New Author Bio — Claudia S. Gold AKA Penofgold
ILLUMINATION
Early life
The members of my father’s synagogue began moving out of Mt. Airy because Black people were moving into the neighborhood. My father, a rabbi who had met Martin Luther King Jr., tried to persuade them to change their attitudes and stay. After all, Philly prides itself on being “the city of brotherly love”. From the Jewish perspective, the well-respected Rabbi Hillel, according to a Talmudic tale, taught that the Torah’s essential message is “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow.” But they left.
When a synagogue across the country offered my father a position he accepted it — to become the rabbi of Las Vegas. My older sisters Sharon and Judi did not want to move at all and my youngest sister Dodie was four — too young to see the big picture. But I was excited. At 11, I’d seen game shows where thrilled couples won trips to Las Vegas; lights flashed and exciting music played.
Las Vegas
At my new junior high in Las Vegas, an English teacher announced a contest to select a writer for the school paper’s humor column. I signed up as did Carter Chappelle, a quiet, brown-haired boy who I secretly liked. The teacher asked us to write a funny essay from scratch. I won the contest but not the hoped-for romance with…
