[Timmy]

Originally Posted by pelathais

A little known fact: Melchizedek was really a retired insurance broker named Joe Sliberman from Patterson, NJ. He wanted to make a once in a life time visit to the Holy Land after he retired but his luggage was lost on a connecting flight in Milan.

Dispossessed of all his earthly goods he turns up at Ben Gurion airport clad only in a fluffy terry cloth robe from the Milano Holiday Inn. Customs officials asked him if he was "making Aliya...?"

Turns out old Joe never paid much attention to his Hebrew lessons at Temple when he was a kid and thought that he had been accused of having a relationship with R&B singing sensation Aaliya.

In the ensuring brawl Joe lost his terry cloth robe but was eventually elevated to the role of "King of Salem" by a local Lubavitcher sect whose rabbi was also from Patterson. True story.