Roses 1: Rabbi Emmanuel Rose and Josh Rose on Catholicism

I mentioned wondering if the Rose's had anything to do with getting the Willamette Week story published about me, after finding out I'd been talking about their tax evasion. I just did a search now and see Rabbi Emmanuel Rose had invited the Portland Archbishop (in 1986) to preach at a Sabbath. I do remember Rabbi Rose felt a particular connection to the Catholic church. He also held joint dialogues with the Archbishop of Portland, for colleges. One I knew about was at the college I went to, because I got a newsletter about it. That dialogue was held right after I was slandered by the The Willamette Week. Because my problems at that time, and the only abuse I can say ever affected me, was by a couple of clergy there, it raises some questions. Rabbi Rose and the Catholic church leaders, whom he already had a special connection with, had me as their common "enemy" (in that I was exposing what they had done) it would be in their common interest to work against me. I had wondered then, because I looked up who owned the Willamette Week once and it was an organization called "the Rose something or other). I believe the editor was Jewish. Would have to double-check that. The only other contributor I can think of, may have been a former attorney who disliked me (because I turned HIM into the Bar). I remember reading the story, and not only was it flat-out slanderous, and contained completely made up statements, a couple of things they mentioned followed a time-line that former attorney's I had, had presummed and was inaccurate. When I get into the story that was done about "me" and how libelous it was, any member of the public should, after reading, keep in mind that the Dan Rather falsehoods about Bush (which led to the end of his career as a journalist) are not uncommon with the media, and I don't think the average person will hardly be able to believe how bad it was in my case, and exactly what was going on. But I'll save that for a later time, after I actually tell the story of what really happened with the monks and clergy of Mt. Angel Abbey.

Back to Rabbi Rose--I remember one time the Rabbi's son, Josh Rose, was home from Harvard and he asked his father this question: "If you were going to write only one book what would you write about?" Josh's question was something to this effect. Rabbi Rose's response was that he would write about the Catholic church. I saw the look on Josh's face. Josh didn't like what he had heard. And well, I can imagine. I was a little shocked too. One of the foremost leaders of the Jewish community in Oregon had a dream to write about, of all things, the Roman Catholic church. Josh asked why and his father went on to explain how Pope John Paul II (is that right? anyway, the last pope before Benedict) had apologized to Jews for the past wrongs the Catholic church had done, and he also talked about Vatican II. All was forgiven, from the Rabbi's standpoint, because of the apology. Josh talked about the harm done to Jews by the Catholic church.

It's an interesting scene to remember, because at that time Josh had no interest in being a Rabbi. I can't even remember what his major was, but I do remember he and his mother thought Harvard was beneath them and had slacked in their education of students. His mother, Lorraine, was talking to a friend over the phone about it. When Josh was home on break I remember being shocked by his textbooks and books about lesbian erotica. I wondered if perhaps Harvard was not to blame, but rather Josh's choice in electives. I mean, if it was classical education he wanted...

Another time, I saw a letter that Josh had written to a customer service department, which he then faxed to his mother who left it on a desk where I saw it as I cleaned. She was talking about it excitedly over the phone to a friend and laughing. It was as if she thought Josh had written one of the great 18th century satires. I read it and the entire thing was a condescending rail against some customer service he'd been dissatisfied with. He was letting them know, in no uncertain terms, HE was no longer a buyer of their goods. In the letter, he mocked and jeered and wrote exaggerated descriptions. It wasn't very well-written, but the air of superiority to the tone, and the way Lorraine responded, AND the fact that Josh had faxed this bit eagerly to his mother, made it clear he felt he had put them in their place, in quite a clever style. That was when I thought, "My goodness! And he's the one at Harvard?! and I'm his mother's lowly housekeeper?" All the world seemed awry. ;)

Later, I heard that after college and trying out the real world, Josh decided to follow in his father's footsteps and go to rabbinical school in Israel. So off he went. That was the last I heard about him from a friend. Does he too, share the dream to write a book about the Catholic church? has his father been published on that topic yet? We shall see.