With the economic collapse has come new opportunities to reassess the relationship between money and morality. The Jewish Theological Seminary has embarked on an ambitious series of White Papers on various aspects of the crisis, called "False Profits." In his introduction to this ongoing effort, Chancellor Arnold Eisen writes:
“False Profits” is The Jewish Theological Seminary’s response to this set of challenges, and especially to the one about losing hope. We aim to assist in the preservation and generation of hope by bringing Jewish tradition to bear on the crisis that threatens to engulf us. JTS cannot right the banking system or save the auto industry, but we can—and will—offer thoughtful perspectives that help us all to think through the multiple challenges we face and so, perhaps, to help us overcome those challenges and turn them to best advantage. Understanding the moral/spiritual/religious dimension of what ails us may provide clarity about the direction in which our society—and we ourselves—should be moving.
Read Eisen's complete introduction:
Read False Profits: A Jewish Response to our Financial Crisis, including the first two essays of the series:
"An Era of Responsibility" by Rabbi David Hoffman: If we are to take our Judaism seriously, we must expect and demand that our tradition responds to some of the greatest challenges in generations. In response to these economic and social crises, what might Judaism have to say to us?
"How Much Is Enough?" By Dr. Alan Mittleman
We must decide, again in both a personal way and as a nation, what degree of gain or growth is sustainable. We need to rescale our values and liberate ourselves from pegging our worth to our wealth. Above all, we must discover sources of moral wisdom in our tradition that reconcile us to hardship, financial and otherwise.
Mittleman writes:
Without the ability to learn to say enough we are lost, both as individuals and as a society. We must decide, again in both a personal way and as a nation, what degree of gain or growth is sustainable. We need to rescale our values and liberate ourselves from pegging our worth to our wealth. Above all, we must discover sources of moral wisdom in our tradition that reconcile us to hardship, financial and otherwise....
Creating an “ethics of enough” is an important desideratum for contemporary Jewish religious and moral thought. God, a midrash tells us, probing the meaning of the divine name Shaddai, created the world through saying to the watery chaos, ”Enough! (Dai!).” Creation, which we are charged to protect, is about limits. So too is human moral and spiritual well-being.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Ki Tissa: Worshiping the Unfamiliar
A couple of years ago, my dog Crosby slipped through the invisible fence surrounding our home. After a tense half hour of searching, we found him near the temple. Unfortunately, he was scared and would not come to me. At that moment a congregant happened to drive up. He got out of his car to see what the commotion was all about - and Crosby immediately bounded up to him.
I've had the opportunity to do some scholar in residence weekends at other congregations. It's so strange. People look at you like you are some sort of... scholar! You can say ANYTHING you want and they think it’s brilliant! It’s downright unnatural! AND you get paid for it! You are held up on this pedestal – and people come up to you to complain about their rabbi (or president, or the other congregation's rabbi). I thought of that quote from the New Testament, that a prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house.
A story is told about the community leaders of Bialystok, who were charged with finding a rabbi just after the death of their spiritual leader, Samuel Mohliver. Rabbi Meir Simcha was just the man for the pulpit. He had all the qualifications of learning and piety, yet he was turned down by the local leaders. Why? Because he was brought up in Bilaystok and was therefore too familiar to the people in town.
OK – so what does this have to do with this week’s portion?
The SAME THING HAPPENS
Moses goes up to top of Mount Sinai. The people become restless without their leader. They are worried…maybe he died. What do they do? So they made a golden calf, a concrete, visible symbol of God.
They could have appointed another, temporary leader – Aaron or Joshua. BUT AARON AND JOSHUA WERE TOO FAMILIAR TO THEM. They sought a new and unfamiliar source of inspiration, rather than the known and the familiar.
Interestingly, the Hebrew term for idolatry became known as AVODA ZARA – strange worship….THE WORSHIP OR ADORATION OF THE UNFAMILIAR. Idolatry in the form of worshipping a molten calf is threat to us in this contemporary culture. But avoda zara, the worship of the new and unfamiliar, is as prevalent as ever.
Crosby proved it to me last week!
In my physical and spiritual journeys, instead of looking for the unfamiliar, I search for the similarities, the connections, the bonds that we all have in common. Given the chance to visit any country in the world, I typically will choose Israel – where everything seems so strangely familiar.
Even when I go to exotic places, my most memorable moments are spent in conversation with people on Italian trains or Parisian cafes, where I discover just how similar we really are. When I read the Bible or history books, what amazes me most are the similarities, the common thread of human emotion that allows me to cry with Jeremiah and sing with David.
I don’t know about you, but I’ll often read a book several times over before going on to something new. Same with TV programs – thank God for TiVo. And as for sports I think I’ve seen that ALCS game 7 in 2004 about 50 times. This season, I’ve seen a number of Celtics games on TV – and a number of them have featured Larry Bird. I’d rather watch the oldies.
That’s why I love the seder so much. Sure things change from year to year – but it’s the sameness that I embrace.
Now, just to be clear – I am NOT advocating that we lose interest in discovery and abandon the unfamiliar altogether. We need to seek the unknown – just shouldn't’t worship it. Every ship that sets sail into uncharted waters needs an anchor. The children of Israel, in creating that golden calf, decided to toss that anchor aside.
Idolatry has changed its form, to be sure. But it still has meaning for us in the 21st century – warning us to keep far away from Avoda Zara, the worship of the unfamiliar.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Happy 100th, Tel Aviv
See below a tribute: Tel Aviv celebrates its centennial - from ISRAEL21c. Then read about Tel Aviv's origins and historic sites. Also see some background fior walking tours here. Download the map of Tel Aviv from here. This map is marked with many hotspots. Click on each hotspot to get updated review on hotels in Tel Aviv, attractions and other point of interest.
If this video whets your appetite to visit Israel's most exciting city, join us on our TBE Israel Adventure next December. Download the interactive itinerary and trip details here.
Happy Birthday, Tel Aviv!
If this video whets your appetite to visit Israel's most exciting city, join us on our TBE Israel Adventure next December. Download the interactive itinerary and trip details here.
Happy Birthday, Tel Aviv!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Strategies for Hope # 2: Five Ways to Misery
This is the second in my periodic "Strategies for Hope" series. It's also a nice parody of self-help videos for Purim, but with a very serious message - sent to me by Yehezkiel Landau of Hartford Seminary, who spoke here last December. I'm not a huge fan of Aish, but this one is worth it.
Madoff, Haman and a Demoralized Jewry
I received this correspondence over the past two days that, with permission, I am sharing. As All-Things Madoff continues to dominate the news, the astounding silence of Jewish institutions continues to boggle the mind. Now, as I indicate below, even Elie Wiesel has spoken out, (here, here and again here) - the moral conscience of this generation - in utterances more bitter than we've heard from him in decades. He suggests that Madoff should be made to sit in a cell by himself for years on end and see photos of his victims flicker at him from a screen. Sounds fair to me, but right now he's sitting in his penthouse and ordering room service.
The good news is that it is not too late to generate a response commensurate to the crime. That is also the bad news...because this thing will not end. It will never be too late. The pain will just continue to linger as the extent of the bleeding becomes more and more evident.
In that sense, Madoff is a fitting Haman for our time, one of the rare Hamans who happens to be Jewish (although Haman comes from Amalekite stock, and Amalek was a descendent of Esau - born of a rejected concubine with a rejected grandfather, and therefore, black sheep that he was, Amalek was part of the extended mishpocha).
And like Haman, Madoff was completely absorbed in ego and honor, able to cultivate the trust of the powerful through the manipulation of truth and half truth until, ultimately, the end result is a lie. In Esther Chapter 3 (see the new JPS commentary), Haman tells the King three facts about the people, the first two of which are at least partly true (that they are scattered and have their own customs), leading the king to trust what he said. The third claim was the whopper - that the Jews were disloyal. And that is the one that led to the decree that they be exterminated. Madoff also built his case for monetary expertise on some legitimate achievements, but then, once people were sucked in by his buttoned down image, he sprang the trap.
Madoff, like Haman, was all too proud of himself for co opting the powerful - note his behavior, as recorded in New York Magazine when his niece married an official from the S.E.C.:
He tossed an arm around the neck of one young guest and directed the young man’s attention across the dance floor, toward a clean-cut group sipping cocktails. “See them,” Madoff said, pale-blue eyes flashing incongruously in his kindly face. "That's the enemy."
But the gallows he built for his victims will now become a symbol of his own ruin.
Happy Purim!
So now, read this correspondence:
From: Winitzer, Ori [mailto:Ori.Winitzer@us.rothschild.com]
Sent: Mon 3/9/2009 3:46 PM
To: Rabbi Joshua Hammerman
Subject: cherem for Bernie Madoff
Rabbi Hammerman,
I don't know that we've had the pleasure of meeting though I wouldn't be surprised if our paths have previously crossed. I am a Boston native (though Israeli born), Ramah alumnus, and currently live in NY with my wife and twin boys. Though not terribly religious I'd certainly characterize myself as traditional, or at least having a very strong sense of Jewish identity. It's the latter that compels me to write today.
In brief, the Madoff affair is a disaster. I believe it has weakened and perhaps even imperiled the single most important Jewish institution, the community itself. Comparisons to other frauds, those perpetrated by non-Jews, are purely incongruous for this reason - they were not targeted at a specific group nor enabled by its very sense of community.
I can tell you that the Jewish world in NY is a demoralized and seemingly aimless place, and this in an already dire period. In this sense, Bernie Madoff has succeeded where so many have failed, only his effort to destroy the Jewish people has been inadvertent, semi-successful and worst of all, came from within.
Almost as troubling as the crime itself is the lack of institutional response to it. How are we, the Jews, not collectively and visibly outraged by this? How do we not realize that our silence only feeds the latent anti-semitism that surrounds this episode? I can only assume that the lack of response is owed to the lack of available options. We cannot unwind time nor will there be any funds to recover. The only thing we can do is remove the evil-doer from our midst, much like a cancer is removed from a healthy organism. From what I understand, various calls for cherem have been rejected along the lines that theft is not an applicable crime (even when stealing from yeshivas and holocaust survivors). Perhaps theft is not what the Beth Din should focus on then.
I am writing because I would like to hear more about the response you received as well as the legitimate possibility of pursuing this. I am quite serious about it, and quite sincere in my belief that as a people we must do something.
Sincerely,
Ori Winitzer
The good news is that it is not too late to generate a response commensurate to the crime. That is also the bad news...because this thing will not end. It will never be too late. The pain will just continue to linger as the extent of the bleeding becomes more and more evident.
In that sense, Madoff is a fitting Haman for our time, one of the rare Hamans who happens to be Jewish (although Haman comes from Amalekite stock, and Amalek was a descendent of Esau - born of a rejected concubine with a rejected grandfather, and therefore, black sheep that he was, Amalek was part of the extended mishpocha).
The JPS commentary notes that Haman's lineage, from Agag, king of Amalek, is listed differently in Greek versions of the book of Esther. He is called, instead, "the Bougaean" or "the Macedonian," rather than the Agagite, ethnic identities that were pejorative in the Greek period. In other words, Haman being called the Agagite does not so much denote lineage as infamy. He so connotes evil that his very name comes to mean Evil itself. No one knows Haman's full name (the text says "ben Hammedatha," but that's like repeating the same name twice. When someone is that bad, all you need is the first name, and that's enough. You look up evil in the dictionary, and you see Haman. Same is now becoming true with Madoff (which sounds a lot like Hammedatha, come to think of it). The NY Magazine cover depicted his face with Joker paint. He is quickly becoming synonymous with evil.
And like Haman, Madoff was completely absorbed in ego and honor, able to cultivate the trust of the powerful through the manipulation of truth and half truth until, ultimately, the end result is a lie. In Esther Chapter 3 (see the new JPS commentary), Haman tells the King three facts about the people, the first two of which are at least partly true (that they are scattered and have their own customs), leading the king to trust what he said. The third claim was the whopper - that the Jews were disloyal. And that is the one that led to the decree that they be exterminated. Madoff also built his case for monetary expertise on some legitimate achievements, but then, once people were sucked in by his buttoned down image, he sprang the trap.
Madoff, like Haman, was all too proud of himself for co opting the powerful - note his behavior, as recorded in New York Magazine when his niece married an official from the S.E.C.:
He tossed an arm around the neck of one young guest and directed the young man’s attention across the dance floor, toward a clean-cut group sipping cocktails. “See them,” Madoff said, pale-blue eyes flashing incongruously in his kindly face. "That's the enemy."
But the gallows he built for his victims will now become a symbol of his own ruin.
Happy Purim!
So now, read this correspondence:
From: Winitzer, Ori [mailto:Ori.Winitzer@us.rothschild.com]
Sent: Mon 3/9/2009 3:46 PM
To: Rabbi Joshua Hammerman
Subject: cherem for Bernie Madoff
Rabbi Hammerman,
I don't know that we've had the pleasure of meeting though I wouldn't be surprised if our paths have previously crossed. I am a Boston native (though Israeli born), Ramah alumnus, and currently live in NY with my wife and twin boys. Though not terribly religious I'd certainly characterize myself as traditional, or at least having a very strong sense of Jewish identity. It's the latter that compels me to write today.
In brief, the Madoff affair is a disaster. I believe it has weakened and perhaps even imperiled the single most important Jewish institution, the community itself. Comparisons to other frauds, those perpetrated by non-Jews, are purely incongruous for this reason - they were not targeted at a specific group nor enabled by its very sense of community.
I can tell you that the Jewish world in NY is a demoralized and seemingly aimless place, and this in an already dire period. In this sense, Bernie Madoff has succeeded where so many have failed, only his effort to destroy the Jewish people has been inadvertent, semi-successful and worst of all, came from within.
Almost as troubling as the crime itself is the lack of institutional response to it. How are we, the Jews, not collectively and visibly outraged by this? How do we not realize that our silence only feeds the latent anti-semitism that surrounds this episode? I can only assume that the lack of response is owed to the lack of available options. We cannot unwind time nor will there be any funds to recover. The only thing we can do is remove the evil-doer from our midst, much like a cancer is removed from a healthy organism. From what I understand, various calls for cherem have been rejected along the lines that theft is not an applicable crime (even when stealing from yeshivas and holocaust survivors). Perhaps theft is not what the Beth Din should focus on then.
I am writing because I would like to hear more about the response you received as well as the legitimate possibility of pursuing this. I am quite serious about it, and quite sincere in my belief that as a people we must do something.
Sincerely,
Ori Winitzer
---------------------------------------
From: Rabbi Joshua Hammerman [mailto:rabbi@tbe.org]
Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 4:36 PM
To: Winitzer, Ori
Subject: RE: cherem for Bernie Madoff
Thank you, Ori. My initiative was never fleshed out to the degree that it became a specific proposal, but I agree with you wholeheartedly that something needs to be done. This is one wound that continues to fester and will not heal. It will not go away. Elie Wiesel's recent reaction
in the New York Times revealed more bitterness than I suspected he would show - more anger than he's shown toward anything in recent years. And he's one of the lucky ones who has had backers raise some money to help recover the losses.
My proposal for Cherem was qualified by the disclaimer that the proper forum for this kind of Cherem would need to be invented. Most prior excommunications have arisen for ideological reasons (e.g. Spinoza, Kaplan and the Karaites) and not because of a crime, unless it was for a
husband who had abandoned his wife without a Jewish divorce. We don't generally excommunicate for theft, but this goes far beyond theft. I found it astounding that some people shrugged off excommunication as something "beneath us" or "medieval" in one breath and then in the next breath they went bananas when the Pope revoked the excommunication of a Holocaust denier. So everyone now seems to recognize that, at least for the Pope, excommunication is a valid and powerful tool.
I agree that Jews are looking for a much stronger response and seem paralyzed while Madoff works on his plea bargain. There are the occasional op-eds expressing outrage, including my own, but that's it. I've been asked what I plan to do next, and while I am relatively well
connected in the New York Jewish world, I'm not sure where to turn. I've already approached major lay leaders and heads of seminaries. Short of my gathering a couple of rabbinic colleagues, to formulate a bet din and placing him into Cherem myself, I'm not sure what else I can do.
Except that I will keep speaking out.
I wondered whether you would consider publishing this, if you have not already. I would be happy to include it on my blog. What you have to say about the state of New York Jewry is important for people to hear. If it's OK for me to include this, feel free to edit as you wish and let
me know how you wish to be identified (or not).
Thanks for sharing your wisdom and your frustrations.
---------------------------
From: Winitzer, Ori
Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 10:49 PM
To: Rabbi Joshua Hammerman
Subject: RE: cherem for Bernie Madoff
First off, Happy Purim. It was the holiday that actually led me to write, as I imagined people replacing Haman with Madoff. There was something oddly joyful and therapeutic in imagining a jeering crowd, a satisfaction which subsequently gave rise to grander fantasies.
While excommunication may seem primitive, perhaps even laughable, I am quite confident that people would find comfort in the end result. A man who steals from charity should not be welcome in a synagogue. All the more so given the deliberate, and repeated effort to rob Jewish institutions. Such a person should not be buried in a Jewish cemetery nor should he be welcome among us while living. He is not a member of the community.
As for a response, I am not long on op-ed pieces. I find them reactive and insufficient. I learned this during the second intifadah, my anger over which prompted my greatest professional accomplishment to date: http://www.soccerforpeace.com/. That also seemed idealistic and yet, we have now received hundreds of Jewish and Muslim participants, most of which are still with the program.
From what you write, I gather that it is possible to formulate a Bet Din. I have no idea how, nor what the proceedings might entail (a violation of lifnei iver (stumbling block before the blind), perhaps?) but I think we'd both be pleased by the end result. I suspect that the process would generate significant publicity, which I would encourage. The ADF isn't shy about taking out a full-page ad in the Times; why can't a consortium of influential Jews and Jewish institutions do the same? Far-fetched though it may all seem, I cannot imagine a rekindling of Jewish pride without a collective and proactive response.
Finally, I am perfectly fine with you posting my email in your blog or any other forum. I'm big on communication, if you couldn't tell. I hope this is the beginning of a longer dialogue in fact, one that will not be measured in word but deed.
Chag Purim, Chag Purim, chag gadol la'Yehudim...
Ori
From: Rabbi Joshua Hammerman [mailto:rabbi@tbe.org]
Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 4:36 PM
To: Winitzer, Ori
Subject: RE: cherem for Bernie Madoff
Thank you, Ori. My initiative was never fleshed out to the degree that it became a specific proposal, but I agree with you wholeheartedly that something needs to be done. This is one wound that continues to fester and will not heal. It will not go away. Elie Wiesel's recent reaction
in the New York Times revealed more bitterness than I suspected he would show - more anger than he's shown toward anything in recent years. And he's one of the lucky ones who has had backers raise some money to help recover the losses.
My proposal for Cherem was qualified by the disclaimer that the proper forum for this kind of Cherem would need to be invented. Most prior excommunications have arisen for ideological reasons (e.g. Spinoza, Kaplan and the Karaites) and not because of a crime, unless it was for a
husband who had abandoned his wife without a Jewish divorce. We don't generally excommunicate for theft, but this goes far beyond theft. I found it astounding that some people shrugged off excommunication as something "beneath us" or "medieval" in one breath and then in the next breath they went bananas when the Pope revoked the excommunication of a Holocaust denier. So everyone now seems to recognize that, at least for the Pope, excommunication is a valid and powerful tool.
I agree that Jews are looking for a much stronger response and seem paralyzed while Madoff works on his plea bargain. There are the occasional op-eds expressing outrage, including my own, but that's it. I've been asked what I plan to do next, and while I am relatively well
connected in the New York Jewish world, I'm not sure where to turn. I've already approached major lay leaders and heads of seminaries. Short of my gathering a couple of rabbinic colleagues, to formulate a bet din and placing him into Cherem myself, I'm not sure what else I can do.
Except that I will keep speaking out.
I wondered whether you would consider publishing this, if you have not already. I would be happy to include it on my blog. What you have to say about the state of New York Jewry is important for people to hear. If it's OK for me to include this, feel free to edit as you wish and let
me know how you wish to be identified (or not).
Thanks for sharing your wisdom and your frustrations.
---------------------------
From: Winitzer, Ori
Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 10:49 PM
To: Rabbi Joshua Hammerman
Subject: RE: cherem for Bernie Madoff
First off, Happy Purim. It was the holiday that actually led me to write, as I imagined people replacing Haman with Madoff. There was something oddly joyful and therapeutic in imagining a jeering crowd, a satisfaction which subsequently gave rise to grander fantasies.
While excommunication may seem primitive, perhaps even laughable, I am quite confident that people would find comfort in the end result. A man who steals from charity should not be welcome in a synagogue. All the more so given the deliberate, and repeated effort to rob Jewish institutions. Such a person should not be buried in a Jewish cemetery nor should he be welcome among us while living. He is not a member of the community.
As for a response, I am not long on op-ed pieces. I find them reactive and insufficient. I learned this during the second intifadah, my anger over which prompted my greatest professional accomplishment to date: http://www.soccerforpeace.com/. That also seemed idealistic and yet, we have now received hundreds of Jewish and Muslim participants, most of which are still with the program.
From what you write, I gather that it is possible to formulate a Bet Din. I have no idea how, nor what the proceedings might entail (a violation of lifnei iver (stumbling block before the blind), perhaps?) but I think we'd both be pleased by the end result. I suspect that the process would generate significant publicity, which I would encourage. The ADF isn't shy about taking out a full-page ad in the Times; why can't a consortium of influential Jews and Jewish institutions do the same? Far-fetched though it may all seem, I cannot imagine a rekindling of Jewish pride without a collective and proactive response.
Finally, I am perfectly fine with you posting my email in your blog or any other forum. I'm big on communication, if you couldn't tell. I hope this is the beginning of a longer dialogue in fact, one that will not be measured in word but deed.
Chag Purim, Chag Purim, chag gadol la'Yehudim...
Ori
Purim Pics 2009
Check out this sampling of our Purim service and carnival. Special thanks to all our Megilla readers and everyone involved in the carnival. As you can see, Mara and I went "ecumenical," all in the spirit of Purim fun. And given the topsy turvy nature of Purim, where Haman becomes Mordechai, and Esther, I mean Hadassah, is either Mordechai's cousin, daughter or niece, it isn't so shocking that my wife would become a sister (and the cutest one since Sally Field, I must add). But please, enough of those "How do you solve a problem like Mara" comments! Special thanks to Dan Young for photography at the service and Steve Lander for the pictures of the carnival. Click on the photos to enlarge. And for a wide variety of Purim videos, go to http://wejew.com/search/purim/. Enjoy!
Monday, March 9, 2009
More Purim Spoofs, and Lessons of an Ever-Dying People
Fresh off another great Synaplex Shabbat featuring Storahtelling's timely and timeless Purim-spiel (and the unforgettable strains of "Don't Cry for Me, Jews of Shushan"), here is some more Purim material guaranteed to lighten up your day. If you are local, join us tonight for the Family Megilla reading at 6 (preceded by Mordechai's Pizza Party for kids), the greatest Shul (Purim Carnival) on Earth at 7 and at 8:15, Purim for Adults, a full Megilla reading. Bring costumes, banners and creative noisemakers (including a box of pasta to shake and then donate to the Food Bank, a custom we began following last year).
Click here to read about the Jewish Forward (I mean "Backward's") Purim spoof. Then check out the podcast, featuring Backward editors Anthony Weiss and Daniel Friedman in conversation with TBE's very own Gabrielle Birkner. They look at the Anti-Defamation League’s decision to honor Bernard Madoff, the retirement of the Elders of Zion, Adam Sandler’s meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, Jay-Z’s new Jewish dating Web site, and the existence of hot Israeli models.
Meanwhile, the Jewish Week has once again published it's landmark Purim edition, "The Jewish Weak." Below are the top stories:
Purim Spoof 09: Obama Taps Madoff As Ponzi Czar To Stimulate U.S. Economy
Purim Spoof 09: A-Rod And Blagojevich Making Aliyah, Praise Israel As ‘Land Of Second Chances’
Purim Spoof 09: Obama To Nation: ‘We’re Screwed; Everything Will Be Fine’
Purim Spoof 09: Wiesenthal Center Shifts Gears
Purim Spoof 09: Matishayu Still Can’t Find The Essence of His Being
Purim Spoof 09: Bombers Sign ‘Shoe’ Hurler
Purim Spoof 09: Prominent Rabbi Banned By RCA
Purim Spoof 09: Israeli Rabbis Reject Digital TV
Purim Spoof 09: Palin To Relocate To Boro Park
Purim Spoof 09: Lieberman Seeks Gore As Running Mate
Purim Spoof 09: Lieberman Seeks Gore As Running Mate
Purim Spoof 09: Birthright To Offer New Options
Purim Spoof 09: Synagogues Merge To Save Money
Purim Spoof 09: Chasidic Mothers Feel Sorry For Octuplets Mom
Purim Spoof 09: It’s A Dog’s Life, And Jewish Groups Scramble For Scraps
Purim Spoof 09: At The Movies
Purim Spoof 09: In The Theaters
Purim Spoof 09: Netanyahu Ready For First Scandal
A Recession Kind of Purim
In the end, Jews do on Purim what we do the rest of the year as well -- we poke a little fun at ourselves. On this most topsy turvy of days, we understand that the secret of life is to enjoy the ride -- and laugh a little all the while.
We also need to lighten up a little on the proclamations of impending doom. A recent cartoon noted Chicken Little's presence on the dais of a recent economic summit. True, it may seem like the sky is falling and the "End is Near," but we Jews are no stranger to disaster, and to pessimism. We can teach the rest of the world to hang in there.
In a New Republic essay written several years back called “Hitler is Dead,” Leon Wieseltier bemoans the excessive “Amalekitazation” of Israel’s current enemies, writing, "Israel was not created to destroy Amalek. Israel was created to deny Amalek.”
He concludes:
“The Jewish genius for worry has served the Jews well, but Hitler is dead... Pessimism is an injustice that we do to ourselves. Nobody ever rescued themselves with despair. "An ever-dying people is an ever-living people," Rawidowicz sagely remarked. "A nation always on the verge of ceasing to be is a nation that never ceases to be." It is one of the lessons that we can learn from the last Jews who came before us.”
Click here to read about the Jewish Forward (I mean "Backward's") Purim spoof. Then check out the podcast, featuring Backward editors Anthony Weiss and Daniel Friedman in conversation with TBE's very own Gabrielle Birkner. They look at the Anti-Defamation League’s decision to honor Bernard Madoff, the retirement of the Elders of Zion, Adam Sandler’s meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, Jay-Z’s new Jewish dating Web site, and the existence of hot Israeli models.
Meanwhile, the Jewish Week has once again published it's landmark Purim edition, "The Jewish Weak." Below are the top stories:
Purim Spoof 09: Obama Taps Madoff As Ponzi Czar To Stimulate U.S. Economy
Purim Spoof 09: A-Rod And Blagojevich Making Aliyah, Praise Israel As ‘Land Of Second Chances’
Purim Spoof 09: Obama To Nation: ‘We’re Screwed; Everything Will Be Fine’
Purim Spoof 09: Wiesenthal Center Shifts Gears
Purim Spoof 09: Matishayu Still Can’t Find The Essence of His Being
Purim Spoof 09: Bombers Sign ‘Shoe’ Hurler
Purim Spoof 09: Prominent Rabbi Banned By RCA
Purim Spoof 09: Israeli Rabbis Reject Digital TV
Purim Spoof 09: Palin To Relocate To Boro Park
Purim Spoof 09: Lieberman Seeks Gore As Running Mate
Purim Spoof 09: Lieberman Seeks Gore As Running Mate
Purim Spoof 09: Birthright To Offer New Options
Purim Spoof 09: Synagogues Merge To Save Money
Purim Spoof 09: Chasidic Mothers Feel Sorry For Octuplets Mom
Purim Spoof 09: It’s A Dog’s Life, And Jewish Groups Scramble For Scraps
Purim Spoof 09: At The Movies
Purim Spoof 09: In The Theaters
Purim Spoof 09: Netanyahu Ready For First Scandal
A Recession Kind of Purim
In the end, Jews do on Purim what we do the rest of the year as well -- we poke a little fun at ourselves. On this most topsy turvy of days, we understand that the secret of life is to enjoy the ride -- and laugh a little all the while.
We also need to lighten up a little on the proclamations of impending doom. A recent cartoon noted Chicken Little's presence on the dais of a recent economic summit. True, it may seem like the sky is falling and the "End is Near," but we Jews are no stranger to disaster, and to pessimism. We can teach the rest of the world to hang in there.
In a New Republic essay written several years back called “Hitler is Dead,” Leon Wieseltier bemoans the excessive “Amalekitazation” of Israel’s current enemies, writing, "Israel was not created to destroy Amalek. Israel was created to deny Amalek.”
He concludes:
“The Jewish genius for worry has served the Jews well, but Hitler is dead... Pessimism is an injustice that we do to ourselves. Nobody ever rescued themselves with despair. "An ever-dying people is an ever-living people," Rawidowicz sagely remarked. "A nation always on the verge of ceasing to be is a nation that never ceases to be." It is one of the lessons that we can learn from the last Jews who came before us.”
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Purim Parodies from Sh'ma
Sh'ma has posted a gallery of Purim shpiels. For years, Sh'ma has published some of the most clever searing and humorous commentaries on Jewish life. Please visit Shma.com to have a laugh on them:
You'll find "Jewish Barbies" by Vanessa Ochs:
You'll find "Jewish Barbies" by Vanessa Ochs:
"Six Degrees of Separation from Queen Esther" by Susan Fendrick and Ben Kruskal:
"Why did the Chicken Cross the Road?" by Nigel Savage:
"Why did the Chicken Cross the Road?" by Nigel Savage:
And much more.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Meshugene Men (by the Shushan Channel)
Spot-on parody of "Mad Men" and promo for Purim show, "The Shushan Channel" March 9th at 92Y Tribeca (shows at 8 and 10:30, tickets at www.92yTribeca.org),co-sponsored by Hazon (www.hazon.org) (show directed by Mike Shapiro, features Amy Sedaris).
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Miracle Days: Special Purims in Jewish History
All too often, Jewish communities have faced catastrophe. Occasionally, miraculous interventions have enabled them to avert certain doom. Based on the Talmudic idea of saying blessings at places of small salvations, the custom arose for communities to celebrate anniversaries of Purim-like events. These became known as "Special Purims."
Pardon the Purim pun, but there are a lot of them.
The list below, which is just a partial list, comes from the online (but century-old) Jewish Encyclopedia. Take your pick.... and as you do, think of all the Purims that could not be celebrated - and the Purims yet-to-come. Our Jewish destiny seems to ride on the luck of the draw. How will the Purim of Teheran come out? The Purim of Gaza? The Purim of Madoff? Will we prevail, triumph or merely survive? We just keep on drawing those lots...
Purim of Abraham Danzig (called also Pulverpurim="Powder Purim"):
Purim of Ancona:
Purim of Angora:
Purim Borghel:
Purim di Buda.
Purim of Cairo:
Purim of Candia:
Purim of Chios (called also Purim de la Señora = "of the Good Lady"):
Purim de los Christianos (called also Purim de las Bombas):
Purim Edom (called also Purim al-Naāra):
Purim of Florence:
Purim di Fuoco.
Purim Fürhang (Curtain Purim):
Purim of Gumeldjina (popularly called Purim de los Ladrones = "Purim of Bandits"):
Purim of Jonathan b. Jacob of Fulda:
Purim of Lepanto:
Purim of Narbonne:
Purim of Padua:
Purim Povidl (Plum-Jam Purim):
Purim of Rhodes:
Purim of Saragossa:
Purim Sherif:
Purim of Shiraz (called also Purim of Mo'ed Ḳaṭan):
Purim of Tammuz at Algiers:
Purim of Tiberias:
Purim of Tripoli:
Purim of Widdin:
Purim Winz (called also Purim Frankfurt):
Purim of Yom-Ṭob Lipmann Heller:
Pardon the Purim pun, but there are a lot of them.
The list below, which is just a partial list, comes from the online (but century-old) Jewish Encyclopedia. Take your pick.... and as you do, think of all the Purims that could not be celebrated - and the Purims yet-to-come. Our Jewish destiny seems to ride on the luck of the draw. How will the Purim of Teheran come out? The Purim of Gaza? The Purim of Madoff? Will we prevail, triumph or merely survive? We just keep on drawing those lots...
Purim of Abraham Danzig (called also Pulverpurim="Powder Purim"):
Purim of Ancona:
Purim of Angora:
Purim Borghel:
Purim di Buda.
Purim of Cairo:
Purim of Candia:
Purim of Chios (called also Purim de la Señora = "of the Good Lady"):
Purim de los Christianos (called also Purim de las Bombas):
Purim Edom (called also Purim al-Naāra):
Purim of Florence:
Purim di Fuoco.
Purim Fürhang (Curtain Purim):
Purim of Gumeldjina (popularly called Purim de los Ladrones = "Purim of Bandits"):
Purim of Jonathan b. Jacob of Fulda:
Purim of Lepanto:
Purim of Narbonne:
Purim of Padua:
Purim Povidl (Plum-Jam Purim):
Purim of Rhodes:
Purim of Saragossa:
Purim Sherif:
Purim of Shiraz (called also Purim of Mo'ed Ḳaṭan):
Purim of Tammuz at Algiers:
Purim of Tiberias:
Purim of Tripoli:
Purim of Widdin:
Purim Winz (called also Purim Frankfurt):
Purim of Yom-Ṭob Lipmann Heller:
Purim – the "Real" Story
One thing’s for sure about Purim – it ‘aint all fiction. As you will see, many of the details correspond neatly with known historical fact.
Another thing is for sure, it ‘aint all fact. Some of the plot twists and commentary in the Book of Esther itself scream out that this is really parody; it’s almost cartoonish in nature. From the snide commentary about women found at the beginning – such as the line that Ahashverosh feared Vashti because her defiance might lead to a cultural revolutions where wives won’t listen to their husbands anymore, to the bloody massacre described at the end in almost giddy tones, this is no dry history we’re reading here. The Megilla might well be the world’s first docu-drama, containing embellished kernels of truth. But the author was an excellent historical novelist, of the James Michner variety, and he got the facts down.
So let’s look a bit more closely. The story takes place in the Persian city of Shushan – Susa – in SW Iran, about 30 miles from the Iraqi border. It was a provincial capital back in the 4th century, BCE, where the kings of the Ahmenide dynasty had their winter palace. Many scholars believe that the King of the story, Ahashverosh, corresponds to the king H’sharyanha (Heroditus = Xerxes), who reigned between 46-465 BCE.
The book of Esther begins with a lavish banquet, where Xerxes orders his queen Vashti to appear and display her beauty before his guests. She refuses. Enter Esther.
Now the Greek historians Heroditus, who lived in the 5th cent. BCE, and Ctesias, who lived a century later, both report that Xerxes had a queen named AMESTRIS. Close enough!
Court records, however, show that in that kingdom, queens came from the royal aristocracy. Maybe Mordechai and his family were in fact aristocracy. Douobtful. Jews had it good, but not that good. From the book we learn that Mordechai would sit by the palace. That’s where Haman found him. In Hebrew, it must be noted, the word to sit, “lashevet” also means to be stationed, and archeological evidence shows that the king’s gate was not simply a place, but an administrative office of the palace. Which explains how Mordechai, in his official capacity at the kings gate, heard about the two guards plot to kill the king. It was his job to know. BTW, as benefactor to the king, it was customary that he wouldn’t have to bow down to anyone other than the King himself!
Now, was there really a Mordechai? THIS JUST IN! An archaeological dig completed about a decade ago at the Mesopotamian site of SIPPUR has turned up a cuneiform tablet that mentioned a certain MADUKA as being one of Xerxes’ high officials in Shushan. I kid you not!
As for Haman, the name isn’t found anywhere (Yimach shmo). Except for maybe the Honeymooners… But his wife Zeresh seems to be derived from the Elamite God Zarisha – and this is especially significant because there was a large Elamite population at that time in Shushan. Haman’s sons? What names…Persian jawbreakers! When the reader reads all ten of them in one breath, it might well be to simulate the feel of strangulation… ARIDATA, ARISAI AND ARIDAI, the older ones: derived from the Persian word “Arya” meaning “noble” or “high born.” The original Aryans migrated from Europe through Persia to India and were mentioned frequently in early Hindu literature. The term Aryan was later taken by 19th century European racists, and then by the Nazis. It is ironic indeed that through the names of Haman’s sons, there is then a direct link from Haman to Hitler!
There is another Hindu connection, BTW – and Indian and Persian culture have always been closely linked. One of the advisers Ahash consulted when Vashti did her defiance thing was named Carshena, an old Perisan word meaning “black,” which is related to the Hindu word, “Krishna,” the Hindu God often often depicted in Indian art an Hindu legend as being black or blue in color.
Now, back to the story. It begins with HUGE banquet, lasting 7 days and taking place in the 3rd year of the king’s reign. We know from historical sources that in Xerxes’ 3rd year he suppressed rebellions in Egypt and Babylonia. A good reason for a huge feast! As the story moves along, we know that the king affixed his seal to a decree allowing the Jews to be killed. This decree could not be revoked since it had the royal seal affixed to it. We know from Greek sources that this practice was indeed followed.
But was there such a decree? What happened to the Jews in Persia at that time? We don’t now – yet. But we do know that in the reign of a later king, Ataxerxes, in 340 BCE, there was a Phonecian and Greek revlt against Perisan rule and evidence in Israel shows that the Persian armies were active in suppressing revolts in Judea just beofre the conquest of Alexander the great in 330 BCE. NUMEROUS SITES. And at about this time the Jewish population of Jericho was deported to a no-man’s land in Southern Lebanon. So the revolt was put down and likely led ot anti-Semitism in other parts of the empire. One theory of the book of Esther is that, to console themselves in this time of peril, Jews took the historical records of a great leader already known to them, named Mordechai, and a queen named Esther, actual historical figures, and created a wild, incredible story of a miracle salvation done without the visible help of God. By this theory, the book of Esther, written about a century after the events it depicts, authentically Persian in detail and language, might indeed have been the world’s first docu-drama.
A docu-drama, with truth for us. We face danger, no matter where – for the Jew, life is always just a roll of the dice (Pur – ancient Babylonian word for small cube shaped stones or piece of clay used as dice). I prefer to cast my lot with Purim, a holiday with timeless lessons we are only beginning to discover.
Sources: JPS Bible Commentary for Esther, by Adele berlin; "The Book of Esther: Where Does Fiction Start and History End?" Bible Review, 2/1992; also the Enclyclopedia Judaica article on the "Scroll of Esther."
Another thing is for sure, it ‘aint all fact. Some of the plot twists and commentary in the Book of Esther itself scream out that this is really parody; it’s almost cartoonish in nature. From the snide commentary about women found at the beginning – such as the line that Ahashverosh feared Vashti because her defiance might lead to a cultural revolutions where wives won’t listen to their husbands anymore, to the bloody massacre described at the end in almost giddy tones, this is no dry history we’re reading here. The Megilla might well be the world’s first docu-drama, containing embellished kernels of truth. But the author was an excellent historical novelist, of the James Michner variety, and he got the facts down.
So let’s look a bit more closely. The story takes place in the Persian city of Shushan – Susa – in SW Iran, about 30 miles from the Iraqi border. It was a provincial capital back in the 4th century, BCE, where the kings of the Ahmenide dynasty had their winter palace. Many scholars believe that the King of the story, Ahashverosh, corresponds to the king H’sharyanha (Heroditus = Xerxes), who reigned between 46-465 BCE.
The book of Esther begins with a lavish banquet, where Xerxes orders his queen Vashti to appear and display her beauty before his guests. She refuses. Enter Esther.
Now the Greek historians Heroditus, who lived in the 5th cent. BCE, and Ctesias, who lived a century later, both report that Xerxes had a queen named AMESTRIS. Close enough!
Court records, however, show that in that kingdom, queens came from the royal aristocracy. Maybe Mordechai and his family were in fact aristocracy. Douobtful. Jews had it good, but not that good. From the book we learn that Mordechai would sit by the palace. That’s where Haman found him. In Hebrew, it must be noted, the word to sit, “lashevet” also means to be stationed, and archeological evidence shows that the king’s gate was not simply a place, but an administrative office of the palace. Which explains how Mordechai, in his official capacity at the kings gate, heard about the two guards plot to kill the king. It was his job to know. BTW, as benefactor to the king, it was customary that he wouldn’t have to bow down to anyone other than the King himself!
Now, was there really a Mordechai? THIS JUST IN! An archaeological dig completed about a decade ago at the Mesopotamian site of SIPPUR has turned up a cuneiform tablet that mentioned a certain MADUKA as being one of Xerxes’ high officials in Shushan. I kid you not!
As for Haman, the name isn’t found anywhere (Yimach shmo). Except for maybe the Honeymooners… But his wife Zeresh seems to be derived from the Elamite God Zarisha – and this is especially significant because there was a large Elamite population at that time in Shushan. Haman’s sons? What names…Persian jawbreakers! When the reader reads all ten of them in one breath, it might well be to simulate the feel of strangulation… ARIDATA, ARISAI AND ARIDAI, the older ones: derived from the Persian word “Arya” meaning “noble” or “high born.” The original Aryans migrated from Europe through Persia to India and were mentioned frequently in early Hindu literature. The term Aryan was later taken by 19th century European racists, and then by the Nazis. It is ironic indeed that through the names of Haman’s sons, there is then a direct link from Haman to Hitler!
There is another Hindu connection, BTW – and Indian and Persian culture have always been closely linked. One of the advisers Ahash consulted when Vashti did her defiance thing was named Carshena, an old Perisan word meaning “black,” which is related to the Hindu word, “Krishna,” the Hindu God often often depicted in Indian art an Hindu legend as being black or blue in color.
Now, back to the story. It begins with HUGE banquet, lasting 7 days and taking place in the 3rd year of the king’s reign. We know from historical sources that in Xerxes’ 3rd year he suppressed rebellions in Egypt and Babylonia. A good reason for a huge feast! As the story moves along, we know that the king affixed his seal to a decree allowing the Jews to be killed. This decree could not be revoked since it had the royal seal affixed to it. We know from Greek sources that this practice was indeed followed.
But was there such a decree? What happened to the Jews in Persia at that time? We don’t now – yet. But we do know that in the reign of a later king, Ataxerxes, in 340 BCE, there was a Phonecian and Greek revlt against Perisan rule and evidence in Israel shows that the Persian armies were active in suppressing revolts in Judea just beofre the conquest of Alexander the great in 330 BCE. NUMEROUS SITES. And at about this time the Jewish population of Jericho was deported to a no-man’s land in Southern Lebanon. So the revolt was put down and likely led ot anti-Semitism in other parts of the empire. One theory of the book of Esther is that, to console themselves in this time of peril, Jews took the historical records of a great leader already known to them, named Mordechai, and a queen named Esther, actual historical figures, and created a wild, incredible story of a miracle salvation done without the visible help of God. By this theory, the book of Esther, written about a century after the events it depicts, authentically Persian in detail and language, might indeed have been the world’s first docu-drama.
A docu-drama, with truth for us. We face danger, no matter where – for the Jew, life is always just a roll of the dice (Pur – ancient Babylonian word for small cube shaped stones or piece of clay used as dice). I prefer to cast my lot with Purim, a holiday with timeless lessons we are only beginning to discover.
Sources: JPS Bible Commentary for Esther, by Adele berlin; "The Book of Esther: Where Does Fiction Start and History End?" Bible Review, 2/1992; also the Enclyclopedia Judaica article on the "Scroll of Esther."
Monday, March 2, 2009
What is Purim?
What is Purim?
From myJewishLearning.com
From myJewishLearning.com
From the Hartman Institute: Purim Educational Materials
Culture and practice
Purim: Strangest of the chagim
Why so much drinking and partying in Megillah?
God and fate
Two modern thinkers on why God is hidden in Megillah
Who controls our fate; what controls our world?
Women and men
Women in Shushan: Playing by the rules and winning
The ultimate supermodel: Esther or Vashti?
Esther: Ornament fit for a king
Ahashverosh unmanned: Who really controls his relationships?
Purim and politics
Haman and Jewish question – relevant today
Zionism and Diaspora politics after Haman
Arthur Szyk: Art changed pre- and post-Shoah
Culture and practice
Purim: Strangest of the chagim
Why so much drinking and partying in Megillah?
God and fate
Two modern thinkers on why God is hidden in Megillah
Who controls our fate; what controls our world?
Women and men
Women in Shushan: Playing by the rules and winning
The ultimate supermodel: Esther or Vashti?
Esther: Ornament fit for a king
Ahashverosh unmanned: Who really controls his relationships?
Purim and politics
Haman and Jewish question – relevant today
Zionism and Diaspora politics after Haman
Arthur Szyk: Art changed pre- and post-Shoah
New Jewish Women's Encyclopedia: Online and Free
It's here! The Jewish Women's Archive is proud to announce the launch of the online version of Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia, originally published by Alice and Moshe Shalvi of Shalvi Publishing Ltd., and edited by Professors Paula Hyman of Yale University and Dalia Ofer of Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The Encyclopedia is now available for FREE at http://jwa.org/encyclopedia.
Previously available only on CD-ROM, the Encyclopedia is the first comprehensive source on Jewish women. It features over 1,700 biographies, 300 thematic essays, and 1,400 photographs and illustrations on a wide range of Jewish women through the centuries -- from Gertrude Berg to Gertrude Stein; Hannah Greenbaum Solomon to Hannah Arendt; the Biblical Ruth to Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Never before has so much well-researched and well-written material about Jewish women been available in one place online. Accessible and free to Internet users all over the world, the Encyclopedia appeals to a wide range of readers, including educators, activists, high school students, researchers, scholars, and the merely curious. Its thematic and visual links make it possible to draw connections across time and space in ways that are impossible in a printed book
Previously available only on CD-ROM, the Encyclopedia is the first comprehensive source on Jewish women. It features over 1,700 biographies, 300 thematic essays, and 1,400 photographs and illustrations on a wide range of Jewish women through the centuries -- from Gertrude Berg to Gertrude Stein; Hannah Greenbaum Solomon to Hannah Arendt; the Biblical Ruth to Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Never before has so much well-researched and well-written material about Jewish women been available in one place online. Accessible and free to Internet users all over the world, the Encyclopedia appeals to a wide range of readers, including educators, activists, high school students, researchers, scholars, and the merely curious. Its thematic and visual links make it possible to draw connections across time and space in ways that are impossible in a printed book
Purim 5769: This Year's Oscar Contenders
In honor of Purim, here are this year's Oscar Contenders....
"Schmaltz with Bashir" - In the summer of 1982, Arik Sharon and Lebanese General Bashir Gamayel share a hearty meal of gribenes with mashed potatoes soaked in chicken fat, when bad news arrives: their cholesterol tests are back.
"Slumdog Minyannaire" - Unkempt congregant stumbles into services only to discover that it is his destiny to be the tenth person; he wins the grand prize: the third aliyah.
"Milchiks" - Tevya the Dairyman plays the role of Harvey Fierstein as Anatevka's first gay matchmaker. Things get interesting when the Cossacks and Village People and merrily drink "L'Chayim" while dancing to the tune of "YMCA," while the rabbi mutters, "May God keep Anita Bryant...far away from us!"
"The Reader" - Drama ensues in a packed courtroom as Torah reader takes the stand to confess that, twelve years earlier in the tumult of war, she mistook a Samech for a Final Mem.
"Defrost Nixon" - Seeking to soften the President's cold image, Henry Kissinger takes Nixon on a tour of backroom kiddush clubs in the Washington area. They then eat too much herring and gefilte fish, causing the producers to change the name of the film to "Fress Nixon."
"The Curious Case of Benjamin's Button" - "First, it was Joseph's coat that went AWOL. Now this! A missing button! Next, they'll accuse him of stealing a goblet!" frets Jacob in this poignant family drama.
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