Read Online Rabbi Gabrielle's Defiance by Roger Herst - Free Book Online

pointed his
palms and fingers upward in a theatrical gesture imitating a
policeman. "Consider this august institution protected by a cordon sanitaire . No one gets inside
without either a black eye or a broken camera… or both."
    She grinned at him in the playful manner they
often shared. "You'd resort to violence in this holy place of
worship?"
    "Absolutely not. Wouldn't think of it. But I
would haul the intruders onto the sidewalk first, then show 'em
what a Jewish fegallah can do."
    "I didn't know you were a professional
bouncer."
    "I employ the element of surprise. Nobody
expects to be pummeled by a gay. If you hadn't noticed, we're on
the warpath these days. I spend a lot of time in the gym making
myself more beautiful than the average flabby on the street."
    Friends and family congratulating Miranda Goldsmith
on her Bat Mitzvah filled the high-vaulted marble-lined sanctuary
foyer. As Gabby and Asa circulated, many hands reached out to shake
theirs with Shabbat greetings. Most
congregants learned of the Morgenstern tragedy from opening remarks
and prayers offered by Asa. The moment services ended, people
wanted to talk about it. The Goldsmith family nachas awkwardly intruded upon this solemnity and
Gabby had to remind herself that joys and sorrow are often mixed
together. As she moved toward the Goldsmith family to extend a mazel tov, she hid her gloom, thinking it
wrong for one family's sadness to undermine another's joy. She took
personal pleasure in having developed a talent for acting. This
morning she was going to need it.
    Later, in the Meyeroff Social Hall at a
reception in honor of Miranda, Asa introduced family members to
Hebrew blessings over wine and challah. Gabby noticed how he was encircled by admirers, mostly pubescent
girls. The humor that usually peppered his conversation was gone
and his high-pitched giggle silent.
    Chuck Browner, who possessed an instinct for
Gabby's needs, stepped alongside to assist her escape. In the
corridor outside her study, a blond woman with a slender figure
above the waist and mushrooming hips below, blocked their path. Her
face was vaguely familiar from the evening television news. Her
features were symmetrical and appealing, perfect for presentation
on screen. "Rabbi Lewyn," she shuffled forward, forcing Gabby to
stop. "I'm Sibyl Tempkin from WTTL and would like to ask you a few
questions about the Morgenstern girls."
    Gabby threw a look of exasperation in Chuck's
direction before providing a canned response. "Sorry, Ms. Tempkin.
This is the Sabbath and I don't give interviews on the Lord's holy
day. “Sibyl Tempkin – for whom Sunday, not Saturday, had always
been the Lord's day – rallied. "Without sounding disrespectful, I
fail to understand how answering questions violates anything.
Particularly if you can tell us how God could permit a tragedy like
what happened to the Morgenstern children."
    From the opposite end of the corridor, a
two-man TV camera crew trotted forward to assist their newscaster.
"My God," Chuck exclaimed, stepping forward to block them. "Through
a small fissure enters a troop of street rats! The fortress has
been breached! Sound the alarm! All hands to battle stations! All
hands to battle stations!"
    "They say that Chanukah candles started the
fire that burned the Morgenstern girls. Is that true, Rabbi?" Sybil
Tempkin appeared unaffected by Gabby's dismissal.
    What patience Gabby possessed failed. "How
should I know? I wasn't there. The papers know more than me. Ask
the Fire Department."
    As a cameramen positioned himself to begin
shooting, Chuck angled around the newswoman. "Please don't," he
said while planting a wide palm before the lens of a shoulder-held
camera. "It's extremely rude to take pictures without permission.
Particularly when you barged into this synagogue without
invitation. We're asking you to leave immediately."
    When the lead cameraman tried to reposition
his lens, Chuck took an aggressive step forward. "Apparently, what
I said