Comrade Chaim Amalek, Friend To The Working Man Today "Chaim Amalek" is a quiet New Yorker in good standing living in middle class obscurity on Manhattan's famed Upper West Side. Neither his manner of dress, appearance, nor his mien indicate that he is anything other than a typical Upper West Sider. He buys his bagels at H&H Bagels, his pastrami at Zabars, and his books at Barnes and Noble. He occasionally attends lectures at Columbia or the New School, and looks forward to the day when Hillary Clinton is his president, people of color are no longer oppressed, and abortion is free for those who need it. Yet in the early 1980's, Chaim (working under a professional name that I have promised not to reveal) achieved a brief but intense level of fame among the elite of Hollywood for his artistic vision and skill, and on both sides of the camera. Chaim was a victim of his own success. So effective was his work with the starlets of the day, that each film was thought to be the zenith of what could be achieved with her, a standard that could never be equaled, let alone surpassed. Consequently, every woman he chose to work with felt no point in continuing in the field and retired. Very quickly, Chaim began depleting the pool of desirable actresses and suppressing demand, as his few films were sufficient for the libraries of all but the most jaded and dissolute of viewers. This state of affairs was very troubling to the forces then (and now) in control of Hollywood, who made it very clear that he could either retire to obscurity or to the bottom of the East River. Chaim chose the former. Today, he is an occasional contributor to the Luke Ford website, offering Luke his spiritual guidance on issues that every Jew must contend with in life. |