Jewish Journal editor Rob Eshman moderated a debate Monday night at Temple Sinai (C) between conservative talkshow host Dennis Prager and the leftist editor of the Forward, J.J. Goldberg.
It was a polite civil discussion that lacked drama and verbal fireworks.
Near the end, Eshman ask people to raise their hand if their mind had been changed by the debate. Nobody raised their hand.
The responses by Prager were completely predictable to anyone who listens regularly to his radio show. J.J., a journalist, was more empirical. He cited facts and figures while Prager spent more time elaborating on ideas.
I walk in at 6:40 p.m., 20 minutes before the debate is due to start. Eshman and Prager walk in together ten minutes later.
Eshman is moderating a ton of political debates over the next month and Prager is flying all over America to rally Jews for Bush. Dennis says that it if a Jew's primary concern is the well being of Israel, he must vote for Bush.
There are 100 chairs set out. Most are occupied. There's a long line of people waiting to pay $10 to get in.
J.J. Goldberg arrives at 7:15. The debate begins ten minutes later. There are now about 400 people on hand.
Eshman asks people to raise their hands if they are voting for Bush. About 40% do. For Kerry, about 40% do. The average age of the audience seems to be early 30s. This is primarily a young adults event.
J.J. makes these disturbing lizard-like movements with his tongue, bulging out his lips and cheeks. Prager is a more polished public speaker.
The two seem to like each other. They share a best friend - rabbi Joseph Telushkin, who's going to end up eating his words of support for rabbi Marc Gafni in the weeks ahead. I've got enough information to bury Gafni and all the rabbis like Telushkin who've enabled him.
Rob Eshman has this weird fixation with stem cell research (which most if not all Jewish organizations support while the president has drawn strict limits, probably because messing with embryos freaks out the Christian right as playing with life) as a major problem for Jews who would otherwise vote for Bush. I have never heard a Jew say he could not vote for Bush based on the president's stem cell research position.
Dennis says he is ambivalent on the stem cell research question but he didn't think it would be a dealbreaker for Jews who'd otherwise vote for Bush (about 25% of American Jewry who can vote).
Dennis said he does not believe that Kerry's more aggressive views on stem cell research will diminish the sanctity of life in America if Kerry is elected.
J.J. said he lives his life by Torah. (He davens at a Conservative minyan. I think he's agnostic about the existence of God.) J.J. says he does not drive on Shabbos (but he lives with his girlfriend of many years).
DP: "You live in Manhattan, right?"
J.J.: "Yes."
DP: "Do you drive on Wednesdays?"
J.J. and everyone seemed to get the point that J.J. did not drive seven days a week.
DP admitted he drove on Shabbos (a violation of Jewish law).
This is the first time J.J. and Dennis have debated each other. J.J. debates a lot with right-wing Jewish Exponent editor Jonathan Tobin.
DP claims that the secular Jewish creator of PETA is the only guest he's had on his radio show in 22 years that he has yelled at. DP thought the guy inhuman for comparing the slaughter of six million chickens in America to the murder of six million Jews in the Holocaust.
J.J. several times agrees with Dennis. He agrees that liberal have to get over their instinctive fear of the Christian right. DP says he subscribes to the Forward and reads it every week. He describes it as a fascinating publication. He's done radio shows based on information he learned in the Forward.
J.J. brought up several times that China is lending the U.S. federal government money to support its debt and J.J. worried what would happen if China called in its debts.
Rob Eshman is a courteous thoughtful moderator but the event was not spellbinding. J.J. and Dennis made their mini speeches and there wasn't much cut-and-thrust. I sensed a restlessness in much of the crowd.
The crowd was courteous. Their applause was scattered and brief. Nobody yelled.
The debate ended after 90-minutes. The crowd tore through the meager dessert offerings in ten minutes.
Frequent Prager radio show guest Dr. Steven Marmer and his wife were in the audience as was Prager's male intern and Prager's radio producer Alan Estrin.
Following the debate, Prager, Goldberg and Estrin had a chat (something about getting their voices into the Forward).
Rob Eshman introduces me to his former assistant who just quit last week to pursue her dream - make-up. She only has good things to say about Rob, who doesn't like anyone to bring him coffee. But his new assistant, Mary, comes to his door every morning with coffee.
Rob has this nasty open sore on his hand from a climbing accident.
