Why The Jews Were So Successful in the Wild West… by David Epstein, Isaac Nathan Publishing Co, Woodland Hills, 2009, ISBN-10-0-914615-35-1, 90 pages, $19.95
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – David Epstein’s short book, which can be gulped in a single sitting, tells the story of some remarkable Jewish characters in the history of the American West. They include:
*Salinas Solomons, an early suffragette, who helped California women get the vote in their state ahead of the nation;
*Emil Harris, first chief of police in Los Angeles.
*Solomon Bibo, who won the trust and then the hand of the granddaughter of the chief of the Acoma Indians, eventually becoming their chief himself.
*Josephine Sarah Marcus, who married Wyatt Earp, causing the sheriff of Tombstone to become so jealous he instigated the famous battle between the Earps and the Clantons.
*Joshua A. Norton, who declared himself “Emperor of California,” and so delighted San Franciscans with his antics, they humored him.
*Ray Frank, who gave such good sermons that people gave her an honorary title of “rabbi” long before female rabbis ever were ordained.
*William Zeckendorf – A tough, no-nonsense frontiersman of the “True Grit” variety.
*Morris Abraham ‘Two-Gun’ Cohen – A street thug with a big heart, who helped Chinese being bullied by townspeople, winning for himself the affection and later honors from the Chinese community and even the leader of China, Sun Yat Sen.
“Damn the footnotes, full story ahead” might very well be Epstein’s motto. He contends that Jews had story-telling traditions for millennia, but somehow this oral tradition has gone by the wayside. Further, he suggests that the way to keep Jews in the fold is to keep them interested. Instead of making Jewish history boring, make it exciting, counsels Epstein, who is a frequent speaker at Shabbatons and Jewish conventions. Tell the stories simply but accurately, so that your audience will tell and retell them again and again.
This doesn’t mean Epstein is against scholarly research. To the contrary, he is editor of Western States Jewish History, a quarterly that includes articles with numerous citations. He often digs through scholarly research to find good yarns to tell. But general audiences have different needs than academic audiences. Among these are to be entertained, educated and captivated. This book of light-reading fare easily meets those tests.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World