Ha'Am Spring 2017

UCLA’s Jewish Newsmagazine · Spring 2017

JUSTICE

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Table of Contents 4

JLF meets N.W.A

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Justice Justice, We Shall Pursue

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A Case for Interfaith

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Halacha and the Syrian Refugee Crisis

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Justice for Mordecai Kaplan

by Jacob Schaperow

by Jasmine Kiaei

by Daniel Levine

by Sam Schmuel

by Joey Levin

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Keeping Religious Freedom Free

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30 Years After: A Reflection

by Zev Hurwitz

by Jessica Behmanesh

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Spring 2017 Staff Editor-in-Chief: Asher Naghi Managing Editors: Jessica Behmanesh (Internal) Noah Wallace (External) Content Editors: Zev Hurwitz Copy Editors: Jacob Schaperow Ellie Fridman Staff Writers: Daniel Levine Inbar Goren Joey Levin Samuel Bressler Zev Hurwitz Jacob Schaperow Negeen Arasteh Sam Schmuel Design Team: Edwin Korouri (Lead) Alyssa Bonchik Staff Artists: Allison Hernandez Roni Veksler Social Media: Alyssa Bonchick Daniel Levine Kate Burt

Dear Readers, In the Torah, God commands us “Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof” — “Justice, justice you shall pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:20). These words serve as a guiding principle for the Jewish nation. Throughout Tanach, God harangues us and urges us to repent, many times stressing not religious observance but simple issues of justice.

“What need have I of all your sacrifices?” Says the LORD. “I am sated with burnt offerings of rams….Trample My courts no more...Learn to do good. Devote yourselves to justice; Aid the wronged. Uphold the rights of the orphan; defend the cause of the widow” (Isaiah 1:11-17).

Our print edition this spring quarter is themed “Justice” to emphasize the importance of this Jewish concept. The cover of our magazine illustrates the famous story in which Solomon, who sits in judgment over the unified Kingdom of Israel, is brought two children, one stillborn and one living, by two women. Each claims that the live child is hers.

Solomon dramatically demands that a sword be brought and proposes that to solve the case, the court should split the child in two, thus fairly distributing the live baby between the two claimants. When one woman renounced her claim to save the child’s life, Solomon discerns the true identity of the mother.

Generally, the story is told as a demonstration of Solomon’s wisdom, and indeed it does serve to illustrate his genius. However, the tale told in its narrative context proves even more glorious. Preceding the story by a dozen verses, Solomon begs God not for riches or for glory but instead “... an understanding mind to judge Your people, to distinguish between good and bad; for who can judge this vast people of Yours?” (Kings I, 3).

Solomon was one of the Jewish nation’s greatest kings not because he amassed great wealth but because to him, there was nothing more important than dispensing impartial justice. When asked by God what he desires, Solomon could have chosen anything, but instead, he requested the ability to judge. When endowed with gifts he elected to serve his people.

This lesson learned from Solomon was also taught by the Roman orator and statesman Cicero. “Knowledge which is divorced from justice, may be called cunning rather than wisdom.” Any gift we are granted can be used for personal gain or to serve those who surround us. The example of Solomon rings true to this day. Let us take it and improve the world around us.

With much gratitude, Asher Naghi

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JLF meets N.W.A.: Jewish Learning Fellows Explore “Sin Against the Medium”

By Jacob Schaperow

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t the beginning of this Jewish learning seminar, 11 students watched the “Straight Outta Compton” trailer on Jessica Jacobs’ laptop. An atypical lead for a Hillel program, but the source sheets were on their way.

Hillel at UCLA’s Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF) runs programs in two tracks, “Life’s Big Questions” and “Judaism as Art: A Search for Congruity.” The idea for the fellowship originated at the Bronfman Center Hillel at New York University. JLF seeks to fulfill two goals: to promote Jewish learning and to build a stronger community. This is the second year that JLF is running at UCLA. Fellowship cohorts meet each week—the arts track meets on Tuesdays and the “Life’s Big Questions” track meets on Thursdays—and discuss art and philosophy in the context of Jewish-and other-texts. Each participant receives a $250 stipend for the quarter-long program.

After their brief foray into gangsta rap, the group split into “tri-vrutas”—a play on Chavruta, an Aramaic word for a two-person study group­—to discuss situations when artists challenged the very essence of their media. This week’s topic was “to sin against the medium.” Hence, the Straight Outta Compton video’s presence fit right in. N.W.A broke the mold Photo courtesy of Hillel at UCLA of hip hop music, infusing it with a righteous sense of social justice and political commentary, said Jacobs, Hillel’s Engagement Associate and self-proclaimed lover of rap music.

In tri-vruta, the students looked at four art pieces.

One piece, “No Manifesto,” is a poem by American dancer, Yvonne Rainer, that talks about reducing dance to something much simpler, without “spectacle,” “virtuosity,” “style,” or even “moving or being moved.” There is an accompanying “dance,” in which Rainer makes a series of random movements. One JLF participant disagreed with the message of the poem, saying that the manifesto took away everything that made dance an art. Another student replied, arguing that “art is supposed to make you feel something. This made you feel angry.”

After presenting their findings from tri-vruta, the group split up again to look at the concept of sinning against the medium, using source sheets with excerpts from the Talmud and Rashi commentary. Their approach was guided by

ground and a student from an ultra-Orthodox background interacting for the first time, or hearing each other’s views for the first time, or someone who’s a little quieter pushing themselves to talk more.”

The JLF interns, sophomore communications major, Oryan Levi, and junior theater major, Katie Schindelheim, are big advocates for the program.

“You spend a lot of time meeting other Jewish students,” Schindelheim said.

“Everyone here is from different circles.

Most of the people I didn’t know before, and you get to hear different people’s opinions and views and especially in terms of art, like, it’s all about connecting Judaism to art, and when one originally looks at Judaism and art, they don’t think of them as that compatible, but really there are a lot of ideas that are overlapping.”

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Awareness Movement’s JAM-Mix to simply providing free dinner at the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus’ (JLIC) weekly Parsha and Pizza seminars. JLF is different, Jacobs said, because it is more discussion based and because of the diversity of students who attend.

“No one is going to be fully comfortable in a JLF setting, and that’s what we want,” Jacobs said. “We want everybody to experience discomfort in some way, whether it’s the fact that there’s a student from a completely secular back-

We want everybody to experience discomfort in some way...

the idea that the definition of a sin may be situational, and there may even be times when the outcome of sinning is preferred to the outcome of not sinning.

There are as many ways to attract students to Jewish learning as there are Jewish learning programs at UCLA, from stipend-based programs like Hillel’s JLF and the Jewish

Photo courtesy of Hillel at UCLA

“I think that a lot of people connect to it, and yeah, honestly, the free dinner and the stipend brings people here, but I think that after they do it [JLF] they want to come back,” Levi said.

The JLF interns, who are typically past JLF participants, help facilitate the discussions at the weekly seminars and organize social events for the JLF-ers. It is not uncommon for JLF alumni to become involved in Jewish life in other ways, as well.

“We see a trend of students going on to do one of the other fellowships — the Social Justice Fellowship, the Israel Learning Fellowship,” Jacobs said. “Often, also those students afterwards are more likely to go on Birthright, they’re more likely to join leadership at Hillel, things like that.”

The program is kept small, and with good purpose. There is a cap on enrollment at 25 students per track, but next year that cap will likely be brought down to 15 students, Jacobs said. In a small group, it is easier for students to connect with each other, she said.

There is an application process, and not everyone who applies is accepted into the program each quarter.

There is a focus on bringing together a diverse group of students, with different Jewish backgrounds and different years and majors.

“We choose students who we think would bring a unique perspective, and who don’t know each other, together,” Jacobs said. “That is how we really decide who participates in JLF and who doesn’t.”

Also, in terms of diversity, JLF has a somewhat uneven male to female ratio, where women constitute the majority. This unevenness is reflective of the participation in Hillel programming in general, Jacobs said.

“Our leadership looks very similar, in that it’s at least 60, sometimes 70 percent female, as well,” she said. “Often, we find that the female students are the students who are looking to tap into Jewish life on campus.”

Justice Justice, We Shall Pursue

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By Jasmine Kiaei

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ewish laws mandating the establishment of legal sys The Torah does not restrict us from practicing law. tems and the pursuit of law appear textually on numerRather, the Torah sets up strict parameters to ensure that the ous occasions in the Torah. In Parshat Shoftim, most law is adjudicated correctly. This Mishnah exemplifies the notably, Jews are commanded to appoint judges, and to honest nature of Torah and Judaism. We are commanded not pervert justice or show favoritis,. not to instruct a litigant on how to win a case, as this may

Historically, the Jewish people have acted as a nation lead to a distortion of true justice. Torah scholars and people that pursues justice and values strong and fair courts. We in positions of great authority are held to a high standard learn from the Tanach that Moses appoints judges over the and told not to advise people on how to use legal loopholes.

Jewish people to help resolve their quarrels during their time The Sefer Hachinuch also highlights different laws that are in the desert. Later, when the Jews have autonomous rule, meant to maintain the integrity of the Jewish system of justhe Jewish king also serves as head of the legal system. In tice and maintain law and order. For example, it teaches that America, Jews have risen to positions of great prominence, testimony is only permitted to be given in the presence of all such as judges—among them Louis Brandeis, Benjamin Carpeople involved in a dispute, in order to ensure truthfulness. dozo, and Felix Frankfurter—who all served as U.S Supreme

Laws surrounding interaction between Jewish legal Court justices. The first Jewish woman to be appointed to institutions and civil society can be tricky to navigate. Manthe Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is currently one dates for the operation of courts can be found in Parshat of three Jewish Mishpatim when Bnei Yisrael justices on the is instructed to bring its civil Upon first reading this passage, one bench, along disputes before Jewish judgwith Elena Kaes and not in front of secumay be understandably perplexed, gan and Stephen lar courts. Only judges of a Breyer. Jews in Beit Din may adjudicate civil as it is well known that many Jewish, the modern era disputes, according to Jewish and even frum people, are practicing are clearly taking law. According to Rashi, the this responsiessence of this commandlawyers by profession. bility to pursue ment is to honor G-d, as rejustice seriously. placing the laws of the Torah

However, it is not always easy to understand from texts with secular verdicts constitutes a chillul Hashem, or desewhat this pursuit of justice should look like. For example, cration of G-d’s name. According to the Rambam, a person Pirkei Avot (1:8) states, “Yehudah ben Tabai says: do not who pursues justice at a secular court in place of a Beit Din act as a lawyer...” Upon first reading this passage, one may is, in effect, dismissing the Torah and its values. Pursuing a be understandably perplexed, as it is well known that many secular court’s ruling would suggest that the Torah is inadeJewish, and even frum people, are practicing lawyers by quate to resolve Jewish communal disputes and that Jewish profession. The statement is particularly intriguing because law plays a subordinate role to the civil legal system. one of the most prominent stereotypes about Jews is that

This prohibition is one that is particularly applicable they pursue careers in either medicine or law. It could not in modern times because of the establishment of the State of possibly be the case that seemingly half of the Jewish people Israel. According to the Chazon Ish, the courts of the State of are acting against an explicit recommendation from a Judaic Israel have the same status as secular courts throughout the text—there must be a deeper explanation to this apparent world, even though they are run by Jews, because they do prohibition.

Upon deeper exploration, one finds that Yehuda ben Tabai was referring to judges in this verse. According to Rashi, Yehuda ben Tabai was commanding judges not to assist with contesting parties in a case when their prescribed role is to act as impartial arbitrators. If a judge were to counsel a litigant, as a lawyer might, he or she would be giving advice that could, consequently, sway the judgement in the advisee’s favor. According to Rabbi Yona Reiss, who was trained in law at Yale University and served as the Av Beis Din of America, it is entirely acceptable to assist a plaintiff in articulation and expression of a claim. However, it is forbidden to do something that may distort justice or manipulate the case. What initially seems like a controversial and misleading statement actually leads to a deeper understanding of the Torah and Jewish law. The Mishnah makes direct reference to the true essence of the Torah—this is a book which celebrates and prioritizes justice, and this Mishnah is only an extension of that vision.

The Mishnah continues, “And when the litigants stand before you consider them as guilty, but when they are dismissed from you consider them as innocent, provided they have accepted the verdict.” These messages are all meant to create a fair and equal playing field for litigants who come before a Jewish court.

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Photo by George Hodan

not base their decisions on Torah law. Rav Ovadia Yosef held a similar position to the Chazon Ish, claiming that the judges in Israel, although mainly Jews, are not proficient in Jewish law. Their recommendation was to set up courts of equity— courts that make rulings based on what judges think is equal and fair and not based on a codified set of laws, similar to arbitration proceedings.

Nevertheless, there is a concept in the Torah of “dina de-malkhuta dina,” which means that the law of the kingdom is paramount. As Jews, we are commanded to follow the laws of the society that we are a part of as long as these laws do not interfere with our practice of Judaism. The Torah encourages, and even demands, Jews to cooperate with societal order. Therefore, we are obligated to obey the laws of a secular society, such as paying taxes and obeying traffic laws as if they were commanded directly by G-d. Today, the prohibition of utilizing secular courts only applies to matters of conflict and litigation. One may still use secular courts for other legal matters such as naturalization and changing names, as these matters do not require adjudication between competing parties.

The commandment to maintain civil order is one that can be applied to all people, Jews and gentiles alike. One of the seven Noahide Laws, which the Torah gives to all people, is to set up courts and bring offenders to justice. A country cannot be civilized without the law. We are told that there are three pillars that hold up the world and one of them is law. All of mankind is commanded to maintain justice because without it, civilization would not continue.

In modern times, we attribute much of our economic growth and development to the institutions that protect our liberties. One of the factors that sets developed nations apart from undeveloped societies is the protection of property rights and the prioritization of law and order. These protections bring with them greater motivation to work hard and incentives to invest because people will directly benefit from their efforts. Judaism not only endorses these institutions, but mandates their utilization for the preservation of fair and just societies.

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A Case for Interfaith: A Conversation Between Daniel Levine and Wali Kamal

By Daniel Levine and Wali Kamal

Daniel: In our modern society it is not uncommon to encounter, on a daily basis, individuals with vastly different viewpoints than our own. Whenever pluralism is being discussed, it is always important to note that for the vast majority of human history, this was not the case. That a tight-knit community can exist with people of different ethnicities, political affiliations and religious beliefs is a novel idea that requires an immense amount of work for all involved.

Wali: For members of religious groups, the divide is often vast, with people holding competing views of ultimate truths about metaphysical realities and their place in the world.

Many religions have relationships that have been historically fraught with violence. The political backdrop of the last hundred years has made the relationship between adherents of Islam and Judaism tense. But given our unique context in 21st century America, some of the perceived awkwardness surrounding interfaith conversations can be easily dispelled.

But some of the more sensitive surrounding issues need to be grappled with more tactfully.

Daniel: The rationale for having interfaith events and discussions is quite straightforward. We know from our understanding of social psychology that humans naturally form ingroups and outgroups and apply vastly different levels of empathy to others depending on their level of similarity to the ingroup. One of the only sure ways to help this problem is via meaningful interaction, which builds empathy and preempts prejudices from forming. Though going to a diverse and pluralistic school is a good start, many students decide to stay within their own group for their entire time in college. Even at a place like UCLA, a student can go four years (or more) without ever befriending someone from a minority faith group. This is why conversations like these are of the utmost importance to our current society. There is a need to encourage people of different faiths to interact with each other and to build bonds.

Wali: For Muslims specifically, the incentive to participate in interfaith forums is also straightforward. There are a lot of opinions that exist about Islam and Muslims that, without having had any interaction with Muslims, can paint a pretty negative picture.

These perspectives are often devoid of nuance, and don’t always grasp the finer points about why particular things within the religion are the way they are. Being able to observe, or at least talk to a practicing religious person upclose can dispel ideas about that could otherwise result in misunderstandings. It stops religiously-based hatred from fomenting while addressing some of the more charged topics within the faith that

we hear about (Shariah law and Islamism, women’s rights, etc.). But it’s not just a matter of PR; Muslims learn a lot from interacting with people of other religious backgrounds.

That’s not to say that American Muslims are immune to buying into anti-Semitic tropes, but the notion that Muslims only have malice toward Jews is not the case. We’re in the same boat on a lot of things—both on a community level and at an individual level.

Daniel: Too often, people paint all 1.5 billion Muslims in the world as a monolithic group with no nuance. People will Daniel: From interacting with different Muslim students cherry pick verses encouraging violence from the Quran in during my time in attempt to “prove” that Iscollege, whether via lam is fundamentally vioI’ve seen it happen where Muslim interfaith events, lent, when the exact same classes or mutual thing can be done with the relatives, upon interacting with friends, I have realBible (or any other religious ized that the Musscripture).

Jewish friends and their families, lim students on come to realize that the values campus confront What I have found is that many of the same people of any religion are held by many Jews are incredibly difficulties that relioften extremely surprised gious Jews face— when they encounter people similar to those of Muslims. both practical and of different faiths. Especially philosophical. when talking about MusWhere do we find kosher/halal food? Where can we pray on lim-Jewish interaction, the two sides often do not realize the campus? Do people judge me or take me less seriously if I overall similarities between the two religions, including diwear a kippah/hijab? How do we balance our tradition and etary restrictions, set daily prayer, fast days and other rituals religious beliefs with modernity? These are the questions bound up in the overarching belief in ethical monotheism. that I spend my day thinking about, and it is actually very comforting to know that I am not alone. There are probably Wali: I’ve seen it happen where Muslim relatives, upon inthings like this that resonate across multiple religious teracting with Jewish friends and their families, come to groups. realize that the values held by many Jews are incredibly similar to those of Muslims—things like the respect given to Wali: In going over all this, I just want to add that interfaith religious heritage and the importance of family life. dialogue is not meant to convince others that your religious perspectives are correct and that they should recognize your I’ve heard it mentioned that Muslims in the United States religion as the one true religion. It makes everything awkshould strive to emulate the trajectory of the American Jewward when people attempt to proselytize the audience at ish community, in that it has maintained its distinctness these interfaith events, and it can defeat the purpose of havfrom the rest of the population, while still being well inteing everyone recognize the diversity of views held by differgrated into the fabric of this country. I know there are a lot ent faith groups. of discussions around the stereotypes of a model minority, but at the very least, there is a level of reverence that I’ve Daniel: I completely agree. Personally, I believe that God is seen American Muslims exhibit toward American Jews. objective but that there are potentially unlimited ways to connect to him via different faiths or individuals modes of I want to add that Muslims, by default, aren’t supposed to have a religiously-based dislike for Jews. Don’t get me wrong, connection. there are fundamental disagreements about theology, but Wali: That’s an interesting discussion, and I think a lot of our tradition teaches us that Christians and Jews are part of classical Islamic scholars would have disagreed. However, a broader community of monotheistic faith. they would at least recognize an individual’s agency in choosing a faith or a mode of connection.

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he following is a conversation between religious studies master’s student Daniel Levine and senior applied mathematics major Wali Kamal.

Daniel: Overall the important thing is to always keep it in mind that the world can be understood in a multiplicity of ways and just because someone sees it differently than you, does not mean that they are either ignorant or immoral.

Moving on, let’s tackle some of the awkwardness that might accompany interfaith interactions between Muslims and Jews, resulting from historic Illustration by Karen Arnold

Wali: I think we all agree that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the elephant in the room of any interfaith endeavor when Muslims and Jews are involved. There’s an implicit assumption that each party doesn’t like the other because of where we fall on the political divide. And somehow this causes everyone to gravitate towards the discussion of “what do you think of Israel,” which can get heated because it’s so sensitive.

It’s not particularly anybody’s fault, but I think we are all naturally curious to hear what the other person has to say.

And being comfortable around religious topics can be a segue to topics of political contentiousness.

There seems to be a hope from those participating in dialogue from either camp, who are invested in Israel-Palestine, that after interfaith interaction, people will become more amenable to their views on the conflict. I don’t know whether this counts as an ulterior motive or whether this is even a bad thing.

There are some Muslims I have encountered who are hesitant to participate in interfaith because the conversation could have the potential to be co-opted into a peacemaking exercise that focuses on Israel-Palestine, rather than discussions of interfaith.

There’s worry that interfaith events are going to be misinterpreted as making progress on the Israel-Palestine conflict, undermining other efforts that are more focused on seeking political reconciliation. I don’t know if interfaith forums are equipped to tackle the complex issues of sovereignty, human rights considerations, terrorism, occupation and conflict. It’s my fear that by mishandling such sensitive discussions, harmful misunderstandings could persist.

There’s concern among Muslims who are also active in discussions about the conflict that it is misguided to frame the discussion in a way that says: “If we can just solve our religious differences, we’ll be able to tackle the seemingly intractable political realities in the Middle East.” That’s not to say there aren’t religious angles to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Photo by Josh Sadik but participants in interfaith discussions need to ascertain how to navigate those.

cupation of Palestinian territories seem something normal and routine.

There are even those farther to the left, who are outright Non-normalization might make sense if you are an activist anti-Zionist; they view the establishment and upkeep of the group whose goals are advanced by it, and if you approach it Jewish state as inextrithrough cable from the oppresthat frameThe case for interfaith is a compelling sion and dispossession work. of Palestinians. They However, I one, in my opinion, and we can be tactful would only participate don’t buy when engaging with each other so that in spaces where Zioninto the ists would not be in idea that we are not putting up any barriers. attendance, so as not to non-nornormalize the oppresmalization sion that they believe is enabled by Zionism. You can imagor other concerns should stop interfaith dialogue from hapine how this could cause a ruckus at an interfaith event. pening, but they’re at least worth being cognizant of. It’s just not pragmatic for every single person or organization to Daniel: I understand that both sides have their individuals implement, especially when we’re attempting to work towho want to completely shut out the other side’s opinion, but gether on issues of mutual interest. Interfaith is just not proanyone who understands nuance will recognize that this is ductive if people are not willing to participate. Like you said, unreasonable. This is exactly the type of binary and polarnuance is important, and we have to be able to work togethized thinking that will keep the conflict alive forever. Many er on issues where interfaith collaboration is necessary.

Zionists are both pro-Israel, pro-Palestine and anti-occupation. Similarly, people who are pro-Palestine should also Daniel: Right on. There are a lot of pertinent issues to all of us that should see collaboration. What’s especially concerning is that country has seen a rampant increase in anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes, and the effects have very much been felt by both of our communities.

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Wali: The attacks on Jewish cemeteries that followed the election has freaked a lot of Muslims in this country out. There’s been an uptick in anti-Muslim sentiment with all the rhetoric in the election, but people have realized that there’s something scarier going on in this country, which is much more pervasive that one might have initially thought.

Daniel Levine (left) abd Wali Kamal (right)

accept the Jewish right to self-determination in Israel. Ideas such as non-normalization and the unwillingness to hear out And since most Muslims don’t tend to frame the conflict in the other side only lead to psychological fallacies such as religious terms, for a relatively benign interfaith discussion confirmation bias, which lead to an echo chamber and hyto veer into issues of contentious politics would be really perpolarization. Obviously there are still many issues to tough. People are caught off guard by something they expect work out, and it would be crazy to think that Israel is a perto not be politically charged, fect counonce the conversation shifts try such Understand that both sides have their from theological issues to that there facts on the ground about aren’t probindividuals who want to completely Israel and Palestine. lems that need fixing. shut out the other side’s opinion, but There’s the aforementioned Once we anyone who understands nuance will concerns which are indeed realize that possible to address, but then there is a recognize that this is unreasonable. there are those which are large midmore binary. Among those dle ground who also participate in Palestine activism, there are some by stepping out of our respective echo chambers, we can who abide by a policy of “non-normalization.” Such folks work together toward a hopeful solution for both sides. would not participate in events or coalitions with other groups that do not explicitly condemn Israel’s occupation Wali: As an aside, I feel it’s important to mention that, and treatment of the Palestinians, so as not to make the octhough I am a supporter of the tactics of BDS, I don’t believe

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7 that the desire for a Jewish homeland in Israel is nefarious or unreasonable.

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political tensions.

Now more than ever, we are in need of the ties between faith groups to be strong. The case for interfaith is a compelling one, in my opinion, and we can be tactful when engaging with each other so that we are not putting up any barriers. Ultimately, interfaith serves as a way to combat intolerance and improve understanding.

Daniel: It’s funny because I feel like if we had met each other in a different, less personal context, we may have hated each other. To be honest, in today’s polarized and partisan political climate, it is almost a miracle that we don’t. How can a proud Zionist who lived in Israel for a year find mutual ground on which to connect to an avid BDS supporter?

However, I truly think that by stepping back we were really able to invert the question. As a believer in God, I have many good friends who are atheists. As a political moderate, I have many friends both to the left and to the right politically. And therein lies the answer. Friends.

We now no longer view each other as an “other” but rather as friends. Friends disagree on things and argue all the time, but at the end of the day, they are still friends.

Wali: Word.

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Our Obligations: Halacha and the Syrian Refugee Crisis

By Sam Schmuel

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or most of the last 2,000 years, Jews did not have a state of their own. Prior to declaring statehood in the Land of Israel in 1948, they experienced persecution, and murder, and were often discriminated against and forced to flee their homes. At the same time, Jews, beginning with Abraham the Patriarch, have always had a religious obligation to welcome guests into their homes. Jews have also held that the sanctity of life is critical and, thus, they must ensure their own safety and protect themselves from harm.

This dichotomy of being both welcoming and careful poses an interesting question regarding a Jew’s obligation to take in potentially dangerous refugees from enemy nations.

These two seemingly contrasting ideas have become the topic of great discussion as refugees from Syria and other parts of the world arrive in Europe and North America, looking for shelter. As an American Jew, two questions that intrigue me are the following: what are the respective Jewish and American takes on taking in refugees?

A major key in Jewish culture is the concept of hospitality. Hakhnasat Orchim, as it is referred to in Hebrew, is a Mitzvah, or commandment. Welcoming a stranger into one’s home exemplifies just one of the many ways that one can fulfill this particular Mitzvah. This principle can be seen in a number of Judaic texts, including the Passover Haggadah, which writes “Whosoever is in need let him come and eat” (Ta’anit 20b). Abraham the patriarch once stopped a conversation with God, Himself, in order to welcome strangers in the distance into his home (Genesis 18:1-5). This episode, along with dozens of other examples throughout the span of Jewish history, demonstrate the necessity for Jews to help those in need. Yet, the question remains: At what point does a Jew’s need for security outweigh his obligation to help others?

In addition to emphasizing hospitality, Jewish texts have also stressed the importance of safety and security in a society. According to these texts, Jews need to defend themselves from any potential dangers, and the gravity of this obligation often seems to supersede the value of hospitality.

Perhaps the best example in the Torah is when Yael, a biblical figure from the Book of Judges, tricks the Canaanite general, Sisera, into believing that he has found refuge and later drives a stake through his skull (Judges 4:18-24, 5:24-27).

While this act may, at first, seem deceitful and dishonorable, Yael commits this act to protect the Israelites from great danger. This idea of rejecting foreigners that pose a danger is echoed by both Rashi, who proclaims that “the mighty men of Israel would dwell in the border towns and lock the frontier so no enemies could enter; it was as if it were closed with locks and bars of iron and brass.” Additionally, Rabbi Yosef Karo, in his book Shulchan Aruch, writes that “in a border city, even if the non-Jews approach you [ostensibly] regarding straw and hay, one must violate the Shabbat to repel them, lest they take over the city and proceed from there to conquer the land.” Both of these writers

of Jews around the world to help these refugees. The greatest fear among both rabbis and within the secular world is that terrorists may pose as refugees and infiltrate their host countries with the intent of committing violence. This fear, while largely unsubstantiated, is undeniably of great importance to many governments around the globe. UCLA’s own Rabbi, Aryeh Kaplan of JLIC, while recognizing the obvious points of concern among many, believes that the question should not be whether or not to accept refugees, but instead “How many should be accepted? And under what level of scrutiny?” He asserts that Jews have an obligation to help those in need, but that they also have an obligation to protect themselves. For Rabbi Kaplan, striking a balance is the key to answering these questions.

Chabad of UCLA’s Rabbi Dovid Gurevich, an immigrant from the Soviet Union, disagrees, however. He asserts that the requirement to help people in embattled parts of the world does not necessitate a country to take in large numbers of refugees. According to Rabbi Gurevich, a society should work to stabilize Syria and offer solutions to the long term problems, rather than simply solving the problem in the short term. He also believes that those who are most at risk in the region, such as Christians and Yazidis, should be given priority when deciding on who to allow into the United States because their lives are risk.

When asked about whether or not such actions were discriminatory, Rabbi Gurevich said that accepting those most at-risk is not a discriminatory act towards others in the region. Instead, it is a means of ensuring the survival of those commu-

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Society has an obligation to help the refugees of Syria and around the world, while also protecting its own existence.

Photo courtesy of CBN Documentries

recognize the need among Jews to defend themselves from dangerous outsiders that could potentially cause harm to the Jewish community.

Now, the question remains: How should we approach the case of Syrian refugees fleeing violence?

Many contemporary rabbis argue over the obligations

Photo by Mstyslav Chernov

nities. He also explained that as a secular state, the United States has no religious obligation to accept refugees but that helping people in need is a righteous act for Jews and the larger society, alike. His answer, while different from that of Rabbi Kaplan, ultimately reaffirms the same idea that exist throughout Jewish thought: Jews must help others.

The answer to the question of how to approach the refugee crisis remains a complicated one, regardless of whether it is being asked through a religious or political lens. Ultimately, it seems that there is no clear-cut answer to this inquiry. Instead, there exists a spectrum of responses that range from complete acceptance to complete denial.

Judaism has never been a religion based on clear-cut ideas, but instead one of deep contemplative thoughts and discussions. While the answer to this question might be different to everyone, it still requires that one considers both the need to protect oneself from harm and the need to help those in danger. Society has an obligation to help the refugees of Syria, while also protecting its own existence. Where a person draws the line is up to him to decide.

Justice for Mordecai Kaplan

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By Joey Levin

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he major branches of Judaism as we know them came about during the late 1800s through the mid1900s. In 1912, the Young Israel movement of Orthodox Judaism was founded, which today has 135 congregations and over 25,000 members. In 1922, the first bat mitzvah was performed. In 1947, the independent American Jewish University was founded, which teaches 12,000 students per year. In 1968, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College was established, which has graduated several hundred rabbis since its inception. Aside from being landmark occurrences of what are today important Jewish establish-

Reconstructionism has only about 100 synagogues and about 2% of Jews in America identify with this movement today.

Kaplan continued working at JTS until he retired, whereupon he helped cofound the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. The works that Kaplan published over the course of his life became the foundation of Reconstructionism.

One Kaplan’s main ideas was that Judaism is Throughout his life, Kaplan always strived a civilization, to ensure that Judaism was relevant and not purely a religion. His was interesting for the Jewish people. the first synagogue to have social events, ments, these events have something else in common. One not just purely religious ones. His way or another, these and so many more occurances were all idea was to have a “shul with a heavily impacted by Mordecai Kaplan. But who is Mordecai pool,” where synagogues would Kaplan, and why don’t any of us know him? become cultural centers in which

Mordecai Kaplan was born in Lithuania in 1881. Over people hang out. This concept has the course of his life until 1983, Kaplan explored all the diftaken the form of social Orthodoxy Photo by Ike9898 ferent branches of Judaism we know today. After moving to and the JCC, in addition to every nonreligious event that is America, he attended Etz Chaim Yeshiva Elementary school, done at synagogues. For us here at UCLA, Hillel is also a bywhich later became the basis for Yeshiva University. He went product of this idea of social Judaism. As Jewish college stuon to study at the City College of New York and the Jewish dents, it is hard for us to imagine what life at UCLA would Theological Seminary (JTS). He became the rabbi at Congre- be like without a Hillel, but many of the people who have gation Kehilath Jeshurun. In 1912 he advised the founders of gotten involved in Jewish life would certainly have had more Young Israel and the Society for the Advancement of Judadifficulty maintaining their Judaism without this concept. ism. In 1922 his daughter had the first public bat mitzvah at

It is clear that Kaplan must be viewed as one of the his synagogue, the Society for the Advancement of Judaism, most influential rabbis of the 20th century. The question where she recited the blessings and read from the Torah in English and Hebrew.

Throughout the rest of his life, Kaplan wrote many works that explored his view on Judaism, culminating in the creation of his own denomination: Reconstructionist Judaism. Reconstructionism views Judaism more as a cultural entity, and teaches that unless there is a reason to stop following halacha you have to keep observing it. It focuses on embracing modernity but at the same time maintaining traditional Jewish values. Kaplan died in 1983, after momentously changing the face of Judaism.

But why don’t many people know who Mordecai Kaplan is? The answer may lie in Kaplan’s ostracism from the movements he once was a part of. Kaplan’s first job as a rabbi was for an Orthodox synagogue in 1912. In 1921, he resigned from another job as an Orthodox rabbi for the Jewish Center in Manhattan because of his radical ideas. In 1945, the Union of Orthodox Rabbis excommunicated him. The Conservative movement did not accept Kaplan’s views on God, so even while he spent many years at JTS he was never truly comfortable there. Kaplan was critical of Reform Judaism and never ventured into that area. Mordecai Kaplan never truly felt comfortable in any of the other movements, and for that reason, in spite of his influence, the movements didn’t give him enough credit for helping to shape their modern forms. The Reconstructionist movement, itself, never grew to great size:

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everyone always asks is “how do we ensure that Judaism will survive through the next generations?” There is not one answer to this, but throughout his life, Kaplan always strived to ensure that Judaism was relevant and interesting for the Jewish people. His impact can be seen in so many of the modern branches of Judaism, yet many people today do not know about him. The theme of this edition of Ha’am is justice, and I hope that by publishing this article Mordecai Kaplan gets the justice he deserves.

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Keeping Religious Freedom Free

By Zev Hurwitz

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hen the Trump administration announced an executive order this month promising greater freedoms for religious institutions to engage in political activity, the policy was lauded by proponents as a victory increasing religious freedoms for Americans. However, the new regulations may end up harming religious communities and ending conversations instead of starting them.

On the surface, giving more legal flexibility to religious leaders and broadening their scope of permissible speech is a win for broadening religious freedoms. But thinning the line between shul and state could be harmful to our community in the long run.

As of now, laws prohibit tax-exempt organizations from engaging in politicking—laws which exist to ensure that politicians don’t use nonprofits to do campaign work.

In practice, nonprofits and religious institutions may engage with the political system through advocacy—promoting ideas or policies that an organization believes to be beneficial. Organizations, religious or otherwise, don’t get to help politicians get elected or serve as proxies for their campaigns.

In exchange, donors to registered 501(c)3’s can make gifts that count as tax write-offs—not the case for political contributions.

The administration’s approach to improving these “freedoms” is alarming. Namely, what appears to be a broadening of free speech rights could actually give license to congregational rabbis to campaign or endorse from the pulpit.

How tragic for an already divided country that our religious spaces could now be yet another medium for polarization (remember when we thought Facebook would bring us together?). Surely our rabbis have historically given their take on current events as they pertain to our community from the bimah without blow-up, but the possibility that entire synagogues would be broken up by rabbis who choose to promote one party or political figure over the others is alarming. That’s just the beginning. Our national religious organizations may start to operate as political caucuses, using their reach to mandate for partisan leaders from member synagogues.

The beauty of our community is that our faith ties together people with a plethora of opinions and backgrounds.

No denomination commands unanimous, unwavering support for one party or candidate (though polarization within the Jewish community has advanced in recent years, per 2016 polling). Were, say, the Orthodox Union—an early applauder of the executive order— to endorse a candidate in 2020, it could be fatal to membership from synagogues forced to conform to this opinion.

We already see this with internal Jewish politics. When the OU doubled down on rejection of female clergy last year, B’nai David Judea, a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Los Angeles, was forced to put out a statement breaking with the OU’s mandate that its shuls not employ women in rabbinical roles. Similarly, the divisiveness of the JCPOA (Iran Deal) debate that raged during the sum-

How tragic for an already divided country that our religious spaces could now be yet another medium for polarization.

Photo by K.G. Hawes

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mer of 2015 revealed a non-cohesive response to a typically unifying issue.

In the U.S. Congress, that debate was largely partisan but in the synagogues, the absence of partisanship (at least not naming it) allowed for true debate over the agreement’s merits. Imagine the chaos and division of congregations forced to choose between jeopardizing their denominational membership and benefits by rejecting an endorsement or driving their politically dissenting congregants out by linking a shul’s guiding religious philosophy to a political party.

Then, there’s the money issue. The role of money in politics continues to be an ongoing concern—that our leaders can be bought. Prior to the May 4 announcement of the new executive order, money in religious organizations was aimed at servicing the organization’s internal needs. Under this new order, nothing stops an organization from making its own contributions to candidates. The law that initially prohibited this—the Johnson Amendment to the U.S. Tax Code in 1954—is still technically in effect but the current administration has made it clear that it won’t work too hard to enforce it. It is unclear how the new rules would allow communities and congregations to participate in political spending.

It would be concerning to see synagogues whose rabbis endorse a candidate be permitted to use shul funds to bankroll the candidate. Even more concerning is the flip side: donations from the biggest machers (influential community members), on which a shul relies, could be tied to congregational support for a slate of politicians. Either way, the new order invites misuse of organizational or political money which threatens the sanctity of our civic and religious practice.

Finally, the implications of the executive order on interfaith relations. In this era of uncertainty, it is imperative that varying faith groups work to increase dialogue—not isolate themselves. It would be a true disservice to the goal of interfaith partnership for congregations, Jewish and otherwise, to wear political leanings on their sleeves.

Consider a synagogue that puts up a lawn sign endorsing a Republican hardliner on illegal immigration and the progressive church situated across the street whose members are largely Hispanic. Not only would the lawn sign prove to be a barrier to dialogue, but it could cast a bad light on the entire Jewish community. After all, anyone with a Facebook account knows how it feels to want to unfriend the perennially poster of disagreeable political news articles.

The same can be said for intra-Jewish communal relations as well. If the Iran Deal debacle was any indication, the Jewish community’s denominations are becoming increasingly partisan. It would be a needless tragedy for branches of Judaism to seal themselves off from each other because of displayed political allegiances.

There is little justice to be found in encouraging our clergy and temple leadership to serve as precinct captains and campaign from the bimah. The Johnson Amendment ensures that we keep our civics and our faith separate as was originally prescribed for this nation. This new executive order isn’t really changing anything on the ground—the law is still the law. Even so, it is our responsibility as members of a faith community to ensure that our clergy refrain from indulging in their new freedoms, in the wake of the executive order.

The clergy, too, need to recognize the dangers of becoming mouthpieces for partisan purposes. As always, the approach that is “best for the Jews” is also the one that fully embodies the pursuit of justice: tackle policy issues on a case-by-case basis and continue to advocate and push for laws that are fair, equitable and of course, just.

30 Years After: A Reflection

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By Jessica Behmanesh

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ithin the Jewish Bruin community, civic enbase for Iranian Jews gagement is a matter that is not taken lightly. between the ages of 21 At Hillel at UCLA, for example, students are and 35 to collaborate, given the opportunity to immerse themselves hear from notable comin a number of programs such as the Campus Engagement munity influencers and Fellowship, the Social Justice Fellowship and the Israel mentors and to hone Learning Fellowship. Although each of these fellowships adtheir leadership skills. dresses unique topics and concepts, they share a similar goal: Aside from providing to train the next generation of leaders that will both preserve regular seminars and and enrich their Jewish communities—wherever they may brainstorming sessions, be. Likewise, the Jewish Awareness Movement and Chabad the Maher Fellowon campus offer quarterly seminars, during which they inship also encourages vite guest speakers or encourage Chavruta-style studying as fellows to apply what a means of encouraging students to lead and see their surthey have learned by roundings through a Jewish lens. performing hands-on

Each academic quarter, a number of Iranian-Jewish civic service—whether students have taken advantage of these programs and have that means serving the gained the tools to effectively participate in matters such as homeless or lobbying civic engagement, Israel advocacy and community service. local members of ConWhile the impending nature of graduation may appear to gress to support legislabring an end to leadership-building opportunities for detion. When asked about parting seniors, it may actually serve as a starting point from the long-term influwhich Iranian-Jewish youths may learn to lead at a larger, ence of the fellowship Photo courtesy of 30 Years After regional level. on participants, Yebri

Since its inception in 2007, 30 Years After has been explained that the program has prompted many alumni to celebrated as the premier center for promoting the particimake tangible change in their society. The board of directors pation and leadership of Iranian Jews in civic, political and has noticed a “renewed interest [among fellowship alumni] Jewish life. With programs as robust as the six-month-long in being involved politically and supporting candidates that Maher represent our communities Fellowship well. I [Yebri] am confident and as inthat we will see many Iranian Since its inception in 2007, 30 Years Afnovative as Jews running for office [in ter has been celebrated as the premier the Legacy the future].”

Project, 30

Alan Daneshrad, who center for promoting the participation Years After participated in the Maher and leadership of Iranian Jews in civic, has made Fellowship’s third cohort, its mark noted that the program gave political and Jewish life. on Los him the opportunity to be Angeles’ “surrounded by like-minded contemporary history and has also played an instrumental individuals in the Persian Jewish community…who wantrole in inspiring civic activism among members of the Iranied to change the community for the better and [encourage an-Jewish community. community members] to be more actively involved.”

This quarter, I had the opportunity to speak with

Furthermore, Daneshrad said that the meaningful remembers of the organization’s board of directors, includlationships he developed during the program persisted long ing 30 Years After president, Sam Yebri. Born in Iran, Yebri after his cohort’s conclusion. In fact, several months after immigrated to the United States with his family as a child. the end of the fellowship, when an alumnus was in need of He obtained his undergraduate degree from Yale University leaders to help him mentor foster children at the last minute, in New Haven, Connecticut, and he then obtained his law Daneshrad explained that five Maher fellows were up for degree from the University of Southern California Gould the task. The inspiraSchool of Law. Yebri explained that the inspiration for 30 tion he gained from Years After came about shortly after the 2006 Lebanon War this community of between the Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah. young professionals

After the war, a group of young Iranian-Jewish proinfluenced him to fessionals—Yebri among them—came to the understanding later join the 30 Years that while the Jewish organizations at the time had been After board of direcworking to the best of their abilities to aid the overall comtors with the hope munity, “we [Iranian Jewry] could do much more in the of cultivating future Iranian Jewish community, both culturally and politically.” generations of Iranian

With the thirty-year anniversary of their families’ Jewish leaders. migration from Iran to the United States approaching, the

In addition to organization’s founders saw this time as the perfect opporthe Maher Fellowtunity to launch 30 Years After. One of the first steps in ship, 30 Years After is organizing the Iranian-Jewish community was the implenow working on the mentation of a civic conference in 2008, through which the Legacy Project, an founders were able to generate a “swelling of support” and archive dedicated to boast a crowd of 1,200 attendees. Since then, Yebri says, 30 preserving the stories Years After has hosted over 100 events and has reached more of Iranian Jews and than 10,000 individuals. Events range in subject from pubshedding light on the lic policy to Iranian Jewish history to community service. community’s rich culMoreover, since its founding, 30 Years After has also estabture and traditions. lished a popular fellowship for young professionals.

The organization is

The Maher Fellowship—pioneered by 30 Years Afcurrently accepting ter board member Jason Youdeem—has become a popular testimonials from

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Photo courtesy of 30 Years After

members of the community and hopes that sufficient footage will be collected to make the Legacy Project a significant documentary series.

This year marks ten years since the organization’s founding, yet the board of 30 Years After is continuing to amplify its programming and increase its audience. In addition to expanding the Legacy Project, the board hopes to establish more fellowship opportunities, to continue working with other Jewish organizations in the area and to ultimately give the Iranian-Jewish community a greater voice in society.

Daneshrad has emphasized the importance of the Iranian-Jewish community having an active role and voice in the greater civic society. Without vocalizing its needs and concerns, Daneshrad believes, the Iranian Jewish community’s concerns may be ignored and even intensified.

As Jewish Bruins progress through their time on campus, it is important for them to be mindful of the potential they possess to make positive and tangible changes in their communities—both before and after they graduate. Although the path to accomplishing these goals may appear daunting, with collaboration and optimism—such as that embodied within the 30 Years After team—such feats can come within one’s reach and may ultimately affect a community for the better.

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