In This Moment: ADL Antisemitism Survey, Friday the 13th, Israel's Judicial Break-Glass Moment

In This Moment "Faith is taking the first step when you don't see the whole staircase." - Martin Luther King, Jr. Shabbat Shalom This week we focus our thoughts on the legacy of Martin Luther King, and how his ideas are echoed in Jewish sources. Click here or on the photo to see King's "Talmud," several passages that link his prophetic vision with the wisdom of Jewish sages. Aside from our Friday night musical tribute, the community will have events going on all weekend dedicated to King's legacy. I'll be participating in the citywide celebration on Sunday at 3 PM at UConn. Click here for Sunday reservations. The new year is barely a few days old and already we are forced to confront a Friday the 13th. This year we’ll have two (October is the other) so conventional wisdom might suggest that 2023 is especially unlucky.   Or is it? Why must we treat this confluence of day and date as our worst nightmare? For Jews, nothing could be more promising than the combination of a Friday and the number 13. Just look at the “Friday the 13th” movies and how many Jewish values they espouse. Everyone goes to camp and sits around the campfire. The hockey mask is a nice touch for Purim. OK, so there’s a little blood, but I was at a bris recently, so I can take it. Blood happens. For Jews, no day brings a greater sense of anticipation than Shabbat, which begins each Friday just before sunset. And 13 is a very lucky number – ask any Bar or Bat Mitzvah student (some girls become Bat Mitzvah at 12, but 13 is the magical number most associated with this coming of age spectacle). Several years ago, a now defunct website of an Israeli flower distributor presented a list of reasons why 13 is so lucky. No doubt Friday the 13th it is a lucky day for flower shops because Israelis buy lots of flowers every Friday - and presumably even more on a Friday that, for some, augurs bad karma. Here is my list, which incorporates that list along with other sources, including another list at Jewish Unpacked. FOR THE REST OF THIS COLUMN, VISIT MY SUBSTACK PAGE ...and subscribe! Popular Parasha Packets for Shemot This week's Torah portion, perfectly positioned for MLK weekend, brings us to the book of Exodus and the saga of Israel's journey from slavery to freedom Moses and the Midwives: Birth of a Legend and Legends of Birth Moses birth as seen through the prism of ancient hero stories and the scholarship of Joseph Campbell, with a special focus on those heroric midwives who saved Hebrew boys. Sacred Names The title of the portion, Shemot, means names. It begins with a list of the names of the Israelites who went down to Egypt with Jacob, but also includes other important names - including God. This packet explores the significance of names. We Were Slaves: Jewish Sources on Slavery and Torture Estimates are that there are 27 million slaves around the world today, This portion sees the Israelites become slaves in Egypt, a traumatic experience that has informed Jewish ethics ever since. Waiting for Mashiach Moses was not the Messiah, but his savior status brings to mind this age-old Jewish concept. This packet features a collection of Jewish sources from a wide variety of perspectives, on Messiah and Messianism More on Abraham Joshua Heschel Above: NBC interview in 1972, taped just weeks before Heschel's death. See also the video "Spiritual Audacity", which aired on PBS. 33:46: "I'd say to young people a number of things: Remember, there is a meaning beyond absurdity, let be sure that every little deed counts, that every word has power, that we can do everyone our share to redeem the world. (...) Remember the importance of self-discipline, study the great sources of wisdom, don't read the best-sellers. (...) Remember life is a celebration. There's much of entertainment in our life (...) but what is really important is life as celebration. The most important thing is to teach man how to celebrate life." FEATURED POST: Heschel’s audacity and Hamlin’s injury (my op-ed in Times of Israel) I'm actually inclined to believe that at its root, the problem is not racism at all, because for most of us, the players aren’t even people. They are objects. This past week may have begun to change all that. I pray that it has. (1963) RABBI ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL, “RELIGION AND RACE” - On January 14, 1963, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel gave the speech “Religion and Race,” at a conference of the same name that assembled in Chicago, Illinois. There he met Dr. Martin Luther King and the two became friends. Rabbi Heschel marched with Dr. King at Selma, Alabama in 1965. The speech Rabbi Heschel gave at the 1963 conference appears here. Theological Affinities in the Writings of Abraham Joshua Heschel and Martin Luther King, Jr. (Susannah Heschel) Abraham Joshua Heschel Study Materials  The Return of a 60-Year-Old Dispute between Two of American Jewry’s Leading Theologians, and Why It Matters (Tradition) In 1964, Eliezer Berkovits of the Orthodox Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois and Abraham Joshua Heschel of the Conservative Jewish Theological Seminary in Manhattan were two of the leading lights of rabbinic thought in America. Both men were born and educated in Eastern Europe (Berkovits in Hungary, Heschel in Warsaw) in the early 20th century, both attended the University of Berlin, and both were committed Zionists. That year, Berkovits wrote an essay in Tradition—then as now the flagship journal of Modern Orthodox thought in America, closely associated with Yeshiva University—sharply criticizing Heschel’s theology, and in particular his idea that God suffers in ways only humans can fix. To Berkovits, this approach came far to close to the Christian doctrine of Jesus suffering on the cross. Todd Berman, writing in Tradition, recently wrote an essay in in the same journal defending Heschel against Berkovits’s attack. More Recommended Reading Two Landmark Surveys ADL Antisemitism Report Survey finds ‘classical fascist’ antisemitic views widespread in U.S. (WaPo) Antisemitic Attitudes in America: Topline Findings (ADL) The topline results, presented in this report, show several trends that are cause for concern: Widespread belief in anti-Jewish tropes, at rates unseen for decades Over three-quarters of Americans (85 percent) believe at least one anti-Jewish trope, as opposed to 61 percent found in 2019. Twenty percent of Americans believe six or more tropes, which is significantly more than the 11 percent that ADL found in 2019 and is the highest level measured in decades. Substantial rates of Israel-focused antisemitism Many Americans believe in Israel-oriented antisemitic positions – from 40 percent who at least slightly believe that Israel treats Palestinians like Nazis treated the Jews, to 18 percent who are uncomfortable spending time with a person who supports Israel. Trope-focused and Israel-focused antisemitism appear to overlap significantly There is a nearly 40 percent correlation between belief in anti-Jewish tropes and anti-Israel belief, meaning that a substantial number of people who believe anti-Jewish tropes also have negative attitudes toward Israel. Young adults have more anti-Israel sentiment than older generations, and only marginally less belief in anti-Jewish tropes While young adults (between the ages of 18 and 30) show less belief in anti-Jewish tropes (18 percent believe six or more tropes) than older adults (20 percent believe six or more tropes), the difference is substantially less than measured in previous studies. Additionally, young adults hold significantly more anti-Israel sentiment than older adults, with 21 percent and 11 percent agreeing with five or more anti-Israel statements, respectively. Religious Attendance and the Pandemic An interesting survey of the impact of the pandemic on religion came out this week. The numbers are worst for younger and more progressive demographics. See the full survey. More Americans stay away from church as pandemic nears year three (RNS) See also Church Attendance Dropped Among Young People, Singles, Liberals (Christianity Today) Many Americans already had dropped out of church life before the pandemic. COVID-19 gave them a reason to let go completely, according to a new survey. Religious attendance was significantly lower in spring 2022 than it was pre-pandemic. In spring 2022, 33 percent of Americans reported that they never attend religious services, compared to one in four (25 percent) who reported this before the pandemic. There was less change among the most religiously engaged Americans. Self-identifying Jews represented just one percent of those surveyed. Their numbers remained essentially unchanged, but with the sample size so low, we need to look at some of the other categories to better understand the trends. See the chart below. Interestingly, a Pew survey in early 2021 - two years ago - indicated that many Americans believed that Covid-19 has strengthened religious faith. It is worth noting that in early 2021 most houses of worship were still functioning primarily remotely, and Covid fatigue had not yet set in to the degree it has now. Israel Through Hollywood’s Lens (Mosaic) - Hollywood is full of Jews. So why is it so insistent on universalizing the story of the Jewish state? Alan Lightman’s new TV series explores where humans fit in the universe (RNS) About the New Israeli Government: Is This a "Break-Glass Moment?" Take a look at Wednesday's front page of Ha'aretz (above - click on the photo for pdf), troubling on so many levels, including that white car that plowed onto a sidewalk where students were protesting. Just like Charlottesville. The driver shouted, "Anarchists! Leftists!" If you can read Hebrew, here is the list, made public last night, of five main proposals for the gutting of the judiciary. Here's a summary in English. Below you can find several essays responding to the question of how Jews (American Jews especially) should react to the radical and dangerous policies being proposed by the new Israeli government. The current situation is making for some strange bedfellows (eg Alan Dershowitz is suddenly standing up against Netanyahu's judicial reforms). Now is not the time for hot-headed impetuousness, but neither can we afford to just sit back and "wait and see," particularly in light of the draconian judicial reforms which a re signaling a dangerous slide toward authoritarianism. Other issues, including pressing matters like women's, minority and LGBTQ rights and religious pluralism, should not be ignored but might need to wait their turn in light of this current crisis. But whatever we choose to act upon, act we must; not against Israel, but against abhorrent policies of a particular government. We know how to do that. We must act out of love for Israel, just as we've protested American policies in the past out of our love for America. I've long felt that diaspora Jewry should have the chance to participate in Israeli democracy, much as US / Israeli citizens living in Israel can vote in US elections. While most diaspora Jews do not have the vote in Israel, what we have right now is even more powerful - we vote in American elections. Because of that, and because American legislators are seeing how troubled American Jews are by these anti-democratic proposals (which are being compared to the notorious 1933 Enabling Act), we have a real say in Israel's future direction. To put it bluntly, we can save Israel; we can make or break this drive to quash democratic safeguards and criminalize the political opposition (yes, see that Ha'aretz front page - arresting opposition leaders is precisely what is being proposed right now). We can't disengage. For we can make a difference, and this government will not last forever. Netanyahu to AIPAC: Time for US and Israel to ‘close ranks’ on Iran (TOI). See also The Things Netanyahu 'Forgot' to Tell AIPAC (Ha'aretz) - What could've been a rare opportunity to get Netanyahu on record about the importance of Israeli democracy was strictly a self-serving event Here comes the new regime in Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu’s ‘democratic dictatorship’ (TOI - David Horovitz) EX-AGs and state attorneys issue unprecedented warning reforms may destroy judiciary (TOI) The Jewish path back to Israeli democracy (TOI - Yossi Klein Halevi) - I’ve been part of the Israeli story for too long to despair – sooner or later, this coalition of destruction will unravel. Who WIll Lead the Real Opposition to Netanyahu's Onslaught? (Ha'aretz) There is both an ideological and tactical divide hampering the opposition: a divide between those who are convinced that the occupation is both the greatest injustice being committed by Israel and the source of the anti-democratic policies, and therefore must be addressed front and center, and those who believe that the threat to Israel’s legal system is more immediate and want to create a wider coalition with centrists and perhaps even some from the “soft right” who won’t join demonstrations that are also against the occupation. See also Alan Dershowitz: I'd have been at Tel Aviv protest; judicial reform threatens civil rights. J Street’s Answer to the New Israeli Government Hurts Not Helps (Rabbi Jeremy Barras -TOI) Jewish leaders in America have a responsibility to manage this moment, providing valuable perspective and channeling passions for good. We should seek to emerge from this time with a stronger bond between American Jews and Israel, a deeper understanding of what motivates Israelis and Americans alike, and a renewed commitment to ensuring an even stronger U.S.-Israel relationship for the next 75 years. See also J Street and what it really means to be pro-Israel (TOI - Jeremy Ben-Ami) Lessons for Israelis from the turbulent Trump years (Yehuda Kurtzer, TOI) - Outrage fatigue is real, unlikely partnerships are possible, and other hard-won insights from an American Jew who’s been here…and there. See also 30,000 march in Tel Aviv against ‘coup d’état’ Levin judicial reform (JPost) Happy Friday the 13th! Share This Email   Share This Email   Share This Email Temple Beth El 350 Roxbury Road Stamford, Connecticut 06902 203-322-6901 | www.tbe.org    A Conservative, Inclusive, Spiritual Community

Shabbat-O-Gram for October 22

Shabbat-O-Gram

Mazal Tov to Jeffrey Trell on his daughter, Hailey, becoming a Bat Mitzvah.  Todah Rabah to Jeffrey for sponsoring the Oneg and Kiddush in honor of Hailey.

The brilliant colors of fall...like life itself, so fleeting - which is why we spend this week of Sukkot in deep appreciation, as the seasons change before our eyes. Below are some photos as we celebrated Sukkot at TBE - and unloaded 600 bags of  food at Person to Person. See our TBE fall album, with lots of photos from the past several weeks and c'mon over to the

Hammerman Sukkah Hop  

on Sunday from noon - 1:30! 

   

 

Yom Kippur Sermons (text and audio)

Rosh Hashanah Sermons (text and audio)

Check out Cantor Fishman's Soundcloud page for some fantastic new tunes (including a version of "And the Angels Sing" that is simply heavenly)

Join us for Simhat Torah on Monday night at 6:30 as we honor Richard Heimler as our Hatan Torah. (Services also on Mon and Tues AM at 9:30)

Join us for the Hoffman Lecture next Thursday at 7:30

Zero-Sum Empathy: What I Learned Covering Israel and the Palestinians
featuring Jodi Rudoren, deputy international editor of The New York Times

Last weekend was also the premiere of Sha-ba-bim-bam - 

and it was spectacular! Parents and tots to 5 (and siblings) - don't miss our next one, on Sat. Oct 29 at 11 AM!

What a spectacular Sukkot we have, weather-wise, until today, with warm temperatures and dry days combined with mid-fall New England foliage and an enormous harvest moon.  Things have now gone downhill, but a temperature drop was inevitable and we need the rain (and actually pray for it on this festival), so there's a beauty to that too.  On Shabbat morning of Sukkot we read the Book of Ecclesiastes (see chapter summaries here), which speaks of the fragility of the balance of nature and the seasons.  Incredibly, environmental matters were hardly discussed in the recent presidential debates.  On Shabbat morning we will be drawing the connection between Sukkot and the environment.  Preview the study packet here. 

Meanwhile, this Shabbat we will also be celebrating as Hailey Trell, scion of a rare sixth generation TBE family, becomes Bat Mitzvah on our bima.  (I've just always wanted to use the term "scion" in relation to bar/bat mitzvah!).  Mazal tov to the family!

ADL Report

Most of you know that I've rarely subscribed to the "Oy Vey" school of Jewish identity, and fortunately anti-Semitism has somewhat subsided over the past few decades.  Still there are alarming signs, and this week the ADL released a new report detailing the targeting of Jewish journalists during the 2016 presidential campaign.  I heard the ADL's Kenneth Jacobson speak about it last night in Greenwich and the trends are alarming. Read the the report and see the horrific memes that have been sent to threaten Jewish journalists.  It is clear that segments of the alt-right have been behind this, on behalf of Donald Trump, though there is no evidence of the candidates specific authorization of this activity.  We can only hope that once the election is over this wave will subside.

Do Not Separate from the Community

At services on Tuesday, we looked at a new discussion packet prepared by Sh'ma on the topic of community.  Click here for the pdf.  Judaism has always emphasized the need to remain associated with the community at all costs.  At a time when civil discourse has become so severely strained, it is easy simply to opt out.  This packet is well worth the read, especially for millennials who are fed up with the tenor of debate, both in Washington and within their Jewish communities.

UNESCO, the 70 Nations - and Lots of Bull(s)

 

Representatives from 70 nations on parade in Jerusalem this week 

There has been justified consternation over the recent action of UNESCO that seemed to undermine Jewish historical claims to the Temple Mount and Western Wall in Jerusalem.  It's the equivalent of saying that the Battle of Concord and Lexington never happened and that Plymouth Rock is made of paper-maché.  To add to the sheer chutzpah of this action, the archaeological evidence as to the location of the first and especially the second temple is overwhelming, and these places are discussed in great detail in the very same Bible that is holy to multiple faith traditions.  

A number of our tour groups to Israel have participated in one of the key projects in documenting the ancient Temple's existence.  It's called the Temple Mount Sifting Project, and if you check their blog, you will see that participants have uncovered fragments of stone vessels, approximately 5,000 ancient coins, various pieces of jewelry, a rich assortment of beads, terracotta figurines, arrowheads and other weaponry, weights, items of clothing, game pieces and dice, bone and shell inlays, furniture decorations, ornaments, bone tools, etc.   I've included here some photos of our groups' participation.

  

In fact, the last chapter has not been written on this subject. The consternation has been shared by many non Jewish leaders, including those within UNESCO itself, other votes are looming, and this vote actually represented not a setback but a step forward when compared to prior votes. Far fewer nations supporting this measure than previously.  The Mexicans, Czechs and Brazilians have all spoken out against the decision.

In Numbers 29, we read of the sacrifices brought on this festival of Sukkot.  This festival was THE big pilgrimage festival in the days of the Second Temple.  One of its names is "He-hag," "THE holiday."  This was the one time of year when Jerusalem was clogged with tourists, as it is again this week.  

Among the offerings brought back then were a total of 70 bulls, which the Talmud (Sukka 55b) equates to the 70 nations of the ancient world, an idea that comes from Genesis 10, where seventy nations are mentioned.  The commentators deduced from this that Jews offered sacrifices on behalf of all other nations on Sukkot.  It makes sense, since this is a time when we pray for blessings that are needed by all peoples, including ample life-replenishing rain.  We're trying to help our neighbors out too. 

The rabbis suggested (in Bamidbar Rabbah), "If the nations of the world had only known how much they needed the Temple, they would have surrounded it with armed fortresses to protect it." 

One could say the same about UNESCO today.  For in fact there can be no peace in Jerusalem - or in the rest of the world - unless those who claim the role of peacemaker can acknowledge multiple narratives.  Israel has done that, which is why great deference was given to the Muslim religious authorities when the Temple Mount was taken in 1967.  There are Israelis who deny Palestinians their national identity, and they are subject to criticism, especially on the left.  But, as left leaning pundit Peter Beinart writes in today's Ha'aretz, we should be just as outraged when Palestinians campaign to deny Jewish identity, which is what has happened at UNESCO. To deny our history in Jerusalem is to deny the legitimacy of Israel itself - which is exactly what they are trying to do.

On Sukkot, it was clear to our ancestors that there was an interdependence between them and the rest of the world, that Jews could not live in isolation.  We all live on the same planet.  This week in Jerusalem, 70 nations marched in solidarity with Israel (see photo above), a modern custom that returns the favor of the 70 bulls and solidifies the interconnection between Israel and the world. But we need to go further and reach out to other nations who might still not understand that the Jewish presence at this holy site is both proven and beneficial.  This can be a moment to reach out.

On this Sukkot, listen to this song from David Broza's collaborative new album, "East Jerusalem / West Jerusalem."

So many places
All share the same faces
East Jerusalem, West Jerusalem
Shalom, Salam
East Jerusalem, West Jerusalem
Shalom, Salam

Maybe the UNESCO fiasco marks an opportunity to shift - as we continue to sift - the sands a bit on this ancient argument.  Maybe, in recollection of the sacrificial offerings brought on behalf of our neighbors, we can recall our ties to the 70 nations and begin to put an end to the "bull" that remains so pervasive - and replace diplomatic posturing with confidence building measures on all sides.

Wiesel's Challenge

In my Yom Kippur sermon, I said the following about Elie Wiesel, of blessed memory:

Wiesel was not the very last Holocaust survivor to die.  But in fact, his death was the end of an era - he was our Survivor in Chief, representing all the witnesses.  He was our prophet, and the prophet's voice has now been silenced. 

But he charged us with the responsibility of being witnesses in his stead.  That is why our congregational trip next summer to Eastern Europe is so important.  This is not merely a tour of places like Warsaw, Cracow, Budapest, Prague and Berlin - although we'll have lots of opportunity to enjoy these glorious cities.  But make no mistake, this is a pilgrimage, to places where Jewish civilization thrived for a thousand years, and a place called Auschwitz, where it nearly died in a thousand days.  (See the trip's itinerary here)

Auschwitz was the epicenter of it all.  It is a place where all civilized human beings must go, to remember, and pray, and to take upon ourselves the mantle of witness, to pick up the gauntlet from Wiesel.  It is not a burden, but an honor to respond to that sacred calling.

With the last survivors leaving the scene and the veracity of the Holocaust continually under attack (as demonstrated in the current film, "Denial,") now is the time for us to make this pilgrimage as a community.  While everyone should go, it's especially important for Jews of the younger generation - people in their 20s, 30s and 40s - or even teens.

See the flyer for our trip below, and note the early bird offer that expires at the end of October.  Speak with your friends, neighbors (including non Jewish ones) and grown children.  Go to the trip's website and sign up.

Also please save the date of Wed., November 30, when the group will gather for an informational session at the home of Sari and Alan Jaffe.  If you have any questions about the trip, feel free to contact me.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Joshua Hammerman