JEWISH WORLD

28 JEWISH WORLD • NOVEMBER 18-24, 2022 Promised Land, locating it on LeeAv- enue. Isaac Bashevis Singer deployed the iconic Ferris Wheel in Coney Is- land to depict the dizzying decisions a Holocaust survivor refused to make in Enemies, A Love Story . William Styron made great use of post-Holo- caust Brooklyn in Sophie’s Choice . It was over the Williamsburg Bridge, built in 1903, that the immi- grant Jews of the Lower East Side escaped from their teeming tene- ments over into Brooklyn. Mean- while, there is no bridge in Israel, Europe or the United States that is as evocative of crisscrossing Jews as the stone towers and spider-like cables of the Brooklyn Bridge. B rooklyn is more than just a place — it’s a valentine to Jewish life in America. And now the people most associated with the borough have received an indecent drubbing from a foul-mouthed, double-dribbling idiot. At a time when derogatory nick- names and mascots, misappropriated from Native Americans, are being abolished by college and profession- al sports teams, and with cultural sen- FREE For your FREE digital issue send an email to: lijewworld@aol.com It should also not be forgotten that, in signing Jackie Robinson, the Brooklyn Dodgers became the first Major League team to inte- grate the sport with a black baseball player. During Robinson’s playing days, he was beloved by Brook- lyn’s Jewish community, who at the time comprised half the popula- tion. Jews were integral in helping Robinson cope with the pressures of breaking the color barrier. In return, after Robinson’s retire- ment, he repeatedly condemned an- ti-Semitism within the Black com- munity — most memorably in an incident involving the Apollo The- ater in Harlem and its Jewish owner. Given the widespread admira- tion for Robinson, and his friend- ship with and gratitude he exhibit- ed toward Jews, how can Brooklyn accept Irving’s coarseness knowing that Robinson would have publicly rejected him? This is, after all, not Irving’s first foul off-the-court. Self-sabotage is apparently a prominent feature of his skill set. He fancies himself as a contrarian who can dish both bas- ketballs and “truth” equally well. But anti-vax and anti-Semitism are two entirely different things, posing dissimilar risks to the pub- lic. The coronavirus can be quaran- tined. Anti-Semitism, by contrast, is a global contagion that has prov- en itself, time and again, impervi- ous to cure. If Irving wished to tempt fate and expose himself to COVID, that’s his right so long as he didn’t endanger others. His most recent actions, however, have most cer- tainly caused irreparable harm. The defamation of Jews is Brooklyn’s business. And for that, he doesn’t deserve to don the Nets jersey. Having so malicious- ly stained the streets of this Jew- ish stronghold, his comeuppance should be banishment from Brook- lyn. Permanent exile from the Bar- clay Center. Bounced forever from the borough. Thane Rosenbaum is a novelist, essayist, law professor and Dis- tinguished University Professor at Touro University. His most recent book is “Saving Free Speech… From Itself.” sitivity the new ethic, Irving took this moment to spew ancient blood libels against the Jewish people. And while he was at it, deny the Holocaust. The repulsive documentary that he endorsed through social media only intensified the fraying bonds between the two largest communi- ties in Brooklyn, and former nation- al allies — blacks and Jews. This at a time when so many young black Americans have heard similar slurs and stereotypes about Jews from black athletes, rappers and clergy. This is the example Irving has set — damning one quarter of the local population, displaying his flashy moves in distributing poison all over the court. It’s worth remembering that Brooklyn was the birthplace of one of America’s greatest athletes, who just happened to be Jewish — Sandy Ko- ufax, arguably Major League Base- ball’s most dominant all-time pitch- er. Koufax reached stardom with his hometown Brooklyn Dodgers before the team decamped for Los Angeles in 1957, taking their ace with them. There was no finer symbol of Brooklyn’s athletic excellence than Koufax, who not only was the best player of his era, but also known for his sportsmanship, self-discipline, in- tegrity and community involvement. Do any of those qualities de- scribe Irving, arguably Brooklyn’s best athlete now? The infamous tweet that triggered the Kyrie Irving brouhaha. Kyrie’s comeuppance should have been banishment. Permanent exile from Brooklyn. Bounced forever from the borough. Kyrie continued from page 12