While I'm away, read this

I'm away on vacation but saving up lots of stories and bloggish material for next week, but in the meantime, you should read Jay Michaelson's latest Polymath column in the Forward. Titled, "The Myth of Authenticity," the article explores the nagging sense that ultra-orthodox Jews are inauthentic and the rest of us are not. For example:

It’s not, of course, that we want to be the shtetl Jews of Anatevka — only
that we continue to see them as the “real” ones, and the rest of us, well, as a
kind of hybridization, or adaptation. Thus there persists in the American Jewish
imagination an anxiety of inauthenticity — that someone, somewhere, is the real
Jew, but I’m not it.

If you've ever seen "Annie Hall," "A Serious Man," or a female rabbi, the article has something for you. I'll be back next week.

Organ Harvesting: This is Not Really Happening, right?

For years we have seen modern incarnations of the most ridiculous medievel blood libels against Jews. Most of these modern blood libels involve Israel and Israelis. They have been so easy to dismiss because they have been so absolutely ridiculous: A Saudi newspaper story claiming that Jews drain the blood from Palestinian children in order make hamentaschen or the story that appeared earlier this year in a Swedish newspaper claiming that Israeli soldiers kill Palestinians and harvest their organs (the ADL called that one "irresponsible and shocking"). It was just so outrageous. How could anyone believe such a thing?! The sheer outrageousness of the claims was proof of the depravity of Israel's enemies.

Then, horror, it turns out that Israel really was harvesting organs from dead bodies without permission from the deceased or their families. Sure, they didn't just take the organs from Palestinians. They took from Israeli Jews and foreign workers. But it did happen. Sphere reports:

Over the weekend Israel Television's Channel Two broadcast a previously unaired
interview conducted by an American academic in 2000 with [Dr. Yehuda] Hiss, who then headed the [national forensic] institute. In the interview, Hiss said that Israel harvested corneas, skin, bones and heart valves from the bodies of Israeli soldiers, Israeli citizens, Palestinians and foreign workers, often without permission from the families.

Was I crazy to assume that such completely immoral and illegal things couldn't happen in a democratic, Jewish state? Don't answer. I already know.

Innovation

Wanna see innovation in the Jewish world? Check out the programs and organizations identitifed in the Slingshot Guide. As described on its website: "Slingshot A Resource Guide to Jewish Innovation, is an annual compilation of the 50 most inspiring and innovative organizations, projects, and programs in the North American Jewish community today. First published in 2005, and now in its fifth edition, Slingshot continues to highlight those organizations in Jewish life with particular resonance among the next generation." It's programs are skewed toward the younger generations, but it's still worth a loook.

Who were those Maccabees, anyway?

There's more than one reason to have taxes and finances on our minds as we light the menorah tonight. A newly reconstructed stele at the Israel Museum gives some details and archaeological support for the Hanukkah story told in the book of 2 Maccabees. Like the American Revolution (think Tea Party, "No Taxation Without Representation!" etc.), the Maccabee revolt was sparked as much by government policies as anything.

The Jerusalem Post reports: "The reconstituted stele, or inscribed tablet, yielded a text from the king [Seleucus IV] dated 178 BCE, eleven years before the Maccabean Revolt. It set out instructions to his chief minister Heliodorus concerning the appointment of one Olympiodorus to begin collecting money from all of the temples in the region, marking the start of a significant, negative shift in Seleucid policy on Jewish autonomy. That shift culminated in a vicious Seleucid crackdown on the Jews of Judea and the looting of the Temple in 168-167 BCE, which prompted the Maccabean Revolt as memorialized in the Hanukkah story. " I wouldn't go so far as to say we have a Maccabean revolt brewing in America these days, but those Goldman Sachs executives might have a different opinion than mine (not to mention the AIG execs who've had to hire personal security guards for themselves and their families). There is good reason the Talmud emphasized the miracle of the oil over the military actions of the Maccabees.

Gil Shefler of JTA has a good piece from yesterday that points out many challenging facts about the "real" Maccabees. The historian in me loves this stuff, the kid in me still wants to pick up a plastic sword, stuff a few latkes in my mouth and run around the house playing Judah. Is that so wrong?

The Maharam and Gilad Shalit

A few weeks ago, our guest speaker for Book Month, Michelle Cameron, taught us about Rabbi Meir of Rothenberg (the Maharam). Among the things we learned, was the story of his kidnapping and his refusal to allow the Jewish community to pay the ransom. While her book focused on the Maharam's wife, the larger story strikes a chord for today's Jewish community. In the weeks since her presentation, it has become even more so.

With negotiations for the release of Gilad Shalit actively moving forward, the question of what price Israel should pay for Shalit's release has become a question for public debate. The ghost of the Maharam haunts the conversation. Uri Dromi, former spokesman for Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, wrote the following:

In Judaism, redeeming the captive is very important: ``You shall not stand idly
by the blood of your brother.'' (Lev. 19:16). However, not at all costs. One of
the old Jewish sages has already cautioned against it. Rabbi Meir Ben Baruch,
better known as the Maharam of Rotenburg, was one of the leading rabbis of
Germany in the 13th century, when King Rudolph started persecuting the Jews.

He acknowledges that the deal will likely go through even though he (and most Israelis) have very mixed feelings. Read the full article here in the Miami Herald.

Can it be both Jewish and democratic?

Nofrat Frenkel was arrested at the Kotel in Jerusalem for wearing a tallit while praying with Women of the Wall. Frenkel writes of her arrest:

In my interrogation, I was asked why I was praying with a tallit when I
knew that this was against the Law of the Holy Places. I am an Israel Defense
Forces officer, a law-abiding citizen, a volunteer for the Civil Guard — I have
never incurred even a parking fine — and the idea of having broken the law was
most trying. Nevertheless, I cannot allow my basic right to freedom of religious
worship to be trampled because of a court ruling given years ago.

The Kotel belongs to all the people of Israel. The Kotel is not a Haredi
synagogue, and the Women of the Wall will not allow it to become such.

This deserves our attention as progressive zionists as much as anything.

In honor of service

It is nearly impossible to visit Arlington National Cemetery and leave unmoved by the dedication and honor of those who serve in our nation's armed forces. Even a simple walk through the headstones let alone the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns or a visit to a family member's stone can make you feel like you should be doing more for our country. Elizabeth and I arrived in DC for a family vacation yesterday and took the boys to Arlington to see her grandfather's (and grandmother's) final resting place. It was surprisingly emotional considering that he passed away in 1994. But the story of his service, like the stories of so many from his generation, is inspiring and, given my own lack of service, intimidating. He was a physician and Army captain who was at Normandy a few days post-DDay, at the Bulge in the heat of the battle and the liberation of Nordhausen. He volunteered to staff medical facilities at other liberated camps. We have his diary from those months in the European theater.

One of my only regrets at this point in my life is that I never served our country in any branch of the armed forces. I came close (but you know what they say - ironically - about the only places where close counts). As a kid I wanted to join the Air Force (see earlier post "We're shooting for the stars") until I learned what that really meant, when the recruiter came to HUC to talk about chaplaincy I was one of a handful who went to hear his pitch, and after Bob Goodman's funeral (who was one of many Jewish veterans I've had the honor to eulogize), I came home and told Elizabeth I was going to sign up for either active duty or the reserves. My father in law and a friend who had completed the chaplaincy training course explained to me why I was "out of my mind." Anyway, for various reasons - most of which come down to privilege and sheer luck of timing for when I was born - military service was not such a pressing option. By the time 9-11 moved so many to enlist, I had two kids and other responsibilities, and, and...

The URJ and CCAR have passed resolutions recently promoting and encouraging service in the military chaplaincy. I think we'll have to do more than pass some resolutions. Like many others, I meet so many older Jewish men who served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. I don't wish misery or death on anybody. I also know how horrible military service can be. But, it does seem that we've lost something these days that our older brothers, fathers and grandfathers possessed. It is amazing how few of us answer the call and how many of them did (I know, many by draft and not by choice). Maybe it's time to re-evaluate our priorities. Maybe we need to visit Arlington a little more often.

In Memoriam: Susan B. Shpeen

Susan Shpeen, wife and life long partner of Rabbi Scott Shpeen, passed away on Tuesday after a short but fierce battle with cancer. Scott has been my mentor, friend and trusted colleague since he first hired me out of rabbinical school in 2002. Susan provided a perfect first model for Elizabeth and our family to follow. Here is (left to right) Scott, Susan, Elizabeth, me, and Rabbi Sam Stahl at a celebratory dinner just before my installation as rabbi of Monmouth Reform Temple in November 2006. May Susan's memory be a blessing and may Scott, Adam and Hilary soon be comforted.



Albany Times Union Newspaper ran a story about Susan's passing, "Hardest Worker..."

Welcome to the blogosphere

I was reminded recently that I should explain the blog and my "editorial philosophy." I know that many of you already know what a blog is and have a sense of how a blog differs from a traditional website or the webpages of a mainstream newspaper or news network (like CNN.com or WashingtonPost.com). I use this blog to post quick, short pieces that reflect my opinion about events related to the Jewish world, our temple, and American culture in general. I often use more humor and sarcasm here than I would use in a sermon or bulletin article. Like most blogs, my postings sometimes sacrifice thoroughness of research for speed of posting. In other words, they are short, quick reactions to stories I have seen in the news or around us. I use the blog for three purposes: 1. to bring stories to your attention that you might otherwise miss (since I don't expect you to weed through the Jewish news sources as much as I do). 2. Elicit comments and discussion on issues. 3. Offer my opinion and perspective. I have changed postings after they've been up for a few days - especially as comments point out mistakes or counterpoints or the stories themselves are disproven (see the J Street entry below for an example of one that I've changed since originally posting).

In short, welcome to the blog. Feel free to comment, flame, praise, dismiss, log-off, whatever. But, please, join the conversation if you see something that moves you!

What's a blog?

Back Soon

With apologies, the blog has been dormant these past weeks. I'll be back after this weekend (if not before).

Biennial: Bringing the Rabbis to Life

There's a teaching in Rabbinical Literature meant to show the importance of cheerfulness and pleasantry between people. In Jewishspeak it is called "sever panim yafot." The story goes that one of our ancient sages would not walk more than a few steps in the market place without greeting somebody with a smile. It always seemed hard to believe. I've been in the shuk and other Middle Eastern market places. There's lots to smile at (the food, colors, culture, hustle & bustle), but it isn't always the nicety of other people.

Here at the URJ Biennial (my first, by the way), I've seen how the rabbis and everyone else here come to life. All of us here in Toronto are energized and engaged. It's an electrified atmosphere. But it is also a place where that Talmudic story comes to life. I can not walk five steps without seeing an old classmate, an old neighbor (and one of my first friends in the world) who made aliyah and now organizes group trips, a colleague, a mentor, a friend, a vendor (i.e. Avi Zuckerman, etched glass artist), etc. It's hard to get to the sessions because you have to run a friendly gauntlet of smiling faces to get to your room. But, as our ancient sages knew from their own market place, some of the best exchanges and most important business happens in the passage ways and not the offices or stalls. So maybe I can't get to every session I expected, sever panim yafot is alive and well and producing lots of good learning in Toronto!

You lost me, J Street

RJR ADDED: "In light of the statement by J Street denying the removal of "Pro Israel" from its college arm, I am no longer "lost" on the J Street cause. I kept the blog posted here, however, as it encapsulates some key positions I hold about Israel and our relationship to it."

The original posting:

First, there was chatter about creating a more moderate alternative to AIPAC; about creating a pro-Israel, DC-based lobbying type organization that would not be so hawkish and right wing. Maybe there could be something like the New Israel Fund vis-a-vis Federation. There certainly seemed to be a need for the unheard voices in our community to state a case for helping Israel by stopping the "anything Israel does, we support" policies of the Bush and prior administrations. I have never accepted the argument that American Jews have no right to express their opinions about Israel since we don't serve in its army or send our kids there. That kind of argument only seems to appear when American Jews are critical of Israeli military policies (i.e., it never comes up when we criticize the government's stance toward Reform Jewish issues in Israel or the high rate of traffic fatalities in Israel). It also doesn't stop us from criticizing the military policies of Russia (vs. Chechnya), China (vs. Taiwan), North Korea (vs. everyone), etc. In fact, I still opine vocally about American military action even though I have not served in the armed forces and don't have a child in uniform. We have a right - an obligation even - to speak out. All the more so when it comes to Israel, the Jewish homeland.

Next, there was the announcement of J Street and its staff. Timed closely with the arrival of the Obama presidency, J Street attracted both heightened concern and, of course, "Hope." But always, J Street was based on a pro-Israel philosophy, even if its mission was to challenge the dominant, AIPAC-charted course for America's relationship with Israel.

The Reform Movement welcomed J Street's arrival upon the scene. We seemed like natural allies (or at least fellow travelers). Then, URJ President, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, split with J Street over some of its statements during and just after the Cast Lead Gaza War. If liberals like Rabbi Yoffie were unsure of J street.... Oy. (Read Rabbi Yoffie's editorial here and J Street's response here).

Now, according to the Jerusalem Post, J Street has announced that it is dropping the phrase "PRO-ISRAEL" from its slogan (which had been "Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace") for all its college and universities offices and programs. The phrase "Pro-Israel" is "isolating" not "comfortable" and "alienating." In some places, J Street activists say, the words "PRO-ISRAEL" are just outright bad.

I guess you never could have counted me among J Street's vocal supporters, but you have lost me with that one. Perhaps the question comes down to whether or not Israel advocacy groups like AIPAC or J Street have inherently Jewish characters or missions (J Street describes its constituents as "primarily but not exclusively Jewish"). If so, there are certain things that are not negotiable. Being proudly and publicly "Pro-Israel" is one of them, even if our understanding of that term pushes us to criticize Israel. If not, is J Street a more politically savy version of the International Solidarity Movement or ANSWER? Those are hardly among the "friends" of Israel or Jewish people in general. And if not, you've lost me for sure because I need a Jewish voice that is pro-peace and still pro-Israel.

(p.s. J Street addresses these kinds of critiques directly on its myths and facts section of its website, check them out for yourself)

The circus is coming to town!

Don't bring your kids for this one, but the circus is coming to town. Westboro Baptist Church, infamous for their anti-gay, anti-Jewish and generally hateful protests, is coming to New Jersey with its small but loud circus. The NJ Jewish News ran a story about it recently.

Such carnvials also seem to beg the same questions: Why does God create "freaks" like those who attract yet horrify us in the circus? And, how should we reasonably respond?

I'm less sure about the first question and its theological mysteries. The second question, however, is easier to address. There is a blessing to recite, as ArtScroll's Complete Siddur puts it, "upon seeing exceptionally strange-looking people," like circus freaks and Westboro Baptist Church members. We say, "Blessed are You, LORD our God, who makes the creatures different [mi-shaneh ha-bri-ot]."

Some Jewish communal leaders have taken this to heart and written thank you notes to the "church" and others have invited them to come protest outside their facilities. These leaders have cited the significant increase in member turnout for services and/or events that occur while the circus parades outside their building. As a rabbi who is always trying to find ways to engage my temple's members, I too want to thank Westboro for reminding me of a simple lesson: everyone loves a clown.

Seriously, though, you can find guidelines HERE from the ADL about to respond.

Jubilee! The meaning of fifty

The fiftieth anniversary of our congregation is an opportunity to reflect on the values that have been the foundation of our temple these many decades. One day, many years ago, the leaders of our temple adopted a slogan, “Marbeh Torah, Marbeh Hayim – The more Torah, the more life,” from the second chapter of Pirke Avot. From an aesthetic point of view, this was the perfect slogan. Its letters resemble the letters of our name, especially our commonly used “MRT.” This is also a great slogan in terms of our temple mission, to be a house of study, tikkun olam, worship and community gathering (all good Torah values). Throughout our years, this temple has been dedicated to spreading Torah from a Reform perspective in Monmouth County. The Jubilee is a reminder of that centrality of Torah.

In Leviticus, the original jubilee is described as a special occasion that involved shofar blowing, freedom and release and celebration. Rabbinic commentary has come to understand the jubilee, in part at least, as a recollection of Sinai. The shofars are like the shofars heard at the base of the mountain, the freedom like the freedom we newly tasted from Egypt. A jubilee is about celebrating the anniversary and about gathering with friends and family. But ultimately, Jubilee is about Torah. Here's to fifty more years of more torah and more life!

What the Whale Says: Yom Kippur Evening Sermon

Yom Kippur's evening sermon is available below. Just click the play button on the Podbeam menu bar or click here for my audio site. The recording of my Yom Kippur morning sermon was accidentally cut off in the middle. I will re-record and post it soon.

What the Whale Says:

Powered by Podbean.com

Rich's Kids!

We were worried. MRT's master of the shofar, Rich Sachs, was out of town for Rosh Hashanah and most of the days afterward. Rich and his wife, Sheila, are proud new grandparents (Mazel Tov!) and had gone to be with their family. So, yes, we worried that our shofar blowing on Rosh Hashanah would not meet the usually high levels we get when Rich coaches the shofar squad. But that wasn't our biggest concern. RoosBlog followers were surely more focused on Rich's absence from the 2nd Annual Shofar Blowing Competition at Red Bank's Beth Shalom Congregation. Rich had represented us well and took top honors at last year's meet. Who could fill such shoes this year?

Like Vader showing how the student has become the master, Zak Desaro and Evan Leifman dominated the competition this year. The ten-year old veterans of the MRT youth shofar corps have attracted the attention of tekiah connoisseurs since they first appeared on the scene just over a year ago. Desaro took top honors for the much-coveted prize of blowing the longest tekiah gedolah. He also won for original melody by blowing "Taps" on the shofar. The ever-creative Leifman blew the theme song to "Jeopardy!"

While Sachs lamented his own absence from the field this year, he expressed "great pride" that "his boys" are following in his footsteps. Well played men, well played.

See coverage and photos from the competition here on RedBankGreen.

Not to be sidelined by any circumstances, Sachs appeared on the historic bimah of Boston's Temple Israel as baal tekiah on Rosh Hashanah. Our sources at the Jewish Advocate report that trade talks are now swirling in the Boston area congregations. Sachs has ignored the chatter and gives no indication he plans to take his shofar on the road.

Sermon posted: What We Build

Rosh Hashanah Morning Sermon available here:

Powered by Podbean.com

or get it here (will take you to an external website called podbean).

L'shanah Tovah!

Happy and Healthy New Year!

Talking this year about the altars Abraham builds, culminating with the one he builds on Mt. Moriah. Learned this approach from Rabbi David Gedzelman during a STAR PEER retreat a few years ago when he taught us regarding Lech Lecha. The message: it is time to return to the idealism of your youth and be the person you once-upon-a-time believed you would become. There. Now you don't have to come to services tomorrow, except you'd miss the prayers and shofar and Torah reading. Okay, you should still come.

Happy New Year. See you in shul.

Say Shalom to My Little Friend

Tony Montana eat your heart out. You better bring your tickets and be extra careful this Rosh Hashanah, your rabbi may be packing more than a shofar under that tallis...

See this video from the New York Post (thanks to Steve Goldsmith and my father for tipping me off about this story) or this one from WCBS-TV.

and this article.

The story, by the way, has produced some great puns: "Go ahead, make my high holy day," and the title, "Say Shalom..." (from WCBS NY). Got a good one? Add through the comments here.

L'shanah Tovah!!

Lost Luggage

While researching a teshuvah on organ donation (believe it or not a former student emailed me seeking "Reform halakhic" guidance), I learned that personal safety is like lost luggage in certain situations. In a Responsa from 1997, Rabbi Saul Israeli (z"l) wrote:

The Torah imposes a duty to do whatever is necessary to save a person who is in
danger. The safety of such a person is considered in the same category as "lost
property:" if you encounter someone who is in danger, it is as if you have found
something that he has lost. Halacha imposes on the finder the duty to restore
lost property to its owner: "You are to restore it to him" (Deut. 22:2). This is
extended by the Talmud to include someone who is in danger, where "you are to
return his body [i.e. its safety] to him." (Sanhedrin 73a, and Rashi there).

It reminded me of the signs I just saw in the airport on a recent trip: "Please Be Careful, Bags Look Alike." Most of us are extra careful when grabbing our luggage. We check the tags and even tie unique ribbons on them for easy identification. Nobody wants to lose their luggage. Why aren't we that careful with our bodies and those of other people?

Thanks, Senator, We're Shooting for the Stars

I honor the memory and legacy of Senator Edward Kennedy and offer my condolences to his family and all who admired and loved him. I have a personal debt of gratitude with him. When I was in kindergarten, I decided that I wanted to be an astronaut. My parents told me that astronauts came from the best of the military, especially the Air Force. If I wanted to be one, I should go to the Air Force Academy. I soon had a souvenir booklet of seventies-era postcards from the Academy in my desk drawer. I especially loved the photo of the trademark chapel building against the Colorado peaks and the one of the Thunderbirds flying over the campus. Sometime around fourth grade my mother told me that Academy applicants needed the nomination of their senator or representative. At eight years old I wrote to Kennedy for his endorsement. I kept his response in the drawer with my postcards. I remember how important the stationery felt in my hands with its raised blue print in distinguished script: United States Senate and his signature at the bottom. I also remember his words: “Dear Jonathan… If you continue to perform well in school and receive good grades, I would be happy to support you for admission to the United States Air Force Academy. When you approach your junior year of high school, I hope you will write to me again about your interest…. ” Around seventh grade I learned that my aversion to motion sickness and fast spinning rides did not make for a good astronaut. But, I still remembered when I became a junior that I had a correspondence appointment with Senator Kennedy and I remember feeling nostalgic about my childhood dream of rocket missions to SkyLab.

RoosBlog’s special advisor for political Right-ness forwarded an email last Friday from an anonymous source. It was a pre-mortem reminder of Kennedy’s faults. Titled “The Last of Kennedy Dynasty [sic],” the email predictably focuses on the death of Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick and the oft-cited stories of Kennedy mediocrity at Harvard and elsewhere. It closes with the kind of invective that shows the author to be little more than a crank with poor taste (dare I suggest that civility and discretion are laudable character traits?!): “[Kennedy] is known around Washington as a public drunk…. JERK is a better description than ‘great American.’ A blonde in every pond is his motto. Let's not allow the spin doctors make this jerk a hero -- how quickly the American public forgets what his real legacy is. Let’s keep this [email] going for truth, justice and the American way.”

Remember, there is good reason we eulogize our dead, even those who are as deeply flawed as Kennedy. In the Jewish tradition (as in Kennedy's Catholic faith), we connect atonement and forgiveness with death. The Mishnah speaks of certain types of offenses and the means by which we are forgiven for them in the eyes of God. All things require admission of wrong and reconciliation directly with those we've hurt. Some things are then righted by atonement rituals and the passing of a week; others require Yom Kippur. For the most egregious violations, death is the only means of final and complete teshuva with God. That does not mean we believe everyone becomes “good” when they die. They don't. But it does remind us that the end of a person’s life is the moment of ultimate reckoning between that person, his worst failings, and God. That’s a sacred and serious process that deserves, at a minimum, respect, dignity and decency. We also praise Kennedy at this time because the span between his worst failings and his best achievements offers the promise that we too can overcome terrible shortcomings. No reasonable person can say that Chappaquiddick was anything but a low point and a example of bad character. Neither can one reasonably say the entirety of Kennedy's life and achievements amount to being a publicly drunk jerk.

We eulogize people like Kennedy because, by virtue of their public persona, they often represent at least one thing we hoped for in our own lives. Beyond Mom and Dad, my senator's simple letter gave me the gift of believing I had official support for my boyhood dreams. I never became an astronaut and I never even applied to the Academy. But I still love space movies, especially the typical scene where, in a moment of dramatic tension, the hero asks, "I need a 'Go-No Go' for launch." I never forgot Ted Kennedy's message that if I do well, pursue success and continue to dream of being among the few to reach the highest places, I have the green light to launch. Thank you, Senator, and goodbye. I kept your letter forever.

Prepare Your Heart - It's Elul

The Jewish month of Elul starts this Thursday and that means Rosh Hashanah is almost here. Most of us consider Rosh Hashanah a high point in the Jewish year. Many, in fact, only come to temple at this time. So why not take five minutes a day to give yourself the best spiritual preparation for this sacred peak. There are two rituals characteristic of Elul that you can experience with very little effort. First, the shofar is blown each morning at shacharit services. Find a place to hear the shofar or, though it's not quite the same thing, listen on-line. Second, we read Psalm 27 and reflect on its message. Focus on this verse: "only one thing do I ask: to dwell in the house of the Lord." Ask yourself: What is the one thing I ask for the coming year? And now, what must you do to make that thing real?

As part my preparations for the Yamim Nora'im, I joined a conference call with President Obama and hundreds of rabbis this morning (organized by the Religious Action Center). This was, according to the organizers, the first such high holy day preparation conference with a sitting president. One rabbi asked President Obama, "If you were in my position to address the entire congregation on the holiest day of our year, what would you say?" He replied, "I would ask, 'Have we become so fearful and self centered that it's impossible for us to take bold steps together to help fellow Americans who really need it?' I would deliver a sermon on the need for hope to overcome fear and generosity to overcome pure self-interest." The President closed by noting that we've lost more and more faith in our ability to do anything together as a nation and he believes his most important job is to rebuild that faith and make the courageous moves required to fix chronic, serious problems in our society.

As my Chautauqua colleagues liked to say: That'll preach.

The fruit of your labors

When I planted tomato seeds in a pot in my backyard, the first sprouts through the soil brought me a little pride and excitement. When my kids brought home sunflower seeds to plant in little cups, the first sprouts also brought the promise of towering, yellow flowers that we could claim as our own produce. When the tomato sprouts were taken by a night critter and the sunflower sprouts choked because I didn't move them to a bigger pot, I was not only disappointed; I felt like the world was trying to teach me a larger lesson: ideas and future hopes will die if they are not properly cared for and protected. Maybe that was a little rabbinic grandiosity in my own mind, but the world has a way of letting us continue on a path once started. The success of Gan Mazon: MRT's Garden of Plenty has become most evident this week. Though I am not there to see them in person, I have seen the fruits of our labors. There are cucumbers and zucchini big enough to eat and give away to those in need. If my personal dabblings in gardening were a bust from which I learned something about nurturing the future, this temple garden is a comfort - a "Nachamu, Nachamu" - that reminds me we can not be shaped by our failures and disappointments alone. There is also the possibility of teshuva, return to the path we wish we had walked when given the first opportunity. The garden - a source of food for the hungry - also teaches us that acts of tzedakah help return us to our right path.

Kol HaKavod to all the Gan Mazon grow team, especially to Howard, Carly, Elmo, Mary Beth and Sara. They've harvested 20 lbs already and the soon-to-ripe tomatoes will boost that yield significantly.

When it rains...

I just started my week-long tenure on the faculty at Camp Harlam and it's not just raining, it's pouring. But, the rewards of camp transcend the worst weather. I saw Rachel, our only MRT camper this session, and she reminded me why we must double our efforts to get more kids to camp. At 13 years old, Rachel is at the point when most people leave organized Jewish life for a few decades (current research says she is likely to disappear from synagogue life for almost 30 years until she has her own children and they reach third grade). Rachel just had her bat mitzvah at the end of the school year. Lots of her friends from last summer at camp came to celebrate. Her grandparents were especially impressed by the combination of MRTSY leading services on Friday night and the camp's lasting influence on Rachel. Although she had not been signed up to return, the family decided they would do whatever it took to get Rachel back to camp. After a few phone calls to camp director Frank DeWoskin, a little scholarship help from the temple and some quick packing, Rachel was off to camp. She'll be back in religious school this fall and she'll likely stay connected to Jewish activities throughout her young adult years. I can't say that it's all camp, but her experience here at Harlam certainly helped seal her commitment to Jewish life. In a world that rains more than enough tzuris on our heads, camp is a bright spot. Even when it's pouring.

Other highlights from the first 24 hours include: a few good selichot program ideas for this year (one involving the movie Waltz with Bashir might even take off at MRT), some high holy day sermon preparations, reconnecting with Israeli staffers who returned from last year's mishlachat is the best sign I know of the global connection Jews have to each other, and the stability - growth even - of camp's enrollment numbers augurs well for all of us. More tomorrow. Shavua Tov!

Can we all get along?

For all the talk of community, peoplehood and unity in our tradition, Jews have never been very good at treating each other well. From the time of Abraham’s first children, we have been at each other’s throats. However, it is still hard to understand the kind of ongoing violence and anger that haredim in Israel exhibit towards towards non-orthodox Jews and to the state in particular. According to some, haredim believe that they are the ones under attack. They feel that the mostly-secular Israeli society conspires to destroy their way of life. Do we really need to bring in Rodney King to reach across this divide, or can we all get along?

Two recent incidents in Jerusalem demonstrate this problem. First was a series of riots sparked by haredi protesters against the City of Jerusalem’s decision to open a municipal parking lot on Shabbat. Second was a series of riots that erupted when city social service workers removed a three year old child from his home and arrested his mother for suspicion of child abuse. City case workers and Hadassah Hospital doctors claim that the mother suffers from a mental illness but they had been prevented from making home visits or assessing the mother or child's health. The boy weighed only 7 kilograms (about 15 pounds) when authorities finally took him into their care. See more here.

I admit that I have not done extensive research on this subject, but the shoe does not often go on the other foot. There are few cases of secular violence against religious authorities.

So what does this matter to a group of American Reform Jews half way across the world? One of the central goals of Zionism today is to strengthen the State of Israel internally as well as it has been strengthened against external threats. The appeal to prop up the values of liberty, freedom of religion, speech and conscience in Israel does not have the gravitas of Golda Meir's January 1948 appeal to the Chicago UJA meeting. However, the future of Israel is clearly not certain and its character is yet to be shaped. Our opinions and our visions for the Jewish homeland must be part of the conversation.

Of course there is no better way to be part of Israel and to understand it than to go there (just avoid Mea Shearim on rabbinically-proclaimed riot days). But even to follow the news from Israel on jpost.com or other websites is an important part of the zionist goal. Get involved and get connected. Israel needs you.

We've Got a Jesus Problem

You might have thought that Jews were the only ones who have "issues" with Jesus. Turns out we're not alone. Though Jay Michaelson wrote recently in the Forward about our "problem" with Jesus, you'd be surprised to hear how many Christians have a Jesus problem.

Today at Chautauqua, Rev. John Buchanan gave a sermon, "What About Jesus?" that seemed to me like a basic, good, old fashioned piece of Christian preaching. While trying to explain why people should believe in Jesus, Rev. Buchanan emphasized the Jewishness of Jesus: "He was born a Jew, lived as a Jew and died a Jew." Later, some of my Christian colleagues solicited my reaction to the sermon. I wanted to know why the Jewish identity of Jesus was important. In fact, I told them, it struck as somehow inappropriate from a Christian theological perspective to dwell on his Jewishness. It seems to overemphasize the humanity of Jesus and his connection to a system that he ultimately comes to replace (that is, after all, the core of Christianity, right?) Don't they think that Jesus is God? And it seems odd for Christians to say that God is Jewish.

One answer seemed straight out of Michaelson's article. A senior minister explained: "We have a Jesus problem." She went on to describe a mainline Protestant world where most people are uncomfortable with Jesus. They either associate Jesus with some crazy form of fundamentalism or they squirm in their theological uncertainty with the person-God blending. One of the clergy (at another time) referred to the "spookification" that makes Jesus just too "spooky" for a lot of Christians.

It's a strange world out here in Chautauqua land. So much Jesus but, apparently, so much ambivalence as well. Reverend Buchanan certainly got one point right - the question, "What About Jesus?" needs a real answer for lots of people.

The New Clergy Program

Today's Daily Chautauquan featured a story about the New Clergy Program and the current class of fellows. Not a bad looking group of suffering servants (if I may say so myself). Check out the article here.

The day's harvest

From a day filled with lectures, worship, conversations, food and fellowship, here are a few pearls. These are not quotes but my recollection of the speaker's ideas. I am not sure any of them are true, but they made for good thinking. You can, of course, download any of these sermons or lectures from Chautauqua's on line library: http://www.thegreatlecturelibrary.com/ (I think I get a free Chautauqua Bell Tower tote bag if you tell them I sent you).

From Prof. James Heckman: the attributes that used to be lumped together and called “character” (i.e. ability to finish a job once started, ability to delay gratification, hard work, focus, respect for rules, et al.) turn out to be vital for long term success in life as measured by certain economic – though not necessarily financial - parameters. We should therefore shift our policies and invest in programs that cultivate “good character” in children from a very early age instead of focusing on testing and remediation.

From Rev. John Buchanan’s sermon: a recent Pew Trust survey shows that people who go regularly to church are more likely than atheists to believe that torture is acceptable. From his lunchtime talk: You are not called to be successful you are called to be faithful.

From Prof. Elaine Pagels: The Gospel of John is, at least in part, a polemic against the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas. References to Thomas, especially the “doubting Thomas” episode, are not really about the apostle character, Thomas, but about the Gospel written in his name. John presents a theology whereby Jesus is absolutely unique – above and unlike humans. Thomas, according to Pagels, sees the light of divinity in all humanity. The “light” in Jesus is equally in all people and all living things. [note: some of my pastor colleagues here did not agree with Pagels’ interpretation.]

From Garrison Keillor: All good stories are about people’s mistakes. You should serve your family homemade potato salad on the Fourth of July because that is how “cautious” “unexpressive” people show their love. It's also an honest way to keep faith with Thomas Jefferson.

Chautauqua Day 2 - Monday

Here's Monday's schedule, typical of the week to come:

8 AM breakfast
9:15 Worship in the 5,000 seat amphitheater, Rev. Dr. John Buchanan, senior pastor Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago and Publisher of Christian Century Magazine is preaching.
10:15 Coffee and discussion of the service and sermon at United Church of Christ Guest House.
10:45 Morning Lecture - Prof. James Heckman, Nobel Prize Economist
12:15 Luncheon and discussion with Rev. Wendy Heinz, "Pastoral Care of a Congregation"
1:30 Break
2:00 Religion Dept. Lecture - Dr. Elain Pagels, author, "The Gnostic Gospels"
4:00 Session - A conversation with Rev. Dr. John Buchanan
5:30 Break
6:00 Fellowship (I think that's like an oneg)
6:15 Dinner followed by review of the day with faculty and other fellows
8:15 "An Evening with Garrison Keillor" in the amphitheater.

A day that only a clergyman could love.

Three Taps and a Little Hebrew

The Chatauqua Institution opened its 136th season this morning as Institution President Tom Becker delivered the ceremonial three taps of the gavel. I helped open the interfaith service with a Hebrew recitation of the first day of creation from Genesis. It was, they tell me, a "first." My week-long tenure at Chautauqua will be a series of "firsts." I am staying at the just-finished Everett Jewish Life Center on the Institution's grounds. This apparently makes me the first guest in the house (yes, we had the obligatory 'shehechiyanu' moment).

I am here as a participant in the New Clergy Fellows Program, a interfaith gathering of clergy who have been ordained for seven years or less. We started last night with a tour, introduction, dinner and social hour. This morning, like all Sundays at Chautauqua, was even more religious than most. Every denomination held its own worship services before the community wide service for 3,500 people in the Amphitheater. The New Fellows were assigned to divide and visit - each of us to a different worship service. I attended the Catholic mass, my first since sleeping over Chris Callanan's house in the seventh grade. I'm off to Vespers with Reverend John Buchanan and later I will do my best to sing the hymns at the sacred song service. This will be, as I'm sure you could guess, my first vespers service. What a week of firsts it will be!

Three Faiths Event

Yesterday's Three Faiths Day of Cooperation and Trust was great. I was honored that the Jewish Federation turned to MRT and me to help organize this event. U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (shown left with me at the temple) was the visionary behind this and other "three faiths" events in our district. Everyone's hard work paid off. Here's the description from Asbury Park Press writer, Christina Vega (article in today's paper):

To spark up a conversation with strangers, Suzie Mitwally said the best way for her to break the ice is to make a joke about the headscarf that she wears on a daily basis.

"I wasn't always covered," said the 50-year-old Marlboro resident who wore a light blue headscarf, or hijab in Arabic. "I think we're more approachable when we're covered. People cross the gap of communication when they understand."

A member of the Islam Center of Monmouth County in Middletown, Mitwally was
one of almost 200 people who attended on Sunday afternoon a Three Faiths Event: A Day of Cooperation and Trust. The event, initiated by Rep. Rush D. Holt, D-N.J., and spearheaded by the Jewish Federation of Monmouth County, aimed to show the solidarity and cooperation that is possible between religions, even in time of strife.

"We saw the event as a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the similarities of Abrahamic faiths and to gain respect for one another as we recognize our differences," said Jill Briggles, director of the Federation's Community Relations Committee.

The event included an interfaith educational exchange with information about the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths and a tour of three houses of worship: the Islam Center of Monmouth County, the Monmouth Reform Temple in Tinton Falls and the United Methodist Church in Red Bank.

"This is the building of a harmonious society derived from understanding and love," said Amro Mosaad, who spoke on behalf of the Islam Center. "The event is very uplifting, very promising and rewarding to the individual people and extraordinarily beneficial to our community." Inside the mosque, members of the congregation spoke about the mihrab, made of Turkish tiles, which represents the direction of prayer toward Mecca and demonstrated the midday prayer. "It's important in general for the religious communities to know each other and for people to meet real Muslims and see what goes on inside," Mosaad said.

Rabbi Jonathan Roos, who spoke at the Monmouth Reform Temple, gave a presentation to familiarize guests with the symbolism in the synagogue. Roos explained the menorah, the different denominations of dress, the Torah and the
overall belief of the Jewish religion. "In the world of ritual theology, there are differences between all of our religions, but the core shares a commitment that we are here to help the needy," Roos said. "That which causes damage to the world, we should not do."

A shuttle transported the guests to each destination, including the United Methodist Church, where the Rev. Myrna Bethke spoke about Christian beliefs. The tour came to an end at Monmouth University, where guests were treated to a multicultural festival of food, music, dance and film. Rep. Holt honored special guest Pastor Joshua Dubois of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Mitwally said although passersby see her headscarf and might think she's an immigrant who doesn't speak English, she has a comedic side and likes to lighten up the mood. "We're the same people. We're your neighbors. Our children go to the same schools and play on the same teams. We're no different except for how we practice our beliefs," Mitwally said.

Gan Mazon, Day 3: Reap What You Sow

Gan Mazon, MRT's Garden of Plenty, is now fully planted! Mazel Tov to everyone who was involved, especially to Josh Gilstein & Howard Bodner, who led this project from idea to reality. Today saw a whole new crop of temple volunteers join us: Jo, Peg, Alyssa, Alex, Jill, Gayle, Carly, Ilana, Cheryl, Kenny, Nadine, Kyle, Gunnar, Brook, Jeremy, and Helene. Most of our veterans returned. We also had a handful of new Boy Scouts, parents, and friends at work in Gan Mazon. God willing it will produce lots of vegetables to feed the hungry. But regardless of its yield, Gan Mazon has already produced success.

Please come see the garden and sign up to help, but remember the following: Gan Mazon is organic (pesticide free), for the benefit of local food banks, and all work should be organized through Josh Gilstein or MRT's Program Coordinator, Helene Messer.

In one week, we went from this:

From Gan Mazon - MRT's Garden of Plenty

To this:

From Gan Mazon - MRT's Garden of Plenty

To this:

From Gan Mazon - MRT's Garden of Plenty

If you have an idea for a project like this - bring it to our attention. We would love to help you make it a reality!

Gan Mazon and the case for "Ready, Fire, Aim!"

After a second day of work:



Gan Mazon is ready for planting. This project came about quickly but shows that we can succeed with ambitious plans even on short notice. There were several "built-in" time limits that forced us to move quickly: planting had to be done by the first week of June, our monthly board meeting schedule dictated that the proposal go the board before it had a full committee "hearing," and Josh's Eagle Scout proposal needed to be completed within a few weeks.

The two days of ground breaking and garden set up included a few factors worth pointing out:

* Community Building: Several temple members who had not previously met each other came together to work on the garden.
* Personal Contribution: Temple members were able to utilize their professional skills and personal interests to advance a good cause (Elmo and Howard on the garden, Josh with the Scouts, Gene with gate, Kennedys with the irrigation, etc.)
* Reaching Out: Volunteers came from outside the temple to support this project as well. Three different Boy Scout Troops were represented (Holmdel, Ft. Monmouth, & Little Silver) along with their parents, the Monmouth County Master Gardeners, and Plant A Row.
* Fulfilling Our Mission: MRT's revitalized social action program has - again - cranked out another great program. Judy Raybon's "ground-up / let-the-people-lead-us" philosophy is working wonders.

My colleague, Rabbi Rick Jacobs at Westchester Reform, has written and taught that "Read, Fire, Aim" - though counter-intuitive - can be a productive and efficient process for synagogues to follow in their programming. Gan Mazon is a case in point.

Gan Mazon: Day One

Today we broke ground on Gan Mazon - MRT's garden of plenty. Gan Mazon, literally "garden of sustenance," will be an approximately 1,000 sq. foot garden dedicated to growing fresh vegetables for local food banks. The garden is located on MRT's property. The garden was suggested by temple member and master gardener, Howard Bodner. He had helped other local congregations plant similar gardens in fulfillment of the "Plant a Row (PAR)" campaign before bringing the effort to MRT. Another temple member, Josh Gilstein, sought a meaningful, temple-based project to complete his Eagle Scout requirements. Elizabeth Roos (my wife) connected Howard with the temple, Josh, me and Gan Mazon was born.

We broke ground today. Thanks to the Raybon Family and the Gilsteins' neighbors we had two rototillers that broke up the ground in quick time. See the photos here.

We need volunteers to help maintain the garden. Please call the MRT temple office to sign up, 732-747-9365.

Jews not wanted here (Israel, that is)

Just ask Israeli Knesset Member, Moshe Gafni. He's the chair of the Knesset's finance committee. He does not mince words:

"The Reform Movement is not a legitimate form of Judaism," Gafni said in a telephone interview [with the Jerusalem Post]. "The Reform are a bunch of treacherous backstabbers to Judaism. They are jokers who operate without hierarchy and without rules." Gafni insisted that "MKs are not a bunch of marionettes who will do whatever the Supreme Court tells them to do. I will block any attempts to provide state funds to Reform."

It really is too bad that the some government leaders would have the State of Israel so inhospitable to Jews. Again, this must be a central part of 21st century Zionism: to build a true democracy, thriving as a Jewish state in Israel. It's possible. It's even likely. We just have to move beyond the Gafni's of the world and let them have Brooklyn and the Catskills.

Our efforts to build a lasting and meaningful Reform movement in Israel are paying off. The Israeli Supreme court issued a landmark ruling yesterday that requires the state to provide equal funding to Reform and Conservative conversion classes. Anat Hoffman, Executive Director of the Israeli Religious Action Center explained the importance of this ruling in her recent letter to all ARZA members:

The case itself may seem inconsequential but the implications
are huge. This is the first time that the Court has declared that government
funding must be provided to non-Orthodox Jewish religious services in
Israel.
The verdict was amazing, going well beyond the issue of
funding for conversion classes, and addressing the core issue of religious
freedom in Israel. The three judge panel, including Chief Justice Dorit
Beinisch, found the State’s practice of favoring only one Jewish stream
discriminatory and contradictory to the their responsibility to ensure freedom
of religion, ruling “The duty of the State to pluralism is not only a passive
duty, but an active one as well.” They also sited their previous ruling (Naamat
and IRAC in 2002) that “Jews in Israel cannot be seen as only one
religious sect.”

I know this sounds crazy, but Israel has a terrible record on religious freedom for Jews. While it remains an open and active refuge for Jews all over the world, it does not have a separation of "church" and state. Orthodox Jews find their conversions questioned and their status as Jews closely scrutinized, non-Orthodox Jews can not find necessary religious services like marriage, burial, or divorce in their own denominations. It's ironic and sad but part of the today's Zionist enterprise must be to build Jewish pluralism just as we once built the now-thriving towns and economy. This is an important early step. Keep up your support for ARZA, the IMPJ and pluralistic democracy in Israel.

Another response to Lamm

See Rabbi Andrew Sacks' blog, reproduced on the Jerusalem Post website:

"The Orthodox religious establishment is making itself increasingly
irrelevant. Please take note that I am not suggesting that Orthodox Judaism is
becoming irrelevant. But many of its institutions are.... Rabbi Lamm, and others
of his stature, have the power to ameliorate much of this, if only they could
act boldly. But the much of the Orthodox world seems to defy the laws of
physics. The harder they are pushed from the right - the more they move to
the right."

Norman Lamm said what?!

It should've been no surprise. Rabbi Norman Lamm, Chancellor of Yeshiva University and widely published modern orthodox scholar, has no love for Reform Judaism. But it never stops surprising me to hear orthodox Jews disparage non-Jews, especially Christians, as a principle of faith. I know, I know I've heard the protestations before... it's not like racism or antisemitism. It's part of a spiritual-theological understanding grounded in holiness and Torah. Of course, it's no coincidence either that the most virulent white supremacist leaders in America call themselves "pastor" and run "churches."

Lamm, in an interview with The Jerusalem Post this past weekend, commented on the fragile state of American Jewish denominational structures (the financial crises at JTS, HUC, Yeshiva U., the URJ, etc.). Lamm predicted that the Reform and Conservative movements would soon disappear. He then acknowledged that the Reform Movement might survive only because it is, in actuality, an interfaith church. Okay, so he didn't use those exact words. He said, "The Reform Movement may show a rise, because if you add goyim to Jews then you will do OK."

Of course Lamm did not invent the stereotypical Jewish discomfort with Christians. Remember Woody Allen's depiction of his dinner with Annie Hall's parents? The problem goes back to Talmud, if not earlier. In his recent Polymath column in the Forward, Jay Michaelson discussed whether "Jews have a Jesus problem." Drawing on a recent book, Jesus in the Talmud, he wrote:

The image of Jesus that one gets from the Talmud is that of an illicit,
sex-crazed black magician who uses trickery to lead Israel astray. In BT
Sanhedrin 103a, Jesus is depicted as a poor disciple who “spoiled his food,”
which Schafer speculates may be a euphemism for sexual misconduct: “to eat the
dish” being a recognized Talmudic euphemism known for the sex act itself. A
later emendation adds that he “practiced magic and led Israel astray.” And the
virgin birth is ridiculed as a cover-up of Jesus’ true parentage: His mother was
an “illicit woman” (another Talmudic locution), perhaps even a prostitute.

This is strange territory. Most American Jews - including modern orthodox Jews - do not like to appear publicly as believing in the natural inferiority of other peoples. The outcry over Noah Feldman's July 2007 NYT Magazine article was as much about him "outing" the talmudic belief in Christian inferiority as anything. The general refrain said: You can criticize all you want, but only a traitor would tell the neighbors what we really say about them!

So, no I am not surprised by Norman Lamm's remarks. The orthodox assessment of Reform Judaism is well known to us. But I had forgotten how much that assessment is connected to the orthodox assessment of non-Jews.

Support Reform Rabbis in Israel

Israel is still a work in progress. At just sixty-one years old, Israel is still defining itself and tackling the challenges of Jewish state sovereignty in the twenty-first century. One of Israel's ongoing challenges is the role of religion in the public sphere. Lacking the strict separation of "church" and state that we have in America, Israel struggles to balance democracy and pluralism with the presence of an official state religion, Judaism. Many rabbis, for example, are state employees. That has put the state in a quandry: who is to be considered a rabbi and who in the state (or the world) gets to set the standards. The case of my colleague, Rabbi Miri Gold, is a good example. Prof. Avraham Melamed, chair of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, and Rabbi Ada Zavidov, chair of Israel's Union of Progressive Rabbis, describe her case:

Rabbi Miri Gold has served as the Rabbi of Birkat Shalom congregation in
Kibbutz Gezer since her ordination as a Reform Rabbi by the Hebrew Union
College in 1999. Sixteen other local rabbis serve the area of the Gezer
regional council and receive a State salary. Rabbi Miri Gold, who serves the
entire region, is not recognized by the State because she is a Reform rabbi.
Out of the thousands of rabbis recognized by the State of Israel there is
not a single Reform rabbi!

In 2005 The Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism filed an appeal with
the Israeli Supreme Court through the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC),
demanding that Rabbi Miri Gold is recognized by the State. The court has ordered
the State to present the criteria according to which rabbis are recognized. To
this day the State has not replied. This fall we hope that the State will
present an equal and just set of criteria, such that is accepted by the Supreme
Court.

Please sign the petition through the Israel Religious Action Center demanding the State of Israel officially recognize Rabbi Gold and provide her with the support given to all other rabbis in her position. For another example of the struggle over Reform Judaism in Israel, see this article describing the Reform movement's successful lawsuit against the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

What I'm Reading: Ariel Sabar

I am almost done with this book and I recommend it highly. It is the true story of Yona Sabar, a Jewish Kurd who was born in a remote town in northern Iraq. He and his family were airlifted to Israel as part of Operation Ezra and Nehemia - the massive airlift of Iraqi Jews to Israel in 1951. These Kurdish Jews were among the world's last native speakers of Neo-Aramaic. Most of these people were also illiterate and had no written records. The language basically disappeared within a generation of their arrival in Israel. Yona's love for learning - especially language and texts - translated into his successful rise in the halls of academia. Today he is a professor at UCLA and one of the only experts on the Neo-Aramaic of his childhood.

This book is so compelling, however, because it is told by Yona's son, Ariel, as he attempts to understand his identity and his father by researching the family history. The story is a glimpse into the world of the "Lost Tribes" of Israel. It is also a tale of the founding of the state of Israel and a story of how far Jews have moved in such a short time. While the Sabar epic is more extreme than most, it is our collective narrative on many levels: lost homes, lost languages, lost hopes and relationships left behind with dizzying speed but still somehow connected to us - even when we least expect it. I don't want to ruin it for anyone but "My Father's Paradise" has the "losing my religion" feel of "Foreskin's Lament" with a more interesting and fantastic plot and without the biting sarcasm.

The book has received national awards and critical acclaim. See the author's website: http://www.arielsabar.com/. Read the book and tell me what you think.

Next books in line: "Broken," a memoir about addiction and recovery (recommended by a college friend); Pat Buchanan's "Churchill, Hitler and the Unnecessary War" (recommended by David Gold); a book on how to play bridge better; and one of my wife's detective-spy pageturners.

Again with the cartoons...

Just when I thought it was safe to hide in my ambivalence, they draw me back in! Here's the latest controversial cartoon:

This one, created by a cartoonist named Pat Oliphant and published on Wednesday, immediately drew condemnation from several Jewish organizations. Some have debated whether the image is anti-semitic or just stupid. The image, however, has added fuel to the angry debate surrounding Israel's recent Gaza War. That debate is actually a skirmish in the larger battle over Israel's right to defend itself and its civilians and Israel's stereotype as a bloodthirsty and barbaric state.

The question of Israel's essential character (and that of Jews in general) played in the background of the debate around Chas Freeman's aborted appointment, reports about Israeli strikes against a nuclear site in Syria and a weapons smuggling route in Sudan and in debate over President Obama's administration. See this snippet about White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. It turns into a tirade against Jews in general. It was written by a commentator named Michael Scheuer but I picked it up through Jeffrey Goldberg's blog on the Atlantic Monthly website:

"[What do we think about Rahm Emanuel?] This is a good question, but the discussion will be feckless if it avoids what the moderator refers to as intimations that may be "ugly." Well, friends, ugly is here and it has been here for decades. There is indeed an identifiable fifth column of pro-Israel U.S. citizens -- I have described them here and elsewhere as Israel-Firsters -- who have consciously made Israel's survival and protection their first priority, and who see worth in America only to the extent that its resources and manpower can be exploited to protect and further the interests of Israel in its religious war-to-the-death with the Arabs. These are disloyal citizens in much the same sense that the Civil War's disloyal northern "Copperheads" sought to help the Confederates destroy the Union. The Israel-Firsters help Israel suborn U.S. citizens to spy for Israel; they use their fortunes and political action organizations to buy U.S. politicians with campaign donations; and most of all they use their ready access to the media to disguise their own disloyalty by denigrating as anti-Semites or appeasers fellow citizens who dare to challenge them. The Israel-Firsters are unquestionably enemies of America's republican experiment and will have to be destroyed as the Copperheads were destroyed -- by the people, after a full public debate (sic), at the ballot box."

Scary, no?

The Save Judaism Party

Yes, we have a problem with assimiliation. Jewish identity seems to be weaker than ever among non-Orthodox Jews. The standard measure for Jewish identity - affiliation rates i.e. how many people join our synagogues, JCCs, Federation campaigns, Bnai Brith, etc. - shows steep declines. Self-reported levels of observance are also low - how many people keep kosher, go to services, observe Shabbat at home. So it seems we have a problem inasmuch as Jews are increasingly assimilating and leaving Judaism behind.

But maybe the problem is not the disappearance of Jewish identity but a paradigm shift in how it is expressed. If (that's a big "if") Jewish identity is as strong as ever but is not expressed by joining the local Bnai Brith lodge or becoming a temple member than our data is simply misleading us. In that scenario, it's not that Jews aren't feeling Jewish. It's just that they aren't "joiners" anymore.

Either way, which party will be most important in leading and shaping Judaism for the next generation? Rabbis have long been the go-to (self appointed for sure but also communally authorized) leaders of Jewish communities. There has always, however, been an anti-rabbinic strain in the Jewish community as well. So, maybe we need another party to save Judaism.

Of course, at our temple, we have just experienced a different kind of party and its potential to bring lots of Jewish people together. Our second, adult-only Purim party, Mordecai's Margaritaville was by any standard a great success. We had over 100 people from 30-somethings to Greatest Generationers. And were talking to each other. And dancing together. And sharing drinks and food together (thanks Jerry for the best Margaritas of the night!). And the community felt strong and alive and connected.

This may not be the answer by itself, but we are not the only ones struggling to find the right party to answer our challenges. In Europe, a similar challenge exists. On the one hand, social clubs like Absolut-Events are planning successful parties for young Jews. On the other hand, the rabbinic councils call for more traditional observance and return to "family values." The strength of orthodox Jewish communities shouldn't be easily dismissed. The story was covered recently by the Jerusalem Post. See it here.

Who doesn't like a good party. It may be just what we need.

Waltz with ambivalence

I just saw the recent Israeli movie "Waltz with Bashir," a documentary done in animation about a veteran of the 1982 Lebanon War trying to recover his disassociated memories about the Sabra - Shatila Refugee Camp massacre. It is one of the best (i.e. most effective) anti-war movies I have ever seen. It also captures the ambivalence in Israeli culture created by the unshakable commitment to remembering the Holocaust and ensuring it never happens again clashing with the terrible horrors of war inflicted by Israel on innocent civilians when fighting against its enemies. If you don't mind subtitles, go see it. Be forewarned, however, that its "R" rating is well deserved as it has graphic violence, language and sex.

The movie pre-dated the recent Gaza War but serves as a powerful response to it (or any war). I had a lot to say about the Gaza War as it unfolded. I don't take any of it back. But after seeing "Bashir," I too find myself deeply ambivalent and no longer so willing to comment on wars especially not to defend them.

Intended Consequences

Listen to this interview with Israeli born photojournalist, Jonathan Torgovnik, about his new book, "Intended Consequences" and the related exhibition now on display at the Aperture Gallery in New York City. Those who were involved with or viewed the Vagina Monologues project at MRT will recognize the connection to this story. We may have an opportunity to present his work and the stories he researched at MRT in conjunction with the 15 anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. Jonathan has created a foundation - foundationrwanda.org - to help and support the women and children documented in his book.

The interview segment from the Leonard Lopate show from Tuesday, March 3rd is here:

http://www.wnyc.org/flashplayer/player.html#/play/%2Fstream%2Fxspf%2F125246

If the link does not work you can access the Lopate shows archives here.

The Torah is for Kvelling (revisited): LimmudPhilly

I spent this past weekend at the first LimmudPhilly, the latest franchise of independent Jewish learning conferences operating undering the “Limmud” name. It was great. On the heals of CAJE’s announcement that it was closing it doors, this conference was a signal that Jewish learning, communal gatherings and Jewish continuity are not dead. I presented a session called “Back to Basics: An Introduction to the Talmud” that drew over 40 people and got very good reviews from participants. I got to meet with representatives of the Jewish Publication Society and hear of their exciting new project, the Tagged Bible/Yavnet, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s director of the PJ Library, and Israeli shlichim. I saw performances by educators and artists who I will soon bring to MRT. I was especially impressed by Miss Lisa and Miraj.

But the best part of LimmudPhilly was the kvell factor. A few weeks ago I wrote of my kvelling as my older son read from the Torah for the first time. Limmud was a great bookend to that experience – my mother-in-law (and MRT member), Rita Siegle was co-chair and head organizer of the entire event. I had been hearing about Limmud Philly for over a year but nothing prepared me for the scale and impression of such a large, professional and deep conference. Rita has always been involved in the Jewish community, especially Federation, but there was nothing like seeing her lead havdallah with her planning committee as Elizabeth and the boys and I joined along from the gathered crowd. Sure, there's nothing like watching your own child chant from the Torah. But when he gets to watch his grandmother do something similar.... That's kvelling.

Another shoe drops

CAJE, the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education, is closing down their operations by the end of February. On January 9th, CAJE sent an email indicating that they would not be holding their annual conference as planned. CAJE 33 (the 33rd annual conference) was held this past summer at the University of Vermont. Judy Levine, our religious school principal attended. The CAJE conference had become a staple of the Jewish education world. CAJE was huge, transdenominational, attracted top scholars, performers and vendors, and worldwide. I went once - to CAJE 31 at Duke University - but the educators and many teachers with whom I worked have gone annually.

This is another shoe dropping in the financial crisis that hits the Jewish community as hard as it hits anywhere else. Here's how CAJE described their undoing:

For the past several years CAJE faced significant financial challenges.
These challenges were first brought to the attention of CAJE membership in
July/August 2007. Three principal factors explain the dramatic deterioration of
our financial condition:
1. Significant fall-off in school funding for professional development and related philanthropy over a number of years.
2. Slow response to changes in environment.
3. Loss of focus on the bottom line.

CAJE’s past debts, the troubled economy and the need to cancel this year’s
conference as a result, have all contributed to the decision to close CAJE’s
doors. Significant fall-off in school funding for professional development and
related philanthropy. Prior to 2001, CAJE had a stable membership of
approximately 4,000 educators and administrators and could count on a solid
annual conference attendance. With the stock market decline, the 9/11 attacks,
and subsequent economic decline, many Jewish organizations, CAJE included, noted
a significant drop in professional development funding.... Though the last
two years saw the beginning of a reversal in the membership and conference
attendance trends, the financial impact of the 2002-2006 years was
substantial.

read the full article here.

Tu B'shvat: It's not easy being Green (when the green is hidden)

Tu B'shvat is tomorrow. It is time to put our values into practice especially when it comes to the environment and our use of natural resources. MRT now has a working Green MRT Team. They are charged with evaluating, changing, and monitoring our practices in terms of environmental impact and sustainability. I need your help in greening the synagogue. I offered a d'var torah on Friday night on the subject. Listen to it (thanks to Rich Sachs) and get involved with this important effort.

Listen here (it will open in a new window).

In the dvar torah, I mention a synagogue in Evanston, Illinois. Check them out here.

The URJ has also launched a Greening Reform Judaism initiative.

Festival is Coming!

In case you missed it, the Monmouth Festival of the Arts, our temple's annual juried arts show, is rapidly approaching. Part of the festival is the annual student art competition. The Asbury Park Press ran a great story about it including several photos of the students' work. Great job, MFA volunteers. This looks to be a great start to MFA 2009.

Do not forget to sign up for volunteer shifts, to become a patron or benefactor and to submit ads for the annual journal. You can sign up on line here. MFA is one of our temple's longest running and biggest programs every year. Please get involved! A quick look at the student art work will show the quality of the program. The photo at left shows the first prize winner, "Chemistry Self Portrait," a pen and ink drawing by Mary Fenton of Wall High School.

The Torah is for Kvelling

I have to brag. My older son chanted from the Torah on Thursday during the services at his school. It was his first time to chant publicly and he was absolutely amazing. I admit that I had my doubts. Tuesday night I learned that he had not really practiced and I was sure that he wouldn't be able to pull it off. He needed to study for two tests and a quiz, he had extracurricular activities and we were dealing with the flu in our house. 36 hours was nearly impossible. But Wednesday night he came to the temple to practice from the scroll and he was great (bar mitzvah students warning: do not try this at home. You must study weekly and not put off your preparations until the night before you bar mitzvah!). Almost every bar/bat mitzvah student I work with hears the same thing from me when they read the Torah from the scroll for the first time: "There are a thousand reasons you should not be standing here to read from this scroll. From the historical attempts to destroy Jews to the simple things like a dead car battery, you standing at the Torah and reading it was not guaranteed. You represent every Jew who ever stood as you do before the scroll and every Jew who never had the chance. You also represent the future of the Jewish people for without Jewish people keeping this central tradition, we will have no Judaism." I have been with hundreds of 12 year olds for that moment. They are incredible. But nothing compares to the moment my own son stood before his peers and chanted Vaera like a hazzan.

Ironically, I had a conversation this morning about Baldwin Davidson, may his memory be a blessing. In cleaning out his apartment, Baldy's son found two books that he wanted to pass on: a copy of S.Y. Agnon's "Days of Awe" with an inscription from me thanking Baldy for all his years of service leading the corps of ushers and a worn copy of the Torah. Baldy had written on the inside cover of the Torah the name of the portion and the date that he had read publicly from the scroll. Baldy came to Torah reading late in life. He didn't know Hebrew, let alone trope or parshanut. But several years ago with the help of many good friends - especially Karen Karl, Rabbi Priesand and Cantor Clissold, Baldwin learned to read from the Torah and did it for our congregation a few times every year. He always dressed in a suit and got nervous before he read, but every time he read, it reminded me how important it is to read the Torah. And I kvelled. That is what the Torah is really for. Kvelling.

You may not be able to learn a portion in 36 hours, but that doesn't mean you can't learn. It's your turn now. Everyone who reads this should read from the Torah. Call me and we'll get started.