facebook   linkedin   goodreads    Buy the Book
  • Home
  • Authors
    • Sister Authors
    • Meet Leslie
    • Meet Meryll
  • Book
    • About the Book
    • Discussion Questions
    • Beyond the Pale
    • Behind the Scenes
    • More about the Dedication Page
    • Reviews
  • Blog
    • Latest Blogs
    • Featured Books
    • Blog Archive
  • Extras
    • Deleted Chapters
      • Choose Your Beginning
        • The Missing Introduction
        • Alternate Chapter 1
      • Ballerina Alla
      • Baubie Chapters
        • Celestial Tea and Essig Flaish
        • Celestial Tea and Mandelbrot
        • Celestial Tea and Poppy Seed Cookies
    • Recipes from Baubies
      • Recipes from Grandma Rae
        • Essig Flaish
        • Mandelbrot
        • Mohn Cookies
  • Press
    • Press Kit
    • In the Media
    • Reviews
  • Events
  • Contact
Font size: + –
Print
Bookmark |

Local Hero

Sunday, 09 October 2016
Meryll
Jewish Luck Blog
3073 Hits
Local Hero

What do the Coen brothers, Sharon Isbin, Al Franken, and Tom Friedman have in common? They were all raised in our Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park and we're justly proud of our roster of celebrities.Our celebrities tend to be known for their intellectual acumen and talent rather than athletic prowess. St. Louis Park residents have followed hometown celebrities long before there was a "follow" button or even an internet.We elected Al Franken to the U.S. Senate, but no celebrity is more respected for his opinion than Tom Friedman and nowhere is his fame more touted than within the walls of St. Louis Park Senior High.

When I first walked into my history classroom at St. Louis Park Senior High and began to arrange my desk, I pulled open a file drawer and wedged in the back was a history essay written by Tom Friedman.Feeling a bit guilty to be peeking at his private thoughts intended only for my predecessor, I still read the essay from start to finish.Well done, Tom!That essay –probably vintage 1970—made me feel like I belonged in St. Louis Park.I now had a Tom Friedman story.

Friedman spoke last spring at St. Louis Park Senior High to a packed room including former teachers, classmates, and aspiring journalists as well as locals who read every op-ed and book Friedman writes.This past week Tom Friedman wrote about the danger Vladimir Putin poses to the world. (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/05/opinion/lets-get-putins-attention.html ). In case you're not a rabid Friedman fan, he has written two other articles on the dangers Putin poses—one on 9/14/16 (Donald Trump's Putin Crush) and 9/21 (Two Ex-Spies and Donald Trump).

Vera spoke to Leslie and me about the ominous Putin when we began interviewing her for Jewish Luck.She hasn't stopped. Vera intuited the threat Putin emanated when she first met him at a city council meeting in Leningrad in 1989.As he rose to more and more power, Vera was careful to remain out of the spotlight of the political sphere as more and more of the successful businessmen of the New Russia had "accidents" or were charged with crimes.She left Russia knowing it was in the hands of someone who clutches onto power. We've written blog after blog on Putin's insidious hold on Russia.Now that Tom Friedman has lent his voice to the alarm, the danger feels even more present.

To summarize, Friedman begins with a counterfactual situation envisioning a scenario where U.S. intelligence operatives would turn the tables on Putin and launch their own hacking offensive against the Russian government.Friedman's ploy to draw us into his thoughtful essay that underscores the danger a rogue leader presents to the U.S. and the world. In Friedman's words:"Putin's behavior in Syria and Ukraine has entered the realm of war crimes, and his cyberattacks on the American political system threaten to undermine the legitimacy of our next election." Friedman presents a mountain of evidence to demonstrate to his readers that Putin is more than a fulminating short guy in a nicely tailored suit.We've been ignoring the threat Putin poses as if he's the two bit leader of Freedonia poised on a stallion with a raised sickle urging his countrymen to demonstrate their strength.

Friedman draws the logical conclusion from the facts—"We're going to have to step it up."

It's taken us Americans longer to realize what some Russians have known for decades. Thank-you, Tom Friedman, for laying out the topography of aggression.

And kudos to Marge Bingham, Mim Kagol, and all Tom Friedman's St. Louis Park teachers from 1968-1971.Tom Friedman knows how to write an essay!

Tags:
Putin Tom Friedman St. Louis Park Senior HIgh Al Franken op-ed
Tasting Torah Online
October Book of the Month: Secondhand Time: The ...

About the author

Meryll

Meryll

  http://morejewishluck.com
View author's profile More posts from author
Meryll Levine Page is a retired high school history teacher with a special interest in women’s history. She taught extensively about the Soviet Union and its break-up. Currently she co-facilitates the Minneapolis Jewish Artists’ Lab.
Author's recent posts
Friday, 09 April 2021 Jewish on the Down Low
Sunday, 02 July 2017 Hack Attack
Sunday, 02 July 2017 July Book of the Month: Bloodlines by Neville Frankel
Sunday, 11 June 2017 Haunted by the Past; Family Pictures, Part II
Friday, 26 May 2017 What happened to Meryll's blogs?

Related Posts

February Author of the Month: Marshall Goldman

Highlighted Books

Why Everyone Hates Putin (Except Putin and Colbert)

Jewish Luck Blog

Driven Crazy by Putin or Driven by Crazy Putin

Jewish Luck Blog

Weighing in on Nemtsov's Murder

Jewish Luck Blog

Absurdist Sculpture—Russian style

Jewish Luck Blog

Recent Blogs

Meryll
Meryll
09 April 2021
Jewish on the Down Low
I snapped up the invitation to speak at a zoom meeting for the Jewish Affinity Group from Columbus School for Girls. Self-quarantining for almost a year has made me hungry to talk about Jewish Luck. It's certainly clear from the news that Vera and Alla's perceptions about the "New" Russia are just as relevant now as they were when Vera first encountered Putin in Leningrad.More than the intellectua...
Read More
Leslie
Leslie
07 February 2021
American Kompromat
What I learned from American Kompromat by Craig Unger (2021) Dutton: NYC has prompted me to write a blog. Trigger Warning: This book contains potentially distressing content that could trigger trauma that we have experienced regarding the previous US President. I whisper this mantra to myself: "We're safe now. He's gone. We're safe now." The purpose of this exercise is to reduce my blood pre...
Read More
Leslie
Leslie
31 January 2021
Alexey Navalny: Intrepid SuperHero of Russia
"Faster than a speeding bullet." .Organized anti-government rallies in 109 cities across Russia from jail for January 23 and January 30, 2021. Watch each weekend. "More powerful than a locomotive."  Able to make a miraculous recovery from Novichok poisoning on Aug. 20, 2020 after remaining in a coma for nearly a month. His is the only known case of survival of that strain of Novichok. "...
Read More

Invite Us To Speak

invite

We were featured speakers at Hadassah Brandeis Institute and Levy Summer Series. Our speaking engagements include JCCs, synagogues, libraries, book groups, retirement communities, schools, and organizations (e.g. ORT, Hadassah, and Women's League). References are available. 

Invite Us To Speak
 

Talk Review

"I was very fortunate to be able to hear Meryll and Leslie speak at a Hadassah event in Israel. Each of the ~50 participants really enjoyed the event because Meryll and Leslie were so engaging. While they had a natural rapport with the audience, you could also tell they had prepared well so they could connect with our particular group's interests. I learned a lot from listening to them, and I found their sisterly interaction unique and fun. If you want an enlightening and uplifting experience, attend one of their book talks."
Lisa Shimoni, Modiin Israel

Book Review

"Truly, you have written a story that makes accessible the reality of existence in Russia, through the eyes of individuals who lived through the various regimes and dictates.  It is fascinating and very well told.  As I read Vera and Alla's story, I learned more Russian history than I had known from a textbook.  That's a big deal, women!  You tell the tale with vivid detail and hook us on the two women and their stories, then weave in the history to illuminate their journeys. It is such a necessary book.  I am thrilled that the two of you collaborated, as I can see the uniqueness of your personalities come through in the stories, and that, too, makes the book a gem."
Margaret Leibfried, Danielson Group consultant

Buy the Book

Online:

Click here to order your copy of Jewish Luck: A True Story of Friendship, Deception, and Risky Business on Amazon.com.

The Kindle version is available here

In Stores:
cgb250
logo-sholom
Make a donation to Sholom Home and enjoy Jewish Luck at the same time. Jewish Luck is now available at the Sholom Home West gift store. Meryll and Leslie will donate 50% of the proceeds back to Sholom Home. Enjoy!

Tasting Torah

Nourish mind, body, and soul with Meryll's Tasting Torah, which will bring oneg (joy) and limmud (learning) to your Shabbat, broaden your culinary horizons, and draw your Shabbat guests closer together.

logo tasting torah

Highlighted Books

Meryll
Meryll
02 July 2017
July Book of the Month:  Bloodlines by Neville Frankel
July Book of the Month: Bloodlines by Neville Frankel
Leslie and I began writing Jewish Luck with an underlying question in our minds—what would life have...
Read More

Copyright © 2016 All Rights Reserved by More Jewish Luck

Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Login

Site created by LiveSites