Tragedy: To sing or not to sing
I especially liked the desk in my office in Cherry Hill, N.J., where I was a rabbi from 2000-2010. Made of solid honey maple, it had permanence. The desk, indeed, had been passed down through generations of assistant and associate rabbis at my congregation. But the desk also had a conflicted past – it had first been purchased for Rabbi Fred Neulander to welcome him to the congregation and Cherry Hill. Rabbi Neulander was later convicted of hiring a hitman to kill his wife. Yes, I sat at a desk each day used previously by a convicted murderer.
And like the desk, I soon learned that the case of Fred Neulander had permanence in Cherry Hill. It was a wound that resurfaced time and time again, making congregants question the legitimacy of their experiences and their trust in Jewish leaders.
Rabbi Neulander officiated at our wedding, is it still Jewishly valid?
He did the naming of our daughter. It’s his name on her naming certificate. Would you sign a new certificate?
I went to him for counseling and he really helped. But, now, can I trust his advice? Can I trust myself for believing in him?
I studied Torah with him. How do I relate to the morality that he taught?
Although I have never met him, Fred Neulander impacted my life in complicatedly profound ways – both professional and personal. My husband grew up in Cherry Hill, marginally involved in the organized Jewish community. Years before I met him, David had moved back to Cherry Hill after his father died. A recent college graduate living in suburbia, David began learning with Rabbi Neulander, drawn in by his intellect and charisma. Rabbi Neulander sparked a lifelong commitment to Judaism in David – a commitment that is central to our marriage and life together.
This past week, a friend shared the Playbill cover for A Wicked Soul in Cherry Hill – a new musical about the Neulander case written by Matt Schatz and being produced at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. I immediately got pulled into multiple online conversations about it from friends and former congregants in New Jersey. A musical about Fred Neulander strikes me as insensitive at best. For theater goers in Los Angeles, it might be an entertaining and even enlightening evening out. But, for a community that still hasn’t gotten over the trauma, it is still too early to sing about it – even nearly 30 years later. Most importantly, what about rachmones or empathy to Carol and Fred Neulander’s three children. Have they not suffered enough without actors singing about their pain?
I would never suggest banning somebody else’s creative expression. I do hope, though, that the playwright, Matt Schatz, and the Geffen Playhouse have sensitively considered the impact of their work. I am not sure if I am ready to see this musical, but I will be following its development and the audience's reaction to it.