Category: blog archive

Electric Cars: Israel’sLeading the Way Again

The Associated Press (December 8, 2008) writes:

Instead of filling up at the pump, soon Israeli motorists will be able to fill their cars up at the plug.

That’s the idea behind Monday’s demonstration of the parking lot of the future, equipped with stations to charge the battery-powered cars scheduled to ply Israel’s streets in 2011. Israel’s government has endorsed the project, which aims to blanket the country with electric cars and plugs.

The California-based company, Project Better Place, is building the infrastructure to switch Israeli drivers over to battery power. The group has built 400 wired parking spots, mainly in and around Tel Aviv, since it launched the initiative in June.

Demonstrating the first 10 stations in a Tel Aviv mall parking lot, organizers explained that drivers can charge their cars while shopping.

Charging stations are 3-foot-high pedestals with curly-cued cords attached. A triangular plug fits into a socket where a car’s gas tank usually is.

Pini Leiberman, manager of infrastructure for Project Better Place, says the group hopes to wire 100,000 parking spots in Israel by 2010. The plugs will energize a fleet of electric cars being developed by the Renault-Nissan Alliance scheduled to hit the streets of Israel in 2011.

The car prototype was first demonstrated in May. Israel’s government believes it’s a way to reduce Israel’s dependence on oil and reduce pollution.

However, there are concerns that the cars can drive only short distances before they need to be charged. Leiberman said wired parking lots like the one displayed Monday can help solve the problem. He added that in 2010 there should be charging stations every 25 miles (40 kilometers).

Also, Leiberman said the company is developing battery changing stations, so drivers with no time to charge can trade drained batteries for charged ones.

Drivers who recharge at parking lots will pay by the mile. Computers will look at how much electricity the car needs and calculate the cost.

Leiberman said he did not know what the cost per mile would be, nor what the cars will cost, but pledged it would be lower than gasoline-operated cars.

That could be critical. Persuading Israeli car owners to trade their gas guzzlers for short-range vehicles could depend on whether the overall outlay is significantly lower, including the cost and effort of installing special plugs at their homes. There are also concerns about pollution from spent batteries and added drain on Israel’s already sagging electricity grid.

Israel Corp., a local partner of Better Place, has invested $200 million in the project, the company said, to pay for the entire electric car infrastructure in Israel.

If Project Better Place’s plan works, Israel would become the first country to have large numbers of electric cars on its streets. Test runs are set for next year.

The Danish energy company DONG Energy AS adopted a Better Place model in march, hoping to have electric cars running on power generated from wind turbines by 2011.

Hawaii and California were among the first states to sign onto the plan, the company said.

Nothing But Nets: Make a Great Miracle Happen There

Looking for a tzedakah project to shine the light of healing and hope during Chanukah? Each year, malaria infects 500 million people, causing over one million deaths, devastating the society and economy of affected regions.

Wondering what the “Jewish” is? The Talmud, Sanhedrin 4:9, teaches: WHOEVER SAVES A LIFE SAVES THE WORLD ENTIRE.

Why work with Africa’s poor? Rabbi Joshua (in Talmud Sanhedrin 98a) asked, “Where shall I find the Messiah?” “At the gate of the city,” Elijah replied. “How shall I recognize him?” “He sits among the lepers.” “Among the lepers!” cried R. Joshua, “what is he doing there?” “He changes their bandages,” Elijah answered. “He changes them one by one.” That may not seem like much for a Messiah to be doing. But apparently, in the eyes of God, it is a mighty thing indeed.”

For just $10, you can purchase a bed net and help prevent the spread of this terrible disease in Africa through the United Nation Foundation’s Nothing But Nets Initiative. Learn more here.

A Jew Dare Not Live with Absolute Certainty

Rabbi Emmanuel Rackman, past Chancellor of New York’s Yeshiva University and President Emeritus of Bar Ilan University in Israel, died in early December, 2008, at age 98. Rabbi Rackman was also the spiritual leader of the prominent Fifth Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan and an outspoken advocate of a more inclusive, intellectually open Orthodox Judaism.

What I know about Rabbi Rackman impressed me so. One colleague said that his great strength – particularly in a Jewish world that is increasingly polarized – was his assertion that Jewish pluralism was a Torah-True perspective even for the Orthodox. Here is a quote from a 1966 article:

Perhaps, like Socrates, I corrupt youth, but I teach that Judaism encourages doubt, even as it enjoins faith and commitment. A Jew dare not live with absolute certainty not only because certainty is the hallmark of the fanatic and Judaism abhors fanaticism, but also because doubt is good for the human soul, its humility, and consequently its greater potential ultimately to discover its Creator.

May his memory be for a blessing.

University of California Reinstates its Israel Study Program

My buddy Rick Winer, with whom I will spend a week in Israel next year, writes on his blog that the University of California system has voted to again allow students to study abroad in Israel. He notes:

The University of California determined in 2002 that travel to Israel was not sufficiently safe enough for its students. Several other American universities followed the U.S. State Department warning and suspended their programs in Israel. While tourism to Israel has been down in recent years, these actions certainly did not prevent students from spending time in Israeli universities. However, the return of U.C.’s EAP is welcome, not only for the confidence it shows in Israel but also for the wonderful educational opportunities it will return to students.

As fascinating is a picture of Rick and his wife Laura during their college days, when they were both in Israel. But you have to click over to his blog to see it.

Condemning Israeli Settler Violence

American and Israeli newspapers are filled with stories about the ongoing settler violence in Hebron, following the Israeli government’s evacuation of the settlers from the Hebron house.

Ha’aretz reported that the IDF declares Hebron area closed military zone after settler rampage. Ha’aretz journalist Avi Issacharoff went so far as to write that the Hebron settler riots were out and out pogroms. The more conservative Jerusalem Post reports that The young men from Kiryat Arba exact their ‘price’ in the valley.

So let’s be clear. We condemn the this violence by these settlers. One cannot justify these actions against innocent Palestinians. And this is not the first time we have read about such settler violence.

So we must applaud the words of Rabbi David Saperstein, Direcctor of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (Dec. 5, 2008):

In light of the High Court ruling, we laud the Israeli government’s support of the evacuation of the contested site. The government, army and police must continue to take decisive, tough action to ensure that the saddening violence and destruction of recent days is met with the firm rule of law, bringing to justice the perpetrators of these crimes. The violent actions against Palestinian persons and property by Jewish extremists must be halted just as the violent response of Palestinians must be halted. We call upon the Israeli government to do everything within its power to ensure that all innocent civilians, regardless of nationality or religion, are protected from vigilantism. Violent attacks threaten the viability of a future based on a peaceful two-state solution to the conflict. As Shabbat falls, with the Unites States government advising citizens to avoid Jerusalem for fear of further violence, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, denounce the hatred driving these heinous acts, and reiterate our message that to honor God, one must honor every human being as being created in the image of the Divine.

A Love Affair with the Holy Tongue

Today my kids join me as we choose a Hebrew script for the new Torah Congregation Or Ami will scribe next year. Picking a script is akin to picking a computer font: each scribe has a unique way of writing letters, designing the crowns atop them. Some more ancient, some more modern. Decorative or simple. Which is easier to read, which one is more pleasing to look at? Many people will offer input into the choice of the scrip, but there is a unique pleasure in sitting with my kinder (kids) – each of whom can read and speak modern Hebrew on various levels – as we harken back to ancient times to bring to life Holy Letters to life. It led me to recall my many encounters to with the Holy Tongue of our people:

I remember reading Hebrew from Torah when I became a Bar Mitzvah. Like all BM kids, I found it very, very cool to read without vowels, from our most sacred ritual object.

I remember sitting in my rabbi’s office – Gary Glickstein, then of Temple Sinai in Worcester, MA – secretly learning conversational Hebrew to prepare for an upcoming trip to Israel. I wanted to be able to speak the holy tongue like they did in the Israeli street.

I remember sitting in Ulpan – an intensive immersion Hebrew program – in Israel during my post-High School, pre-College summer on the Reform Leadership Machon. Daily, for three hours, we spoke only Hebrew, learning grammar and vocab. We read songs and poetry, stories and Eton l’Matcheeleem (a newspaper for beginners). It was frsutratingly slow, yet – in those in-between moments when I reflected upon it – so meaningful to learn to speak in the ancient language now reborn. I felt like I was walking (or talking) in the ways of Ben Yehuda (the early Israeli pioneer who, in his quest to revive the language, spoke only Hebrew to his family).

I remember making Rabbinical School in Jerusalem, learning Hebrew in its multiple forms – modern language, Biblical and Mishnaic varieties, Aramaic even (a Hebrew/Arabic mix, which was the street language and study language of Mishnah and Talmudic times). Whole swaths of the Jewish past came alive as I continued to crack open the basics of each Hebrew varietal.

These past years I have watched my children begin to call the Holy Tongue their own. The older two learned their Torah portion like you and I would practice reading an article in the newspaper. When my eldest and I together read (and translated) her parasha for the first time while I was running on the treadmill (since she already knew Hebrew, it wasn’t so difficult to guide her through this study). They work on their Jewish Day School Hebrew homework alongside Math, Science and English. Its just what we do. Hebrew is part of their/our lives.

Last January, during a sabbatical from the synagogue, I hired a Hebrew tutor- Belle Michael – to help me improve my conversational Hebrew. Paired with another course studying a Medieval Midrash in ancient Hebrew, I was immersing myself again. We meet regularly at local coffee shops – catch me Wednesday or Friday mornings at Corner Bakery or Barnes and Noble’s coffeeshop. Speaking about religion, life, children, politics – all in Hebrew. Sometimes I work through sermon ideas. Sometimes we read from an adult-level collection of modern Israeli anecdotes. I am so energized to spend one full hour rak b’ivrit – only in Hebrew.

How far have I come? I started reading my first modern Israeli novel in only Hebrew last night. I even smiled when my daughter – impressed as she was with my progress – noted that she read this book in ninth grade. Overnight, in my dreams, I recall thinking about the characters and ideas presented in the book. NOT sounding out the words. I didn’t struggle with the meaning. No, I was reading a modern novel in the language of our people. Truth be told, this version of the book was simplified somewhat for learners, nonetheless, I was reading a book in Hebrew. It felt like another momentous step on a long love affair with our Hebrew Holy Tongue.

I’m reading an Israeli novel. In The Holy Tongue, come alive again! How cool is that!

Everyone Does Better When Everyone Does Better

This from American Jewish World Service’s D’var Tzedek on Parshat Vayetze:

The bumper sticker on my brother’s car reads, “Everyone does better when everyone does better.” This statement brims with optimism: it is a vision of shared work and shared gain. Yet as I repeat this phrase, the terms begin to flicker: Is the “doing better” economic or moral? Who is considered to be part of “everyone”? Jacob finds himself part of a quotient of work and gain in this week’s parshah that helps illuminate the nuance in this slogan.

Jacob is a migrant worker. He flees from a dangerous situation at home and takes refuge in Haran.1 In this foreign area, he does arduous agricultural work for his uncle, Lavan, who assumes the role of deceptive and abusive employer. Because Jacob arrives destitute, Lavan easily takes advantage of him. From Lavan’s perspective, this presents a wonderful opportunity for economic growth, both for himself and for his community.

According to Midrash, the Haranites are cognizant of this exploitation. Lavan gathers everyone and reminds them that Jacob’s labor has improved their economic situation. “Do as you think fit,” the people respond. Lavan then announces that he will dishonestly persuade Jacob to stay seven more years. “Do whatever you please,” they say.2 The community tacitly encourages Lavan. They believe that their prosperity will be multiplied collectively: Everyone does better when everyone does better.

Millions of migrant workers today suffer the consequences of this thinking. They are exploited in much the same way as Jacob, and this exploitation is supported by the communities around them—either explicitly or implicitly. In Thailand, Burmese immigrants work long hours for little pay in unsafe, abusive environments.3 In the U.S., Mexican born farm workers toil in dangerous conditions,4 and many earn incomes below the poverty level.5 Powerful nations reap the benefits, gaining a flexible labor supply and avoiding social costs of health care, fair wages and overtime pay.6 Our country, and each one of us, depends on migrant work being done cheaply across the globe.

This system is possible because migrant workers, like Jacob, are perceived as marginal, invisible. They are not part of “everyone.” Because rights are not granted or acknowledged, the migrant worker has no recourse and must accept whatever horrendous situation an employer offers.

This story takes the optimism out of what I originally thought was a buoyant bumper sticker. Yet Jewish tradition responds. It condemns exploitation such as that experienced by Jacob. Deuteronomy teaches, “Do not oppress the hired laborer who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your people or one of the sojourners in your land within your gates.”7 Our tradition mandates that we not exploit workers—foreign or domestic. As employers, we must embrace ethical labor practices. Our tradition is telling us to read the slogan differently: to “do better” is to act in a moral way. In this case, when we act ethically, we improve ourselves: Everyone does better when everyone does better.

Secular labor law similarly concedes that treatment of workers is primarily a moral issue. This is evident in the language of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICMW). This document focuses on human rights and “the inherent dignity of every human person,” rather than on economic concerns.8 Yet it is telling that only 27 countries have ratified the ICMW, none of them major migrant worker-receiving states. Greed is trumping morality in our world. Migrant workers in our own country
and across the globe lack basic legal protections.

Unless we actively defend the rights of migrant workers, we are as complicit as the residents of Haran in the suffering of others. We cannot expect the millions of migrant workers to be their own advocates—their situations make them highly vulnerable, leaving them with too much at stake. Jacob is unable to effectively challenge Lavan until he is independently wealthy, a mere fantasy for most migrant workers.9

From the perspective of economic greed, it may seem wise for us to turn a blind eye and let this unjust tradition of exploitation continue. But perhaps there is a reason it is our own ancestor who was exploited, a role that has repeated itself in other places in Jewish history. It is incumbent upon us to speak out on behalf of migrant workers, the collective descendents of Jacob’s experience, domestically and internationally.

Everyone does better when everyone does better.

This bumper sticker is not about imbalanced economic growth. It is about finding our own humanity.

NOTES:
1 Genesis 27:41-45
2 Bereshit Rabbah 70:19
3 Amnesty International. “Thailand: The Plight of Burmese Migrant Workers.” June 8, 2005.
4 The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration lists agriculture as the second most dangerous occupation in the
United States. PBS, “On the Border,” NOW, May 28, 2004.
5 US Department of Labor. “Findings from the National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS).”March 2000.
6 December18. “Migrant Workers: Issues and Concepts.”
7 Deuteronomy 24:14-15
8 General Assembly of the United Nations. “International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.”
9 Genesis 31: 38-44

Sam Berrin Shonkoff is currently the Jewish student life coordinator at Stanford Hillel. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies from Brown University and has also studied in Jerusalem at Hebrew University, Pardes Institute and The Conservative Yeshiva. Sam’s passions include backpacking, meditation, friends and family, writing, dancing and social action. He believes that mindful engagement with Torah can be a way for us to encounter ourselves and others more intimately. Sam can be reached at samshonkoff@gmail.com.

Talking to Parents about Talking to Kids about Drugs

The Acorn published an article about the Or Ami Center for Jewish Parenting’s lecture series on Talking to Parents about Talking to Kids about Drugs. The complete original article, written by congregant Julie Buckley, appears below:

Talking to Parents about Talking to Kids about Drugs
By Agoura Hills Resident Julie Buckley

Congregation Or Ami’s Center for Jewish Parenting knows that children do not come with an instruction manual. That is why we offer a series of lectures that cover a wide range of parenting issues, from raising grateful children in an indulgent society, parenting our parents, to creating ethical wills.

This month Or Ami brought in representatives from Beit T’shuvah and Malibu’s Visions Treatment Facility to help parents understand some of the reasons kids turn to drugs, and to explore ways to prevent or help our children if they do. The program, called “Partners in Prevention,” brought in former addicts who spoke about how they ended up becoming addicted to drugs. Over 180 adults from all over the Conejo and San Fernando Valleys attended the three sessions.

Recovering addicts spoke about the many challenges that kids face today. There are demands to perform academically, athletically, creatively, in the community– all while navigating what might be awkward adolescent years, wanting very much to be liked and to fit in. The adults in attendance, by a show of hands, had themselves experienced feeling different and feeling they were alone in that experience. Our youth is susceptible to experimentation, whether at parochial or secular, private or public school. The drugs available are not only chemically stronger than in years past, the range of what is available has expanded. Prescription drugs are being sold on campuses, sometimes referred to as study aids. The combination of pressure and awkwardness at a time when kids may not have strategies for coping with the feelings which may arise makes them vulnerable to curiosity about drugs. In the absence of alternative methods for managing these age-appropriate stresses, children are at risk of substance abuse.

Providing parents with insights into young people’s social needs and pressures, as well as identifying specifically what drugs are available in our schools is critical to being able to see the signs of trouble. “Partners in Prevention” organizes youth peer groups as well as parent support and education.

Or Ami President Susan Gould, thought she knew why kids turn to drugs: peer pressure, loneliness, curiosity. She was surprised to learn that many kids use drugs to escape the pressure to succeed. “We all want the reassurance that we can keep our kids “too busy” to experiment with drugs. The reality is that no matter how filled their days are, they will have numerous opportunities to experiment.”

Keeping lines of communication open could not be overstated by either treatment group. Rabbi Paul Kipnes, trained in addiction counseling and spiritual care from HazeldenTreatment Center, reiterated that knowing your children’s friends is essential. Monitoring internet, text, and call activity may be warranted. Being certain that there is adult supervision at parties and gatherings is crucial. Noticing changes in kids’ behavior, whether it is grades, new friends, or energy levels is another possible barometer. More information about talking to kids about drugs can be found on the rabbi’s blog: http://rabbipaul.blogspot.com. Ultimately, recognizing that as parents, we can not know all, seek help from experts if there is any doubt that your child is in trouble.

Talking to Your Kids about Teen Dating Violence

A year or two ago, Or Ami’s Temple Teen Night held a program, sponsored by the Family Violence Project of Jewish Family Service, which dealt with teen dating. It profoundly affected our teens, as they had a place to talk about their responsibility to themselves and their peers in terms of appropriate and inappropriate dating.

The Sunday Magazine of the New York Times now published a blog article in Motherlode about

Today is “It’s Time to Talk Day,” supported, as it has been for the past five years, by Liz Claiborne, Inc. …. , and the Burkes [a couple whose child was murdered by the man she was dating] will be spending the day talking. They are both high-school teachers in Rhode Island (Ann teaches health, Chris teaches culinary arts), and they believe the warning signs of abuse in dating should be taught to teens the same way they are taught about sex and drugs. If she had learned that abusers “tell you that your family doesn’t really love you and your friends don’t really like you,” then Lindsay might have been less willing to allow her boyfriend to shut her family and friends out, Ann says. If she had known “that she needed a safety plan when she left him, because when a victim leaves the relationship is when they are at the greatest risk of being harmed,” then Ann believes Lindsay might still be alive today.

The article offers some important links:

The Burke’s goal is to have it taught in every middle and high school in the country, and this morning they teamed with Claiborne to launch a group called MADE, Moms and Dads for Education to Stop Teen Dating Abuse. Teens are reluctant to talk to their parents about this subject, the logic goes, and they turn to their peers instead. So what parents can do to help is make sure those peers are educated and informed, and the goal of MADE is to expand the availability of information to high school students by requiring the subject be a required part of the curriculum in every state. You can learn more about MADE, here. You can visit the Love Is Not Abuse Web site, here. You can contribute to the Lindsay Ann Burke Memorial Fund, here. And teens who can’t talk to their parents can visit loveisrespect.org or call the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline (1-866-331-9474, or TTY 1-866-331-8453.) Because it’s time to talk.

Enough said?

What Killed the Campaign for Darfur?

Haaretz Chief Correspondent Shmuel Rosner explores: What killed the campaign for Darfur?He raises some important questions about whether the tendency of “save-Darfur” activities to be suspicious of agressive action let the world off the hook. Rosner writes:

Richard Just over at TNR [The New Republic] is doing a masterful job sorting through a long list of Darfur-related literature, and recapping the failure of the international community to deal with the genocide in this region. It is a long piece and worth reading, and it makes a lot of good points. For me, the most obvious and striking point deals with the unsolvable inherent contradiction between the need for urgent decisive action in Darfur and the tendency of “save-Darfur” activists to be suspicious of such aggressive action (particularly of American military intervention).

Just writes:

Eventually the movement coalesced around the idea that U.N. troops were the answer. In the wake of the Iraq debacle, the idea of sending U.N. peacekeepers to Darfur represented for many activists a sort of safe compromise?troops would be put on the ground, but American power would not be wielded. It was military action that they could endorse without opening a dissonance in their worldview. Even Prendergast, one of the most hawkish Darfur activists (and one of the smartest), endorses the U.N. option in his book as the solution that makes the most sense. To be fair, he has also suggested elsewhere that the United States should keep other military options on the table; but this latter position certainly places him outside the mainstream of the Darfur activist community.

Just is not the biggest fan of President Bush, and isn’t shy of putting some of the blame with him. But he is also honest enough to ask: “did liberals demand the right things of him? Did we push for what would really save the people of Darfur? Or did we get trapped by the inclinations of our worldview, and advocate for too little?” (I think the answer for these questions is a pretty clear now). However, as Just writes, the activists clamoring for UN help were conveniently forgetting one important thing (aside from the fact that the UN is not exactly known for its military competence): For the UN to act, one needs other countries to participate, many of them countries to which activists and their outrage mean nothing. Just dedicates only one paragraph in his article to the faults of China. But choosing the UN meant enabling the veto power of China over action in Darfur – which then, unsurprisingly, blocked effective measures against its ally Sudan.

A couple of months ago, I[Rosner] wrote in an article for Slate about the lessons of Darfur (an article for which I received numerous angry emails from activists arguing that my perception was too grim):

The campaign to save Darfur is alive, but it is no longer kicking. You could say that it has achieved all its stated goals: public awareness, international pressure, congressional action, the administration?s involvement. Well, all but one: The crisis in Darfur is not yet solved, and the campaign to save Darfur is running out of options.

While paying the understandable lip-service to the notion that it is not yet time to give up (“it is too soon to succumb to a retrospective spirit”), Just has convinced me that my assessment was correct. His article does not offer a new course of viable action, and goes into detail when it recounts the many complexities making this conflict harder to end. No wonder that the two presidential candidates aren’t making Darfur a centerpiece of their agenda. No wonder that voters do not demand such an agenda from the candidates. The old-style, activist-driven battle for Darfur is over. Choosing China over Bush is one reason that it ended before it even really began.

Counting 100 Blessings

As we sat around the Thanksgiving Dinner Table, taking stock of our blessings, sharing sadness at those who were not with us (either because they were at other Thanksgiving Tables or they had passed on from this life), many of us took comfort in these lean times with a bountiful meal. Our ancient rabbis teach us that we should count 100 blessings per day. For some the rabbis offered the standardized “Baruch Ata Adonai” formula. For others, they just expect us to open our eyes, get out of our heads, and open our hearts to the beauty on even the darkest of days. Was this just their way of pushing people to pray more? Or did they recognize an antidote to depression, coveting and anxiety? I am interested in how you count your blessings. I am interested too in the family Thanksgiving rituals you enjoy which help you take stock of your blessings. Please scroll down to the comments box below to be part of the conversation. Don’t forget to give your name (only if you are comfortable).

A Rabbi’s Dream: Attending Services Cuts Risk of Death

I’m bracing now for a flood of new worshipers…

JTA reports: Study: Attending services cuts women’s death risk (November 25, 2008)

Regular attendance at religious services reduces the risk of death for women by 20 percent, according to a new study. The study by researchers at Yeshiva University and its Albert Einstein College of Medicine was published Nov. 17 in the Psychology and Health journal. The researchers evaluated the religious practices of 92,395 women aged 50 to 79 participating in the Women’s Health Initiative, a national, long-term study aimed at addressing women’s health issues and funded by the National Institutes of Health. Those who said they attended religious services at least once a week showed a 20 percent mortality risk reduction compared with those not attending services at all. The study did not attempt to measure spirituality; its authors stress that it examined self-reported measures of religiosity. The study adjusted for the women’s participation in organizations and group activities that promote a strong social life and enjoyable routines, behaviors known to lead to overall wellness. “Interestingly, the protection against mortality provided by religion cannot be entirely explained by expected factors that include enhanced social support of friends or family, lifestyle choices and reduced smoking and alcohol consumption,” said Dr. Eliezer Schnall, the lead author of the study. “There is something here that we don’t quite understand. It is always possible that some unknown or unmeasured factors confounded these results.”

Thanksgiving: A Very Jewish Non-Jewish Holiday

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It is one of the few holidays that combine three of my favorite things: great food, family and NO responsibilities for me as rabbi. It is also so familiar, so Jewish. Some thought-provoking scholarship suggests that Thanksgiving is actually an interpretation of our Jewish holy day Sukkot, the fall festival designated to thank God for the bountiful harvest. As American Jews, we should revel in celebration of this American holiday, and infuse it with ahavah (love), ruchaniut (spirituality), tzedakah (giving). Thanking God, after all, is a value we all share. So enjoy these blessings, Thanksgiving Haggadot, and ideas for a meaningful Thanksgiving. Click here to read my complete eLearning Newsletter on Thanksgiving.

To Say Before the Meal: A Prayer for Thanksgiving
As we gather around a table, family and friends, to enjoy the bounty of this Thanksgiving meal, we pause to offer thanks for the blessings we have received. (We read together)

For the expanding grandeur of Creation,
worlds known and unknown, galaxies beyond galaxies,
filling us with awe and challenging our imaginations,
we gratefully give thanks to You
Modim anachnu lach מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ

For this fragile planet earth, its times and tides,
its sunsets and seasons,
Modim anachnu lach מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ

For the joy of human life, its wonders and surprises,
its hopes and achievements,
Modim anachnu lach מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ

For human community, our common past and future hope,
our oneness transcending all separation, our capacity to work
for peace and justice in the midst of hostility and oppression,
Modim anachnu lach מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ

For high hopes and noble causes, for faith without fanaticism,
for understanding of views not shared,
Modim anachnu lach מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ

For all who have labored and suffered for a fairer world,
who have lived so that others might live in dignity and freedom,
Modim anachnu lach מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ

For human liberties and sacred rites:
for opportunities to change and grow, to affirm and choose,
Modim anachnu lach מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ

We pray that we may live not by our fears but by our hopes,
Not only by our words but by our deeds.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ייְָ, הַטּוֹב שִׁמְךָ וּלְךָ נָאֶה לְהוֹדוֹת.
Baruch Atah, Adonai, ha’tov shimcha ul’cha na’eh l’hodot
Praised are You, Adonai, Your Name is Goodness, and You are worthy of thanksgiving.

[Click here for other Thanksgiving Table prayer options.]

Beyond Eating: Investing Thanksgiving with Meaning
America’s Table: A Thanksgiving Haggadah. American Jewish Committee writes: In a world too often threatened by differences, Thanksgiving is a day to appreciate how our various backgrounds make America vibrant, while our democratic values unite us and keep America strong. America’s Table: A Thanksgiving Reader tells this story and helps us express gratitude for being part of it. Download AJC’s Thanksgiving Haggadah.

Rabbi Paul Kipnes’ Making Thanksgiving Spiritually Meaningful: 10 Ideas for Your Thanksgiving Table. Rabbi Kipnes writes: From blessings, to Shehecheyanu moments, to yahrzeit candles to learning, Thanksgiving can be a time of Jewish spiritual inspiration. Download Rabbi Kipnes’ Thanksgiving 10 Thanksgiving Ideas.

Rabbi Phyllis Sommers’ Thanksgiving Seder for Families with Young Children. Much like Passover, this is a holiday whose primary ritual centers on a meal. So here’s a short Haggadah for the Thanksgiving meal. Download Thanksgiving Seder.

Rabbi Paul Kipnes’ Blessings for Your Thanksgiving Table. Words to say before you dig into dinner. Download Rabbi Kipnes’ Blessings.
Precious Preschool People: Our Union for Reform Judaism offers Thanksgiving ideas for Precious Little People, explaining: For the Jewish community, Thanksgiving offers a special opportunity to be grateful not only for the bounties and comforts of our lives but especially for the religious freedom we have found in the United States of America. Download URJ’s Thanksgiving Holiday Happenings 2008 and URJ’s Thanksgiving Holiday Happenings 2007.

Social Justice Guide for National Holidays: Our Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism a guide which explores Jewish and Socially Just celebrations of Thanksgiving, as well as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It also includes a section on the Super Bowl, for good measure. Download RAC’s Social Justice Guide for National Holidays.

Click here to read the complete eLearning with Rabbi Kipnes on Making Thanksgiving Meaningful.

Scrubs Star Falls in Love with Tel Aviv

My kid loves the TV show Scrubs. One of Or Ami’s former interns so loved Scrubs that he proposed to his wife on the same bench in Los Angeles where Turk asked Carla to marry him.

I enjoy Scrubs too. And I love Israel. So how cool is it when to favorite things come together. Yes, Dr. J.D. Dorian, aka (in real life) Zach Braff visits Israel!?!

Haaretz reports that ‘Scrubs’ star Zach Braff falls in love with Tel Aviv:

Braff says that when you come here, “you just feel this amazing sense of community. We hear so much about Israel and politics with the Palestinians and you feel so separate from it. So I really wanted to see for myself.” He says he was “lucky” to be able to come and see things firsthand and to talk to Israelis. “As a Jew I think it’s really important to come to this place. There is such a tremendous sense of community, tremendous bond for obvious reasons. I don’t know if Israelis have a sense of it because they live here, but I love it.”

The Israeli experience made such an impression on him, he says, he is thinking of his next film touching on a story about an American Jew who visits Israel. Braff, who wrote and directed the successful “Garden State,” which also starred Natalie Portman, says a story like what he has in mind is something he’s never seen in a movie and thinks it will be really interesting.