David Shenk writes in the New York Times:
“A few inquiries remain unanswered. I would still be delighted to hear from: David Cesarani, Liane Dirks (on Polityka), Guido Knopp (on sources), Jörg Müllner (on the sound editing of the tapes) and Time Inc.” — Bettina Stangneth, writing in the acknowledgments section of “Eichmann Before Jerusalem.”
An author interrupting her own published thank-yous in order to call out uncooperative sources? I like it. I couldn’t muster the chutzpah to do that myself, but I notice that it draws me in, makes me even more eager to read Bettina Stangneth’s book. I have a small writer’s crush on any serious intellectual who works so hard to satisfy all the major conventions — and then flouts a small one for the hell of it.
This is how I began my book Yesterday’s News Tomorrow: Inside American Jewish Journalism:
What They Said
“Yesterday’s news tomorrow.” —Yori Yanover’s description of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
“If you publish this, I will fuck you for the rest of your life.” —Malcolm Hoenlein to journalist Walter Ruby
“I guess it’s new for a journalist to go in and treat a congregation journalistically.” —Stephen Fried, The New Rabbi
“If you believed in a God and a Final Judgment, would you have written the book the same way?” —Rabbi Bradley Sharvit Artson, rosh yeshiva of the University of Judaism, to Stephen Fried
“Dear Mr. Ford; I did review your Web site, and find it imbalanced and toxic, particularly toward rabbis and Conservative Judaism. I am not willing to participate in your panel.” —Rabbi Artson
“Dear Mr.Ford: I do not wish to be included in your book. If there is anything negative about me or my family in your book you will hear from my attorney.” —Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman, former president of the Hebrew Union College—Jewish Institute of Religion
“Dear Mr. Ford: I appreciate your interest, but I’d just prefer to pass on this.” —Seth Lipsky, former editor of the Forward
“I am annoyed at your annoyance, your presumption to tell me what I’m qualified to talk about when you don’t even know me, your insinuations that I refuse to be ‘transparent and accountable,’ along with your slam on my trusted and most-valued colleague, Larry Stammer. He is not a ‘crappy reporter,’ as you put it.” —Teresa Watanabe,The Los Angeles Times
“You don’t want Jewish journalism. You want an orgasm.” —Tom Tugend, Jewish Journal
“I am the moderator of the AJPA listserv and I will be sending out an email to all the editors later today to tell them of my unprofessional and discourteous experience with you.” —Benyamin Cohen, Jewsweek.com
“I don’t understand what you are doing here. Who’s your publisher?” —Rabbi Shmuley Boteach,Kosher Sex
“Don’t write about me!” —Amy Klein, managing editor of theJewish Journal
“We’re all kind of mediocre.” —E.J. Kessler, deputy managing editor of theForward
“Larry [Cohler] was essentially driven out. He found out that Gary [Rosenblatt] was without balls. Larry may sometimes be without brains but he is never without balls. Gary tends to be tame and timid.” —Dr. Michael Berenbaum, former director of the United States Holocaust Research Institute
“Of course Gary lacks balls. He’s the editor of a Federation paper. If you want to keep these kinds of jobs, especially long-term, lacking balls is a requirement.” —Allison Kaplan Sommer, journalist
“The Jews who look to Jewish journalism tend to want to be anesthetized.” —J.J. Goldberg, editor of theForward
“I’m not sure the Jewish community wants a compelling paper.” —Marc S. Klein, editor of j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California
“Jewish men who are accused of kicking women are not popular.” —Dwight Owen Schweitzer, editor and publisher of the Jewish Star Times
“You want to be involved with Israel because it is a sexier, crookeder, funnier, nastier, more backstabbing, more backbiting, crazier, more psychotic place than Hollywood.” —Larry Yudelson, journalist
“I don’t plant bombs but ideas.” —Rabbi Avi Shafran, spokesman for Agudath Israel
“The main problem with Jewish journalism is one organization runs almost the entire show. Almost an entire ethnic media is subservient to one organization.” —Steven I. Weiss, journalist
“As for the ‘Kahanist rag’ comment—obviously a retort made by a retard.” —Jason Maoz, editor of The Jewish Press
In my Preface, I wrote: I tried and failed to get interviews with the following persons: Joseph Aaron, rabbi David Ackerman, rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Peter Beinart, David Biale, Wolfe Blitzer, Aaron Cohen, Vincent Coppola, rabbi Elliot Dorff, rabbi Hillel Goldberg, Jeffrey Goldberg, Eric Greenberg, Lawrence Grossman, Sue Grossman, Yossi Klein Halevi, Aron Hirt-Manheimer, Malcolm Hoenlein, Lisa Hostein, Phil Jacobs, Gershon Jacobson, Mark Joffe, Debbie Kalb, Marvin Kalb, Amy Klein, Neal Kozodoy, Jerome Lippman, Seth Lipsky, Arthur Maguida, rabbi Joel Meyers, David Myers, rabbi Perry Netter, Martin Peretz, Naomi Pfefferman, rabbi Perry Rank, Ira Rifkin, Jay Rosen, Jonathan Rosen, rabbi Jay Rosenbaum, Hershel Shanks, Ira Stoll, Teresa Strasser, rabbi Brian Walt, rabbi Arthur Waskow, Teresa Watanabe, Julie Weiner, Lauren Winner, Leon Wieseltier, rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman, and Nancy Zuckerbrod.
