The Rabbi and The Rebbetzin (31 page)

7.
          
That Dr. Greenberg and Nurses
Jones, Klein and Moore receive awards for the help they gave me in my time of
need.

8.
          
That Captain Casey, Lieutenant Wolfson
and Sergeant Jerome Warner and other members of the security department receive
commendations and awards for the services rendered to me.

9.
          
That my office is remodeled and
better means of communication between me and the other members of the Family
Law department be installed.

10.
       
That the list of new clients who
come to see me in my office be reviewed by the security department.

Shulamit
made a copy of the list and gave it to Albert Nash. He promised to review the
list with the relevant department heads and let her know within a week of the
outcome.

Nash
then told her that some of her requests were already granted. “Michael Wolf was
already allowed to retire unless he chose to be fired directly. Members of the
security and medical departments were already commended and would receive cash
awards ranging up to $2,000. The performance of Captain Casey was particularly noteworthy.”

True
to his word, Albert Nash convened the executive committee, which included four
managers of the larger departments and the Family Law department manager.

He
said to them, “I have asked you to meet with me to consider some of the
difficult consequences of the lamentable incident that occurred in this firm a
little over ten days ago. We’ve received hundreds of letters from women criticizing
our negligence in exposing the Rebbetzin and her unborn child to danger and
letting a known criminal be interviewed in her office without a bodyguard. The
papers spelled the names right, but bad publicity is still very harmful to the
firm. Were it not for the heroic efforts of the PR department, we would be
paying a price for our negligence for many years.

“Before
we get to the financial aspects of the case, I want you to adopt the policy of
strict enforcement of the firm’s quality standards. There is no justification
for retaining lazy and unproductive lawyers at this firm. I myself have been
guilty of this type of tolerance and from now on we will exercise strict
controls over every employee’s productivity. You will see in a moment how much
damage was done to us by not controlling this matter. The lawyer who has since
been fired was known to be non-productive and he was assigned the pro bono work
because it was thought that he could do less harm to Finkel Nash working with
poor people.

“Rebbetzin
Adler was planning to sue our firm for twenty-five million dollars for
endangering her life and that of her unborn child. With anyone else I wouldn’t
worry about such an exaggerated sum. However, with the Rebbetzin and her
remarkable ability there is a very good chance that she would win it all.
Furthermore, Bill Mazer of Haber Green has offered to serve as her lawyer in
this suit and I am sure you have all heard that he is an outstanding litigator.

“In
that case, Finkel Nash would be out of business and we would be out of jobs. I
believe I was able to persuade her not to sue the company and to think instead
of a reasonable settlement for her suffering. When I suggested offering her one
million dollars to settle, she had a good laugh. She had already made an
outline of what she could sue for and it came to well over twenty-five million.
The reason that I’ve called you together is because there is a one million
dollar limit to the amount I can spend on my own. Beyond that I need the
approval of a majority of the executive committee.” Nash then handed out the
list of demands made by Shulamit.

When
one manager reviewed the list, he said, “Nine of the ten demands are reasonable
and won’t cost more than a few hundred thousand dollars. The director can
satisfy those demands on his own without requiring our consent. It is demand
number six that is a tough nut, and we have to decide whether to fight or give
in to the Rebbetzin. We won’t bankrupt the company if we give her the six
million, but we will impair our prospects for advancing the company and
attracting the most qualified attorneys on the market. There are four of us
here who have the right to vote on a course of action. The director doesn’t
vote unless there is a tie. I move that we put the matter to a vote. Those
voting ‘yes’ are offering the director the right to negotiate a settlement
higher than one million but not higher than six million to close the case.
Those voting ‘no’ are allowing the director to contest a settlement and agree
only at last minute if negotiations fail.”

A
vote was taken and the result was that two of the directors voted ‘no’ and two
voted ‘yes.’ Albert Nash had to resolve the tie and he said, “I’ll negotiate
with Mrs. Adler to the best of my ability and I have the right to offer any
amount not exceeding six million dollars to settle the case.”

On
that note, the meeting adjourned and the directors returned to work. Nash
called Shulamit back to his office after the executive committee met and told
her that he was authorized to continue negotiations with her. Three of her
requests were already granted and the rest with one exception were approved by
the committee. He wryly added, “Thank God you didn’t ask that we change the
name of the firm to ‘Adler Finkel Nash’.”

Shulamit
responded, “I didn’t see the need to do anything as drastic as that. When you
suggested that I retire, I was thinking of removing Nash from the name of the
firm, but your father was a nice man and didn’t deserve such embarrassment.

“As
far as negotiating a settlement with me, my price was six million dollars. If
you can raise the money by the first of the year, I will drop my demand by one
million dollars. You will be able to report to the executive committee that
with your skillful management, you saved the firm one million dollars. If you
can’t raise the money, my original demand stays, and, if you don’t agree, we go
to court.”

“Thank
God for small favors,” Albert Nash said. “We will gold plate that tack hammer
if you pledge never to use it again. I’ll get you the five million dollars if
you promise to stay with Finkel Nash for at least one year after you come back
to work. As such, you will be the highest paid lawyer in human history. And
please, stay off the front pages.” Shulamit and Albert discussed the method of
payment and when both were satisfied, the meeting ended on a pleasant note.

 Shulamit
called Bill Mazer and told him that she arrived at a settlement with Finkel Nash.
She thanked him again for offering to help her but said that she will not need
him to litigate for her. She told him how much she was pleased to hear of his
reputation and how merely dropping his name caused Albert Nash a trembling
reaction. It certainly made him more flexible with regard to negotiation. “Shall
I send you a fee for use of your name?”

“It
won’t be necessary,” Mazer said. “I offered my services out of love.”

“You
are one great phony,” Shulamit said. “I think you offered your services out of
guilt for not telling me about making out with Andrea and not letting me know
that you succeeded. Let me know when you are going to be engaged and let me
wish you the best of luck. I’m happy for you because you will be marrying a
really fine girl and you didn’t fall for any of the bimbos that have been
chasing after you. Do you need the free services of a very good rabbi?”

“Thank
you for your good wishes, but I’ll leave the question of a rabbi up to my
father. Did Andrea tell you of the good news?”

“No,”
Shulamit answered. “She kept the secret from me. It was Albert Nash who spilled
the beans. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of Andrea. Now I have to get back to
work.”

Meanwhile,
things were working out well with Aaron and his new shul. He didn’t need Bernie
to drive him to shul anymore and preferred to keep in shape by walking back and
forth. He attended services with Shulamit every Friday night as long as she was
able to walk. Some of the time Mrs. Shapiro went to services with her on
Shabbos morning. After a few weeks, the Gabbai asked Aaron if he would say a
few words before the Musaf prayers about the weekly reading. He explained that
the synagogue had not had a rabbi for more than twenty years and some of the
worshippers missed the Torah instruction very much.

Aaron
was happy to consent, but he asked Mr. Stern, “In what language should I deliver
the sermon?”

“Can
you deliver a speech in any language other than English?” the Gabbai asked.

“It’s
up to the congregation,” Aaron answered. “I learned Hebrew and English in
school and I spoke Yiddish at home.”

The
Gabbai pondered to reply and said, “Most of the daveners understand English.
For the few who can’t follow the English, perhaps you can add a few words of
Yiddish at the end. That’s what our last rabbi did. Were you paid at Beth
Israel for your services?”

“I
was paid for services I gave on the holidays and on special occasions. Thank
God, my wife and I are well-to-do. She is an attorney at Finkel Nash where she
is known as the Rebbetzin.”

“Oh
boy,” the Gabbai exclaimed. “She is one famous woman. My son the lawyer always
talks about her. He told me that a criminal wife-beater was about to attack her
but she hit him over the head with a hammer.”

“That’s
her,” Aaron said with a measure of pride. “People would be well advised not to
start up with her. I work in the public school system. I don’t make anywhere
near as much as my wife does. However, we make a good living and I certainly
wouldn’t take any money from a shul for offering a weekly sermon.”

By
now Aaron was a fairly polished speaker, and his knowledge was more than
adequate for the congregation. He was happy that some of the daveners came over
to him after the services and asked him questions about the weekly portion.
Sometimes they asked him to elaborate on his ideas. He was pleased that
preparing his speeches caused him to continue his learning.

When
Shulamit started her maternity leave, Mr. and Mrs. Levine became frequent
visitors to Philadelphia. They were proud of their daughter’s exploits and
stayed with their children for Shabbos after flying in on Friday from
Pittsburgh. Their other children stayed with friends from the day school or
with relatives.

They
felt that, smart as she was, motherhood was a new experience for Shulamit and
she needed maternal support and guidance from her mother. Abe Levine enjoyed
the presence of his son-in-law and was happy to see him preaching at the
synagogue. He spent considerable time discussing Aaron’s future plans and
offering helpful suggestions.

What
bothered Abe Levine most was that Aaron was not living in an apartment that met
his standards. His objection was to the fact that Shulamit who was a
millionairess was living in an apartment with three temporary boarders and only
one bed for company. Soon there would have to be room for a baby and a live-in
nanny, and there simply was not enough space for such a room. Aaron did not fully
agree with his father in law.

“Shulamit
can live anywhere in Philadelphia and can afford a mansion to accommodate all
our needs. My concern is that I find a shul where I can develop my rabbinic
talents. I feel that at Ahavat Achim there is an opportunity for me to do that.
It will take a long time for a position to develop. Re-establishing an old shul
is a challenge, but I think with sufficient effort I can have a personal future
there.”

Abe
did not want to discourage Aaron’s rabbinic ambitions. He had never heard of a
shul surviving in a depleted Jewish section. Most of the time, they were
abandoned or sold to churches. Instead of speaking about the future of the shul,
Abe asked about the residential problem.

Aaron
hesitated for a moment and then replied, “I have thought about the problem and
I have considered one possible solution which I discussed with Shulamit.
Between here and the shul, there are a couple of row houses in medium or poor
condition. My plan is to buy two or three adjacent row houses and tear them
down. On the vacant land we can build a substantial three-story house. On the
third floor we can have seven or eight bedrooms for company and employees. We
would need three of the rooms for members of the family who come to visit. On
the second floor we would have apartments for me and Shulamit, a room for the
nanny as long as we need her. On the ground floor we can have a kitchen, a
dining room and an apartment for Mrs. Shapiro. We haven’t discussed the matter
in detail and I haven’t done enough research, but somehow I feel we can put
together half an acre of land for our own home.”

Abe
Levine was impressed by Aaron’s imagination. “It sounds like a plausible idea.
I know that Shulamit has about a million dollars in her own name and I know
that she got some settlement from Finkel Nash, but you never told me how much
money they gave her.”

Aaron
said, “I’m sorry for not sharing the good news with you but Shulamit thought
you might be jealous of her success.”

“Don’t
be silly, Aaron, I would be very happy for her and for you. Did they at least give
you half a million dollars?”

Aaron
answered, “I see no reason to withhold such information from you. Finkel Nash
awarded Shulamit five million dollars and they’ve already paid more than half
of it. The rest should be forthcoming in the next two weeks.”