The Rabbi and The Rebbetzin (40 page)

Shulamit
asked, “How do I know that I will be able to reach them? After all, it
is
Sunday?”

Bill
answered immediately. “Students who finish number one and number two in law
school and are studying for a bar exam don’t take Sundays off.”

Bill
was correct in his assumption. Shulamit reached Joseph Epstein on her first
try. “Mr. Epstein, this is Shulamit Adler and I am recruiting candidates for
positions at a new law firm which is now in formation. It will be called Adler,
Cohen, Mazer and Levine and it will be affiliated with Finkel Nash, the second
largest law firm in Philadelphia. The founders of the new firm are now in
session and have set aside time this evening for interviews. One of the
founders of the new firm, Mr. William Mazer, currently at Haber Green, wishes
to interview you tonight.

“Although
this is rather short notice, your superb academic record and your overwhelming
recommendation from the U-Penn placement director make it imperative for us to
see you at once. The founders of the new firm meet only on Sundays and we do
not wish to lose a week before we see you.”

“I
am quite flattered by this urgent call and I will make an effort to attend. For
what time would you like to schedule the interview?”

“How
about 7:00 PM tonight at my home on Sansom Street?” She gave him her address
and suggested that he take a cab at the firm’s expense to reach the house.

Joseph
Epstein asked further, “Did Dr. Silverman make you aware that I have an
absolute preference for working at Finkel Nash?”

“He
said that you have a specific preference for a place of employment. Mr. Mazer
will explain our affiliation with Finkel Nash at the interview.”

It
took Shulamit a little more time to contact Althea Jefferson, but in the end
she reached her. “Miss Jefferson, I have a very important message for you. I am
Shulamit Adler and I am one of the founders of a new law firm in Philadelphia
called Adler, Cohen, Mazer and Levine. I am looking to employ an attorney in
the family law department of the new firm and you have been highly recommended
by the U-Penn placement director, Dr. Silverman. The salary is very attractive
and the position is a significant one. The founders of the new firm are meeting
at my home and we have scheduled an interview for you at 8:00 PM.” She gave Althea
her address and advised her to take a cab at the firm’s expense.

Althea
was overwhelmed but she was able to control the tears. If the firm would employ
her, it would solve all of her financial problems and help repay her government
loans. She remembered where she heard the name Shulamit and asked her, “Are you
Shulamit Levine the campus queen, now known as the Rebbetzin?”

“Yes
I am,” Shulamit answered.

“Do
you know that I am a black woman?”

“I
have some inkling, but at Finkel Nash, where I am still working, and at the new
company that I am helping to establish, all officials at both companies are
totally color blind. Both firms are equal opportunity employers.”

Althea
said happily, “I will be there, Rebbetzin.”

An
hour into the resumes, Andrea gave a high shriek and, grabbing a paper, she ran
to the copying machines. On one of the copies she wrote the word ‘Ibsen,’ on
the other she wrote ‘Dostoyevsky.’

“What
happened?” Bill and Shulamit asked. “You found gold in that pile of resumes?”

“Absolutely,”
Andrea said and handed the copies of the resume to the other founders. “This
man is a poet laureate, a direct descendant of William Shakespeare. This is the
most literate resume I have ever read.”

Andrea
read a few paragraphs from the resume submitted by Meir Kalman. Meir objected
to the rigidity of the legal system in the US. He claimed that it was like a
body without a soul totally lacking in humanity. The essay was perfectly
written, clear and concise. It was full of literary illusions and quotes form
historical documents. Andrea was in tears as she finished reading it. “Bill
Mazer,” she said, “my search is over. I’m hiring this man tonight if Shulamit
will get in touch with him.”

Shulamit
took the phone number which appeared on the resume. When Meir answered,
Shulamit told him the same story she had told the other candidates and
explained why he was being summoned at such short notice. She added that Andrea
Mazer was so impressed with his resume that she insisted that he come as soon
as possible for an interview at 9:00 PM that night. She gave him her address
and instructed him to take a cab for which he would be reimbursed.

Meir
was well informed about Shulamit’s reputation and didn’t have to ask any
questions. He simply said, “Thank you Rebbetzin, I’ll be sure to be there.”

Shulamit
and Aaron get a new home. Shulamit gives birth to a second son.

Aaron
directs the building of a new mikveh and synagogue center.

Following
dinner served by Mrs. Shapiro, the evening section of the founders meeting got
underway. Joseph Epstein was already waiting in the living room for his
interview. The three founders took seats at the table with Bill Mazer sitting
at the head of the table and the two women on the side. Joseph sat opposite the
women on the other side.

Bill
Mazer opened the session and asked, “Mr. Epstein, may I call you Joe or Joseph?”

“Everybody
calls me Joe,” Epstein answered.

“Joe,
may I first congratulate you on your excellent academic record. I only finished
second in my class, but Mrs. Adler ranked first in our graduating class. Dr.
Silverman advised us that you are planning to limit your employment to the firm
of Finkel Nash. With your record you could have your choice of any law firm in
the city. Can you tell us why you are so determined to work at Finkel Nash?”

Joe
replied, “There is no rational reason for it, only an emotional one. I am a
relative of Albert Nash, the managing director of Finkel Nash, and I feel that
he will make sure that I get the best treatment possible.”

“How
are you related to Albert Nash?”

Joe
replied, “I’m not supposed to tell anybody all the details of my uncle’s
origins because it may affect his position at the firm. If you promise not to
confide the story in others and since Andrea knows almost everything, I will
answer your question. Our family is from Poland, and the head of the family was
Count Piotr Nashievsky and his Jewish wife Zuzanna. Piotr’s father, a devout
Catholic, was not happy with the marriage and ultimately prevailed upon his son
to divorce his wife. Before the separation, Zuzanna gave birth to a boy she
named Albert in memory of her father, Abraham, and a daughter by the name of
Miriam in memory of her mother. When the daughter grew up she married an
observant Jewish doctor by the name of Victor Epstein. Dr. Victor and his wife had
three children beside me and I was named Joseph. Albert Nash was very close to
his mother and he loved all of her children and grandchildren. He helped me pay
for my education and that’s why I came to Philadelphia.”

“You
are a lucky man,” Bill Mazer said to him. “However, I personally don’t think it
would be advisable for you to directly work with Albert Nash. The minute he
shows any favoritism to you, the other directors will charge him with nepotism.
You’ll have a constant struggle whether to take advantage of your relationship with
Albert and you will be accused of exploiting your position. I understand your
desire to be close to your uncle, and I have a far better solution to your
situation.

“As
you know, both women here still work for Finkel Nash. They insisted that they
would not compete with it, out of loyalty to Albert Nash. We therefore decided
that although we were starting a new firm, it would remain affiliated with
Finkel Nash. There are different types of affiliation. Sometimes it’s merely psychological.
In our case, it is actually a financial affiliation. For the next ten years, we
are obligated to pay 10.75% of our net profits to Finkel Nash. You can be sure
that your Uncle Albert will make it his personal business to keep his eye on
our new firm to make sure that he will receive the percentage agreed upon. If
he knows that you are working at the new firm, he will be free to supervise
even more closely without worrying about any backbiting from the directors.”

Joe
was very happy with Bill Mazer’s explanation. When Bill added that progress
would be faster and rewards greater if he entered a new firm at the very
beginning, Joe was totally convinced.

Bill
next returned to the interview and now concentrated on the depth of the candidate’s
knowledge of the Pennsylvania penal code. “Joe, are you familiar with Section
682 of the Code?” Mazer was certain that no law student would be studious
enough to memorize the law codes. He started to tell Joe what the section was
about.

Joe
stopped him right away. “You don’t have to tell me what’s in a particular
section. Section 682 deals with physical restrictions placed on a criminal
while he is sitting in the courtroom. It was last revised in the seventies when
defense lawyers claimed that the sight of a defendant in shackles or other
restraints would prejudice a jury and cause the jurors to think that the
defendant was a hardened criminal. The section was modified a number of times for
greater liberalism, but remained in the Code. In the case of Jenks vs. the
State of Pennsylvania in 1998, the Supreme Court upheld the legality of
restraints where appropriate.”

Mazer
was overwhelmed by the quality of the response. He decided to ask just one more
question pro forma. “How about Section 442 of the penal code?” Mazer didn’t
bother telling Joe what was in this section and Joe responded before he could
say another word.

“Section
442 calls for minimum mandatory sentences. It was developed in response to
rapidly increasing criminal activity and was aimed at judges who were too
lenient in the matter of prison terms. There was a constant effort to increase
the mandatory sentences whenever the public was aroused by a violent or brutal
crime. In the case of the State vs. Simpson, the judge claimed that there was
serious doubt about the defendant’s capacity, but he had no choice in
mitigating the sentence because of the mandatory sentencing requirement. The
defense lawyer appealed to a higher court on that basis, but in a split
decision, the appeal was rejected.”

At
this point Andrea voiced her objection to the proceedings. “If you stay here
all night, you will still not be able to catch Joe in the laws. Make him an
offer before he changes his mind.”

“Joe,”
Bill said, “we have no further doubt about your qualifications. Salaries for
associates range between $50,000 and $75,000 a year based on academic ratings.
We are prepared to offer you a base salary of $70,000 annually in an open
contract. Additionally, we are prepared to offer a private signing bonus of $30,000
if you act quickly. I will give you a note to Abe Levine, our fourth founder
who handles our financial matters and he will give you the contracts to sign. A
bonus offer is good for five days. After that the amount is not guaranteed.”

By
the time Bill handed the note to Joe, Althea Jefferson was admitted to the room
to await her interview with Shulamit. Shulamit introduced Althea Jefferson to
the other founders. She then asked her to tell Bill and Andrea about the
important events in her life and to relate her educational experiences. It was
evident that she was well-educated and possessed a great deal of self-confidence.
A warm and charming character emerged quickly and the founders enjoyed her
presentation.

Shulamit
explained to her that her job was to apply psychological insight into the
behavior of the clients. If she had a majority of black clients, it would not
be because such clients gravitated to black attorneys. The cause would relate
to the fact that the family law department and the criminal law department had
higher percentages of black clients than other city law firms. She would get the
usual percentage of black clients and there would be no dumping of undesirable
cases on her desk. Althea had never dealt with lawyers of the caliber of the
founders of the new company and she was gratified to be in their company.
Shulamit asked her what sort of debts she was carrying because of educational
loans to which she subscribed.

Althea
estimated that she was about $50,000 in debt and that payments were due as soon
as she was graduated from law school. It seemed like a mountainous sum. She had
no idea how she would ever pay off her loans, especially if she hoped to get
married and raise a family in a better section of the city.

Shulamit
assured her that if she lived sparsely and secured a job at a law firm, she
could pay off the $50,000 in less than three years. Althea answered, “I’ve been
at the placement office several times and so far I have had no offers.
Apparently there’s a much lower pay scale for black lawyers. In the big firms
there seems to be only a nominal representation of black lawyers. Most of the
blacks who go into law wind up in smaller firms numbering up to five attorneys and
deal mainly with criminal cases and financial problems within the black
community.”

“It
is true,” Shulamit said, “that there is a big range in salaries of attorneys,
and the range reflects the status of the school and the academic performance of
the students. You are fortunate in both aspects. You have an above average
academic standing and U-Penn is ranked among the top ten law schools in the
country. Associates in this firm still have to share secretaries. I hope that
you know how to type well. That’s a skill which will help you a lot. If you
possess computer skills, that would also be very helpful for you.”

“Friends
at school who had their own PCs let me type when their computers were not in
use. At Hunter College there was a computer lab available to all students and I
had no problem learning how to operate one. For my papers at Wurzweiler, I
finally had to buy a computer and a small printer.”

 Althea
went on to describe her social work experience and how her work helped her
develop interaction between her and those who were involved in the various
cases. She chose to apply to U-Penn because of its affirmative action programs
and the help it granted in the form of scholarships.

The
other founders spent some more time talking to Althea so that they could judge
her personality. Bill was getting impatient and Andrea was nervous about her
candidate so they pushed matters ahead. “Shulamit, it’s time to move on. Both
of us would like you to discuss salaries with Althea. Shulamit didn’t have too
much leeway in the matter of base salary. Althea did not rank in the upper 10%
of her class academically although her grades were above average. She could
justify going higher than the minimum salary for associates because Althea had
a master’s degree from a recognized social work school. Using this leverage
Shulamit opened with an offer of $60,000 annually as a base salary and another $15,000
as a signing bonus.

When
she heard these sums, Althea had difficulty maintaining her self-control and
avoiding shedding tears. No one in her family had earned such salaries or
enjoyed steady work. She didn’t quibble at all, and Shulamit wrote a note to
Abe Levine and gave it to Althea. “Levine is one of our founders and he is in
charge of our financial dealings. Congratulations!”

Meir
Kalman had arrived and Shulamit greeted him and introduced him to the other
founders. Andrea was a little unnerved by Meir’s appearance. His shabby
clothing reflected abject poverty. Clearly he was from a poor family and needed
financial help. Meir was wearing a black skull cap, which Andrea noticed. She
said to him, “As long as you are working in the privacy of your office, your
yarmulke does not bother me. If, however, you have to interview clients or
distinguished visitors such as the Cardinal of Philadelphia, it might be
inappropriate. Can you do without one in such cases?”

Meir
looked a little uncomfortable, but he agreed that he would not make an issue of
it. He mentioned to Andrea that people were more tolerant of religious symbols
now than in the past, and both the cardinal and the pope himself wore big red
skull caps.

Andrea
merely smiled at his attitude. When the meeting started, Andrea asked Meir if
he knew a rabbi by the name of Aaron Adler who lived near the university.

Meir
was startled at the question but was able to organize his thoughts. “Yes, I do,”
he said. “Rabbi Adler is a great man. Whenever I can, I take the bus to his
shul in the morning and attend his lectures in the afternoon or evening. He is
the most brilliant Talmudic scholar I have ever met. When I finished the
Talmudical Academy of Yeshiva University, I wanted to continue at Yeshiva
College and learn more Torah, but my parents could not afford to send me there.
I entered City College and majored in English and American literature. Thank
God, I did so well in my literary studies that I was able to raise my GPA to
where I could apply to law schools. I also did very well on my GRE. Much to my
surprise, I was accepted to several important law schools. I chose U-Penn
because I had heard of Rabbi Adler’s minyan bus and his dramatic revival of an
old shul. The man is a tzaddik, a real saint.”

Andrea
said to Meir, “Keep quiet, or you’ll make some women here jealous.”

Shulamit
rose and said, “Meir, look at me. Do you think I am pregnant?”

Meir
answered, “I don’t like to make such determinations, but it seems a reasonable
guess.”

Shulamit
said, “To paraphrase Tamar, to the man whom you called a tzaddik I am pregnant.”

Meir
was flabbergasted. “It can’t be true. Don’t talk like that.”

“Why
not, may I ask?” she countered.

Meir
said, “Rabbi Adler is a quiet man, modest and humble. You are a famous woman
and I see your name in the papers every other day. What connection would
someone like you have with such a pious rabbi?”

“Didn’t
you call me Rebbetzin?” Shulamit asked.