Mail.Liberal-Judaism

• Steven E. Slap <102134.1660@compuserve.com>

• Rabbi Arthur Waskow <Awaskow@aol.com>

• rebsteve@dakota.net (Rabbi Steve Forstein)

• Marv Kaminsky <niceguy@transit.nyser.net>
• Dan Yurman <dyurman@igc.apc.org>
• miron@atlcom.net (Ed Miron)

• ted.marcus@tsbbs.com (Ted Marcus)

From: Steven E. Slap <102134.1660@compuserve.com>
Date: Sun, 3 Mar 1996 19:56:43 -0800
Subject: Building Bridges or Aid & Comfort

On the subject of interacting as Jews with Farrakhan and his ilk, I would like
to make two points.  First, one needs to understand the role Farrakhan plays
as a leader *within* the black community.  He is a spokesman for, in
particular, the idea that black males must take upon themselves their rightful
responsibilities within the black community- as fathers, husbands, productive
members of society.  This is a compelling, and most important vision, which
should resonate very well within a Jewish perspective.  Second, as Jews, we
must never allow ourselves to forget the appeal of desperate measures to
oppressed peoples.  We have had an unique historical role in support of black
liberation movements in America, and we must not allow racists like Farrakhan
to prevent us from continuing to build a natural relationship between two
groups (blacks & Jews) who share many common goals, and many common enemies
(see Peter's comments about Buchanan, for example).  This is not, at all,
meant as a defense of the Nation of Islam, but as an appeal to Jews to reach
beyond the hateful rhetoric to the continuing suffering of blacks in our
society.

Steven Slap
102134,1660@compuserve.com
Springfield, MA 

Return to Table of Contents

From: Rabbi Arthur Waskow <Awaskow@aol.com>
Date: Fri, 1 Mar 1996 13:53:09 -0800
Subject: Making Sense of Purim

Dear Dan, I realized that what with Shabbos, Sunday, Ta'anit Esther beginning
Monday a.m., and calculating when people will get the next issue of LJ
digest, there'll be little to no time for anyone to write me (as I had
suggested) to ask for the "Missing Name of God" piece. So I'm sending it to
you: If you think it makes sense to post it, fine; and if not, also fine.
Good shabbos & freilach Purim, Arthur.

[Given the timing of digest sending, and the length of the piece, I've agreed
to include it. -- Yr. Mod.]

                ************************

This image came to me the night before Ta'anit Esther 5755, and gave me no
rest until I wrote it down. -- Arthur Waskow

Nistar B'Nistar B'Megillat Esther

[After Chapter 9, verse 16 of Megillat Esther:]

And then appeared Darkness ,
Her Head wrapped in mourning,
Her tallit all black,
Her Place only Absence,
Nistar b'nistar:

Her Voice was a Silence:
"I came to defend you, 
My people beloved;
I strengthened your hand 
to beat back your foes;
But then you betrayed Me.
For your hand became frenzied,
You struck down the innocent,
You struck down my children
While they reached out to Me.

On the day of rejoicing
You hollowed My Name;
In My Own Tree of Life,
You hollowed out life,
left only a mocking
pretense of My Self.

And I see -- yes, I see -- 
That in days still to come
Your deeds will give warrant 
To a child of your children,
To murder your cousins,
The children of Ishmael,
The children of Abraham, 
In the Place of his grave,
On this day of rejoicing.

So My Name I withdraw --
Yes, My Name will be hidden, 
Nistar b'nistar;

For I will not permit you
to call out from this Scroll
My name on this day.

Yet I teach you that Purim,
Alone of the seasons, 
Will continue beyond 
the time of Mashiach.

On the day that both families 
of Abraham's offspring
do tshuvah for their murders,
their murders of each other, 
on that day will my Name 
take its Place in the Scroll.

On that day Purim 
and Yom Ha'K'Purim 
at last will be one. 

On that day, at last, 
This Purim will lead you
And light up your way 
to the Days of Mashiach.

On that day all the nations
will laugh and will dance,
will turn robes of power
into masquerade mirth;
will turn every gun
to a clackety grogger.

On that day will My Name
Take Its Place in the Scroll
In letters of Light.

    With blessings of tears, blessings of determination to "seek peace and
pursue it," and blessings of joy in shalom, Avraham Yitzchak Yishmael Yam ben
Chanoch v'Chana, Erev Ta'anit Esther, 5755.  As published in Godwrstling --
Round 2 (Jewish Lights, 1996).

Return to Table of Contents

From: rebsteve@dakota.net (Rabbi Steve Forstein)
Date: Sun, 03 Mar 1996 08:05:23 -0600
Subject: Possible Rural Jewish Mailing List

This is NOT a Purim joke!

I'm happy to announce that funding for The Jewish Resources Network of the
Mountains and Plains (Har V'Kikar) has been increased through October 1996, so
that we can intensify organizing efforts in our prime service area of Montana,
Wyoming and North and South Dakota.

As a result of this increased funding and in furtherance of our organizing
effort I am volunteering to moderate a mailing list and a linked web site
(nothing fancy at first). Whether or not the mailing list becomes active
depends on you. Please write and express your preference as to whether such a
mailing list should be initiated and whether you would read and participate in
such a list. Only votes from Jews in rural circumstances will be counted, so
please describe your Jewish community. I have set as a criteria of "rural
Jewry" that one should live outside a major metropolitan area with at least
three congregations. (For example, living in a suburb of Omaha, Nebraska makes
you an urban Jew, while living in Sioux City, Iowa makes you a rural Jew.)

Also, while you are at it, please take some time to think of a name for the
possible mailing list. A couple I have thought of are: Rural-Jewry or
Rural-Jew(el)s

Please cast your vote ASAP by responding to
                              rebsteve@dakota.net 
with the subject line "Rural Jewish ML Vote." Subscription information will
follow in this venue if there is sufficient response. I hope we can begin
service after Pesach.

Happy Purim. This is NOT a Purim joke!

Rabbi Steve Forstein         rebsteve@dakota.net
605/332-4099                     fax 605/332-9261
P.O. Box 1451                    Sioux Falls, SD  57101

Return to Table of Contents

From: Marv Kaminsky <niceguy@transit.nyser.net>
Date: Sat, 2 Mar 1996 23:51:46 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: Roll Your Own Judaism (Small-Town Judaism)

I didn't save my post to the list from back when this discussion began, but
after reading the recent discussion, I can proudly say "I told you so."

Recall that I spoke of how the Jewish community of Oswego, NY receives no
attention from Jews anywhere else, hearts, minds and wallets closed to the
small cities that don't show up on our "map of caring."

Despite his attempt at back-pedaling, it is clear that Julian Yudelson is the
perfect illustration. Read between the lines and you see the message is clear:
They're in the boonies, fools, they should move to the big city, they can't be
Jewish w-a-y out there. And if they want to stay there, for reasons absolutely
unfathomable (like fresh air, low crime rates, reasonable housing costs, etc
etc) I can't waste my time thinking about them or supporting their Jewishness,
emotionally or monetarily.

Even the signature on the back-pedal proves he *still* doesn't get it: "Kol
Israel chaverim, bemidbar and the Negev" (corrected). Places like Oswego and
the Dakotas and non-urban Hawaii do not have cattle roaming the streets and
tumbleweeds blowing past the family as it heads to a Purim party.

North America is not a choice of metropolis or Hooterville. It is perfectly
understandable that many choose the high quality of life available in small
cities (my state defines a city as having a population over 10,000). This
choice shouldn't deprive them of the right to be Jewish and be "supported" by
those who have chosen to live in the big cities.

M!

Return to Table of Contents

From: Dan Yurman <dyurman@igc.apc.org>
Date: Sun, 3 Mar 1996 15:23:13 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Roll Your Own Judaism (Small-Town Judaism)

Dan Yurman  dyurman@igc.apc.org  Idaho Falls, ID

This is my reply to Julian Yudelson's note of 2/25/96 offering two "opposing
traditional perspectives" regarding the difficulties facing small communities.

It is too bad that Mr. Yudelson offered a mixed message in this note. On one
hand, he made some some very helpful observations in his note about the use of
the Internet. On the other hand, he managed to hit more than a few hot buttons
among members of this list, including my own.

Mr. Yudelson has got the right idea about the value of the Internet for small
congregations.  However, I do not see how he has "reconciled" the contrasting
perspectives of his note.

I am deeply troubled by his contrasting perspectives.  He asserts that every
Jewish soul requires encouragement and support.  On the other hand, when
Mr. Yudelson calls small towns outside of America's large cities a
"wasteland," it is a terrible insult to the commitment and tenacity of tens of
thousands of Jews who by circumstance or necessity find themselves *** not ***
in New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles.

In effect, it says that Jews in small towns get what they deserve because they
have left the larger Jewish community located in big cities.  Mr. Yudelson
makes a judgement that since Jews already living in the "wasteland" have
chosen to do so, despite advice from the larger cities, that "the
establishment must allocate human and financial resources elsewhere." I don't
accept that idea, and Mr. Yudelson can stand on his head and juggle knishes
until sunset, but it isn't going to change my mind.

Mr. Yudelson says the long term viability of small town congregations "is very
doubtful."  This congregation has been active in Pocatello, Idaho, for nearly
80 years.  The congregation in Boise, Idaho, has been active for 101 years.
Just how long is enough to be counted as viable?

NB: I received a private email message from the head of UAHC's small
congregations department in New York.  In a private reply I urged him to post
it on this list.  So far he has chosen not to do so.  Since I don't have his
permission to copy it here, I want to take the next most useful step and
invite him again to consider entering the dialog.  It would be a useful
counterpoint to Mr. Yudelson's slam dunk rejection of any Jew who chooses not
to live in a city meeting specifications for size and viability.

Unless there is *** non-exclusionary dialog ***, which I called for in my
original posting, this problem will grow.  The National Council of Jewish
Federations has already measured the strong demographic trend of migration of
Jewish families out of large cities and into the "wasteland."  Either new ways
will be found to link up, e.g., using the Internet, or the "establishment"
will find itself talking to itself.

Return to Table of Contents

From: miron@atlcom.net (Ed Miron)
Date: Sun, 3 Mar 1996 20:14:57 -0500
Subject: Roll Your Own Judaism (Small-Town Judaism)

In discussions about small town Judiasm no one has yet mentioned synagogue
affiliation rates. In large metropolitan areas the percentage of Jews who
belong to synagogues is quite small. I read that the affiliation rate in South
Florida is estimated to be in the 20% range!

In small communities that I am aware of if a Jew or someone one suspected of
being Jewish moves in, they are sought out by the Jewish community. I know of
many Jews who never affiliated until moving to Dalton, GA (64 family
congregation) or Rome, GA (~30 family congregation).  In a small town, without
a larger surrounding Jewish culture, a person often becomes more acutely aware
of their Jewishness. This can lead to one taking a more active role in being
Jewish. Hence the majority of Jews in the above mentioned towns do belong to
the local synagogue, in contrast to cities of Atlanta, Los Angeles or even
possibly New York.

Return to Table of Contents

From: ted.marcus@tsbbs.com (Ted Marcus)
Date: Sun,  3 Mar 1996 17:53:00 GMT
Subject: Singles Dilemma

In regard to Aaron Goldapper's article (in Volume 5, number 122) and the
recent thread on small-town Judaism, I must point out that isolation and
exclusion from the Jewish community aren't confined to small towns. I live in
the "South Bay" region of Los Angeles, an area that supposedly contains a
large number of "hidden," unaffiliated Jews. It's hard to tell how large this
number might actually be, since few of them stand up to be counted.

With a few exceptions I'll get to later, the synagogues in my area are,
essentially, in business to provide a "social experience in a Jewish setting."
Specifically, they're social clubs oriented around children and religious
schools. Families with school-age children make up the majority of members,
plus a contingent of senior citizens who apparently attend services out of
habit. Many members can be described as "Drop-off Jews," who attend the
synagogue only long enough to drop off their children at Hebrew school and
collect them once the class is over.

I am among those who are unable to walk into a synagogue alone and feel
comfortable, primarily because I'm single. With their family and school
orientation, synagogues make no attempt at all to welcome singles into their
congregations. To be sure, there is no specific prohibition or policy against
singles attending services, and even becoming members. But there is a de facto
discrimination, as the families and children gather into their little groups
and cliques after Sabbath services, and there is little room for singles in
the scheme of family-based havurot and social activities. There are a few
tenacious singles to be found at services, mostly those who feel a compelling
need to pray as part of a congregation regardless of the social
circumstances. But there aren't many of those.

The synagogues do a pretty good job of meeting the social needs of individuals
from birth through high school, with religious schools and affiliated youth
groups. Some college campuses also have an active "Hillel" or "Jewish Student
Union." Presumably, one is supposed to marry during or immediately after
college and start a family, thus becoming eligible to join a synagogue and
begin the cycle anew. But if a Jewish student graduates from college and is
not married, he or she effectively disappears from the organized Jewish
community. There is no provision for single adults in the scheme of things.

Many synagogues in Los Angeles (although not in my area) have "singles
activities." These include large, "meat market" dances, as well as smaller
groups that form, disappear, and form again. But these activities exist in the
periphery, outside the congregation itself, and make no attempt to integrate
single people into services, havurot, or other normal synagogue activities. I
suppose the synagogue leaders feel an obligation to provide these activities
as a way of helping singles to meet, marry, have children, and thus attain the
necessary prerequisite for participation in the synagogue and organized
Judaism.

Many people who participate in these activities find them so unpleasant,
frustrating, and meaningless that they decide it isn't worth the bother. If
organized Judaism insists on marginalizing them, what real obligation is there
to go through the great effort of seeking a Jewish mate? Rather than face the
prospect of being alone many go off to join the ranks of the intermarried who
are lost to Judaism.

The one exception to this bleak situation is to be found among the Orthodox,
particularly Chabad. There are several Orthodox organizations that provide
stimulating, relevant discussion groups for single adults. The Chabad
synagogues actively welcome single people to attend their services, as part of
their outreach to "any Jew who moves." They even provide matchmaking, as well
as an "adoption" program in which families welcome singles into their homes to
celebrate the Sabbath and festivals with them in a warm and congenial
setting. Naturally, these programs are mainly available to those who indicate
a serious desire for a "Torah-true" family lifestyle according to Chabad's
definition. This tends to put off people who aren't so committed to Orthodoxy.

If this pattern is consistent with the policies of synagogues and Jewish
organizations in other locales, I don't see much of a future for "liberal
Judaism."  Orthodoxy and ultra-Orthodoxy, to the extent that it provides
stability and certainty in an uncertain world, will prosper, just as
fundamentalist sects of all the world's religions are gaining
membership. Those who are willing to accept Orthodox beliefs will perpetuate
them through the generations. Meanwhile, other branches of Judaism will wither
away as the younger generation is either drawn to the security of Orthodoxy,
or completely assimilates.

I have no problem with the emphasis on the traditional family, since the
Jewish home is the basis of the Jewish community. But with the proliferation
of single, divorced, and "non-traditional" lifestyles, non-Orthodox synagogues
and organizations need to find some way to make a place for singles and other
people who aren't (yet) in a traditional family. Indeed, if they are committed
to promoting the traditional Jewish family, welcoming people without families
into their community should be farm more effective than staging "meat market"
dances.

Ted R. Marcus
Internet reply to: ted.marcus@tsbbs.com

Return to Table of Contents

"It is not our task as liberal Jews to complain about the Orthodox attitude or to be bullied by it, but rather to choose our legitimate path according to the inner logic and development of liberal Judaism" (Rabbi Walter Jacob)

Previous Issue: v5n127		Next Issue: v5n129
MLJ Home Page	Return to Retrieval Form