Rolf Gompertz

About ROLF GOMPERTZ

“If I had not been born a Jew,” said Rolf Gompertz, “I might have become a Nazi. I was born in Germany.”

He and his parents, Oscar and Selma Gompertz, lived through Kristallnacht, November 9, 1938, the Night of Broken Glass, dress rehearsal for the Holocaust that followed. They fled to America the following year, when Rolf was 11 years old, and settled in Los Angeles, California.

Gompertz, born Dec. 29, 1927, returned to Krefeld, his birthplace in the Rhineland, at the invitation of the city in 1987. He was asked back the following year to deliver a 45-minute keynote speech in German on the 50th anniversary of Kristallnacht.

In February of 2010, his book, A JEWISH NOVEL ABOUT JESUS, was translated into German and published by a noted Christian publishing company, the Neukirchener Verlag, in Germany, with a Foreword by a Protestant leader, Nikolaus Schneider, Praeses of the Evangelische Kirche in the Rhineland, and now also Council Chairman of the Evangelische Kirche in Germany.

Gompertz was invited back to participate in Jewish Culture Days 2011 in Germany. He spoke and gave readings during two weeks in April, before 15 various groups in Krefeld and nearby cities.

In his Foreword, Schneider said of the book: “[The author] finds it important to make clear that his intent is not to undermine the value or distinctiveness of either Judaism or Christianity…He…hopes that his novel will contribute to mutual understanding between Jews and Christians, so that both [groups] ‘may live together, side by side, respectful of one another, in dignity and peace.’”

Schneider concludes: “That is why I wish this book great success, not least because it stands in line with the work…of the Association for Christian-Jewish Cooperation and the numerous vital contacts between many Jewish and Christian congregations in the Rhineland and other state churches of the Evangelische Kirche in Germany.”

Said Gompertz: “I wrote this book, at its deepest level, as my answer to Hitler, Kristallnacht and the Holocaust, and to put to rest, once and for all, the Christ-Killer charge which was leveled against us for two-thousand years and which paved the way for Hitler and the Holocaust. Yes, I wrote this book to create mutual understanding, so we could live together, side by side, respectful of one another, in dignity and peace.”

The German edition uses the book’s original title: MY JEWISH BROTHER JESUS, translated into German as, JESUS, MEIN JUEDISCHER BRUDER.

Gompertz is the author of eight books. Five are currently in publication. They include another biblical novel, Abraham, The Dreamer/An Erotic and Sacred Love Story.

The others are SPARKS OF SPIRIT: How to Find Love and Meaning in Your Life, 24 Hours a Day, a spiritual self-help book; The Messiah of Midtown Park, a contemporary Comedy-Drama in screenplay form, about what might happen if the Messiah appeared today; TO LIFE! TO LOVE! In Poetry and Prose, a Spiritual Memoir, which also contains the keynote speech Gompertz delivered in his hometown, Krefeld, Germany, in 1988, on the 50th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass.

Gompertz and his parents had their story dramatized, along with those of two other families, on the program, Kristallnacht, which opened the TV series, “Days That Shook the World,” on the BBC Oct. 28, 2003. Produced by Lion Television, the program has also aired in the U.S. on the History Channel, first in January 2004, and several times after that.

Gompertz speaks about these experiences at schools, colleges, and before adult groups. He has been a regular speaker, since 2006, at the Simon Wiesenthal Center/Museum of Holocaust (Los Angeles, Calif., U.S.A.).

Gompertz’s articles and short stories on Jewish and spiritual themes have been published in major newspapers and magazines.

Following high school, Gompertz joined the U.S. Army, in 1946, and served as a German translator in Washington, D.C. He then attended the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), where he earned a B.A. and M.A. degree in English literature. He was honored with the departmental Best Student of the Year Award and named to the honor society, Phi Beta Kappa.

After college, Gompertz worked as an editor of a weekly newspaper in Torrance, California (1953-1957) and then joined the Press and Publicity Department of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) in 1957, serving as a publicist and then as a publicity director. He left after 30 years to form his own company, Rolf Gompertz Communications. He was also a UCLA Extension instructor for 32 years (1974 – 2006).

His two books in the field are the highly regarded: Publicity Advice & How-To Handbook and Publicity Writing for Television and Film, plus an earlier PR book, both of which are now out of print.

Gompertz, and his family, are long-time members of Adat Ari El, a Conservative synagogue, in Valley Village (North Hollywood), California . He created, produced, wrote and hosted a local, monthly cable TV series, ADAT ARI EL PRESENTS: Journeys into Judaism, which ran for four-and-a-half years. He has taught adult education workshops and spoken on Jewish spirituality, meditation and mysticism.

He and his wife, Carol, were married in 1957 and live in North Hollywood, California. He and his wife, Carol were married in 1957 and live in North Hollywood, California. They have two sons, a daughter, and six grandchildren.