When I was a pre-teen, I particularly enjoyed reading the gothic young adult horror novels of the author John Bellairs. With titles like The Curse of the Blue Figurine, The Chessmen of Doom and The House With A Clock In Its Walls, these books painted a vivid image of occult practices run amok, of haunted churches and of people long dead who have returned to exact revenge- all of which ended with the mystery was solved and everyone being safe. I especially enjoyed Bellairs’s depictions of winter, as all his books took place in snowy locales like Michigan, Minnesota and Massachusetts. I would typically devour one of these per Shabbos afternoon. Recently, I took a few of these books out for Shaya, thinking that he might enjoy them as I did, and, in isolation, I re-read one of them- The Curse of The Blue Figurine.
As a parent in 2022- especially on the heels of the Chaim Walder scandal about which I wrote last week- I was shocked. My kids never read Chaim Walder’s books, but they would read these. Far more alarming than the plot line itself was the behavior that seems to have been taken for granted as normal and appropriate. Foul-tempered yet kind-hearted Professor Roderick Childermass is the elderly neighbor of 13 year old Johnny Dixon, who lives in 1950s Duston Heights, Massachusetts with his grandparents. Johnny’s mother has passed away, and his father was called to the Air Force to fight in the Korean War. Johnny and Professor Childremass develop a close friendship; they spend a lot of time alone together eating cake, playing chess and investigating mysteries of the supernatural They even go on vacation together. When Bellairs wrote his books, between the 1970s and 1990s, there was much less awareness of child safety issues- and certainly much less discussion. I don’t think anyone would publish a book with these plot details today (and that is quite aside from the Professor’s smoking habit). All these behaviors I just described should raise red flags; we know more today about the way child abusers work and how they groom their victims, who are often people who come from vulnerable backgrounds (though we also know that many abusers are, tragically, family members). I don’t think I would prevent Shaya from reading these books- being anachronistic in certain matters doesn’t inherently render a book off limits- but it would certainly be a chance to spur a conversation about safe behavior.
Last week, I wrote about educating our children and empowering them to protect themselves from abuse. No matter what else your kids read, an excellent resource in this regard is this book,Let’s Stay Safe , published by Artscroll (yes, that Artscroll)- in recent weeks, tens of thousands of copies of this book have been distributed in Orthodox communities around the world, and it has been translated into several different languages. It is geared toward much younger children, but the lessons should be taught to anyone, of any age.
Hakarat HaTov
I am deeply grateful to all those who sent texts, emails and whatsapp messages (and food!) checking in with me during my recently concluded period of isolation. I especially appreciate those who checked in with Jessica; the brunt of the ensuing inconvenience fell on her shoulders and she certainly derived strength from all those who showed her concern. We are blessed to be a part of such a wonderful, warm and caring community that takes care of one another so beautifully! I am excited to be back in shul with you, and wish a Refuah Sheleimah to all those who are temporarily out of commission.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky
Congregation Shaare Tefilla 6131 Churchill Way Dallas, TX 75230
