Mail.Liberal-Judaism

• Joseph Solovitch <solovij@gov.on.ca>

• An Anonymous Poster
• Rabbi Arthur Waskow <Awaskow@aol.com>
• Ronald H. Stern <71461.2122@CompuServe.COM>
• Daniel P. Faigin <faigin>

• Rabbi Arthur Waskow <Awaskow@aol.com>

• Rabbi Hanoch Fields <fieldsnh@foto.infi.net>

• Rabbi Arthur Waskow <Awaskow@aol.com>

From: Joseph Solovitch <solovij@gov.on.ca>
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 1996 08:40:31 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Latest trends in Anti-Semitism

To continue Mitchel J. Schapira's thread, I have heard that many
Afro-Americans believe that K-circle is a symbol for the K.K.K. and therefor
boycott these products.  I recall that Snapple drink company [run by nice
Joosh boychiks] had publicity problems over their hecshar - part of this urban
myth [libel].

Recently, we just had a silly incident here in Canada, or rather in Quebec
which has strict French language laws.  There was some question whether Matzah
brought in from Israel would be allowed to be sold in the province of Quebec
because it was not trilingual.  Rather than protecting the Sephardim [who are
sizeable in Montreal] in the abstract possibility that they would only have
consumer information in English or Hebrew, this is another linguistic turf war
of the French-Canadians.  It did end peaceably enough - I think they just
slapped another sticker on it [the way cola makers do at Pesach] but it left
another bad taste in the mouths of Jews of Montreal. [Dont get me started on
this one - Jews have the highest rate of bilingualism, yet there is episodes
of anti-Semitism in Quebec.  Some of this is clash of tribalism -
French-Canadian nationalism v. Orthodox Jews; but also identification of
mainstream integrated Jews as part of the hated dominating English machine].

Sorry to ramble.  One wonders if an education campaign would help.  If people
knew what kosher symbols meant and how prevalent it is - from soap to tea and
coffee to potato chips, etc. - perhaps people would realize that it may only
add a penny or two but gives access to an additional market.  Of course the
fear is that it could back-fire with products and companies being avoided:
wasnt it Proctor General that had to change its decades old logo [stars and
moon] over persistent rumours of satanic symbolism.

I only hope that the Jewish Drs. Infecting Afro-American baby libel is dying
down.

	Schmoozin from the North, Joseph.

Joseph Solovitch    * Let love and justice flow like a mighty stream.
Archives of Ontario * Let peace fill the earth as the waters fill the sea.
[416] 327 1544      * And let say: Amen
solovij@gov.on.ca   * [Excerpt Prayer for Peace,Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav]

Return to Table of Contents

From: An Anonymous Poster
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 1996 23:06:50 +-300
Subject: Rabbi Bakshi-Doron's Statement on Killing of Reform Jews

I am a member of a congregation in Miami called Temple Israel. It is a large
Sephardic congregation of mostly Jews who migrated from Cuba. Just over a year
ago the Chief Rabbi of Israel Bakshi-Doron visited my congregation. During his
lecture, which he gave in Hebrew and was translated into Spanish, he commanded
us to change the name of the synagogue from Temple Israel to something
nicer. During his stay in Miami he repeated this command several times.

Apparently he believes that since the word "Temple" is used by Non-Orthodox it
should also be taboo.

Although I am not close to the Chief Rabbi I am very sure that he has never
actually met up with a dedicated non-Orthodox Jew. To the people who live in
his closed circle of Yeshivah's there is a belief that Non-Orthodox have an
"evil mission" to rid the world of Judaism.

It is not a big leap from this kind of demonization to the Zimri Comparison.

I understand that Rabbi Bakshi Doron was elected to office because of his
relatively mild political stance. He is not against the Peace Process. His
predecesor is known to be extremely right wing.  He was also, believe it or
not, elected because of a record of relative tolerance for the non-observant.
He probably feels that those who are not observant but are not on an "Evil
Mission" are simply misguided while members of Non-Orthodox Movements are out
to destroy.

Anonynous

Return to Table of Contents

From: Rabbi Arthur Waskow <Awaskow@aol.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 1996 15:10:08 -0700
Subject: Rabbi Bakshi-Doron's Statement on Killing of Reform Jews

Pain--almost, despair at the willful blindness of some leaders of our
people--and then the taste of hope.

First, the reasons for a near-despair: 

1) After Baruch/Aror Goldstein murdered a group of Moslems at prayer, there
were a few voices in the Jewish world who said there must be a public, clear,
explicit, and vigorous effort to reeducate all Jews that no legitimate
interpretation of Torah could legitimate such murders, and to reinterpret the
meaning of "Remember to blot out the memory of Amalek" to prevent such
despicable acts.

The dominant voices in the communities where Goldstein had been trained,
however, said he was just a lone crazy, that no special effort needed to be
put forward, and that calls to do so were a denigration of Orthodoxy -- even
when the calls carefully distinguished between legitimate Orthodoxy and
precisely urged that its adherents take part in the campaign to make false and
murderous learning impossible.

2) Then Yigal Amir, y'shmo, murdered Yitzchak Rabin, citing a version of
halakha in his defense. This time a much broader swathe of Jewish leadership
urged that Orthodox yeshuivas, universities, etc., make a concerted and
deliberate effort to delegitimate such interpretations. Rabbi Michael Graetz,
a Masorti rabbi in Israel, called for the development of a takkanah or decree,
backed up by a warning of cherem for those who disobeyed, forbidding anyone to
carry out such a murder and ruling illegitimate any interpretation of halakha
that would justify it.  But once again a number (not all) of Orthodox rabbis
pooh-poohed such an effort as totally unnecessary, and described Amir as a mad
loner.

3) Now a Chief Rabbi has described the Biblical victim of Pinchas' zealotry as
a "Reform Jew" for intermarrying with a non-Jew, and said that sometimes
zealotry is necessary to save the people as it was when Pinchas murdered this
"Reform Jew."

Reform & Conservative rabbis demand that the Prime Minister and Orthodox
authorities repudiate this public statement.

BUT at once, as we have ourselves seen on our own list, some Orthodox rabbis
come forward to insist that the Chief Rabbi couldn't have meant what he
sounded like because everybody knows the halakha isn't that way. None of them
has yet suggested that the Chief Rabbi be asked to resign for making such
statements full at minimum of sinat chinam -- irrational hatred of other Jews.

Where have I heard this niggun before? And how many more murders will it take
for the response from "responsible" Orthodox leaders to be not -- Orthodoxy
just isn't this -- but to make Orthodoxy NOT this, in any nook and cranny of
itself.

While those of us who chose to create Judaisms that are absolutely clear about
prohibiting such acts await that joyous day, I think we need to be even more
vigorously creating Judaisms that are deeply rooted in theory, life-practice,
and powerful rituals that make such acts impossible ---

A Judaism that is as deeply satisfying to the lives and spirits of the Jews of
the next ten generations -- women as well as men, gay men and lesbians, as
well as heterosexuals, converts as well as born-Jews, those who from childhood
are taught to be Jewishly well-learned as well as those whose knowledge is to
begin with in other areas of life -- as was the Judaism of ten generations ago
to the much smaller subset of the Jewish people who had any possibility of
full access to Jewish learning and davvening.

The same Rabbi Graetz who called for the takkanah has recently commented on
this possibility. I thought we could learn deeply from his thoughts. For me,
they are the etaste of hope. They follow --

  Something IS happening. The last two weeks, I have written of a kind of
  realization among Israelis of the need for Jewish identity, which is not
  extreme. Two more cases happened this week, and these are the kind of
  incidents that have not happened to me in the past.

  A young man, who celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in our congregation about 13
  years ago, called me for an appointment. Amir is just finishing University
  in economics, and has an offer to pursue advanced studies both in Israel
  and in the U. S. But, he is troubled by the cynicism of his friends in
  University about their own Jewish identity, and their denial of Judaism as
  a spiritual option because it is all "black". He is troubled by what he
  reads in the newspapers about the rapid assimilation of Jews outside of
  Israel. He tells me that he feels that before he starts studying for his
  own career, that he wants to give of his talents to do something about
  these two phenomenon. He asks me to help him find "some way" of doing
  "something".

  A few days later I attended a Bar Mitzvah celebration of Aryeh, the son of
  our colleague Amy Levin. At breakfast I sat next to Naamah Kelman, and we
  proceeded to talk about this subject of people coming to us at this time
  with a desire to seek out "enlightened" Judaism. Thus, Naamah characterized
  those coming to her. We both agreed that we must sieze this opportunity to
  get to those Israelis whose spiritual search for a Jewish way of life is
  showing up at this time.

  When I got back to Omer and walked into my office, a women entered right
  after me, startling me. I had not seen her approach. She said that she was
  thinking about becoming a member in the congregation and wanted to talk to
  me about it. This had never happened to me before.  Until now, we had
  chased after people to join, or people had come when they had a specific
  need.

  She and her husband, both Tzabarim, have lived in Omer for many years, have
  no relationship to Jewish tradition, see themselves as "hiloniim", and have
  heard talk about the "Reformim" up at Magen Avraham. Now she says to
  herself after the elections, what are those people all about? Maybe there
  is some kind of "enlightened" Judaism out there? She wants to find out!!
  Can you believe it!!! It is like a siman!! Even her use of "naor" fits in
  with my breakfast talk with Naamah. She is a pathologist, training as a
  volunteer with hospice work, a wonderful human being, who suddenly has a
  sense of shelichut, and personal responsibility for what Judaism is like in
  our country. I talked to her for almost 40 minutes, but kept hearing the
  conversation from breakfast, I had the chills.

  I can only promise myself that I will do whatever I can to open the doors
  for these people into the world of Jewish life, knowledge and belief. It is
  a greater challenge than we have had in the past, but the outcome of
  success can be earthshaking. I pray for strength and wisdom.

  Shabbat Shalom
  Rabbi Michael Graetz

Shalom, Arthur Waskow.

Return to Table of Contents

From: Ronald H. Stern <71461.2122@CompuServe.COM>
Date: 19 Jul 96 00:57:39 EDT
Subject: Re: Rabbi Bakshi-Doron's Statement on Killing of Reform Jews

It is difficult to begin a response to the ludicrous justification offered by
Binyamin Adilman.  I find it reprehensible that he would engage in such an
attempt at supporting the comments of Bakshi-Doron.  No less reprehensible
than the words of Bakshi-Doron himself.  No matter what supporting material
they bring in from other sources, the analagy that was drawn to Reform Judaism
is indicative of the extent to which they are threatened by the growth of the
world Movement for Progressive Judaism.  (The Midrash itself is merely
fictional material that even the ancient rabbis knew was fiction though many
of today's Orthodox miss that distinction).

Once again we see the orthodox (generic so lower case "o") insistence upon
seizing upon ancient texts, written in ancient times, with ancient
perspectives on the world as "proof" texts for life today.  This very practice
is ananthema to the progressive notion of Reform.  It matters little as to
whether there is one of the moral stature of Pinchas who could perform such an
act.  That is not the point--the point is that this very d'var Torah was
directed at Reform Jews.  It is hateful, violent speech.  Reform leaders did
not misunderstand the words of Bakshi-Doron--they got it right.

Proof-texts are used and chosen by the speaker.  The very fact that he chose
to speak about that particular issue and word it in the way he did is
unacceptable.  It is more than unacceptable it is misguided, ignorant and
immoral.  Though of course, no retraction is possible Bakshi-Doron deserves no
less than the total censure by any intelligent people in Israel or arond the
world.  That such a warped justification should even be placed in the context
of LJML is absolutely disgraceful.

The typical response: "See, he was only teaching words of Torah" is so
offensive as to be unworthy of presentation to our community.  That his kind
of material is given voice in a Liberal Jewish forum does more to destroy the
esteem of Reform Jews than anything else.

Ron 

Return to Table of Contents

From: Daniel P. Faigin <faigin>
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 1996 22:53:45 -0700
Subject: Re: Rabbi Bakshi-Doron's Statement on Killing of Reform Jews

Ron didn't want me to add moderator's notes to his post, so I'll do it as a
separate post. He asks, in effect, why did I include such a hateful post? One
answer: The effect it had on the list.

Had I done nothing, the "Press Release" would have received little
comment. Rabbi Adilman's post illustrated the logic often used to justify
such statements without consideration of how others might interpret them. I
think the responses of our community to his post in v6n9 served to draw the
community together, to bring us to closure on the hate, to focus on how we can
grow.

This, I believe, was the ultimate point behind Maslin's article, and Jacob's
statement. Reform MUST view itself as authentic, must believe it with all its
heart, must not turn to others in Judaism to create its sense of self. If we
are truly the continuation of the rabbinic interpretation process, as we claim
we are, then our rejection by other branches makes us no less authentic.

There are few items still in the queue remaining on this issue. I ask people
to consider our future direction before writing their responses. I'm letting
these responses through (in either v6n11 or v6n12) because people want... no,
need... to get something off their chests. We must move forward, as Reform
Jews, authentic to Judaism as we understand it, just as the Orthodox are
authentic to Judaism as they understand it. The only difference is: we
recognize that Judaism is like a symphony -- there are many melodies and
subthreads and musical themes and voices that make the piece strong. 

Daniel

Return to Table of Contents

From: Rabbi Arthur Waskow <Awaskow@aol.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 1996 04:06:57 -0700
Subject: Report on Organizers' Training Inst at  Elat Chayyim

Dear Chevra, 

Reporting on the week-long training institute on Jewish community organizing
and social action we held at Elat Chayyim --

This is an "Executive Summary" of the report. If you want the whole thing,
please write me directly.

The course worked!!! -- I say with great exhilaration, since it's a quite new
invention. Of the 15 people who participated, 13 felt VERY good about it. (So
did the 2 full-time teachers and the 5 teachers who came for a day or two.)
Two of the students/participants wanted and expected much more exploration of
Jewish themes of social justice, etc., and much less training in hands-on
organizing.

Participants came fom a wide spectrum of region, Jewish background, &
social-action background. 

The course ran for 3 hours each morning and 3 each afternoon, and a
2-plus-hour closing session on Shabbat, with evenings free to take part in
regular ElatChayyim activities, mishpacha groups, etc.

Each morning Jeannie Appleman, a skilled community organizer and trainer, led
a training process in the rudiments of effective depth-community organizing,
which is a skill very different indeed BOTH from conventional leadership of a
synagogue or havurah AND from conventional political organizing -- because it
is focused not on single issues and not on an inward-pointing celebratory
mode but on creating a continuing self-empowered community that can work
together on issue after issue that concerns them, and can make themselves a
living element in the democratic process, that politicians etc have to
respond to. 

That requires the organizer/ community-builder to do a serious "hearing"
(Sh'ma) of the needs of the people in the emergent community, thru for
example one-on-one conversations in which the organizer and the individuals
get to know each other's hopes, concerns, angers, etc., as they bear on
public concerns. 

It's a delicate relationship, not the same as friend, not rabbi-congregant
either -- sort of "friend-for-public- concerns" (and for seeing how seemingly
private concerns may indeed have roots in public policy that can be changed,
as the women's movement discovered.) 

It became clear as Jeannie demonstrated and taught this and people
role-played the one-on-ones etc that this itself was, at least as Jeannie
taught it, a spiritual, I-Thou process, and that the activated-community that
is supposed to arise strives to be a community in Buber's sense, a circle
built out of a deep relationship to a Center and therefore around sharing a
sacred task rather than built just out of good feelings around the perimeter
-- though if it's done well, the participants do come to feel a real joy and
khaverschaft (comradeship) with each other. 

Meanwhile,  I brought in an approach to seeing this as a Jewish spiritual
path -- how all this fits spiritually and historically into tikkun olam and
Jewish renewal, how the Jewish year-cycle and life-cycle both fits into and
can be drawn on to strengthen tikkun olam, etc. 

Each afternoon we met with leaders (e.g. R. David Saperstein of the [Reform]
Religious Action Ctr in Washn DC)  natl (or in one case exemplary local)
organizing.

I am joyful that the course worked so well for 13 of 15 people, and also very
pleased that we now have some real-life experience in how to do this. It is
clear that we can improve it a great deal. 

What next to do at Elat Chayyim to further training in Jewish social action?

(a) do such a course again? 

(b) present more ":regular" courses at Elat Chayyim, scattered among the
weeks, that address social-action themes in Torah, holidays, etc?

(c) present a whole week focused on social action that has a number of
options, including an intensive course of the kind we did?

(d) present a long weekend especially aimed at Jewish activists who are
working in non-Jewish contexts as organizers and who want to explore the
implications of their Jewishness in their work and lives, without making any
assumptions about where such an exploration might take them? 

I would be glad to have comments from any of you on this list as to YOUR OWN
interest in any of these models -- not a theoretical comment, but whether you
yourself would take part in one or another of them if Elat Chayyim presented
one of them next year. 

Shalom,  Arthur. 

Return to Table of Contents

From: Rabbi Hanoch Fields <fieldsnh@foto.infi.net>
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 1996 17:44:51 -0400
Subject: Teaching Peace in the Military

I want to thank LTC St Clair for his concern about my "teaching Peace" to
soldiers (Jewish and non-Jewish), and also for his concern that I may have
chosen the wrong career, although I am not sure if he is more concerned for my
well-being or for the Army's!  I needn't give the textbook response as to a
military chaplain's job other than to state that the domain of morals and
morale are delegated to the chaplain by the commander.

If LTC St Clair is concerned that I am "unlearning" soldiers how to make war
by "teaching peace" then let me clarify the terms.  Firstly war and peace are
not polar opposites in the Jewish tradition but both emerge from a vortex of
circumstances, just as good and evil are impulses woven from the same cloth.
War is a state of armed conflict; peace is Shalom, from the word shalem,
whole.  Also, a soldier's profession is war, a military's product is peace; If
we had a military with an intended product other than peace I would not be a
part of it. My job is to teach soldiers (and their families) to apreciate the
product of peace.  This may come in the form of psychological and spiritual
wholeness and being at peace with one's self.  Or Teaching about Shabbat or
supporting a soldier in his or her faith's sabbath is carving out a block of
time to be at peace.  Teaching peace is not the same as teaching conscientious
objection (which is not impossible but not easy to teach from Jewish sources
and experience), it is helping people be whole.  It is teaching morals and
ethical decision making, which is important for every rank of soldier.

I am not the only chaplain, Jewish or other-wise, with "teach peace and pursue
it" on his or her business card.  We have had seminars sponsored by the Corps
chaplain on the theme "Teach Peace and Pursue it."  I also exit aircraft in
mid-flight in the dark with a pack between my legs to train with my
soldiers. I do not see a conflict between the two; preparing for war does not
preclude a desire for peace or peaceful solutions, some of which need a show
of military strength to come about.

As to whether I have the right job, that is up to the soldiers of all faiths
in my battalion and to the Jewish Community here at Bragg and Pope AFB and the
retirees in the area whom I serve.

			Rabbi Hanoch Fields

Return to Table of Contents

From: Rabbi Arthur Waskow <Awaskow@aol.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 1996 06:04:23 -0700
Subject: Announcement: Cochinese Chazzan Seeks Place to Chant

Please note the attached, and get in touch AS SHOWN IN THE POST (not thru
me). Sounds great; b'sha'ah tovah! -- Arthur.

    From:	KATZN@servms.fiu.edu (Nathan Katz)
    Date: 96-07-18 05:55:04 EDT

    Please help me to get this notice posted on appropriate boards, especially
    those read by rabbis and synagogue administrators (in and around LA in
    particular).

    I am trying to help my friend, Mr. Keith Hallegua, a chazzan at the fabled
    Paradesi Synagogue in Cochin, South India. Keith is currently in Los
    Angeles at telephone 310-859-7851.

    Keith needs a job, so I want to find a synagogue which needs a cantor for
    the High Holidays or beyond.

    Keith is the last person ever to attain the PATTANKARAN, the Cochin
    chazzan ordination. He knows all services, parashiyot, Haftarahs, etc., of
    course. The Cochin nusach is rich and beuatiful. On ordinary days, it is
    similar to the Spanish-Portuguese rite. But on yomim tovim, it reflects
    influences from Yemen, Baghdad, Kurdistan and India. Quite beautiful, in
    my opinion.

    Keith is knowledgeable, a nice fellow and a good Jews, and I am happy to
    serve as a reference. My office telephone is 305-348-3909.

    Thanks so much for helping to get this message out.

    Nathan Katz
    Professor and Chair
    Dept. of Religious Studies
    Florida International University

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: v6n9		Next Issue: v6n11
MLJ Home Page	Return to Retrieval Form