The Rabbi Wore Bell-bottoms
Logline
Drafted fresh out of grad school, Dan Berman feels ambivalent about organized religion, but at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri he finds himself assigned Jewish chaplain's assistant. Thanks to a kindhearted rabbi and the Lutheran daughter of the bigoted post chaplain, he finds himself.
Genre
Comedy,Historical Fiction,Memoir,Funny,Drama,Religious
Short Summary
After a series of humorous experiences trying to escape the Vietnam-era army and survive basic training, Dan is assigned as Jewish chaplain's assistant. When he falls in love with Harriet, daughter of the bigoted post chaplain, the wise and witty rabbi helps him navigate life, love, and lunacy.
While Dan faces his beloved Reform rabbi's replacement by a humorless Orthodox rabbi, Harriet has to deal with the revelation that her father is not who she thought he was. Disillusioned by organized religion, Dan and Harriet build a philosophy of life together.
Setting
Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri (primarily); Chicago-area (briefly)
Based on a True Story
Yes
Plot - Premise
Internal Journey/Rebirth
Plot - Other Elements
Coming of Age,Happy Ending,Meaningful Message,Philosophical Questions,Twist
Mature Audience Themes
Language/Profanity
Main Character Details
Name: Dan Berman
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Engaging,Funny,Romantic,Educated
Additional Character Details
Name: Stephen Weisberg
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Role: Mentor
Key Traits: Blunt,Heroic,Engaging,Strong Moral Code,Leader,Educated,Honorable,Funny,Decisive,Empathetic
Additional Character Details
Name: Harriet Marshall
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Role: emotional
Key Traits: Charming,Complex,Confident,Engaging,Educated,Romantic,Sexy,Outspoken,Strong Moral Code
Additional Character Details
Name: Herbert Marshall
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Role: antagonist
Key Traits:
Development Pitch
The Rabbi Wore Bell-bottoms is about as easy to categorize as life itself. On one level, it's a laugh-out-loud memoir, with countless anecdotes based on my experiences as a Jewish chaplain's assistant in Vietnam-era America. On another level, it's a thinking-man's (or woman's) coming-of-age tale of star-crossed love in all its incarnations β romantic, platonic, spiritual. Finally, it's a serious critique of the ways organized religion colors our perceptions and provides insight into the mass exodus from organized religion over the past half century. The strength of the story is that it seamlessly weaves these three convergent strands into something that feels unmistakably like the fabric of life. The characters are witty, lovable, intelligent, and, above all, human. And they precipitate a series of surprising plot twists that are nonetheless perfectly in keeping with the personalities involved. Is there material here for a TV sitcom series like MASH? A satirical social commentary like Catch-22? A love story like ... Love Story? Yes, yes, and yes. If a novel can't be sold unless it's pigeonholed, The Rabbi Wore Bell-bottoms hasn't got a prayer.