In the black night – A poem for Vayishlach

15 Thursday Dec 2016

Posted by in Divrei Torah, Inuyim - Prayer reflections and ruminations, Poetry

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In the black night
the river runs cold
slowly passing me by
over formerly sharp-edged stones
worn smooth by centuries of churning
as if through earthy veins
and I Jacob, alone
shiver and wait
to meet my brother
and daylight.

Will there be war?
Will the angels carry my soul
up the ladder
leaving my blood
to soak the ground?

A presence!?
And I struggle
as if in my mother’s womb
and my dreams.

We played together as children
my brother Esau and me
as innocents
and I confess tonight
how I wronged him
and wrenched from him his birthright
as this Being has done to me
between my thighs.

I was so young
driven by ego and need
blinded by ambition
my mother’s dreams
and my father’s silence.

I so craved to be first born
adored by my father
to assume his place when he died
that my name be remembered
and define a people.

How Esau suffered and wailed
and I didn’t care;
Whatever his dreams
they were nothing to me
my heart was hard
his life be damned!

I’ve learned that Esau and I
each alone
is a palga gufa/half a soul
without the other
torn away
as two souls separated at creation
seeking reunification
in a great spiritual sea
the yin missing the yang
the dark and light never touching
the mind divorced from body
the soul in exile
without a beating bleating heart
and no access to the thirty-two paths
to carry us up the ladder
and through the spheres.

It’s come to this
To struggle again
To live or die.

Tonight
I’m ready for death
or submission.

Compassionate One
protect Esau and your servant
my brother and me
as one
and return us to each other.

El na r’fa na lanu!
Grant us peace and rest
I’m very tired.

Poem by Rabbi John Rosove originally was published in the CCAR Journal: Reform Jewish Quarterly, Spring, 2010, pages 113-115

 

ARZA Statement on Conference of Presidents Hannukah Party at Washington Trump Hotel Today

14 Wednesday Dec 2016

Posted by in Uncategorized

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ARZA, the Association of Reform Zionists of America, will not be endorsing, supporting or attending the Hanukkah party sponsored by the Conference of Presidents and the Embassy of Azerbaijan at the Washington Trump Hotel on December 14th.

We were alarmed that the Conference of Presidents Hanukah party with the government of Azerbaijan is scheduled to take place at the new Washington Trump Hotel because, to date, the President-Elect has not explicitly condemned racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny, Islamophobia, and anti-ethnic bigotry that he himself stoked and tolerated in his campaign for the Presidency. Unfortunately, until he does so we have to respectfully decline attending this Hanukah celebration.

We know that the Conference of Presidents does not hesitate to condemn anti-Semitism whenever and wherever it appears, and so we are confused that the CoP has taken the position it has vis a vis the Trump Hotel.

It is our hope that such meaningful decisions will in the future more accurately reflect a consensus of the member organizations and we encourage you to find a different venue for this event.

Rabbi Joshua Weinberg – President              Rabbi John Rosove – Chair

 

 

Human Rights and the Environment

08 Thursday Dec 2016

Posted by in American Politics and Life, Beauty in Nature, Ethics, Health and Well-Being, Social Justice

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Sixty-nine years ago on December 10, 1948, forty-eight nations signed the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights [1]. This historic document resulting as a consequence of crimes committed against humanity during World War II was the first global expression of what constitute inherent human rights for all human beings.

On this Shabbat coinciding with the anniversary of its signing, “T’ruah – The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights” invited hundreds of American rabbis and their synagogues to focus on the most dangerous threat to human rights on the planet – climate change.

The theme of climate change coinciding with the Declaration of Human Rights couldn’t have been calendared at a more propitious moment given President-Elect Trump’s selection this week as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, a proven ally of the fossil fuel industry and arguably the greatest climate change denier in the United States.

Pruitt’s selection ought to chill the blood of anyone who accepts what 90% or greater of all scientists believe to be settled fact, that human-made greenhouse gas emissions have caused a 1.7 degree Fahrenheit warming of the earth since records were kept in 1880 and that virtually all warming since 1950 has been caused by the human release of greenhouse gasses.

In an article from the NY Times explaining what climate change is and does and what are the politics surrounding it, we read this about people like Trump and Pruitt:

“The most extreme version of climate denialism is to claim that scientists are engaged in a worldwide hoax to fool the public so that the government can gain greater control over people’s lives.” [2]

The truth, of course, is otherwise – that if we can’t find enough carbon neutral energy as a way to limit global climate disruption, we won’t be able to grow enough food and there will be no space in which we can protect fundamental human rights around the world. Unless we successfully find a way nor will societies be able to maintain democratic governments.

We need not look very far to see evidence of the danger. In the past year increasing fear of Syrian refugees has helped to invigorate right-wing and proto-fascist policies in Great Britain and Europe.

Rabbi David Seidenberg, an activist, writer, and scholar on environmental issues, has written from a Jewish perspective about the climate change threat:

“The intersection between the economy and human rights is … not only found in opposing the building of a toxic waste incinerator near a poor community, or fighting the exposure of children to endocrine-disrupting pesticides…[or] is it in the perceived moments of conflict between human rights and the environment, such as the false choice between making jobs and saving a forest… A deeper intersection is found in the great human tragedy that could accompany global warming. If predictions hold and the rising sea creates millions of refugees from coastal areas, then shelter, which should be a [basic human right], will become an impossibility. Any government trying to protect the most basic human needs and rights would find itself in extreme crisis under such circumstances, and many governments will be tempted to discard human rights in the name of national emergency…Where we find the deepest depths is…where human rights…makes us blind to our place in the earth …” [3]

Scientists warn that if we allow the warming of the environment, the polar ice caps will continue to melt, the seas will rise, and there will be greater, more frequent and damaging coastal flooding. Rainfall will become heavier in many parts of the world and hurricanes and typhoons will become more intense. There will be a massive extinction of plants and animals, more waves of refugees will flee their lands, and more governments will be destabilized.

What do we do?

First, we all need to become activists and protest the Trump administration’s expected elimination of regulations on the fossil-fuel industry.

We need to support the Paris Climate agreement’s implementation, and in every way reduce our own individual carbon footprints. If large numbers of people did so it would make a difference. Suggestions include insulating homes, reducing our use of power, using efficient light bulbs, turning off lights and heaters, driving fewer miles, taking fewer airplane trips, and reducing or eliminating the eating of beef.

In the Book of Genesis, the first humans were given dominion over the land [4]. Though we were given the privilege to have use of the land and its resources for our benefit, later Jewish tradition gave a warning to the irresponsible use of and the waste of our natural resources:

“Upon presenting the wonder of creation to Adam, God said: ‘See my works, how fine and excellent they are! Now all that I created, for you I created. Think upon this, and do not corrupt and desolate my world; for if you corrupt it, there is no one to set it right after you.” [5]

When this Midrash was written some 1500 years ago, the intent was likely focused on specific towns and villages. Today, we are confronted with a threat to all life on the earth.

[Temple Israel of Hollywood in Los Angeles will celebrate Kabbalat Shabbat on Friday, December 10 at 6:30 PM and we will focus our attention during services on climate change and human rights. All are welcome.]
Notes:

[1] General Assembly resolution 217 A.
[2] “Short Answers to Hard Questions about Climate Change”, by Justin Gillis, NYTimes, November 28, 2015.
[3] https://www.google.com/#q=Human+rights+and+ecology+-+david+seidenberg).
[4] Genesis 1:28.
[5] Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:28.

“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

 

Trump’s Conflicts of Interest and How America Lost its “F**king Mind” – 2 Important Articles

27 Sunday Nov 2016

Posted by in American Politics and Life

≈ 1 Comment

So much is being written post-election that it is difficult to find some of the best pieces. These two below, however, offer important information and perspective on the election of Donald Trump and I recommend both.

1. Electoral College must reject Trump unless he sells his business, top lawyers for Bush and Obama say – Ethics lawyers for the last two presidents are in agreement.
Think Progress, Judd Legun, Editor-In-Chief, November 23, 2016

“Members of the Electoral College should not make Donald Trump the next president unless he sells his companies and puts the proceeds in a blind trust, according to the top ethics lawyers for the last two presidents. Richard Painter, Chief Ethics Counsel for George W. Bush, and Norman Eisen, Chief Ethics Counsel for Barack Obama, believe that if Trump continues to retain ownership over his sprawling business interests by the time the electors meet on December 19, they should reject Trump.”

see – https://thinkprogress.org/electoral-college-trump-top-lawyers-8a8b6e0ca916#.vyrujts2v
2. How Half Of America Lost Its F**king Mind
By David Wong, October 12, 2016 – “Cracked”

I’m going to explain the Donald Trump phenomenon… [The tense divide between Hillary Clinton’s supporters and Donal Trump’s is characterized in this way]…primitive vs. advanced, tough vs. delicate, masculine vs. feminine, poor vs. rich, pure vs. decadent, traditional vs. weird. All of it is code for rural vs. urban…. Blue islands in an ocean of red. The cities are less than 4 percent of the land mass, but 62 percent of the population and easily 99 percent of the popular culture. Our movies, shows, songs, and news all radiate out from those blue islands… the racism of my youth was always one step removed. I never saw a family member, friend, or classmate be mean to the actual black people we had in town. We worked with them, played video games with them, waved to them when they passed. What I did hear was several million comments about how if you ever ventured into the city, winding up in the “wrong neighborhood” meant you’d get dragged from your car, raped, and burned alive. Looking back, I think the idea was that the local minorities were fine … as long as they acted exactly like us.”

http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-reasons-trumps-rise-that-no-one-talks-about/

Isaac and Rebekah – a poem

25 Friday Nov 2016

Posted by in Divrei Torah, Inuyim - Prayer reflections and ruminations, Poetry

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I wrote this poem a few years ago based on the story of Isaac as it appears in this week’s parasha. I read it again today and found it somehow comforting and hopeful in these days, and so I offer it again.

My father Abraham set out alone,
Leaving everything he knew,
seeking a better place
where he’d never been
because God promised him
a blessing and a future.

But my heart is broken.
I yearn for solace.
My mother is dead
because my father stole me away
before dawn
while she slept.

Her servants reported to her
that he placed me
upon the pyre
as a burnt offering
to his God.

But an angel saved me.

How she loved me,
filling me up
like a goblet
with laughter
and tears.

And now I am alone
amidst the wheat and rocks,
beneath the sun and stirred-up clouds
swirling above
like disturbed angels.

Can You hear me –
Merciless God?
Comfort me now
and bend Your word
that she may return
as we were.

Looking up
I see a camel caravan
and people walking
like small sticks in the sand.

There is my father’s servant Eliezer
and a young girl.

Lasuach basadeh –
I pray and weep
beneath the afternoon sun
and swirling clouds,
and angels singing.

Rebekah to Eliezer –
‘Who is that man
crying alone
in the field?’

‘He is my master Isaac,
your intended one,
whose seed you will carry
as God promised his father.’

Vatipol min hagamal –
“And she alighted from her camel”
and veiled herself
for a wedding.

I entered her
in my mother’s tent,
and she comforted me.

Thank You, God!

Let the optimism in you die hard

23 Wednesday Nov 2016

Posted by in American Jewish Life, Ethics, Social Justice, Women's Rights

≈ 6 Comments

I‘m an optimist. I resist the “half-empty” glass. I look for the best in others. At times, I suffer the consequences, but seeing the good helps me to feel better and remain upbeat even in times of crisis. As a manager of people, I’ve found that it’s far more effective to encourage their sparks of creativity and goodness, intelligence and decency that to be overly critical and negative.

I’m well aware, of course, that everyone errs, uses bad judgment, succumbs to ego, appears foolish, behaves destructively, and gives license to their darker angels. But I stay hopeful anyway as a necessary hedge against despair.

That being said I’ve had an excruciatingly difficult time as has half the country’s voting population (that is, half + 2 million and still counting!!!!!!!) since the election. I worry and am still mourning the multi-cultural, inclusive, diverse, and visionary politics of the Obama era.

Of course, the President has not been perfect. He made his share of mistakes. But I love what he tried to do for the nation and world. I’ve been inspired by his effort to promote a forward-looking, progressive, and smart agenda that emphasized the best in the human condition. I love his elegance, rhetoric, humor, thinking, judgment, and policy emphasis. I loved his effort to bring the Israelis and Palestinians to a two-state solution. I respect his diplomatic success in disarming Iran of its nuclear weapons and capability without ever firing a shot. I’m encouraged by his success internationally in bringing about the Paris climate accord. I loved that he did as no President before him was able to do, get passed the Affordable Care Act, and I looked forward to Hillary and a democratic Senate improving upon it. I respect his dignity under constant assault by racists who just could not countenance a black man in the Oval Office. I love Hillary’s toughness and faith-based politics despite so much misogyny that undermined her campaign. (Note: I know that many people opposed Obama and Clinton for legitimate reasons other than racism and misogyny)

The two of them gave me hope that the battle to build a more just and compassionate society was on the right track.

I’m beginning to find my bearings again, thankfully, since November 8. Jon Stewart was right in an interview after the election when he remarked that this country is no different today than it was before the election. The same people – good, bad and ugly – make up the patches of the American quilt just as they did before.

We who are/were demoralized, therefore, are not starting from zero. Much has been done already to improve America and much has still to be done. I hope against hope that Trump will surprise everyone, but I’m not putting money on it. I hope as well that members of his own party stand against him and others when they propose policies that are destructive.

Instead, I believe that its time for everyone to become more engaged in social justice advocacy work than we ever have been before in order to prevent a deterioration in our democracy and our compassionate society.

We have to align with just causes and just organizations, with local, state and federal officials who share our vision and democratic pluralist values.

We Jews have to act as Jews and be ready to advocate on behalf of the vulnerable and the shrinking middle class, and to stand united against efforts to eviscerate the social safety net.

We have to push hard on behalf of the welfare of the 42 million food insecure Americans who have no idea when or from where their next meal will come.

We have to support women’s rights to equal pay for equal work, and their right to choose, as well as the equal marriage rights of the LGBTQ community.

We have to stand up for the environment, for science, for technological advance, for higher education for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, for critical thinking, and for fact-based truth.

We have to protect immigrants, peoples of color, and strangers, and to challenge those who claim that any human being is “illegal.”

The pendulum swings both ways and we can’t forget the ancient words of the Biblical prophet that called for justice, compassion and humility before God.

We have to remember Dr. King’s words that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”

That is the message of hope. The optimist in me dies hard. I hope that it dies hard in you too!

42.2 million Americans – 13.1 million children – 5.7 million seniors today struggle with hunger

20 Sunday Nov 2016

Posted by in American Jewish Life, American Politics and Life, Ethics, Health and Well-Being, Social Justice

≈ 1 Comment

I am an unabashed supporter of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger and have been since it began thirty years ago, a brainchild of the late Rabbi Harold Schulweis and the late liberal activist Leonard Fein. Their mission then was simple, but as has been proven, very difficult to fulfill – namely, to engage the American Jewish community in helping to alleviate hunger in the United States.

Now, MAZON has created a powerful experience that over the next year will travel to every major city in America and end up parked near the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. as a prod to Congress to do everything possible to alleviate hunger in the wealthiest nation in the world.

MAZON presents “This Is Hunger Experience,” a high-impact, experiential installation on wheels—literally, it’s a big rig. When the 53-foot-long double expandable trailer is parked and open on both sides, it provides nearly 1,000 square feet of interior space to take participants on a two-part journey: to understand the stark reality of hunger in America and to take action to end hunger once and for all.

Part One: Illuminate—Participants enter the truck and are invited to sit at a communal table to meet, virtually, real people struggling with hunger. Portraits are projected at each end of the table, one by one, as they share their stories in their own words and in their own voices.

Part Two: Advocate—At the conclusion of Part One: Illuminate, participants will be invited to engage in activities and experiences that will deepen their awareness about the complexities of being hungry and invite them to join MAZON in educating the rest of our nation and advocating for change.

This interactive experience on wheels will illuminate the very real and preventable existence of hunger in America, encourage us to raise our voices on behalf of the 42.2 million Americans who struggle with hunger every day, and ignite our community’s commitment to end hunger once and for all. This truck’s first stop is in Los Angeles and is currently parked at Temple Israel of Hollywood. (For tours and reservations, see links below).

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger has a long tradition of engaging the American Jewish community as well as anti-hunger organizations to become catalysts for the change we need to end hunger in America. We know all too well that there are persistent myths about hunger in America, about who is hungry and why. Until our nation recognizes the profound prevalence of hunger here at home, we will never be able to rally the political will required to end it.

That’s why MAZON is launching the public tour of This Is Hunger, a powerful community engagement program that will encourage individuals to embark on a journey—one that challenges their beliefs about who in America struggles with hunger and why, and empower them to take action.

See –  http://thisishunger.org/host

To reserve tickets: http://bit.ly/2ebJGgO

The Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1806330589623327/

The MAZON video: https://vimeo.com/187432624

Note: The above text was borrowed from MAZON’s materials.

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