So having said that, although I very much understand your need to present a more "balanced" view of Rabbi Metzger, I really wish you had written me offline, as did the people who had positive feelings about Rabbi Metzger. Because as I said, the article is about one specific area and what we can learn from it now, not about anything else. Judaism has important guidelines about speaking about other people (loshon hara). I don't mean to offend, but to explain where I'm coming from.

I do understand that we all have the ability to grow past our experiences. I am glad that you had experiences that nurtured you further into Jewish life. In the past I have attempted to expand my Jewish understanding and to deepen my faith. The experiences that I had, unfortunately, didn't do that. I'm comfortable where I am with my Judaism and with G-d. I could tell you more, but I don't think this is the right forum for a more in-depth discussion.

You may recall that I have always been heavy. When Rabbi Metzger first came to town, my mother, trying to be hospitable to the new Rabbi and his wife invited them over to dinner. I remember this meal as if it were yesterday. We were seated in the dining room, eating off of the good china, because having the rabbi to dinner was a major event. In the middle of the meal the rabbi turned to me and asked if I wanted to know how I could easily loose weight. I eagerly said yes, I'd like to learn how I could loose the weight. Metzger then told me I could go to "Mr. Hitler's camp for boys". I recall my family sitting dumbfounded. Did my rabbi just suggest that I go to a concentration camp? Needless to say that the meal ended quickly after that.

As there were limited options in Monroe my family continued to belong to the Monroe Temple of Liberal Judaism.

Fast forward if you will to my bar mitzvah. I trained at home, but I was being bar mitzvahed at the Kotel. I arrived in Israel, about a week before the ceremony. We met with the rabbi (a close family friend, I called Uncle Rabbi) who would be performing the bar mitzvah. He asked me to chant my Torah portion so we could smooth out any rough areas. I had worked hard to get the portion exactly correct, so I was surprised to see Uncle Rabbi looking upset and rifling through his pocket calendar. When I asked him what the matter was he told me that I had chanted the piece perfectly, but that it was the incorrect Torah portion for the day of my Bar Mitzvah. I had a week to learn to chant a different portion. (Uncle Rabbi used a tape recorder to chant the portion, and I used that to learn from. By the time the actual ceremony came around every person on the tour bus could chant the portion). The ceremony went well, but I was hurt. When we got home I confronted Metzger. He never apologized, rather he said that he gave me the portion that he did because he felt that it was more meaningful than the actual portion for the date of my bar mitzvah. Perhaps a rabbi can get away with that in Monroe, NY, but I have to believe that he knew that he couldn't do that at The Wall.

After that I stopped going to Hebrew school, so I was never on that field trip you mentioned. For you Kurt Metzger built bridges, but for me he tore them down.

You may recall that I have always been heavy. When Rabbi Metzger first came to town, my mother, trying to be hospitable to the new Rabbi and his wife invited them over to dinner. I remember this meal as if it were yesterday. We were seated in the dining room, eating off of the good china, because having the rabbi to dinner was a major event. In the middle of the meal the rabbi turned to me and asked if I wanted to know how I could easily loose weight. I eagerly said yes, I'd like to learn how I could loose the weight. Metzger then told me I could go to "Mr. Hitler's camp for boys". I recall my family sitting dumbfounded. Did my rabbi just suggest that I go to a concentration camp? Needless to say that the meal ended quickly after that.

As there were limited options in Monroe my family continued to belong to the Monroe Temple of Liberal Judaism.

Fast forward if you will to my bar mitzvah. I trained at home, but I was being bar mitzvahed at the Kotel. I arrived in Israel, about a week before the ceremony. We met with the rabbi (a close family friend, I called Uncle Rabbi) who would be performing the bar mitzvah. He asked me to chant my Torah portion so we could smooth out any rough areas. I had worked hard to get the portion exactly correct, so I was surprised to see Uncle Rabbi looking upset and rifling through his pocket calendar. When I asked him what the matter was he told me that I had chanted the piece perfectly, but that it was the incorrect Torah portion for the day of my Bar Mitzvah. I had a week to learn to chant a different portion. (Uncle Rabbi used a tape recorder to chant the portion, and I used that to learn from. By the time the actual ceremony came around every person on the tour bus could chant the portion). The ceremony went well, but I was hurt. When we got home I confronted Metzger. He never apologized, rather he said that he gave me the portion that he did because he felt that it was more meaningful than the actual portion for the date of my bar mitzvah. Perhaps a rabbi can get away with that in Monroe, NY, but I have to believe that he knew that he couldn't do that at The Wall.

After that I stopped going to Hebrew school, so I was never on that field trip you mentioned. For you Kurt Metzger built bridges, but for me he tore them down.