In the aftermath of the Rodney King Riots between April 29 and May 4, 1992, my friend Pastor Ignacio Castuera, the Priest then at Hollywood’s United Methodist Church, assembled a book he called Dreams on Fire – Embers of Hope – From the Pulpits of Los Angeles After the Riots (St. Louis: Chalice Press, 1992) in which clergy throughout Los Angeles – black, white, Hispanic, Asian, male, female, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Buddhist – all spoke with one intent: to find embers of hope in the ashes of L.A.

Coretta Scott King said of this volume (among the top ten religious books published in America that year): “Dreams on Fire – Embers of Hope reveals the fervent social commitment of the religious leadership of a community in crisis. I wholeheartedly recommend this important and inspiring anthology to overcome who cares about the future of America’s cities.”

I was the sole Jewish voice in the volume.

As I think back over the past 31 years, much has changed in Los Angeles and America, and much has not changed. The murder of African-Americans by police continues. Economic injustice separating racial and ethnic groups continues. Disparate educational opportunities between white and peoples of color continue. Racism and hatred of the “other” continue. But, we’ve also elected an African-American President as well as many minorities to federal, state, and local office. Many important legislative efforts have been successful in lifting many at the bottom of the economic ladder to lives of greater dignity and out of poverty. We have Obamacare, increased Medicaid in many states, more federal money going into national infrastructure projects, and climate change, more rights for women, minorities, and LGBTQ individuals. There is also a growing middle and upper-middle class amongst minority communities.

However, there is a reactionary response settling in across the country that is alarming as white supremacist, misogynist, homophobic, and the MAGA extremists threaten the well-being and integrity of American democratic institutions and traditions. The polarization in American society has become so wide and entrenched that one wonders what’s in store for America in the years ahead. As much as we have progressed as a nation in so many ways, we are also facing regression that’s alarming.

As we approach the 31^st anniversary of the Rodney King verdict and as we enter the pre-2024 election cycle, I pulled that small volume Dreams on Fire – Embers of Hope from my book shelf and reread many of the entries, including my own (pages 25-27).

I spoke at the Messiah Baptist Church in South Los Angeles on Sunday morning, May 3, 1992, and Pastor Castuera included my remarks in this little gem of a book. Though I spoke these words 31 years ago, they feel contemporary still. Here is what I said (The Reverend Kenneth J. Flowers was the pastor):

“Pastor Flowers,

Thank you for your graciousness in giving me these few moments to speak to your congregation. All of us from Temple Israel wanted to be with you today. Our growing friendship with you these past two years in our Covenant Relationship has meant a great deal and continues to bring us closer to one another. For our friendship, I am grateful.

My heart is heavy as I speak to you today. Not only have these riots shaken our community’s sense of safety and security; but, also, yesterday I learned that Howard Epstein, the son of one of our synagogue families, was murdered on Thursday at the beginning of the rioting. He was here from Orinda where he, his wife, and his two small daughters (ages nine months and seven years) were living. He came to check on his business and to be sure his seventy-five employees (African-American and Hispanic) were safe. He rented a car at the airport and journeyed to South Central LA where his business was located. While stopped at a light, three men pulled up alongside him and shot him dead. They didn’t know that his employees loved him. Nor did they know that, despite economic hard times, Howard could not lay off his employees because they were his friends.

After services this morning, I will make a condolence call to his parents’ home, a task that breaks my heart. Howard’s memorial service is scheduled for Tuesday at Temple Israel.

So much has transpired in so short a while – a wake-up call not only to the people of Los Angeles but to the country. The Rodney King verdict strains credulity, but anyone with any understanding knows that this was the tip of the iceberg. The rage we saw so violently exploding in the streets must be condemned for its viciousness and lawlessness by all decent people. But the feelings of despair, alienation, and anger cannot be ignored. Not all the looters are criminals, though much of it was, no doubt, opportunistic theft. When a mother of five children remarked that this was the first time she was able to put shoes on the feet of all her children, then we have to wake up to the reality of the lives of far too many people.

Pastor Flowers and I spoke on Thursday morning about how extraordinary the Rodney King verdict was, and I told him that so many white people simply don’t understand the lives of black people in this part of the city.

Last January, Pastor Flowers invited me to participate in the city-wide celebration of Dr. King’s birthday at McCoy Memorial Baptist Church. I was, along with City Attorney Jim Hahn, the only white face in that church. I had never in my life been in that neighborhood. I felt very much the minority and not a little out of place. But I was proud to go and be with Pastor Flowers and others whom I have come to know here at Messiah. I must tell you that only since getting to know you folks at Messiah have I begun to understand what your lives are about, about your dreams and about the nature of your community. I have grown to appreciate who you are and respect you as I had never known before. And I consider myself enlightened, empathic, and openhearted.

The people in Simi Valley haven’t the foggiest idea about the realities of what it means to be black in a white world, at the hands of certain white police who’ve lost control and displayed vicious animus toward indefensible black people.

This is why their verdict went the way it did. We need more understanding between black and white, more economic empowerment in the African-American community, more opportunities for business investment and more black ownership of businesses, a higher voting percentage, more political power, and the building of coalitions of decency between black, white, Korean, Christian, Jew, Muslim, and all peoples of faith.

If better conditions, better lives, and greater understanding come as a consequence of these riots, then we can say “Dayenu” (it will have been enough!). But much work needs to be done in the months and years ahead. We need political leaders with courage and community leaders who speak the truth. We need the effort of every black, white, and Asian person living in this community. And we need goodwill and the willingness to take risks and make sacrifices for the common good. For purposes of enlightened self-interest, this is a necessity. In the interest of God’s will, it is mandatory.

God bless, and may peace come to us soon based in justice and greater mutual understanding. Amen!”

An historical note: When the riots ended, 63 people were killed, 2,383 were injured, more than 12,000 were arrested, and estimates of property damage were over $1 billion. Korea-town, situated just to the north of South Central LA, was disproportionately damaged. Much of the blame for the extensive nature of the violence was attributed to LAPD Chief of Police Daryl Gates, who already announced his resignation by the time of the riots, for failure to de-escalate the situation and overall mismanagement… According to one study, “scandalous racist violence… marked the LAPD under Gates’s tempestuous leadership.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Note: The following short reflections were written by the four national co-chairs of J Street’s Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet, a pro-Israel, pro-peace, and pro-democracy political organization in Washington DC that endorses more than 200 members of Congress and has direct access to the Biden Administration (www.jstreet.org). This was sent to the more than 1030 members of the Cabinet. I thought you might find these reflections of interest.

As Israel approaches its 75th year, we have much to celebrate, commemorate, and reflect upon, as we imagine our hopes for the next 75 years and beyond.

For this special edition of The Two Way Street, the Chairs of our Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet each wrote a short reflection on excerpts of Israel’s Declaration of Independence. It is a Talmud, of sorts, a rendering of commentary and exploration on this foundational document.

We hope these short pieces provide you with insight, inspiration, and connection as you mark this historic moment with J Street and with your home communities.

With hope for a continually brighter and more peaceful future,

Emily Kaiman
Deputy Director of Jewish Communal Engagement, J Street

Celebrating Israel as a Remarkable Accomplishment of the Jewish People – Rabbi John L. Rosove, J Street Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet Chair

“Impelled by this historic and traditional attachment, Jews strove in every successive generation to re-establish themselves in their ancient homeland. In recent decades they returned in their masses. Pioneers, ma’pilim [(Hebrew) – immigrants coming to Eretz-Israel in defiance of restrictive legislation] and defenders, they made deserts bloom, revived the Hebrew language, built villages and towns, and created a thriving community controlling its own economy and culture, loving peace but knowing how to defend itself, bringing the blessings of progress to all the country’s inhabitants, and aspiring towards independent nationhood.” – Israel’s Declaration of Independence

In 1948, Israel’s Declaration of Independence articulated the vision and aspirations of the state’s founders. This 75th anniversary of statehood gives us an opportunity to express our respect for their sacrifices and accomplishments; and it offers Jews worldwide today the guiding principles upon which the Zionist project was based and continually renewed. 

As time passes, however, it is easy for us in the 21st century to forget or to take for granted how very difficult it was for the early Zionist pioneers and state’s founders to settle the land, protect themselves, renew Hebrew into a modern language, welcome immigration waves, build cities, towns, kibbutzim, and moshavim, hospitals and universities, forge cooperative relationships with surrounding Arab villages and Bedouin camps, and redefine what it means to be Jewish in the modern era. 

What was clear in the early days before the state was established and is even clearer now is that Judaism is far more than a faith tradition. As a people and a nation — with a rich history, an historic Homeland, language(s), sacred texts and literature, philosophies and theologies, life cycle celebrations and holidays, moral and ethical principles, culture and art — we aspire to be a positive and progressive force for the well-being not only of the Jewish people, but for all peoples living in the Land and State of Israel, and as a light to the nations of the world. 

Emerging from two thousand years of exile and recreating ourselves in our historic homeland has been and continues to be a herculean task without parallel in Jewish and world history. Though we have created a remarkable nation, we have also made our share of mistakes. We can take pride in what our people has accomplished even as we battle against bad actors that have taken the reins of power and threaten the state’s foundational ethics and the democratic traditions upon which the State of Israel was founded. 

As we celebrate Israel’s 75th anniversary, let us support those progressive forces in Israel that seek to preserve Israel’s democracy and Jewish character for all the citizens of the state and the entirety of the Jewish people, and to support every effort to resolve the existentially dangerous Israeli-Palestinian conflict into two-states for two peoples, perhaps in a confederation, living side-by-side in peace and security. 

The Balfour Declaration – Finding New Perspective – Rabbi Andrea London, J Street Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet Chair

“This right was recognized in the Balfour Declaration of the 2nd November, 1917, and re-affirmed in the Mandate of the League of Nations which, in particular, gave international sanction to the historic connection between the Jewish people and Eretz-Israel and to the right of the Jewish people to rebuild its National Home.” – Israel’s Declaration of Independence

In the West Bank city of Bethlehem, adjacent to the Israeli separation wall, stands the boutique Walled Off Hotel, designed by the artist Banksy. Inside the hotel is a small museum offering a history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict from a Palestinian perspective. As one enters the museum, there is a wax figure of Lord Arthur Balfour signing the declaration that bears his name.

The Balfour Declaration marked a seminal moment in the movement to create the modern State of Israel. For Palestinians, it signified the beginning of their displacement from their homeland and a regime that brutally and systematically violated their human and civil rights and right to self-determination. Recently, I brought a group of American rabbis to the museum as part of a trip to the West Bank. The irony of Lord Balfour’s visage at the museum’s entrance was not lost on them. 

We have all heard the arguments from the Zionist perspective: if only the Palestinians had accepted the UN Partition Plan of 1947 or reached an agreement with Israel when President Clinton tried to broker a deal — if only the Palestinians hadn’t resorted to violence time and again — they could have had a state of their own by now. From the Zionist vantage point, it is easy to blame the Palestinians for their struggles, their lack of political independence, and the violence they have faced at the hands of Israeli forces.

On this 75th anniversary of the foundation of the State of Israel, we need to open our minds to the Palestinian perspective and recognize our role in enabling Israel’s entrenchment of the Occupation and persecution of the Palestinians. Ending that Occupation should not be regarded as a reward to be conferred on the Palestinians once they demonstrate good behavior. Rather, Israel and its supporters must accept that ending the Occupation is essential for the well-being of all the inhabitants of the land in order for everyone  to live in peace, with dignity, freedom and democratic rights. 

Israel has the ability to lay the groundwork for a resolution to the conflict by engaging its allies to help broker a deal, halting settlement activity, and allowing Palestinians to live without harassment, build on their land, develop their economy, graze their flocks and tend their fields.

Americans committed to a just and secure peace, must educate ourselves, our leaders, and our communities, on the realities in Israel and the occupied territories. The group of rabbis I accompanied to the West Bank and to the museum felt that their experiences gave them greater knowledge and strength to work for a future that is consonant with our values. 

Only when there is a just resolution to the conflict with the Palestinians will Jews, as it says in “Hatikvah” — be a free people in our land — rather than a people that must live by the sword and through the repression of others.

Defending Our Shared Values – Ensuring Equality for All – Rabbi David Teutsch, immediate past Chair of the J Street Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet

“Israel will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex.” – Israel’s Declaration of Independence

Like most of the American Jews of my generation, I grew up with an idealized version of Israel. Part of what was inspiring to me as a teenager and remains central to me 60 years later is embodied in the Israeli Declaration of Independence: Israel “will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex.”

That goal requires constant effort because there are always countervailing forces that push governments away from fulfilling it. The institution of the Chief Rabbinate and the occupation of the West Bank are two such countervailing forces.

As recent demonstrations across Israel protesting potential changes in the independence of the Supreme Court demonstrate, many in Israel are deeply concerned with civil liberties and democracy. But for the values of the Declaration to be fulfilled, they must apply equally to the West Bank, which is now being incorporated into the State of Israel.

With a civilian, MK Bezalel Smotrich, the new administrator of the West Bank, it has moved from Occupied Territory to a part of Israel. The Palestinians on the West Bank have no vote and few civil rights, which is why the Israeli newspaper Haaretz recently described the situation as apartheid. Israel has a long way to go if it is to live up to the Declaration.

It is urgent that American Jews who share a commitment to what the Declaration stands for join with the Israelis who share their values to defend not only the Supreme Court but Palestinian rights. Universal civil rights may only be possible to achieve in a confederation variant of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, but only when there are equal rights for all can the Jews of Israel be certain of full social and political rights for themselves, their children and their grandchildren.

Protests and Progress: From the Diaspora to the Holy Land – An Ever Connected People – Cantor Evan Kent, J Street Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet Chair

“We appeal to the Jewish people throughout the Diaspora to rally round the Jews of Eretz-Israel in the tasks of immigration and upbuilding and to stand by them in the great struggle for the realization of the age-old dream – the redemption of Israel.” – Israel’s Declaration of Independence

I am descended from a long line of political activists. My grandparents demonstrated and stood on picket lines supporting workers’ rights. My parents took me and my siblings to marches and demonstrations against the Vietnam War and in support of Soviet Jews’ desire to leave the Soviet Union. In the early 1940s, my great grandmother Eva stood at the entrance to New York City subway stations with tin boxes or “pushkes” in her hand and asked for donations to help build the nascent Israeli state.

My grandparents and great grandparents never visited Israel, but every Saturday night, as Shabbat is ending, they walk alongside me in spirit as I proudly hoist my Israeli flag and proceed to the ever-growing demonstration here in Tel Aviv just a half mile from where we live. Each week, the ever-larger crowds have become more vocal in defiance of the so-called “reforms” this Israeli ultra-right wing government is trying to enact.

Though my ancestors could only faintly dream that someday they would walk the streets of Tel Aviv as I do, they clearly understood the connection between those living in Israel and those outside of the country. Israelis are also keenly aware of this historical interconnectedness. This relationship between Jews in Israel and outside the land was of major significance when the Israeli Declaration of Independence was written and this connection is just as important, perhaps even more so as forces within the government are determined to forever change Israel’s democratic nature.

As we approach Yom Ha’atzmaut, I encourage you to walk with me in spirit at the demonstrations in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and all across Israel. Go to protest in your own community and make sure Israel’s autocratic leaders understand that the democratic values Jews in the United States treasure are no different than the ideals we hold so dearly here in Israel.

So much cruelty – everywhere, all-the-time, in our country and around the world, in the politics of destruction, in social media, public and private speech, in the objectification of others, in policies enacted and judged against the stranger, women, homosexuals and transsexuals, minority groups, peoples of color, the poor, homeless and hungry, the disabled, the elderly and the young, anyone who’s vulnerable. Cruelty is a malady so common; it’s in every religion, tribe, ethnicity, culture, and nation.

It’s everywhere, all-the-time, and so many suffer as a consequence. When will decent people as a whole who learned as children how to play fair and share their toys in the sandbox, stand up to the bullies on the playground and do what they were taught, what every decent person who learned the golden rule was instructed by their parents, teachers, and elders to do – to treat every human being as infinitely worthy by virtue of being created in the Divine image?

I know I’m not alone in my outrage as I watch the news each day and witness the injuries, death, destruction, and subjugation of human rights in our country and around the world.

In democracies, elections matter; candidates matter; voting matters; political leaders who place the country above party politics matters; courage matters, and moral leadership matters.

I’ve been thinking a lot about cruelty and its etiology these past few years because of the rise of heartless leadership in our country; and I’ve collected quotations in my reading on this theme by many thinkers, writers, and human rights activists spanning the centuries. I offer a few of them here:

“People speak sometimes about the ‘bestial’ cruelty of human beings, but that is terribly unjust and offensive to beasts, no animal could ever be so cruel as humankind, so artfully, so artistically cruel.” –Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881)

“It is from the Bible that the human being has learned cruelty, rapine, and murder; for the belief of a cruel God makes a cruel person.” –Thomas Paine (1737-1809)

“I think it’s perfectly possible to explain how the universe came about without bringing God into it, but I don’t know everything, and there may well be a God somewhere, hiding away. Actually, if God is keeping out of sight, it’s because God is ashamed of its followers and all the cruelty and ignorance they’re responsible for promoting in God’s name. If I were God, I’d want nothing to do with them.” –Philip Pullman (b. 1946)

“All cruelty springs from weakness.” –Seneca (5 BCE-65 CE)

“Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty.” –Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)

“Some things are not forgivable. Deliberate cruelty is not forgivable. It is the most unforgivable thing.” –Tennessee Williams (1911-1983)

“I must be cruel only to be kind; thus bad begins, and worse remains behind.” –William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

“Emotion without reason lets people walk all over you; reason without emotion is a mask for cruelty.” –Nalini Singh (b. 1977)

“Cruel laughter is the way cowards cry when they’re not alone, and causing pain is how they grieve.” –Gregory David Roberts (b. 1952)

“Cruelty knows that it has no need of histrionics. It can be as calm and quiet as it likes. It can sigh, or lightly shake its head in disbelief, or offer a sympathetic apology for whatever it must do. It can move slowly, methodically, inevitably.” –Amor Towles (b. 1964)

“It was told to you what is good and what the Eternal demands of you – only doing justice and loving kindness and walking humbly with your God.” –Micah 6:8

“That which is hateful to you, do not do unto your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn.” –Hillel (Late 1st century BCE to Early 1^st century CE)

The NYTs asked a series of questions of 12 seniors covering aging, ageism, and their views on life in America today (Wednesday, April 12, 2023).

It is estimated that 17% of 332 million Americans are over the age of 70 today (56.4 million). In 2021, the “Boomer Generation” (born between 1946 and 1964) represented 21.16% of the total population (71.1 million) and Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012) represented 20.67%  of the total population (68.6 million).

I asked myself the same questions asked of the 12 seniors. My responses are below. Here is the link to the NYTs piece – a focus group with 12 Americans ages 71 to 88

What do you hope will be better for Gen Z than it was for your generation?

That Gen Z will advocate for an era distinguished by an ethical standard higher than a “me-first” “survival of the fittest” mentality, that their politics across party lines will be based on what is best for the common good, and that an historically high number of the generation will vote in every election, that their financial wherewithal will be at least as solid as their parents’ economic standing and, hopefully, higher, and that they will continue to make progress addressing the concrete issues that plague America today (e.g. climate crisis, economic disparity between wealthy and poor, poverty and raising the minimum wage to $20/hr, human rights, cost of medical care and prescription drugs, hunger, homelessness, political polarization, restoration of the integrity of democratic institutions, anti-democratic gerrymandering and abolition of the Electoral College, statelessness of Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, criminal justice reform, legislation of Roe v Wade, etc. etc.).    

Because you’re in your 70s or 80s, which decade of life would you say was or is your favorite?

I can’t choose. There were good and bad events in every decade. I experienced much creativity, a strong and loving marriage, the birth of sons and grandchildren, satisfaction in my professional life, and happiness in retirement. I’ve also experienced my share of disappointment, sadness, stress, illness, and the loss of family, mentors, and friends.

What would you say are the best things about getting older?

I like to think that I’m wiser and smarter than I once was. I love watching my sons grow and thrive, and being a grandpa (“Papa”).

What are some of the changes that have happened over the course of your lifetime that you’d say are for the better?

A dramatic advance of medicine, science, computer and communications technologies; an increased availability of information via the Internet; and far greater access to transportation and exposure to the arts.  

Any other changes that have happened over your lifetime that you think are for the worse?

Rejection of science; climate crisis; out-of-control gun violence and right-wing refusal to legislate controls; growing intolerance of the “other;” balkanization of society; rise in racism, antisemitism, anti-Zionism, Islamophobia, homophobia, and misogyny; the crumbling of democratic institutions and the American two-party system brought about by MAGA ideologues, autocrats, and reactionaries.

Do you want to stay in your homes as long as possible? How likely do you think it is that you’ll be able to stay, and what are the factors you take into account when thinking about that question?

Yes. I love our home, neighborhood, and near-by family and friends. We’re close to where our kids live. If we’re no longer able to climb stairs in our home, care for our house and grounds, or if our health fails us, we’d consider moving.

Do you ever feel isolated or lonely where you are?

No. I’m active with causes I care about, and I continue to learn, read, and write. I use Zoom, Skype, and Face-time to stay connected with friends and colleagues around the country, in Israel, and around the world, and I see friends in our city. I enjoy my alone time and feel fortunate to have a resilient and loving marriage and close relationships with our sons, grandchildren, and a number of dear friends.

Right now, the official full retirement age is somewhere between 65 and 70, according to the government, depending on what year you were born. What do you think about that?

I think this is an arbitrary and unnecessary standard. Many people love their work and are capable of delivering competently well into their 80s. Those not so able ought to retire – if they can afford to do so. Younger people ought to plan financially for retirement starting in their early 30s at the latest while developing interests that will engage and sustain them in their senior years after retirement.  

Do you think that Social Security will exist as a program when your grandchildren retire?

I certainly hope so. The country can’t afford for it to collapse, and policies have to be passed by Congress to sustain it or we’ll sink into a pre-Great Depression era without a social safety net.

How do you think Medicare is doing these days?

Medicare is an amazing program and should be extended to every age group over time. It’s beyond my pay-grade, however, to know how Social Security and Medicare ought to be fully funded to assure long-term solvency. The answer is not privatization, however.

Do you think that politicians care about the needs of American voters in their 70s and 80s?

Most Democratic Party office holders seem to care. The MAGA Republican Party, however, does not as these politicians are preoccupied fighting culture wars that diminish personal freedoms and waste everyone’s (and the media’s) time and treasure. Many traditional conservatives seem to care.

When you’re evaluating candidates to vote for, do you think more or less favorably about candidates who are around your age?

I tend to trust liberal politicians of any age and don’t place any trust in MAGA politicians. My evaluation of candidates is dependent on their policy positions, moral fiber, character, courage, and their propensity to act according to what’s best in the common interest and for the most vulnerable in American society.

How do you think being in your 70s and 80s affects your ability to be in office, generally? Is it a benefit, a disadvantage? Does it have no effect?

I have concluded that young wise people grow into old wise people, young fools grow into old fools, morally principled young people grow into morally principled old people, and morally weak young people grow into morally weak old people. The challenge is to determine who is morally strong and wise, who continually learn and are open to adjusting their policy priorities to changing circumstances and demands, who learn from history, and who do what is best for the most vulnerable in society. It’s irrelevant to me what age politicians and office holders reach if they still have their wits and act according to high moral and intellectual standards.

We have now a presidential candidate running, Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, and she’s proposed that those who run for office should have to pass a cognition test if they’re over the age of 75. What do you think about the idea?

This suggestion is ageist as it presumes that every senior is diminished intellectually and capacity to serve to the same extent. It is also the answer to the wrong question. The right question ought to be based on the state of one’s intellectual and moral capacities to serve.

Do you think that there should be a maximum age limit for being elected to office?

No.

President Biden is currently 80. Do you think his age is a benefit for him or a disadvantage?

A benefit – mostly. He does NOT seem to be diminished intellectually. He has a strong moral compass, is a natural empath, and has been a very good President with the help of skilled non-corruptible staff, and (in the first two years) a Democratic Congress led by Leaders Pelosi and Schumer. Biden is experienced, wise, and competent in international and domestic affairs, and though not a perfect candidate, he has done well and restored dignity to the Oval Office.

Former President Donald Trump is 76 years-old. Do you see his age as an issue, either as a benefit or a disadvantage, regarding his campaign for president in 2024?

This is the wrong question. The right question is whether Trump is morally, psychologically, intellectually, and legally fit to be president again – the answer is a resounding NO!

How would you feel about a rematch between Biden and Trump for president in 2024?

Very very anxious – but I have confidence that Biden will win re-election (assuming that the percentage of those who vote is very high especially among peoples of color and young people) and send Trump out to pasture once and for all (or he’ll be in federal prison on multiple corruption convictions). Hopefully, Trumpism will fade as responsible conservatives reject MAGA-Republicanism and rebuild a pro-Constitutional conservative political party and restore the two-party system, an important check-and-balance element in American politics.

What things do you hope will be better for Gen Z than for your generation?

I hope Gen Z will approach its challenges with a measure of humility, give credit to preceding generations that made progress, learn American and world history, and expose themselves to great literature, art, music, and the tenets of world religions. Doing so will afford greater perspective, appreciation for nuance and complexity in human affairs, and instill the sensitivity necessary to address effectively America’s existential challenges. I hope as well that Gen Zs do not become cynical. And I hope they will be activists for good causes and vote in every election.

Representatives of the Israeli governing coalition and their counterparts from the opposition are meeting now with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog in the wake of the government’s proposed radical legislation impacting fundamental judicial policing and civil rights within Israel and the occupation of the West Bank. That proposed legislation has provoked hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy Israeli protesters to take to the streets in peaceful demonstrations.

Surely we in the international Reform Movement and all who share our core values hope that this moment of deep crisis, even as Israel prepares to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of its founding, will provide exciting and forward-looking opportunities to strengthen Israel as a Jewish and a democratic state.

There is a growing chorus of calls for Israel to undertake the challenges of writing a Constitution based upon the principles and aspirations articulated in its Declaration of Independence from 1948. If we are to join in efforts, even from afar, to support this undertaking, we need to reconnect with the dreams of Israel’s founders; and now it is possible to do so.

In 2020, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, through the CCAR Press, published Deepening the Dialogue: Jewish Americans and Israelis Envisioning the Jewish-Democratic State (edited by Rabbi Stanley M. Davids and Rabbi John L. Rosove) with essays by 18 diverse American and Israeli thought leaders (written in English and Hebrew) that address the core challenges confronting Israel as it struggles to be both a Jewish and a democratic state. That vision was embraced clearly and forthrightly within the soaring aspirational language of Megilat HaAtzmaut, Israel’s Declaration of Independence.

As the government of Israel struggles to preserve its democratic and Jewish character, this volume will help us to join the conversation and clarify for ourselves and for others the many complex challenges facing Israel today while offering a clear path forward.

This blog also appears at the Times of Israel – https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/it-is-possible-now-to-reconnect-with-the-dreams-of-israels-founders/

To order – https://www.ccarpress.org/shopping_product_detail.asp?pid=50473

Springtime is my favorite season. It’s then that the natural world is (as if) reborn and all comes alive again inspiring hope and well-being.

I offer here a few reflections-poems from a group of great writers that inspire me, followed by images I photographed in my neighborhood during recent early morning walks when the sunlight emerged from darkness and all awakened.

Happily, the air now is warmer and fragrant; multi-colored flowers are blooming everywhere; trees are sprouting soft green buds and leaves; humming-birds are feeding; yellow and red and blue breasted birds are singing, and mockingbirds are repeating what they hear; and nature is cheering hooray.

 “Arise my friend, my fair one, come away. / For, look, the winter has passed / The rain is over and gone. / Buds are seen in the land, / The nightingale’s season has come / And the turtledove’s voice is heard in our land. / The fig tree has put forth its green fruit / And the vines in blossom waft fragrance. / Arise and go, my friend, / My fair one, come away.” ―Song of Songs 2:11-13 (10^th-5^th century B.C.E.)

“The sun just touched the morning; / The morning, happy thing, / Supposed that he had come to dwell, / And life would be all spring.” ―Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

“‘Is the spring coming?’ he said.’ What’s it like?’… / ‘It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine, and things pushing up and working under the earth.'” ―Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924)

“Spring grew on / and a greenness grew over those brown beds, which, freshening daily, suggested the thought that Hope traversed them at night, and left each morning brighter traces of her steps.” ―Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855)

“I will bring you happy flowers from the mountains, / bluebells, dark hazels, and rustic baskets of kisses. / I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees.”  ―Pablo Neruda (1904-1973)

“Now the dreary winter’s over, / Fled with him are grief and pain, / When the trees their bloom recover, / Then the soul is born again. / Spikenard blossoms shaking, / Perfume all the air, / And in bud and flower breaking, / Stands my garden fair….” ―Emma Lazarus (1849-1887)

“i thank you god / for most this amazing day / for the leaping greenly spirits of trees / and a blue true dream of sky / and for everything which is natural which is infinite / which is yes

i who have died am alive again today / and this is the sun’s birthday / this is the birthday of life and of love and wings / and of the gay great happening illimitably earth

how should tasting touching hearing seeing / breathing any – lifted from the no / of all nothing – human merely being / doubt unimaginable you

now the ears of my ears awake and / now the eyes of my eyes are opened” ―e e cummings (1894-1962)

“It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want—oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!” ―Mark Twain (1835-1910)

More American Jews sit at a Seder table than attend any other single Jewish event in the year, and in doing so across America we become one people here and with Jews around the world. What Jews do at their Seders, of course, is wide and varied. Some simply eat the food with family and friends and do little ritual while others celebrate every ritual, read every Midrash and commentary, sing every song, and debate every feasible theme and challenge presented in the Haggadah. Some Seders are geared towards small children and others to thoughtful adults. There is always plentiful food, favorite recipes shared only during Pesach, and hopefully a place is nurtured where the hearts of children turn towards their parents and the hearts of parents turn towards their children.

This year, more than in any year in my life-time, we Jews are confronted with existential challenges concerning the nature and future of the greatest accomplishment of the Jewish people in the past two millennia, the establishment and development of the State of Israel.

Why is this night different from all other nights?

That’s the meta-question. Here are other questions you might consider raising at your Seders this year followed by a few insightful comments by thought-leaders about the Jew and Judaism in the world that resonate with me this year especially, and I hope with you.

1. Are you an optimist or a pessimist?
2. How worried are you about the threat to democracy in Israel and the impact of the ongoing military occupation in the West Bank on Israelis and Palestinians?
3. Do you believe that the State of Israel ought to emphasize mostly its Jewish character, its democratic character, or both?
4. With which do you identify – Jewish universal humanitarian values or Jewish particularistic tribal values?
5. With which group(s) do you feel the greatest sense of camaraderie and identity: Haredi Jews, Orthodox Jews, Conservative Jews, Reconstructionist Jews, Reform Jews, “Just Jewish Jews,” Jews-by-Choice, non-Jews married to Jews, Jews of intermarried parents, settler Israelis, secular Israelis, traditionally oriented Israelis, Reform movement Israelis, conservative Zionists, progressive Zionists, non-Zionists, anti-Zionists?
6. With what element(s) of the total modern Jewish experience do you most identify? God, Torah, the People of Israel, the Land of Israel, the State of Israel, Jewish learning, holiday and life cycle celebrations, Jewish social justice activism, Jewish liberalism, Jewish conservatism, Jewish history, Jewish ethics, Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, Jewish culture, Jewish/Israeli art, Jewish/Israeli literature, Jewish/Israeli music, Jewish/Israeli films/television, Jewish food, Jewish survival, antisemitism, Jewish politics, …. other?
7. What do you believe (of the above) will be the key factor(s) that sustain(s) Jewish identity in Israel and the Diaspora in the 21^st century?
8. With which do you identify the most? As “Pesach Jews” (because we were enslaved, we must remember to be compassionate, even towards our enemies) or “Purim Jews” (because we were nearly destroyed by Haman, we cannot afford to be naïve because there really are antisemites in the world)?
9. What does “Next year in Jerusalem” mean to you?
10. Do you agree with Rabbi Jonathan Sack’s comment below about Jews being “agents of hope?”

Here are a few quotations that present Jewish identity as a font from which life’s greater meaning can be gleaned.

“Optimism is the belief that things will get better; hope is the belief that together we can make things better. No Jew, knowing Jewish history, can be an optimist, but no Jew worthy of the name abandons hope. The most pessimistic of the prophets, from Amos to Jeremiah, were still voices of hope…To be a Jew is to be an agent of hope.” -Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, On Leadership

“To be a Jew is to be troubled, to view one’s life, and one’s society, through an aspirational lens, always striving to be more. I’m troubled because this project is an ongoing process that requires constant revision. I’m troubled by the enduring gap between ideals and reality. Today, I am troubled because something very wrong is going on in our country, because our commitment to human rights and equality, to treating all people as created in the image of God, is inconsistently applied in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. I’m troubled because Israel, however committed to peace, is no longer resolute in pursuing it. I’m troubled because our power has afforded us the ability to maintain the current political status quo while desensitizing us to the moral abuses it conceals and legitimizes. I’m troubled because we can—and must—do better, but many of us are no longer trying.” –Rabbi Donniel Hartman, For Heaven’s Sake Podcast

“An open ideological conflict is tearing the Jewish world in two. Most nationalist and religious Jews see their Jewish identity and values in a very different light than most progressive Jews. Naturally, the majority of one camp lives in Israel while the members of the other tend to be American. In a sense, it’s not a new divide but an evolution of the twin divides that opened up nearly a century and a half ago over whether enlightenment and liberalism would guarantee the Jewish future or nationalism and religious orthodoxy. It’s a valid debate that we need to continue conducting without insisting that either side has a monopoly on Judaism. But the debate is becoming increasingly contaminated.” -Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz

“I think there is a risk in our [Reform] movement that we will revert to the default position of liberalism, which is the elevation of universalism at the expense of Jewish peoplehood, not as an extension of Jewish peoplehood. It’s a mischaracterization to define prophetic values as having nothing to do with Jewish peoplehood, or not being rooted in Jewish peoplehood. Liberal Judaism, like liberalism itself, is broad enough to contain seemingly contradictory ideas that might enrich each other, rather than seek each other’s elimination.” -Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, Tablet Magazine, January 25, 2022

“There is something singular in the past-gazing creativeness of those multitudes of literate Jews, their cumulative records, and their capacity to keep talking and making sense to each other across vast stretches of time, across languages and across cultures. They are all talking to one another. Like a constant argument at a never-ending Sabbath meal, it is not likeability or like-mindedness that keeps the flame alive; it is the lexicon of great issues and deep familiarities.” -Amos Oz, Jews and Words, p. 55

“The Jewish vision became the prototype for many similar grand designs for humanity, both divine and man made. The Jews, therefore, stand at the center of the perennial attempt to give human life the dignity of a purpose.” -Paul Johnson, American Historian

“A Jew who participates in the suffering of his nation and its fate, but does not join in its destiny, which is expressed in a life of Torah and mitzvot, destroys the essence of Judaism and injures his own uniqueness. By the same token, a Jew who is observant but does not feel the hurt of the nation, and who attempts to distance himself from Jewish fate, desecrates his Jewishness.” -Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Kol Dodi Dofek, based on RAMBAM’s Hilkhot Teshuvah 3:11

“The Jews were always in opposition to the whole world. The Jewish people would be endangered by unity. The quarrels and disputes are the engine that drives its culture forward, backward or sideways. That is its elixir of life. If we are deprived of the constant ability to quarrel, we will be finished. The endless debates, from the Middle Ages to our own time, constitute the vitality of this people.” -Professor Yehuda Bauer, Haaretz, February 26, 2013

Shavua Tov v’Hag Pesach Sameah!

This Blog is also posted at the Times of Israel – https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/questions-to-ask-and-thoughts-to-consider-at-your-seder-tables/