I want to paraphrase what I said to commentors in the initial installment of guest poster Cascadian’s travelogue to Iran. Immediately, comments appeared committing a classic Jewish prejudice regarding Iran: because Ahmadinejad is a Holocaust denier and regional warmongerer could never — NEVER — implicate all Iranians. They underscored the very purpose of Cascadian’s amazing and incredibly risky trip. Against a Jewish mythos which claims that Jews will be lynched in the streets, Cascadian is taking a potentially life-threatening chance doing what most Jews would never do: see if for themselves. It behooves us to hear everything about his trip, simply to honor the risks he may (or may not) be taking in cross-cultural dialogue.
In these two installments, Erev Shabbat and Yom Shabbat, Cascadian spends the good day with Iranian Jews who, to his own incredulous ears, tell him that Ahmadinejad is “good for the Jews” and walk the streets with their kipot openly. The second correspondence gets into the politics of what Iranians think of themselves, Hezbollah, and nuclear weapons. Tehran is more than meets the eye, and the echo chamber of Jewish villainizing viz a viz Iran has fallen, unsurprisingly, as only half the truth. –KFJ
Iran Two: Erev Shabbat
Last night I fell in love.
It all started when a group of us were going for a walk. I decided to keep my kipah on, because we had Leila with us, who grew up in Iran, so speaks perfect Farsi. This is relevant, because if someone had a question about what is that thing on my head, she would be able to explain, and also understand if the questioner was hostile.
“Are you a Jew?” a passerby asks incredulously to me. I have the current distinction on the trip as the only visible Jew; among the four Jewish men I am the only one who wears a yamika in non-ritual situations.
After being momentarily taken aback, I realize that he too is wearing a kipah. More »
Just yesterday at dinner, my seven year old son asked why we never sign him and his brother up for “Parent’s Night Out.” This is a program run by our local YMCA. Once a month on a Friday evening, parents can drop their children off at the Y for several hours of babysitting. While the parents get to go out, their children enjoy pizza and a movie along with their friends. We explained that Friday evening was Shabbat and a time we spend together as a family. It always involves dinner, either at our home, or at the home of friends. When our temple has a Shabbat Alive or Family Service, we try to attend. As a family, we seem to have figured out Friday evenings. My three year old asks all week when it will be Shabbat. And my seven year old, channeling some inner-Chasid, could eat an entire challah, piece by piece, dipping each piece into his grape juice.
Saturday still presents a challenge. While my congregation is beginning to explore such worship opportunities, Shabbat morning options at most congregations are not child friendly. We avoid chores such as grocery shopping or trips to the dry cleaner. But sporting activities and birthday parties still beckon with great regularity. We try to do things our children will enjoy like trips to children’s museums. In the warm weather we go to the pool and in the cold weather we may go to a movie. All of this we frame for our children as enjoyable things we get to do because it is Shabbat.
So while my children will, hopefully, have a sense of Shabbat rest and Shabbat joy, I worry that their sense of Shabbat worship will be incomplete. I am not sure how they will become familiar with the Shabbat morning liturgy, the weekly telling of our people’s story, or the power of hearing the Torah being chanted. My appreciation of these did not come until I was well into my adult years. I hope my own children will not have to wait as long.
I read the article and wondered where exactly this family lived that they couldn’t bring their children to services. Why they were unable to find resources to teach their children the liturgy that the author finds so meaningful and important. Why the author is hoping, but not “doing” anything about his children’s connection to Torah.
Then I scrolled up and read the by-line: Rabbi Victor S. Appell (Director, Small Congregations, Union for Reform Judaism).
This bothered me. His office is based in New York, NY. A mecca of Judaism (or, as Stephen M. Cohen would put it, a centre of Judaism). And while he might live outside the city, there’s no reason for lack of resources for a rabbi employed by his denomination’s organization. Religious school, Hebrew school, classes at the Y or JCC are all available and kid friendly. Start a havurah with friends, teach a group of children together in your homes. Hold services at home before going to those birthday parties and sporting activities. Surely we could come up with some easily implementable suggestions for this rabbi and his family, right?
Guest post by Cascadian, a Jews in the Woodser who is presently on a Fellowship of Reconciliation trip to Iran. We’ll be guest posting much of his trip correspondence as he relates his first-hand impressions of the country the Jews presently love to hate. (His first paragraph is so noteworthy because last time he entered Israel, security held him for something like 12 hours.)
Last night, around 3 am in Tehran, I was accepted through passport security at the airport. The hassles didn’t turn out to be much; we didn’t get our bags searched, not even fingerprinted. The officer who was in charge of the x-ray machine wasn’t even looking at the screen as our bags filtered through.
As the plane landed, women covered their heads, many halfheartedly. The line of acceptability has been effectively challenged and blurred by the generation of modern women in Tehran; for some the hijab is halfway back on their heads, revealing plenty of hair, clearly stating “I’m just doing this ‘cus I have to.” This next to a handful of women, who are authentically observing the religious tradition.
At the time of this posting, Mumbai has been under terrorist siege for over a day, and information about the situation is still forthcoming only slowly.
One of the sites surrounded is Mumbai’s Chabad house, and it seems that the rabbi there, Gavriel Holtzberg, and his wife Rivka are likely among the hostages, along with, possibly, others. Reports indicate that Chabad’s cook managed to escape, taking the Holtzberg’s toddler-aged son with her.
Reports also indicate that there may be 20 or 30 Israelis among the hostages at the Oberoi Hotel, along with unknown numbers of other American, British, and other foreign hostages, and presumably Indians as well.
The death toll of these attacks is now being tallied at over 120, with over 300 injured.
May this end soon, with no more casualties. May everybody find their way home safely. May the memories of those who have already died be for a blessing. Mumbai, our prayers are with you.
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” –Mark Twain
***
Mechon Hadar has placed all the audio from their recent Independent MinyanConference online, so those of us who weren’t there can listen and respond from afar. So we’ll be writing a series of posts here reacting to various sessions from the conference. And I’m starting with the keynote address by Professor Steven M. Cohen (not to be confused with Rep. Steve Cohen) on “The Groomed and the Bloomed: Varied Paths to Engagement in Independent Minyanim”. You can listen to the MP3 and view the PowerPoint presentation.
Picture a room with a couple of soferim in it, writing Torah. A proto-sofer is practising letter samekh. The sound of a lecture on the weekly Torah portion floats in from down the hallway. Another proto-sofer takes a deep breath; she’s about to start writing her first mezuzah. Her teacher is there, keeping an eye on her as she turns months of hard study into a real scroll.
A rabbinical student drops in with a megillah; he can’t quite work out what he’s doing wrong, but someone with more experience can get him back on track. Bolstered with good advice, he goes on his way, passing on his way out another proto-soferet who is coming from her Talmud class. Letter samekh is set aside and the two pull out books and tackle halakha. Mezuzah girl, taking a lunch break, helps them out when they get stuck.
They leave – they have Bible class now – and another student arrives. She’s an expert on the Ancient Near East, a university professor and rabbi. She lives in the next state and studies on her own, and comes in every few weeks for an hour’s lesson, after which someone is bound to get her into a discussion about texts from antiquity, and everyone will get very excited. After she’s gone, work resumes, perhaps punctuated by occasional exchanges of advice or the sharing of a thought on the text. Someone will fetch some tea, someone will take a minute to look up a halakhic ruling. Letter by letter, their scrolls grow.
In the late afternoon, a round-eyed eleven-year-old comes in with her bat mitzvah teacher. They’re taking a break from a Torah reading lesson, and coming to see the Torah being written. A Torah scholar spends an hour working on her own calligraphy; she doesn’t want to be a sofer, but she likes practising here with the scribes. Her Seeing Eye dog sleeps under the table; she’s practically blind, but she finds calligraphy inspiring. Everyone else finds her inspiring.
Around suppertime, a sofer and a proto-sofer arrive from their day jobs. Over supper, they catch up, talk shop a bit, and then set to reviewing some of the basics. They’ll almost certainly end up chasing a tangent through the rabbinic literature. Someone will bring an academic perspective, someone will share a midrash; they may finish the evening discussing practical concerns, or philosophy, or awed speechless by some particularly astounding idea.
Sounds nice, doesn’t it? And the great thing is, it’s not just a pretty dream. It happened last week, and the week before, and the week before, and God willing it will happen next week and the week after and the week after. Baby scribes and proto-scribes and getting-better scribes, people sharing what they know and what they’ve learned, writing and studying and listening together, and all the while the Torah grows and grows. It’s very beautiful.
Stephen M. Cohen is again studying an interesting topic using internet-based survey methodology. It is mostly good with a couple of vaguely worded questions and an unintentionally awkward one.
First, Congratz to Cohen on tackling interesting questions and providing mostly valuable data. Not many folks are doing that and it is to be commended.
The Good
He treats Israeli, American, Zionist, Religious, Secular, and Observant (Religiously) as independent Identities. It’s good to be able to narrow down you identity with several different axes. That said, what is the nuance intended between Observant (Religiously) and Religious?
The Awkward
Have you seen a movie with an Israeli orientation?
“Saw a movie with an Israeli orientation.” What’s the movie’s orientation? Is it into other movies? Plays? Nope. Israelis. Yes. It must have an Israeli orientation. More »
To evaluate the impact of religiosity on mortality and morbidity, the investigators looked at variables including self-report of religious affiliation, frequency of religious service attendance, and religious strength as well as comfort, in relation to coronary heart disease (CHD) and death. It is important to note that the study did not attempt to measure spirituality; rather, it examined self-report religiosity measures (irrespective of the participant’s religion).
Those attending religious services at least once per week showed a 20% mortality risk reduction mark compared with those not attending services at all. These findings corroborate prior studies that have shown up to a 25% reduction in such risk. [Read more.]
I would like to thank the various independent minyanim that I attend on a regular basis for existing as, it seems, they’re to thank for my recent “got off easy” car accident. (What? I’m not properly understanding the conclusions?)
Two years ago {December 2006}, I participated in this study trip. Although I’ve been to Israel over a dozen times in diverse capacities – including trips I’ve played a key role in organizing – this was an eye-opening and engaging visit. The next one takes place January 17-24, 2009. Consider going.
It is organized by Meretz USA – disclaimer, I am Secretary of the group – in cooperation with Ameinu.
This study trip – for reasons that elude me it has for many years been called Meretz USA’s Israel Symposium – is a unique one-week journey through Israel, during which participants meet key Israeli and Palestinian policy- and opinion-makers, Arab and Jewish community leaders, up-and-coming social activists, and insightful journalists, authors and artists. When we were through from our experience two years back, all of us could say that we came away with a significantly deeper and broader understanding of the myriad challenges facing Israeli society.
When: Saturday, Januray 17 – Saturday, January 24. {These dates do not include arrival and departure transportation.}
Where: All particpants will be staying at the Dan Panorama in Jerusalem in either shared double rooms or private single rooms. {It is possible to make other lodging arrangements – please call Meretz USA today @ 212-242-4500.}
Costs: Included in the cost of this trip is a seven night stay at a four-star hotel in Jerusalem; three meals a day; transportation within Israel (note: flights to Israel and transportation to and from the airport not included).
$2,200 per person, double occupancy room
$2,500 per person, single occupancy room
If you are interested in participating, but would rather stay with someone you know in Israel, or make alternative lodging arrangements on your own, this will lower the cost. Again, call Meretz USA asap to discuss this.
I’m told that space is limited, and therefore, that you’re encouraged to register asap.
Two tid-bits, the last one in two parts:
* Read Meretz USA Executive Director Ron Skolnik’s report on the January 2008 Israel Symposium.
* Watch a short movie on the December 2006 Israel Symposium, put together by Meretz USA Past President and prize-winning director, Lilly Rivlin. In just 13 brief minutes, the film gives you a small taste of the fascinating people that Symposium participants meet and the gripping places they visit. Click for Part I (6:36 minutes) Click for Part II (6:30 minutes)
To reserve your spot, download, print, and fill out the registration form which is online here.
You must complete the form and mail it in with a $500/per person deposit by December 5th to insure you a reserved spot.
Any questions? Just call Ron at 212-242-4500 or email him at mail@meretzusa.org
Stephen M. Cohen’s latest research questionaire on Jewish identity asks you about the intersection of Israel and American Jewish life. Do you think Israelis should learn anything about being Jewish from American Jews? Vice versa? The answer is hells yeah, but there’s no way of specifying in which ways on this survey.
The Jew & the Carrot launches The Schmethecist, a new and super snarky advice column on all your foodie questions.
Did you know the undisputed mother of women’s judo is a Jewish great-grandmother named Rena Glickman? And did you know that Japan’s government recently awarded her with one of its highest honors, the Emperor’s Order of the Rising Sun?
I kid you not. The mighty Rena Glickman (known to millions of judo-devotees as Rusty Kanokogi) has been doing her thing since the 1950s, when she had to masquerade as a man to practice her art (a neo-Yentl saga if ever there was one!) A recent Sports Illustrated article gives the backstory:
(Kanokogi) had to collect 25,000 signatures and threaten legal action for sex discrimination against the International Olympic Committee and its TV partner, ABC, to get women’s judo into the Games in ’88…She also found time, in between, to coach the 1988 Olympic team, officiate the ’96 Olympics and provide NBC’s color commentary at the 2004 Games.
I was so sorry to read that Ms. Kanokogi is currently being treated for bone cancer – all the more reason to be proud that she is receiving this unprecedented honor. Mazel Tov Rusty! (Or as the judo masters teach: “Chiri mo tsumori yamato nari.”)
The recent persecution of European Roma (Gypsies) is abhorrent.
The UN News Centre reports:
November 21, 2008 – Two United Nations human rights experts today expressed grave concern over the recent rise in anti-Roma sentiment and violent incidents in several European countries, calling for a stronger response from governments.
“Effective action is required to stem the growing tide of hostility, anti-Roma sentiment and violence across Europe,” UN Independent Expert on minority issues Gay McDougall said in a statement…
In the latest incident on November 17th, far-right supporters armed with stones and petrol bombs besieged a Roma community in the Czech town of Litvinov and were prevented from attacking the community only by a concerted police response.
“Extremists may feel they have license for their attacks when the message they receive from government activities in other spheres is also that the Roma are a problem,” Ms. McDougall said.
“Governments must strongly condemn such actions. Moreover they must be committed to finding ways to create safe environments for all by carefully monitoring and strengthening their own anti-racism activities, through leadership and public education, by swiftly denouncing hate speech and prosecuting the racist and violent actions of others in society.”
Both experts consider the policies and actions of numerous States have been inadequate, at best, to resolve intolerable conditions of poverty, marginalization and exclusion experienced by the Roma. Policies such as fingerprinting Roma, abuse by police, and racist statements by senior public officials contribute to creating a climate in which societal discrimination and racism are sustained and enhanced.
The experts said the growing number of incidents requires both a national and Europe-wide response. “A strong message must be sent by the European Union and acted upon by Member States. It is unacceptable for any sector of society to be vilified, threatened and attacked,” Mr. Muigai said.
Why should this should matter to Jews? The Roma people, who arrived in the Balkans from northern India in the 14th century, spread throughout the European continent thereafter and built a both mythologized and brutally persecuted diasporic civilization. Sadly, the only connections drawn between Jews and Romanies begins with klezmer music and ends in the concentration camp.
This should change. As Jewish communities rebuilt themselves after the war with the help of their kinsfolk and allies, the Roma have struggled for recognition, reparations and a better life in a post-War, post-Communist Europe. It was known among the Hasidim that the Besht learned to set broken bones from a Roma healer. Julian Tuwim, a Polish-language Jewish writer, discovered Papusza, still the most well known Romani-language poet. Unfortunately today, the Jewish people largely ignore the virulent denigration of Romani dignity, preferring to largely abandon their dedication to pursuing justice in the diverse European societies where modern Jewish intepretations of tzedek took shape.
For information please visit the European Roma Rights Centre website : ERRC
Today, communities around the world are observing Transgender Day of Rememberance, honoring the memories of the 30 people killed in the last year simply for trying to live their lives in ways that honestly represented themselves as who they were. The link above lists local events, including Shabbat services in Michigan and San Francisco tomorrow night, an interfaith vigil in Boston tonight co-sponsored by Keshet, and a couple of other explicitly interfaith vigils that don’t list explicitly Jewish organizers but would most certainly be excellent places for Jews to show up.
As important as moments of silence and reflection are in honoring those who have been martyred, it’s equally important to give voice to their stories and to the stories of those who are living lives in the face of a world that doesn’t understand. Along those lines, S. Isaac Dowd has written a beautiful reflection on the day, from the perspective of a transgender Jew over at JVoices.
by Kung Fu Jew [➚] · Thursday, November 20th, 2008
An urgent release from BUSTAN, one of the Israeli NGOs doing anti-poverty and environmental work in the Negev among Bedouin Israelis: The first environmentally-sustainable community center/mosque — a project of a Bedouin 9-year veteran of the IDF — is to be torn down TODAY by the Israeli authorities. Why? Read on.
An anedote from June ’08: Dr. Yaale Livnat of the Regional Council of Unrecognized Villages, spoke to a rare delegation of young American Jews at an unrecognized village not far from Wadi el Na’am. Many of the students on this particular trip had been Hillel volunteers in New Orleans after Katrina. Surveying the evidence of government neglect, corrugated aluminum and wood palette shacks, the rusty generators for heat and electricity, and the empty sandlot where participants played soccer with the Bedouin teenagers, they saw that, in their own words, “It’s the same thing.”
They’re exactly right. It boils down to this: racism. Very simple, ordinary, normal, unsurprising racism. CK over at Jewlicious wants to chalk it up to a bureaucratic “accident”. The photo caption reads, “Who exactly does this Mosque threaten? We’re knocking it down because… ?”
But those of us who’ve volunteered with the Bedouin and the NGOs which work on their behalf know the simple answer. The government is knocking it down because Bedouin who live in one place long enough approach gaining squatters’ rights. It refuses to build infrastructure because Arabs are second-class citizens. Or at least, they say, it’s the Jewish State, and Jews come first.
Some people are claiming, “Oh how terrible that this mosque — and for shande, it’s an eco-mosque! — will be torn down!”
The biggest shanda is that every week, somewhere in the Negev, a house or village is knocked down. And only when it’s a freakin’ eco-project by a Bedouin who served 9 years in the IDF, do we give a shit. And still, that the mainstream Jewish press doesn’t cover it at all. If this ain’t racism, I don’t know what is. That’s the shande.
It’s not just shame on Israel — shame on the Jews.
At the time this gets posted, it will likely be too late to do anything. Demolitions are postponed, but they’re almost never recinded. Despite that, BUSTAN’s call for an intervention and the emails of the authorities in charge are below the fold. More »
Kudos to all three arms of the Reconstructionist movement for releasing a joint statement condemning the recent passage of gay marriage bans across the country. Read all about it in this JTA article.
Here’s the text of the entire statement:
The Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College deplore the passage of Proposition 8 in California and similar discriminatory initiatives recently passed in Arizona, Florida, and Arkansas. We are saddened and deeply disturbed by the denial of fundamental human rights—to marry, to adopt and care for foster children—to thousands of gay and lesbian citizens across the United States. We are particularly dismayed by the passage of initiatives that have reversed previously recognized equality for same-sex unions.
Beginning in 1993, in a series of resolutions, the Reconstructionist movement has affirmed the holiness of commitments made by same-sex couples. Religious recognition of marriages does not confer the legal and civil rights and responsibilities bestowed by the state upon married couples. We recognize the right of every religious denomination to affirm its own definition of, and limitations upon, the sacred ritual of marriage. No member of the clergy should be compelled to sanctify any union that is contrary to his or her understanding of sacred text and tradition. But neither should any gay or lesbian citizen of the United States be denied the legal rights confirmed by civil marriage.
We call upon leaders of other faith communities who share the commitment to civic equality and to the separation of church and state in the realm of marriage to speak out against bans on same-sex marriage and discrimination against GLBT people in the realm of adoption and foster care. We look forward to the day when all states will grant equal access to the rights and responsibilities of civil marriage.
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