The Rabbi and The Rebbetzin (19 page)

The
dean thanked her and said, “With this many signatures, her election is
virtually insured.”

When
Shulamit heard the dean’s words, she remarked, “You can’t take anything for
granted in an election, especially when you’re running against such a handsome
guy.”

Life
resumed to normal when Shulamit stopped campaigning. She started tending to her
school work and prepared for classes. Any intention of registering for one of Professor
Woodson’s classes was quickly dismissed. She reasoned that the tension between
them was not quite dispelled, and that if she attempted to argue with him on
any matter it would arouse hostility.

As
far as required courses were concerned, there was little choice. Since many
sections of such courses were offered, she had a large measure of freedom in
scheduling her program to suit her personal needs. There were a limited number
of elective courses, and she chose those that meshed with her ambitions in law.
She always had her eyes set on family law and selected introductory courses in
that subject.

In
her spare moments, she prepared for the debate with Bill Mazer the following
Thursday. She had hoped that another candidate would enter the race but none was
forthcoming. They were discouraged by the amount of work needed to campaign for
office and by the effort that Shula had put in. A third candidate, if he were
male, would split the female vote, but she could no longer rely on that.

On
the night of the debate, the law school auditorium was completely filled. The dean
of students was the moderator of the debate and the format was established over
many previous years. Each candidate would make a ten-minute presentation
stressing his qualifications for office and any programs that he had in mind.
After the main presentations, each speaker had the right of rebuttal for
another ten minutes. Finally, the candidates could alternate in responding to
questions from the audience.

 The
order of speakers was chosen by lot. Mazer was first to deliver his
presentation and response. Again, Mazer had not bothered to prepare adequately.
He wrote out his speech and was intending to read it to the audience. Shulamit
had memorized her address and was able to deliver it in dramatic fashion. Here
she had a clear advantage over Mazer because she had much experience in acting
and drama. Mazer was essentially a bookworm and very well-read.

Both
candidates stressed their undergraduate experiences in life and in academe. Mazer
made it clear that he was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His
parents had struggled to provide him with his education and he never had the
opportunity to attend a private school. He never had a chance to tour Europe or
visit Israel. That he had succeeded in his studies was attributed to his
dedication and hard work. In time, the economic status of his parents had
improved and he himself had been able to put aside some money from part-time
work during summers and after school hours. His personal funds covered the cost
of extensive social activity.

He
promised to bring the same working spirit to his presidency if elected. He
spent some time extolling the law school and the important place of law in the
American society. It was clear that he was directing his comments to the wealth
that Shulamit had displayed in the few days that she had been at school.

Although
she had a memorized speech, Shulamit had the skill to ad lib a few words in
defense of her wealth. She said that, unlike her opponent who had to struggle
to reach law school and then glorified his early poverty, she was more
fortunate. However, her father did struggle to establish his wealth. He was not
born rich and was not the son of rich parents. It was his wisdom and
perseverance that enabled him to be granted a scholarship to MIT and earn a
Ph.D. in electronics. Although she was rich, she did not take advantage of the
family wealth. She worked as hard as anyone else in her studies and was proud
to be the highest academic ranking entrant in the law school.

She,
too, spoke philosophically of the importance of law in the society and outlined
her program to secure the best conditions for the law school students. She
warned them that there was no such thing as a free lunch in the law school
curriculum and they would all have to work hard to do well.

In
his rebuttal, Mazer repeated his strong attack on Shulamit’s upper class status.
“My opponent, who has been blessed with wisdom, wealth and beauty, will not be
as motivated as I am in pursuit of student welfare. I never suggested that law
school would be easy and there will be problems no matter how effective my
presidency will be. As far as appearances are concerned, I remind Shula Levine,
who is an expert in biblical studies, that according to King Solomon, the
wisest of all men, ‘Grace is deceptive and beauty is illusory.’”

 Shulamit
delivered her rebuttal aggressively. “There is no need for me to apologize or
feel guilty because some people think I am good-looking. I never use my
physical attributes to escape hard work nor my money to escape burdensome
study. My wisdom, which was inherited from my genius father and brilliant
mother, is a gift which I feel free to use. As far as looks, my opponent is in
no way deficient. The women in the law school have already clearly noticed his
handsome appearance.”

Shula
was satisfied with her performance in the debate and she received compliments
from students and faculty. Bill Mazer was also pleased with his performance,
although it did not keep pace with Shulamit’s presentation.

The
next event was the rally that she scheduled for Sunday night before Monday’s
election. She notified the dean of students of her plan and followed all the
regulations concerning campus meetings. Although the dean had said that
campaign meetings were permitted, she couldn’t ask the dean to emcee the rally
because he was supposed to be neutral. She could fly in an acquaintance from Buffalo
or New York, but that would be too ostentatious. It then dawned on her that the
local band leader in town might have had some experience in hosting affairs and
she arranged for him to do so for her rally. She also asked him to have his
band play college songs and patriotic music.

At
7:00 PM, the leader signaled the band to play a flourish and silence the
audience. He then he delivered his introduction. “I am Jerry Goldstein, leader
of Jerry’s Music for all your weddings and other happy occasions. I take
pleasure in greeting all the students and faculty of the University of
Pennsylvania Law School who have come to this pep rally for the campus queen,
Shula Levine, who’s running for president of the new law school class. To open
the rally I have asked Shula to lead us in a rendition of ‘God Bless America.’
Please stand and join her.”

Shula
had performed national anthems and ‘God Bless America’ for groups in Buffalo,
and she approached the podium confidently. She signaled the band and began to
sing. The audience was amazed at the quality of her voice and sang along.

When
she finished, the dean of students also was called to welcome the gathering. “I
cannot take sides in an election campaign, but I am proud that the university
offers its students the right and the freedom to express themselves on
important issues such as the elections. He ended his words, “Make sure that
everything is cleaned up before you leave.” Shulamit had prepared for such a
request to avoid any complaints after the rally.

Light
refreshments and cold drinks were being served, so Shula requested her campaign
workers to clean up any debris. She also contracted with workers of the school sanitation
department to sweep up afterwards.

The
band leader went on to say that there would be some entertainment in the form
of traditional Israeli Jewish music, which meant that the band could only play
if men and woman danced separately. He assured the audience that after the
traditional music was over, they could dance mixed if they preferred.

The
Israeli music was spirited and its students had demonstrated that they had
learned something in real life other that pre-law subjects. As the music continued,
some enterprising young men took a chair and sat Shula down upon it. They then
raised the chair and paraded with Shula around the courtyard. As they carried
her, they chanted, “Shula Levine the campus queen for president.” Shulamit
grasped the chair, determined not to fall off. When she alit, the band played
some modern dance music.

Shulamit
then made a rousing campaign speech. The band followed her address with a
cheerful version of ‘Hail to the Chief.’ The audience was invited to
refreshments and the rally was closed. Everyone was happy except Bill Mazer,
who realized that chances of his being elected were beyond hope.

On
Monday, the polls were opened from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Ballot results were
released on an hourly basis and, by noon, Shula had won an absolute majority of
the student body. Mazer found Shula in the courtyard and conceded the election
to her. She notified the vote counters and the next result posted showed the
words, “Bill Mazer concedes.” Further results were not published after that,
but, by 4 PM, Shula had accumulated close to 200 votes.

 Mazer
congratulated her and explained that there was no way he could compete with the
Levine steamroller.

Shula
consoled him by telling him that it happens to the best of men who contend with
her. She added more constructively, “Since you rank second in the class and
since you were a serious candidate for president, I have a proposal for you. I
would like you to be chairman of the student governing body and work with the
members who will be appointed to this group.” Mazer thanked her and said that
he really didn’t need a booby prize, but he would be happy to work with her and
the governing body for the benefit of the school.

The
student newspaper which came out weekly reported the results and the
appointment of Bill Mazer as chairman of the student governing body. The paper
promised to publish the names of the remaining members of the body and it did
so when they were appointed. There were four members of the body in addition to
Shula and Bill; two were women and two were men. Two members of the body were also
members of minority groups.

Thirty
minutes after the polls closed, Shula had sent an email to her father notifying
him that she was elected to be president of the law school incoming class. She
claimed that she had tried to keep campaign expenses to a minimum. They ran up
to $2,000, which included printing posters, securing labels and badges,
providing music and refreshments for her campaign rally and miscellaneous
charges. She then told him that campaign contributions could be made
retroactively. She suggested that when she runs for the US Senate, the cost of
a congressional campaign could easily run into the millions.

The
father gave a sigh of resignation, but in his heart he was happy for her. He
realized that any Jewish father would rejoice in the
nachas
she was
giving him. He said in his reply that he couldn’t send the money by email, but
he would deposit it in her bank account on which he was a joint partner.

Shulamit’s
next email went to Aaron and informed him of her political success.

He
quickly wrote back and congratulated her. “Mazel Tov on becoming the first lady
of the University of Pennsylvania Law School incoming class for this year. As
for me, you are my first lady forever. Love, Aaron.”

Other
congratulatory messages were received from the dean of students, the academic dean
and the president and vice-president of the law school. Bill Mazer offered to
take her to a kosher dinner to celebrate her victory and she accepted
graciously. It was good to go on a relaxing date after being involved so
heavily in political and scholastic efforts.

Back
in Dunberg, Aaron realized that the new semester in the day school would be
starting in another week. He began to review the material in the textbooks used
by the day school. Explanations of the Talmudic text would be in English, and
Aaron would have no problem with the language of instruction. His only problem
was whether to select the Talmudic text as written in Aramaic or to make use of
the Hebrew translation.

For
six years, the day school students had studied Hebrew in the biblical texts of
Chumash
and the Prophets. Most of the students had enough familiarity with reading and
writing Hebrew and would not be discouraged by the grammar and vocabulary
involved. On the other hand, since this was the first time that they were
studying Talmud, they would be troubled by the Aramaic vocabulary as well as
the logic of the
Gemara
.

Aaron
realized that if he taught the Hebrew text, he would only be delaying the
problem. If these students could not develop an understanding of Aramaic, they
would not be able to study the Talmud as they grew older. Aaron knew of the
trouble that students experienced at the yeshiva because of a deficiency in the
language in which the Talmud was written. Until they overcame their difficulty,
they were hindered in their progress.

He
discussed the matter with the principal and suggested a compromise plan. He would
teach the seventh-grade Talmud class from the Hebrew translation. The eighth-grade
students who already had one year of introduction to the Talmud would be taught
in Aramaic. The principal understood Aaron’s objectives and allowed him to
follow his plan.