CJ: Fall 2012 Issue

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FALL 2012 / ROSH HASHANAH 5773

VOL. 6 NO. 1

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The Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center – Y Situated in the center of Jerusalem, the Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center is home to the programs of the United Synagogue in Israel, with a mission to deepen the knowledge and commitment of Conservative Jews from around the world.

Whether you are a Jerusalem resident or making a visit, the warm and inclusive environment at Fuchsberg welcomes you.

Dynamic Programs for Teens, Adults and Seniors CONSERVATIVE YESHIVA For three weeks in the summer (with two sessions!), all year long (in our Beit Midrash), or via distance learning, the Conservative Yeshiva provides opportunities for learners of all ages, skill levels, and religious backgrounds.

Students grow in observance and are influenced by a warm and supportive community as they study Jewish texts with the help of an open and creative faculty.

HOME BASE FOR YOUTH TRIPS No matter when you arrive at FJC, you’ll never be far away from our young people. Every USY Israel Pilgrimage group spends time based at the Fuchsberg Center during their 4-6 weeks in Israel. All Solomon Schechter Day School high school Israel trips are organized by the youth staff in Israel at Fuchsberg (including the Chicagoland High School, Solomon Schechter of Westchester, Golda Och Academy and the Solomon Schechter of Long Island). The youth staff also plan and run the Israel trip for the 9th grade trip of the Golda Och Academy, 8th grade of the Solomon Schechter of Westchester, 8th grade of Hillel School of Tampa, and 8th grade of Bnai Shalom Day School in Greensboro.

NATIV USCJ’s widely recognized gap-year program provides recent high school graduates with a year of study, leadership training, and travel.

Students spend one semester living at the Fuchsberg Center, and studying either at Hebrew University, the Conservative Yeshiva, or in Ulpan. The second semester is spent volunteering in an agricultural youth village or in an urban community where the students immerse themselves in Israeli life and culture.

• Agron Guest House • Moreshet Yisrael Synagogue • Guest computers and wi-fi • Shabbat & holiday meals • Hosting Lone Soldiers • Drop-in Class & Lectures • Egalitarian bar & bat mitzvah ceremonies • Touring assistance for individuals & groups • Creative art programs for groups

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– Your Home Within Our Homeland CONTINUING EDUCATION Project Oded is designed to provide ongoing education throughout the year – for one day, one month, or one year, drop in and join us for learning when you can.

Consensus, our program for olim from the former Soviet Union, allows these new Israelis to learn about and discuss Conservative Judaism in their own language.

Monday nights bring guest speakers to our Monday Evening Forum, a lecture series which has featured professors and authors, artists and archaeologists.

CENTER ON CAMPUS North American students spending a year or semester at an Israeli university can find support and welcome at Fuchsberg. COC programs provide stimulating educational experiences and supportive social opportunities in a non-coercive, friendly environment that promotes religious pluralism.

GEMILUT HESED PROJECT Connecting volunteers with tzedakah projects, the Gemilut Hesed project offers participants an opportunity to give back. Projects include assisting seniors, serving meals in soup kitchens, assisting physically handicapped youth and adults, preparing and delivering care packages to soldiers, helping developmentally disabled adults, lending a hand at the coalition for Israel’s missing soldiers, and much more.

Investing in Our Presence in Israel Your gift to the Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center helps keep our doors open and our rooms humming with energy.

Whether you provide a scholarship, underwrite a program, or join our capital campaign, your support is appreciated.

To become a part of the Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center, please call Barry Mael at 646-519-9330 or send him an email at mael@uscj.org.

www.uscj.org.il The Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center 8 Agron Street, Jerusalem P.O. Box 7456 Jerusalem, Israel 94265 972-2-625-6386

United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 820 Second Avenue 10th Floor New York, NY 10017 212-533-7800

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CJ

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

FA L L 2 0 1 2 / R O S H H A S H A N A H 5 7 7 2

VOLUME 6 NUMBER 1

This magazine is a joint project of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, and FJMC

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LETTERS

For M I C H A E L M I L L S , in FJMC, It’s About Relationships United Synagogue’s R A B B I S T E V E N W E R N I C K describes Sukkot as a Holistic Religious Experience and How He Stopped Being a Sukkah Snob For Women’s League’s R I TA L .

W E R T L I E B , A New Year, A New Vision

12 T H E H O L I D AY S TAT E O F M I N D

According to R A B B I G E R A L D C . S K O L N I K , the fall holiday cycle reflects the ebb and flow of life

14 H O W T O H AV E A C O O L FA M I LY S U K K O T

It doesn’t take much to make the most out of one of the most joyous holidays on our calendar, explains M E R Y L

E D U C AT I O N

SULAM LEADERSHIP TRAINING It’s Not Just for Presidents Anymore K A R E N B R O O K S describes how United Synagogue’s commitment to leadership training has been expanded

40 HOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD Te a c h J e w i s h S o c i a l E n t r e p r e n e u r s h i p

List College’s signature program is described by REBECCA HAMMERMAN

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A FA M I LY F O U N D

CJ story about a family heirloom was the catalyst for discovering family he always assumed had not survived the Holocaust

W H E N I S E D U C AT I O N E X P E R I E N T I A L E D U C AT I O N ?

ARTIE DEAN’S

elaborates on why it takes facilitation and reflection to create truly experiential education

MARK S. YOUNG

44 THE MEANING OF BEING Y O U N G J E W S T O D AY

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Noted researcher A R I E L A K E Y S A R was pleased by what she heard from a group of high school students

TEN TRUTHS OF SYNAGOGUE LIFE

After a decade in the rabbinate, R A B B I A D A M shares what he has learned from his experiences

J.

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RASKIN

GREENWALD GORDON

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C R I T I C A L L O YA LT Y Defending Israel Should Be Complex

is adamant that students need to understand the country’s complexities to be successful Israel advocates

ALEX SINCLAIR

H a l a c h a h i n t h e M o d e r n Wo r l d SHOULD THERE BE A DRESS CODE IN OUR SYNAGOGUES?

SUKKOT STORIES from our members

What you choose to wear to synagogue should not be an issue for anyone else, admonishes R A B B I H I L L E L H AY Y I M L A V E R Y Y I S R A E L I

T E M P O R A R Y S H E LT E R One Sukkah’s Stories of Homelessness

Artist H E A T H E R G . S T O LT Z has created a temporary art installation that will inspire you to consider the homeless in your city

21 W H AT H A P P E N S I N T H E S U K K A H S TAY S I N T H E S U K K A H !

illustrates some of the ways men’s clubs take advantage of the season to celebrate

MICHAEL BRASSLOFF

32 RABBI MORDECAI WA X M A N , z ” l Tr a i l b l a z e r i n Inter faith Relations

47 TA P P I N G T H E PA S S I O N O F U S Y A L U M N I

United Synagogue announces a new alumni association

A leading force in the Conservative movement is remembered by his son,

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R A B B I J O N AT H A N WA X M A N

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THE ED-MEN Educational Game Changers Join “820”

Two visionary educators are welcomed to United Synagogue

AWA K E ! G R E E T T H E N E W D AW N !

COMING HOME A Synagogue Ends Its Time in the Wilderness

After ten years, a congregation’s environmentally friendly building is ready, according to B O N N I E R I V A

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Change is in the air for the Women’s League Convention 2012 RAS

23 O P E R AT I O N T E N T O F ABRAHAM AND SARAH

United Synagogue has partnered with Project H.O.O.D. to help end gun violence across America

24 A BINTEL BRIEF IN PICTURES

The quintessentially Jewish advice column from The Forward newspaper has been re-imagined as a graphic novel by L I A N A F I N C K

36 W O M E N ’ S L E A G U E VA L U E S O U R V E T S

A tradition of helping others in conjunction with a Women’s League convention continues

37 SAME-SEX CEREMONIES S E E T H E L I G H T O F D AY

is one of the authors of two new ceremonies from the Rabbinical Assembly that will add meaning and context to same sex weddings

R A B B I AV R A M I S R A E L R E I S N E R

50 FJMC GOES TO PERU

For D R . G A R Y and L E A H S M I T H , the highlight of the joint FJMC/Masorti Olami trip to Peru was Shabbat in a very small town

52 CJ REVIEWS

The Observant Life is reviewed by R A B B I N E I L G I L L M A N and R A B B I C A T H A R I N E C L A R K and R A B B I J E R E M Y F I N E react ABOUT THE COVER

Photos courtesy of Meryl Greenwald Gordon and Martin J. Gottlieb Day School (Jacksonville, Florida).

Cover design: Josef Tocker CJ — F A L L 2 0 1 2

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EDITOR

Rhonda Jacobs Kahn CO-EDITOR

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Letters

Andrea Glick ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Bonnie Riva Ras DESIGNER

Josef Tocker P U B L I S H I N G C O N S U LT A N T

Doug Steinberg EDITORIAL BOARD

Dr. Robert Braitman, Chair Michael Brassloff Renée Brezniak Glazier Debbi Kaner Goldich Shelly Goldin Rosalind Judd Dr. Bruce Littman Rachel Pomerance Elizabeth Pressman Evan Rumack Marjorie Shuman Saulson Allan M. Wegman ADVISORS

Dr. Stephen Garfinkel Jewish Theological Seminary Rabbi Cheryl Peretz Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies CJ: Voices of Conservative/Masorti Judaism is a joint project of F E D E R AT I O N O F J E W I S H M E N ’ S C L U B S

Michael Mills, President Rabbi Charles E. Simon, Executive Director UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF C O N S E R VAT I V E J U D A I S M

Richard Skolnik, President Rabbi Steven C. Wernick, CEO Shira Dicker, Consultant WOMEN’S LEAGUE FOR C O N S E R VAT I V E J U D A I S M

Rita Wertlieb, President Sarrae G. Crane, Executive Director The opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the publishing organizations. Advertising in CJ does not imply editorial endorsement, nor does the magazine guarantee the kashrut of advertised products.

Members of FJMC affiliates, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism congregations, and Women’s League for Conservative Judaism affiliates receive this magazine as a benefit of membership. Subscriptions per year: $20.

Please direct all correspondence or changes of address to CJ: VOICES OF CONSERVATIVE/ MASORTI JUDAISM at Rapaport House, 820 Second Ave., 10th Floor, New York, NY 100174504. 917-668-6809. Email: aglick@uscj.org or rkahn@wlcj.org. To advertise, email ras@uscj.org or call 917-668-6809.

CJ: VOICES OF CONSERVATIVE/MASORTI JUDAISM is published quarterly by United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, 820 Second Ave., 10th Floor, New York, NY 10017-4504.

Canadian Copies: Return Canadian undeliverables to 2835 Kew Dr., Windsor, ON N8T 3B7 PM 41706013.

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CJ — V O I C E S O F C O N S E R V AT I V E / M A S O R T I J U D A I S M

CAMPING JEWISHLY

I was pleased to read Maxine Segal Handelman's piece on camping Jewishly (Summer 2012). She is a star of early childhood and family education in our movement, and her joy in our traditions shines through.

Jewish camping is also accessible through any of the many Boy Scout troops and Girl Scout units sponsored by Conservative synagogues across America. In genuinely Conservative scouting units, all of the strengths of scouting (leadership, reverence, service) combine with our core values (God, Torah, chesed) to engage families as they grow. Conservative units can provide the same kosher and Shabbat standards which Maxine so strongly role models for us.

Unfortunately, far too many of our youth in scouting only have non-Jewish units to choose from, due to a lack of synagogue char-

ter organizations. Even though Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are tremendously respectful of individual religious identity and practice, the result is often non-observant camping, nonkosher food, absence from synagogue life, and an experience where one’s Judaism may not be fully engaged.

Of course, certain national policies of the BSA have been controversial in recent years, including its bigoted stand on homosexuality. Rest assured that each unit sets its own policies and standards, which is another excellent reason for us to sponsor our own troops and packs.

I encourage all of our communities to consider scouting and camping in all its forms.

RABBI ROBERT TOBIN B'nai Shalom West Orange, New Jersey

(continued on page 58)

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IT’S ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS

BY MICHAEL MILLS

I

N THEIR BOOK, WHAT COLOR Is Your Parachute? Planning Now for the Life You Want, John Nelson and Richard N. Bolles describe three levels of relationships: pleasant, engaging and meaningful. Pleasant relationships are just that, light-hearted and fun. Engaging relationships typically are between well-matched colleagues. Meaningful relationships, however, occur when one feels he/she is in the service of something greater than himself/herself.

A meaningful relationship elevates the parties to a higher plane. It connects people with a greater purpose, a calling.

Creating and sustaining meaningful relationships, initially, takes work but once they have been established they become addictive. Consider your relationship with your spouse or a close friend. It is intimate. Intimacy doesn’t always mean sharing everything or tearing down every boundary, but it can link one to another in a way that is comfortable, sometimes challenging, and often fulfilling.

I have found that serving as a volunteer is a path to establishing meaningful relationships. Outside of the relationships I have with my family, the people I have met and with whom I work in FJMC continuously provide me with a sense of purpose and meaning. Long-lasting relationships based on camaraderie, core values and a unity of purpose have changed my life.

Yet there are a number of forces at play that counter sustaining meaningful relationships. Social media can create a false sense of intimacy. Changing work and family patterns often interrupt meaningful relationships or make establishing them more difficult. Thanks to the internet not only

do we spend more time in the office but we bring the office home with us. It’s not surprising that according to sociologists, the average adult male has 1.4 friends; a decade ago he would have had twice that.

When I read those statistics I asked myself why I didn’t feel part of that study. What is it that makes me feel that my friendships and relationships are expanding at a time when studies say they should be contracting? Years ago I never considered that joining a men’s club and a synagogue would dramatically alter my life. Years ago I never would have thought that my volunteer work could make a difference. Perhaps that should be one of the

messages our communities need to broadcast.

FJMC’s mission of involving Jewish men in Jewish life has guided the planning of our programs and initiatives for many years. Yet while the phrase describes our mission, it doesn’t fully capture the essence of what FJMC is all about. Indeed, FJMC has become synonymous with leadership, with innovation and building our communities.

It is exactly within these communities of men that I find some of the most enduring of the meaningful relationships that Nelson and Bolles describe.

As we enter the new year of 5773, I invite you to join me! CJ

Michael Mills is president of FJMC. CJ — F A L L 2 0 1 2

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SUKKOT AS HOLISTIC RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE Or How I Stopped Being a Sukkah Snob

BY RABBI STEVEN WERNICK

I

USED TO BE A SUKKAH SNOB. What this means is that for many years, the prospect of having a sukkah was all about the wood. If it wasn’t made of wood, it wasn’t any sukkah I wanted to build, let alone

dwell in.

“They didn’t have metal in the wilderness,” I explained to my wife as I manfully laid out my power tools in the backyard, next to a serious pile of lumber. “And what’s with the fabric and the plastic panels popping up in everyone’s backyard? Do you think the children of Israel schlepped around laminated canvas with the names of the ushpizin printed on the fabric? Sukkot is all about the wood. Nothing ersatz for me.

If the Israelites could build it without Sukkahs.com, then so can I!” My wife would listen patiently and then go into the house, rolling her eyes.

The problem, of course, is that I was never very good with power tools.

I was basing my belief on childhood memories of the marvelous sukkah we had in our backyard. It was a marvel in wood. All who visited admired it. It was a monument to the truest essence of the holiday – the ultimate, I thought, in observance.

But it was built, in fact, not by my abba the rabbi, but by the maintenance staff at his kehilla.

Most rabbis’ children of my generation have the same memories of proudly hosting scores of members of the kehilla, accepting compliments on behalf of the spacious

Rabbi Steven C. Wernick is CEO of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

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CJ — V O I C E S O F C O N S E R V AT I V E / M A S O R T I J U D A I S M

wooden sukkah their dads (in those days, My wife proclaimed the word I had only dads) did not construct. avoided for my entire adult life: prefab.

I especially recall our sukkah in Winnipeg, After so many failed attempts at solo Canada, surrounded by snow. My father sukkah construction, there was no argument was the rabbi of Shaaray Tzedek when I was left in me. The power tools are now located in middle and high school, so this snow-sur- somewhere in the garage (or wherever) hidrounded sukkah was the most memorable den underneath old lawn furniture. They are of my childhood. baiting me, but I resist. The wood is history.

That sukkah had integrity. Gravitas. Good The sukkah we now have takes less than bones. It was the spiritual heir to the hastily 15 minutes to construct. And I can do it constructed huts built by the Israelites in entirely without the help of my neighbor. the desert on their journey from slavery In retrospect, I see my attempt at DIY to freedom. sukkah building as stemming from a wish But building a sukkah myself was an to maximize on the meaning of the holiadventure. Or misadventure. I would lug day, drawing on its character as perhaps the lumber to the backyard and line up all the most holistic expression of Jewish belief the screws. I would fetch my cache of power and tradition. tools. It was the power tools that tripped me Sukkot is my favorite holiday. Its tacup every time. Though I started with high tile nature puts me in touch with something hopes and the best of intentions, there was enduring and elemental, linking me to the inevitable call to my neighbor down the everything I love about Judaism and life street who was a pro with things that buzzed itself. and whirred and sawed and made holes. (continued on page 56) Maybe it was because he was a surgeon.

“I screwed it up,” I would confess, drenched in sweat. “Again.”

“I’m coming over,” he replied, already on his way, having heard through the grapevine that I was attempting yet another sukkah-raising.

Last time I pulled out the sukkah wood from our garage I was astonished but In May, Rabbi Steven Wernick, right, and United Synagogue not entirely disappointed President Richard Skolnik visited the White House with other to discover that it had Conservative lay leaders and professionals. They met with Chief of rotted.

Staff Jack Lew and got a surprise visit from President Obama.

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A NEW YEAR, A NEW VISION B Y R I TA L . W E R T L I E B

A

S WE APPROACH Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, described by the rabbis as the Days of Awe, we take time to pause and reflect on our lives over the past year. What were we able to accomplish, both personally and as Jews?

What did we hope for that did not materialize? What more could we have done to make our goals into reality? In other words, we take stock of ourselves, hoping to make the new year better than the last.

Women’s League for Conservative Judaism has done just that by putting enormous effort into addressing how we can improve what we offer our sisterhoods and members. Although we have maintained the same mission since we were established almost 100 years ago, that does not mean that we have not taken periodic stock of ourselves and initiated change when necessary.

Change is inevitable and, in fact, has been integral to our history. In our early years, when our membership was comprised of mostly uneducated immigrants or first generation Americans, meetings were conducted in Yiddish. Today, not only is the language English (or Hebrew or French or Spanish, depending on where you are) the de rigueur hats and gloves have been exchanged for kippot, tallitot and tefillin. We have become enlightened, educated and liturgically skilled women who contribute to our synagogues and communities alike. Even our name has changed, more than once.

It wasn’t long ago that women did not count in a minyan, read Torah, or ascend

the bimah for any reason. Look at us now!

In most Conservative synagogues, women are not only counted in the minyan, but in many cases they lead it. Our members ascend the bimah regularly as shlichot tzibbur (prayer leaders), baalot kriah (Torah readers) and gabbaiot (Torah service coordinators). Since the early 1990s and the establishment of our elite Kolot Bik’dushah Society, nearly one thousand of our members have acquired these significant liturgical skills.

Although change can be intimidating, we have overcome our trepidations and accepted the challenges before us. Change has always

strengthened us, as individuals and as an organization, but it will never undermine our identity as Conservative Jewish women.

As women we have always understood the power, the wisdom and the energy that come from sisterhood. Women have always bonded together to learn, instruct, nurture, and give and/or receive support. As Jewish women, we remain committed to a history, culture and religious tradition reflecting back thousands of years to our matriarchs.

And as Conservative Jewish women, we are members of the movement whose leaders always have maintained that Jewish religious (continued on page 56)

Rita L. Wertlieb is the international president of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism.

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THE HIGH HOLIDAY STATE OF MIND

BY RABBI GERALD C. SKOLNIK

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OR MOST JEWS, THE words “High Holidays” immediately conjure up Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and that is perfectly understandable. After all, they are the three days in the Jewish year when even the most alienated Jews find their way into synagogue, and the holidays most Jews are likely to be familiar with. The existential import of their sacred moments resonates with Jews for a whole host of reasons, no matter how distant they may feel themselves from any prayerful posture.

But the truth, of course, is more complicated. The high holidays are better understood as a season than a specific set of days.

They are a state of mind and being, framed by sacred days but not limited by them.

Those who regularly attend a morning minyan have no doubt at all about when the high holiday season begins. It happens on

Rabbi Gerald C. Skolnik is the spiritual leader of the Forest Hills Jewish Center and the president of the Rabbinical Assembly.

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CJ — V O I C E S O F C O N S E R V AT I V E / M A S O R T I J U D A I S M

the morning of Rosh Chodesh Elul, the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul, when the service is punctuated at its conclusion by the blast of the shofar. The practice is repeated every day of Elul and ceases only on the day before Rosh Hashanah in order to differentiate between the optional sounding of the shofar and that mandated by the Torah (on the days of the holiday itself ).

No one can argue that the essential tone of the high holiday season is a solemn one.

It is a time of cheshbon hanefesh, literally, a reckoning of the soul. We are tasked with looking inward as we prepare to stand in judgment before God, who knows our inner selves. God knows us, as it were, at a glance.

It is we who often don’t know – or pretend not to know – ourselves. That is the difficult work of the month of Elul. As Maimonides pointed out, one cannot do penance for a sin that one is unaware of having committed. You can’t fix what you don’t know is broken. Elul is the time for figuring that out, and the Aseret Y’mei T’shuvah (Ten Days of Repentence), from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur, are our time to act on that newfound awareness

of our imperfections.

But no sooner is Yom Kippur over and the fast broken than we are obliged to turn our attention to Sukkot, the fall pilgrimage festival that follows quickly on its heels.

In fact, tradition suggests that we begin the construction of the Sukkah on the evening that Yom Kippur concludes. No rest for the weary!

The juxtaposition of the solemn high holidays with the joyous festival of Sukkot is more than a little jarring. Conventional wisdom has it that this seemingly awkward positioning is best understood as a prescriptive behavioral reaction to the high holidays’ relentless emphasis on mortality. After more than a month of being reminded of how fragile life is, the most spiritually constructive response is to celebrate: V’samachta b’chagecha… v’hayita ach sameach (And you shall rejoice in your holidays… and you shall be exceedingly joyous) Deuteronomy 16:1415. Both the historical dimension of God’s kindness to us in the desert after the Exodus (by sheltering us in sukkot) and the agricultural dimension of the fall harvest provide the impetus for the celebration. Let the sobriety of the Yamim Nora’im (Days of Awe) end and the various sensory delights of Sukkot begin.

This all makes perfect sense. The flow is logical and it positions us to enter the new year in a spiritual posture of joy and gratitude. But nothing is ever that simple.

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Think for a moment of the flow of Sukkot.

The sixth day of the holiday – the fourth and last day of chol hamoed in the Diaspora – is Hoshanah Rabbah, when the metaphorical Books of Life and Other are finally sealed. The preliminary sealing, as it were, is on Yom Kippur, but the final sealing is on Hoshanah Rabbah. It is the moment of ultimate justice, reflected in the reversion to high holiday melodies in the lengthy synagogue service, and the fact that the hazzan wears a white kittel, as on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. One might ask, what happened to v’samachta b’chagecha?

What about embracing celebration in the aftermath of all that talk of mortality?

The question only becomes more acute the next day, on Shemini Atzeret. Once again, the joy of Sukkot is mitigated by the recitation of the Yizkor memorial service and the dramatic prayer for rain in its proper time and amount in the land of Israel.

The ark is opened, and again the hazzan wears a kittel and uses a melody reminiscent of the high holidays.

And just to complicate the mood shift even further, later that evening we revert back to joyous mode with the advent of Simchat Torah, singing and dancing in celebration of completing the cycle of annual Torah readings.

What’s happening here?

The answer, I believe, is to be found in the fact that the festival of Sukkot is not after the high holiday season. It is very much part and parcel of it. And all of it together is one great, grand metaphor about life and its ebb and flow. Fragility yields to intuitions of mortality, which yield to celebration, which yields to intuitions of mortality, which yield yet again to celebration… this is the rhythm by which we live our lives. What makes it so complicated is the irregular, almost spasmodic rhythm, often jerking us from one extreme to the other, without warning, rhyme or reason.

I cannot count how many times I have watched people wait for the chance to spend quality time with a beloved spouse only to see that partner or they themselves become seriously ill. Parents dare to dream about the life they want their child to live, only to see events unfold and take all of them

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in unanticipated and sometimes unwelcome directions. And then there are those moments when it appears that nothing is going as we want. All appears lost, until for reasons that we can neither discern nor understand, things turn out better than we anticipated. And we just don’t know why or how it happened.

The reality is that there is precious little of life about which we can be sure. And what we all learn eventually – some more painfully than others – is that the things that matter the most to us are the things we have the least control over. We have to nurture them. Like the transition from Yom Kippur to Sukkot, to Hoshanah Rabbah and Shemini Atzeret, and then to Simchat Torah, we lurch from the good to the bad, from the easy to the difficult, most often without warning, holding on for dear life.

For the past three decades, I have tried hard to help the members of my community understand that intuiting the fragility of life and the imperative of celebration is not a seasonal issue in Judaism but rather a daily one. The swirling currents of the high holiday season are, indeed, the currents of our lives, and learning to navigate them is an essential life skill. It is the difference between living a meaningful life in a difficult world, and merely surviving.

To my mind, one of Judaism’s most important and timeless teachings was offered by Rabbi Meir in the Babylonian Talmud (Menachot 43b): “One is obligated to recite one hundred blessings each day.”

We might be tempted to read this as a reflection of a narcissistic God who requires incessant flattery, but I read it much more simply.

It is not God who requires the blessings to assuage a needy ego, but rather we humans who require the recitation of blessings to remind us of how fragile our blessings really are, and how quickly they can disappear.

This is the fundamental message of the high holiday season, and it reflects, if in higher definition, the fundamental message of Judaism itself. You are blessed. Be grateful. Celebrate life! In that spirit, may I wish you all a k’tivah vachatimah tovah. May we all enjoy a year rich in blessing, with peace, prosperity and good health! CJ CJ — F A L L 2 0 1 2

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HOW TO HAVE A COOL FAMILY SUKKOT

BY MERYL GREENWALD GORDON

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UKKOT IS ONE OF those holidays that at first might seem daunting. You need to build and decorate a temporary building. You need to order a lulav and etrog. You need food. But you shouldn’t allow all that to get in the way of enjoying one of our most joyous holidays with all of its rich traditions. Here are some simple guidelines for your family’s enjoyment.

G et a sukkah onto your deck, porch or patio If your family includes a creative buildertype, he or she can build one out of plywood and two-by-fours. Only three walls are required – and the side of your house can count as one – but four walls will be cozier, especially in less than ideal weather. And you’ll need an open roof with slats or poles to hold up natural materials like pine branches or bamboo sticks. The roof should be somewhat open so you can see the stars.

The easier way to do this is to buy a prefab sukkah, available in many Judaic stores or online at websites such as www.sukkot.com, which advertises The Sukkah Project – Affordable Klutz-Proof Sukkah Kits.

Meryl Greenwald Gordon, a computer programmer/analyst, co-founded and co-ran an after-school Hebrew high school and a Shabbat morning chavurah. She is a member of Beth El Synagogue in New Rochelle, New York.

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Then put in picnic tables and benches, or folding tables and chairs, and perhaps space-heaters or citronella candles, depending on weather and mosquito conditions.

Get creative and decorate My kids used to love to string cranberries and hang mini-pumpkins and multi-colored gourds and Indian corn. Then one night the raccoons found our sukkah. So we switched to stringing colorful beads and hanging plastic fruit and metallic Thanksgiving decorations that work beautifully, depending on your locale and local critters. Also hang Rosh Hashanah cards and your kids’ or grandkids’ or neighbor’s kids’ artwork.

Invite lots of guests This is what makes this holiday so much fun – good old-fashioned face-to-face interaction, talking and eating, with young and old and in-between, for seven nights. Invite your family. Invite the neighbors. Invite friends and invite people who would be grateful for a change of pace and a night out.

Also invite some invisible, imaginary guests.

It’s a kabbalistic tradition dating from the Middle Ages to invite ushpizin (Aramaic for guests). The souls of these seven exalted guests are invited to descend from the heavenly Garden of Eden to join the sukkah meal. Invite our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and Moses and his brother, Aaron, and Joseph (of many-colored-coat fame), and King David.

You can buy a poster of the ushpizin to hang on a sukkah wall, which will include the

traditional formula for inviting them in: I invite to my meal the exalted guests: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, and David. May it please you, (whichever guest’s turn it is), my exalted guest, that all the other exalted guests dwell here with me and with you.

If you’d like to be innovative and egalitarian, invite the seven prophetesses of Israel as suggested by medieval Italian kabbalist Menachem Azariah of Fano (so it’s really not that new). Call them ushpizot. You can find a poster, designed by Suri Edell Greenberg at www.ushpizot.org. They are our foremother Sarah, wife of Abraham; Miriam, sister of Moses; Deborah, one of the judges of ancient Israel; Hannah, mother of Samuel, whose story we read every Yom Kippur; the shrewd and courageous Abigail, a wife of King David; Hulda, a prophetess respected for her wisdom; and Queen Esther of the Purim story. Do some research and teach your daughters and granddaughters about these biblical role models. Women’s League for Conservative Judaism has more information on its website at www.wlcj.org.

In kabbalistic thought, each of the ushpizin or ushpizot embodies a particular character trait that represents a spiritual aspect of God. Each night, one is singled out and honored as representing the spiritual aspect of that night. Abraham and Sarah represent chesed (lovingkindness). Isaac/Miriam represent gevurah (inner strength). Jacob/Deborah are tiferet (splendor), Moses/Hannah netzach (eternity), Aaron/Abigail, hod (glory),

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Joseph/Hulda, yesod (foundation), and King David/Queen Esther are malchut (kingship).

Have lots of food It’s usually pretty cold in our sukkah at night, so we start with hot soup and end with hot tea; what comes in between varies.

You can cook every day, cook and freeze ahead of time, do pot-luck with your guests, take-out, or just order some pizza for Pizza in the Hut. Shave – I mean sit – in the sukkah The biblical commandment is to sit (shev in Hebrew, but my kids liked the joke of saying “shave”) in the sukkah, and the special Sukkot blessing is “Blessed are you, Lord our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has commanded us to sit in the sukkah.”

So sit, and look up at the stars peeking through the branches of the roof. Enjoy the opportunity to put aside the digital world and spend an evening outdoors, with good food, good conversation and good company. CJ

EASY VEGETARIAN MANY BEAN SOUP

Ingredients 1 cup mixed dried beans (I use the mixture of 18 different beans) 7 cups water 1 large onion, chopped 2-3 large carrots, chopped 2-3 large celery stalks, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes Instructions Rinse the beans well, and place in the bottom of a large pot.

Add water. Bring to boil, and skim off the foam and “gunk” that comes to the top.

Add all vegetables and lower heat.

Cook for as long as you want (at least 2 hours) on low to medium heat.

Stir occasionally and add more water if it gets thicker than you like. Add more water for thinner soup. Cook longer for thicker soup.

Serves about 6 people.

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When the editorial committee of CJ put out a call for Sukkot stories we weren’t sure what to expect.

Imagine our delight as we read each of these tales of personal and communal sukkot built with love over the years, with family and friends, in the face of bugs and hurricanes, and minimal construction skills.

On our anniversary, e my husband and I lik at th to get something we can share and love, n a tradition that bega rve ni an on our first sary, 18 years ago, a when we purchased sukkah. Every night of the holiday we invited family and friends to a larger years ago we bought ree Th . ay lid ho e th enjoy le to celebrate. invite even more peop sukkah, and we now ughter, Peri ree-year-old grandda Back in 2008 my th and etrog d shook her first lulav an e m ca s, eis W h ra No ve never id Weiss (picture). I ha av D r.

D r, he fat r he with e. much as I do this on enjoyed a holiday as ARSHALL LYNNE WEISS M sey Matawan, New Jer ition that ad a trad h e v a h e W e n we 976 wh 1 in n prints bega t the hand u p to d e decid e walls of dren on th of our chil r the years kkah. Ove su t rs fi r u o prints of ded hand d a e v a h we helped who have n re d il ch kkah other rate our su o ec d d n a put up two gennow have so that we e children l when th ia c e sp is ir chil. It ts and the andprints in h r p f d o n s a n h o ther. erati their rated toge arents see b p le w ce o e n w re s ER who a the time CHNEID remember CORY S nia a lv dren’s and g, Pennsy Harrisbur

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The idea for our Sukkot celebration 5772, sounded exciting at first, but upon further consideration m ade you question its wisdom. The m itzvah of spending the night in the sukkah requires on e actually to sleep in the sukkah, so we decided to spend th e night in the sukk ah in the synagogue parking lot. In Fl orida, during the rainy season, near a swamp.

Five families agre ed to tr y the adve nture with our intrepid young rabb i. We laid down as tro -turf carpeting, donated by the loca l minor league ba seb all team’s general manager (a syn agogue board mem ber). We spent the evening talking an d playing games in side the shul since we didn’t want to give the mosquito es any extra feeding time (it’s not th eir mitzvah to eat in the sukkah).

The kids were aslee p by midnight. Coi ncidentally, the local frogs woke up about the same tim e. The adults were old enough to reco gnize the possibilit y of, say, a snake slithering by. We co uld also wonder w he ther Deep Woods Off! works near a swamp. Thankful ly the night passed without incident.

Nes gadol hayah sh am! (A great miracle happened th ere!) Those words may be intended for another holid ay, but we found th em appropriate.

It’s a mitzvah to sp end the night in th e sukkah, but I think we deserve a little extra credit.

TEMPLE JUDEA , FORT MYERS, FLORIDA (Submitted by Min di & Brian Simon Education Co-Vice Presidents)

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The sisterhood of Te mple Beth-El of Be llmore, New York, holds an annual br unch in the templ e sukkah, which is erected by the m en’s club and deco ra ted by the sisterhood. (In the phot o, Levana Lichter and Nancy Kaplan bless the lulav an d etrog.) It is also our tradition to collect tz edakah for Making Stride s Against Breast Cancer at our Sukk ot brunch since October is Nat ional Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

TEMPLE BETH -EL OF BELLMORE (Submitted by Car ole Friedman)

My grandfather was a plumber, so it made sense that when he designed our family sukkah the frame would be constructed out of the materials most places for small bolts into familiar to him. He sunk phalanges firmly, into which our cement patio to hold the in order, braced by lengths we screwed the pipes, labeled of pipes slid into the tops of of wood. A similar frame of plywood screwed into the the uprights. Large sheets top supported the evergreen braces, and slats across the kah. branches that covered the suk ineered that putting it The sukkah was so well eng of following the schematic. up remained a simple matter s out of our storage area wa Getting the pieces in and fam our four generations of another thing altogether, but . es of Grandpa Nate’s sukkah ily have memories and pictur kah was many years ago.

The last hurrah for that suk surprised me and my brother But three years ago, my sister the schematic just in time with a laminated copy of te carefully printed name, Na for the holiday. It boasts his lanation Moline ‘Sukka’ at M. Goodman, and the exp gets invited to our sukkah the bottom. Whoever else blood or spiritual guests, my each year, whether flesh and in his drawing that hangs grandfather is always there sion. in my decidedly amateur ver JACK MOLINE Alexandria, Virginia

1989) we moved our sukkah One Sukkot (I think it was se without realizing that to a new spot behind our hou We put it up on the Sunit was a very windy location. begin on Wednesday night. day before the holiday was to s talking on the phone when On Tuesday afternoon I wa kah flying through the air.

I suddenly saw pieces of suk blowing apart! I called my The entire str ucture was him the bad news and ran husband at work and told w school. to the synagogue for Hebre k home around 6:30, our bac d ive By the time I arr d Patrick Murphy (whose neighbors John McDade an were in our yard putting kids played with our kids) ey constructed a very sturdy the sukkah back together. Th Wednesday night. Of course, building and it was ready for . meal with us in the sukkah we invited them to share a re a a few years later, we we When we moved out of the are non-Jewish neighbors who sorry to lose our compassionate k up! helped us get the sukkah bac RLY W. MAGIDSON VE BE RABBI Albany, New York

Every yea r I get tog ether wit that he’s h my husb bigg and, d has a diffe er, my son, to bu ild our su ad and, now rent colo r kkah. Ea o r theme. day fell ch one When m during S y u d k aughter’s k o t we h ney-them birtheld her p ed sukka h. But ty ar ty in o a little m pically I ur Disore style. g o fo r someth It’s a fun rating it ing with way to sc ch witho ut re-doin ratch th e redecog the wh ole house each yea r!

LARA W E R W A Jackson ville, Flo rida

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les from the 79, ten young coup 19 ot kk Su g in ur D e to form er gathered at a hom nt Ce ish Jew le vil Jackson nnel changes have been a few perso a havurah. While there circumstances occasional year where over the years, and an havurah has last 33 years, this e th for , ed fer ter in home. kkah at a member’s collectively built a su , we gather ng before the holiday On a Sunday morni ry plan. Our d only a rudimenta with high spirits an on materials from scrap constructi sukkah is assembled ing develborhood was still be igh ne e th en wh d ere gath lls constructed nent was the side wa oped. The key compo popular. The before recycling was of recycled plywood, way. er in quite the same pieces never fit togeth s, three docyer law on crew (four cti tru ns co e th le hi W ned for “The businessmen) auditio tors, one dentist, two and increasa Sukkah” the wives Marx Brothers Build ains from ren made endless ch ing numbers of child and vegetaung together fruits str d an r pe pa ed color h. We added nds provide the s’chac bles. Native palm fro d eventually Hashanah cards, an banners, strung Rosh ons. Although plaque for the decorati created a contributors e sukkah was the same, every year th re we s nt ne po m co e th were proud of, always beautiful. We a little different, but ays schedule by, our effort. We alw and a little amazed the holiday to one evening during a Sukkot dinner for we all build. enjoy the sukkah that and bug ore citronella candles m red ui req rs yea e Som early because the sukkah came down spray and occasionally weather and gs. After many years of of hurricane warnin ore moder n ood gave way to m yw pl e th , les ho il na same. The ucture remains the str sic ba e th t bu e, lattic enjoyed handsve grown but they all havurah children ha on sukkah building.

BARBARA SAFER a Jacksonville, Florid

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We star ted the Sukkah Project (Sukko t.com) in 1996 with the go al of helping families gain the satisfaction of dwel ling in a sukkah they bu ilt themselves. Our Klu tz-Proof Sukkah Kits acco mplish this goal. We have wor thousands of indi ked with viduals, congrega tions, schools, an other organizati d ons nationwide.

Every year would sukkah builders -be – including man y first-timers – tact us with ques contions such as: I’m a total klutz.

Can I really do this?

How can we invo lve our children in the sukkah build ing?

Our site has spec ial limitations; can you make a that will work? kit How big a sukk ah do I need? C an we expand it the future? in I know how I wan t the finished sukk ah to look…now how do I build it?

We need a spac ious sukkah bu t have little stor space…what can age we do?

Our old sukkah has gotten hard for us to put up… there an easier al is ternative?

How can we en courage more of our member fam lies to build thei ir own sukkot?

Providing person alized attention to concerns like th is what we’re all ab ese out. Ours is a tota lly family-run bu ness, and we offe sir superb custom er service. As th moon rises on Er e full ev Sukkot each ye ar, we feel satisfa tion knowing w ce’ve helped so m any people enha their observance nc e of this wonderful holiday.

JUDITH & ST EVE HENRY H ERMAN Chapel Hill, N orth Carolina

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TEMPORARY SHELTER One Sukkah’s Stories of Homelessness B Y H E A T H E R G . S T O LT Z

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IKE SO MANY NEW Yorkers, I pass homeless people on the streets every day and wonder about them.

Who are they? Where are their families? What are their stories? In 2008, I got to know some of New York’s homeless while working as the com-

Heather Stoltz received an MA in Jewish Women’s Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary, along with bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and Jewish studies from Lafayette College. She was named one of the Jewish Week’s 36 Under 36 in 2012.

munity service coordinator for the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue. Spending a lot of time with the residents of the synagogue’s men’s shelter, I learned about the Faith-Based Emergency Shelter Network, approximately 100 churches and synagogues that house volunteer-run homeless shelters in the city. I was inspired to tell the stories of the shelters’ guests through my art.

In order to embody the stories of homeless individuals artistically, I decided to create a free-standing structure reminiscent of a sukkah, a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long festival of Sukkot. The inside walls tell the stories of the individuals from the shelters and the

outside walls are covered with artwork created by children in family shelters. By hanging these stories on the walls of the sukkah, the homeless men, women and children become the exalted guests – the biblical ushpizin whom we traditionally invite into our sukkot every night of the holiday.

The piece was guided by two Jewish texts.

Sefer Hasidim (a 12th-century legal text) teaches that “if a community lacks a place of worship and a shelter for the poor, it is first obligated to build a shelter for the poor.” And in Vayikra Rab-

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bah 34:1 (commentaries on the book of Leviticus), Rabbi Yonah says: “The verse does not say ‘Happy is the one who gives to a poor person.” Rather it says: ‘Happy is the one who considers a poor person.’

Therefore, you must consider how best to benefit such a person.”

I was struck in the first quote by the directive to build a home for the poor before a house of worship and wanted to create a piece that would resemble a permanent structure.

All of the children’s art was created on grey fabric pieced together to look like stones when seen from a distance. On closer inspection, however, you see its temporary nature with its fabric walls and sheer roof, reminding us that although we have built shelters for our poor, we do not have a permanent solution to the problem of homelessness.

I was constantly reminded of the vast differences among the people living side-byside in the shelters. Each individual’s unique story brought him or her to the shelter and each person had different needs. Since the nine inside panels tell nine distinct stories, the viewer is asked to consider them as individuals as Rabbi Yonah instructs, paying attention to one at a time.

I was deeply affected by the story of a young woman named Heather who had been a successful copy editor living on the Upper East Side. Heather had returned to school for an additional degree but when she graduated in 2008, there were no jobs and no way for her to continue paying her rent.

The left side of the piece illustrates Heather’s successful life. The city skyline is a backdrop for the silhouettes that show her at work at the computer, partying with friends and shopping. The night sky in the background shimmers.

In the next section, the skyscrapers are replaced by stacks of books as she delves into her studies. Once she receives her graduation cap and diploma, the golden backdrop ends

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abruptly leaving only darkness.

Buried in this chaos is a door with an exit sign, a door that is always available if she chooses to return to her parents’ home in Georgia.

Steven, another person whose story appears in the piece, grew up on the streets of New Jersey. His mother was unable to care for him and his three sisters so they were raised by his grandmother.

He dropped out of school in sixth grade and by the age of 13 he was getting high with friends, which led to a life of petty crime and hard drugs.

He was sent to a training school for boys but ended up with the same crowd. In and out of jail, he realized at the age of 42 that this was not what he wanted from life.

“Drugs will destroy your body – mentally and physically,” he said. “My goal is to become a decent human being for myself and the Lord, to love myself and not hurt myself.” To accomplish this, he is in a 12step program as well as programs for behavior modification and relapse prevention. He is learning a trade and writing poetry that reflects this new outlook on life.

This piece shows his journey from the darkness of drugs to the light of religion, poetry and his profession as a plumber. The background is painted with the words from two of his poems. The first poem, which speaks about his belief in God and the need to do the right thing, is a divider between his two lives. The second, a poem he wrote for his mother about believing in yourself, pours out of an open journal toward the light of his new life.

It is my hope that those viewing the piece will be inspired to take the time to consider the homeless in their cities as the individuals they are. To learn more about the piece or to see the exhibition schedule, visit my website: www.sewingstories.com. A book which contains all of the art and stories in the piece is available on Amazon.com. CJ

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WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SUKKAH STAYS IN THE SUKKAH!

BY MICHAEL BRASSLOFF

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RADITIONALLY, MEN’S clubs have held their educational, cultural and social meetings in synagogues or places such as restaurants and sports venues. In an attempt to innovate and attract new members, some clubs have experimented with different

Photo by Mike Greenberg

Michael Brassloff is on the editorial board of CJ: Voices of Conservative/Masorti Judaism.

approaches, and, at this time of year, especially in their sukkot.

Temple Etz Chaim men’s club in Thousand Oaks, California, wanted an event that would blend the spirituality of the fall holidays with the peaceful setting of their sukkah, which, incidentally, the club helps build each year. It was decided to hold one of the FJMC Hearing Men’s Voices series in the sukkah, using a module from the Listening to God’s Voice text. An activity to create a spiritual biography initiated and

sustained a 90-minute conversation. According to club president Gary Katz, “The quality of the discussion was quite impressive in the cool evening air outside in our temple sukkah.”

Other men’s clubs have held social events in their sukkot designed to promote camaraderie and fellowship. According to Adam Shandler, Agudath Israel men’s club in Caldwell, New Jersey, has had a series of such events. It started in 2009 with a very successful Scotch in the Sukkah, followed in 2010 with Bourbon in the Booth, and Rum in the Room in 2011. A vodka program is planned for this year. In a variation, Temple Beth Sholom’s men’s club in Livingston, New Jersey, hosted Steak and Scotch in the Sukkah. And other clubs have held or are planning similar events.

These are just a few examples of how men’s clubs strive to accomplish the FJMC goal of involving Jewish men in Jewish life. CJ

Men gather in the sukkah at Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook, Illinois.

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COMING HOME A Synagogue Ends Its Time in the Wilderness

BY BONNIE RIVA RAS

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OR JEWS TODAY, A sukkah is a temporary structure used for a defined period of time. But while dwelling in a sukkah can be spiritually uplifting, it doesn’t take the place of a permanent home.

The members of Kol Shalom, in Rockville, Maryland, know firsthand what it means to be without a home – and the pleasure of finally having one. Founded in 2002, the 200family congregation has been dwelling in temporary quarters for the last 10 years, “a long time to be in the wilderness,” said Jonathan Z. Maltzman, the kehilla’s rabbi.

The congregation leased office space in an apartment complex, used the classrooms of a local elementary school for religious school, and held meetings in congregants’ homes. They worshipped at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington and held high holiday services at hotels. “We were spread all over the place,” said Executive Director Deb Finkelstein. “But we still grew the community.”

Among the many challenges involved in not having a building, Finkelstein said, was that “we always had to explain where everything was located. And we had to find places to hold events – every venue had its own rules and regulations. Plus, moving arks, Torah scrolls and siddurim was always a challenge.”

Still, Finkelstein believes that despite the temporary spaces, Kol Shalom’s strong sense of community kept the group going, as did the shared dream of building a home of its own. Finally, in 2006, the congregation purchased nearly five wooded acres in Rockville with the goal of moving into its own building three years later. But there were unex-

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Members of Kol Shalom march to their new, environmentally friendly building.

Photo by Shinberg Levinas Architectural Design

pected delays, including a three-year building moratorium by the city. Fortunately, during the community meetings held as part of the zoning process, the kehilla received overwhelming support from neighbors and from the city of Rockville, said Finkelstein.

She thinks it helped that “we wanted a low key, unpretentious building that would fit into the landscape and into the residential neighborhood.” The plan called for using bricks, stone and natural materials that mimicked the surrounding environment.

The members of Kol Shalom wanted an environmentally friendly home and hired the architectural firm of Shinberg Levinas, known for its environmental designs. “There is a real commitment to the Jewish value of caring for the environment and to social justice in our congregation,” said Ilene Cohen, a past president of the kehilla who was involved in the building’s planning.

It was important to the congregation that the building meet the highest standard of LEED certification. (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, an international green building certification.) In fact, Kol Shalom is the first Conservative congregation in the United States to apply for the gold level, the highest LEED certification.

One way the building meets LEED standards is through its green roof, meaning a roof covered with small plants that grow slowly. These plants help keep the building cooler or warmer depending on the sea-

son. Other environmental features include maximum insulation, low-waste water systems, a geothermal heating and cooling system, and adjustable lighting that can be regulated depending on the availability of natural light. There are also bicycle racks – and showers for those who ride to shul – as well as carpooling stations. “Land use is an important factor in certification, so the main entrance and parking lot face the back and are not seen from the road,” said Salo Levinas, one of the architects.

Beyond its environmental features, the building is distinctly Jewish, Levinas added.

“On the outside walls, there are stone masonry plaques depicting the festivals, and the mail slot is shaped like a chai. The doors use tree-of-life imagery and there are Hebrew letters in the glass.”

Kol Shalom’s building was dedicated on April 27, 2012, when the Torah scrolls were marched from Rabbi Maltzman’s home to the congregation’s new home. Right now the synagogue has a dual purpose sanctuary/social hall, but a permanent sanctuary is planned for the project’s second phase.

But this is not the first structure that Kol Shalom constructed on its land. Fittingly, that structure was its 2008 sukkah, the quintessential temporary Jewish dwelling. This fall, Kol Shalom will join other kehillot in dwelling temporarily in its sukkah, then returning to its permanent building. “We were wandering for far too long,” said Maltzman.

“It is a fabulous feeling to be home.” CJ

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OPERATION TENT OF ABRAHAM AND SARAH

USCJ is supporting Pastor Corey Brooks and the Walk Across America to End Violence. Left to right: Dr. Robert Waterman, Rabbi Michael Siegel, Pastor Corey Brooks, Rabbi Steven Wernick.

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TANDING BEFORE A PACKED room of supporters, media and members of United Synagogue on a hot Tuesday morning in early June, Rabbi Steven Wernick recited Birkat Kohanim.

United Synagogue’s CEO was offering the ancient priestly blessing invoking God’s protection for Pastor Corey Brooks and his supporters as they embarked on the Walk Across America to End Violence. The walk was part of Brooks’ Project H.O.O.D. (Helping Others Obtain Destiny), a campaign to raise awareness about gun violence.

The blessing delivered by Rabbi Wernick to Pastor Brooks, the spiritual leader of New Beginnings Church in Chicago, was just one of many spiritually-charged moments on the first day of the anti-violence walk.

Sounding at times more like a prayer service than a press conference, the rabbi and pastor took turns sermonizing about the need to take a stand against the “scourge of violence,” calling it an “illness” and a “plague,” and finally, “a humanitarian issue.”

Both Rabbi Wernick and Pastor Brooks quoted freely from the Bible, using examples of those who walked together – like Isaac and Abraham – and stood up to wrongdoing – like Queen Esther. “We need to see the image of God in every person,” said Wernick. “It is our responsibility. It is our mandate to follow Isaac and Abraham.”

Abraham was invoked in two other ways during the event. The first was when Wernick announced the creation of Operation Tent of Abraham and Sarah, an initiative to support Brooks, the walk and Project H.O.O.D. by creating a national network of kehillot to provide the pastor and his entourage hospitality and support and a pulpit in the Jewish community as they made their way across the country.

The second invocation of Abraham had to do with a modern-day personality – the rabbi and teacher Abraham Joshua Heschel who modeled the importance of Black/Jewish solidarity on issues of social justice and demonstrated the importance, in his now famous expression, of “praying with our feet.”

Indeed, Heschel’s saying was printed on the back of the t-shirts worn by participants in the Walk Across America to End Violence.

WALKING FROM MIDTOWN TO HARLEM, SIDE BY SIDE The Heschel quote was brought to Brooks’ attention by Rabbi Michael Siegel of Anshe Emet Synagogue in Chicago, who joined the walk to Harlem. Indeed, the involvement of United Synagogue in the walk builds on the bond developed by Siegel and Brooks, who are both committed to re-energizing the relationship between Blacks and Jews in this country. Project H.O.O.D’s (http://projecthood.org) mission is to end violence and

build strong, vibrant communities, one ‘neighbor H.O.O.D’ at a time by empowering people with the resources, information and tools necessary to become peacemakers, problem solvers, leaders, and entrepreneurs in their own communities.

The Walk Across America is the second phase of Brooks’ ongoing efforts to develop a state-of-the art community and economic development center in Chicago. The center will not only serve as a prototype for cities across the country, but will also become the epicenter for the training and empowerment of both aspiring and existing community leaders nationwide.

One of the first stops along the way of Operation Tent of Abraham and Sarah was Newark’s Congregation Ahavas Sholem.

A moving YouTube video captures the visit and the hospitality extended by the synagogue. It is accessible at http://www. youtube.com/ watch?v=styltyMhEY8& feature=youtu.be.

Wernick is especially adamant about the imperative of ending gun violence in our society. “It is the God-given right of every human being to live a life that is safe from the threat of harm or violent and untimely death,” he said. “Gun violence is a modern scourge that requires a coordinated and proactive campaign of resistance and re-education. When the pro-gun lobby cites the Constitution’s Second Amendment right to bear arms, they are misconstruing the original intent of our forefathers who surely did not intend to create a Wild West-type of society.”

United Synagogue’s involvement in Project H.O.O.D. and the walk is a natural consequence of its public policy and social justice programs. It has a long record of resolutions against gun violence. As part of Operation Tent of Abraham and Sarah, United Synagogue is also encouraging its kehillot to stage teach-ins about the scourge of gun violence in America during the Walk Across America to End Violence.

“Houses of worship are the 21stcentury version of the village square within which the community can gather to learn and remind one another that we are all created in the image of God,” said Wernick. CJ CJ — F A L L 2 0 1 2

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A BINTEL BRIEF IN PICTURES

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HEN AN ANONYMOUS letter arrived at the Forward Newspaper in January, 1906, the paper’s editor, Abraham Cahan, felt that he’d found exactly what he’d been looking for. He published the letter the next day under the heading A Bintel Brief (a bundle of letters). Over the next half-century, the letters to the editor segment became a defining feature of the eminent Yiddish newspaper.

This is Liana Finck’s graphic adaptation of the first Bintel Brief letter, which was translated from the Yiddish by Jordan Kutzik. Abraham Cahan had this to say about the letter in his introduction to the column: “This is a letter from a woman to her neighbor. Upon reading it we thought that the writer wanted only to lash out at her neighbor through the pages of the Forward. But it became clear that she didn’t have such thoughts in mind. She doesn’t want to do her neighbor any harm. It is not impossible that the neighbor is suspected without reason. The woman is punished by her bad situation and it can be that she has no grounds upon which to accuse her neighbor. But in any case we can remark at what a picture of the wretchedness of the worker’s lot is to be found in this letter! Which artist with his talent for imagining would be able to portray such suffering, to mold such a story, which would have a reason to be so thoroughly rooted in the conditions of the regular worker as what these lines express?”

Finck is an emerging graphic novelist. After attending Cooper Union College, she was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to Belgium. Her graphic novel based on the Bintel Brief is supported by a grant from the Six Points Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Artists, a partnership of Avoda Arts, JDub Records and the Foundation for Jewish Culture, and made possible with major funding from UJA-Federation of New York. These pages originally appeared in the Forward on January 6, 2012. CJ

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Photo, left: (l. to r.) Karen Weiss, Debra Greenberg and Peter Gleichenhaus took part in a recent Sulam Leadership training program. Right: Robert Leventhal, left, is the leadership specialist, and Rabbi Charles Savenor is director of Kehilla Enrichment, at United Synagogue.

SULAM LEADERSHIP TRAINING It’s Not Just for Presidents Anymore B Y K A R E N W. B R O O K S

A

YEAR AGO, NATHANIEL Sattler, incoming president of Congregation Beth Israel in Glendale, Wisconsin, was struggling with the day-to-day responsibilities of his role. Today his leadership has been fine tuned and re-energized through his participation in Sulam for Presidents, United Synagogue’s long-running training program for top synagogue leaders.

Sulam for Presidents gave Nathaniel the specific tools he needed to lead successfully.

“I had a pretty good idea of what I was doing and what I was struggling with, but it helped crystallize some of my weaknesses as a leader and it provided ways for me to strengthen my performance,” he said.

Nathaniel’s comments echo the sentiments of over a thousand other kehilla presidents who have gone through Sulam for Presidents (sulam is Hebrew for ladder) over the past 20 years. This need and desire for high level training was just what United Synagogue had in mind when, in response to

the sentiment of its kehilla (congregational) leaders, it included in its strategic plan a provision to actively guide all current synagogue leaders, not only presidents, as well as to cultivate a new generation of leadership.

Under the new plan, Sulam Leadership is the brand name for a larger, integrated set of leadership development resources. And now the highly regarded seminar for presidents will be a capstone training experience.

Ultimately, this approach will ensure the succession of strong leadership within a kehilla.

In Nathaniel’s case, he gained specific tools to enhance his leadership capabilities. But Sulam for Presidents also reignited a deeper connection to his synagogue. “The most important thing that I realized is how much passion I and others have for the Conservative movement,” he says.

One of the new Sulam programs, Sulam for Current Leaders (SCL), focuses on the specific chalNathaniel Sattler lenges faced in every congregation - cultivating a compelling vision, balancing leadership and management, delegating responsibility to volunteers, and creating staff, clergy and lay leader partnerships. At its core, SCL is board training, yet its aspirations are much higher. “Our goal is to transform kehillot into visionary, strategic and intentional centers of Jewish life. This process begins with lay leaders, clergy and staff in alignment about where they are headed together,” says Rabbi Charles

Karen W. Brooks has worked on staff at Vogue, Seventeen and YM magazines and was a contributing editor for Elite Traveler, Elements, Hamptons and Ocean Drive. She held many leadership roles in USY. CJ — F A L L 2 0 1 2

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Savenor, director of kehilla enrichment.

What makes Sulam for Current Leaders unique is that it takes place on a local level. United Synagogue provides “train the trainers” webinars featuring Robert Leventhal, United Synagogue’s new leadership specialist, and Rabbi Savenor, along with a series of online program resources.

These materials can be used by a local facilitator to implement the workshop and guide next steps.

One of the things participants have most appreciated about Sulam for Current Leaders is its emphasis on connecting contemporary leadership training to the ancient wisdom of Jewish texts. The textual component not only connects workshops to the larger values of Conservative Judaism, but also emphasizes its intention of preparing Jewish leaders, not just leaders.

“Many people don’t have Jewish board experience,” says Haran Rashes, United Synagogue’s Central District vice chair and immediate past president of Beth Israel Congregation in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “But this program focuses on putting the Jewish flavor in board development, relating back to the Torah and Talmud.”

For most, it’s also a solution to very real problems faced by Conservative synagogue leaders today. “Sulam helped me generate interest and enthusiasm from individuals who otherwise might not have been seeking greater involvement,” says David Reifler, past president of Congregation Ahavas Israel, Grand Rapids, Michigan. “I didn’t have the time, energy or wisdom to think of longer term strategic planning, bylaws and their future impact, leadership devel(continued on page 56)

BOB LEVENTHAL, LEADERSHIP SPECIALIST, JOINS STAFF

If you’ve ever participated in a United Synagogue Sulam Leadership program – or other synagogue leadership development – there’s a good chance you’ve worked with, and admired, Bob Leventhal.

As a consultant for many years with the Alban Institute, one of the nation’s premiere congregational consulting organizations, Leventhal worked with synagogues, federations and Jewish movements. He’s also been a faculty member in the Sulam for Presidents leadership training seminars. Early this year, Leventhal joined United Synagogue as a full-time member of the kehilla enrichment team as leadership specialist.

Leventhal is widely known for his deep understanding of how synagogues operate, as well as for his ability to connect the teaching of practical skills for running a kehilla to the sacred nature of congregational work.

“His presence at United Synagogue reflects the organization’s focus on helping kehillot reinvent themselves for the 21st century,” said CEO Rabbi Steven Wernick.

“Bob is uniquely suited to this mission,” Wernick said. “He brings to Sulam his experience in the worlds of business and religion. His extensive and varied background has taught him much about leadership, and his outgoing style and personal warmth make him a natural for meeting and working with new people.”

Leventhal says, “I am eager to contribute to further strengthening Conservative kehillot. I’ve already had the privilege of working with some of our emerging and current leaders, and I look forward to meeting many more as part of the expanded Sulam program.”

To learn more about the Sulam Leadership program, go to uscj.org and click on “Leading a Kehilla.”

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A FAMILY FOUND

BY ARTIE DEAN

My grandfather and grandmother when they were first engaged, around 1920 in Poland.

My grandparents as they appeared in the 1970s.

I

HAVE BEEN WRITING STORIES and essays for my local Jewish paper, the Jewish Leader of Eastern Connecticut, for many years. From time to time someone stops me to say they read my column. On occasion I receive a phone call or an acknowledgement from a fellow minyan attendee that something I wrote made them smile. I like to hear from my readers, to know that something that I put down on paper struck their fancy.

Artie Dean is a periodontist who lives in Waterford, Connecticut, and is a member of Congregation Beth El in New London. He writes a biweekly column for the Jewish Leader of Southeastern Connecticut and is publishing a book of short stories.

(Top) This is the oldest picture of my father and relatives in Poland that I have. He is the infant being held by my grandmother. The people in the picture were aunts and cousins, all of whom perished in the Holocaust.

(Below) My grandparents Joseph and Rose Diener with my father.

“The Kiddush Cup,” a story I had written for the Leader that was then published in CJ: Voices of Conservative/Masorti Judaism (Spring 2012), is the story of a unique family heirloom. While my father was a British soldier occupying Germany at the conclusion of World War II he had a silversmith cast a kiddush cup from melted German coins. When my father returned to London on leave he brought the cup as a gift for my grandfather. The cup was handed down to me a few years before my father passed away. Imagine my anguish when this treasure fell into my garbage disposal one Shabbat evening after dinner. It took many months to have it restored.

After the story appeared in CJ, well wishers called my mother. Long lost friends called me. A rabbi in Israel decided to use the story

in a course about traditions. I was flattered by the attention, but nothing could have prepared me for the call I got one evening from Canada.

“Hello. You don’t know me, but I read your story in CJ magazine,” the caller began.

I glanced at the caller ID; we don’t get many telemarketing calls from Ottawa, Canada.

“A couple of friends told me to read your story,” he continued. “I really liked it.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that,” I said, flattered.

“I see that your father changed his name from Diener to Dean during the war.”

I listened, happy to discuss anything about my writing. Then he dropped his bombshell. “My name is John Diener. Where was your grandfather born? Mine was born in a little town in Poland named Grzymalow.”

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I called to my wife who, organized whiz that she is, brought me a sheath of papers detailing our family tree, a document I had prepared years ago. The breath caught in my throat, and I became aware of my heartbeat. “My grandfather was also from Grzymalow,” I said in a whisper. I had never met another Diener, and was convinced that they all perished in the Holocaust. After the war my father was stationed in Stuttgart, Germany. He tried, to no avail, to find any remnants of his family. He wrote letters to the Central Committee for Liberated Jews in the U.S. Zone. He visited concentration camps. He left Europe believing that all his relatives who remained in Poland were slaughtered by the Nazis.

I continued reading to John from my notes. “My grandfather, Joseph, had three sisters – Frima, Dina and Freida – and his father’s name was Ephraim.” There was a long pause on the other end of the phone.

Had I bored my newfound friend? “Hello, are you there?” I asked.

“Ephraim was my grandfather’s brother’s name,” John said. “Artie, I think we’re cousins.”

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I looked up at my wife, my vision suddenly clouded.

“What is it?”

“I think I just found part of my family.”

What followed over the next week was a flurry of emails and phone calls that electrified my usually calm household. It turns out that John is 58, exactly my age. His father, Nathan, survived a concentration camp. After the war he was sponsored by relatives in Canada and immigrated to Ottawa. I remember meeting those two relatives as a young boy when they came to visit my grandfather in the Catskill Mountains.

John, a genealogy buff, writes a column on genealogy for the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin, which explains why he took the time to find me. He sent me copies of documents that chronicle my father’s history: the 1949 ship’s manifest of the Queen Mary listing my father and his parents as passengers on the trip that brought them to the United States; a letter my father wrote to authorities in Germany hoping to find any surviving members of the family; a U.S. social

security application that my grandfather, Joseph Diener, prepared listing Gryzmalow as his town of birth. To my amazement, my new Canadian cousin has been searching for information on my father and grandfather for years, ever since he found a copy of my father’s post-war inquiry in a German archive.

The news is a bit overwhelming. I’m thrilled to think that a branch of my family survived the Holocaust and took root in Canada, but saddened to think that I might have found them sooner if only I knew how to look.

John contacted our mutual relatives in London and Paris, distant cousins who lived near my grandparents in London during the Blitz. We exchanged emails and I sent them pictures of my family. They remember meeting my father and grandparents at a bar mitzvah in London before they left for America.

The little hairs on the back of my neck stand on end when I think that the near-destruction of a kiddush cup lead to these revelations. I wish my father were alive so I could share the news.

My wife and I are making plans to visit Ottawa to meet John Diener and his family. A trip to London and Paris to search for my other relations might be next.

Washington Heights, the New York City neighborhood I grew up in, was a melting pot filled with Jewish survivors of the Holocaust. Many of my oldest friends are first generation Americans who lost their families as I did. While we tried to become allAmerican kids, embracing stickball and baseball and sports of every kind, we were indelibly marked by our parents’ experiences.

Now that my generation is approaching 60, many of us are researching our pasts.

Some travel to Europe to see where their parents were born. Some search for distant relatives hoping for clues to a lost world.

Others stay at home and use the internet for genealogical research. I got lucky. Through a series of incredible coincidences my article in CJ allowed my family to find me.

If you’re curious, there are free genealogical websites that might hold surprises.

Try jewishgen.org, yadvashem.org, myheritage.com, or familysearch.org to get started.

You may not be as alone as you think. CJ

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TEN TRUTHS OF SYNAGOGUE LIFE

BY RABBI ADAM J. RASKIN

I

AM IN THE MIDST OF TWO sacred milestones in my life: Ten years ago I was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City and one year ago I began my tenure as senior rabbi of Congregation Har Shalom, in Potomac, Maryland. On the last day of religious school in May, one of my sixth graders asked if I like my job. Without hesitation I said, “No. I love my job!” I truly feel blessed every day to do what I love to do: teach Torah, facilitate meaningful Jewish experiences for people of all ages, and be an ambassador for all of the wisdom and beauty that Judaism offers.

Over the course of my decade in the rabbinate, I have come to understand ten truths about Conservative synagogue life that I want to share. I invite you to discuss them with me.

1. Jews affiliate with synagogues much more because of the sense of community they offer than because of the theology they preach. I believe that people gravitate toward synagogues where they are energized by participating in Jewish life as part of a larger group. Whether the synagogue precisely matches their personal belief system is often secondary. I know too many great Conservative Jews who are members of modern Orthodox synagogues primarily because they want people with whom to share Shabbat and holiday meals. Serious Jews want to be surrounded by other serious Jews who prioritize Shabbat, prayer, hol-

Adam J. Raskin, ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2002, is senior rabbi of Congregation Har Shalom in Potomac, Maryland. He is married to Sari Levinson Raskin and they have three children.

iday observance, and deeds of loving kindness. They want to raise kids together, volunteer together, and become active together.

The most devoted synagogue members are in search of likeminded people with whom to share the Jewish journey.

2. The effectiveness of Jewish education depends more on a child’s parents than on any other single factor. Whether they attend the best Jewish day school or the most well conceived supplemental religious school, the kids who are the most affected by Jewish education are those for whom Jewish life is a family, rather than a drop-off, experience. The fact is schools are not very good surrogates nor are they designed to be. There is simply no substitute for kids witnessing their parents engaged in Jewish learning, observance and synagogue attendance. Preaching these values is of limited success without the partnership of the children’s most impactful role models, their parents.

3. Israel remains the most powerful Jewish resource we have. Israel simply has no rival when it comes to infusing Jews with a sense of their own sacred history, an indescribable pride in Jewish survival and resilience, and an investment in the future of the Jewish people. Having seen Israel’s profound impact on the people I’ve taken on congregation trips – many first time visitors – I remain passionately committed to bringing as many Jews as possible to Israel.

4. Watering down Judaism is not the answer. The flocks of liberal, non-observant, or searching Jews who become enchanted by Chabad, Aish Ha’Torah and other ultra-Orthodox manifestations of Judaism confirm that people want substance in their Judaism, not an empty vessel. The Conservative synagogue will not survive

if we are the place for ‘everyone else’ while committed Jews go elsewhere for their religious sustenance. Jettisoning Hebrew, eviscerating the traditional prayers and offering only elementary Judaism is a recipe for failure. Helping people appreciate the fullness of this 3,500-year-old tradition is what makes me leap out of bed in the morning.

It is the business our congregations ought to be in.

5. The classes that rabbinical school should have offered: sales, marketing, human relations, social work, theater, storytelling, child development, fundraising, business administration, comedy, information technology, travel, conflict mediation, and culinary arts! That being said, my enthusiasm for the rabbinate has encouraged me to explore many of these skills as I have come to realize how essential they are for a successful rabbinate.

6. Synagogues are expensive. Engaging qualified staff, offering attractive programming, and maintaining a pleasant, spiritually evocative physical space is not cheap.

Dues cover a shockingly limited portion of what is necessary for a synagogue – which is still the central address of the American Jewish community – to accomplish its mission. People may think that a rabbi talking about money sullies the religion, but until manna falls again from heaven, there’s no way around it.

7. I am neither indispensable nor can I be everywhere all the time. I have been pleasantly surprised that there is no committee, class, task-force, or meeting where a rabbi’s presence is unwanted. People love having the rabbi focus on their particular project. A rabbi’s attendance communicates importance and value. And I love supporting (continued on page 51) CJ — F A L L 2 0 1 2

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HALACHAH IN THE MODERN WORLD

SHOULD THERE BE

A DRESS CODE IN OUR SYNAGOGUES? B Y R A B B I H I L L E L H AY Y I M L AV E R Y- Y I S R A E L I

A

GENDER-MIXED PRAYER space and a synagogue open to all results in a wide diversity of people with different attitudes and approaches to Jewish prayer who come dressed in a wide variety of styles. And while we say that we value and welcome this diversity, it is not uncommon to hear ourselves and those around us criticizing others in the synagogue not only for the way they pray, but especially for the way they dress. This is magnified if the person receives an honor such as an aliyah.

And so we ask, should there be a dress code in our synagogues? What is the minimal requirement that we could comfortably enforce on visitors?

Rabbi Hillel Hayyim Lavery-Yisraeli has served Masorti congregations in Israel for the past five years and has taught Talmud at the Conservative Yeshiva. In July 2012 he became the rabbi of the Jewish Community of Gothenburg, Sweden.

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It is not uncommon to hear ourselves and those around us criticizing others in the synagogue not only for the way they pray, but especially for the way they dress.

But first, let’s acknowledge that any restriction on dress is going to be more of a demand on women than on men, even if the same standard of coverage is imposed on both.

Limitations on men’s attire would be well within the norms of how most would dress anyway. If we create a space which men can enter as they are, but which women can access only after modifications to their appearance, we send the message that this space is the domain of men and women must be altered to be accepted. A synagogue should be a safe place for all; imposing limitations on modes of dress makes it party to the oppression and objectification of women.

Some will claim that it’s hard to concentrate on prayer with people nearby dressed in a certain manner.

This is hypoRabbi Hillel Hayyim Lavery-Yisraeli critical. Maybe by imposing my preferences on another person, she will have a harder time focusing on her prayers since she had to dress in a way that makes her uncomfortable or feel unbecoming. Furthermore, we don’t prevent young children from entering our synagogues; we even encourage it, even though their behavior can be distracting. We don’t limit newcomers and visitors even though they are likely to talk to their neighbors, distracting the rest of us.

Contrary to the modern quasi-religious trend of combating sexual distraction by hiding women, when talmudic sources discuss rabbis who were exemplary in not succumbing to temptation, these rabbis were

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considered pious because they put restrictions on themselves, not on the women whom they encountered.

In Midrash Tanhuma, Satan takes on the disguise of a beautiful woman to distract Rabbi Matia ben Harash in the middle of his Torah studies. At first, Rabbi Matia tries to look the other way, but whenever he does so, Satan moves to the side to which he is looking. Finally, in despair, Rabbi Matia gouges out his eyes with burning hot nails.

God sends Raphael to heal his eyes, but Rabbi Matia refuses help until he receives God’s promise to give him immunity to any future temptations. Note how Rabbi Matia never asks the ‘woman’ to leave his study house or to dress differently. His response to temptation affects him alone.

In the Babylonian Talmud, tractate Ta’anit, a man is caught gazing at a rabbi’s daughter. When the rabbi punishes his daughter for being “a source of trouble to mankind,” the Talmud brands him as unfit to teach Torah and commends his student for seeking a new teacher.

Even in the Bible, when King David brings the ark to Jerusalem, his wife Michal criticizes him for his behavior during the public celebration. She disapproves of the way he danced and the way he dressed.

David rebukes her for criticizing someone sincerely celebrating his closeness with God, and God punishes her with childlessness.

There is no reason not to assume that when someone comes to synagogue, they do so sincerely, after having selected clothes that, in their mind, honor the occasion and place. If we find those clothes distracting or inappropriate, we need to change ourselves, not the other person.

Beyond subduing our feelings at inappropriate times or places, we need to learn to not objectify people or to draw conclusions about them based on their appearance. CJ

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RABBI MORDECAI WAXMAN z”l Trailblazer in Interfaith Relations B Y R A B B I J O N AT H A N WA X M A N

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N THE FALL OF 1937, A recent graduate of the University of Chicago presented himself for consideration to the dean of admissions of the Harvard Law School.

The dean pointed out that the semester had already begun. The young man pointed out that he had earned his undergraduate degree in three and a half years and was sure that he would catch up quickly.

The dean was as impressed by his chutzpah as by his academic achievement. When the dean did accept him, the young man then asked for financial aid; his father was a professor in Chicago and didn’t have the resources to fund a law school education. Apparently, this request, too, was granted.

And then the young man changed his mind, and instead began rabbinical school at the Jewish Theological Seminary. It was the law’s great loss, but ultimately the rabbinate’s gain. But why had he toyed with law school in the first place? His father, a 1913 graduate of the seminary, had served three pulpits within a span of four years and his mother’s view was: become a rabbi and see the US of A. The young man, my father, did travel through much of America but not because he changed pulpits. In fact, aside from his first pulpit after ordination in 1941 – a year

Rabbi Jonathan Waxman has served Conservative congregations in New Jersey and New York and currently is the rabbi of Temple Beth Sholom of Smithtown, New York. He continues his father’s tradition of involvement in interfaith engagement.

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in Niagara Falls – he served only one congregation, for 55 years. He died ten years ago, three weeks short of what would have been his formal retirement from Temple Israel of Great Neck, on New York’s Long Island.

Mordecai Waxman was born in 1917 in Albany, New York, to the rabbi of Ohav Shalom Congregation, Meyer Waxman, and his wife, Sarah. My grandfather, after leaving the pulpit and obtaining a doctorate from Columbia University, moved to Chicago where he taught at both the College of Jewish Studies (now Spertus) and Hebrew Theological College, an Orthodox seminary.

In 1942, after his ordination from the seminary, my father returned to Chicago where he helped establish Congregation Shaare Tikvah, which still exists. In Chicago he dated Ruth Bilgray, whose family was part of a small coterie of Hebraists in Chicago that included the Waxmans. Though the Bilgrays were members of Anshe Emet and my father’s father favored davening at the yeshiva, they were united in their love of Hebrew. My father took Ruth, a classically

trained pianist with a PhD in literature from the University of Chicago, to basketball games and double feature movies and somehow still managed to woo her. They were married in December of 1942. Soon called into service as an army chaplain, my father got as far as Fort Dix, New Jersey.

On his discharge he returned to his congregation in Chicago but soon began exploring other options. Youngstown, Ohio, was one; a large, urban congregation had a certain appeal. But both of my parents were taken by the smaller membership and more interesting people of Temple Israel in Great Neck, still meeting in a converted house in a residential neighborhood. That was a fateful decision. Within a short time, the large estates of Great Neck were carved up and the war-time building limitations were lifted. The peninsula became flooded with new housing and many young Jewish couples flowed to this easily accessible suburb of Manhattan. Temple Israel’s new neo-colonial building, dedicated in 1949, was soon bursting at the seams.

One of the first challenges my father faced

William Henry Cardinal Keeler congratulated Rabbi Mordecai Waxman when he became a knight commander of Saint Gregory the Great in 1998.

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was that of Jewish education for young women.

My mother had had an excellent Jewish education, earning a degree from the Rabbi Jonathan Waxman College of Jewish Studies along with her university degrees.

One of his first efforts was to eliminate the Sunday school track for girls; boys and girls at Temple Israel would all have to go to Hebrew school. He introduced the bat mitzvah, albeit on Friday nights when the young women read the haftarah.

Under his watch, in the late 1950s, the “Malitzky minyan” emerged at the youth house, a building adjacent to the synagogue where USY and Hebrew high school programs took place. Supervised by Harold Malitzky, the high school program director, this was an egalitarian service where ten young adults constituted a minyan. Furthermore, both girls and boys were expected to participate equally: girls serving as chazanim, as ba’alot kriah (Torah readers), haftarah readers, and as rabbis, which meant they not only announced pages but had to give sermons. This innovative service was written up a half a century ago in The United Synagogue Review.

It is little wonder then that in the mid ‘70s, as the issue of women’s participation began to percolate in the Conservative movement, Temple Israel moved to offer women aliyot.

I am sure that there was a lot of lobbying and heated meetings of the ritual committee.

To ensure that this change would slide down more easily, my father selected a woman whose Jewish educational credentials were impeccable. My mother would be the first adult woman to chant a haftarah on Shabbat morning, after receiving the maftir aliyah in honor of her birthday. The walls didn’t come tumbling down, though I remember a couple of the regulars walking out only to return after she was done. It should not be surprising that in 1983, when the Rabbinical Assembly narrowly rejected admitting Rabbi Beverly Magidson as our first female colleague, both my father and I voted in her favor. (continued on page 55) CJ — F A L L 2 0 1 2

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AWAKE! GREET THE NEW DAWN Change is in the Air for Women’s League Convention 2012

JW MARRIOTT SPA & RESORT

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Did you think four days in Vegas would really make you richer? While we can’t promise that your pockets will be any fuller, we can assure you that being at the Women’s League 2012 Convention in exciting Las Vegas definitely will enrich your spirit, your Jewish knowledge, and your sense of self while expanding your circle of friends and your commitment to your community. All this while having a rollicking good time, Vegas style.

Change is in the air for the Conservative movement. Even while tackling religious, social and demographic challenges head on, throughout the movement’s history we always have maintained a deep-rooted commitment to our rich Jewish tradition. On Monday morning of convention, Rabbi Elliot Dorff (Rector, Sol & Anne Dorff Distinguished Service Professor in Philosophy at the American Jewish University and chair of the Rabbinical Assembly’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards) will address today’s pressing issues as they relate to Conservative religious practice and ethics, demonstrating how striking this balance remains the hallmark of Conservative Judaism.

Rabbi Dorff’s keynote will be followed by more intimate break-out discussions on contemporary spirituality (Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies), the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (Rabbi Dorff), a view from the front lines of keruv/outreach (Rabbi Felipe Goodman of Temple Beth Sholom, Las Vegas, Nevada), women’s health concerns (Dr. Barbara Levin), views on Israel and Zionism across the generational divide, and the modern Jewish family (speakers to be announced).

Nowhere is change more evident than in the growing Masorti world in Israel. Monday afternoon our Israeli convention delegates will lead a frank discussion about their lives in Israel as Masorti Jews and as women. How and why do they identify with Masorti Judaism? What are the rewards and the challenges? How can we nurture relationships between Masorti women and their sisters in the diaspora?

One of the biggest changes for a Women’s League convention will happen Monday evening when you can enjoy a night out on the town or you can opt to stay in the hotel for a variety of activities or just to enjoy its spa.

But the most far-reaching change you will encounter is the new Women’s League strategic plan that will be introduced by Chair Shelly Goldin Tuesday morning. Delegates will then meet in small groups to discuss achieving a vibrant new Women’s League.

And what stays the same? The Women’s League devotion to Torah Fund and the institutions that educate our future rabbis, cantors, scholars, and teachers.Jewish Theological Seminary Chancellor Dr.Arnold Eisen will help us celebrate Torah Fund at 70 during Tuesday’s festive luncheon.

Tuesday night we’ll again benefit from our Vegas venue during a funfilled evening we’re calling Gangsters, Glitz & Gilda: A Dazzling Night of A & E. There will be a wide range of offerings, from the arts of the Amer-

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ican West and Jewish mobsters to the art of calligraphy and Jewish comediennes, from the art of mixing a mean martini to some serious Vegas dance moves! We’ll round out the evening with a cabaret and a little night music from Melanie Agatstein, of Temple Beth Sholom in Las Vegas.We’ll dance the night away, so come dressed for the occasion as cowgirls or prairie hands, croupiers or showgirls, mobsters or molls.

As has become a landmark of Women’s League conventions, we will close on Wednesday morning with a performance by the choral group (ready for Carnegie Hall after just a handful of rehearsals!) and the presentation of our biennial chesed project on behalf of a local cause. The Value Our Vets campaign will culminate with a presentation to the West Los Angeles Fisher House by Rabbi/Colonel Bonnie Koppell, Command Chaplain of the 807th Medical Command (Deployment Support) in the U.S.Army Reserve. Rabbi Koppell, the first female Jewish chaplain in the United States Army Reserve who has served for more than 30 years with numerous deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, will share some of her most moving experiences as both a rabbi and a chaplain.

Throughout convention, enjoy a variety of workshops including study with scholar-in-residence Dr. Gail Labovitz (professor of Talmud at Ziegler), a new study tefillah option, and an exciting exhibit hall where you’ll want to spend some of your lucky winnings. And, of course, we will fete the new officers and board of Women’s League and Honorary Convention Chair Blanche Meisel on Sunday evening.

Come to Vegas.Awake to greet the new dawn of Women’s League. Return home enriched and ready to become part of the network of committed, involved and dedicated Conservative Jewish women!

December 2-5, 2012 JW Marriott Spa & Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada For more information and to register, please go to www.wlcj.org.

If you are not a member of an affiliated Women’s League sisterhood, please call 212.870.1263 for registration.

Register online at www.wlcj.org DELEGATE FEES (Rates for commuters and hotel guests are the same.

Hotel registration is separate.)

FULL-TIME DELEGATES (Includes meals from Sunday dinner through Wednesday lunch) Early Bird Special (through September 28) First Time Delegate Special (through September 28) After September 28

$935 $835 $1000

PART-TIME DELEGATES (Includes any 3 or 6 consecutive meals) 3 consecutive meals

$340

6 consecutive meals

$680

HOTEL REGISTRATION: Hotel registration is not included in the convention registration fees and must be done directly through the hotel. The special rate for Women’s League delegates is $200 for all three nights, double occupancy.

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WOMEN’S LEAGUE VALUES OUR VETS

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OR THE PAST SEVERAL biennial conventions, Women’s League has undertaken chesed projects in support of organizations in or near its convention host city or region. In 2006, we provided pillows and toiletries for victims of abuse at the Laurel House in Philadelphia. In 2008, our members handcrafted more than 15,000 hats, gloves and scarves for distribution to the homeless in Detroit. And in 2010 we presented every child in pre-kindergarten and third grade in the Baltimore City public schools with his or her own age-appropriate reading book, 11,000 books in total! The outpouring of generosity and effort by our sisterhoods and members has just been astonishing.

It did not take the planning committee long to come up with an appropriate project for the 2012 convention being held in Las Vegas, December 2-5. Contemporary events have provided an important and urgent need: supporting the large number of veterans of two wars returning home with disabilities and permanent impairments. With this in mind, the members of Women’s League will be assisting veterans and their families who are residents of the West Los Angeles Fisher House.

Fisher Houses are recent establishments that support America’s military and their families beyond what is provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Fisher Houses are found on the grounds of military and VA medical centers for easy access by the servicemen and women who, together with their families, must travel great distances for specialized medical care.

These homes provide housing – at no cost – during hospitalizations for any illness, disease or injury. The West Los Angeles facility was selected as the closest to Las Vegas (and both Los Angeles and Las Vegas are in the Women’s League Pacific Southwest Region). Last year this Fisher House served 652 families in its 21 suites. You can learn about the facility at www.fisherhouse.org.

For the servicemen and women who must

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suffer through lengthy hospitalizations following their tours of duty, travel and living expenses to access care can be daunting.

Through Value Our Vets, Women’s League sisterhoods, individual members, and family and friends will provide gift cards for local grocery stores, restaurants, and pharmacies to help defray some of the living expenses. These gift cards will be a small token of our respect and gratitude for those who have contributed so much.

The local merchants, selected by the director of the West LA Fisher House, are CVS, Rite-Aid, Subway, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald’s, The Cheesecake Factory, The Coffee Bean, Starbucks, Target, and Ralph's Grocery Store.

The presentation of the gift cards will be a highlight of the convention’s final plenary session on December 5, a session that will feature Rabbi/Colonel Bonnie Koppell, the first female Jewish chaplain in the United States Army Reserves. Value Our Vets cochair Myra Promisel, speaking on behalf of herself and co-chair Ziza Pallia, said: “Buying gift cards is something everyone can do. Ziza and I know that Women’s League members will be as touched as we were by this project and will fully support this effort to make a difference in the lives of veterans.”

You can support veterans of the Canadian armed forces with contributions to the Military Families Fund that can be accessed through the Canadian Forces Personnel and Family Support Services at www.cfpsa.com.

If you would like to contribute to Value Our Vets, checks, or gift cards to the listed vendors can be sent to Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 820, New York, New York 10115, or you can donate online at www.wlcj.org. If you have any questions, contact Women’s League Program/ Education Director Lisa Kogen at lkogen@wlcj.org or 212.870-2156. CJ

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SAME-SEX CEREMONIES SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY

BY RABBI AVRAM ISRAEL REISNER

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IVE AND A HALF YEARS ago the Rabbinical Assembly’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards approved, by a tie vote, that homosexual families should have a dignified public place in the Jewish community while yet respecting the biblical prohibition against male sexual congress (Leviticus 18:22). The authors (myself, Rabbi Elliot Dorff, rector of the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, and Rabbi Daniel Nevins, dean of the Rabbinical School at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York) did not, however, append a specific liturgy or ceremonies for such weddings. Rather, we indicated in a short paragraph the elements that might be included in such a ceremony, and, more to the point, that these ceremonies should be joyous and significant, but should not make the claim that they were legally the same as the traditional Jewish marriage bond, the bond of kiddushin.

At that time we wrote: Surely it is better for gay and lesbian Jews to establish monogamous relationships with Avram Israel Reisner, rabbi of Chevrei Tzedek Congregation in Baltimore, Maryland, serves on the board of Magen Tzedek and on the editorial committee of Siddur Sim Shalom.

other Jews and thereby to establish stable Jewish households…. Surely the establishment of family units is central to the preservation of human dignity…. [W]e favor the establishment of committed and loving relationships for gay and lesbian Jews. The celebration of such a union is appropriate with blessings over wine and Sheheheyanu, with psalms and other readings to be developed by local authorities. Yet can these relationships be recognized under the rubric of Jewish kiddushin (marriage)? Does their dissolution require a ritual of gerushin (divorce)? What format and force would such rituals require? These are complicated and controversial questions that deserve a separate study. We have no objection to informal rituals of celebration for gay couples, including the elements mentioned above, but we are not able in this responsum to address the many halakhic questions surrounding gay marriage. Our paper does not provide for rituals of kiddushin for gay and lesbian couples….

We are not prepared at this juncture to rule upon the halakhic status of gay and lesbian relationships. To do so would require establishing an entirely new institution in Jewish law that treats not only the ceremonies and legal instruments appropriate for creating homosexual unions but also the

norms for the dissolution of such unions.

This responsum does not provide kiddushin for same-sex couples. Nonetheless, we consider stable, committed, Jewish relationships to be as necessary and beneficial for homosexuals and their families as they are for heterosexuals...

The celebration of such a union is appropriate.

For several years, the task of creating such ceremonies fell to individual rabbis within the movement. In time the Rabbinical Assembly came back to the three of us who wrote the original paper with the request that we try our hands at the project that we had hinted at earlier. Initially, it should be said, we were not anxious to do this. None of us considers himself a master of liturgy, and the legal context of such a ceremony remained to be explored. But as the months passed, and as New York State approved same-sex marriage, more pressure came to bear from colleagues in the field who did not want to create their own liturgy, but CJ — F A L L 2 0 1 2

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wanted some structure that would be recognized and that they could then adapt. And so we went to work reviewing what had been done by individual rabbis in the intervening years, not in order to create a definitive ceremony (we presented two to the Committee on Law and Standards in the paper that was approved in May), but rather to provide a model, or template, that could be used by our colleagues within the full legal context we were projecting. In order that this new legal institution bear some more legitimacy than my colleagues and I could give it ourselves, we sought the committee’s approval for the package, even as we understood the ceremonies themselves as models, to be embellished upon as rabbis will.

There were two big problems from the outset: Identifying what precisely constituted the kiddushin, which we were seeking to avoid, and how similar, in other regards, to the well-known Jewish wedding ceremony did we want this to be? Kiddushin, we readily agreed, was a form of special acquisition of the bride by the groom, represented by the husband’s declaration when giving the ring:“You are consecrated to me according to the laws of Moses and Israel.”

While most in the movement have moved to double ring ceremonies, the bride invariably responds to the groom’s legal declaration with some more poetic formula. Ours would be a more egalitarian covenant. There would be a mutual statement, not a onesided declaration. Something, perhaps, that they might say together.

But when it came to a vision of the ceremony, we found that some colleagues preferred to make a same-sex ceremony resemble the heterosexual one, and some quite the opposite. Some wished to see a ceremony as much like the traditional huppah ceremony as possible, changing language and the crucial declaration, but otherwise looking like a traditional wedding ceremony.

And others argued that the ceremony should be altogether different, so that it not feel like kiddushin-lite, but like its own entity. And so we presented two models for rabbis to choose from – one with huppah and seven blessings (sheva b’rakhot) and the other without huppah, using a tallit as its embracing symbol, and with three b’rakhot to

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COVENANT OF LOVING PARTNERS

On the ______________ day of the week, the ______________ day of the month of ______________ in the year five thousand seven hundred ______, corresponding to the secular date of _______, here in ______________ in the country of ______________ we, ______________ the daughter/son of ______________, and ______________ the daughter/son of ______________, before the people and the congregation make this holy declaration: Let it be known that our souls are bound one to the other with bonds of love and mutual devotion, and that it is our intention, with God’s help, to be exclusively faithful to each other all the days of our lives upon this earth. As our Sages taught: A person should find a partner with whom to eat, drink, read, study, sleep, and share every secret, secrets of Torah and secrets of life. We shall share from this day a complete partnership, joyfully and wholeheartedly establishing a household in common with moral and financial responsibilities for one another. We shall be loving partners for each other and will cherish, respect, sustain and assist one another in righteousness and faithfulness. With God’s help may our dwelling be filled with love and harmony, peace and companionship, and may we be privileged to nurture together our Jewish heritage, our love for our fellow Jews and the dignity of every creature.

We, the witnesses, attest that everything that is written and specified above has been done in our presence and is valid and effective.

(Signature)____________________, witness (Signature)____________________, witness

celebrate the union. At the heart of each we retained an exchange of rings – we felt those were a symbol without which the union would feel incomplete and one that would be more immediate and more portable than the ketubah, or its equivalent in a same sex ceremony. We proposed that those be delivered not with a one-directional declaration, but with a mutual request, “Be my partner….” (the text differs a bit in the two ceremonies) and a joint prayer.

In the process we came to understand that there are three functioning Jewish legal models of binding agreement: kiddushin (marriage), to be terminated by get (divorce); neder (oath) wherein each party takes a solemn vow, to be terminated by convening a bet din (rabbinic court) to annul the

vows; and shutafut (partnership) formed by mutual agreement and terminated by either party by a personal statement to that effect.

The strongest of those, kiddushin, is one sided and creates the problem of agunah (the chained woman who cannot remarry because her husband refuses to grant a get).

A same-sex relationship needed to be mutual, for neither is a dominant party. And we rejected the neder form which required the intervention of a bet din. Our models were both based on partnership, with a single Covenant of Loving Partners document, parallel to the ketubah, to be used with both, and a document of dissolution, should that become necessary, to be filed in a national Rabbinical Assembly database by either or both parties.

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There were, of course, language changes that needed to be made in these new wedding ceremonies, even the one that parallels most closely the traditional one. In this area, in particular, we consulted closely with members of the gay community. There were obvious changes. Reference to huppah v’kiddushin were replaced. Hattan v’kallah, bride and groom, became re’im ha-ahuvim / re’ot ha-ahuvot, loving companions. In one of the sheva b’rakhot (the seven blessings recited during a wedding ceremony), hattan v’kallah appears generically as an example of joy. Since it is a passage that is often sung, meter is relevant, so we substituted osher uv’rakhah, happiness and blessing.

(Here, some suggested the simple substitution of hattan v’hattan or kallah v’kallah whereas others felt uncomfortable using the terms bride or groom at all in this context, so this suggestion found its place as an alternative.)

We replaced the words “k’dat Moshe v’Yisrael” (according to the Law of Moses and Israel) to “b’einei Elohim v’adam,” (in the eyes of God and humankind) a phrase taken from the Book of Proverbs, recognizing that this is a new ceremony, not yet established in the law of Israel, though in time we expect it to be.

Some changes were not obvious at all. The sheva b’rakhot refer prominently to the creation of humankind, which we felt was appropriate. But the second half of the fourth blessing refers to the creation of Adam in God’s image, “creating from him a perpetuation of life.” Subtle though this reference is to woman and heterosexual procreation, we felt it right to refocus on another verse in Genesis, “It is not good for Adam to be alone.” Thus, in subtle ways, was the traditional language adapted to this new event.

We hope that our colleagues will feel comfortable using these models as is or as a basis from which to embellish.

Some have worried that we may have done our job too well, creating an egalitarian ceremony without the problem of the agunah, because the union may be dissolved by either party. Asked what if a heterosexual couple desires to use this structure instead of traditional kiddushin, our response, writ-

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ten into this teshuvah, is: While some heterosexual couples may see in these new models of brit (covenant) and shutafut (partnership) for same-sex couples a basis for abandoning the traditional model of kiddushin (sanctification), Conservative Judaism has taught us to respect ancient liturgy and to minimize modifications of text, focusing instead on interpretive evolution…. Because for gay couples there is no established wedding liturgy, we have used this opportunity to create a new ritual that uses the egalitarian language of partnership from the outset.

The fact is that as part of the traditional wedding ceremony we do more egalitarian double ring ceremonies as a matter of course, and have resolved the problem of the agunah through the offices of the Joint Bet Din and annulling marriages upon divorce when a get cannot be obtained.

Innovation, we believe, has its rightful place beside tradition, not in its stead.

We are acutely aware that the civil question of marriage equality is very much roiled

at this moment. We sought, insofar as anything we say has weight, to insulate these ceremonies from any implication with regard to state law: Some American states and foreign countries have recognized same-sex civil unions or domestic partnerships but reserved the language of marriage for heterosexual couples. Others have moved to full equalization of legal status and terminology for gay couples, but many states have refused all such recognition…. The status of this relationship in civil law will depend upon the jurisdiction within which the ceremony occurs and the reciprocal recognition rules in the state where the couple resides. Performance of the Jewish wedding ceremony is not to be considered a civil marriage in those jurisdictions which prohibit same-sex marriage.

It will be up to individual colleagues to determine whether they can and wish to participate in such a ceremony.

You can find the responsa at www.rabbinicalassembly.org. CJ

Reach more than

200,000 HOUSEHOLDS of affiliated North American Conservative Jews for less than two-tenths of a penny per home Advertise in CJ / Voices of Conservative/Masorti Judaism Call 917-668-6809 or email ras@uscj.org VOICES OF CONSERVATIVE/MASORTI JUDAISM

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HOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD Teach Jewish Social Entrepreneurship

BY REBECCA HAMMERMAN

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IX STUDENTS – ALL participants in List College’s Fellowship in Jewish Social Entrepreneurship – stood at an intersection in the middle of Hunt’s Point. As they huddled together, listening over the hum of idling trucks, Sharon de la Cruz pointed out a vacant building surrounded by barbed wire that once housed a juvenile detention center. Ms. De la Cruz is a program director at the Point Community Development Corporation, which is dedicated to youth development and the cultural and economic revitalization of the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx, in New York City. Having a prison in the neighborhood, Ms. de la Cruz explained, is a constant reminder of the staggeringly large number of young men from this neighborhood who will serve a jail sentence during their lifetime. Having a jail in the center of the neighborhood also sends a signal to the youth that this is a place they are expected to use, just as kids would be expected to use a park that takes up the same number of square blocks in other, wealthier areas.

The toxic tour, one of two annual field trips sponsored by List College’s Fellowship in Jewish Social Entrepreneurship (FJSE), continued past several waste transfer stations (garbage dumps) and along residential streets toward the Hunt’s Point Food Rebecca Hammerman just completed her fourth year as assistant dean of List College and the FJSE program director.

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Marissa Signer and Britany Weissman volunteer at a local urban farm during an environmental justice field trip.

Distribution Center. to social justice.

Students discussed the In 2007, Dr. Shuly irony that the largest We view the work of social Rubin Schwartz, food distribution cen- entrepreneurship through dean of graduate and ter in the region was the lens of Jewish tradition, undergraduate studhoused in a neighbor- which is replete with lessons ies at JTS, noticed a hood known as a food growing trend among regarding the responsibility desert for its residents. students and graduThe tour stopped at a of each individual to repair ates. More and more, beautiful, newly reno- the world, save a life and they were participatvated park along the care for others. ing in short- and river. Ms. de la Cruz long-term social servexplained that while green space is needed ice projects, and an increasing number of in this neighborhood where asthma and obe- graduates were pursuing careers in the field sity are rampant, the park is so far from of social justice. At the same time, Jonathan the residential area that children and par- Lopatin, then a member of the List College ents have no way of getting to it safely. advisory board and now a JTS trustee, had The day in Hunt’s Point demonstrated how the idea to model an undergraduate felsometimes environmental laws and policies lowship on the Yale Urban Fellows. “It can negatively impact less prosperous areas, occurred to me that the Yale program could causing them to become even more serve as a model for a similar program at depressed.

JTS,” Lopatin said, “one that would incorThe FJSE is the signature program of List porate the connections between Judaism College, the undergraduate school of the and social responsibility.”

Jewish Theological Seminary. List College’s The fellowship, beginning its fourth year dual-degree programs with Columbia Uni- with seven new fellows, has impacted 30 curversity and Barnard College prepare students rent and former List College students. It for global citizenship and leadership in the includes field trips and guest speakers rangJewish community and beyond. Select FJSE ing from rabbis to social entrepreneurs, develfellows hold an internship at a local agency, opment executives to government employees, non-profit or business that demonstrates a who have committed themselves to findcommitment to social change. Every other ing creative solutions to some of society’s week, they participate in a seminar that gravest problems. includes discussions of the Jewish imperaThe field trip to Hunt’s Point was a transtive for engaging in social justice work and formative experience for Alyssa Berkowitz explorations of individual identity as it relates (class of 2012), who previously had not con-

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sidered environmental zoning laws as one of the great injustices of the world. Alyssa explained, “Sharon talked about an abundance of problems that the residents of the neighborhood face. But she didn’t feel defeated. She told us that under every problem was an issue waiting to be solved and that we should not bridle our passions.” This type of first-hand exploration, along with Alyssa’s internship at Hazon and the biweekly FJSE seminar, taught Alyssa “how to channel [her] passion for making a difference in a constructive way.”

Justin Turetsky (class of 2011) wanted to gain insight into effectively melding forprofit and non-profit business models. His professional interests lie in the for-profit world but he hopes to find success in a socially responsible way. He interned at the for-profit United Light Group, which provides solar and off-the-grid lighting solutions. Justin reflected, “My supervisor was a List College alumnus, and he instinctively understood how important it was for me to synthesize my dual passions for business and social justice.” Justin saw how businesses balance their commitment to providing green solutions and products while staying competitive in the marketplace. Of the bi-weekly seminar Justin said: “I wanted to discuss issues of great importance, and through the seminar I learned and grew with the other fellows. My internship experience was a great addition to my resume, and I have made outstanding use of the networking opportunities it provided.”

We at List College view the work of social entrepreneurship through the lens of Jewish tradition, which is replete with lessons regarding the responsibility of each individual to repair the world, save a life and care for others. The fellowship weaves together professional training, identity development and Jewish learning in preparation for post-college leadership and citizenship by students who want their work in the social sector to have an impact.

Alyssa Berkowitz summed up the transformational nature of her experiences: “By looking at various social injustices, I have learned how to play a role in advocating and preventing them. Week after week we learned how to get our message across. We

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listened to passionate, charismatic people who are doing great things. Their enthusiasm was contagious, and the more I listened, the more I learned. Before interning at Hazon, I went to a farmers market, bought organic products, and used recyclable bags. Now, my roommates and I compost, rarely buy processed foods, and we take the time to think about what we are eating and the people who were involved in the production of our food.

I actively encourage others to do the same.”

According to Dean Schwartz, “It is our

mission to provide students with the best of both worlds. Students forge their own synthesis of Jewish and secular learning, develop their identities as adult American Jews, identify career paths, and shape their vision for responsible global citizenship. Through the FJSE, List College cultivates Jewish leaders who are prepared to live integrated lives, fully engaged in both the Jewish and secular worlds, leaders who will utilize their talents, experiences, knowledge, commitments, and values to make a difference.” CJ

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WHEN IS EDUCATION

EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION?

BY MARK S. YOUNG

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HEN I WAS 16 years old, I boarded a plane from Cleveland, Ohio, to New York City to begin a six-week journey I would never forget. Fortytwo teenagers and five staff traveled to Eastern Europe and Israel on USY Pilgrimage.

Many years later, I sit at the Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education, a dedicated Jewish educator and professional, in part because of that journey.

USY Pilgrimage was a transformative experience for me, but was it “experiential education”? Experiential education have become buzz words in Jewish education over the last generation, spawning literature, research and training programs, including the one that I coordinate at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Much of this buzz has been due to the perceived success of educational settings outside the classroom – Jewish camps, youth groups and Israel trips,

Mark S. Young is the program coordinator of the Experiential Learning Initiative at the Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary.

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experiential learning. among others – to Experiential education connect and engage youth and emerging It is when we reflect on our is the two-way interactive process between educaadults in Jewish life. past experiences at any tor and learner. The USY Experiential edu- point afterward, even Pilgrimage counselors cation, however, is several years later, that the helped facilitate our expemuch more than a experience becomes riences, partially through place. My experience experiential learning. planning each adventure on USY Pilgrimage in Poland, Hungary, the was transformative, but not just because we were outside of a Czech Republic, and Israel, but mainly classroom. Our senior staff and counselors through giving meaning to these experiences guided us through each experience, act- by blending them with Jewish content. ing as facilitators and providing us with For example, they introduced a Pirkei Avot opportunities to reflect on what we were text to help us understand tzedakah in Israel experiencing. These allowed us to synthe- and taught a Hebrew song and its meansize what we had learned and come to our ing when we visited Jerusalem’s Old City.

They encouraged us to write in journals, own conclusions.

Facilitation and reflection are two key ele- share ideas with each other, and engage in ments of the approach (not place) of expe- serious discussions in response to our visits. riential education. Dr. Joseph Reimer, of This is experiential education. Adding JewBrandeis University, one of a growing num- ish content results in Jewish experiential eduber of academics who have written on Jew- cation.

Another example from my personal expeish experiential education over the last decade, has argued that experiences do not rience: I was the song leader and Judaics end when an event is over, and that an expe- director of my summer camp. Our experience on its own is not experiential edu- riences, especially during Shabbat, were more cation. It is when we reflect on our past than just dancing, praying and eating. Durexperiences at any point afterward, even sev- ing services, campers illustrated the Torah eral years later, that the experience becomes potion with pageants. They planned and

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performed interpretative dances and songs illuminating the portion’s theme. They shared their creative writing during Havdalah. They engaged in Jewish content by creating, exploring and experiencing. Their guides were the staff, who reflected on the campers’ creations through questions and discussion. That was when experiential education took place, and it was not just because (or even required that) we were at camp.

What is so fascinating today is the successful transformation of experiential education across the Jewish educational landscape. Synagogues and day schools are embracing it to complement more traditional learning. The goal is to help young Jews achieve holistic Jewish growth, that is, strong Jewish literacy as well as positive affiliation, engagement and connection to the Jewish community and Jewish life.

In one synagogue, on Simchat Torah, the congregation unwinds an entire Torah scroll, wrapping it around the sanctuary so that young children and adults alike can appreciate the massive piece of parchment that surrounds them. Younger members read the verses of the Torah that are open where they stand in the scroll snaking around the room identifying where the story is in the massive document as well as its importance to the whole. The rabbis ask questions, allowing the congregation to reflect and then, as they slowly roll our collective story back up, they sing loudly and joyously. When the congregants dance around with the Torah scrolls, they are fully engaged and understand the holiness of the moment.

For Tu b’Shevat, a day school turns its whole building into a big tree. Educators ask students to choose the fruits they want to grow, finding out about each fruit’s connection to Jewish tradition and ritual, and designing that part of the tree. Again, it is not making the school into a tree that is experiential education. It is allowing the students to engage in the material directly, and asking guided questions, integrating their identity and interests with Jewish knowledge.

There are other examples. Many synagogues are engaging youth in service-learning or volunteering during Hebrew school or as part of the bar/bat mitzvah experience.

Schools are increasing their trips to Jew-

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ish museums to examine and reflect on artifacts from history and tradition. Students engage in other interactive learning activities within the synagogue walls.

Creating these experiences is one step but, as Dr. Reimer advises, experiences alone will not harness the power and ability to transmit knowledge and engage connection.

To create dynamic and engaging learning environments, synagogues, schools and educational institutions must weave the experiential along with traditional methods.

Facilitation and reflection are just two aspects of experiential education. Other hall-

marks are engaging learners through multiple learning pathways, building relationships among learners and educators, and integrating Jewish content with stimulating activities. To integrate experiential education into an educational curriculum takes serious planning and imple- mentation.

Both were certainly evident on my long-ago USY Pilgrimage. Our challenge as Jewish educators and lay leaders is to figure out how to transform all of our educational touchpoints to improve Jewish education for the future of the Jewish people. Let’s continue to explore together, and reflect. CJ

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THE MEANING OF BEING YOUNG JEWS TODAY

BY ARIELA KEYSAR

M

OST OF WHAT we know about Jews’ self-identity comes from surveys, such as the recent Jewish Community Study of New York: 2011 and the American Jewish Identity Survey. I know firsthand how important these studies are. I was involved in the latter and have conducted other national sur-

Ariela Keysar, associate research professor of public policy and law, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, is a principal investigator of the American Religious Identification Survey, ARIS 2008.

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veys of religious identification.

But as essential as these representative samples are, they have limitations.

For starters, they generally cover only adults. And they don’t give respondents a chance to express complex thoughts in their own words.

So I was excited last spring to have the ability to ask a small but elite group of young Conservative Jews to express their views about some deep issues in Judaism. My questions included how they perceive their Jew-

ish identity, what Jewish secularism means to them, and what they regard as the most important Jewish value. The answers, while of course not statistically representative, were illuminating on their own terms.

I asked my questions before making a presentation on Jewish demography to ten seniors at Ivry Prozdor, the Hebrew high school of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City, where my son is a junior.

Prozdor students are articulate and Jewishly engaged. President of the board Dr. Ariela Noy, of Congregation Beth Sholom, Teaneck, New Jersey, wrote to parents recently, “The Ivry Prozdor program has made it possible for my three children to continue their education in a progressive, intellectual atmosphere.” For me, it was a chance to take the pulse of the same sort of students that were interviewed for “Eight Up,” a longitudinal study of young Conservative Jews, from 1995-2003.

Although the students have not studied Jewish demography, it was immediately clear that they understood the issues on a personal level.

I started with a question patterned on the one we used in the American Jewish Identity Survey: When you think of what it means to be a young Jew in America today, would you say that it means being a member of a religious group, an ethnic group, a cultural group, or a people?

One student wrote: “I feel that I am a member of all these groups. I am religiously connected because of laws in the Torah, ethnically connected because of my origins, culturally connected because of my practices, and all these make me part of a people.”

Another wrote: “At the most basic level, it means being part of a religious group and a people. However, the more religious Jews would also be part of a cultural group as Jewish customs have been kept throughout time all over the world.”

A third student zeroed in on the challenge of contemporary Jewish demography: “In today’s America being a Jew means being part of the Jewish cultural group due to the large number of Jews without religious affiliation.”

And this the student wrote before I presented data on the growing number of Jews (continued on page 57)

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CRITICAL LOYALTY Defending Israel Should Be Complex

BY ALEX SINCLAIR

I

F YOU BELIEVE, AS I DO, that loving Israel and criticizing Israel are two acts that can and must go together, then these are tough times.

Look around, especially on campus, and you see increasingly bitter, vicious and outrageous attacks on Israel. Israeli apartheid week has become a mainstream event; it is now acceptable to call into question Israel’s right to exist.

In environments such as this, it becomes very tempting to mute any concerns and criticisms of Israel. For if we express our qualms about certain policies, if we “wash our dirty laundry in public,” won’t it just give further ammunition to the anti-Semites and anti-Zionists? I speak from painful personal experience. Some of my op-eds that have appeared on the Haaretz website have been cut and pasted out of context onto sites run by Israel-haters. So maybe we should just bite our tongues and toe the party line?

This kneejerk reaction essentially implies that politics trumps education. Education is about understanding the complexities, nuances and depth of the subject matter; politics is about pragmatic results in a dirty

Dr. Alex Sinclair is director of programs in Israel Education for the Jewish Theological Seminary. He runs Kesher Hadash, the Davidson School’s semester in Israel program. The views expressed in this article are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of JTS.

world. There is a real political battle going on, and we need to keep our concerns and frustrations to ourselves, and keep focused on defending Israel against those who delegitimize and attack it. According to those who hold this position, while it might be a noble value, we will shoot ourselves in the foot if we give educational complexity too much oxygen.

I certainly understand those who would mute complexity at a time like this. But we do ourselves a disservice, and ultimately we do Israel a disservice, if we allow external criticism to dull our right – our obligation – to be critical and loyal, to be thoughtful, dialogical lovers of Israel. If our relationship with Israel only functions on the political advocacy level, it will wither, and that in turn will damage our communal ability to defend Israel when it truly needs defending. We need to find ways to have political advocacy and education coexist.

Can a critical, educated, liberal Zionist also be a good Israel advocate? Yes, without doubt. In fact, someone who is truly educated about Israel, who understands the complexities of its society and politics, will be a much better advocate than someone who has merely been taught to parrot statements in a shouting match. As a committed but critical Zionist, it’s okay to celebrate and be inspired by Israel’s successes, but also to get angry, perturbed and even depressed by its failures.

One major challenge for the critical Zion-

ist on campus is how to distill this critical-but-committed position into the concise, sound-bite-friendly statements that are needed, whether in campus discussions, interviews with local media, or conversations in a bar with friends.

It can be done. Look, for example, at the following statement: I agree with you. The current government of Israel has some deeply mistaken policies. Its policy over the occupation [or: Sudanese refugees, environmental issues, Orthodox hegemony, not appropriately punishing soldiers who act brutally toward Palestinians] makes me furious. But you have to understand that there are lots of Israelis who also feel that way. There are some really impressive Israeli leaders who make me proud to be a Zionist and proud to be a Jew. I think you would also find their positions compelling. Let’s talk about the different policies of Israel’s various parties and how we can strengthen them from abroad.

This statement constitutes a model for how liberal Zionists on campus can retain their integrity with regard to their legitimate criticisms and their responsibility to defend Israel.

It begins with a candid and frank acknowledgement of Israel’s imperfection. This is CJ — F A L L 2 0 1 2

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it. While it’s true that a bold step, but it has the Syrian government the advantage of engages in wanton wrong-footing the Israeli apartheid week has become a mainstream murder of its own citIsrael-hater. Next is a izens, the Chinese govstatement that destabi- event; it is now acceptable ernment practices lizes the monolithic pic- to call into question Israel’s draconian censorship ture of Israel that many right to exist. laws, and most Middle non-Jews (and Jews) Eastern societies are have. Israel contains a wide variety of voices and opinions, and virulently anti-homosexual, none of these while I disagree with some, there are other, issues gets the press coverage Israel does. So deeply compelling voices with which I yes, we should point that out. But we should strongly agree. Thirdly, the statement ends also say that we’re happy that Israel is held with another maneuver: a call to cooper- to a higher standard. We do believe that ate in the spirit of the two-state solution that Israel, as the inheritor of the biblical guarantees security for Israel as a Jewish state tradition, has more to live up to than other and statehood for the Palestinians, based on countries, just as we as Jews set ourselves international documents like the Roadmap, higher moral standards. In this way, the Annapolis and the Geneva Accords. Implicit Jewish Zionist can dialogue with the is the demand for recognition of Israel’s right “unwilling Zionist” about a joint vision to exist, which in confrontational situations of Israel, continually pointing out the must be a basic and first requirement for double standard, while bringing the unwilling Zionist into a profoundly continued debate.

This last point is to be stressed. We need Zionist conversation about what Israel to distinguish between three kinds of crit- might aspire to.

Increasing numbers of diaspora Jews are icism against Israel. Firstly, Zionist critique of particular policies or positions that is unable to defend some policies of the Israeli responsible and reasonable, whether it government with integrity. For them, we comes from Israelis, diaspora Jews or need to stop Israel engagement being a zeronon-Jews, should be defended as absolutely sum game, in which you’re either all-in or you’re off the table. We need to offer true legitimate.

Secondly, and on the other extreme, is Israel education, which by its very nature anti-Zionist critique that does not accept requires complex, nuanced, sophisticated Israel’s right to exist. This is clearly unac- thought. Someone who has been educated ceptable and those who make it should be about Israel in this way probably will be a called out on it. As even Norman Finkel- much better Israel advocate on campus. stein recently argued, if you criticize Israel Someone whose connection to Israel is built without explicitly supporting its right to on flimsy sound-bites, questionable facts exist alongside a Palestinian state, you have and sexy images will fail as an advocate in the long run. no legitimacy yourself.

Israel education of this sort is our biggest The third is somewhere in the middle, and requires more careful dissection. This weapon against Israel-haters. We can show is the kind of criticism that comes from peo- them that we can be critical of Israel and still ple who do not seek Israel’s destruction. love it, that we can voice our frustration, They accept its right to exist and there- our anger, and even our disgust with some fore are Zionists whether or not they accept of its policies, while supporting with that designation. Nevertheless, either con- unshakeable conviction its right to exist and sciously or subconsciously, they criticize flourish in peace. We can infuse and enrich Israel more than other countries, or hold our Jewish identities with its cultural and Israel to standards to which they would not artistic delights even as we bridle at some of its religious extremism. And we can do all hold other countries.

Some Israel advocates attack this dou- that with sound-bites, too. Israel: it’s flawed. ble standard, but a better tactic is to embrace I love it. Help me improve it. CJ

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Photo by Wendy Glick

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A 2011 USY Pilgrimage group at the famous gathering called Ha Event.

TAPPING THE PASSION OF USY ALUMNI

BY ANDREA GLICK

I

T’S HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT USY, the transformative youth movement that is one of United Synagogue’s enduring success stories, has moved well beyond its adolescence as it celebrates its 60th birthday. In a myriad of ways USY has shaped the lives of more than 250,000 North American Jewish teens. Significantly, it also has nurtured countless leaders in Conservative Judaism and in the larger Jewish world. Just talk to a synagogue president, rabbi, Jewish educator, or anyone else in the forefront of Jewish life – including United Synagogue’s own CEO, Rabbi Steven Wernick – and chances are you’ll find someone whose Jewish identity and passion were nurtured through USY. For more than a year now – and continuing through December – United Synagogue has sponsored celebrations of USY’s 60th birthday, bringing together alumni with founders and key leaders from across the decades. These events have tapped a powerful vein of memories and enthusiasm among alumni, many of whom have described their time in USY as one of the most formative experiences of their lives.

That’s why United Synagogue has estab-

lished the new USY Alumni Association to ensure the continued vitality of this powerful youth movement and enhance its ability to reach the next generations of young Jews.

“The alumni association will foster an environment where former USYers can reignite their deep commitment to and passion for USY. It will empower them to use their expertise to help current USYers hone their leadership skills and celebrate their Jewish identity, and it will give them a platform for helping raise much-needed resources for scholarships,” explained Wendy Glick, director of alumni affairs at United Synagogue.

Jeffrey Shlefstein, a USY alumnus from the New York region (METNY), will serve as inaugural chair of the association. “We have reached a crucial point in time, where we need to reconnect our alumni and provide support for the future vitality of USY,” said Shlefstein. “The alumni association will provide an avenue, connect old friends and form new friendships, and mentor the next generation of Jewish leaders.”

The USY Alumni Association emerges from Project Reconnect, the initial platform aimed at reconnecting alumni of all

programs of the Conservative movement.

The well-known programs Kol Dichfin and Come Home for the Holidays will continue (continued on page 57)

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THE ED-MEN Educational Game Changers Join “820”

BY SHIRA DICKER

A

S PART OF ITS ONGOING revitalization effort, United Synagogue recently welcomed two new professionals to “820” – its continental headquarters in New York City – who are charged with furthering the mission and scope of the organization as it heads toward its centennial celebration in October 2013, and beyond.

They are Rabbi Jim Rogozen, the new chief learning officer, and Rabbi David Levy, the director of teen learning.

“The recent acquisition of two stellar and visionary Jewish educators signals the dawning of a new era of strengthened and enhanced leadership,” said United Synagogue CEO Rabbi Steven Wernick. “The sterling reputations of Rabbis Rogozen and Levy precede them.”

United Synagogue President Richard Skolnik characterized the hiring of Rabbis Rogozen and Levy as forward thinking. He said, “The two share a unique ability to strengthen the fabric of Conservative Judaism from the inside out.”

Rabbi Jim Rogozen has been a head of school for 26 years, the last 19 of which at the Gross Schechter Day School in Cleveland. His position at United Synagogue is a newly created one that is critical to its mission and vision. He will create the strategy and the direction for strengthening and transforming the learning experiences of the children and teens of affiliated kehillot, explained Wernick.

As chief learning officer, Rogozen will develop the learning strategy for United Synagogue and lead, inspire and motivate personnel, as well as manage and coordinate the work of the directors of early and middle childhood and teen learning

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“Having grown up in the movement and raised kids in the movement, I believe there are a heck of a lot of things we can do better,” said Rabbi Rogozen. “The Conservative movement is located in the passionate center of Jewish life. Right now we’re playing defense. It’s time to play offense.”

“Instead of sounding a death knell about Conservative Judaism, we must invest in Jewish education now,” added Rogozen.

“The money is there; it just needs to be redistributed. No aspect of our Jewish lives is so under the microscope, but the product is measurable. Over the years, I’ve learned what it means to evaluate and deliver that product.”

Rogozen will be responsible for convening, collaborating and creating synergies with other centers of Conservative Judaism to further the goals of strengthening and transforming learning from early childhood through adolescence. He begins his position September 1, 2012.

For Rogozen the job offer arrived at the right time. “I needed a new challenge, something exciting that will have an impact on the next generation.”

Richard Skolnik reiterated the central importance of Rogozen’s role. “As the goal of United Synagogue is to maximize the engagement of children and youth and their families in high quality Jewish learning experiences – planting the seeds for a commitment to life-long learning, Jewish values and to the practice of Conservative Judaism – this position is key,” he explained.

Working alongside Rabbi Rogozen will be Rabbi David Levy, the new director of teen learning. “This is a new position focusing on how United Synagogue strengthens and transforms learning in Conservative kehillot,” said Rabbi Wernick. “Rabbi Levy

Rabbi Jim Rogozen is United Synagogue’s new chief learning officer.

Rabbi David Levy is United Synagogue’s new director of teen learning.

will create the strategy and the direction of teen learning and drive the daily program of today’s teens that aligns with the vision of United Synagogue.”

“I couldn’t be more excited or honored,” said Levy. “I am a product of the incredible work of Jules Gutin and USY, and I am humbled to lead our teen efforts into the future. The task before us is great, as we enhance the capacity of our kehillot to serve our teens and nurture them as the future leaders of our movement. I am most excited to meet and get to know our teens and dream big with them, charting an exciting future for them and, by extension, for our movement and the world.”

Levy comes to United Synagogue after serving as the director of admissions for the Rabbinical School and H. L. Miller Cantorial School and College of Jewish Music of the Jewish Theological Seminary. In this

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role, he traveled around the country teaching and encouraging rising Jewish leaders.

“We could not have hoped for a better candidate,” said Skolnik. “Rabbi Levy possesses a passion and devotion to teen enrichment, learning and engagement. He is committed to the observances of Conservative Judaism and he has experience working with and in kehillot.”

In addition to his other responsibilities, Levy will lead USY and Kadima. He will create social experiences by tapping into the networking that takes place among teens, especially social networking; create a cadre of outstanding youth professionals, nationally and locally; ensure that professionals have a strong Judaic background; and explore potential partnerships with other organizations and models. Rabbi Levy began his position in early July.

Both Rabbis Levy and Rogozen come to United Synagogue with impressive resumes and their positions are complementary. As Wernick explained, “There is a perfect interface between their tasks and responsibilities.

Their positive influence will be felt in a broad and holistic manner.” CJ

If you’ve ever participated in a Women’s League training seminar or spent time at a conference or convention you know the value of our directed, single-topic workshops. Now, for the third year, Women’s League is offering members needsdriven in-service conference call training experiences that will help you and your sisterhood now. While you enhance your personal leadership skills, your sisterhood will benefit from practical, proven advice from our veteran volunteers and able professional staff.

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Sessions begin at 8:30 PM eastern time and are free-of-charge.

To register, go to www.wlcj.org CJ — F A L L 2 0 1 2

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FJMC

GOES TO

PERU

BY DR. GARY AND LEAH SMITH The Iquito congregation presents gifts to the group after Havdalah.

W

HEN WE decided to participate in a group trip to explore historical and Jewish Peru, sponsored by Masorti Olami and the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs, little did we know what was in store for us. Led

by Michael Abadi, FJMC’s South American liaison, and FJMC Executive Director Rabbi Charles Simon, it turned out to be a wonderful educational, emotional and spiritual journey.

The highlight of the trip was visiting Iquitos, a poor city located near the mouth of the Amazon River with aging buildings and people who have had to adapt to a difficult way of life. (There are only two ways into and out of Iquitos, by water or by air.)

On our first Shabbat in Peru we met the president of the Jewish community of Iquitos and his wife, Jorge and Pakita Abramovich Moreno, who took us to an ancient building with no writing on it.

Frankly, it was the last place we expected would be a synagogue. The deteriorating

Gary and Leah Smith are members of Adath Israel in Cincinnati, Ohio. The trip participants decided to honor Michael Abadi for his knowledgeable and compassionate leadership by creating a scholarship fund for Latin American Jewry in his name.

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white brick walls were decorated with Judaic art surrounded by fans. The bimah was a six-foot table with a tablecloth and the Torah sat to the side in a small wooden box. As we entered the sanctuary, something extraordinary occurred: the congregation clapped hands and every one of the almost 200 Jews in Iquitos warmly embraced us. Even though most of us did not speak Spanish our eyes and our hearts met with a welcome as if we knew each other for many years.

The service was simple but very interesting. The custom in the Masorti congregations in Peru is for the whole congregation to attend services on Friday evening. People interacted and sat with each other. The members of our group who did speak Spanish made it a little easier for the rest of us.

Michael Abadi, our primary translator, filled in the blanks. We started the service by wrapping our arms around each other and singing Shalom Aleichem and dancing. The young children hugged us. Later that evening we enjoyed a great meal with local delicacies like paiche (fresh water fish) and chonta salad (made with hearts of palm) in the president’s house.

The members of the Iquitos congregation want to be acknowledged as Conservative/Masorti Jews. There is no permanent rabbi, but one periodically flies in from Argentina to assist in education and building lay leadership. Rabbi Guillermo Bronstein from Lima also provides religious

support. Many of the children leave for Israel once they reach 18, as they believe it is the land of milk and honey.

On Saturday morning there were fewer people at the synagogue and noticeably fewer women. Services were led by Rabbi Simon.

The surreal setting, with animals making noises in the background, created an almost biblical ambience. We completed services in a traditional manner, enjoyed some food and made plans to come back for Havdalah.

By Saturday night, many of us had become very attached to the congregants (thanks to our sporadic Spanish and their halting English). Havdalah was an emotional half-hour service with many participants from the congregation, and more food. We sang, danced, hugged, and took pictures. Before leaving, as we discussed what we wanted to do for the community, members approached each of us with handmade gifts ranging from woodcarvings to yarmulkes. By that time, we certainly appreciated how much it meant to be there and how much a part of each other’s lives we had become. It truly represented the spiritual meaning of tikkun olam.

Later we visited Cusco in the Andes to see one of the modern wonders of the world – Machu Picchu – and Lima, where we toured and celebrated a second Shabbat.

However, the highlight for all of us was our time in that little synagogue in Iquitos! CJ

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Understanding the Haftarot The reviews are coming in. Understanding the Haftarot, by Rabbi Charles Simon, will be available this October.

“Rabbi Simon has illuminated the portion of the Shabbat service that has acquired a mere, quasi-ceremonial status because it is typically assigned to the bar/bat mitzvah of the week, and has transformed it into a genuine learning experience. He has provided us with a rich tapestry of historical, theological and inspirational sources which place each haftarah in its own unique setting and enabled us to understand how it fills its unique role in the worship service. This is a significant contribution to the educational work of the synagogue.”

RABBI NEIL GILLMAN IS THE AARON RABINOWITZ AND SIMON H. RIFKIND EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF JEWISH PHILOSOPHY AT THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY “In Understanding the Haftarot, Chuck Simon has made the Prophets come alive. With his knowledge of biblical history and keen sense of drama, Simon gives context and familiarity to the men and scenes of the haftarot. I recommend this book to all who are seeking deeper understanding and clarity of sequence in the weekly prophetic readings.”

CANTOR NANCY ABRAMSON DIRECTOR, H.L. MILLER CANTORIAL SCHOOL, JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

“If the haftarot are to reclaim their rightful place as a primary pedagogic tool for uncovering and imagining the Torah’s deep truths for the modern synagogue attendee, then Rabbi Simon’s exquisite, erudite and thorough introduction to the material offers an essential backdrop for each of us, clergy and layperson alike.”

AARON ALEXANDER DEAN ZIEGLER SCHOOL OF RABBINIC STUDIES AMERICAN JEWISH UNIVERSITY “Rabbi Simon has provided a valuable contribution toward garnering spiritual meaning from our comprehensive Shabbat liturgy. Rather than viewing the haftarah cycle as a random array of sacred texts, he has constructed a useful and inspiring framework. Combining historical context with thematic assessments, this volume brings the weekly haftarah to life.Side-by-side with the Torah portion,these prophetic readings are intended both to elevate the soul and to strengthen our ties to Jewish peoplehood, past and future.”

RABBI ALAN SILVERSTEIN CURRENT CHAIR OF THE FOUNDATION FOR MASORTI JUDAISM, PAST PRESIDENT OF BOTH THE RABBINICAL ASSEMBLY AND OF THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CONSERVATIVE/MASORTI SYNAGOGUES

Ten Truths of Synagogue Life (continued from page 29)

the initiatives of my congregants. However, in order to avoid burnout and to be a present husband and father, I cannot – nor need I – be everywhere for everyone all the time.

8. Membership does not necessarily translate into meaning. Synagogue membership is a responsibility shared by both the synagogue staff and its members. The responsibility of the synagogue is to provide meaningful, engaging, spiritually invigorating prayer services, learning opportunities and other gatherings of significance. But it is also incumbent on members to avail themselves of these opportunities and to engage the synagogue as a place where they connect as Jews and become inspired by the gifts of active participation.

9. It is not your duty to complete the task, but neither are you free to desist from it. (Pirkei Avot 2:21). It is the rare exception when a rabbi’s teachings produce overwhelming lifestyle changes. Much more

often I witness incremental changes over time: people studying more Torah, making specific (rather than wholesale) Jewish ritual commitments, attending services more often, etc. Rather than wondering how many people have really become more Jewish because of my rabbinate, I believe that I am planting seeds that will grow and blossom over time. I know that people turn on to Judaism at various life stages, and I hope that I have contributed in some way toward that growth whether or not I see its ultimate fruition.

10. Alongside any great rabbi is a great rabbinic spouse. I cannot imagine being successful in this vocation without the inspiration and support of my incredible wife.

Not only is she my confidant and an incredible source of wisdom, she also opens our home to hundreds of people on a regular basis, prepares inordinate quantities of food, is available to listen and become involved

in the lives of our congregants, and to reassure me during long, irregular hours when she keeps the family – not to mention her own career – afloat. I know that she is just as passionate and engaged in this mission as I am, and that I am a much better rabbi because of her. CJ

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CJReviews THE OBSERVANT LIFE

The Observant Life: The Wisdom of Conservative Judaism for Contemporary Jews, Martin S. Cohen, Senior Editor, Michael Katz, Associate Editor, with a Foreword by Arnold M. Eisen and a Prolegomenon by Julie Schonfeld.

The Rabbinical Assembly, New York, 2012.

BY RABBI NEIL GILLMAN

O

VER THE PAST 30-SOME years, whenever a Conservative rabbi or layperson sought to resolve a particularly obscure or controversial matter of Jewish ritual observance, the conventional first step would be to “Check it out in Klein.” “Klein,” of course, was the late Rabbi Isaac Klein, an accomplished scholar, congregational rabbi and past president of the Rabbinical Assembly, whose A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice (1979) was the first comprehensive survey of Jewish ritual law incorporating traditional halakhah with interpretations by the rabbinic authorities of Conservative Judaism.

Originally designed as a curriculum for the education of rabbinical students at the Jewish Theological Seminary, “Klein” quickly became omnipresent in the libraries of Conservative rabbis and in the homes of concerned Conservative laypeople. Klein was published by the seminary, soon followed by a remarkably productive publishing enterprise on the part of the Rabbinical Assembly (frequently together with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism), which included the various editions of Siddur Sim Shalom (beginning in 1985), the Etz Hayim Humash (2001), and more recently, Mahzor Lev Shalem (2010).

Rabbi Neil Gillman is Simon H. Rifkind and Aaron Rabinowitz Emeritus Professor of Jewish Philosophy at the Jewish Theological Seminary.

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And now, continuing this extraordinary enterprise, we are gifted with The Observant Life: The Wisdom of Conservative Judaism for Contemporary Jews, a compendium of over 900 pages, over ten years in the making, with introductory material by the editors, Rabbis Martin Cohen and Michael Katz, by JTS Chancellor Arnold Eisen, and

by Rabbinical Assembly Executive Vice President Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, with contributions by 34 Conservative rabbis, men and women of all halakhic orientations and generations, and, gratefully, with a comprehensive index. In testimony to its contemporaneity, The Observant Life is available on various electronic readers.

A simple glance will demonstrate that this is far from an updating of Rabbi Klein’s work.

Klein hardly needed updating; it was a monumental achievement for its day. It was the first, after many failed attempts, to provide guidance to our lay community on the entire body of Jewish ritual behavior from a Conservative standpoint including decisions of the movement’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards. It will remain close at hand for its many loyalists.

The differences, however, are real. First, on matters of style, whereas Klein is published as a code of law, with sections and sub-sections, The Observant Life espouses a narrative style with the legal material embedded in sentences and paragraphs. On matters of substance, whereas Klein concentrated almost exclusively on ritual matters, The Observant Life devotes an entire third of

its contents to matters of moral and ethical behavior, to what our ancestors dubbed issues that define relationships between people (mitzvot she-bein adam le-havero) as opposed to those that define our relationship with God. Issues such as Between Grandparents and Grandchildren, The Environment, Individuals with Disabilities, and Animals occupy as much space as The Dietary Laws, Shabbat, and The Jewish Life Cycle. Finally, contemporary perspectives on technology, medical ethics and human sexuality demand new consideration. References to decisions by the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards remain omnipresent.

But possibly the most important accomplishment of this book is less in its detailed behavioral prescriptions and more in its subtle understanding of precisely what role halakhah should play in our social structures when we define ourselves as Conservative Jews. Rabbi Cohen suggestively analyzes, in his preface, the two realms in which halakhah lives: the idealized realm of ritual behavior – the realm of kashrut and Shabbat, of marriage and divorce, and of mourning and burial – and what he calls “the arena of human society” – the banal aspects of human life, how we eat and how we dress, of lawyers and of advertising executives, of how we treat employees, of journalists and of doctors trying to infuse their practices with matters of faith. “It is the realm of real people living in the real world.”

Ideally, the two realms must complement

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each other, which is Rabbi Cohen’s vision of what it means to be a Conservative Jew, and ultimately it is his vision that inspires this entire volume.

Rabbi Cohen is a touch apologetic about not including theological matters in his listing of halakhic obligations. The apology is not necessary. First, Maimonides was unique among Jewish thinkers in insisting that doing theology is also a mitzvah; most codifiers disagreed. But in fact, this volume is suffused with theology. Very much in the spirit of contemporary legal theoreticians such as Robert Cover, the style of The Observant Life understands that law is always embedded in narrative. It is the very evolution of our contemporary narrative that makes a volume of this kind mandatory at this time. The ultimate opponents of this approach are Spinoza and Moses Mendelssohn who distinguish sharply between law and belief in matters of religion. Cohen voices the hope that some future volume might address what con-

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temporary Jews can believe. I and many others avidly pray that that volume be next on the movement’s publishing agenda.

Rabbi Cohen’s volume may then serve as our long-awaited attempt to construct a Conservative theology of halakhah. I was overwhelmed in opening to the section identified as Deeds of Lovingkindness. This is where the unique accomplishments of The Observant Life come to the fore. To include in the realm of halakhah issues such as how we treat animals and individuals with disabilities, interfaith relations, the environment, relations between siblings, marriage, and sexuality is to confirm Rabbi Cohen’s judgment that halakhah must deal with the interface between the world of ritual behavior and that of real people living real lives in our real world. A student with whom I shared a few pages of the book suggested that while other halakhic anthologies seem to speak down to the reader, this one seeks to initiate a conversation, as all successful narrative does.

A word about sexuality – more precisely the three sections on sexuality: Marriage; Sex, Relationships and Single Jews, and Same-Sex Relations, by Rabbis David Fine, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Elliot Dorff respectively. The tone of the chapters is captured

by Rabbi Kalmanofsky’s comment that his aims are more “...ethical and social than narrowly legal.” One can only admire the courage with which Rabbi Kalmanofsky attacks the complex of issues regarding sexuality and single Jews, most specifically, the five pages titled Nevertheless, Sex Outside Marriage.

Beyond courage, four additional characteristics of Rabbi Kalmanofsky’s discussion are significant. First, he is exhaustive in quoting all of the traditional material on these issues, medieval and modern responsa including past rulings of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, all carefully annotated, and all the relevant Talmudic sources and controversies, which are manifold. Second, he is up-to-date on all

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the contemporary research studies of human sexual behavior. Third, he is never apologetic about the distance that separates the traditional positions and modern practices.

Fourth, he provides options for those who seek to embody at least the spirit of traditional halakhah with their personal impulses.

My sense is that for those who will dip into The Observant Life for the first time, just to test the waters, this is the chapter that they will read. The material is controversial,

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intrinsically intriguing, and a significant piece of the life experience for many contemporary adult Jews. Second, if any part of the traditional halakhah can be dismissed as anachronistic, this is the one. Third, if the case can be made for at least beginning to live a halakhic life as a Conservative Jew, this material will provide the acid test.

If this stands up, so will the rest of the body of halakhah.

Finally, The Observant Life is a tribute to the Conservative rabbinate. The schol-

arly richness of the discussion, the flow of the writing, and the comprehensiveness of the material should be a source of pride for the entire Rabbinical Assembly, and by extension to our lay community. To the contributors and their editors, to Gershon Kekst and the other donors who funded the enterprise, and to all who devoted themselves to the multitude of thankless tasks associated with seeing a work of this kind into print, a hearty thank you. Yishar kochachem! CJ

THE OBSERVANT LIFE: Two New Rabbis React B Y R A B B I C AT H A R I N E C L A R K

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TUDY IS GREATER [THAN ACTION], FOR it brings one to action.” In his section on Torah study in The Observant Life, Rabbi Eliezer Diamond quotes Kiddushin 40b as one explanation of Torah li-sh’mah, studying Torah for its own sake. In this understanding of Torah li-sh’mah, we study to increase observance of mitzvot.

As I embark on my journey as rabbi in a new community, regular Torah study will add to my life as an observant Jew and spiritual leader. The more I know about the mitzvot, the more empowered I am to fulfill them and lead my congregation in observing them.

But, as Rabbi Diamond points out, greater observance is not the only value to Torah li-sh’mah. Study also connects us to God and is a source of joy. Since ordination, I’ve been studying VaYikra Rabbah, the fifthcentury midrash on Leviticus, with my study partner. Each time we learn together is a delight. Each chapter of VaYikra Rabbah contains precious insight into the nature of God and the divine-human relationship. Each chapter also says something – whether about the matriarchs or how to ask a favor – that brings a smile to my face.

Of course I want to continue the divine inspiration, intellectual stimulation and human connection that Torah study brings to my life. As a new rabbi, however, I know my schedule will be full. Two inquiries also addressed by Rabbi Diamond suggest a solution. He asks, “How much Torah study?” The answer – make Torah study keva, at a fixed time. My weekly calendar will block off time for study. He also asks, “What is Torah?” For me, Torah includes what I’ll learn from my congregants. Their lived experiences – as Jews, Canadians, parents, children, business owners, nurses, teachers, and learners – are Torah, Torah I can’t wait to learn. CJ Rabbi Catharine Clark was ordained in May by the Jewish Theological Seminary where she received the Cyrus Adler Prize. She is the rabbi at Or Shalom in London, Ontario.

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BY RABBI JEREMY FINE

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ABBI CRAIG SCHEFF, IN HIS CHAPTER, Synagogue Life, writes, “The synagogue is expected in theory to be guided by the values and laws of the Torah both in planning its day-to-day affairs and in seeking to attain its long-term goals.” I believe Rabbi Scheff ’s comment is not just true of a synagogue but also of its members. Our job as rabbis is to become guides who enable those Torah values and laws to become practical. This is conducted in two ways. The first is through our teaching and preaching. It is our words of Torah taught in classes, spoken from the bimah, and given during hospital visits, that will guide the day-to-day life of our constituents.

But it is our public adherence to these laws and values that ideally will result in a renewed long-term commitment to observance from our communities.

The observance of a rabbi is not only to live a life for oneself but to live as an example for others. If we, as rabbis, do not live Torah-driven lives then we can never expect our communities to do the same. Our observance needs to be something that we confidently feel is the correct way a Jew should be living. Our actions in public spheres are supposed to provide, even on a small scale, a realistic path for others to walk.

I think one of the beauties of Rabbi Scheff ’s chapter is that there is no one correct way of accomplishing observance.

Each city, community and individual brings about different challenges and obstacles. By witnessing the example set by the rabbi each individual understands that through optimal observance he or she has a greater potential to reach God. CJ Rabbi Jeremy Fine was ordained in May by the Jewish Theological Seminary. He is the assistant rabbi at Temple of Aaron in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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Rabbi Waxman z”l (continued from page 33)

My parents held court every Shabbat afternoon. It was a salon featuring interesting conversation with interesting people – a core of regulars, including Shirley and the late Dr. Marvin Keller, who would in time become mechutanim (my brother David married their daughter Eve), supplemented by people my father invited over during kiddush. It always featured my mother’s baked goods. The Shabbat afternoon salon was a tradition my father maintained to the end of his life, even after my mother passed away in 1996.

But my mother contributed much more than her baking skills. She taught at Adelphi and C.W. Post and served as managing editor of Judaism, the scholarly publication of the American Jewish Congress. She worked on The Light, Temple Israel’s award-winning publication, and served on the publications committee of the United Synagogue, writing the article marking its 75th anniversary. She was a frequent speaker for Women’s League and United Synagogue.

The interesting people in Great Neck included people whom my father encouraged to become involved in United Synagogue, perhaps most notably Jack Stein who would become president. Jack Stein, still with us in his 90s, went on to serve as chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish organizations during the Yom Kippur War. The Conservative movement formally entered the World Zionist Organization in the late ‘70s thanks to the efforts of my father and Jack Stein, Arthur Levine, then-president of the United Synagogue and another member of Temple Israel, and David Zucker, president of the World Council of Synagogues.

I can just picture the four of them in my parents’ living room discussing the issue.

In the mid ‘50s my father was selected to edit Tradition and Change. The title – seen as emblematic of the movement’s approach to Jewish law and life – was my mother’s.

The anthology introduced Conservative Judaism’s theology and halakhic decisionmaking to the larger community. In time, my father would serve as editor of Conser-

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vative Judaism and in the mid-1970s as president of the Rabbinical Assembly. One of his unsung accomplishments was to propose the creation of a Conservative chumash.

It would take another quarter of a century, but Etz Hayim did appear in the last year of his life. Later he became president of the World Council of Synagogues, now Masorti Olami, which has named one of its annual awards in his memory.

In 1968, my father was invited to an international conference of religious leaders in India, which stimulated his interest in interfaith relations. He went on to represent the Rabbinical Assembly in this newly emerging area, which began to blossom after the Second Vatican Council, particularly between Catholics and Jews. He served as the chair of the interreligious affairs committee of the Synagogue Council and was an active participant in the International Jewish Committee on Interfaith Consultations (IJCIC).

My father chaired both IJCIC and the Synagogue Council’s committee in 1987 when Kurt Waldheim, who had served as Secretary General of the United Nations, was elected president of Austria. When in 1987 it was revealed that Waldheim had concealed his Nazi past, he was declared persona non grata in many parts of the world, including the United States. Nonetheless, Pope John Paul II chose to receive him. The Jewish community was outraged. After a series of behind-the-scenes meetings, it was agreed that when the pontiff visited the United States he would address Jewish leaders. My father was selected to respond and it was the picture in which he seems to be lecturing the pope that appeared around the world. His carefully crafted speech touched on other issues, as well, including the recognition of the State of Israel by the Vatican.

The speech to the pope was just one highlight of my father’s lengthy engagement in interfaith dialogue between Jews and the Catholic church, as well as with some of the Protestant and Orthodox churches. His work was on both the national and international stages, with meetings around the globe.

Together with William Henry Cardinal Keeler he initiated an on-going semi-annual dialogue with the leadership of the Conference of Bishops in the United States,

which still continues under the auspices of the National Council of Synagogues.

As a result of his involvement my father was the first rabbi ever to be knighted by the Catholic Church. In a formal ceremony, held in 1998 in Baltimore and presided over by his friend Cardinal Keeler, he became a knight commander of Saint Gregory the Great. Though he eschewed the costly uniform, his congregation purchased for him the appropriate hat and sword that went with the office.

My father was gifted with an incredible memory, a great blessing in the rabbinate and he could cite at the drop of a kippah widely divergent sources. A colleague once remarked how amazing it was that in the course of a half-hour speech my father sprinkled over two dozen citations ranging from Peanuts to the Talmud. Perhaps one of his favorite biblical passages was: “You may look small to yourself, but you are the head of the tribes of Israel” (I Samuel 15:17). He took this as a personal challenge, recognizing that he was blessed with the opportunity to represent Judaism and the Jewish world.

In his remarks accepting his knighthood, my father acknowledged that in his 25 years of involvement in Catholic-Jewish dialogue, he had “had a brush with history. There can be no greater privilege than that.” After his death, my brothers and I debated long and hard about what to inscribe on his footstone and we chose the final verse of the Book of Esther. “For Mordecai the Jew…was highly regard by the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brethren; he sought the good of his people and interceded for the welfare of all his kindred.” CJ

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Rita Wertlieb (continued from page 11)

tradition should be tempered by contemporary realities.

And so, as the women of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, we are ready to embrace change once again. Our new strategic plan will move us forward with a vision that will provide value to all Conservative Jewish women, enticing them to become affiliated with the many thousands of women who already identify with our organization. We will introduce changes in our structure that will open the doors for new leadership and multiple ports of entry to involve members and potential members, whether through sisterhoods or through individual memberships. We will offer all those who join us a compelling statement of who we are and where we’re going. Yet, despite any strategic changes, Women’s

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League is committed to the observance of Jewish rituals and traditions, which are as fulfilling and relevant for today’s women as they were to generations past.

The identity of Women’s League continues intact, as we remain what we always have been: the network of Conservative Jewish women. And like those who went before us, we keep one foot planted firmly in tradition while moving the other forward to a more rewarding future.

Nearly a year of study and deliberation has resulted in a strategic plan that will be unveiled at the Women’s League biennial convention, which will be held December 2-5, 2012, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Be part of the excitement and join us in Vegas to help implement the changes that will maintain our mission and vision while moving forward. When change is embraced and intentional, it means progress.

Le’shana tova umetukah. CJ

Sulam (continued from page 26)

opment, education, things that were foreign to me. Now I feel more comfortable with these issues.”

Sulam for Emerging Leaders (SEL) is a new initiative designed to engage potential leaders in the 35-45 age range. Like SCL, it is implemented within the local kehilla.

The program provides a curriculum to inspire participants about how involvement in a Conservative kehilla and its surrounding community can enhance their lives.

Part of the urgency informing the creation of Sulam for Emerging Leaders is the need to rebuild the leadership pipeline.

Motivating young families on the margins of the community to remain engaged is integrated into the program’s recruitment strategy. “Half of our group has never been involved in our synagogue. Maybe some have been to services on the high holidays or send their kids to Hebrew school, but they don’t know how to be involved. They don’t know what’s expected of them. We haven’t done a good job of making it approachable. It’s important to make the experience as comfortable as possible, so at least they’re open to the possibility over

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the next year or two. We’re their doorway,” says Connie Liss, the co-leader of Shaare Torah, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

If Sulam for Current Leaders focuses on the hows of Jewish communal leadership, Sulam for Emerging Leaders deals with the whys. “It helps you discover what you are passionate about and what you need from the community to help you fulfill it.

It helps you decide whether or not that’s something you’re ready to become involved with,” adds Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, of Shaare Torah.

At the closing ceremony for the newly revised Sulam for Presidents program, a tallit is passed around, and each kehilla president has a chance to talk about his or her experience.

“There is an intangible part of the program that is about the warmth and good Jewish feelings that you can’t advertise,” says Rita Ruby, president, Temple Beth-El in Richmond, Virginia. “That’s what makes it so powerful.”

The expansion of Sulam to include current and emerging leaders is not just fulfilling the intent of United Synagogue’s

Steven Wernick (continued from page 10)

More than any other Jewish festival, Sukkot is a full contact holiday, a holiday rich with observances that culminate with entering into a designated sacred space.

Sukkot has ritual objects that shake, rattle and roll. They have delightful smells and distinctive textures. Sukkot mandates that we channel our inner interior decorator, indulging in the quest to beautify our temporary abodes. Sukkot mandates hospitality, providing us with a set invitation list, the ushpizin. In the Ashkenazic tradition they are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David.

Sukkot mandates that we admire God’s handiwork in the natural world, requiring that our sukkot have roofs through which the stars are visible.

How better to praise God than to stand underneath the canopy He erected for humankind, His sukkat shalom?

Above all, Sukkot is about immersion Judaism. For seven days, we are immersed in sensory indulgence. If no study has been done that examines how Sukkot encourages family bonding, I recommend that one be done immediately.

There is a Hasidic teaching that the Yamim Nora’im, the high holidays, require the participation of the entire human body:Rosh Hashanah is the head, wherein the process of teshuva begins. Yom Kippur is the beating heart, and the fasting that afflicts it. Sukkot is the hands, which hold and shake the lulav. Simchat Torah is feet, which walk in hakafot.

For seven days every autumn, Jews enter into sacred space that is not detached from the world but is the world.

Sukkot awakens our understanding of the very concept of God as HaMakom, the force that is space, that is the world around us.

Chag sameach. CJ

strategic plan. These extra rungs in the leadership ladder create opportunities for leaders at every level to have a powerful experience that inspires them to reach higher for themselves and their communities. CJ

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Young Jews Today (continued from page 44)

who profess no religion and the growing number of Jewish children who are raised without religion.

Some of the students even expressed secular views themselves: “If the options were not there, I would probably answer that being a young Jew in America is being a part of a culture. To me the meanings of ethnicity and a “people” are vague. Religion, I feel, is irrelevant.” Another said: “To me it is a cultural group because I identify myself as culturally, not religiously, Jewish and so I find others who feel the same way.”

USY Alumni (continued from page 47)

through the alumni association.

We will celebrate USY in November with a month-long tribute to Danny Siegel, the celebrated writer, lecturer, philanthropist, and former USY international president who has motivated thousands of young people to embrace tzedakah and tikkun olam. We will honor Danny in the most fitting way possible: by emulating his work.

Synagogues, schools and USY chapters across North America will be invited to engage in Mitzvah Month. They will find mitzvah hero project ideas and educational materials on the USY at 60 website (usy60.org). The goal: to spur a flowering of tikkun olam and social action projects across the U.S. and Canada in Danny’s honor.

“When you mention tzedakah or the idea of tikkun olam, no matter in which circles

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I asked if they thought that young Jews in Israel perceive their Judaism differently.

One student answered: “Yes, because in Israel there is a Jewish majority, and so religious aspects are divided into very religiously conservative and very secular, and those two communities rarely overlap. There is also less of a feeling of ‘otherness’.”

When asked their opinions about the most important Jewish value, this same student wrote: “Community, which is one of our defining traits making us ‘other’.” As did another: “Community –‘If I am not for myself who will be for me and if I am only for myself what am I’?”

The students offered other suggestions: “Tradition, because it is part of what bonds us over generations.” And: “I think the most important Jewish value is scholarship, because Judaism has a great intellectual tradition and that ought to be preserved.”

How often do we ask young people serious questions like these? How often do we encourage them to convey their thoughts about Judaism? These students certainly appreciated the opportunity for their voices to be heard. We should do it more often.

We can all learn a lot about how young people perceive the meaning of being a Jew today. CJ

– Conservative, Reform, Orthodox or nondenominational – Danny’s name comes up. He has dedicated his life to these things,” said Gila Hadani Ward, co-chair of USY at 60 programs and the person spearheading the Danny Siegel tribute.

“Danny has shown thousands of people how a simple act can make a big difference, and the best way to honor our teacher is to show him what we’ve learned from him.”

In October, our 60th birthday celebration moves to the Twin Cities of Minnesota, home to the EMTZA region and the birthplace of USY. The festivities are planned for Sunday, October 14, at Beth El Synagogue in St. Louis Park. We’ll toast the four area synagogues that were USY’s founding congregations: Adath Jeshurun Congregation, Beth El Synagogue, Beth Jacob, and the Temple of Aaron – as well as their rabbis. Rabbi Kassel Abelson, rabbi

emeritus of Beth El and past president of the Rabbinical Assembly, will represent his colleagues. We’ll also celebrate the future by recognizing Beth Jacob Congregation of Mendota Heights and Rabbi Morris Allen, who galvanized the ethical kashrut movement as founder of Magen Tzedek.

The monies raised at this event, and through the USY Founders Fund, will give even more Jewish teens the opportunity to participate in USY’s powerful programs, including regional conventions, summer programs such as USY on Wheels and Israel Pilgrimage, and Nativ, the yearlong program in Israel for high school graduates.

Finally, we want to hear from you. Share your USY story. Get involved with the alumni association. You can do both by visiting www.usy60.org or emailing usy60@ uscj.org. You can also connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ USY60. CJ

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Letters (continued from page 6) WHAT’S AROUND YOUR NECK?

I very much enjoyed the article about Fredric Goldstein and his parashah-appropriate neckties in the Summer 2012 issue. Our spiritual leader, Rabbi Mark Fasman, of Shaare Zedek Synagogue in St. Louis, also coordinates his neckwear to the weekly Torah reading. He traditionally wears a bow tie for Parashat Bo and a tie with a big eyeball for Parashat Re’eh. My favorite, though, is his tradition, during the Yom Kippur Avodah service, of beginning the service with a solid red tie and somehow managing by the end of the service to have changed (while still on the bimah) to a solid white tie! David Copperfield couldn’t do it any better.

SANFORD J. BOXERMAN St. Louis, Missouri WHAT WE EAT

I have affiliated with Conservative synagogues for more than 70 years and rarely have I read anything like “What We Eat” by Rabbi Edward Feld (Summer 2012). I am offended by the position he takes on kashrut and the arguments he uses to justify it.

The very purpose of kashrut was to separate ourselves in the most fundamental manner, eating. A recurring theme in the Torah is “Don’t mess with the Canaanites.”

Don’t eat with them. Don’t follow their ways.

And certainly don’t marry them.

Rabbi Feld is correct when he notes that “Food laws in the Talmud are a way of constructing a barrier between Jews and the larger society.” It is a pity that Rabbi Feld does not understand the necessity of such barriers in order to preserve, protect and defend Judaism against the encroachments of an assimilating society. While I do not fear the Canaanites, the reality created by their successors does not warrant changes in our regulations or how we adjust to that reality. And, who would make these changes?

Has the Law Committee replaced the Sanhedrin? I must have missed the announcement.

Observing kashrut has always been a personal commitment and I sincerely hope that God has something more important on His

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mind than what I had for lunch. Keeping kosher connects me to generations past who have kept Judaism’s standards unmolested by modernity. However, I believe that raising a calf in a box should render veal unfit, no matter how it may be shechted (ritually slaughtered). And, how does Rabbi Feld propose that caterers determine if hoisting and shackling have occurred in the slaughtering process? My kosher butchers do not provide that information.

Lastly, Rabbi Feld has the temerity to relate how a congregant was inspired to embrace kashrut after seeing the rabbi eating in a Chinese (non-kosher?) restaurant. I am at a loss to think that such an observation could lead to anything but a justification for eating non-kosher.

How holy is holy, Rabbi Feld, when it seeks to make Jews more like goyim?

Feh! FRANK H. DONDERSHINE Somerville, New Jersey

I read with great interest the article by Rabbi Edward Feld. I applaud his discussion of the importance of avoiding animal cruelty and the treatment of the workforce in the production of kosher foods.

However, I think Rabbi Feld is seriously misleading halachic Jews by endorsing the consumption of foods apparently “conforming to kashrut” in restaurants without rabbinic supervision. Certainly the Talmud is sometimes quite liberal regarding the use of utensils that have been used to cook non-kosher meat. However, this is a far cry from proposing the consumption of food where the presence of treif makes errors likely.

How can one know what ingredients were used to prepare a vegetarian dish in a nonkosher restaurant? French fries are vegetarian, aren’t they? Well, not if they are fried in meat fats (e.g. MacDonald’s). Those preparing food in a non-kosher restaurant may consider a dish such as rice cooked in chicken broth to be vegetarian. Food servers cannot be expected to know exactly what ingredients were used in the preparation of each dish. Also, there are literally thousands of food items available which may contain treif ingredients. That is why

those concerned about kashrut purchase food items with kosher certification. Nonkosher establishments do not restrict themselves to certified ingredients. Furthermore, in an unsupervised establishment, a spoon used to stir a meat dish might also be used to stir a vegetarian dish.

If eating in non-kosher restaurants is permissible, what is the necessity of having restaurants certified by Conservative (or Orthodox) rabbis?

ANTHONY WINSTON East Brunswick, New Jersey

Rabbi Edward Feld comments on a liberal/lenient position in tractate Hulin that says if the food does not taste from nonkosher food from the pot in which it was cooked, one can eat it and consider it kosher.

He applies this to eating vegetarian in a nonkosher restaurant: “This standard can be applied easily to eating in a restaurant that uses the same pots and pans to cook nonkosher meat and vegetarian offerings.” I would like to ask Rabbi Feld if this means that normative Conservative Judaism now permits people to eat vegetarian in nonkosher restaurants?

SUSAN MARX Orange, New Jersey

The paragraph/statement that reads: “For the same reason, we should buy grass-fed beef. American cattle growers often use feed that cows never would eat in nature. Sometimes the feed contains ground up blood and animal products, though cows are vegetarian by nature.”

This statement is not only untrue but it is against federal law to engage in this practice. The regulation has been in effect since August 1997 and has been updated and revised.

It is a choice that an individual makes to eat and observe the laws of kashrut. We as professionals are supposed to know and understand the laws and US federal regulations along with the true meaning of kosher: kosher = fit or proper. Swaying your readers with statements that are false is also not acting kosher!

ADAM CHERNIN Central Beef Ind. L.L.C.

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VOICES OF CONSERVATIVE / MASORTI JUDAISM

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