At Shabbat services I spoke about Sderot and Ashkelon and the worsening state of affairs as Hamas-driven missile attacks rain on civilians in southern Israel (as if seven consecutive years of attacks on Sderot could get any worse). Here's what you can do:
1. LEARN: Know about the situation. You can learn more by watching these videos:
AJC's The Tragedy of Sderot
On YouTube: What Can You Do in 15 Seconds?
Sderot Awareness Film
Read URJ President Rabbi Eric Yoffie's statement on Sderot.
2. ACT
Keep Media Bias in check. Let TV, newspaper, and internet organizations know when you see errors or bias in their reports. HonestReporting.com is a good resource on this issue.
Advocate for passage of US laws and resolutions like HR 951. Let your Congressional representative know that you support the resolution and more like it. Ask them to co-sponsor th resolution if they have not done so already.
Go to Israel. We still have space on our temple trip. See for yourself what's happening in Israel (almost all peaceful, productive, and good people).
3. DONATE
During the war against Hezbollah (Summer 2006), American donations helped provide crucial social and support services for victims, soldiers, displaced people and their families. URJ, Jewish Federation, and the American Jewish Committee all have important projects underway to help Sderot.
4. EDUCATE
Make sure your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and relatives all know the truth about the situation. Remember these points:
*Israel seeks peace with security. Israel withdrew unilaterally from Gaza two and a half years ago in pursuit of a peaceful Gaza and southern Israel, Hamas responding with more rocket attacks, kidnappings, and suicide bombing.
*Israel never targets civilians. Palestinian terrorists purposely kill civilians. Palestinian civilians and children have been killed tragically in Israeli strikes against Gaza missile sites and operators. These deaths are terrible and Israel admits their horror. Hamas attacks have killed over a dozen Israeli civilians. These civilians were the targets. There is no apology or regret from Hamas or Islamic terrorists for them. For example, Hamas described the rocket attacks on Sderot's first day of school as a "welcome back to school present for the children of Sderot."
*Sderot is not a settlement, illegal outpost, or infringement on Palestinian territory. It is a town of 20,000 people inside the legal and established boundaries of Israel (by any measurement).
*Iran is supplying weapons and training to Hamas. Ahmadinajad's stated desire to kill Jews and destroy Israel gets put into practice in Sderot and Ashkelon.
This tragedy continues to unfold and worsen daily. We can not sit idly by while fellow Jews die simply because they live in southern Israel. Join me in fighting against this despicable assault on our people.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Vagina Monologues
Next Saturday, March 8th at 7:30 P.M., the Sisterhood of Monmouth Reform Temple will present Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues" as part of the global V-Day campaign. This is a tzedakah performance that our sisterhood is staging in order to help raise funds for the City of Joy, a project of Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Women of Katrina. Buy your tickets on-line by clicking here or call the temple office 732-747-9365.
In a recent book "The Still Small Voice: Reflections on Being a Jewish Man" (URJ Press), HUC rabbinical student Neil Hirsch explored "What 'The Vagina Monologues' can teach you about being a man." Hirsch initially resisted his female classmates' efforts to present the show at HUC because it lacked explicit Jewish content and excluded the male population of the school. He found, however, that the greatest impact of "The Vagina Monologues" was not in the performance itself but in its preparations. He recalls, "Through the women's meetings and rehearsals, my female classmates had an opportunity to bond through the sharing of similar experiences. They derived strength from one another." That strength and bond had a positive impact on the rest of the community beyond the rehearsals and cast members. It is also true that the tzedakah funds and awareness raised through the show reflect some of our most important Jewish values.
Our experience at MRT has likewise shown great successes even before the curtain goes up. The energy, interest and engagement of so many women in a temple project is inspirational. The women in the show's cast and supporting functions run the gamut of ages, interests, and hometowns. The show has also drawn in our brotherhood - they built the stage and helped provide sound and technical support. The project is the first time our temple is using on-line commerce to reserve seats and make donations. The project started when one woman from our congregation read an article about the terrible violence against women in the DRC and wanted to do something about it. She turned to the temple and our community as a venue for taking action. It's a story about the possibilities that arise from community connection, open and encouraging attitudes at every level of the temple, and a sky's the limit sense of possibility. Some of our guys may squirm a bit at the language and content of the show, but they should also step up to the level of engagement and energy that the Monologues has produced among our women.
See you at the show.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Kosher BBQ
Keeping kosher is not just about what you eat. It is largely about the company you keep. In an article about some rules of keeping kosher, Rabbi Yaakov Luban, Senior Rabbinic Coordinator of the Orthodox Union's Kashrut Division, wrote this:
"[The ancient rabbis] enacted three sets of food laws to limit socialization…. the biblical and rabbinic laws of kashruth have formed a natural fortress that prevented the assimilation of the Jewish people into many different cultures of the world…. [today] a kosher kitchen often remains the last bastion against intermarriage and assimilation." (read the full article)
Sure, certain foods like pork and shellfish are simply forbidden. But again, one of the driving principles behind kashrut is the social barrier it provides against mixing too deeply with gentiles. So, if keeping kosher is supposed to be a bulwark against intermarriage and non-Jewish friends, maybe it’s okay to eat baby back ribs if you are already married and your friend is the chef and owner of the BBQ restaurant.
Using LinkedIn, I recently reconnected with an old, high school buddy – a nice, Jewish boy who grew up in a kosher, Westchester home. Jeff, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America,
and his wife Jennifer own and operate a bakery, The Kneaded Bread, and Q – a BBQ restaurant and bar both in Port Chester, New York. We met at the bakery to load up on coffee, hot chocolate and bread before moving to Q for dinner. The menu had enough to fill us up without the ribs – including some of the best chicken wings I have ever eaten (slow smoked, not fried), beef brisket, burgers, fries, hand cut, white meat chicken nuggets. Great food, great atmosphere, nothing bad about it. Except that it’s not “kosher” – at least not by ingredients. But what about by principle?
I believe that connecting with other people – especially old friends – is so important that we should not obstruct it by standing on ceremony. That doesn’t mean that our entire religion goes out the window in the interest of fraternizing. But it does mean that few things should be considered more “kosher” than old friends rekindling their relationship.
I am not the first Jewish leader to suggest revising Jewish dietary restrictions to meet principles of contemporary, progressive Judaism. Rabbi Arthur Green suggests a kind of vegetarianism in his book, Seek My Face. Rabbi Zalman Schacter-Shalomi offers eco-kashrut in his book, Jewish With Feeling. Recent labor and animal cruelty concerns at AgriProcessors (a major kosher meat supplier) have led Conservative rabbis to propose a “heksher tzedek” – certification of ethical rightness – to go along with the standard “heksher” – certification of dietary rightness.
I could not bring myself to eat the pork, despite Jeff’s claims that the ribs were the best in the Northeast (and based on his wings, I believe him). We laughed at the irony of our role reversal: as kids, he was the one checking for lard in the ingredients. We laughed about a lot of things. Mostly we were just happy to see each other, meet the family members, and share a good meal together. His wife excused herself to pick up their older son from Hebrew school and my family had a few more hours of driving ahead of us, so we parted and promised to see each other again soon. Given the attraction of Q’s great food, not to mention our friendship, I think we will. After all, it’s kosher, right?
"[The ancient rabbis] enacted three sets of food laws to limit socialization…. the biblical and rabbinic laws of kashruth have formed a natural fortress that prevented the assimilation of the Jewish people into many different cultures of the world…. [today] a kosher kitchen often remains the last bastion against intermarriage and assimilation." (read the full article)
Sure, certain foods like pork and shellfish are simply forbidden. But again, one of the driving principles behind kashrut is the social barrier it provides against mixing too deeply with gentiles. So, if keeping kosher is supposed to be a bulwark against intermarriage and non-Jewish friends, maybe it’s okay to eat baby back ribs if you are already married and your friend is the chef and owner of the BBQ restaurant.
Using LinkedIn, I recently reconnected with an old, high school buddy – a nice, Jewish boy who grew up in a kosher, Westchester home. Jeff, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America,
and his wife Jennifer own and operate a bakery, The Kneaded Bread, and Q – a BBQ restaurant and bar both in Port Chester, New York. We met at the bakery to load up on coffee, hot chocolate and bread before moving to Q for dinner. The menu had enough to fill us up without the ribs – including some of the best chicken wings I have ever eaten (slow smoked, not fried), beef brisket, burgers, fries, hand cut, white meat chicken nuggets. Great food, great atmosphere, nothing bad about it. Except that it’s not “kosher” – at least not by ingredients. But what about by principle?I believe that connecting with other people – especially old friends – is so important that we should not obstruct it by standing on ceremony. That doesn’t mean that our entire religion goes out the window in the interest of fraternizing. But it does mean that few things should be considered more “kosher” than old friends rekindling their relationship.
I am not the first Jewish leader to suggest revising Jewish dietary restrictions to meet principles of contemporary, progressive Judaism. Rabbi Arthur Green suggests a kind of vegetarianism in his book, Seek My Face. Rabbi Zalman Schacter-Shalomi offers eco-kashrut in his book, Jewish With Feeling. Recent labor and animal cruelty concerns at AgriProcessors (a major kosher meat supplier) have led Conservative rabbis to propose a “heksher tzedek” – certification of ethical rightness – to go along with the standard “heksher” – certification of dietary rightness.
I could not bring myself to eat the pork, despite Jeff’s claims that the ribs were the best in the Northeast (and based on his wings, I believe him). We laughed at the irony of our role reversal: as kids, he was the one checking for lard in the ingredients. We laughed about a lot of things. Mostly we were just happy to see each other, meet the family members, and share a good meal together. His wife excused herself to pick up their older son from Hebrew school and my family had a few more hours of driving ahead of us, so we parted and promised to see each other again soon. Given the attraction of Q’s great food, not to mention our friendship, I think we will. After all, it’s kosher, right?
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Mercury Retrograde
If this message is interrupted or otherwise misses the mark, it’s not my fault (or yours either). It turns out that we are in the middle of a Mercury retrograde. This is the astronomical phenomena whereby the planet Mercury, as viewed from Earth, appears to move backwards in its path across the sky. According to Astrology.net, this happens three times a year, lasts for about three weeks and has a significant impact on our communications. I learned about Mercury retrograde from a friend who, complaining of spotty voicemail, asked if being a rabbi kept me from believing in such things.
I do not usually give much thought to astrology, but I never rule out the mystical or spiritual explanations. The rabbinate has shown me enough things that can be explained only by searching beyond reason. When this friend told me, “communications get mixed up under a Mercury retrograde,” I felt a puzzle piece fall into place. First, my “smart” phone malfunctioned about two weeks ago and I “upgraded” to a BlackBerry. I have been untethered ever since: calendar mistakes, contact info lost, to-do lists vaporized. I’ve been more than anxious. Then, I bought a new laptop in this same time period. Right of out the box the computer refused to recognize its AC power adapter. The two devices refused to communicate even though they fit each other like a hand in a glove. I had to ask about a third puzzle piece: “Does Mercury Retrograde affect people or just our technology?” She told me, “No, it affects your interpersonal communications big time. Has that happened?” It has. Big time.
Accordingly to astrology, Mercury rules over the mind's processes especially related to communication. When Mercury reverts back on its own course, our minds likewise turn inward. This is good for meditation and reworking old problems but bad for examining new subjects and bad for communication with the others or outwards interactions. Astrology.net warns: “Businesses, travels and communications tend to experience delays and different problems. Computers and other processes that work with information may experience crashes, unexpected failures. Don't enroll in [new] courses, don't buy expensive Mercurian items (books, cars, mobile phones etc.), and don't sign important contracts…”
Mercury retrograde? I wouldn’t rule it out. Jewish tradition includes attempts to read meaning in the heavenly bodies. The word “mazel” means “sign,” as in zodiac sign. When we say “mazel tov” we mean “congratulations” but we literally say “it’s a good sign!” When we say, “you should have lots of mazel…” we mean, “you should have lots of luck and good fortune” but we literally say, “you should have a good sign over you.” God had Abraham look to the stars to count them as a symbol of the abundance of the divine promise. Joseph dreamt of the sun, moon, and stars as symbols of his brothers and his ascent to power in Egypt. The Talmud, Maimonides, and Ibn Ezra all explained astrological meanings from the signs. We lost this tradition (or was it co-opted by the horoscope page?) and our tradition’s sensitivity to mazel. It’s about time to get back on track with understanding the stars and planets. It’s important. Without it, our communications could be inter…….
I do not usually give much thought to astrology, but I never rule out the mystical or spiritual explanations. The rabbinate has shown me enough things that can be explained only by searching beyond reason. When this friend told me, “communications get mixed up under a Mercury retrograde,” I felt a puzzle piece fall into place. First, my “smart” phone malfunctioned about two weeks ago and I “upgraded” to a BlackBerry. I have been untethered ever since: calendar mistakes, contact info lost, to-do lists vaporized. I’ve been more than anxious. Then, I bought a new laptop in this same time period. Right of out the box the computer refused to recognize its AC power adapter. The two devices refused to communicate even though they fit each other like a hand in a glove. I had to ask about a third puzzle piece: “Does Mercury Retrograde affect people or just our technology?” She told me, “No, it affects your interpersonal communications big time. Has that happened?” It has. Big time.
Accordingly to astrology, Mercury rules over the mind's processes especially related to communication. When Mercury reverts back on its own course, our minds likewise turn inward. This is good for meditation and reworking old problems but bad for examining new subjects and bad for communication with the others or outwards interactions. Astrology.net warns: “Businesses, travels and communications tend to experience delays and different problems. Computers and other processes that work with information may experience crashes, unexpected failures. Don't enroll in [new] courses, don't buy expensive Mercurian items (books, cars, mobile phones etc.), and don't sign important contracts…”
Mercury retrograde? I wouldn’t rule it out. Jewish tradition includes attempts to read meaning in the heavenly bodies. The word “mazel” means “sign,” as in zodiac sign. When we say “mazel tov” we mean “congratulations” but we literally say “it’s a good sign!” When we say, “you should have lots of mazel…” we mean, “you should have lots of luck and good fortune” but we literally say, “you should have a good sign over you.” God had Abraham look to the stars to count them as a symbol of the abundance of the divine promise. Joseph dreamt of the sun, moon, and stars as symbols of his brothers and his ascent to power in Egypt. The Talmud, Maimonides, and Ibn Ezra all explained astrological meanings from the signs. We lost this tradition (or was it co-opted by the horoscope page?) and our tradition’s sensitivity to mazel. It’s about time to get back on track with understanding the stars and planets. It’s important. Without it, our communications could be inter…….
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Great Job! Thanks for Helping Marc!
With donor registration drives happening at three locations in Monmouth County along with others in Skokie, Illinois (a bar mitzvah tikkun olam project) and New England, we registered over 1,000 new donors.
See the local coverage of Solomon Schecter Day School's drive here.
If you have not registered, please follow one of the links to the right for Gift of Life marrow registry or to Marc's family blog.
See the local coverage of Solomon Schecter Day School's drive here.
If you have not registered, please follow one of the links to the right for Gift of Life marrow registry or to Marc's family blog.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Save A Life
The Talmud teaches that a person who saves a single life is considered as if he or she had saved the entire world (BT Sanhedrin). For the most part, we have few opportunities to save a life unless we work in certain careers like medicine or police. Today, you have the chance to do it.
A young, Jewish student from Monmouth county is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant. His doctors and family believe that he can not continue much longer in his condition. The student, Marc, is in the fourth grade and he has suffered from HLH (Hemophagocytic Lympho Histiocytosis) since its onset at 14 months of age. HLH is an auto- recessive rare genetic disorder that affects approximately 1.2 out of 1 million births. The only cure has been to undergo a bone marrow/stem cell transplant. Marc was scheduled to receive a transplant at Children's Hospital in Cincinnati until tests revealed the donor marrow was too risky for Marc's health. A better match was needed.
A young, Jewish student from Monmouth county is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant. His doctors and family believe that he can not continue much longer in his condition. The student, Marc, is in the fourth grade and he has suffered from HLH (Hemophagocytic Lympho Histiocytosis) since its onset at 14 months of age. HLH is an auto- recessive rare genetic disorder that affects approximately 1.2 out of 1 million births. The only cure has been to undergo a bone marrow/stem cell transplant. Marc was scheduled to receive a transplant at Children's Hospital in Cincinnati until tests revealed the donor marrow was too risky for Marc's health. A better match was needed.
I know Marc personally because he was a student in my older son's class - a playmate and a friend - until immune deficiencies required him to stay home and learn with tutors.
You can help. You can literally save a life. It does not cost you a penny and does not hurt at all to get tested (a painless cheek swab). If you are tested and entered into the national marrow registry, you have no commitment to donate. We'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it. For reasons I do not yet understand, Jews are woefully underrepresented in the marrow donor databases. The best matches usually come from within the same ethnic group. Marc's family is of Ashkenazic Jewish descent. The best chances for a match come from similar people. Chances are, if you are reading this, that's you. And even if it's not, you should register because there are others who may fit your profile.
You can help. You can literally save a life. It does not cost you a penny and does not hurt at all to get tested (a painless cheek swab). If you are tested and entered into the national marrow registry, you have no commitment to donate. We'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it. For reasons I do not yet understand, Jews are woefully underrepresented in the marrow donor databases. The best matches usually come from within the same ethnic group. Marc's family is of Ashkenazic Jewish descent. The best chances for a match come from similar people. Chances are, if you are reading this, that's you. And even if it's not, you should register because there are others who may fit your profile.
Please participate in one of the Bone Marrow Registry Drives on behalf of Marc.
They will be at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Monmouth County, 22 School Road East, Marlboro, NJ
Sunday, February 10 (I will be at this drive from 5 to 8 PM)
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 12
7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Forward this to anybody you know. Feel free to contact me directly or visit Marc's website for more information.
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