The Rabbi Wore Bell-Bottoms

DAN MORGAN narrates the tale of how he went from recent M.A. grad to reluctant draftee. Arriving at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, in early 1970, he anticipates assignment to the Information Service. Instead, CAPTAIN/CHAPLAIN/RABBI STEPHEN WEISBERG recruits him as Jewish chaplain's assistant.The Reform rabbi's wit, kindness, and impatience with military madness quickly make Dan feel at home. He develops great camaraderie with Stephen, who lets Dan live at the Jewish Center where they both work. Dan gets to order kosher food from St Louis, play cantor at services, and edit the Jewish Disposition newsletter. Dan meets HARRIET MARSHALL, Lutheran daughter of COLONEL HAROLD MARSHALL, Main Post Chaplain. Once Harriet visits college friends at Kent State and witnesses the shooting of four protesters, she becomes revolted by the Vietnam War and by all things military -- especially her dad, who strongly supports the war and objects to her daughter dating a Jew. She decides to convert to Judaism and takes classes from Stephen. After the colonel discovers Dan and Harriet in bed together, he tries to have Dan sent to Vietnam. Stephen gets Dan's orders rescinded.Harriet becomes friends with SHARON BETTS, also taking conversion classes from Stephen. Sharon is unhappily married to a lifer SERGEANT, and has begun secretly seeing Jewish surgeon/draftee, CAPTAIN/DR. JON MARX. When Jon is severely beaten outside his house, Sharon's husband is one of two prime suspects. The other is a LIEUTENANT whose daughter died in surgery conducted by JON.Both the sergeant, who is Catholic, and the lieutenant, who is Baptist, claim their innocence. The suspects' respective chaplains, in Sunday sermons, each supports "their own," pitting the two churches against each other and setting off a religious war on the base. In an attempt to foster "ecumenical harmony," the colonel commands Stephen to hold a gathering at the Jewish Center for members of both churches. The gathering ends up bringing the Catholics and Baptists together by unifying them in their outrage that the Jews have, not just a chapel, but their own Jewish Center, with luxuries like a kosher kitchen, library, and Ping-Pong table. Jon's real attacker is found: a fanatically Orthodox Jew, unhinged by Jon's defection to Reform Judaism and his relationship with Sharon. Colonel Marshall informs Stephen the Jewish Center will be closed down "for budgetary reasons." Through various plot machinations -- like a "Save the Center" campaign spearheaded by the Jewish sisterhood on the base -- the Jewish Center is saved.The events lead Dan and Harriet to a gradual epiphany through which they reject organized religion and crystallize a shared belief system of their own.