10 Finding Faith

Chapter 10 Finding Faith As Bob Dylan grew older and his family grew bigger, he began to look for more meaning in life. He became interested in his Jewish roots and what the religion meant. Then Abe Zimmerman died of a heart attack in June 1968. In an interview in a Minnesota newspaper, Abe had talked about his famous son. His remarks were candid and sharp. "My son is a corporation and his public image is strictly an act... He wanted to be a folksinger, an entertainer. We couldn't see it, but we felt he was entitled to the chance. It's his life after all." Bob was not happy with what his father said. Nevertheless, as soon as he heard the news of Abe's death, Bob went to Hibbing for the funeral. He was deeply upset by his father's death. Bob was a parent now. So perhaps he understood how hard it was to be a father. He also made an effort to become closer to his mother and brother, David, again.

Bob and David spent time discussing the plans for their father's funeral. David was surprised that Bob still remembered the Hebrew prayer for the dead. The bar mitzvahed boy had not forgotten his religion.

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The following year Bob visited Israel. He went again in 1970 and in May 1971. During that visit, Bob and Sara visited the oldest parts of the city of Jerusalem. He told a rabbi there, "I'm a Jew. It touches my poetry, my life, in ways I can't describe." A few days later Bob visited the Wailing Wall. For Jews, it is a very sacred place. People pray and leave written prayers stuck in the cracks of the wall.

Someone snapped Bob's picture as he was praying at the Wall. It quickly appeared in newspapers around the world.

Rumors spread that Bob was thinking of moving his family to Israel. Other stories said they would live on a kibbutz or a farm. Or that they might buy an apartment in Jerusalem. In the end the stories turned out to be just stories. Unfortunately, Bob's personal life unraveled over the next few years. His marriage fell apart. In 1977, Bob and Sara got divorced. Once again Bob began touring the country. On November 18, 1978, he was onstage in Tempe, Arizona. Someone in the crowd could see that Bob was not feeling well and threw a silver cross to him. Bob picked it up and put it in his pocket.