Customer Reviews

Not by the Sword: How a Cantor and His Family Transformed a Klansman

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The first part of this book is a frightening portrait of a dangerous, unstable neo-Nazi. After reading what the book reveals about the personalities of some of these people, racially mixed families might pause before visiting certain parts of our country.
Cantor Weiss's ability to show tolerance and kindness to KKK member Larry Trapp is extremely moving and awe-inspiring. One of the things I learned from this book is that Weiss's capacity for forgiveness actually has deep roots in the Jewish tradition.

Micheal Weisser is the Cantor (and de facto Rabbi) of a congregation in Lincoln, Nebraska. He's had a rough childhood, been in prison for a while, but now he's a devoted husband, father, and step-father, and part of a growing community.
Weisser is aware of the hate groups in Lincoln, but when he gets nasty calls from a member of the Nebraska KKK, he tries a radical method. He approaches the racist bigot as a friend. This bigot turns out to be a lonely diabetic whose now half-blind. He joined the KKK because nobody else offered him friendship. Larry Trapp, the Grand Dragon of the KKK, quickly sheds his racist ideologies. Slowly, Trapp, Weisser, and others start reaching out to racist kids in an effort to neutralize all the hate groups that are recruiting them.

I was in Junior High in Lincoln, NE when this story happened. I spent most of my time junior high and high school discussing Larry Trapp and the Weisser family. I was fortunate enough to have Cantor Weisser speak at a candlelight vigil I held during my senior year in high school. This is an amazing book.

I was a member of the Congregation in Lincoln ten years ago, and knew Larry Trapp personally. This book is a great insight into how I remember the situation, and to that great deed of Cantor Weisser. I recommend it fully to everyone out there. It will help you understand the emotion and meaning Larry Trapp added to our lives.