In Ashkenazi Jewish folklore\, a golem is a humanoid being created out of mud or clay and animated through secret pr ayers. Its sole purpose is to defend the Jewish people against the immedia te threat of violence. It is always a rabbi who makes a golem\, and always in a time of crisis.
\nBut Len Bronstein is no rabbi--he's a Brookl yn art teacher who steals a large quantity of clay from his school\, gets extremely stoned\, and manages to bring his creation to life despite knowi ng little about Judaism and even less about golems. Unable to communicate with his nine-foot-six\, four hundred-pound\, Yiddish-speaking guest\, Len enlists a bodega clerk and ex-Hasid named Miri Apfelbaum to translate.
\nEventually\, The Golem learns English by binging Curb Your Enthusias m after ingesting a massive amount of LSD and reveals that he is a creatur e with an ancestral memory\; he recalls every previous iteration of himsel f\, making The Golem a repository of Jewish history and trauma. He demands to know what crisis has prompted his re-creation\, and whom must he destr oy. When Miri shows him a video of white nationalists marching and chantin g "Jews will not replace us\," the answer becomes clear.
\nWe hope y ou'll join us to discuss the book if you're available\; books are available for pick-up upon request to third-floor MLK staff wit hin a month of the program date.
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