The name of Bernard Madoff is so poisonous that its mere mention has been banned at one prominent Jewish club.
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Laurence Leamer tells us he was invited to Manhattan’s Harmonie Club to speak about his book, “Madness Under the Royal Palms: Love and Death in Palm Beach,” with one non-negotiable stipulation – the alleged Ponzi scammer’s name was not to be uttered.
“I was informed that a number of members at the Harmonie had lost money with Madoff and it was a very sore point,” Leamer said. “I was willing to go along with it, even though it’s a kind of censorship. My book provides the context of what Palm Beach is all about and how Madoff was able to thrive there. But Madoff has just so devastated the upscale Jewish psyche.”
Leamer said his gig was later canceled in any case after an unidentified Harmonie board member allegedly complained of being portrayed badly in the book. “I have no idea who that is,” said Leamer, who’s spoken at the Harmonie twice before. “It’s disturbing because the values of Judaism are knowledge and truth. This is really the antithesis of what the club is all about.”
Karen Gantz Zahler – a prominent literary agent who represents Alec Baldwin and Kathleen Turner, and who heads the club’s literature committee – said she couldn’t comment. Adrianne Silver – who, Leamer said, first invited him and then disinvited him – didn’t answer.
The Harmonie was founded in 1852 by Jews who were refused membership at other clubs. But it has had its own controversies. In 2001, Mike Bloomberg resigned his lifelong membership in protest at the lack of diversity because the club had no blacks or Latinos. Barack Obama canceled a fund-raiser there in 2007. And MTA Chairman Dale Hemmerdinger, a former club president, resigned over charges it was exclusionary.
The United Negro Collge Fund is exclusionary as well. Go figure…
Yoshur koach….this is a vondeful solution…just don’t mention the name of Benie the Ganef and the whole issue goes away…Maybe adopt the same rule for say, Hamas, Hezbolah, etc.
How come we cant exclude. We are excluded elsewhere. So it is OK to have Black Entertaitment Tv and the NAACP etc but you cant have a Jewish Club. And go blow Mayor Mike – who needs your whining voice disturbing the crowd. Go join a club where you feel more amongs peers – whereveer that may be
can you find a yarlmuluka there?
This is obviously not a heimishe club (#2) but all jews must stand togehter as the non-jewish world cant tell us apart.
If we are commanded to remember Amelek, why should we not remember Madoff?
#5 deems to compare Madoff with Amalek. The mere utterance is beyond abominable.
The club’s decision condition to Laurence Leamer is to be applauded. There is so much lashon hora being circulated as is — this cannot bode well for us. Do we know how Madoff got to this low point in his life? Do we know what he is feeling? Have we walked in his shoes?
Has it occurred to anyone that Hashem is testing us, especially those who have sustained massive monetary losses?
Aren’t we made of better stuff?
Way to go, Harmonie Club!
Sounds like a club for Jews who want to be wasps (in another place and time it would have been for Jews who wanted to be germans). I’m sure that the membership committee would not approve someone with either a yarmulke and beard or the wrong politics i.e. support of Israel’s unlimited right to defend herself etc.
I am frum and I frequent the club. They are very very happy to see a yarmulka.