Richard “Kinky” Friedman died last month at the age of 79. Friedman, the grandson of Russian Jewish immigrants, was raised in Texas, and formed his first band, King Arthur & the Carrots, while studying at the University of Texas in Austin. In 1973, having previously been given the nickname of Kinky because of his hair, Friedman formed a new band called Kinky Friedman and The Texas Jewboys, performing satirical music, but also becoming part of the country rock movement of the time that included Graham Parsons and the Eagles, among others. The band toured with Bob Dylan, and became well known for songs including Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed, We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to You, Ride 'Em Jewboy (a Holocaust tribute), and most famously, They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Anymore. Friedman also wrote numerous detective novels, ran unsuccessfully for office in Texas, and wrote a column in the Texas Monthly magazine for many years. What was once written about Kinky Friedman in the Texas Monthly?

Kinky Friedman by Stephen C. Webster is licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A. He’s the “only recording star in Nashville who buys his clothes at the Hadassah Thrift Shop.”

B. He’s the “only recording star in Nashville who takes the cheese off of his burger.”

C. He’s the “only recording star in Nashville whose success there is even more shocking than Beyoncé’s.”

D. He’s the “only recording star in Nashville who offends the Jews but the Jews love him anyway.”

E. He’s the “only recording star in Nashville whose bris had more attendees than his debut at the Grand Ole Opry.”

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Oklahoma’s state superintendent has ordered that schools include the teaching of the Bible in all classes. Among those immediately protesting Oklahoma’s new requirement is the Jewish Federation of Tulsa, which issued a statement saying, in part, “we believe this directive undermines the core principles of religious freedom and the separation of church and state.” Jews first came to Oklahoma in the late 1800’s, attracted, as were many others, by the Land Run of 1889 (an event where previously restricted lands in former Indian Territories were opened by the U. S. Government to anyone who wanted to stake a claim). Jews settled throughout Oklahoma, often opening clothing or furniture stores. High Holiday services were first held in Oklahoma City in 1890 and a synagogue was established there in 1903. The current Jewish population in Oklahoma numbers roughly 5000. What was the context of a headline in a newspaper that read in part “Shylocks of Oklahoma City” ?

Flag map of Oklahoma by Darwinek is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A. In 1927, the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan burned a cross on the lawn of Temple B’nai Israel, Oklahoma’s oldest synagogue still in operation.. The klansmen left behind flyers telling the Jews to leave Oklahoma, with a headline that read “Shylocks of Oklahoma City–Go Away!”, as reported in the headline of the Muskogee Phoenix newspaper. Thankfully there was no damage done to the synagogue and no one was hurt.

B. The headline in the Oklahoman newspaper referenced the annual Greek rush at the University of Oklahoma-Norman (a suburb of Oklahoma City) with the headline “Fraternity Prospects Dance with the Shylocks of Oklahoma City”. As part of the annual rush for new pledges, each fraternity put on a presentation for new freshmen. The school’s only Jewish fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi, presented a short play called The Merchant of Norman, based very loosely on Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, featuring some of the fraternity members dressed like Shylock while dancing the hora.

C. In 1907, when Oklahoma became a state, the capital city was Guthrie. But a few years later it was proposed to move the capital to the larger city of Oklahoma City, much to the chagrin of Guthrie residents. A statewide vote was held and the move was approved, after which the Secretary of State, Leo Meyer, who was Jewish, stealthily moved the official state seal from Guthrie to Oklahoma City. The residents of Guthrie were outraged, and the Guthrie Daily Leader later ran an article with the headline “Shylocks of Oklahoma City Have State by the Throat”. Basically, the belief was that the Jewish merchants in Oklahoma City had conspired to have the capital moved for their financial benefit.

D. The complete headline, which appeared in the Dearborn Independent, read “Shylocks of Oklahoma City Spread the Dust Around”. The Dearborn Independent was Henry Ford’s weekly newspaper which regularly featured his antisemitic rants, blaming Jews for World War I, controlling the gold supply and American economy, and promoting The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. This article was in response to the Dust Bowl storms which covered Oklahoma and much of the mid-west in the 1930’s. Ford blamed Jewish businessmen and bankers for usurious practices which put farmers out of business, leading to the drying up of the fields that fed the dust storms.

E. West Side Story, the musical about the conflict between New York’s Puerto Rican and white gangs, was originally envisioned as East Side Story, a conflict between New York’s Jewish and Catholic communities. Similarly, the musical Oklahoma, with its conflict between the cowmen and the farmers, was originally about a conflict between Oklahoma’s red neck and Jewish communities. The review in the weekly arts paper The Oklahoma Free Press had the headline “Shylocks of Oklahoma Meet the Crackers of Claremore”. The play featured an earlier version of the song The Farmer and the Cowman including these lyrics: The Shylocks and the Crackers should be friends/Oh, the Shylocks and the Crackers should be friends/One group eats the paschal lamb, the other likes to chew on ham/But that’s no reason why they cain’t be friends.

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Willie Mays, the “Say Hey Kid,” died last week at the age of 93. Mays began his baseball career in the Negro Leagues before playing for the New York Giants, later becoming the San Francisco Giants, while finishing his career as a New York Met. He won multiple honors throughout his career, including Rookie of the Year, National League MVP (twice), Golden Gloves (12 times), and the Roberto Clemente award in 1971, which goes to the player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and the individual’s contribution to his team.” Mays hired banker Jacob Shemano, a Jewish immigrant from Russia, to help him get his finances in order at a point midway through his career when he found himself close to bankruptcy. Shemano refused to take payment, happy to work with the baseball great, and they became close friends, with Mays even visiting the Jewish Home for the Aged with Shemano. Their main point of contention was when Shemano’s wife served Willie Mays a bagel and lox, which Mays says he couldn’t swallow. While Mays did not pay Shemano for his services, what is one way that Mays returned the favor for Shemano’s work?

Willie Mays cropped by New York World-Telegram and the Sun staff photographer, William C. Greene is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A. Willie Mays won the National League MVP award in 1954 with the New York Giants, and in 1965 with the San Francisco Giants. The second time that Mays won the award, he gave his MVP plaque to Shemano, who proudly displayed it in his office at the Golden Gate National Bank.

B. Willie Mays attended the bar mitzvah of Gary Shemano, Jacob’s son, at San Francisco’s historic synagogue, Congregation Sherith Israel. Mays reluctantly agreed to Jacob Shemano’s request that Mays carry the Torah around the congregation at the beginning of the Torah reading (this was allowed at the Reform congregation at that time).

C. Willie Mays became a spokesman for the Golden Gate National Bank, which Shemano had founded. The ads featured Mays promoting the bank, and ending with the line “Golden Gate...The Grand Slam of Banking.”

D. Willie Mays became an annual donor to San Francisco’s Jewish Welfare Fund (which later became the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco). In 1975, Shemano was honored by the JWF as Man of the Year, and Mays attended the dinner. Mays addressed the attendees and spoke of the values which Shemano modeled in his relationship with Mays.

E. Willie Mays helped Jacob Shemano’s sons impress the girls. When Gary and Ritchie Shemano would attend Giants games, Mays would get the names of their dates in advance and then toss a personalized signed baseball to the girls as he came out onto the field.

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Donald Trump recently stated that “Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city.” He was specifically referring to crime, noting that “the crime numbers are terrible.” In response, Joe Biden tweeted a picture of himself with the 2021 NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, saying “I happen to love Milwaukee.” German Jews first arrived in Milwaukee in the 1840’s. Most were Reform Jews, and many were secular and did not belong to synagogues. Eastern European immigration, mostly Orthodox, grew later in the 19th century, with many working in clothing and footwear manufacturing. The community continued to grow in the 20th century, and in 1938 the Jewish Vocational Service opened, the first organization in the country which focused on helping veterans get job training and employment. The current Jewish population is approximately 25,000, and the city features the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, which opened in 2008. What is another bit of Milwaukee Jewish history?

Milwaukee Skyline 2023 by Bfkenney is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A. Miller Brewing Company was founded in 1855 by Ernst Meyerhof, a German Jew who emigrated to Milwaukee in 1845. He had worked as a brewer in Bavaria before coming to America. Not wanting to use his Jewish name for his company, he chose Miller as a take off from Milwaukee.

B. Harley-Davidson, Inc. company is headquartered in Milwaukee. The company was founded in 1903 when Milwaukee native William S. Harvey teamed up with a Jewish immigrant, Arthur Davidson, to design and market the motorcycle which is now an iconic brand. Harvey had worked as a salesman for Ford Motor Company, and Davidson was an engineer who had worked at Austro-Daimler in Vienna. 

C. In 1947 a Polish Jewish immigrant named Zalman Margulies opened a store, Margulies Dry Goods, on Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Milwaukee. Margulies later changed his name to Marshall, and when the store expanded, he changed the name to Marshalls. Marshalls eventually opened locations in 42 states, and in 1976 Zalman (Margulies) Marshall sold the chain to the Melville Corporation.

D. The Settlement Cook Book, published in 1901, was compiled by Lizzie Black Kander, who was the founder of the settlement house referenced in the title. The book, one of the first and still most famous Jewish cook books, contained Jewish recipes. cooking techniques, nutrition information and more. The Settlement House which Kander founded was located in Milwaukee, not New York City as most people assume.

E. Golda Meir grew up in Milwaukee after her family emigrated there from Kiev. Golda and her best friend Liba started a pro-Zionist club at Milwaukee’s North Division High School. As part of their activities, Liba and Golda would open every meeting of the club by dancing and singing the club’s theme song which they wrote, with the following lyrics: Ehad, Shtaim, Shalosh, Arba, Hamesh, Shesh, Sheva, Shmone./Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hok a tchynik, Pupick, Shvitzer. Gary Marshall read Golda Meir’s autobiography and based the TV show Laverne & Shirley (which was set in Milwaukee), on Liba and Golda, incorporating their Zionist club song into the show’s theme song.

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