By Viviane Spiegelman
My journey into a world of whispers and shadows started 30 years ago in San Antonio. I had just visited the iconic Alamo where the Texan forces were slaughtered by the armies of Mexico’s Santa Ana. I felt their ghosts.
To say the least, it was an intense experience, so my friend and I took a head-clearing walk along the Paseo del Rio. We came across a tiny structure that was billed as The Spanish Governor’s Mansion. Curious, we went inside, where almost immediately, an ornately carved Baroque secretary desk caught my eye. I went over to it to examine it in more detail.
When I pushed back the panel covering a collection of tiny drawers, my heart skipped a beat. There, in the centre of the bank of drawers was a mogen dovid!
What on earth was it doing there in this city of seven Spanish missions and polychromed virgins? Continue reading Starting at the Wrong End — A Review of Rabbi Stephen Leon’s New Book