Shabos goy is the term used by orthodox Jews for gentiles who help them with certain tasks they're forbidden from doing during the Sabbath, such as operating electrical devices.
According to Newsweek's excellent cover story on Obama's faith, when he was a state senator in Illinois his roommate was Ira Silverstein, an Orthodox Jew. He peppered Silverstein about questions on Kosher rules:
"On the Sabbath, if I ever needed anything, Barack would always offer," remembers Silverstein. "Some of the doors are electric, so he would offer to open them... I didn't expect that."
UPDATE: Thanks to commenter Manachem Petrushka who points out: "Senator Barack Obama is not fisrt celebrity to have been a 'Shabbos Goy' Elvis Presly and Colin Powell offered their serviced to help out religious Jews on the Sabbath."
Add to Del.icio.us
Add to Technorati
Add to Digg
Add to Newsvine
Add to Facebook
Add to StumbleUpon
Subscribe
I am afraid that Mr. Davis is wrong about Colin Powell speaking "fluent" Yiddish. Powell has tried to correct this misperception--or flattering, but false story a number of times--to no avail. He speaks a smattering of Yiddish words--like a large number of New Yorkers of all faiths--and a lot of American Jews. But he is not fluent.
Other famous people who served as Shabbos Goys include journalist/novelist Pete Hamill and former NY Governor Mario Cuomo. I have corresponded with the now-adult daughter of the Memphis Orthodox rabbi who shared a two family home with the Presley family in the early '50s. There was a remarkable degree of cooperation and respect between the families--especially Gladys Presley and the rabbi's wife--and the rabbi and Elvis. The families traded kindnesses---Elvis was an informal "shabbos goy" who took no pay for his work. In turn, the rabbi's family let the Presleys use their telephone and let Elvis use their record player (the Presleys were really poor). By the way, the widespread story that Elvis had a maternal Jewish great-great-great grandmother is extremely poorly researched. It is based almost solely on what a third cousin of Elvis told one "shaky" biographer. The rabbi's daughter told me that she discussed this story with her late mother. The mother was shocked and didn't believe it. Gladys never hinted at having a Jewish ancestor--and if she had any knowledge of it--the rabbi's wife felt sure Gladys Presley would have told her. The rabbi's wife added that if her late husband, the rabbi,had the slightest hint that Elvis might be Jewish by traditional Jewish religious law--ie through an unbroken female line to a female Jewish ancestor--he never would have asked Elvis to do tasks forbidden to Jews on the Sabbath.
A couple of years after he hit it big, Elvis donated 80K to a Memphis Jewish school founded by his rabbi friend.
Nate B.
While he may or may not have been a "shabbos goy," Louis Armstrong worked as a child for a Jewish family in New Orleans. The family never let him leave from work without giving him a meal, a kindness he never forgot: Armstrong wore a Star of David throughout his life to honor the family.
In order to make the Obama campaign relevant, you use the heading “Shabbos Goy” regarding the relationship between Ira Silverstein and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. It is time to stop the use of such language that excludes and offends. With the growing number of those from different religious backgrounds now part of the Jewish community, the term “goy" needs to be excluded from our vocabulary. No more need be said.
In order to make the Obama campaign relevant, you use the heading “Shabbos Goy” regarding the relationship between Ira Silverstein and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. It is time to stop the use of such language that excludes and offends. With the growing number of those from different religious backgrounds now part of the Jewish community, the term “goy" needs to be excluded from our vocabulary. No more need be said.
I don't understand the point of this writing. Is being a "Shabbos Goy" supposed to be some sort of mark of honor or something?
Post a Comment
By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.