israel would certainly be a more vibrant democracy without Bibi. How do you feel about a two-state solution?
MS: It’s absolutely essential! Two states for two peoples! One for the Palestinian people, and one for the Arabs!
JS: Er, Mal… you meant the Jewish People, didn’t you?
MS: Oh, of course. I forgot about them. They have rights, too.
JS: We need a dynamic organizer who can whip our Rabbinic Cabinet into shape. They’ve been fleeing like rats deserting a sinking– I mean, there’s been a lot of attrition lately. Some of them don’t understand how important it is for them to make us look– I mean, to be validators of our pro-Israel message. What we need is a community organizer for rabbis.
MS: A community organizer! How inspiring! Just like–
JS: Exactly. The sky is the limit. Now tell me — can you handle rabbis? Can you talk the lingo, quote the text and liturgy? Some of them are religious.
MS: No problemo! I know what to order in a Chinese restaurant. One state from column A, one from column B. Ha ha, get it? I even have a kipa in my pocket that I borrowed from a funeral, just in case.
JS: Er, yes. You sound perfect for the job. When can you start?
MS: Right away! My congregation decided not to renew my contract for some reason. Can you imagine? I’ll be over as soon as I get the tar and feathers off.
JS: Great! And Mal… pick up some Bon Ami on the way. We really need to take care of this sink.