Category Archives: Jewish History

“Without Zionism, there is no Judaism!” Rabbi Dick Hirsch after the 1967 Six-Day War

25 Sunday Dec 2016

Posted by in American Jewish Life, Ethics, Israel/Zionism, Jewish History, Jewish Identity, Social Justice, Stories, Tributes

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Rabbi Richard (Dick) Hirsch turned 90 this past year. One would think that at that age Dick’s physical strength, sharp mind, and passion would be diminished.

Though he has his share of aches and pains, there is nothing diminished about Rabbi Dick Hirsch. He remains after more than half a century of activism the vital Zionist and social justice giant of the American and Israeli Reform movements.

Dick is the founding Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC) in Washington, D.C. He is responsible for moving the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) offices from the United States to Jerusalem, raising the money and overseeing the construction of the WUPJ Center and Beit Shmuel that house the central offices of the Israeli Reform movement on King David Street only steps from the King David Hotel. And he is a founder of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), the pre-eminent social justice advocacy organization in the State of Israel.

Dick argued before the leaders of American Reform Judaism in the late 1960s and early 1970s that for the Reform movement to earn its rightful place in Jewish history we would have to build an institutional and broadly-based presence in the State of Israel. This would include building synagogue centers all over the state, progressive Jewish schools, a rabbinic and cantorial seminary for Israeli-born leaders, kibbutzim, a youth movement, and a social justice movement that helps to grow and transform not only Israeli society but the character of world Jewry.

Fifty years ago Dick told the Board of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (now the Union for Reform Judaism) that for Jews “Jerusalem is Broadway and the United States is off-Broadway.” He also said to them soon after the ’67 war,  that “Without Zionism, there is no Judaism!” The reaction of the then American Reform leadership was strong and negative. But, Dick carried on, at times by himself, and succeeded in igniting and inspiring others to join him in transforming progressive Judaism in the State of Israel.

Dick didn’t just talk the talk. In 1972, he and his wife Bella picked up their four children and moved to Israel. I met him for the first time the following year when I was a first-year rabbinic student at HUC in Jerusalem.

Dick is a consummate storyteller, teacher, and Zionist leader. Jews and non-Jews alike are usually riveted when he speaks. Thankfully, earlier this month in a talk he delivered in Florida entitled “My Life and My Beliefs,” Dick was recorded. Now we can watch and listen on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6AsMvUBV-E

Jewish leaders like Rabbi Dick Hirsch come around very infrequently. Many have admired him and called him their friend including Dr. Martin Luther King, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and Natan Sharansky.

I urge you to take the hour and watch.

For those who know me, I hope you will sense why Dick has had such a strong impact on me personally.

The acorn does not fall far from the tree. Dick’s son, Rabbi Ammi Hirsch, the Senior Rabbi of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue on West 68th Street in Manhattan, is among my dearest friends. Ammi and I met when he served as the Executive Director of the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA) in the 1990s. It was Ammi and then his father who drew me to the heart of Reform Zionism, and for that, I am forever in their debt.

A story of a Jewish soldier fighting in George Washington’s army during Hanukah

23 Friday Dec 2016

Posted by in American Jewish Life, Holidays, Jewish History, Stories

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I heard a knock on the door. …and incredibly, my General, George Washington is standing in the doorway.

It is Hanukah in the year of 1776. The winter is hard and the cold is fearsome. We are starving for bread. We have no clothes to warm our bodies and no shoes for our feet.

At these moments, I am reminded of my father in Poland. I recall how much he suffered at the hands of the cruel Baron. I remember I was but a youngster and saw my father dance before the Baron. How terrible was the sight. My father was made to dress up in the skin of a white bear and he danced for the sport of the Baron and his guests. How great are my pain and shame. Father dances as a bear and the Baron jests and revels. I affirm in my heart that I will never be so humiliated myself. At my first opportunity, I set sail to America.

It is now the first night of Hanukah. This very night, two years ago, I fled from my father’s home in Poland. My father gave me a Hanukah menorah and said, “When you will light, my son, these candles for Hanukah, they will illuminate the path for you.” From that day on, my menorah was as an amulet. Wherever I go, I take it with me.

Suddenly, I feel a soft, tender hand upon my head. I lift my eyes and behold it is him, in all his majesty, General George Washington standing upon me. He asks me, “Why soldier do you cry? Is it then so very cold?”

I forgot at that moment that I am a soldier in the presence of my superior, and spoke before him as a child to a parent. “My master the General,” I said. “I cry and pray for your victory. I am certain with the help of God, we shall prevail. Today, the enemy is strong; tomorrow they will surely fall, for justice is with us. We seek to be free in this land; we desire to build a country for all who flee from oppression and suffer abroad. The Barons will not rule here. The enemy will falter and you will succeed.”

The General shook my hand. “Thank you, soldier,” he said and sat at my side next to the menorah. “What is this?” asked the General. I told him I brought it from my parent’s home. Jews the world-over light this menorah to celebrate the great miracle of Hanukah and the miraculous salvation of the Jews.

The light of the Hanukah menorah danced in the eyes of General Washington as he called forth in joy: “You are a Jew from the children of prophets and you declared that we shall prevail.”

“Yes my master,” I answered with confidence. “We will be victorious as the Maccabees of old, for our own sake and the sake of all who follow us to build a new land and a new life.”

The General got up; his face was ablaze. He shook my hand and disappeared into the darkness. My faith was rewarded, victory was achieved, and peace reigned in the land. My General became the leader of our new country, and I became one of its citizens.

I quickly forgot those frightful days and nights at Valley Forge. However, that first night of Hanukah, with General Washington, I carried in my heart always as a precious dream.

The first night of Hanukah the following year of 1777, I was sitting in my house in New York on Broome Street, with the Hanukah light in my window. Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. I opened the door, and incredibly, my General, George Washington is standing in the doorway. “Behold, the wondrous flame, the flame of hope of all Jewry,” he called forth in joy as he gazed upon its light.

The General placed his hand upon my shoulder and said: “This light and your beautiful words lit a flame in my heart that night. Surely, you and your comrades will receive due recognition for all of your valor at Valley Forge. But this night, accept from me, this medallion.”

He hung the medallion of gold upon my chest and shook my hand. Tears came to my eyes; I couldn’t say a word. The General shook my hand once again and left the house.

I stirred as if coming from a beautiful dream. I then looked upon my medallion and saw a beautiful engraving of a Hanukah menorah with the first candle lit. Below was written, “As an expression of gratitude for the candle of your menorah.”

This medallion is part of the permanent collection in the Jewish Museum in New York.

Shabbat shalom and Hag Hanukah sameach!

Source: Ulpan Or Jerusalem

Why Creating a Shared Society is in Israel’s Best Interests – Mohammad Darawshe

19 Monday Dec 2016

Posted by in Ethics, Israel and Palestine, Israel/Zionism, Jewish History, Jewish-Islamic Relations, Social Justice, Women's Rights

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The difference between creating a “Shared Society” in Israel and aspiring to “Coexistence” between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel is substantial, and most people have no idea why creating a “shared society” is critically important for Israel’s democracy, stability, and sustainability.

A shared society does not mean that Zionism and the Jewish character of the state are sacrificed. Nor does it mean that Arab citizens will lose their identity or their narrative. It does mean that Arab Israeli citizens will share a stake in Israel as first-class citizens and thereby assure their loyalty to the state they share with Jews.

Since the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1948, following an invitation that promised social, economic and political equality to all citizens, including Arabs, the promise has not as yet been fulfilled. Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert confessed in 2007 that Israel’s Arab citizens are decidedly 2nd class citizens.

The intent of the founders of Israel that it be Jewish and democratic (though not explicitly calling it a democracy) is not the agenda of many right-wing political parties in Israel today because they intend Israel to provide equal rights only to Jews and not to the 20% of the population that is Arab.

It is my view that Israel today faces three primary existential threats; the Orthodox-Secular divide, the second class citizen status of her Arab population, and the lack of a two-states for two people’s resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

This past week, my congregation welcomed Mohammad Darawshe, the Director of Planning, Equality and Shared Society at Givat Haviva, Israel. Givat Haviva was founded in 1949 by Jewish and Arab Israelis in order to create a “shared society” of Jews and Arabs in the new State of Israel. Mohammad is a 27th generation Muslim Arab Israeli. He holds masters degrees in Peace & Conflict Management and Public Administration, as well as Bachelor’s Degrees in English and Political Science, and in Multi-Disciplinary Political science. He has an unparalleled understanding of Jewish-Arab relations and has served in the Knesset out of the Prime Minister’s office in a number of capacities.

I am quoting from Mohammad’s writings based on what he shared with us not only because he was so clear, but also because my congregants and I felt optimistic about Israel’s future based on Givat Haviva’s vision.

An apology – This blog is longer than what I normally post, but the message is so important for the future of Israel that I decided to forgo my normal word  limit and share Mohammad’s message more fully. I have retained the British spelling of Mohammad’s original texts.

“The development of a joint vision for a shared society for Jews and Arabs in the State of Israel is not an easy task. The term “shared society” indicates the maturing of approaches that have become obsolete. The common term used to be “coexistence,” which involved an inherent inequality. MK Ahmad Tibi used the analogy of the horse and the rider. Sadly, this does not reflect a beautiful synergy and coexistence between the two. The problem is that at the end of the ride, the horse is led to the stable to eat hay, and the horseman goes into his castle and dines on steak… That is what coexistence encounters looked like for many years, during which the Jewish master was kind enough to “dismount,” touch the discriminated Arab [citizen], caress him and even say some conciliatory words, and then return to the separate and unequal reality.

Over time, the Jewish-Arab relationship has matured, and we moved on to a discourse of partnership and common interests, and a dialogue on socio-economic equality in the unequal political reality.

… It should be emphasized that in a shared society, all citizens must be considered legitimate, not only regarding their right to live in this land, but also regarding their rights for power sharing and decision making.

What is important is to begin the conversation on a joint vision. It may take us several years before we reach the formula that would win the voices of the majority of Jewish citizens and the majority of Arab citizens in this country. We have to get started.

Mutual trust between the parties has to be constructed at the beginning of the process.  It will be followed by providing tools for supporting the effort of building a shared society: Civics education, bi-lingual education, teaching narratives, negotiation and conflict-resolution skills so that we do not stumble and fall along the path.

We then must arrive at a civil consensus that will turn Israel into a normal state, which recognizes all of its civil elements. Then we would need the kind of leadership that has enough courage to start implementing a joint vision, and yield success stories.

We have already started implementing some of these ideas. … We must build trust among citizens, as all Jewish and Arab citizens and children are entitled to positive experiences, which will shape their positive opinions of the other. The future leadership will grow among these children.  However, we cannot place all the responsibility on their young shoulders. The responsibility is on our generation. The leadership that will shape the future must start with us.

Together with my colleagues who are active in the field of shared society, we have initiated dozens of projects that prove that this can work. But all the organizations combined barely reach five percent of the population. We only touch five percent of our target audience – and that is not enough.

Hummus Coexistence

Givat Haviva was the first organisation to start trying to address the negative effects of the [equality] gaps [between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs]. It founded the Jewish-Arab Center for Peace in 1963. Givat Haviva’s Center for Shared Society and the Shared Society Initiative are focused on both youth and adult audiences and the purpose of the initiative is to humanise the other side; to communicate that Jews have no horns and Arabs have no tails – these are basic principles we need to work on because the security and political context contributes to the dehumanisation of the other.

Givat Haviva applies three theories in its work.

Firstly, we operate with what we call the ‘soft contact theory,’ working mainly between elementary school kids up to sixth grade. The goal is to humanise the other through positive engagements between Arab and Jewish youths and to have multiple encounters during the elementary school period. In 99 per cent of cases this is the first time a Jewish child has met an Arab child and vice versa. We focus on sports, arts, environmental issues, and music; things that children can enjoy together and can say ‘I met an Arab and he wasn’t so bad,’ ‘I met a Jew and he wasn’t so bad,’ ‘we ate from the same hummus plate.’ Sometimes I call it the hummus coexistence!

Professor Ephraim Ya’ar of Tel Aviv University conducts a poll every year called the Racism Index. He asks Jewish and Arab children if they are willing to live in the same apartment building as an Arab or Jewish family. In his most recent poll, 68 per cent of Jewish kids and 52 per cent of Arab kids said no. Much can be blamed on the school system in Israel: the wrong decision was made in 1948 to have separate schooling for Arabs and Jews. We are paying the price for that decision.

However, if you take the same questions and put them to kids who have come through some of our programmes, the racism rate drops to below 10 per cent. Why? When they think of an Arab or Jewish family, they think of their Arab or Jewish teacher; 90 per cent are able to relate to an Arab family through Arabs that they have personally met. This tells us that the problem of racism is mostly the result of either fear or ignorance. It also proves that the ‘soft contact theory’ works – that giving people the experience of human interaction with the other actually works to reduce stereotypes and reduce racism.

The second theory we work on is ‘skills acquisition’. No one is born a good citizen – you need to acquire the skills to live in a shared society. Those skills cover four areas.

First, bilingualism/biculturalism: to understand the culture and the language of your fellow citizen. In my previous position at the Abraham Fund I was involved in setting up a programme called Ya Salam, which taught Arabic to Jewish children. We asked one of the fifth graders on the programme why it was important that he studies Arabic. He explained that when he got on the bus and would hear Arabic he would dial 100, (the number for the police) and have his hand on the call button. He was afraid. But, now he understands Arabic, he can understand what they are saying. Knowing the language of your fellow citizens reduces fear and creates engagement.

We [Jews and Arabs] also explore historical narratives. We see history differently – for example 1948. We see what happened in Gaza differently. We are not looking to create a joint narrative; we are looking to understand the different narratives –what does the other side think?

The same thing goes for identity, the third part of skills acquisition. What is Arab identity and what is Jewish identity? For example, it is important for Arabs to know that Jews see their Judaism as part of a national identity; not just as a religious one, and for Jews to recognise that the Palestinian national identity is not the same as the Arab national identity.

The fourth skill that we focus on is civics. Civics is the rules of the game: What is the State of Israel we live in? What are its laws? What’s the shared space that we have together? It’s learning the five Basic Laws together, learning the Declaration of Independence together, trying to examine the different interpretations of those laws and the rights given to individuals and learning how to live in a shared society according to the law.

The third theory we look at is ‘confrontation theory.’ We have a programme called ‘Face to Face,’ which we usually only bring to high school kids. It allows them to get into serious debate about narrative or topics like identity; to have an honest discussion in a contained environment. Usually it is a three-day workshop that ends with: ‘Okay now that we have fought it out, we blamed you enough, we pointed our finger at you enough, you heard how angry and upset I am; now let’s talk about what we do next. How do we continue to live in a shared society despite our differences?’ We do not seek to convince each side of the other’s perspective, just to allow the space to bring about a new maturity in their perception of the other side – to allow them to engage in friendship despite their perceived differences.

A Shared Community

We also bring these three theories (soft contact theory, skill acquisition and confrontation theory) to the adult population. One of our flagship projects in this field is called Shared Community, where we bring communities together, not to talk about the Jewish-Arab issue, but to engage in joint action which allows people to normalise relations with each other.

A second layer of our Shared Community project focuses on shared interests. At the moment we have six towns: three Arab and three Jewish, and we aim to create forms of cooperation between them. One form of cooperation is a tourism board: we have 42 businesses from the six communities; meeting once a week to develop joint strategies for marketing and for making money. We are trying to create a regional identity, not just a narrow Jewish or Arab town identity. We have also created a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) forum. We organise an education programme: NGO management, public relations, media relations, fundraising and managing volunteers. Our aim is to increase the value each NGO has for their respective towns and to facilitate the NGOs to coordinate among themselves. For example, …a Jewish NGO that works with Ethiopian newcomers decided to take them to the Israel Museum. Their bus was only half full, so they turned to an Arab NGO for elderly people from Kfar Kanna and asked if they would like to send 20 people on the same bus. In the end, Ethiopian Jews and elderly Arabs ended up going to the Israel Museum for a day out and both sides saved half of the costs of a bus; this gives them an incentive to cooperate. We created a space for them to coordinate and to work with each other: by saving money on a bus we have also created a joint Arab and Jewish activity. It’s as simple as that. It’s looking for the shared interests and mutual interests that sometimes could be just a saving of £200 from the cost of a day out. There really doesn’t have to be too much ideology.

The third layer of our programme is oriented to policy. It brings the key figures in the communities: the mayors, heads of the education department, town planners, and key business leaders to engage in monthly meetings. The idea is to solve disputes or to create plans which are sustainable for both sides. We discuss issues such as transportation, zoning of industrial areas and use of land in-between the communities. In these discussions, we try to identify how we can make the region more beneficial for both communities. Our aim is to expand the programme from the six towns we already have to the 73 Arab towns inside Israel.

The broader regional context also has to be resolved because it continues to impact negatively on Jewish-Arab relations. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict negates any effort to build a shared and cohesive society in Israel and that’s why we often engage in efforts to relieve Israeli-Palestinian tension. For example, we created a joint radio station called All for Peace. It was founded 10 years ago and it now broadcasts radio shows in Arabic and in Hebrew on the internet.

Fulfilling the Values of the State

[Former] Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that institutional and intentional discrimination has to end because it is in the national interest. I see ‘national interest’ as the fulfilment of the moral and democratic values of the state. Many other Israelis would argue that security is in the national interest. However, almost all former Shin Bet and Mossad directors have made statements in support of a shared and equal society in Israel.[As has the President of the State, Reuven Rivlin]

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has suggested in its three most recent reports that Israel can never be a stable economy as long as it continues to disenfranchise its Arab citizens. It is in the Israeli national economic interest to engage Arab citizens as equal contributors. Unemployment rates for Arab citizens are three times the national average and 56 per cent of Arab citizens live below the poverty line. These results of government policies and of a failure to attend to the problems the state has created.

‘If you apply solutions you will get results’

…Ten years ago the Arab population of [The Technion] university was three per cent. Many argued that there was ‘not enough intellect in the Arab community’ or that ‘the school system is lousy’, and even that ‘the Arab community could not compete in a challenging educational institution such as the Technion.’

Two specific programmes were put in place. An Arab child receives only 65 per cent of what a Jewish child receives in the government educational system in Israel, so the Technion implemented a foundation year to close these gaps in knowledge.

The second programme involved Jewish students mentoring new Arab students, helping them with Hebrew and getting to know the place. Now, 10 years later, Arabs make up 22 per cent of the student population of the Technion [greater than the Arab proportion of the entire population 20%]. This tells you that if you want to solve a problem, you have to apply the solutions, then you will get results.

No one can possibly argue any longer that there is not enough intellect in the Arab community or that there is a mentality problem when it comes to the sciences. It’s about creating opportunities and implementing the right policies to close the gaps. Arab students are examined with the same tests as Jewish kids and last month 50 per cent of the graduates from the Technion Medical School were Arab students.

As long as the cycle of violence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues, as long as the terrible occupation continues to destroy Israel, the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel will continue to be torn between their country and their people.

We [address this problem] …by creating a perennial, multi-aged educational process that can overcome the almost total separation between Arab and Jewish children in Israel. We do this through programs that build the basis for equality and integration, and we do this through teaching the Hebrew language to Arabs and the Arabic language to Jews.”

With Friends like David Friedman we Jews don’t need enemies!!!

16 Friday Dec 2016

Posted by in American Jewish Life, American Politics and Life, Ethics, Israel/Zionism, Jewish History, Social Justice, Women's Rights

≈ 5 Comments

I have been dismayed and outraged by a number of President-Elect Trump’s cabinet appointments and by Trump’s continuing refusal to condemn explicitly anti-Semitism, racism, misogyny, Islamophobia, and bigotry of all kinds.

As an American and someone who is deeply concerned about climate change and the need to reduce fossil fuels, who worries about the state of public education in America as the great democratic equalizer, and as someone who has served as a public servant for decades and who is finely attuned to and sensitive to the corruption that conflict of interest in leaders can cause, I am alarmed as an American citizen by the policy and ethics dimension of this new administration.

As a Zionist leader, I’m flabbergasted by Trump’s appointment of David Friedman as the new US Ambassador to Israel. Friedman’s utter lack of diplomatic experience and apparent understanding of the complexities of Middle East politics, and his outright support for the building of and expansion of Jewish settlements in the still-contested West Bank territories that are regarded as “occupied” by the international community ought to be enough to eliminate him entirely from consideration as America’s chief diplomat to Israel.

Further – his open hostility to a large segment of the American pro-Israel Zionist community in J Street who Friedman slanders as equivalent to “kapos” and anti-Israel – bodes badly for the American Jewish community and for the Jewish people as a whole.

His appointment ought to be condemned by anyone who loves Israel and who is concerned about its Jewish and democratic future.

Note: I speak here as an individual and do not necessarily represent my synagogue or any Jewish organization.

“What Type of Jew are you?” – A Response to Shmuel Rosner’s JJ Column

02 Friday Dec 2016

Posted by in American Jewish Life, Israel/Zionism, Jewish History, Jewish Identity

≈ 2 Comments

This week the LA Jewish Journal published a piece written by its Israel correspondent Shmuel Rosner entitled “What type of Jew are you?” (link – #1 below)

Rosner reflected on a new study of the Boston Jewish community, but the trends revealed reflect what I sense is true across the country. The study’s findings show how complex is Jewish engagement among American Jews today.

Rosner distinguished five distinct groups: the Minimally Involved (17%) who do almost nothing specifically Jewish; the Familial (24%) who engage mostly in home-based and family Jewish events and celebrations; Affiliated Jews (26%) who are engaged with their families and in some Jewish communal organizations; Cultural Jews (18%) who in addition to family events, listen to Jewish and/or Israeli music, go Israeli folk-dancing, read Jewish books, see films and attend theater on Jewish themes; and the Immersed (15%) who engage in all areas.

In Boston, two-thirds of the Jewish community has been to Israel at least once, and a third has visited many times, a rate higher I suspect than in Los Angeles. A national trend that was also revealed in the last Pew study of the American Jewish community in 2013 (link – #2 below) showed that increasing numbers of Jews don’t identify any longer with denominations. Of the roughly 6 million American Jews at least 50% (maybe higher) regard themselves as secular and cultural Jews or just plain Jewish.

The Boston and Pew studies each showed that people identify increasingly less with Jewish religion and increasingly more with Jewish peoplehood. And so the question of the hour is this that Rosner asks – “What type of Jew are you?”

This is how he characterizes the five groups (see a longer study  – #3 below).

Half of the “Immersed Jews” keep kosher at home, light Shabbat candles and attend Shabbat services regularly. They celebrate Pesach, light Chanukah candles, attend High Holiday services, donate to Jewish causes, and identify as Jews “by religion.” Almost all are affiliated.

Most “Cultural Jews” don’t do religious ritual at all, nor do they attend religious services unless invited to a special event such as a bar or bat mitzvah, and they don’t keep Kosher. But 80% of them are highly engaged with Israel, seek news from Israel often and attend Jewish programs. Though not religious, they do attend Seders, light candles on Chanukah, and attend High Holiday services.

“Affiliated Jews” practice the big Jewish holidays, affiliate with synagogues, donate to Jewish causes, but aren’t engaged religiously. They listen to Jewish music a little, attend services occasionally, and may partake in kosher food on occasion at an event. Affiliated Jews tend to be between the ages of 35 and 64 years and most have children who they want to “educate,” provide a Bar or Bat Mitzvah or give them a taste of Judaism.

“Familial Jews” attend family Seders and light Chanukah candles, but they don’t do much else ritually or religiously, though a third attend a Jewish program or donate to Jewish causes. They generally keep in touch with Jewish life and don’t consciously distance themselves from the community. Their deeper Jewish engagement does not extend into the community beyond the home. Many of these “familial Jews” are intermarried and unaffiliated.

A third of the “Minimally Involved” light Chanukah candles, have attended a Jewish program in the last year, but have little engagement with anything Jewish. In Boston, and I suspect here in Los Angeles, many minimally involved are Russian Jews. Most are unaffiliated and intermarried.

So – what kind of Jew are you? Immersed – Cultural – Affiliated – Familial – or Minimally Involved?

More questions: What is your Jewish narrative that has brought you to the Jewish identification that you have? Are you satisfied and at peace with this kind of identification? Are you fully fulfilled as you might wish to be in your life as a Jew?

These are questions all of us ought to be asking ourselves.

I wasn’t surprised by the survey’s findings, except for one thing – that the connection American Jews feel with the state of Israel is the strongest element in all of these five groups. The survey suggests that there is a strong connection between a Jew’s engagement with Israel and his/her engagement with Jewish life. Distancing from Israel co-relates with a distancing from Judaism and Jewish life just as the more engaged with Jewish life we are the more we tend to be engaged with Israel.

Put another way, a Jew’s relationship to Israel is a barometer of his/her relationship to Judaism.

I’ve drawn five additional conclusions from the study:

  1. It’s a mistake for us to judge anyone else’s engagement as a Jew, however much or little that is, especially in an era in which the community is changing so rapidly;
  2. There needs to be a multitude of opportunities for engagement and inspiration – through education – religion – family – culture – the arts – social justice work – and Israel;
  3. We are not an ever-dying people – we’re an ever-changing people;
  4. The depth and breadth of our relationships with other Jews is the best prognosticator of our depth and breadth of engagement in Jewish life;
  5. The more meaningful the Jewish education and learning is, the more welcoming are our communities, the more visionary is our Jewish agenda, so too will more of us be inspired to engage in ways that move our people forward creatively and meaningfully.

May we each find our way.

  1. http://www.jewishjournal.com/rosnersdomain/item/what_type_of_a_jew_are_you
  2. http://www.pewforum.org/2013/10/01/jewish-american-beliefs-attitudes-culture-survey/
  3. “Exploring the Jewish Spectrum in a Time of Fluid Identity” – The Jewish People Policy Institute – http://jppi.org.il/uploads/Exploring_the_Jewish_Spectrum_in_a_Time_of_Fluid_Identity-JPPI.pdf

 

A Note to My Grandchildren

17 Thursday Nov 2016

Posted by in American Jewish Life, American Politics and Life, Ethics, Israel/Zionism, Jewish History, Jewish Identity, Social Justice, Women's Rights

≈ 5 Comments

Rabbi Stanley Davids is a dear friend and grandfather of eight. He posted a letter that he wrote to his grandchildren following the election of Trump on the Reform Rabbi List-Serve this past week that I want to share with you in its entirety.

Stan is a thoughtful, kind, good-humored (most of the time) and passionate activist for all things good, a retired congregational rabbi and a past President of the Association of Reform Zionists of America (he is the one who persuaded me to follow him as Chair of ARZA).

Stan’s words are worth sharing with your children and grandchildren. I post them here with his permission.

November 10, 2016

Dear Olivia, Joshua, Gabriel, Zeke, Mya, Cole, Beth and Hannah,

“Watch out for the baobabs.” (The Little Prince)

I waited several days after Donald Trump won the presidency before I could properly share my thoughts with you. I am that confused and I am that upset.

You know how hard I worked to elect Hillary Clinton. I believed in her then. I believe in her now. And I deeply, profoundly, am opposed to Donald Trump – his values, his behavior, his plans.

I apologize to you for having failed to defend you and your future against the hateful things that President-Elect Trump represents. I wanted so much to protect that future, to shield you from intense prejudice, racial hatred, hatred of minorities, hatred of LGBT folks, hatred of the not physically able. But I failed. I have always been personally active in political matters here and in Israel and in the former USSR. I stood up for African-Americans, women, LGBT, Soviet Jews and civil and religious rights in Israel. Sometimes the cause for which I fought was successful. Sometimes – not so much. But I never stopped trying.

This is a great country. Several of you will be casting your first presidential ballots in four years. But by then I fear that a newly reconstituted Supreme Court will have made some horrific decisions and that a Congress controlled by ultra-conservatives may have turned our great Ship of State in dangerous directions.

I failed. So the battle now must be yours. Please don’t give up on politics. Don’t feel overwhelmed. And don’t be indifferent. Read, study, talk – and become involved. Don’t leave it to others to protect your world – they just might not do it. Experience frustration, the pain of loss, and the discomfort of sometimes disagreeing even with those you highly respect. But remember that politics always responds to the passionate, informed few. Be among them.

Form coalitions. Reach beyond your close circle of friends. Hear the concerns of others. Ask them to hear yours. Be ready to walk away if they refuse. Don’t let them change you. Join groups that express and endorse your values. Turn them into instruments of your vision. And make certain that you are clear as to your own values. Values matter. Ideas matter. No one, no one, can expect to be granted the right to tend his or her garden and to expect the world to just let them alone. It won’t happen. You can’t hide from the cancer of prejudice and hatred. If you allow it, it will find you.

You are Jews. You are all well educated in Jewish tradition. Acquire the values language of our tradition and let that values language inspire you and give you unbreakable hope.

So long as I am able, I will continue fighting for Tikkun Olam. You are already becoming old enough to be my partners, and I embrace that privilege. Together we will remain intolerant of evil. Together we can fight for a world in which The Other presents to us a vision of God. There is no permanent victory in this struggle, but there is also no permanent defeat.

And about that baobab, the Little Prince counsels that we must pull up all of the baobabs as soon as they appear. Never delay. If we delay even a little bit, the planet will rapidly become infested with them and they will sink in their roots and rip the planet apart.

“Watch out for the baobabs.”

I love you.
Saba

ARZA statement to President-Elect Trump about Steve Bannon and 2-State solution

16 Wednesday Nov 2016

Posted by in American Jewish Life, American Politics and Life, Israel and Palestine, Israel/Zionism, Jewish History, Jewish Identity, Social Justice

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ARZA joins Reform Movement Partners in Deep Concern about Steve Bannon and Calls upon President-elect Trump to Support a Two-State Solution

The Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA) is alarmed at the appointment of Steve Bannon as an advisor and strategist to President-elect Trump. Mr. Bannon led the premier website of the ‘alt-right’ — a loose-knit group of white nationalists and unabashed anti-Semites and racists, a true affront to our open, pluralistic society.

As the Zionist organization representing the Reform Movement’s 1.5 million American Jews, we rarely engage in American politics, yet this situation demands our voice:

The strong America-Israel relationship is of the utmost importance to us, and we express our deep concern that President-elect Trump may set aside the policy of every previous American President who supported a two states for two peoples resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

We are deeply concerned that since the election of Donald Trump, several Israeli ministers in the Knesset have openly considered this as an opportunity to forgo the establishment of a Palestinian State. Evidence of this trend can be seen not only in the public discourse of various ministers but also in their actions. A bill to retroactively legalize illegal settlements just passed its first Knesset reading today.

We worry that President-elect Trump will support those forces within Israel that seek a “one-state solution” which would destroy a Jewish and democratic Israel.  It is both our fervent hope and expectation that Mr. Trump will quickly and definitively express his administration’s full support for a two-state solution and continue efforts to ensure a safe, secure Jewish State of Israel living in peace with a neighboring Palestinian State.

 

Temple Israel Calls on all to Take Action

Take Action – Click here to join with Reform Jews across the country letting President-Elect Trump know that we reject the appointment of Steve Bannon as White House Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor.  Mr. Bannon was responsible for the advancement of ideologies antithetical to our nation, including anti-Semitism, misogyny, racism and Islamophobia. There should be no place for such views in the White House. It is essential that President-Elect Trump assemble a leadership team that reflects his stated aspiration

Israel Has Failed the Jewish People Over Its Inaction at the Western Wall – Haaretz – My op-ed today

03 Thursday Nov 2016

Posted by in American Jewish Life, Ethics, Israel/Zionism, Jewish History, Jewish Identity, Musings about God/Faith/Religious life, Social Justice, Women's Rights

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Friends – I was invited to write an op-ed for Haaretz on the demonstration yesterday by dozens of leading rabbis of Reform and Conservative Streams, Women of the Wall, and every element of the international Reform movement. The article appeared today – the link is below, but I have pasted the entire piece here.

Opinion – Israel Has Failed the Jewish People Over Its Inaction at the Western Wall  – Enough is enough. The Kotel should not be an ultra-Orthodox synagogue. It is the most sacred site in all of Judaism and belongs to the entire Jewish people.

Rabbi John Rosove Nov 03, 2016 12:00 PM – read more: http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.750797

On Wednesday morning, Rosh Hodesh Heshvan, hundreds of liberal Jews marched into the Western Wall plaza with Torah scrolls, song and hope. I was one of many surrounding those carrying Torah scrolls and protecting them from the aggression of the ultra-Orthodox to tear the scrolls from our rabbis’ arms. One young Haredi Jew, so filled with rage, lunged at Women of the Wall’s Anat Hoffman. I jumped in front of him, blocked his advance and he fell back onto the stones. I felt a mix of defiance and grief. His behavior and that of others represent the opposite of what Judaism teaches, that we are here to love God and our fellows, to draw all to Torah and the pursuit of justice, mercy and peace.

A deal is a deal. An agreement is an agreement. Good faith is good faith. Enough is enough!

The Reform and Conservative movements and the Jewish Federations of North America have been engaged for more than three-and-a-half years in negotiations with the Israeli government to find common ground on an issue of utmost importance to world Jewry.

In January of this year, those negotiations succeeded. We Reform and Conservative leaders were proud of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chair of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Natan Sharansky, who concluded the painstaking, complicated and very long negotiations to create a new egalitarian prayer space overseen by the liberal movements and Women of the Wall in the southern Kotel Plaza. The greater values of Klal Yisrael and shalom bayit were confirmed. Religious pluralism in Israel attained as a value at this holiest site in Judaism and we had hopes that future efforts to grant rights to the non-Orthodox in the Jewish state. We imagined a day when Reform and Conservative rabbis could legally convert people to Judaism, officiate at marriage ceremonies, oversee divorce proceedings and could in the mitzvah of burial of our beloved in the land of Israel.

The agreement was clear. All would remain the same in the traditional prayer plaza and would continue to be overseen by the Chief Rabbinate of the Wall. A new prayer space would be created in the southern Kotel Plaza beneath Robinson’s arch. The agreement was the result of compromise by all parties. The Kotel as a whole would symbolize the historic diversity and unity of the Jewish people.

The ultra-Orthodox community, despite its own participation in this long and arduous negotiation represented by the Head Administrator of the Wall, decided it could not abide the deal. It has now been 10 months of prevarication, delay and retreat by the government and prime minister.

We waited and waited and waited. Our leadership was patient and in the end, it became clear to us that Netanyahu would not honor his commitment. Natan Sharansky told those of us on the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency that Netanyahu said he would do everything possible to fulfill the agreement except that which would bring down the government.

Some matters, however, are greater than any particular government. The vast majority of Israelis, let alone world Jewry, supports religious freedom and diversity in Israel. In a democracy, the majority must rule with respect for the minority. The agreement accomplished both.

The arbitrary rules of the Kotel plaza disallowing the use of any Torah other than those approved by the Ultra-Orthodox Head Administrator of the Wall and the denial of the rights for women to pray using tallitot, tefilin and to read Torah are unreasonable, unfair, unjust and discriminatory.

Enough is enough. The Kotel should not be an ultra-Orthodox synagogue. It is the most sacred site in all of Judaism and belongs to the entire Jewish people.

The Talmud teaches that sinat chinam, baseless hatred between Jews, caused the destruction of the Second Jerusalem Temple two thousand years ago. I sadly see that same hatred in the eyes of those who attacked us yesterday.

The Israeli government has failed the Jewish people, but it is not too late to do what it should have done ten months ago – go forward and implement this historic, fair and visionary agreement. If not now, when!?

Rabbi John Rosove is National Chair, Association of Reform Zionists of America.

read more: http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.750797

The most dangerous Jew in the world?

01 Tuesday Nov 2016

Posted by in Israel and Palestine, Israel/Zionism, Jewish History, Jewish Identity, Jewish-Christian Relations, Jewish-Islamic Relations

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The newest member of the Israeli Knesset since May 2016 is Yehuda Glick (Likud), an American-born 51 year-old who moved to Israel as a child and has been called by some “the most dangerous Jew in the world.” He assumed his position when MK Moshe Yaalon resigned from the Knesset. A father of eight, he lives in the West Bank settlement of Atniel.

I was assigned as a member of the Board of Governors (BOG) of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) last week to lobby MK Glick about three important issues of concern to the Jewish Agency; religious pluralism, support for the anti-BDS movement, and greater support for aliyah – all of which we were in agreement.

Our 120-member Board lobbied 26 MKs that day followed by a larger meeting with PM Netanyahu, Speaker of the Knesset Yuli Edelstein, Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union), and Chairman of the Executive of JAFI Natan Sharansky.

In October 2014, Glick was shot four times in the chest in an assassination attempt by an Arab terrorist  who apologized before shooting him saying; “I am sorry – but you are an enemy of Al Aqsa!” His assailant was eventually found and killed by Israeli security forces. Though wounded very seriously, Yehuda spent three months recovering in the hospital.

When we met, I told him that I was happy he was alive. He knew that I am the Chair of the Association of Reform Zionists of America and was a co-chair of the national Rabbinic Cabinet of J Street, both liberal Zionist organizations supporting a two-states for two peoples resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He joked, “Given your background I’m surprised you’re glad I’m alive.”

MK Glick shared with me his passionate vision of a united Jerusalem and a city of peace, his strong belief in human rights for all peoples, and his support for religious pluralism in the state of Israel. As an Orthodox Jew and strong supporter of the settler movement, I was surprised that he voted for the  right of Reform and Conservative converts to use state mikvaot and for the government’s plan to build a new egalitarian prayer space in the southern Kotel plaza beneath Robinson’s Arch.

“What difference does it make to me that women want to wear t’filin, that you want to pray at the Kotel according to your practice, and that Reform and Conservative Jews and Women of the Wall want equal rights in Israel – they should have equal rights and be able to pray at the Kotel any way you like in a new prayer space!” he said.

Glick spoke movingly that Jerusalem should be an example of co-existence and mutual respect, that it should be a light to the nations of the world, where the three great faith traditions live peacefully and respectfully side by side, willing to share space.

“It works in the cave of the Machpelah in Hebron,” he reasoned. “Jews pray at certain times and Muslims pray at other times. If we can do that there why not in Jerusalem?”

Before coming to the Knesset this past summer, he had worked for years for the Jewish right to pray on the Temple Mount (Har Habayit) as the head of the Temple Mount Institute. That organization is focused on the belief of Jewish ownership of all the land of Israel and the right of Jews to pray on the Temple Mount, which has been forbidden by the Israeli government since 1967 in accord with the Muslim Wafq that controls the mount Muslims call Haram al Sharif.

I said; “Yehuda – You realize, of course, that yours is not only a utopian vision, but that if Jews tried to erect a synagogue on the Temple Mount the Muslim world would rise up in revolt and World War III would result?”

He understood the argument, but said that this vision will one day be fulfilled anyway. “It’s a process,” he said, “and it will take time.”

We spoke also of the 2-state solution. He believes that the time has passed for two states, as do most of the Palestinians he knows. He is for one-state, a Jewish state, in which all people, Arabs and Jews, would be equal citizens. All citizens would enjoy equal rights, equal privileges, equal government services, equal resources for education and their communities, and equal access to business opportunities and modern living.

He confessed, however, that Gaza does not fit into his plan. He claims that 90% of Palestinians would want to live in a Jewish state as opposed to a Palestinian state, though its political leaders in the Palestinian Authority, who he calls “gangsters”, say otherwise.

He isn’t worried about Palestinians having more votes than Jews in national elections. Palestinians living in the West Bank and Israel today represent only 35-40% of the total population of Israel, and he doesn’t see a time when the state will no longer be governed by Jews as the majority people. He said that there ought to be more Arab ministers in the Israeli government.

Yehuda believes in a Jewish right of return but not a Palestinian right of return because, after all, Israel is a “Jewish state.” Jews should have this privilege and the right of return should never be given to Palestinians.

“And what about the Palestinians who fled or who were forced to leave in 1948 and 1967,” I asked. “Should they not have the right of return to Palestinian territory? And what about their right to national self-determination? Should that too be denied?”

“No and yes to your questions,” he said categorically.

I don’t agree with Yehuda on these two issues, the one state solution, the lack of compensation of some kind to the Palestinians and their right to return to a Palestinian state, or the risks that Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount would present. However, I was stunned by how thoughtful, pluralistic, non-violent, civil, and compassionate a man Yehuda Glick is.

When I returned to our delegation, our Israeli Reform leaders asked me what I thought of him. I told them my impressions, and they agreed that he is a remarkably unpredictable and openhearted man, extreme in his vision for Jerusalem, and though probably not the most dangerous Jew in Israel, one who creates tumult and provokes  unreasonable risk.

My parting question to Yehuda was what he thought of J Street. He smiled and said:

“J Street people are left-wing Zionists – and are impractical.”

As opposed to many in the American Jewish community and the Israeli government, Yehuda understands that J Street is a pro-Israel American Zionist organization. When he called J Street impractical, I was amused. He is, without doubt, the pot calling the kettle black!

After the larger meeting with Netanyahu and company, Yehuda made a special effort to find me and wish me well. He is proof positive that there is no country like Israel where people of opposite positions can actually at times civilly talk to each other, and no country in the world with as much diversity in its government as the Jewish state.

See Wikipedia for Yehuda’s full biography – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yehuda_Glick

“Israel and Judaism are far too important to leave to the Orthodox.” Rabbi Shlomo Riskin

01 Tuesday Nov 2016

Posted by in Israel/Zionism, Jewish History, Jewish Identity, Social Justice, Women's Rights

≈ 1 Comment

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Chief Rabbi of the West Bank settlement Efrat, made this pronouncement at a meeting of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel this week.

A renowned and respected Orthodox Rabbi himself has tangled with Israel’s Chief Rabbinate over the legitimacy of his conversions. He took his case to Israel’s Supreme Court and won. The Court pronounced his Beit Din “Kosher” for purposes of the Law of Return and Israeli citizenship.

This was an important case because it established the precedent of a rabbi outside the authority of the Chief Rabbanate having authority over his conversions. His statement resonates with non-Orthodox Judaism in Israel. However – what the court granted to Rabbi Riskin, Rabbi Riskin does not grant to the Conservative and Reform movements.

Natan Sharansky, the chair of the executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel, had invited his friend Rabbi Riskin to speak to us, and Rabbi Riskin spoke for nearly 45 minutes on why Halacha must be observed in all cases in matters of gerut (conversion). He did not address the question of marriage and divorce, a far more pressing matter for Israelis generally. I assume that he applies the same standard there.

Rabbi Riskin is far more lenient than the Chief Rabbinate that autocratically holds power in matters of conversion, marriage, divorce, and burial in the state of Israel and grants approval only to rabbis it deems kosher enough to officiate at life cycle events. No Conservative or Reform or unapproved Orthodox rabbi can officiate officially in the Jewish state.

In surveys taken by Hiddush, an organization committed to freedom of choice in matters of religion, the vast majority of Israelis want civil marriage, and a large plurality of Israelis said that they preferred the Conservative and Reform movements as opposed to anything having to do with the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate and Ultra-Orthodox political parties.

For the sake of the “unity of the Jewish people” Rabbi Riskin said there can be only one standard governing all matters of Jewish status,  and that standard must be the commitment to traditional Halacha.

When asked what he thought of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel refusing his converts as Jews, he said shockingly, “I don’t give a damn!”

After Rabbi Riskin held forth, a spontaneous unplanned hour-long debate erupted led by the Rabbis Steve Wernik (President of the United Synagogue – Conservative), Rabbi Rick Jacobs (President of the URJ – Reform), Rabbi Meir Azari (The Daniels Center of Tel Aviv – Israeli Reform), and Rabbi Gilad Kariv (Director of the Israel Movement for Progressive Reform Judaism).

The cadre of liberal rabbis made the following points:

  1. Israeli Orthodox Judaism does not represent 80% of Israeli Jews many of whom have fled from Judaism altogether because of the rabbinate’s coercive and harsh interpretation of Jewish law;
  2. The Israeli Orthodox Chief Rabbinate has utterly failed the people of Israel because after 5 Billion Israeli Shekels of support is given to orthodox synagogues and yeshivas every year, still only 20% of the country wish to be associated with the Orthodox community;
  3. If equal amounts of money were granted the liberal streams, surveys indicate that far more Israelis would be engaged in Jewish life;
  4. Thousands of conversions are performed by Conservative and Reform Rabbis in Israel and around the world who identify strongly as Jews and are living Jewish lives but are not are accepted as Jews in Israel and so cannot marry in Israel;
  5. In Israel a shift in attitude has taken place over the last 20 years in favor of Reform and Conservative streams, and large numbers of Israelis view positively the Conservative and Reform movements;
  6. It is time to end the authority over personal status by the Chief Rabbinate, and for the Knesset to pass a civil marriage law;
  7. The Israeli Orthodox Rabbinate threatens Jewish unity. In a democracy, Jews should have the right to live as Jews according to their own choices;
  8. Reform and Conservative expectations are that equal funds be given to all the religious streams (Orthodox, Conservative and Reform) by the government in the Jewish state;
  9. The Chief Rabbinate should be abolished and freedom of religious choice applied to Jews.

I asked Rabbi Gilad Kariv, the leader of the Israeli Reform movement if he had ever had such a conversation in Israel including the three streams. He said he had not.

Tomorrow morning, Wednesday, November 2, Reform and Conservative Rabbis and Women of the Wall will meet at Dung Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem to march with Sifrei Torah to the Kotel and join with the Women of the Wall for their monthly Heshvan Rosh Chodesh prayer service.

The Chief Rabbinate of the Wall forbids Torah scrolls it does not approve to be used at the Kotel. It also forbids women from holding them.

We will defy those rules so we can pray as we choose at the holiest site in Judaism and for the Jewish people as a whole.