The Lord Has a Taste for Clowning: Selected Poems by Stanley F. Chyet contains more than one hundred poems by pre-eminent American Jewish historian Stanley F. Chyet (1931-2002). Chyet served as a rabbi and professor of history at Hebrew Union College— Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles. He was also an award-winning translator of twentieth-century Israeli poetry. This collection is the first of his own poetry, written over more than thirty years and reflective of his deep compassion, insight, and thoughtful searching. His poems contemplate— with irony— contemporary life, love, illness, faith, and historical and biblical events. At the heart of his work is what it means to be a Jew, particularly an American Jew.
Chyet was also one of the pioneers of the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, dedicated to exploring the connections between four thousand years of Jewish heritage and vitality of American democratic ideals. In large measure due to Chyet's scholarship and vision, the Skirball has carved a unique niche in Southern California through its broad array of performing arts, exhibitions, film, literary, children's and family programs.
The Skirball publishes this collection to honor and celebrate Stanley F. Chyet.