Disney+ making Anne Frank series, touring a Ukrainian matzo factory, discovering biblical echoes in 'Better Call Saul,' and mourning another 'Seinfeld' mom.

OUR LEAD STORY

Cantor Nathan Lam was forced out of a job in December. By March, he had found a new gig. (Getty)

Celebrity cantor finds a soft landing after sexual misconduct allegations

Nathan Lam was installed as the new cantor of Beverly Hills Temple of the Arts last month despite having been recently forced out of previous positions after an accusation of sexual misconduct. “I thought it was over and there he is getting another job,” said the woman who filed the initial complaint, herself now a cantor and pulpit rabbi. “It was like a smack in the face.”

Affair or assault? Lam and the woman, who used to be a personal trainer, met more than 30 years ago, exchanging voice lessons for physical therapy. Both were married at the time, and Lam described their sexual relationship as an affair. The woman characterized it as a form of long-term harassment because of the power differential.

Background check: Rabbi David Baron, who hired Lam at Temple of the Arts, was not deterred by the fact that Lam’s two previous employers found he had violated their ethic codes. He said that he conducted his own investigation – though acknowledged it was based on the cantor’s account and did not include any contact with his accuser. “We, as a Jewish people, believe in redemption,” Baron said.

Showbiz pedigree: Lam is a uniquely Los Angeles character, braiding together a religious career and one in Hollywood with “a voice that spans two worlds,” as a Los Angeles Times headline put it. “He has prepared boys for bar mitzvahs, and Beatles for world tours,” according to a 1991 article that cited his work with Lionel Ritchie, Burt Reynolds and Ringo Starr. “He has produced songs for God and the Go-Gos.”

The broader picture: Lam’s quick recovery from what could have been career-ending is an example of the challenges the Jewish community faces as it tries to improve its handling of allegations of clergy harassment and abuse. The decentralized nature of Jewish life – thousands of local synagogues, schools, camps and community centers that have their own independent leadership – have made it difficult for changes made by national institutions to take hold.

Read the story ➤

ALSO FROM THE FORWARD

Bob Odenkirk in a scene from 'Better Call Saul,' which returns tonight after a two-year hiatus. (AMC)

What’s in a name? How ‘Better Call Saul’ follows a biblical path: The popular series returns tonight for its final season and we finally see the main character transform from Jimmy McGill to Saul Goodman. The show’s concern with personal branding and reinvention is a theme echoed in the Torah, like when God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. Saul in Hebrew means “prayed for.” When put together with Goodman, it tells us who Jimmy – in his heart of hearts – may hope to be. Read the story ➤

How the war already changed one artist’s view of her own childhood: For years, Zoya Cherkassky-Nnadi has documented scenes plucked from her early memories in Kyiv as part of her “Soviet Childhood” project. (She emigrated to Israel at 14 in 1991.) Since the Russian invasion, Cherkassky-Nnadi has gone back and redone some of the artworks. “When they started bombing Kyiv,” she explained, “there was no place left for fantasy.” Read the story ➤

Three stories from our spotless Passover kitchen…

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

Liev Schreiber has been cast to play Anne Frank's father in a new Disney+ series. (Getty)

🎬 Disney+ is making a miniseries about the Dutch woman who risked her life to shelter Anne Frank’s family during the Holocaust and then saved Anne’s diary. Liev Schreiber has been cast as Anne’s father, Otto. (Deadline)

✍🏻 Danny Fenster, the Jewish journalist who was jailed in Myanmar for six months, spoke about his experience on Sunday. What got him through the tough times was going into reporter mode, he told Brian Stelter on CNN’s “Reliable Sources.” “I took down lots of notes,” he said, until prison guards found them and took away his pen and paper. (CNN)

🇺🇦 Approximately 200 Jewish refugees are sheltering at a four-star resort in Irshava, Ukraine. It features tennis courts, three swimming pools, an indoor playground for children, and jacuzzis in each room. Plus, a kosher kitchen. “We’re refugees, yeah, but over here being refugees has its perks,” one guest said of the surreal experience. (JTA)

💰 An anonymous donor gave $18 million to a Cincinnati Holocaust museum. This comes on the heels of news earlier this month that a couple donated $11.5 million to build a Holocaust museum in Boston. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

🎸 David Fishof, a Modern Orthodox zeyde, has been operating a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy camp for more than two decades. It’s the stuff of teenage fantasies, though it’s mostly adults who pay $6,000 each for the four-day experience of jamming with rock stars like Gene Simmons and Alice Cooper. “I never did drugs or alcohol,” said Fishof, “I overdosed on cholent.” (JTA)

🤩 Stars! They’re just like us! Mayim Bialik, Josh Gad and other celebrities shared on social media how thy celebrated Passover, including hosting Seders and pretending to be Elijah the Prophet. CNN’s Jake Tapper, meanwhile, made a small Seder for himself in downtown Kyiv, where he was to interview President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (People, Twitter)

Shiva call ➤ Liz Sheridan, the actress who played Jerry Seinfeld’s mom on the classic 90s sitcom, died at 93. “Liz was always the sweetest, nicest TV mom a son could wish for,” Seinfeld tweeted. “Every time she came on our show it was the coziest feeling for me.” The death followed by just two weeks that of Estelle Harris, who portrayed George’s mom on the show.

What else we’re reading ➤ Antisemitic flyers were found in Hollywood and Beverly Hills during Passover … It’s that time of year: The 2022 Mah Jongg card has just been released … Season 2 of ‘Russian Doll’ on Netflix promises to be even more Jewish.

ON THE CALENDAR

On this day in history: The University of Alabama opened its doors on April 18, 1831, in Tuscaloosa. Exactly 6,598 miles away from the campus, among the hundreds of gift shops in the Old City of Jerusalem, is one where you can buy T-shirts and other knick knacks that display the University of Alabama logo in Hebrew. Hani Imam, a 1989 graduate of the university, opened the store in 1995 to honor his alma mater; a sign reading “Welcome to Bama Country” greets visitors. It is believed to be the only shop in Jerusalem dedicated entirely to an American university.

Also on this day: In 1955, Albert Einstein died 1:15 a.m. at Princeton Hospital in New Jersey.

Last year on this day, we reported on the kosher butcher in Cleveland who was the subject of a federal raid: the shop was a front for money-laundering. The store is now mounting a comeback.

On the Hebrew calendar, it’s the 17th of Nisan, the third day of Passover, as well as the day when Noah’s ark came to rest on Mount Ararat.

ONE WEEK FROM TONIGHT

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Ukraine exports about 70 tons of handmade matzo each Passover, about a fifth of the world’s supply. Much of that is made at the Tiferes Hamatzos Bakery in Dnipro, the most Jewish of Ukraine’s cities before the war. In February, the factory was producing 700 pounds a day.

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Play today’s Vertl puzzle (aka the Yiddish Wordle)

Special thanks to Talya Zax for filling in while I was out last week. And thanks to Kayla Cohen and Eliya Smith for contributing to today's newsletter.

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