Howard Marcus, Interviews with Jews in Utah, Accn 998

Page 23

Howard Mar cus p.22 HM No, I think because I don't know, very frankly. L May I recommend--did it mean that as a jew you had certain ethical standards, that you had a certain way of behaving, that you had tha t this religious paraphenlia was more part of the past ........ . HM I just can't answer. I really can't because I really can't remember that much. I--I-- I recall that my fatherhad great admiration for rabbi Gordon. He was a good friend. My father thought that he was a very brilliant man. I didn't personally get to know him that well but ... No, ah, I-I- -I can't say that I was greatly impressed one way or another. Other than the fact that yes I was very conscious that I was a Jew. I-­learned alittle bit about jewish history --not very much. Alittle bit about jewish customs--but very little. Ah, I-have a strong belief in God. As a, you know, all powerful being. Not a person but just a force, an intelligence. That created the world. The more I learned through historical and scientific se~eH~ studies as I went to school, the more I ah was convinced that a good part of the bible is nothing but a myth. I can't acept the story of ~nssas,~= genisis. I believe in evolution. I think many jews do. Without without--compromising their jewishness. L I feel a certain discomfort as you are talking .... [Leslie isn't looking for any particular kind of jewishness] HM I really don't know how to comment on your recent questions and I don't think that I;m particularly good subject for that kind of an interrogation. I told you how I feel about god. I feel about -- I feel about the jewish religion that it is you know an ancient religion, is part of my background even though I'm not very well versed in the knowledge of jewish religion or jewish customs as I said, Ibm= I know a little bit about it, a smattering.