Shmuley Boteach Shares 50th Birthday With Fidel Castro Burial — Is That a Bad Thing?
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Gabriel Lehrman November 29, 2016
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach is known for his pro-Israel activism, his support of president-elect Donald Trump, and his books about sex in the Orthodox world. But recently he found himself making a small scene about a completely different issue – the burial of Fidel Castro.
My 50th birthday party in NYC this Sunday 4 December same day as Castro funeral. Seriously? Death of a tyrant not the cause for celebration
— Rabbi Shmuley (@RabbiShmuley) November 28, 2016
It’s hard to know if Boteach was Tweeting with tongue in cheek. After all the world continues to spin, with good events and bad, even on the day when America’s rabbi is celebrating the big Five-O.
But if he’s serious, we can ease Boteach’s pain by letting him know about events on December 4 that are sure to get him excited to celebrate his birthday.
National Israel Solidarity Day
Unbeknownst to Boteach, if we are judging by his Twitter account, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference(NHCLC), the Hispanic Israel Leadership Coalition (HILC), and Hadassah are partnering to sponsor National Israel Solidarity Day.
This will be celebrated in churches across the United States, and Boteach will be proud to know that his birthday celebration is coinciding with this day of solidarity for Israel.
Jay-Z and Fred Armisen Celebrate Birthdays
Though neither of these celebrities are Members of the Tribe, their Jewish connections make us proud to say Mazel Tov and Happy Birthday. Jay-Z gave Jews a shout out in his hit song “Roc Boys,” and considers Israeli producer Lyor Cohen a close friend and mentor.
Likewise, Fred Armisen is best known for his work on Portlandia with Jewish co-star Carrie Brownstein. With Jay-Z celebrating his birthday at the same time as Boteach, the rabbi will be reminded that he may have 99 problems, but Fidel Castro ain’t one.
Cecil B. DeMille’s ‘The Ten Commandments’ premiered in 1923
This Bible-based epic film that celebrates the Jewish fight for freedom happens to have debuted on the same day that Boteach chose to celebrate his birthday. Coincidence? Probably.
But that doesn’t make it any less exciting for Boteach to know that on the day he chose to celebrate his birthday, 93 years prior, Americans across the country were marveling at the Jewish story of freedom.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
