Tag: People who Inspire

Honoring the Gifts of our Rabbinic-Education Interns

At the Rhea Hirsch School of Jewish Education (of HUC-JIR, LA) pre-Graduation Dinner, I had the honor of sharing, before their families and classmates, the many gifts our interns shared with us. Dan Medwin, Lydia Bloom Medwin and Sara Mason touched so many lives. My words are below:

Dan, Lydia and Sara, being rabbinic-education students, you know that this dual role brings not less work but double the nachas. At Congregation Or Ami, we are schlepping much nachas at the many gifts you have shared with us this past year. Or Ami is populated with so many people whose learning deepened through your creative talents. I wanted to bring them here, so that they could tell you themselves how you have touched their lives. Alas, they could not be here. So I carry their words and feelings to you instead.

These are the gifts you have given us.

Dan, hear the words of the boy who, after watching your fabulous “Back to the Holidays” video set induction, said that coming to Mishpacha (our Family Alternative Learning program) was as cool as playing his X-box video game. Dan, like Moses, you have utilized the latest technology to create a Mt. Sinai-esque sound and light show which effectively furthered your curricular goals, and successfully worked to bind your students to the Holy One and the people Israel. Thank you.

Lydia, hear the words of the man in recovery from alcoholism, who, after sharing his story with you, said that he had never felt so profoundly heard as when he sat with you. Lydia, like the prophet Ezekiel, you let the still small voice inside him be heard, and thereby taught him, and the rest of our congregation who read of your experiences in the beautiful articles you wrote, where they might find their Higher Power. Thank you.

Sara, listen to the words of the mother who confessed to me at the final Mishpacha session that, at the year’s start she had no desire to talk about God (which happened to be the theme of the whole year), but now she relishes every conversation about God with her child and spouse. Sara, like the prophet Balaam, you transformed her, through your magical Mishpacha lessons, so that her allergy to talking about God is becoming a quest for continuous experience of blessing and holiness. Thank you.

Dan, listen to the praise of the Mishpacha parent who, after you confidently answered a question that plagued him for many years, quietly told me, “now that’s a teacher I can learn from!” Dan, like generations of teachers before you, you quieted yourself sufficiently and heard the essence of his heartfelt question and, responding from the heart, helped him continue his spiritual search. Thank you.

Lydia, see the beautiful smiles of all those beautiful, energetic teenagers, who appear session after session at Temple Teen Night, to socialize, eat pizza and do Jewish learning along the way. Lydia, like King Solomon before you, who inherited from David a chaotic kingdom and then transformed it into a vibrant peaceful community, you inherited the Temple Teen Night community and transformed it – through your wisdom, caring and enthusiasm – into a wonderful, if somewhat noisy community for teachers as well as for students. Thank you.

Sara, embrace the words of the young Mishpacha child who, upon hearing that you will become our rabbinic intern next year, was reported to shriek with joy, saying, that “you made learning so much fun!” Sara, like Miriam who brought music and rhythm to our people’s plodding steps through the wilderness, you have brought the joy of learning in the synagogue, to moms and dads and kids and grandparents, many of whom had grown up expecting something very different from their temples. Thank you.

Each of you – with chochmah (wisdom), chesed (kindness) and ahavat yisrael (love of our people Israel) – have made the light of Or Ami – my people, God’s people, our people – to shine ever more brightly, at Congregation Or Ami and in our Jewish community.

What other gifts you have given me? We talked a lot about these in the individual meetings we shared this past week. You have taught me about tzimtzum (holding back) and gadlut (exploring the great questions about belief). You invited me to learn savlanut (patience) and led me to greater hitlahavut (enthusiasm), as each of you have questioned, challenged, pushed back and pushed forward, laughed and led, thought and taught, throughout this whole year. You have made me a more thoughtful educator and, by definition, therefore, a better rabbi.

So schepp nachas, each of you, and your many parents and relatives too, for you have gifted our community Or Ami with such a bright light, that we shall continue to perceive the beauty of being Jewish, long after you depart from our congregation. We shall miss you. I shall miss you! Mazel Tov on your graduation. And thank you!

URJ and RAC Celebrate Justice for California Gay Community

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2008 – In response to today’s ruling by the California Supreme Judicial Court declaring the state’s ban on gay marriage unconstitutional, Mark J. Pelavin, Associate Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and Rabbi Alan Henkin, Regional Director of the Union for Reform Judaism’s Pacific Southwest Council, issued the following statement:

Today’s ruling is a landmark step toward ensuring the right of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans to share in the joys and privileges of marriage that have long been afforded to heterosexual couples. As the Court rightly noted, “An individual’s capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual’s sexual orientation,” and that “an individual’s sexual orientation – like a person’s race or gender – does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights.”

Much like the 2003 decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, today’s ruling serves as affirmation that we cannot allow our nation to continue to divide into separate and decidedly unequal groups: those adults who are free to express their love for one another in marriage and those who are not.

The Reform Jewish Movement has long been committed to welcoming GLBT Jews into our congregations, synagogues and communal life and strongly supports legislative efforts to provide equal opportunity through civil marriage for gay and lesbian individuals. As we teach our children, all individuals are created b’tselem elohim, in the image of the Divine; today’s ruling reflects that concept of inherent equality.

This is a historic day, a day to celebrate. Tomorrow, however, is the day to begin organizing against the all-but-inevitable initiatives to amend the state’s constitution to ban same-sex marriage equality. As soon as we finish today’s victory toast, we are ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work.

—

The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism is the Washington office of the Union for Reform Judaism, whose more than 900 congregations across North America encompass 1.5 million Reform Jews, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis, whose membership includes more than 1800 Reform rabbis.

Did You Call Your Mother (or Father)?

It made the Top Ten: Kibud Av v’Eim – Honor Your Father and Mother (coming in at #5, between the commandments about our relationship with God and spirituality, and those about how we treat other people). It made it into the Holiness Code: You shall revere your mother and father (appearing right after God tells Moses to tell us to be holy, kedoshim tehiyu).

The way we treat our parents tells us more about about the character of a person than the words he speaks or the gifts she brings. Looking for a spouse or partner for the long haul? Watch how he or she treats his/her parents. Wondering if you children will treat you well when you get older? Just look in the mirror and observe how you treat your parent(s). After all, we are the role models for our own children.

I call my father every morning (usually at 8:15 a.m., right after I drop the kids off at school). Why? Because he likes hearing what is happening in our lives. Because he enjoys the conversation. Because I love him. Because I want my kids to follow my lead and call me regularly when I get older. And as a small way to repay the debt I owe him because this wonderul man spent his adult life working, stressing, supporting my siblings and me. It is the least Ican do. (Yes, I call my mother also, plenty).

Our Or Ami Center for Jewish Parenting recently gathered adults together for a discussion about how to parent our parents. Those who attended said it was intense, because the emotions surrounding the aging of our parents can be intense.

Can we prepare ourselves for the inevitable process of watching our parents age? How can we hold onto the sacredness of who they are and what they have meant to us? Our congregant Don Weston, 83 and going strong, offers these words of wisdom.

Aging Parents: What Do They Want from Us?
by Or Ami Congregant Don Weston

I am 83 years old and I have two children so I guess that makes me an aging parent. I enjoy talking to people, particularly young people. I ask police officers how the crook business is. That always gets a smile. I talk to bank tellers and ask for samples. That always gets a smile. I talk to anyone and everyone. What I find interesting is the response I get with my closing comment. I generally always end my conversation with a young person with, “Be careful out there and call your mother.” Mostly I get a surprised look and a smile and a comment like, “Okay I will” or, “I haven’t talked to her in awhile” and sometimes just a guilty look. Amazingly, they don’t seem to forget it. If I happen to see them again, they smile and say, “I called my mother.”

I can’t tell you what every parent wants. I believe I can tell you what we don’t want. We don’t want to be left out of the loop, the loop being the family: you, your spouse, our grandchildren, your in-laws, and your friends. Aside from respect, kindness and consideration, we need to know what’s going on in your life. We need to know the little things that happen in our family. How did you do at Mah Jong or poker? What movies have you seen, or what do you have going on for next week? How are the kids doing in school? We need to know that we haven’t been put out to pasture or placed on the back burner. We need to be in touch. Most of all, we don’t want to feel forgotten. At the same time, we don’t want to bother you.

You have a cell phone 24/7 so give us a call, maybe when you’re waiting in line for something. Bring us up-to-date. I kno, I know. You are going to have to hear about a friend’s surgery or how Mrs. Fein slipped and fell in the mall. So what? You forgot how to listen? (The more you talk, the less you will have to listen.) I realize that some of us don’t move into modern times as easily as others, and you’re also going to hear (more than once, I’m afraid), about when gas was 24 cents a gallon, and the comedians were a lot funnier (and a lot cleaner). Okay, okay. So once in a while we slip into “the good old days.” Is that so bad? Then give us some of your good old days.

You have to understand that when the phone rings and we answer and we hear, “Hello Ma (or Mom or Mama or Pa or Pop or Dad or Daddy), it’s your loving daughter (or son),” to us it is like manna from heaven. The back doesn’t hurt as much, the sun is a little brighter, and love is coming through the phone.

Listen, I love to talk, but enough is enough. So be careful out there and call your mother.

Talkback

When do you fulfill the fifth commandment to honor your father and mother?

How do you keep your relationship going with your mother or father?

As always, I invite you to join the conversation. Leave me a comment. (You may also contact Don Weston by email.)

Beit T’shuvah: Jewish Rehab Clinic in Los Angeles County

Our Center for Jewish Parenting is always on the lookout for stories, resources and information to help parents. In conjunction with our Madraygot/Jewish 12 Steps Addiction Education and Prevention Project, we aim to educate, support and prevent addiction.

We get a boost in this week’s Jewish newspaper. The Jewish Journal wrote a beautiful series of articles on Beit T’shuvah, a Jewish rehab clinic/synagogue/halfway house in Culver City. Beit T’shuvah is one of LA’s gems, helping with the vast population of Jewish alcoholics, addicts and their families.

Read on:

In the small lobby, a teenage boy with blondish hair sits passively on a couch, staring at the wall, not reacting to the threats thrown his way.

His mother, her face puffy from crying, pleads with her husband, the boy’s enraged stepfather, who slams in and out of the building, furiously yelling that the boy stole his car and his money to buy drugs.

Rabbi Mark Borovitz tries to calm everyone down, but he gives no solace to the boy, telling him firmly that he’s screwed up and will have to pay for it. “If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime,” says the rabbi — a refrain from his own criminal past.

Hang out for any length of time at Beit T’Shuvah, a Jewish rehab clinic/synagogue/halfway house in Culver City, and you might have your heart broken by scenes like this. The residents, about 110 men and women of all ages, nearly all of them Jewish, are drug addicts and alcoholics — often with a criminal record. Read more

Take a look at two other articles on this topic:

One day at a time, one person at a time

Drug abuse debate: Legalization, medication or therapy?

Prom Prep 101: Foster Girls Prepare for Prom

Hedi Gross and Rabbi Kipnes write:

Congregation Or Ami teamed up with other synagogues and churches to again run Prom Prep 101. The Calabasas synagogue, as part of its ongoing commitment to help children in the foster care system, has latched onto the Prom Prep 101 as an opportunity to give back. Young foster girls ages 15-18 came from the Department of Children and Family Services to take part in making their upcoming Prom a beautiful memory. Most of these girls were able to go to their proms because of Prom Prep.

Event chair Debbie Echt-Moxness reflected back on her heartfelt call for volunteers and dress donations. In response to Debbie’s congregation-wide mailing, Congregation Or Ami’s Mureau Road synagogue was overwhelmed with prom dresses – new and slightly used, jewelry, make up and endless offers to volunteer the day of the event. Debbie recalled that “We told people that Prom Prep 101 was a wonderful opportunity to get involved and make a difference in the lives of foster care kids. Our ‘goal’ was to help make 50 under-privileged girls feel beautiful and special, inside and out. I truly believe that we all come away from this experience feeling blessed and holy, for having made someone else feel more whole.”

At Prom Prep 101, volunteers signed in, put on name tags, and were given a tour through separate rooms of shoes, accessories, and professional make-up artists and hair stylists who volunteered their time and day off to help out. Calabasas Oaks resident Hedi Gross, who brought her daughter Molly, captured the overwhelming feeling of goodness: “Nothing prepared us for the emotion we felt when we walked into a room FILLED with beautiful gowns, broken down by size and color (most with tags still on them). It was AWESOME! To realize that each girl would feel like Cinderella for the day was simply beautiful…breath-taking. I looked around to see if I was the only one crying, but all the other mothers were wiping away tears at this awesome sight!”

Once the teenage girls began to arrive, Prom Prep 101 quickly went into motion. In the main sanctuary, the girls received beauty tips on what to wear, what not to wear and “the message that our clothing puts out into the world.” Escorts were assigned to their girls, blow dryers turned on, and make-up as applied. Calabasas cousins Molly Gross and Carly Feinstein popped into a “dress room” to help a girl named Melissa (not her real name). Although Melissa was already being ushered/hosted by a mother-daughter team, Melissa quickly took to my Molly and Carly. Before you knew it, Melissa had her own large team, primping and supporting her as she moved from beauty station to station. Melissa chose a gorgeous dress, picked out accessories, sat with the hair stylist and the make up artist. She looked divine. Walking down the aisle for the fashion show, Melissa appeared to walk on air.

Prom Prep 101 reminded participants, the foster girls and volunteers alike, about the power of kindness and compassion to transform lives. Hedi recalls that “It was quite obvious that Melissa was a girl with a light within. Eighteen years old girl, attending college next year, she adores track and field. Melissa is bright, happy, confident, and on a mission to help the world. I found it so moving that she was offering to my girls words of encouragement! She told them to “believe in yourself” and “you can do anything in this lifetime. Originally, I thought we would need to be offering words of encouragement to her. We went there believing we could help someone feel better about themselves (even for just one day) but in reality we left feeling like the lucky ones, simply for having met these girls.”

Professional photographer Jaime Rothstein volunteered to photograph Prom Prep 101. The Calabasas resident talked about the delightful experience photographing the teens. “It truly was an honor to be part of such a day that puts so many smiles on so many young girls’ faces. I am so proud and in awe of all who organized this day for being angels and giving so many girls their wings to fly and feel beautiful and confident and hopeful and loved. I know there is a God because of what I experienced today.”

Judaism teaches that mitzvah (commandment or ethical action) is found in the giving, but the true gift is in the warmth one feels long after the event is over. For more information about Prom Prep 101 or to volunteer for next year’s event, contact Or Ami president Susan Gould at (818) 880-4880 or the4goulds@roadrunner.com.

Prophetic Outrage: Preaching and Anger from Biblical Times to Today

The language of outrage – full of drama, harshness, condemnation – fills the sermons of our prophets back in Biblical times. They spoke truth to power, condemning leaders and machers whenever their behaviors transgressed our expected moral standards.

Rabbi Ron Stern of Stephen S. Wise Temple reflects upon this kind of preaching and suggests that this Biblical model of prophetic preaching is alive today in churches around this country. To understand the controversy which arose around the preacher Jeremiah Wright, Obama’s pastor, you need to understand this background.

Hear the first part of Rabbi Stern’s sermon on Youtube by clicking here.

Then check out the second part of the sermon.

20 Year Old Matthew Leads Service Celebrating Exceptional Children

Sometimes you get a letter that lets you know the community is doing it right. This from Matthew’s mom:

March 2008 Dear Rabbi Paul, Thank you so much for including Matthew in the amazing Shabbat service celebrating people with special needs. It was so gratifying on several levels As you know, Matthew is 20-years- old and has Fragile X Syndrome. Part of what I was looking for in joining Congregation Or Ami was providing a community for supporting Matthew as he grows into adulthood and moves beyond the ready-made community of school. I knew that COA had a reputation of welcoming families with special needs children. And that has turned out to be so. When you have a child with disabilities, you frequently feel like an outsider, so to feel a part of is a wonderful feeling. So when you asked Matthew to participate in the Special Needs service, I was thrilled for the opportunity. I was even more thrilled when Matthew responded to your request, saying “ I would be honored.” Nervous though he was, he rose to the occasion and sang the blessings beautifully, with the flair of his personality shining through. I was so touched by your attention to him, allowing him to be himself, and by the presence of Brandon and Michael Kaplan on the bimah with him. Matthew, like the rest of us, feels a sense of purpose when he has an important role to play, rather than being an observer, as our special needs children often are. It is my fervent hope that Matthew will continue to play a part at COA and that his love of Judaism will grow. Thank you for helping us to find our home. Shalom, Diane Smith Matthew Simon’s proud mom

Honoring Diane Townsend, Or Ami’s B’nai Mitzvah Teacher

On March 1, 2008, Congregation Or Ami honored Diane Townsend, our B’nai Mitzvah teacher. I had the honor of sharing these words:

Diane Townsend

Back in the late 19th century, Rabbi Nathan Finkel headed a yeshiva in Slobodka, a small town in Lithuania. On cold, dark winter mornings, Reb Nathan used to get up early and go into town. He would stop off in all the shtibelech, all the little prayer houses and places of study, one after another. And in each small, dark room, he would light a fire in the oven and stoke the flames before continuing on his rounds.
“Why did he do it” his closest friends would ask? And he would respond: “If all the prayer houses and places of study are warm early in the morning, then coachmen, porters and all kinds of people will come in to get warm – and then they will find themselves in a sacred place.”
When you walk into Diane’s tutoring room, you first see that warm smile welcoming you in. You are already put at ease. She offers you a mini-Hershey bar or another piece of candy, and these awesome moments of study are already feeling a bit sweeter. She asks you about your day, your family, your life, and before you know it… you are chanting the v’ahavta.
Diane Townsend, our B’nai Mitzvah teacher, you have taught hundreds upon hundreds of students – children and adults – throughout the entire Greater Los Angeles Jewish community – the mitzvah of chanting Torah. Simultaneously, you have accomplished so much more.
While teaching them how to chant, you teach them study skills and how to master the seemingly impossible. You help our teens, who are struggling to find their place in the world, to believe in themselves. You allow us, parents, relatives, and teachers, to witness miracles, as our children blossom on the bimah. And just when it seems that a grandparent couldn’t smile any more broadly, we see a smile spread across your face, as you Diane beam with pride at “your” kids and their incredible progress.
Diane Townsend, Torah teacher extraordinaire, that is why we honor you tonight. For illuminating for us the significance of Judaism and it’s meaning in our lives. May the generations of Jews you have inspired, sustain our Congregation – and our whole Jewish people – for a bright future to come. All of us thank you and wish you Mazel tov!

Honoring Michael and Dina Kaplan at Or Ami’s Gala

Congregation Or Ami honored Michael and Dina Kaplan, synagogue and community leaders, at our Gala on March 1,2008. I spoke these words to them:

Michael and Dina Kaplan individually and as a team have shown us the magic of Judaism. With complimentary sets of skills, they have shined the bright light of hope and possibility into the darkened, and often overwhelming, lives of families whose children struggle with exceptional needs. In the process, they show countless parents, grandparents, relatives, teachers and temples, that children with special needs are exceptional kids, who will inspire us all to hope and dream.
Dina Kaplan Watching Dina move through life, as the very capable lawyer that she is, special needs children’s advocate, creator of the K.E.N. Project, and as mother of Brandon, that exceptional kid who has captured the hearts of our whole congregation, is to see competence, grace and tenacity in action. When faced with situations which would cause most of us to dissolve into tears and become incapacitated by the sheer overwhelming needs before us, you Dina have crafted meaningful solutions which create amazing possibilities for countless kids and families. In the process, you have taught us all – recalcitrant school systems, disbelieving relatives, underprepared teachers, and cautious synagogues – to become our better selves, to open ourselves up to the wonders that each child – able bodied or exceptional – brings into God’s world.
Meandering around Brandon’s Village, we see an amazing lack of difference, as all kinds of children and families find normalcy in the common experience of a day at the park. Walking into Or Ami’s Support Group for Parents of Kids with Special Needs which you facilitate, we see relief spread over the faces of parents who suddenly see possibility through the stress. Grab a siddur and sit in a Bar/Bat Mitzvah service for a child with special needs – whether Brandon’s or the many other children who have chanted Torah at Or Ami – thanks, Diane – and we see what you Dina have been advocating all along: that two values are being played out, simultaneously. That each child is a kid like any other kid created in the image of God, worthy of love. And that as special kids, each child brings an honor and joy our community as he participates to the fullness of his abilities.
Dina, that is why we honor you tonight. For bringing the light of possibility into our community and our lives. May generations of exceptional kids and their families soar ever higher because of the amazing wings you have helped them fashion for themselves.
Michael Kaplan
When it became known that Michael Kaplan was joining Congregation Or Ami, I began receiving receive anonymous messages cautioning me about what was in store. They warned me that Michael takes pleasure in terrorizing and teasing young rabbis. They said it would begin slowly, subtly.
First Michael would sit in the front row at services, reciting the prayers with an old world Ashkenazi accent, just loudly enough to break the rabbi’s concentration, even causing me to lose my place or – horror – crack a smile during the Kaddish. They were right; it happened. Then he would take over Chanukah, insisting that we hear his collection of Yiddish Christmas Carols. That too occurred, but thankfully I am spared having to listen to those anymore. Then came the bevy of blackberry text messages, each arriving at a purposely timed, most inopportune moments, offering hysterically inappropriate yet uniquely insightful comments on the discussion at hand.
Finally, in a coup de craziness, he slowly, subtly positioned himself, first joining the board, then working his way up until, elected president, he could claim the prize he had his eye on all along – those precious moments at Yom Kippur, when the president gets to greet the whole congregation. For Michael, his four minutes became fourteen, until, inserting himself into the role of replacement rabbi, he did the unimaginable: he gave a sermonette which, beautifully crafted and masterfully delivered, caused us all to dissolve into tears. I was consumed with worry. “He wants my job,” I said to myself on that Yom Kippur, adding new sinful thoughts to my recently cleansed soul. “This president is after my job.”
Michael Kaplan sees himself as an evangelical, spreading the good word about Or Ami’s special brand of joyous Judaism. Whether at Jerry’s Deli, where Michael holds court to publicizes our excellent Henaynu caring community, or at community functions – Jewish and not so Jewish – where Michael publically pronounces that his shul is the coolest, he is one of Or Ami’s biggest boosters. I regularly receive Michael’s text messages from around the country, in which he shares with me his Shabbat services experiences at Temple Beth Beyond-the-Horizon. Each text ends with the same line: they cannot hold a candle to what we do here at Or Ami. I no longer fear Michael wants my job, because I know that Michael sees his job as creating the room and support for this rabbi – and this congregation – to dream big and imaginatively. And Or Ami has flourished under his leadership.
When not harassing this rabbi, Michael can be found behind the lens of his camera. Whether photographing animals mating at the zoo, people making memorable moments around the community, or children soaking in Jewish spirituality at our shul, Michael is capturing for eternity, those special moments which make life spectacular.
Of course, Michael’s transformational efforts go beyond the walls of Or Ami. With Dina, with their son Brandon and their wonderful families, Michael has ensured that every person he comes in contact with has her needs addressed, because Michael recognizes that each person, created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God, is unique and special. He has created safe communities where people with special needs can turn for support and spirituality. And he promotes efforts which urge us to reach outward to transform our community and our world.
Michael, tonight we honor you, for the way you have touched the lives of so many with your warmth, your stories, and your smile. Under your influence, may Or Ami continue to flourish as we all bring goodness into our world. Mazel Tov!

Sitting in Cafes during the Snow in Jerusalem; Arab Writer Speaks; Kotel Tunnel Amazes

Thursday, January 31, 2008 – Jerusalem

I confess that today’s highlight for me occurred during some private time with Michelle. Taking off for lunch, we wandered up King David Street, seeking out somewhere to sit and eat. We intended to locate a comfortable café to relive our year-in-Israel experiences of sitting with friends for hours over coffee/tea. A passerby recommended the restaurant Rosemary, which turned out to be a quaint. The onion soup was heavenly; the tuna bagel toast tasty. Multiple cups of tea eem nana (tea with mint leaves) while looking out on a snow covered patio brought back so many memories and created new ones. A quick stroll hand-in-hand through Liberty Bell park, catching kids in the act of building snowmen, brought us smiles. A cup of coffee and a melting chocolate soufflé at Café Joe’s on the corner was divine. This is Israel as we remembered her!

“I’m dreaming of a white Shabbas.” The city of Jerusalem is covered with snow. Slush too, but gorgeous white snow. Buildings, churches, Citadel David, HUC, the Old City walls – all white washed with snow. It is slightly jarring for our group who did not come prepared for the wet streets, and are suffering through courageously with wet feet and sopping pants. We take plastic bags and cover our feet. They cover the outside of their shoes, wrapping it around their legs. We opt to place the plastic bags over our socks but inside our shoes, on the idea that while our shoes will definitely get wet, our feet will remain dry. Our method turns out to be prescient. In less than a half hour, most people are dealing with wet feet. I took a short photo essay on plastic bag shoe style. The experience reminds me of the different styles of kippah and black coats that differentiate the groups of Chassidim.

The snow covered city is so beautiful to Michelle and me. Neither of us has ever seen such snow in Jerusalem in any of our 14 trips. We watch families make snowmen; yeshiva bochers have snowball fights. One kippah covered man runs through the Old City carrying a sled.

We exit the hotel and walk our way to the Old City. Pictures galore at the Jaffa Gate and looking up to Citadel David. Through the Armenian Quarter into the Jewish Quarter down to the Kotel. I found the kotel underwhelming spiritually, perhaps because it has become a patriarchal, separate-but-not-equal, Orthodox synagogue. [I prefer the Southern Walls these days.] It was cool, though, to see the Kotel plaza covered with snow.

We heard from an Israeli-Arab journalist (his dad was a Jerusalem Arab; mother was a Palestinian Arab from West Bank) who writes for the Jerusalem Post (as well as USA today and Wall Street Journal). I forget his name at the moment… His thought-provoking was engaging. I was particularly taken with his point about the USA/world promoting democratic elections and then overtly subverting the results (not merely boycotting Hamas but also providing money and weapons to Abbas and the PLO. He did characterize the elections – both of Abbas and recently of Hamas – as promising since in each case the victor was elected based on promises to clean up corruption and create democratic institutions. His admission that the PA (and the PLO before) did not change the quality of life for the average Palestinian was honest; that neither offers freedom of the press was depressing. He saw the efforts by the US to undermine Hamas as playing into the hands of Hamas. It has pushed the “street” further into Hamas’ hands since they can argue that their lack of change is a result of the US/world boycott. This was a very thought-provoking presentation.

We toured the Kotel tunnels in the late afternoon. School bus size stones amazed us; figuring out how the builders put them in place was a mystery. Perhaps the most moving moment came at the end of the tunnel when we were standing on stones from the Herodian colonnade, a walkway used by our ancestors some 2,000 years ago. We were walking in the footsteps of our ancestors. Wow!

Dinner at Beit Ticho, a delicious meal. Our niece Yonina, a “chayelet bodeda, lonely soldier (one without family in Israel) got special permission to leave her base to visit with us. She arrived at the restaurant in full uniform and, “dancing for her dinner,” shared stories about her decision to make aliyah, her experience in Israel, her training as a tank instructor, and her course in officer’s training. She was confident and articulate. Of course, this comes from her experience training groups of soldiers how to shoot from tanks. This little soldier niece still inspires me!

Ein Avdat and Midbar Torah Study: Desert Spirituality

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Torah came alive in the Negev. Leaving our Dead Sea hotel early in the morning, we traveled down to Ein Avdat, a natural park/hiking reserve, encompassed within the vast Wilderness of Zin.

Alexandra read from Ezekiel, about God being found in the kol d’mama daqa, the still small voice. She recounted for us the challenges of faith. About how the Biblical Israelites drank water from the wells which followed Miriam around (or, which through her special skills, they always found), until Miriam suddenly died. Here – in the Wilderness of Zin – the Israelites kvetched from lack of water. Here, God told Moses to take his staff, touch the rock and speak to it, asking it to bring forth water. What happened next is the focus of much midrashic discussion: Moses yells at the people (calling them rebels), asks the people if “we” shall bring forth water from the rock, strikes the rock twice, and is famously excluded from the privilege of leading the people into the Promised Land.

Alexandra, our tour guide, invited us to consider what happened and why Moses was punished. Some said he lost his temper; a leader needs to set an example for the people. Others said that he claimed responsibility for the miracle (saying “shall we…” instead of “God will…”). Still others argued that Moses lost faith however temporarily and therefore could no longer lead.

Here we were, huddled together against the cold, standing within a wadi surrounded by awesome walls of rock, contemplating the most famous rock in all of Torah (rivaled only by the rock that served as Jacob’s pillow in the Ladder from Heaven dream). Far from the classrooms of our youth or the sermons of the synagogue. We were contemplating a anonymous rock and timeless teachings. Somehow, standing in the wilderness, this Torah story became real. The Torah study came alive through us. The discussion seemed to transform us from tourists to Torah scholars.

Someone asked to sing Shema and Listen. We gathered in a circle protected from the winds and intermittent drizzle, that the high walls of the wadi still let in. Eyes closed, interrupted only by a quiet whisper of the words preceding each sung verse so those new to the community could sing along, we sang about faith. We acknowledged the oneness we call YHVH, the Holy One. It was awesome; mystical even.

Like the prayer “Open Up Our Eyes”, this experience opened up our hearts to the awesomeness of Torah study and the poignancy of learning in the land of our ancestors. After a moment of quiet, we did open up our eyes to the sight of an Ibex sauntering across the mini-ledges of the wadi walls. There’s another. And another. It was like a gift from God. “Study My Torah,” says the Eternal, “And I will reveal to you all sorts of blessings.”

Hearts warmed, coats beginning to soak up the new rain, we hightailed it back to the bus before the rain way back there somewhere could translate into a flash flood here.

We did not make it back to the bulrushes and open lake in the middle of the trail as we had hoped. Which so many recalled as being among the most poignant sites on the 2006 December trip. Yet still, this year’s Ein Avdat experience had its own power – different but equivalent – to last year’s trek. About Torah we teach “Ben Bag Bag said, Hafach ba v’hafach ba, d’chola va (?) – Turn it over and over, everything is in it.” Perhaps the same can be said for the land of Israel. Each visit to each site evokes new emotions and new connections, each deeply meaningful.

[Historical Note: I’m writing this at 5:45 am on Wednesday, January 30th, the next morning. Out my window, the light begins to shine off the green-blue waters of the Dead Sea. No one is awake – at least in my hotel room and on the streets and walkways below. Peaceful. I’m wrapped in a bathrobe, contemplating putting on a sweatshirt. The breeze is just cooler than comfortable. I’m hoping that the generally good weather will allow us to venture up to Masada today, instead of bypassing it to rush to Jerusalem before the roads close from the expected snow.]

We visited David (and Paula) Ben-Gurion’s home in Kibbutz Sde Boker. Here is the father of modern Israel, its first Prime Minister, who left government early, of his own accord, and, though significantly older than the young founders, joined a kibbutz in the middle of nowhere. Believing that in the Negev Israel’s future would be found, that a people born in the wilderness needed to return regularly to the wilderness, Ben-Gurion “practiced what he preached.” We toured the archives, viewed his pictures, entered his modest home. I found myself profoundly overwhelmed by how much he inspired me (and millions of others). To make decisions not on what is possible but what could/should be. To live out a dream against hardships. To choose simplicity over opulence. To live with humility in the face of public celebrity. Juxtapose Ben Gurion with our leaders today: Olmert, Netanyahu, Bush, McCain (in his current incarnation)… Who inspires? Who is real? Ben Gurion seems so very real in contrast to them all. This could be the intentional manipulation of a “presidential library.” Or it could be just the way it was. Whichever, I thirst for leaders of this caliber.

Looking out over the graves of David and Paula BG, one sees the awesome stretches of the Negev. Too inspiring to put into words, this incredible view drudges up a vague memory that the Old Man chose this site himself, to ensure that his visitors left not with a memory of a gravestone, but with a picture postcard perspective of his great love of the desert.

[Wednesday morning note, 6:44 am: The sun is breaking through the clouds. A small pink patch among the blue-grey. A hopeful sign.]

Midbar Torah Study – there is a pluralistic, secular Torah study institution that brings together adults of all religious backgrounds for learning. They juxtapose Jewish texts (which, of course, even secular Israelis can read and have experience from High School reading), with modern Jewish thinkers like Rosenzweig, with psychologists like Maslow, with modern Israeli poets. The result is a redirection of understanding about what is Jewish learning and the opening of a pluralistic discussion about many issues. We talked about Why Was Torah Given in the Wilderness, which opened a great discussion about the how Torah is the property of all peoples, not just the Jews, yet it is also the property of all kinds of Jews, not just one tribe or one denomination. There was more, but too late to write now. Suffice it to say that the process was akin to a Reform Jewish pluralistic study. Perhaps through this secular organization, Progressive (Reform) Judaism can then find roots. Our people were very excited about the Torah study; some had never participated in this kind of deep study before.

Dinner in Yerocham happened in the home of one of the residents. A nice meal, the home hospitality sweet. Unfortunately, their ability to share their stories was not strong and the story we did hear – about someone who chose to move to a development town, was not what we expected to hear.

Incidentally, a lesson from a previous year’s Sefirah Study about contemplation in Torah Study.

Consider a coal that is not burning and the flame is hidden and closed inside. When someone blows upon it, then it spreads and flares and it continues to expand. Within this flame there are many different colors, which were not apparent initially; nevertheless, everything is coming from the coal.

So too with this Torah that is before us. Every one of her words and letters are like coal. When one sets them out as they are, they appear like coals, somewhat dim. If an individual endeavors to study her, then from each letter a great flame bursts forth, filled with many colors. These are the data that are hidden in each letter….as is explained in the Zohar…supernal lights shine on the letters. [From (KL’’CH Putchei Hochma 3) Moshe Hayyim Luzatti; From the introduction to Doorways to Wisdom cited in Marc Verman, History and Varieties of Jewish Meditation, 167.]

[My teacher Linda Thal once wrote: Torah is not studied with the mind alone. Contemplative forms of study help us encounter the text with a listening heart and a receptive soul. The goal is to enter the text and to dwell within its words, to be open and receptive to whatever sacred wisdom may come to you through the text or to the possibility of sensing God’s immediate presence within and between the words of Torah.]

What does it mean to make Aliyat Hanefesh? Why do I bring my people to Israel every year? This teaching from Hayyim Luzatti makes it clear: Just as the study of Torah allows the light to come forth from the coal of Torah, so too will every inch of Israel bring forth the passionate flame of the love of Israel from the heart of every Jew.

Hillel Grows Up: Helping GBLTQ Students

This from the Jewish Forward (12/26/07).

Hillel, the Foundation which works with Jewish college students on campuses around the country, is growing up. Recognizing that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (and queer and question) Jewish students exist and need Jewish support and services on college campuses,
Last week, Hillel’s president announced the completion of a guide that aims to help its staff members welcome “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning” students. The 186-page resource was written and edited by a largely gay-and-lesbian-identified group of Hillel professionals, several of whom have been discreetly meeting for years…
“I think what we’re dealing with in Hillel is well-intentioned professionals who want to be welcoming to all Jewish students,” said the guide’s editor, D’ror Chankin-Gould, in an interview with the Forward. “[Now we have] the resources to educate well-intentioned people in how to do better.” The guide, which was distributed to staff members at a Hillel conference and discussed at a workshop, includes chapters on coming out in Jewish communities, queer reinventions of Jewish rituals and the needs of transgender students. LGBTQ-identified Jewish students contributed testimonials.Our Jewish institutions – as a whole – are known for being slow to transform our values (that we ALL are created b’tzelem Elohim, in God’s image) into access and acceptance. There often is a gulf between our stated desire to be welcoming and the actions that make a community welcoming.

Our own Congregation Or Ami, having written a series of webpages under the title “No One is More Welcomed at Or Ami than You!” that express our values of welcoming and, as action to back it up, offer direct access by personal email to the rabbi as a reality check, will soon unveil our own webpage for LGBT Jews and Jewish couples and families. Overdue, yes. Significant, absolutely.

Mazel tov to Hillel for its work.

Ima on (and off) the Bima: New (sometimes) Blogging Buddy

My new (sometimes) blogging buddy, Ima on (and off) the Bima, was also at the URJ Biennial convention. Though we failed to actually link up in person, we passed blog comments and emails throughout the convention. Right now, this sort-of internet pal is freezing her tuchis off in Chicago, while mine’s just soaking wet in Calabasas.

She has set of cool blogs – Ima on (and off) the Bimah and Thoughts from Rabbi Phyllis. In fact, I added some features to my blog which I copied from hers.

I loved her recent post, 13 Random Things I’ve Learned So Far at the Biennial. Check it out!

Israeli Research into Treating Parkinson’s Makes Scientific American’s Top 50 Breakthroughs

Following Michael J. Fox’s poignant speech to the URJ Biennial regarding research with Stem Cells, it was rewarding to read in Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz (12/18/07) that:

Israeli research among ’50 most significant scientific breakthroughs in 2007′

A groundbreaking discovery in the field of artificial intelligence, conducted by two Tel Aviv University academics, and Israeli research into treating Parkinson’s disease, have been selected as among the past year’s greatest advancements in science by a top U.S. periodical. Scientific American magazine placed Professor Eshel Ben-Jacob and Dr. Itay Baruchi’s creation of a type of organic memory chip on its list of the year’s 50 most significant scientific discoveries.

Michael J. Fox on Parkinson’s, Stem Cell Research and His Reform Jewish Family

Michael J. Fox, upon receiving the Maurice N. Eisendrath Bearer of Light Award, spoke about his own journey with Parkinson’s disease, about creating his foundation, and about how it is so difficult to move scientific research from an idea toward a cure.

Words of wisdom from Mr. Fox:

On Parkinson’s disease: It’s a gift. (On reflection he said) It’s a gift that keeps on taking.

If you contemplate the worst case scenario and it happens, you have lived it twice.

God gave us hands and feet and brains. We need to use them.

Some suggest that Stem Cell research must not occur because embryos are life. Jews think differently. We believe that life begins after the fetus leaves the body. According to Judaism, an embryo is not a fetus. It is not life. Judaism supports stem cell research. Jews believe that the government should not limit Stem Cell research, even on embryos.

Read more about Michael J. Fox’s life and work here.