They combined against Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! For all the community are holy, all of them, and the Lord is in their midst. Why then do you raise yourselves above the Lord's congregation?" When Moses heard this, he fell on his face. -Numbers 16:3-4
Last week, the local chapter of Sikkui, a moderate, non-militant non-profit organization that engages in programs of research and education to further equal rights in Israel (research reports, public lectures, seminars, etc.) held an evening panel discussion on the topic of "fear, racism, and inequality;" the focus was on discussing the reasons behind the efforts for and against residential segregation in the Galilee. The invited speakers represented a pretty wide range of views (similar to a program we offered a few months ago, about which I wrote here). And while the audience, characteristically, consisted mainly of people with more "leftist" sympathies, it was actually pretty heterogeneous, as the speakers were a draw (The moderator was Israel Prize Laureate Prof. Gabi Solomon). However, one part of the audience was a little surprising: a busload from the nearby city of Karmiel (pop. 50,000), led by a mayoral candidate from the last election, whose platform had been "keep the Arabs out of Karmiel." They seem to have come not to listen and discuss, but to heckle and disrupt and wave Israeli flags, until, largely ignored, they got bored and left.
When she saw that [Joseph] had left [his garment] in her hand and had fled outside, she called out to her servants and said to them, "Look, he had to bring us a Hebrew to dally with us! This one came to lie with me; but I screamed loud. And when he heard me screaming at the top of my voice, he left his garment with me and got away and fled outside." -Genesis 39:13-15
In Jew Suess, the infamous Nazi propaganda feature film, a central plot element is the cruel sexual exploitation of the virgin Aryan Dorothea by the conniving Jew Suess.
When I was a teenager, the real estate developer and social activist Morris Milgram tried to build an explicitly integrated development in our area. My parents were supportive. Their friends' comment was "that's because you don't have daughters."
Who is the mightiest of the mighty? ... Some say: he who is able to turn his enemy into a friend.
-Avot d'Rabbi Nathan version A chapter 23
One of the obstacles to the creation of a political future shared by Jews and Arabs in Israel, as discussed in the last entry, is perhaps the fact that we don't share an understanding of the past. And the fact that the story told by the Other casts doubt on the truth of the story we tell about ourselves consistently makes us so angry that we can't continue the conversation.
Check out Patheos' page on the Obama speech, where you can watch video responses from Rabbi Saperstein and from Eboo Patel, Director of the Interfaith Youth Core. Responses have also been posted from religious leaders across the country representing various faiths. Here's Rabbi Saperstein's take:
During his recent visit to the United States, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his demand that Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state should be a precondition for talks aimed at achieving a peace settlement. While such a request might seem reasonable -- after all, Israel is a Jewish state -- it is actually a serious mistake.
First of all, what does the term "Jewish state" mean? Does it refer, for example, to a state governed completely or in part by Halacha, by traditional Jewish law? Does it refer to a particular set of linguistic, cultural and educational policies that the state will adopt? In my experience, if you put a half-dozen Jewish Israelis in a room and ask them what it means for Israel to be a Jewish state, you will receive four or five different answers, along with at least one indignant insistence that the phrase has no meaning whatsoever. Debates among American Jews on the topic are no less heated.
This morning was one of those mornings I dread living in Israel because I had given in to my wife's demand that it was my turn to take the car to the garage and get it fixed. This is always the moment of truth when I know the essence of my manhood will be tested. A virtual auto motive Akedah (the binding of Isaac) if you will.... where I am forced to go up a mountain in Jerusalem (actually Talpiot where all the garages are) and hand myself over as an offering- if not an actual sacrifice to my auto mechanic - Amnon. I am not mechanical and never will be...hey, I'm from Woodmere, Long Island. And any time men get together to talk about power tools or automotive matters ...I try to switch the conversation to an interesting and sensitive midrash. Now when I was living in the States it was bad enough, but here with my fellow Jews speaking in the holy tongue of Hebrew ...it brings up my issues about actually living up to the Zionist dream.
...We, members of the people's council, representatives of the Jewish community of Eretz-Israel and of the Zionist movement..., hereby declare the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz-Israel, to be known as the state of Israel.
-Israel Declaration of Independence
As I suggested in my last entry, in thinking about what it will take for Jews and Arabs to live together in peace in Israel, there are (at least) four different dimensions to consider: the political, the historical, the cultural, and the personal.
...Priest and prophet alike, they all act falsely, They offer healing offhand for the wounds of My people, Saying "Peace, peace," when there is no peace.
-Jeremiah 6:13-14 (and 8:10-11)
Recently I was invited to speak at a conference on "Discovering and Accepting the Other," at Nes Ammim, a Christian community tucked among the avocado and banana orchards just south of Nahariya. Nes Ammim was founded in the 1960s by European Protestants who sought to support the State of Israel and the Jewish people, and to provide opportunities for Christians to live and study in Israel. Until a recent financial downturn, this peaceful little kibbutz raised flowers, produced furniture, and offered study programs for visiting Christians; today the population has declined, and the only continuing business is their kosher hotel, which serves Israelis and tourists. Their study center presents various public events in the course of the year, most notably a Kristallnacht commemoration that generally focuses on one of their main themes - the role of the bystander and the importance of taking responsibility.
Asher did not dispossess the inhabitants of Acco or the inhabitants of Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and Rehob. So the Asherites dwelt in the midst of the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they did not dispossess them.
-Judges 1:31-32
We have been running a series of two-day seminars for participants in pluralistic pre-army preparatory programs ("leadership academies") that have become popular in recent years (a year of intensive study and service between high school and the army). The seminar consists of a day exploring and studying Yodfat, where the Jews fought to the death in the first battle of the great revolt (67 CE), and a day in Zippori, where we signed a surrender agreement before the revolt started. The focus is on understanding the values implicit in these two responses. The two days involve hiking, meetings with archaeologists, text study in situ, simulations, an encounter with an actor representing a character from the period, etc. Seeking a cheap place for groups to camp near Zippori, we found our way to the hilltop outpost of Joel Zilberman, who was happy to give us a place in return for the kids' listening to his story and helping him with shifts of guard duty over night. And it is an interesting story, which I heard along with the kids in the first of our groups to visit, last week:
by Rabbi Eric Yoffie (Originally published inReform Judaism magazine) Menachem Begin must be turning over in his grave.
The late Prime Minister and long-time leader of Israel's right-wing parties was an enthusiastic champion of Israel's Arab citizens. He viewed equality for Arab Israelis as a matter of principle: now that a Jewish state had at long last been created, it had a special responsibility to confer the same rights enjoyed by Israel's Jewish citizens on her Arab minority. He also knew that ending discrimination against Arab Israelis was in the nation's self-interest. Absent fair treatment, her Arab citizens would be radicalized, threatening Israel's security.
For now the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The blossoms have appeared in the land, the time of pruning has come; The song of the turtledove is heard in our land. The green figs form on the fig tree, the vines in blossom give off fragrance...
-Song of Songs 2:12-13
It may be complicated, but it works: the Jewish solar-lunar calendar once again has put Pesach right where it belongs, and when we chanted Song of Songs on the Shabbat during Pesach, the text and the landscape were in sync. Here is a field report from the Western Galilee:
Our hope is not lost, the hope of two thousand years
To be a free people in our land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem.
-Hatikvah, Israeli national anthem
This year's observance of Yom Ha'atzma'ut was particularly interesting and thought-provoking for me; here are some hightlights:
At mid-day on Tuesday, Memorial Day, almost the entire population of Shorashim, a few hundred people, set forth in a bus and a caravan of cars toward the Bet Shean valley. Every year we do an educational excursion on the afternoon of Memorial Day, to a historical site connected with the creation of the state. This year, we explored the area settled by Orthodox kibbutzim in the late 30s and early 40s. A highlight of the afternoon was a meeting with Jonathan Bassi, whose parents were among the founders of one of these kibbutzim. Bassi, who was a baby in 1948, recently got interested in researching a pivotal battle from 1948 that helped set the borders in the area, in which several of his parents' close friends and comrades were killed. He discovered a fascinating history of silence, regret, and guilt - that generation didn't discuss their feelings, and when he probed, fifty years later, it all came out - the one who was passed over in making up that morning's patrol because he was needed on the farm, the one who still feels guilty that he didn't clean the machine gun - and it jammed in battle, the young widow who only knew her husband had been killed when he didn't come back with all the others (no one would tell her)... etc. It was interesting to contrast that almost pathological restraint with our present invasive media culture, which would not have let any intimate detail escape the public spotlight. We complain about that sensationalistic, prying scrutiny - but it does have its advantages.
As she kept on praying before the Lord, Eli watched her mouth. Now Hannah was praying in her heart, only her lips moved, but her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. -Samuel 1:12-13
Schools are closed during Pesach, and many businesses and offices are closed for part of the week. This creates a great opportunity for family vacations - or, alternatively, a strong need for activities to entertain the children. Thus, traffic on the roads is a constant nightmare, 24 hours a day. There seems to be no major intersection that is not backed up in all directions. Part of the cause of all that traffic is a plethora of festivals - it seems that there are more every year. Sculpture, storytelling, music, juggling, beach, dance, wine, theater - you name it, there is some locality somewhere in the country holding a festival for it during Pesach. These are generally the result of a combination of local boosterism, somebody's artistic vision, and capitalism. In particular, localities in the periphery seek to capitalize on the presence of thousands of vacationers from the center of the country, luring them to buy food and drink and stuff by means of cultural events and family entertainments.
And from the day on which you bring the omer offering - the day after the sabbath - you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete: you must count until the day after the seventh week - fifty days; then you shall bring an offering of new grain to the Lord.
-Leviticus 23:15-16
As principal of a Jewish school in the US, I always felt that once we hit Tu Beshvat, the year is over - there is no time or energy left to do anything except cope with the succession of holidays, get ready for the end of the year, and work on the plans, hiring, etc. for next year. Any kind of continuity, of concentration, of orderly instruction is pretty much shattered by one special day after another, with their associated preparations. And if that is true in the microcosm of the Jewish school in the Diaspora, imagine what goes on in the Jewish state!
The ocean sounds, O Lord, the ocean sounds its thunder, the ocean sounds its pounding. Above the thunder of the mighty waters, more majestic than the breakers of the sea is the Lord, majestic, on high. -Psalm 93:3-4
Many Israelis spend Pesach in Sinai (despite both the irony of returning to Egypt for Pesach, and the government warnings of terror attacks). That's always seemed a bit extreme to us, but this year we did repeat an adventure of several years ago, transporting our seder to a beachfront kibbutz guest house south of Haifa. Not Sinai and not the Red Sea, but plenty of sand and sea nevertheless. With two other families we prepared and brought with us all the symbols and the foods, and organized the seder in one of our rooms (after a bit of furniture-moving). The circumstances forced us to keep food and utensils simple, releasing us all from some of the "bondage" of Pesach preparation. Since no one had to leave for home afterwards, we could drink wine and sing as late as we wanted. And we could take long walks along the beach, by sunlight and by moonlight, a setting conducive to thoughts about freedom.
by Jacob V. Aftel Ohef Sholom Temple of Norfok, VA
Well, there it is - mentioned four times in the Torah; Exodus 13:1-10, Exodus 13:11-16, Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Deuteronomy 11:13-21 where we are commanded that "you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes." Them and they of course refer to the words of G_d. The specific words are the story of the exodus and the mitzvot. Of the 613 mitzvot, the act of laying t'fillin is considered by its adherents to be a serious one to ignore.
Beyond the commandment to do so, the Torah does not describe the t'fillin nor does the Torah instruct how the t'fillin should be put on and worn. Oral tradition is mostly responsible for the handmade, relatively expensive adornment used as an adjunct to daily prayer. The interpretation of the directive in the Torah is how we ended up with t'fillin.
The solution of mankind's most vexing problem will not be found in renouncing technical civilization, but in attaining some degree of independence of it. In regard to external gifts, to outward possessions, there is only one proper attitude - to have them and to be able to do without them. On the Sabbath we live, as it were, independent of technical civilization: we abstain primarily from any activity that aims at remaking or reshaping the things of space. Man's royal privilege to conquer nature is suspended on the seventh day. - Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath (1951)
American immigrants here always used to joke about how the new developments and cultural fads of Europe and North America generally took a decade or two to find their way into our mainstream. Often we had the sense of living in a state of delayed development. We were still carrying reusable baskets and even refillable bottles to the market when America had long changed to disposables; we were still mostly riding the buses when everyone in America had a car. Now, however, the time lag has shrunk considerably, probably to zero. Indeed, I think we were even ahead of America in the use of ATMs and later, of cell phones. So now, the world-wide fad in environmentalism has arrived here pretty much simultaneously with its flowering elsewhere. We too now recycle plastic bottles (though only the 1.5 liter ones); we too now use cloth bags instead of plastic at the supermarket; the elites are even buying hybrid cars and installing solar panels.
Encamped at Gilgal, in the steppes of Jericho, the Israelites offered the Passover sacrifice on the fourteenth day of the month, toward evening. On the day after the Passover offering, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the country, unleavened bread and parched grain. On the same day, when they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased. The Israelites got no more manna; that year they ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.
-Joshua 5:10-12
We learn in chapter 5 of Joshua that while the generation of the Exodus had been circumcised in Egypt, their children and grandchildren born in the desert had not been. And since only the circumcised may eat of the Passover sacrifice, it seems that this ritual too was not maintained during the forty years in the desert. Anyway, we couldn't have eaten matzah in the desert as we had no grain - only manna. Thus, the first Passover in the land of Israel was rather a significant event, a new experience for the people.
We will dress you in a dress of cement and mortar; We will spread for you carpets of gardens; On the soil of your redeemed fields The grain will sing out like bells.
Through the desert we will carve a road; The swamps - we'll dry them all up. What more we can give you, we will, What haven't we given that we still can give? -Nathan Alterman, from "Morning Song" 1934
Originally written for a Keren Hayesod (European UJA) fundraising film, this song by perhaps the most popular and prolific Israeli poet and songwriter of the pre-state and early state period was sung by generations of school children until it fell out of favor in recent years. The song's disappearance from popular culture is a striking indicator of the change in consciousness that has occurred and is occurring regarding our relationship to the land of Israel. For decades we lived on the myth that Israel had once, long ago, been a fruitful, green land - in the years when we were sovereign here and cultivated and cared for the soil. But then, when we left, the land fell into disrepair and was abused - armies cut down the trees, goats ate the new growth, silt plugged up the streams - leaving the dismal and pathetic combination of swamp and desert that the Zionist pioneers found when they returned.
By Rachel Reynolds
(First posted on the RACblog)
Rachel Reynolds is a graduate of Sweet Briar college and an intern at the RAC. All views expressed are her own.
Though rumors are still swirling that Bibi Netanyahu has yet to give up on a national unity government with either Labor or Kadima, this last week appears to herald the formation of a government that unites Likud with Yisrael Beitanu. This coalition will elevate Avigdor Lieberman to a position of power frightening to those of us who support the rights of Israeli Arabs.
When I lived in Tel Aviv, I resided in two worlds. The first was that of Tel Aviv. The locus of this world was my Jewish, Kiryat Shalom universe: the neighborhood pizza stand, the kids who attended the secular elementary school where I taught, and the dirty sidewalks on the main road, Kibbutz Galyot, that we had to cross to get to the bus station or our yeshiva.
Once there was a man who was clearing stones from his field and throwing them into the public domain. A pious one kept nagging him: "Why are you clearing stones from what is not yours and throwing them into your own space?" The man ignored him. Later, he sold that field, and was walking past it and tripped on the stones. He said, "Now I understand what that guy meant with his nonsense." -Mishnah Ta'anit 1:5
Visitors often wonder why it often seems that in Arab villages, the insides of the homes are spotless and well maintained while the streets are littered with garbage. The answer I have received is a cultural one, regarding the perception of "my space" vs. no-one's space: what is inside my courtyard is my responsibility. What is outside is no man's land. When the population is small and the refuse is minimal and quickly biodegradable (which was the case around here until the 20th century), that approach was sustainable. It isn't any more - but cultures change slowly.
By Rabbi Richard Winer
(Originally posted on Divrei Derech)
Now that I've returned from the C.C.A.R. Conference in Israel, I consider the details that rise to the surface in my recollections.
One moment keeps coming back.
The day after the conference concluded, I returned to the Old City to explore further. A couple of us wandered through the alleys enjoying the sensory experience. We wound down through the Shuk and into the Jewish Quarter. As I stood waiting while my companion poked into one of the shops, an entourage came winding along toward the Wall. I gathered that they were on their way to celebrate a Bar Mitzvah. A youth walked along under a chuppah while a man who appeared to be the proud father led the group singing.
Yehoshua ben Perachia said, Make for yourself a teacher (master), acquire for yourself a colleague, and judge every person favorably. -Mishnah, tractate Avot 1:6
Thursday was a warm sunny winter day after a difficult couple of weeks. I welcomed the opportunity to drive myself to Jerusalem, enjoying three mindless off-peak hours as the scenery sped by. The occasion was a seminar in honor of the retirement of Prof. Emanuel Etkes from the Jewish history department of the Hebrew University. There were learned papers presented by eight of his students who are now lecturers and professors in their own right, hors d'oeuvres in the soaring lobby of the new Jewish studies building that was not even a fundraiser's dream when I was a student at Hebrew U., and a few personal reminiscences and presentations. And home in the Galilee by midnight.
By Rabbi Paul Kipnes (Originally posted on Or Am I?)
There's another aspect of being in Israel that palpitates my heart. Hebrew. Danny Siegel, poet and tzedakah (charitable giving) champion, once wrote the poem, Hebrew:
by Marc Rosenstein (Originally published in Galilee Diary and Ten Minutes of Torah) Therefore, when the Lord your God grants you safety from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a hereditary portion, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget. -Deuteronomy 25:19
There were criminals in Rabbi Meir's neighborhood that so bothered him that he prayed for their death. Beruriah, his wife, said to him: "What's with you? Psalm 104:35 says, 'May sins disappear' - does it say 'may sinners disappear?' No, it says 'sins,' so you need to pray for them to repent; the Psalm continues 'and may the wicked be no more.' So he prayed for them and they repented. -Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 10a
Haman, according to the Scroll of Esther, was a member of the tribe of Amalek. Thus, we learn the consequences of disregarding the Torah commandment to wipe out the memory of Amalek - as long as they are allowed to continue to exist, they remain a threat, the enemy who for no rational reason constantly plots our destruction. And we read the above passage on the Shabbat before Purim every year, to keep the lesson alive. The basis of this image of the Amalekites is found in the previous verse: we are told that right after we left Egypt, they attacked us cruelly and without provocation. The story of Amalek - and of Purim - posits a view of history in which there are forces of evil that can only be combated by means of violence, by destroying them physically. Their evil is inherent and immutable, and so, like some kind of virulent microbe in a horror movie, as long as even a few cells are left alive, there is the potential that they will regenerate into a monster. We may believe, in principle, that all humans are created in the Divine image, but apparently there are some who have so lost touch with that image that they are unredeemable.
By JanetheWriter A number of my friends, in commenting about my escapades in the I'm-searching-for-a-good-guy-in-NYC quest, have told me that they're happy to take a back seat and live the adventure vicariously through me.
Although I can certainly appreciate vicariousness in certain situations, if given a choice, it's not the way I'd opt to visit Israel. However, since it doesn't appear that I'll have the opportunity to visit there any time in the foreseeable future, it's the only mode of travel I've got at the moment. Lucky for me, though, with 300-some Reform rabbis gallivanting around Eretz Yisrael attending the CCAR convention this week in Jerusalem, I'm certainly getting a good dose of virtual Israel through them.
By Rabbi Paul Kipnes
(Originally posted on Or Am I?)
This country is crawling with Reform Rabbis. They are much harder here to identify then the ultraorthodox ones, mind you, but with the opening of the convention of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) beginning on Tuesday, this country is again crawling with Reform Rabbis. (Truth in advertising: there were already plenty of Reform rabbis living here. Through Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion's Israeli Rabbinic program there are a plethora of homegrown Israeli rabbis, and a vibrant American and English rabbinical aliyah has brought numerous Diaspora rabbis to make this country their home. But I refer now to Diaspora rabbis.) Yes, Israel is crawling with Reform (or as we like to say here, Progressive) rabbis.
Take care not to be lured away to serve other gods and bow to them. For the Lord's anger will flare up against you and He will shut up the skies so that there will be no rain...
-Deuteronomy 11:17
If the rains have not come by Rosh Chodesh Kislev, the Bet Din decrees three days of fasting for the entire public...
-Mishnah Ta'anit 1:5
Here it is past mid-February and we are finally having some winter storms. But it is clearly too little too late. The disappearance of the Kinneret - like that of the Dead Sea - is already taken for granted. It used to be that the level of the Kinneret was frequently front page news. But by now, no one is really interested, as there is a feeling that there's nothing we can do about it, and it's not going to change, so why go on about it. I mean, we don't have a government, we have Hamas on the south and Hezbollah on the north, don't nag us about water conservation. Actually, as I write this, the two main spring water bottlers in the country have shut down because of mysterious contamination, so there is a looming shortage of bottled water. Now maybe people will get upset...
by Rabbi Eric Yoffie (Originally published in The ForwardandTen Minutes of Torah) The apologists and the excuse-makers in the American Jewish community have begun their work. No need for concern, they say. Avigdor Lieberman, leader of Israel's Yisrael Beiteinu party, is not really an extremist. He may have some unconventional ideas and have said some unfortunate things, but he is basically a mainstream politician who poses no threat to U.S.-Israel relations or to relations between Israel and American Jews.
Much of the debate until now has focused on whether or not Lieberman can be accurately classified as a racist or a fascist. But this debate is largely beside the point. A far-right politician on the European model, he has risen to prominence at a time of uncertainty and fear by alleging that Israel faces a threat from within. Like other demagogues of this type, he has been sly in his rhetoric so that allegations of racism cannot be established with certainty.
The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim judgment upon it; for their wickedness has come before Me. Jonah however, started out to flee to Tarshish from the Lord's service. He went down to Jaffa and found a ship going to Tarshish.
-Jonah 1:1-3
Ran into a neighbor this evening, whose daughter left last week on her Big Trip - After Army Before University. She is doing fine, and has already been tubing on the Mekong River (for my generation it is still a little difficult to get our heads around the idea of floating down the Mekong River, for recreation); meanwhile, she reported that everywhere she goes in the region she hears Hebrew being spoken. We exchanged notes, as our daughter had called in yesterday from Ethiopia, just back from a trek in the Simien Mountains - having had a beer in Addis Ababa a week ago with the friend of a friend who was passing through. Which was nothing unusual - our younger son, on his Trip a few years ago, was sitting in a pub in a small town in southern Chile, on the way to Tierra del Fuego, when in walked the daughter of another neighbor. And in case you were wondering how these kids pay for all these excursions, just walk into any shopping mall in North America and say "shalom" to the first pushcart vendor you encounter.
This past Tuesday, Israelis went to the polls to elect a new prime minister, and Tzipi Livni's moderate Kadima Party won a one-seat victory in the Israeli Parliament over Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-line Likud Party. Kadima will get 28 seats in the 120-seat parliament and Likud 27, far less than the 61-seat majority needed to govern alone. The results set the stage for what could be weeks of coalition negotiations. Livni and Netanyahu are already hard at work trying to line up potential partners.
"The fact that so many voters were undecided up to the last minute was a reflection of frustration and anger among an electorate, burdened by a dysfunctional electoral system and a list of leading candidates who offered no fresh ideas on how to deal with the country's most pressing -- even existential -- problems. These include continuing rocket attacks from Hamas in Gaza, the threat of the same from Hezbollah in Lebanon, the inability of the increasingly marginal Palestinian Authority to negotiate a meaningful conclusion to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the specter of Iran continuing its efforts to build a nuclear arsenal and make good on its pledge to eradicate the Jewish state.
Happy is the man who has not followed the counsel of the wicked, or taken the path of
sinners, or joined the company of the inane. -Psalm 1:1
We do not go to the stadium because it is the "company of the inane;" Rabbi Nathan permits [attending the gladiatorial contests] in order to shout and save a life - or in order to bear witness [to the death of a Jewish gladiator] and thus release the widow to remarry. The sages taught: We don't go to theaters and circuses... If there is idol worship there, we don' t attend because of that; if not, then we don't attend because it is the "company of the inane." -Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 18b
Last week I was asked to teach an internet in-service session for "Jewish Roots" teachers in ORT schools, on the topic of "Reality TV and Jewish Identity." At first I thought, "Right, how about the elephant and the Jewish question?" But then I understood that the request was based on two concerns - how to make Jewish text study relevant to the students' lives - and the teachers' concern with the moral values or lack thereof in the popular culture of their students.
If one were intent on undermining Israel's claim to Jerusalem, there would be no better way to accomplish this goal than to build a Jewish museum atop a historic Muslim cemetery in the heart of the city.
Incredibly, the Simon Wiesenthal Center -- a Los Angeles-based organization that combats anti-Semitism and advocates for Jewish rights around the world -- has undertaken to do just that. It has begun construction of a Museum of Tolerance on the grounds of the Mamilla cemetery, located in the downtown area of western Jerusalem. Mamilla is an 800-year-old site that was an active Muslim graveyard until at least the 1930s.
By William Berkson One of the fascinations of the Internet is the opportunity to talk with people having hugely different viewpoints, from all over the world.
On the type design forum I frequent, I participated in a discussion of the recent Gaza battle.
Included in the discussion were a Lubovicher in Brooklyn, an Israeli in Los Angeles, a Shiite in Basra, and Sunnis in New York and Japan, an Englishman and a Persian in Canada and a Christian in Australia. They design Hebrew, Arabic and latin language fonts.
One thread was started by the Australian, who noted celebrities in London protesting the Gaza incursion. The other was started by the Sunni in New York, who asked for prayers for his colleague Arabic script designer in Gaza, who was in the war zone--he survived, but ended up losing a cousin and two of the cousin's sons from an Israeli projectile.
By Paul Kipnes
(First posted on Or Am I?)
Israeli Avram Burg recently raised difficult questions as to whether the Holocaust has become ingrained as a dangerous lens through which Israeli leaders view the world. He suggests that the Holocaust skews their view of reality and leads to a "they are all out to get us" mentality. One may agree with or take issue with Burg's argument, even as one praises the fact that a democratic society allows such critique from within.
Sadly, the Holocaust is being used increasingly in another way, as a "weapon against Jews and the Jewish state." This is even more dangerous. Two articles, which came to my attention through the Daily Alert prepared by Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, illuminate this darkness:
Now that the latest war seems to have ended, we can get back to where we left off in the election campaign (the cynics, of course, argue that the war was actually just a phase of the campaign). The posters all show portraits of scowling candidates, with slogans like "not a buddy - a leader!" (You find yourself looking to see if the small print is an endorsement by Vladimir - or Benito. But it's not). No smiles in this campaign.
Last night we went to a local parlor meeting for one of the smaller parties - not a fringe or single-issue party like senior citizens or pot-legalization - but one with a broad social vision. The young woman who spoke was extremely impressive - serious, well-spoken, convincing - and she is only a local volunteer; many of us know the leaders of the party to be similarly impressive intellectuals and leaders of social change. The obvious concern, that several people expressed, was the prospect of "wasting" a vote on a small party. If a couple of the larger parties together get close to 50% of the vote and form an alliance, then all they'll need is a few more seats to form a majority coalition.
By JanetheWriter On any given day, if you'd ask me what I was doing precisely five years earlier, I'd probably look at you as though you had two heads. The same is not true for this particular day.
Five years ago today, having arrived in Jerusalem the night before, I was spending my first full day in the center of the Jewish world as a participant in a Union for Reform Judaism mission being led by Rabbis Lenny Thal and Elliott Kleinman. And, because I kept a detailed travel journal throughout that amazing and all-too-short journey, even today -- exactly five years later -- I still can recall the tiniest details of that oh-so emotional day, January 29, 2004:
Altneuland = Oldnewland: Title of novel published in 1902 by Theodore Herzl, envisioning the Jewish state as a progressive, secular, German-speaking utopia. Tel Aviv: The title of the Hebrew translation of Altneuland; Tel = mound of ancient ruins; Aviv = springtime.
We are producing a one-day seminar for 400 10th graders at the Reali High School in Haifa next week, and so I had to meet with the teachers the other day to go over the plans. The kids will be traveling around the Galilee visiting sites and personalities relevant to various value dilemmas facing Israeli society. It was the first time I'd been there in 25 years. The Reali (pronounced "ray-ah-li") has been for nearly a century one of the elite high schools in the country; indeed the last time I was there it was in the context of my Ph.D. research on Israeli education in the pre-state period. I had gone there to examine the archives, but alas, the principal, who was very welcoming, explained to me that some years ago they had had a very efficient buildings-and-grounds director who saw no reason to be storing boxes of musty old papers - so a historical treasure was sent to the landfill.
Shalom! I want to write tonight to all of our friends in America and around the world, to commemorate the inauguration of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, and the first African American president, as a very special event. I hope that Obama's administration will bring about positive change, embrace peace and security, and also promote economic stability to the world. Now it is our turn to be in support of you, and we have done so by raising the American flag in our preschools to show our love and solidarity. We all at Or Hadash wish Barack Obama and the American people good luck on this very historical day and in the coming four years. Mazal Tov!
by Russell Cohen (Originally published on Russell Cohen's blog Cafe Birkenreis) During the latter half of 2008, the WUPJ lent its support to two online petitions (e-petitions) on behalf of member unions. In both cases, the response from progressive Jews worldwide was less than rousing
In the first case, the IMPJ (Israel) attempted to gather signatures in support of the effort to achieve official recognition and a state salary for Rabbi Miri Gold, of Kibbutz Gezer in Israel. This is a potentially ground-breaking case, as a positive outcome would set the precedent for official recognition of progressive rabbis across Israel, and eventually lead to improved status for progressive Judaism as a whole.
by Rabbi Paul Kipnes (Originally published on Or Am I?) What does this all mean? Here are 5 Must-Read articles that offer perspective on what has happened and is happening:
1. Gaza and Hamas: Was it about Education or Eradication? The focus for Israel and Barack Obama's team should be on creating a clear choice for Hamas for the world to see: Are you about destroying Israel or building Gaza? As Thomas Friedman writes:
I was one of the few people who argued back in 2006 that Israel actually won the war in Lebanon started by Hezbollah. You need to study that war and its aftermath to understand Gaza and how it is part of a new strategic ballgame in the Arab-Israel arena, which will demand of the Obama team a new approach.
by Yigal Rechtman Brookyn Heights Synagogue, NY This year, like many others before it, our family traveled to Israel. This time we had a double duty of being tourists (more on that later) and enjoying the simcha of my sister's marriage to her fiancée Moshe. Like a true Israeli event, west and east were joined in this wedding: Moshe's family's from Tripoli, Libya and ours is of run-of-the-mill Polish and Russian descent. The wedding was lovely in every manner although it was rather small by Israeli standards (300 people).
Our trip also included pre-arranged guided tours. We were joined by close friends from Westchester with children of roughly the same ages as ours and we had a few 1- to 3- days tours arranged, interlaced with downtime, vacation time, family visits and do-it-yourself walking around. We felt that this was a good mix of vacation and educational tour in Israel, a country that is rich with historical, geological and cultural features that are too numerous to describe here.
by Jessica Berman Or Hadash Overseas Coordinator On Monday January 12th, a positive step towards peace was made when Or Hadash together with the Catholic Focolare Movement organized an interfaith prayer service for peace with Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The service was held at Stella Maris, a well known Carmelite monestary in Haifa, and was considered by many to be a very important event. The service, a first of its kind to take place in Haifa, was especially eventful because it was both arranged and took place during a time of war, and focused on praying for peace through the songs and psalms of each culture. Among the clergy and organizers were Rabbi Dr. Edgar Nof of Or Hadash; Father Renato Rosso of the Carmel school in Haifa; Father Yousef Rizek, a Latin Parish priest of Shifa Amer; an Iman from the city of Furades, Israel; and Corres and Christina Chayat from the Focolore Church in Haifa.
by Rich Kirschen Director of the Anita Saltz International Education Center Jerusalem, Israel I am not going to offer a strategic analysis as we have far more competent people to do this. But I wanted to write, touch base and at least give you a personal perspective of what is like living in Israel during this war (my second war in Israel and hopefully my last - but I suspect not).
On one level my family is fine. We are lucky because we live in Jerusalem. Amazing how quickly things change. Who could imagine saying this only a few years ago during the Second Intifada? On another level, how can one be fine during a war? Ayal our eight year old was in our bed the first night of the war and actually was in our bed the other night as well...everyone is effected and children sense what is going on around them on a much deeper level (than we give them credit for).
Good for you, Daphne! For so many of us, opportunities to visit Israel are too few and far between and I applaud you and your family for doing what you believe is the right thing at this difficult time.
My own first visit to Jerusalem in 2004 happened to coincide with a rush-hour bus bombing in Rehavia that killed 11 and injured scores more. Indeed, January 29, 2004 was a sad and scary day, but in true Israeli style, we carried on with our itinerary, which then included stopping at a streetside news stand in the evening to watch the names of the dead and wounded scroll by on the television. I could not have had a more Israeli slice-of-life experience.
by Louis Frankenthaler In the interest of full disclosure: I live in Jerusalem, I am married. We have 2 young children, 6 & 9. I am a human rights worker, a PhD student (at Ben Gurion University) and I grew up in a Reform congregation in NJ. AND I am against the war. I am against the war from the first day and every day. (I am also against the Occupation, the settlements, and work to expose and stop Israeli human rights violations) Why? Not because I am some "radical leftist" or "self-hating-Jew" "or anti-Israel Israeli" which I am called when people want to delegitimize my opinion or avoid the complexity of the issue, but because I support democracy, universal principles of human rights and the rights of local people to their unique cultural expressions, including Jews of every variety, Palestinians, and others. So yes, believe me it is difficult being in the opposition here in Israel (I will not cite a list of difficulties, because they pale in comparison to the monumental suffering in Gaza and in the protracted suffering in southern Israel where, in both places, civilians are being targeted, killed and exploited.) My position, then, is that the war must end and that it is directly connected to the way in which Israel has been an occupier for more than 40 years, and that the argument that Gaza even after the 'disengagment' has remained under Israeli control, albeit without settlements and direct military force inside is critical to the context of the current war.
by Daphne Price Daphne Price is Rabbi David Saperstein's executive assistant. (First posted at RACblog) I love watching the sun rise (though most of my sunrises coincide with vacation). This morning's sun rise was over the Old City of Jerusalem. We arrived in Israel last evening, and my 18 month old is having the worst time adjusting. For 4 hours or so, my baby and I strolled the halls of our hotel until the sun came up.
Despite the war in Israel, we decided to travel all the way here to "vacation" for 12 days with our two small children. We gave it a lot of thought and consulted many of our friends and relatives. We even considered going to Disney instead. In the end, my husband and I decided this was the right choice to make. Why?
Just two days ago I wrote you about the death of Yousef Maudi, the 1st Israeli soldier from Haifa to die in the war against Hamas in Gaza. I want to now commend board member Dr. Jesse Lachter, who attended Yousef's funeral, which took place outside of the city in a Druze village on behalf of the Or Hadash community. We hope that the rest of our soldiers fighting in Gaza will stay safe throughout the duration of the war.
On a different note, as you may already know, the North woke up this morning to find that for the first time during this war, 5 rockets were thrown onto the North of Israel from Southern Lebanon, reaching the coastal city of Nahariyah and the Western Galilee. There, regrettably, a nursing home was hit, but no one was hurt as the residents were at that time eating their breakfast in another part of the home. The IDF retaliated by sending mortar fire into the sites from where they believe that the rockets were launched. As of now, the citizens of Israel do not know yet whether the North will become a new front in this war, therefore deeming the next 24 hours very crucial in determining this.
By Hanan Cidor, KESHER Shaliach First published in It's an Israel Thing Although I'm currently in Israel, it seems as if there was no escape this week from the leading story in the world media about the military operation currently undergoing in the Hamas controlled Gaza strip.
Truth be told, and maybe that's very fitting to an Israeli, I've changed my mind about this operation more than once ever since it started Saturday morning. The basic excuse to start this whole thing is justified in my eyes. For the past seven years, the last three being after Israel has disengaged from its settlements in Gaza and left it for the Palestinians to rule, there have been constant firing of rockets towards Israeli towns and villages across the border. Let's just stop for a moment and think about that sentence. Seven years of rockets on your house, not knowing where and when the next one is going to hit.
"After arriving at my office, at the moment I resumed writing this article, I was again forced to leave, this time because the building next to my office received a threat that an Israeli F-16 strike was imminent."
Jaber Wishah published this line along with a few hundred other words in the December 29th "Eyewitness" column of the Financial Times coverage of latest news in Palestinian-Israeli fighting. He wrote of his family's home being blown to bits because his next-door neighbor was related to a Hamas executive force member. Wishah, deputy director of the independent Palestinian Centre for Human Rights in Gaza City, is clearly not pleased with the incursion and devastation being unleashed upon the population he represents.
As a news junky I read many newspapers and blogs daily but I can't read more than a few paragraphs of a story about this war. Be it in Ha'aretz, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Al-Jazzera Online or the BBC, I don't care to read anything about the on going conflict over Gaza. Yet Wishah's piece spoke to me. I cut his first-person narrative out of my paper last Monday not because it seemed angry and helpless, but because while hundreds had been killed by Israel's bombings in the days prior, Wishah and his family, friends, colleagues and neighbors got warning before these locations -- legitimate or otherwise -- were destroyed by the Israeli military.
by Aaron B. Cohen JUF News Executive Editor Chicagoans watching the ugly scenes unfolding in the Middle East may wonder what's driving the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Why can't the two sides just get along? Isn't despair driving the extremism?
An engine of determination not one of despair lies under the hood of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Hamas cannot have despaired of making peace with Israel; it never wanted to. From the outset it determined to wage jihad according to its Islamist credo. Destroying Israel and replacing it with a greater Islamic state of Palestine always has been its goal; terrorism always has been its tactic.
By Paul Liptz Paul Liptz (Pbliptz@netvision.net.il) immigrated to Israel on June 4, 1967. He was on the faculty of the Department of Middle Eastern and African History, Tel Aviv University for 35 years. He is now on the staff of the Anita Saltz Center of the World Union of Progressive Judaism and the Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem.
Sderot is a small town close to the north east border of Gaza. It's like many of Israel's peripheral areas with an undeveloped town center, monotonous buildings, lower middle class inhabitants and by and large, citizens who don't really have the money to sell their apartments and move anywhere else. However, the difference between Sderot and most other areas in Israel is that this particular town has been the object of attacks from Gaza for the last eight years.
The passages quoted are from Day by Day, and include this:
May I be among those who are hard to provoke and easy to appease. May I be a friend of peace at home and at work, and everywhere I go. When I am angry let me reflect whether my anger is proportionate to its cause and appropriate in its expression.
By Rabbi Eric Yoffie First published in The Forward Wars sicken me, even wars that I support. I support Israel's offensive in Gaza, but watching it on TV -- the images of bombed-out buildings, crying women and, inevitably, the bodies of innocent bystanders -- is a painful experience.
I suspect that most American Jews feel the same discomfort that I feel. They support the military offensive too, but they are well aware of the risks that it entails, and they expect Israel to be both politically wise and morally sensitive in how it fights. It is especially important to us that Israel do everything humanly possible to avoid the death of innocents and to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. There is much evidence that Israel has worked hard to limit the carnage, and the credibility of Israel's leaders in providing assurances on these points is an important factor in assuring the continued support of American Jews -- and, indeed, of all Americans -- for the Gaza campaign.
by Rabbi Bob Orkand, President of ARZA As we approach the new year we are focused, once again, on the violence in Gaza. We pray for a quick end to the military action launched by Israel against Hamas and we agonize over the death of innocent civilians on both sides of the border.
As usual, Israel's critics are quick to denounce the Jewish state for its actions. How easy it is for critics to ignore what led to the current military action: Population centers in southern Israel have been the target of over 4,000 rockets, as well as thousands of mortar shells, fired by Hamas and other organizations since 2001. The first Grad/Katyusha strike on Ashdod took place on December 28. There had been no formal cease fire between Israel and Hamas, but only an informal six-month tahadiya (lull) during which 215 rockets were launched at Israel. On December 21, Hamas unilaterally announced that the lull had ended.
I've been involved with interfaith dialogue since my first year of college. So when I signed up for Rav Siach, an interdenominational rabbinical student discussion group in Jerusalem, I expected an interesting and smooth experience. The past two months have definitely been interesting, but I could hardly call them smooth!
For the past eight weeks, four fellow HUC rabbinical students and I have been traveling to Melitz, a pluralistic education center in Jerusalem, to meet a handful of our future colleagues from other denominations. There are about a dozen participants with three facilitators, and we come from Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, "orthodox," and non-denominational backgrounds. Thus, we come to the table not only with our personal perspectives but also with the weight of our "movements" on our shoulders. And all that weight has made for some very heavy conversations. We discuss and debate issues like commandedness, the role of the rabbi, and denominational distinctions, and we strive to keep our minds open while attempting to understand the thoughts of the others. This can be a significant challenge, but our mutual respect gives us the motivation to try our hardest.
By Rabbi Eric Yoffie For the past three weeks, Israel has lived under an increasing barrage of rocket fire from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. More than 80 missiles landed on a single day. Israel's first responsibility, like that of any nation, is to protect her citizens. The military action that Israel launched Saturday morning was clearly intended to do just that.
Israel's action is as tragic as it is necessary and predictable. While we mourn the loss of life, no democratic nation in the world would permit a hostile force on its border to target its civilian centers with constant missile attacks. Israel has demonstrated extraordinary restraint as nearly 8000 rockets have been launched at Israel's cities in the last 8 years. When Israel withdrew every civilian and soldier from Gaza in 2005, the attacks did not stop for a single day.
Chanukah is my favorite holiday. I know that involved, intellectual Jews like myself are supposed to declar that Pesach is their favorite or something, but I think that we do Chanukah a disservice these days. Undoubtedly, Chanukah's proximity to Christmas has made it a more major holiday in recent decades as American Jews have sought to include themselves in winter holiday festivities, but I'd argue that Chanukah's popularity cannot be reduced to such a disdainable cause.
If Yom Kippur or even Simchat Torah came at this season, we would not have been able to seize upon them and say, "Yes, goyim! We are just like you! We too have an uplifting winter holiday!" Chanukah is a great holiday all on its own and I'm here to tell you why.
by Gardening Grandma I'm at Union's board of trustees meeting, where they've just passed unanimously a resolution urging all Reform Jews to sign the petition to have Rabbi Miri Gold, the rabbi of Birkat Shalom in Kibbutz Gezar, recognized as a rabbi by the State of Israel. Please, show your support now by signing it now! www.irac.org
We'll be sharing more information from the board meeting soon....
By Larry Kaufman I've always made it my business not to talk politics with my business associates, especially those who are likely to be on the opposite side of the political spectrum. But my wife has no such inhibitions, and one night my very WASPy, very right-wing client banged on the table and said, "Dammit, Barbara, you live like an Episcopalian and vote like a Puerto Rican." He also remarked to me one day, "I just don't understand why my Jewish friends are all so ready to vote against their pocket-books." To which I replied, "Joe, I can live with an extra thousand dollars on my tax bill, but I can't live with prayer in the public schools."
Four years ago, my friend Ralph emailed me almost daily, sending highly partisan screeds inveighing against a presidential candidate I had never told him I supported. I think he figured out by my abstention from rebutting or responding to any of these missives that I was on the other side, and he too expressed surprise that his Jewish friends were going to vote against a candidate he described as the best friend Israel had ever had. My answer to him, similar to my answer to Joe -"I can't speak for your other Jewish friends, and I'm sure none of them is a stauncher Zionist than I am, but ultimately I have to vote for the candidate that I consider the best choice for the United States."
By JanetheWriter In my current read, In the Land of Invisible Women, Qanta Ahmed, a young Muslim medical doctor from the west, tells of her adventures living and working in the Saudi Kingdom. In one chapter in which Ahmed details her preparations to go on Hajj, a spiritual pilgrimage to Mecca, I was struck by several parallels between her journey and my own first trip to Israel.
By Larry Kaufman My wife Barbara and I are beginning to plan our fifth trip to Israel, and are already discussing what we want to do and see this time. Our first trip, more than thirty years ago, was a three-week group tour, which covered the major tourist sites/sights quite well. Our subsequent visits, the most recent two years ago, have allowed us to fill in many of the touristic holes. So the question is, what should be on our itinerary, either because Israel has changed so much over these three and a half decades, or because it's relatively new, or it's so far off the beaten path that we may have missed it previously, or it just hasn't made its way into the general travel canon?
By Jeff Oakley (First posted on the RACBlog) Jeff Oakley is an Eisendrath Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.
Last week, Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin stated that "a two-state solution is the solution... and that will be [a] top of an agenda item, also, under a McCain-Palin administration." Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden stated, for his part, that "no one in the United States Senate has been a better friend to Israel than Joe Biden" and that Obama will bring "thoughtful, real, live diplomacy that understands that you must back Israel in letting them negotiate, support their negotiation, and stand with them."
By JanetheWriter In an earlier post on this blog, I wrote that I love to read the wedding announcements in the Sunday New York Times. I also read the obituaries--almost daily--and am repeatedly amazed by the fascinating array of people portrayed and the interesting lives they led.
By Hanan Cidor, KESHER Shaliach First published in It's an Israel Thing In a very unordinary interview with, who I guess you could say is not a very ordinary man, resigning Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has made some relatively dramatic proclamations regarding his view of Israel's future in the coming years. Olmert basically stated in his otherwise dull traditional holiday interview that it is his belief that Israel will eventually have to let go of most if not all of what is regarded as the "occupied territories" of Judea and Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights in order to achieve true and lasting peace with the Palestinians, Syrians and basically the entire Arab world. Obviously enough, the importance of that statement lies in its speaker rather than in the content. Olmert's announcement marks the very first of its kind coming from the highest Israeli executive. Although of somewhat lesser practical importance because of it being his last few weeks in power, still, it is bound to set some sort of precedent for future deliberations with Israel's neighbors and more importantly, with in Israeli society.
By David A.M. Wilensky (First published on The Reform Shuckle) I've said it before and I'll say it again: The man is a genius. Check out a transcript of Rabbi Andy Bachman's erev Rosh Hashanah sermon here. Here' an excerpt:
Surrendering total control is never easy-especially as members of a synagogue community founded on principles that value the intellect over the experiential; the rational over the mysterious; Reform over Tradition. Of course, as we continually need to remind ourselves, the historical circumstances that founded this community in 1861 are quite different from those that demand action in the world today. Our membership, ever growing, comes from all walks of Jewish life-Reform, Conservative and Orthodox and non-Jewish life as well. I find that fewer people have an intellectual ax to grind with Tradition and Reform is not much more than: 1. a commitment to egalitarian values for men, women, gays and lesbians; 2. a rationalist and historical view of the authorship of Torah; and, 3. devotion to the principles of Tikkun Olam, Social Justice and Social Action. But "Reforming Judaism?" I've yet to encounter in my years here a single Jew who truly wants to Reform Judaism. After all, in humility, we could easily spend the next 50 years just figuring out what Judaism IS!
By Larry Kaufman For my ninth birthday, my Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Morris gave me a book hot off the presses, written by their friend Libbie Braverman, who was the principal of the Hebrew school at the Euclid Avenue Temple in Cleveland. The book was called Children of the Emek, and had emerged from Libbie's recent trip to Palestine, very shortly before trans-Atlantic travel was halted by World War II.
Children of the Emek told the story of life in Palestine under the British mandate, through the eyes of a young brother and sister who lived in Nahalal, in the Jezreel Valley (the Emek of the title).
By Larry Kaufman As part of a unique new cooperative venture between the Reform movement and the Aliyah Department of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Rabbi Stanley and Resa Davids are touring North America, talking to groups of Reform Jews about a variety of options for extended sojourns in Israel short of complete relocation. They are focusing especially on "flex aliyah" and its variations, such having a second home in Jerusalem instead of in Phoenix or Palm Springs, or, as the Davids have done since prior to Rabbi Davids' retirement from the pulpit, splitting the year between North America and Israel.
Given the distancing that once characterized the relationship between the Reform movement and the very idea of a Jewish state, the current rapprochement is particularly noteworthy - and getting to this point required major changes in the thinking not only of the Reform movement, but also of the Zionist movement. Reform had to put behind it the idea of Judaism as religion and only religion, and had to come to terms with peoplehood; Zionism had to abandon the idea of shlilat hagolah, eradication of the Diaspora, along with the rhetoric that one was only a Zionist if one came to live permanently in Israel.
By Carine Warsawski Friday, July 25, 2008, is a day that 320 NFTY in Israel participants will never forget. That Friday was truly unique as NFTY made history in the Land of Israel. In New York City there is a group called Improv Everywhere that facilitated a 200 person freeze in Grand Central Station together for five minutes just for fun. Since then, the "Freeze" has been imitated all over the US and in 34 countries around the world. And for the last three months, my personal goal for the summer had been to recreate this spectacular street scene in Israel with our NFTY participants. So we did.
Our mission was simple: To create a scene of fun and confusion in an urban public area by freezing in place for three minutes...in Israel.
By dcc Last week Iri Kassel, executive director of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, sent the North American Reform Movement a thank you note for starting the Movement wide IMPJ Emergency Campaign. On behalf of the entire IMPJ he thanked us for coming through in the clutch to help save the Reform Movement in Israel.
In just the first few weeks of this project, we have raised $225,000 to support our growing Israeli Movement. The economic hardships of the IMPJ could not have come at a worse time, explains Kassel. As he mentions in his letter, we have a closing window of opportunity to increase the presence and strength of the Israeli Reform Movement, both socially and politically.
So on behalf of all of us here in North America you are welcome and thank you for your work to further the cause of Reform Judaism in the Jewish State. (Letter after the jump)
By Jennifer Gubitz As a child, I was never much of a hugger. I preferred to neither give nor receive much affection from my immediate family, except for from my mom's mother - Bubbe Schwartz. I'd like to say that I remember vividly that we were inseparable, although nearly 20 years later I cannot be sure if my memories are accurately my own or if they are simply reconstructions of snippets of information I was told.
My Bubbe died when I was in second grade and in her absence, I eventually learned to hug other people. Ironically, a strong and warm hug is something I have begun to crave throughout my adulthood. When parting ways with my parents before a long flight or leaving my siblings after a short visit - I sometimes return three even four times for one last hug. It has to be just right and until it is, I feel unable to walk away without looking back.
For much of my adult life I have studied, taught and worked on King David Street in Jerusalem. It is certainly no ordinary work address. World leaders stay there - in recent months we have played host to Bush, Blair, then Bush again, Blair, Rice, Blair Carter, Sarkozy, Blair (I'm beginning to think that man has nothing better to do), Brown, Mc Cain, Obama - and that doesn't do justice to the tens of less famous officials - Fishing Ministers from Ruritania and Tax Inspectors from Uzbekhistan.
Then there are the Life Cycle Events. Families compete with each other to hold the most opulent and often gaudy events: barmy Bar Mitzvahs, wild weddings, and far from circumspect circumcisions.
The fall of the U.S. dollar in the last few months put the IMPJ, the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, into a financial crisis. RJ.org spoke with Peter Weidhorn, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Union for Reform Judaism, as he and the other major North American initiated a major campaign to raise $500,000 in the next six weeks. To learn more about how you can help please visit the Union's IMPJ Emergency Campaign site today.
By Judy Gangel Until last week (July 10/11, 2008), I had, and still do have, many blessings to recall and for which I was and still am thankful ...but last week brought an incredible Shehecheyanu experience/blessing unlike any other...a moment that my former rabbi might have referred to as a liminal one...I floated back and forth over the threshold of the time of my youth (I am now 65, almost 66) when I was deeply involved as a proud member and regional officer of NFTY, and the present.
The experience/blessing came upon me during the live streaming broadcast from the HUC in Israel and from Masada, where my 16 year old grandson was a part of a NFTY in Israel experience (NO, it's not just a "trip").
By Larry Kaufman From my first visit to Israel, some thirty-three years ago, one of my strongest memories is the guide telling our group at the beginning of the tour, "You come to Israel as tourists; you will leave as pilgrims." And so it was.
We Jews have given new meaning to the phrase, the wandering Jew. Last year we went around the world - this year we want to go somewhere else. That's why you can walk off a cruise ship in Sitka, Alaska, into a jewelry store where you will be greeted by a Frank Meisler Chanukah menorah.
By JanetheWriter Every night when I was growing up, after I'd said goodnight to my father, my mother tucked me into bed. When she did so on this date 32 years ago, she said, "Today is a great day to be an American and it's a great day to be a Jew."
By Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie I have just returned from a week in Israel. I met privately with Foreign Minister Tsippi Livni, Leader of the Opposition Benjamin Netanyahu, and a half dozen other ministers and Knesset members. I also joined a small delegation of Jewish Agency leaders for a meeting with Prime Minister Olmert. In addition, of course, I had extensive meetings with leaders of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism.
A few impressions: In many ways, Israel's situation has never been better. Unemployment is the lowest in 20 years. The economy grew at a rate of more than 5% for the first quarter of 2008. The hotels are full and tourism is at an all-time high. Reform congregational groups are everywhere, and I was delighted to meet Reform congregational leaders and rabbis wherever I turned. On the political front, a ceasefire is in place in Gaza, Israel is negotiating with Syria, and there has been quiet on the northern border for almost two years.
By David A.M. Wilensky As readers ofReform Judaism magazine will recall, the RJ magazine's summer 2008 issue included a series of important questions regarding the Reform Movement and their answers as given by 30 adult members of the Reform Movement.
I'm currently at the URJ Kutz Camp with a group of people who will be the future lay and professional leadership of the Reform movement in North America. I'll be using many of them as well as many of the younger Kutz staff members this summer in a series of posts here on the RJ.org blog, in which I will be asking Reform high school and college students (and perhaps a few 20-somethings) for their take on Reform Judaism via questions similar to those used in the magazine.
Josh Levin lives in Sarasota, Florida. He is a senior in high school. This year Josh will be the Religious and Cultural Vice President for the North American Federation of Temple Youth's Southern Tropical Region. Josh has three summers of experience at the Kutz, NFTY's Campus for Reform Jewish Teens. Next year, he plans to attend the University of Florida.
By David A.M. Wilensky As readers of Reform Judaism magazine will recall, the RJ magazine's summer 2008 issue included a series of important questions regarding the Reform Movement and their answers as given by 30 adult members of the Reform Movement.
I'm currently at the URJ Kutz Camp with a group of people who will be the future lay and professional leadership of the Reform movement in North America. I'll be featuring many of them as well as many of the younger Kutz staff members this summer in a series of posts here on the RJ.org blog, in which I will be asking Reform high school and college students (and perhaps a few 20-somethings) for their take on Reform Judaism via questions similar to those used in the Magazine.
Jade Sank is a 17-year-old recent high school graduate. In the fall she will attend Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. Jade was a member of NFTY-GER, serving as the 2007-2008 NFTY-GER Secretary. She attended the URJ Kutz Camp in the summer of 2006 and the Urban Mitzvah Corps in the summer of 2007. This summer, she is hard at work as a member of the Avodah staff of the URJ Kutz Camp.
What has belonging to a congregation (or a Temple Youth Group or a Kesher group or going to a URJ camp etc.) that is part of the larger Reform Movement meant to you? Belonging to my congregation, my TYG, NFTY, Kutz, and Urban Mitzvah Corps has meant everything to me. My eyes have been opened by the millions of ways that I can get involved and make connections not only on a North American scale but a world scale. By becoming involved in many different ways I have achieved small goals that will eventually help the Reform Movement become stronger. The best part about being part of the larger movement is that through the small things I do, I will see the results on a larger scale.
Real peace will come to the Middle East when both Israelis and Palestinians accept each other's story as 'legitimate'. People may have strong feelings about the 'other' side of the story but have to accept that each side feels it's case is the truth.
By William Berkson As I was writing my second post on Israel and the Jewish community worldwide, the outstanding journalist and real 'mensh' Tim Russert dropped dead. And he was younger than me. That made me think: I'd better start posting first on what I think is most important. So here will start a series of posts laying out a vision of how to strengthen Reform Judaism. I would love your comments on where you think I am going right or wrong with this vision, and what you'd add or change.
By Rabbi Stacey Blank In Israel, even in Reform synagogues, most of the kids who have an aliyah to the Torah when they turn 13 are boys. There are very few girls. It is still not common for girls to have an aliyah to the Torah in Israel (though everyone has a party!). In a country where women fought side-by-side the men in the 1948 War of Independence, where women hold important positions in government, and where women run major corporations, it is hard to believe that girls by and large are not encouraged to enter the religious sphere.
By William Berkson As I was walking back from the 60th anniversary celebration on the National Mall last Sunday, I was thinking about what I had learned in the past year about the histories of Israeli and American Judaism.
Reform Judaism as a movement was originally opposed to Zionism, and only became Zionist after the rise of Hitler. I had been long aware of this, puzzling at it as an odd fact of history. But over the past year I became aware that there were fundamental issues involved. And it seems that the switch to Zionism took place without really addressing them. And the unresolved issues still are important for the relationship of Reform Judaism--indeed American Judaism as a whole--and Israel.
The two stories behind American and Israeli Judaism are in fact two nearly opposite responses to modern historical events.
Fundamentalist religious leaders who believe not only that God controls everything that happens but that they are able to see God's explicit plans within the context of their own political and cultural views should raise alarm bells for those who would ally with them. Senator John McCain faced this dilemma starkly yesterday, and ended up, rightly, repudiating Pastor John Hagee's assertions that Hitler was foretold in a verse in Jeremiah and that Hitler and the Holocaust were part of God's plan to force the Jewish people back to Israel.
Jews can empathize with Sen. McCain because we have faced the same dilemma with Rev. Hagee. No fundamentalist Christian is more overtly supportive of Israel, raised more money for Israel, nor used his religious and political clout to more energetically mobilize support in America for Israel. Further, he was an evangelical who made clear that his relations with Jews over Israel would not be used to try to convert us. Yet, his fundamentalist views had led to reprehensible statements about gays, Catholics, and even the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
I missed the story about Israelis buring copies of the New Testament this week in the town of Ohr Yehuda. When I read this story, it made my stomach turn. What a horrible message to send to Christian neighbors in Israel and here at home.
We are appalled that Jews would engage in the burning of books that are held sacred by Christians around the world.
I join our rabbis in their disgust of the actions of these few radicals.
As Jews, we know better they explain:
We Jews remember the burning by Christians of the Talmud in 13th-century Paris and 16th-century Italy. We remember as well the book burnings in Nazi Germany. It staggers the imagination that in the year 2008, Jews would engage in actions of this type.
Reform Jews attitudes toward the State of Israel run the gamut of feeling. Below are some of the very different points of view found in the Reform Judaism magazine'sGuide to Reform Judaism: 30 Stories in the summer 2008 edition.
Ellen Morrow: I believe that making Israel central to Jewish identity is dangerous. In our history we have had more time without a state than with one.... I have serious reservations about a country that claims to be of my religion but only recognizes my legitimacy in small, hard-won steps.
Jennifer Warriner: Israel is incredibly important to my identity as a Jew. Whenever my thoughts turn to the State, I have three simultaneous responses: 1) a tangled web of free associations about people and places runs through my mind; 2) a knot of love and respect wells up in my chest; and 3) I begin to wonder about the health and safety of my Israeli friends I know and love, who have taught me, nurtured me, and taken me into their homes.
Dana Jennings: It is a good and wonderful thing that the modern Israeli state exists, but worship of that modern Israeli state is not a good and wonderful thing. Many modern Jews have turned Israel into our Golden Calf in which the existence of the Israeli state supersedes Torah, prayer, and mitzvot.
Judaism is not Zionism. It is a good and wonderful thing that the modern Israeli state exists, but worship of that modern Israeli state is not a good and wonderful thing. Many modern Jews have turned Israel into our Golden Calf in which the existence of the Israeli state supersedes Torah, prayer, and mitzvot.
Our truest homeland is not a swatch of earth in the Middle East, but Torah. And it’s important to remember that the mythological Israel that appears in our Tanach is not the Israel that appears in the news each day. That ancient world only lives in Torah.
Now that I've returned from the C.C.A.R. Conference in Israel, I consider the details that rise to the surface in my recollections.
On any given day, if you'd ask me what I was doing precisely five years earlier, I'd probably look at you as though you had two heads. The same is not true for this particular day. 
On a different note, as you may already know, the North woke up this morning to find that for the first time during this war, 5 rockets were thrown onto the North of Israel from Southern Lebanon, reaching the coastal city of Nahariyah and the Western Galilee. There, regrettably, a nursing home was hit, but no one was hurt as the residents were at that time eating their breakfast in another part of the home. The IDF retaliated by sending mortar fire into the sites from where they believe that the rockets were launched. As of now, the citizens of Israel do not know yet whether the North will become a new front in this war, therefore deeming the next 24 hours very crucial in determining this.
In my current read, 
