Hanukkah: From Ancient Times to Present

Shadings of Neighborly Love

Stamford has a wonderful community Hebrew High School program called Kulanu.  This trimester, I am teaching a comparative religions class, and the students, primarily ninth graders, have really gotten into it.  Two weeks ago we engaged in an interfaith dialogue with teens from a local church - it was one of the most fruitful dialogue sessions that I've ever experienced.  No defensiveness, lots of honesty and curiosity, all in the spirit of sharing.  The teens came out of it with renewed pride in their own faith and with greater respect for the Other.  As my friend Rev. Douglas McArthur remarked later, his teens felt that they had brought the world a little closer to peace and understanding that day.

This week, we discussed the Golden Rule and how it manifests itself in different world religions.  It's interesting how the general thrust is quite universal, but each religion gives it a slightly different spin.  Native Americans, for example, speaks less of how we treat other people and more of how we should treat the earth.  Some faiths go "negative" (like Hillel), as in don't do to others what you don't like done to you.  

Take a look at the chart below (click to enlarge), and imagine the globe in the middle as not simply the earth, but the ultimate Truth that all religions seek to locate.  We are each coming from a different place, each giving the truth our unique shading.  Ultimately, the hope is that we will meet in the middle, where the Real Truth resides.

The U.N., the Palestinians and "Lincoln"

Sixty five years ago yesterday, the UN General Assembly’s  acceptance of the 1947 Partition Plan (listen to that historic vote) paved the way for the birth of the state of Israel.  It was not by accident that Nov. 29 was chosen as the date for a strong endorsement of Palestinian aspirations for statehood by that very same body, as yesterday they voted to upgrade the he UN has voted to upgrade Palestinian Authority to "State Observer" status.

It’s hard to say what this means, or whether it is ultimately bad, good or irrelevant to the prospects for two states to live side by side in peace, which most Israelis still claim to want.

Marc Schulman, whose commentary is almost always spot on, assesses the situation as a major diplomatic defeat for Israel on two levels:

On the first, and albeit more distant level, the change produces a new and more problematic starting point for any future negotiations with the Palestinians. Instead of negotiating towards an independent Palestinian state, the UN has now recognized it as such… More problematic is the fact that Israel lost the complete support of almost all of the European nations in this vote. The reason seems clear. There is a distinct sense that when it comes to the question of Israel-Palestinian negotiations, it is the Netanyahu government that seems unwilling to truly negotiate. Netanyahu is simply not believed when it comes to his willingness to negotiate. Of course, having Avigdor Lieberman as Foreign Minister, (a man that is unwelcome everywhere in the world but Eastern Europe), does not help bolster Israel's diplomatic efforts.

It would have been nice if Mahmoud Abbas had given Israelis (the people, more than the politicians) reason to believe that he is ready to make peace. If only Abbas had seized the moment and reached out to his neighbors as David Ben Gurion did on May 14, 1948. That certainly did not happen.  But neither has the door completely closed to a two state solution.  When we look at the two separate Palestinian entities, the P.A and Hamas, one still embraces acts of terror and the other relies on a diplomatic track.  These two entities are not two sides of the same coin, even if they profess to want unification; they are two different coins – two coins that hate each other. Abbas’ words may be wrong-headed and even libelous, as some Israelis have stated, but, as Shimon Peres has said so often, it’s deeds that count.  The plain fact is that Abbas has, for the most part, turned the terror spigot off and has said unequivocally that he has no intention of turning it on again. In the current Middle East, for better or for worse, that is the very definition of a moderate.

The Palestinian civil war is a microcosm of what’s going on in Egypt and the entire Middle East.  The role of the west here, and that includes Israel, is to make sure that those who eschew terror are the ones who win.  The model for success is not Gaza, where rockets reign, but the West Bank, where economic growth has brought a better life for the people (despite a recent slump).  In his civil war against Hamas, Abbas has to win.  Significantly, Israel is assisting the P.A. to overcome its current economic challenges.  

I saw the film “Lincoln” last week and see parallels between the Palestinian Civil War and ours.  Lincoln understood that reunification with the South could never happen on the South’s terms: i.e., with the continued legitimization of slavery.  His great fear was that the war would end before slavery was constitutionally abolished; he knew that that change could only occur before the return of those southern states - and their votes - to Congress.  So the thirteenth amendment was passed while those states were still on the outs, and by the time the southern states returned, abolition was a fait accompli, or as Israelis like to say, a “fact on the ground.”

Most Israelis agree that it is incumbent to make a thriving West Bank such a fact on the ground. But it would be even better to make a thriving, terror-free West Bank based Palestinian state a fact on the ground too.  That can only happen while Hamas is on the outside, a non player in the diplomatic arena.  Hamas is the South in this civil war, the entity that wants to continue existing with their version of the "Peculiar Institution," in this case terrorism rather than slavery. If moderation wins, Hamas will ultimately have to capitulate, because the Gazan people will see the advantages gained by their West Bank brethren and will force them to.  Egypt's President Morsi is now seeing first-hand that moderate forces can be very powerful when they speak with a clear voice - which is happening on the streets of Cairo right now.  The last word on the Arab Spring has yet to be written.  Like Lincoln, Israel and Abbas need to put facts of moderation on the ground.  This is happening economically.  It needs to happen at the negotiating table too.  

Can that happen? Can there be an agreement on the West Bank, before Gaza re-enters the equation? Obviously, Israel would need security guarantees.  But those could be worked out in negotiations.  Or not.  The point is, you need to get to negotiations to find out.  With an increasingly right wing Knesset list after this week's primaries, Netanyahu's new Likud is much less likely to do that.

Back in the early days of Oslo, the cry was "Gaza first," meaning that Jericho and Gaza would gain a modicum of autonomy, and we would see how that goes before moving to the next stage of the peace process.  Now, I think the cry needs to be "Gaza last,"  as we work toward the establishment of a West Bank only Palestine.

Super Sunday for UJF

Let's see, there's Black Friday, Cyber Monday... and let's not forget Super Sunday, a date where the community invests not in sweaters and iPads but in saving lives and building a Jewish future, locally, in Israel and around the world.

Read the rabbis’ Super Sunday letter - and make sure to answer the call for UJF this weekend, or better yet, be there to volunteer.  Our congregation is eligible for a special $2500 grant if we can bring out the most volunteers at Super Sunday!

Black Friday

If today is Black Friday, does that make tonight "Black Sabbath?"  

To see the connection between last week's portion and the impulse buying of Black Friday, see the Parsha packet below:

http://www.tbe.org/uploadedFiles/site/Rabbis_Corner/Rabbi_Study_Materials/toldot%20self%20control%20for%20printing.pdf

Shabbat-O-Gram for November 21: Was this Mini-War Good for Israel?

With the details of the just-announced 9 PM ceasefire (2 PM in Stamford) still sketchy, is there good news to be gained in this huge mess?  The news of today's bus bombing in Tel Aviv only complicates an already complicated situation.  But you knew you could come to me for a smidgen of optimism, didn't you!  So let's run down some of the potential good news:

-          The new role of Egypt and Turkey as Hamas' prime sponsors might seem like a huge strategic loss, but it offers opportunities to the West that did not exist when Hamas was primarily in the Syrian orbit.  There is leverage over Egypt (American $$) and Turkey (a NATO member), as well as enemies that these nations share with Israel (Iran and Syria). 

-         As helpless as Israelis have felt in the face of constant rocket fire, remember how much worse things were before there was an Iron Dome knocking down 90% of its targets. 

-          And when the dust settles, assuming all hell doesn't break loose, The P.A. on the West Bank, which has notably not been a major contributor to anti Israel incitement, might be more willing to negotiate with Israel on more generous terms in order to offset some of the political gains Hamas has  made (It remains to be seen, though, whether West Bank elements played a role in today's Tel Aviv bus bombing).  Israel may find it more advantageous to sit down as well, in order to counter the threats of its more radical neighbors.  No better way to isolate Hamas than to prop up its rival and offer a chance to achieve political gains through peaceful negotiation.

-          Ultimately, a nuclear Iran is still the main threat facing Israel and her Sunni neighbors.  When Israel refrained from attacking Iraq during the first Gulf War it earned significant brownie points from the West, and that was at a time when the US government and public were not nearly so sympathetic.  Those points are being earned now as well, and they will be redeemed in the very near future, when the moment of truth arrives regarding Iran.

-          I must say, I also see a big difference in how the media is covering this conflict, as compared to prior ones.  Sure, there are still moral equivalences being drawn between Hamas's and Israeli  actions.  But Israel's message is getting through to a far greater extent.  (And I ASSUME you've subscribed to http://www.idfblog.com/ and are getting their excellent and timely videos on YouTube.  If not, shame on you!)  We are on the social media front lines, and Israel is now getting its message out much more efficiently.  Through us, Israel is winning the social media war!

-          And BTW, we should feel the pain of Gazan civilian victims - and feel good that there aren't many more, thanks to Israel's incredible restraint.  And while we mourn deeply the Israeli casualties, think about it:  When Saddam Hussein shot 39 Scuds at Israeli population centers in 1991, we thought it was a miracle that only 1 person died (it was even seen as evidence by Habad that the messianic era was at hand).  So now we've had nearly 1400 missiles fired at Israel just in the past week with less than half a dozen deaths.  Every life is of infinite value, but think of what would have happened had Iron Dome not been deployed near Tel Aviv just an hour before it needed to be used.  If 1991's statistics merited messianic expectations, the performance of Iron Dome has been downright miraculous. 

Israel is close to being missile proof.  It has significantly degraded the leadership and infrastructure of Hamas and other radical groups in Gaza.  It has done so without losing the moral high ground in the eyes of much of the world.  It has set itself up in a position of strength with West Bank Palestinian leadership.  And it is in a much better position with regard to world pressure on Iran.

So now, doesn't that make you feel better?

OK, so maybe the picture is not that wonderful.   But there is one other bit of good news.  American Jews have stopped sniping at one another about Israel (with some sad exceptions, likethis shanda perpetrated by the Atlanta Jewish community, per Danny Gordis).  When it comes to Americans of all political persuasions, there is now no daylight between America and Israel, and between American Jew and American Jew.

This could all be moot if something dramatic happens before this email's electrons have dried. 

Which is why my best advice to you is to keep yourself updated.  Know that I am constantly sharing important articles on my Facebook page and on Twitter (follow me at @joshuahct).  I'll send occasional email updates to the congregation as need arises.  You can also read the movingwar diary of Masorti Rabbi Mauricio Balter, who serves a Masorti congregation in Be'er Sheva.  I quoted from his first entry at services last Friday, where he agonized over whether to run for a shelter or assist two elderly congregants stranded in the middle of a street when the alarm sounded. Also see TBE's Jan Gaines' "Dispatches from Netanya."

Meanwhile, the UJF has put together a concise page of suggestions as to how each of us can help, including donation addresses and a list of sites where you can get accurate information:

I would add to this list http://www.dailyalert.org/, a daily compendium of analysis from periodicals, newspapers, and think tanks.

Meanwhile, for your Thanksgiving reading, see recent Bar/Bat Mitzvah commentaries by TBE B'nai Mitzvah Evan Kaplan, Olivia Wise, Melanie Roloff and Steven Yudell.

And,  direct from the Shabbat-O-Gram archives: 

Is Turkey Kosher?  

Counting our Blessings on Thanksgiving

Talkin' Turkey About Ethical Eating

A Thanksgiving Proclamation

and Thanksgiving Blessings for Your Table

If you are in town, join us for minyan on Thursday and Friday mornings at 9 AM (we've had difficulty lately and really could use your help!).  This Friday night, bring your out-of-town guests to our service, with special guest harpist (and TBE member) Lisa Tannebaum. And join Cantor Mordecai on Shabbat morning at 9 for an hour-long discussion of the portion of the week, followed by services in the chapel at 10, featuring the naming of Ainsley Pankowski.  Then, later in the day, we'll celebrate at Mincha Havdalah services as Rebecca Gatz becomes Bat Mitzvah.  Mazal tov to all!

A blessed Thanksgiving and Shabbat Shalom!

TBE Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary: Evan Kaplan on Toldot

Shabbat shalom!

My portion is about two brothers, Jacob and Essau. These two people didn’t get along well – they even wrestled before they were born, in their mother’s womb.  Later on, they became the founders of two different nations, or opposites.

They were like two halves of a whole.  Jacob was the scholar who stayed in a tent all day and studied and read. Esau was the athlete, the one who went out hunting. Though the Torah and Rebecca favored Jacob, Isaac, the father, favored Esau.

One day, when Esau came back from hunting, Jacob made a stew.  Esau was really hungry and wanted that stew, so he told his brother, “I’ll sell you my birthright for some stew and bread.” Immediately Jacob agreed, fed Esau and got the birthright in return.

Later, their blind father Isaac was dying and wanted to give his blessing to Esau, so he told him to go make some food and prepare a meal. While Esau was doing that, Rebecca, feeling that Jacob deserved that blessing, decided to help Jacob dress up as Esau and bring him his favorite dish to eat. 

 Jacob got the blessing and Esau was, to say the least, not happy.

          Boy, these twins really did love each other!   

They were total opposites, but maybe they are meant to represent two sides of each of us.  Actually I see a little bit of both of them in me. For instance, there are times when I stay inside to read, or study, or do homework while some other times I will have baseball or basketball practice or just a chance to do some jumping on my trampoline.

          I think that a lesson in this story is that we should try to nurture both sides of our characters – to be a little bit Esau-like and a little bit like Jacob.  That means being prepared to get out of our comfort zones. Maybe one of the reasons they couldn’t like each other was because they couldn’t connect with each other’s interests. 

If I were their therapist (and I would love that job), I might have suggested the old switcheroo.  Let Jacob and Esau switch roles for a day.  Jacob would do the hunting while Essau studies in the tent.

I think it would be great everyone could do this from time to time.

          You know, you may not think the NBA relates to this, but surprisingly enough it does.  What would happen if point guards and centers switched roles for a day?  That would allow each side to experience the other side and step out of their comfort zone. Maybe the shooters could pass more, and the passers could shoot more.  Imagine Rajon Rondo and Kobe Bryant pulling a switcheroo.

Maybe it would be great for republicans to become democrats for a day, and for Yankees fans to become Red Sox fans for a day. I think the world would truly be a better place if that would happen – although I would never do that!  (Would YOU, Rabbi?).

What if cat lovers could become dog lovers?  Or if rap lovers could experience classic?  Or worse, 70s music!  I’m not sure I could do that either.  Or how about having everyone wop lives in Alaska move to India for a week to experience hot weather.

As I become a bar mitzvah, I understand how important it is to try new things, always with an eye toward understanding how the other half lives.  If Jacob and Esau had only done that, history would have turned out quite different.

          For my mitzvah project, I will be working at the Yerwood center, helping little kids to play basketball. I will also tutor them in math and writing.  Through this project, I will be donating basketballs and materials to the facility.        

TBE Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary: Olivia Wise on Vayetze

The name of my portion, Vayetze, means “And he went out.” Jacob was starting on long journey – it would be 20 years before he would return home.  So it’s understandable that Jacob was nervous.  He was not sure where he would end up.  But it didn’t stop him from taking that leap of faith, to set out for places unknown.

All these uncertainties are bothering him as he lies down to sleep on the first night of his journey.  And he has a dream.  In that dream, God speaks to him, promising him that he will be protected and safe and able to fulfill all his goals, and then return safely.

For Jacob, the journey began with a dream.

I also have a dream – to play basketball for a division 1 school (and I really hope it’s U Conn!!!!).  In order to make this dream come true, like Jacob, I’ll also have to take lots of leaps, leaps of faith and leaps on the court.  I’ll have to do many things that are very challenging.

So how do you turn a dream into reality?

In order to become a better basketball player, I’ve had to work really hard and make some sacrifices.

o   First, I quit softball to focus on basketball, which meant missing a chance to spend time with a number of my friends.

o   Second, I practice all the time, with my team and on my own. Sometimes I get really frustrated at myself, especially when I don’t play my best. 

o   Third, I really decided to challenge myself this year by playing in boys pick up league.  It is a much faster game, which makes me have to work that much harder to get open.  I also have had to earn their respect, to prove that I can play with them.  I know I’ve done that because they are always passing me the ball and they give me high fives and say “good job,” just like one of the guys. 

o   Fourth, my commitment to playing basketball has meant that I’ve had less time to spend with my friends.

o   Fifth, I’ve also missed out on summer activities, since I work out anywhere from two to three hours every day, all summer long.

As we all know, when following our dreams, there will always be obstacles that we must overcome. A month ago, I sprained my ankle and even though I was not able to play with my foot in a boot, I still managed to practice:

o   I still could dribble in place and work on other aspects of the game

o   I still went to practices, to learn the plays

o   And my injury had one other benefit: I could focus more on my bat mitzvah!

So like Jacob’s, my dream is very much alive.  And he dreamed his dream at a place that he called Beth El, the house of God.  Today, as I become a bat mitzvah at this Beth El, I know how important dreams can be, not just your own, but those of others too.

That’s why I’ve chosen as a Mitzvah project to work with kids who have dreams similar to my own. They love to play basketball.  Only these kids have various kinds of disabilities.  Some play while in a wheelchair.

These kids have taught me a lot.  They are always enthusiastic about everything appreciate even the smallest things, like a high five from me or when I say “good job.”

Dispatches from Netanya

Here are some dispatches received from our woman in Netanya - Jan Gaines - as Israel confronts current challenges:

Dear Friends,

   As I read of calls for Israel to "show restraint", to agree to a cease fire so that |Gaza residents won't be killed;  and other moral equivalence statements,  I want to be sure you have this situation straight.

  1. We left Gaza. We left beautiful greenhouses. We took every ounce of Judaism and Israeli-ism out of the area.  But we kept water and electric lines intact so Gaza could be served.l

     We are STILL supplying them with both!

  2. So they destroyed the greenhouses. And they had an election between Hamas and Fatah and the people of Gaza voted Hamas in.  After which Hamas chased Fatah out with lots of killings, and took total control.  Did you hear any protests from the Gazans???

  3. Upon taking total control, Hamas started threatening Israel and the 8 years of missiles began. Israel retaliated finally with Operation Cast Lead and the world screamed "murder" at us, with the Goldstone report topping out the denunciations. Goldstone later recanted but it was too late.

  4.  A couple of years of relative quiet except for the kidnapping of Gilad Schalit, led by Jabari (who was taken out finally) the military chief of Hamas with alot of blood on his hands. No one else was killed except one other male. Precise targeted killing. 

  5.   A few weeks prior to the Jabari killing, Hamas had fired on an Israeli patrol well inside the Israeli border.  Three soldiers were wounded, one seriously.

  6.  The IDF watched carefully to see if Hamas was going to escalate. We took out Jabari.

 And the whole Arab world went crazy with rage. This was the signal Hamas was waiting for.

 They unleashed over 100 rockets in one day, aimed at CIVILIAN homes, schools, businesses all over the south of Israel, as far north as Beersheva.

  WHY DID HAMAS ATTACK US/  WHAT POSSIBLE MOTIVE COULD THEY HAVE HAD?

  DID WE INDICATE WE WANTED ANOTHER WAR? 

 7.  We are now in Day 6 and as I write this at 7:00 a.m. the music station is broadcasting another red alert for a settlement in the South.  And now we are poised to make a "we lose, they lose" decision, whether to go in with a ground war.

 8.  If we do, the whole world media will start showing pictures of dead Gaza children and we will once again be accused of child killers.  There are NO PICTURES OF DEAD ISRAELI CHILDREN BECAUSE WE MAKE SURE THEY ARE SAFE IN SHELTERS. WE PROTECT OUR KIDS.  WHY CAN'T OR DON'T THEY PROTECT THEIRS?  Again this time the IDF has broadcast and emailed warnings and pleas to Gazans to get out of their booby trapped and missile site buildings. Do they?

 9.  Our targeted killings are exactly that. Israeli soldiers are trained over and over to avoid civilian casualties. That is why our targets are so exact, so carefully planned out. Are their targets in Israel also planned to avoid civilian casualties?

10.  In summary, I am burning with anger over this lopsided war. It is always the same. Israel respects human life. Our enemies do not. They have MADE THEMSELVES OUR ENEMIES.  We didn't start out hating them. And yet I see MORAL EQUIVALENCE marching down the media, and the political world including some American Jews, anxious to stop us from stopping the missiles.

  IT'S CRUNCH TIME FRIENDS.  WHERE DO YOU STAND?

  Jan Gaines

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No need to worry about me. No missiles are coming to Netanya. We're out of range for Gaza, but not for Hizbollah. But yes, this affects all of us;  we are all family.  I know you hate Fox but they are the only TV channel which covers this honestly and sympathetically. Forget CNN when it comes to Israel.

   As always, we are looking to the U.S. to stick up for us both in the UN and world opinion.  It's always the only country that does.We are spending fortunes of money every time an Iron Dome missile is launched but that's what's saving lives and property. And I'm sure we will have to go in on the ground because the air force can't get all the missile sites, especially those located in residential areas and community facilities because we don't want to hit civilians.

  So this is just another replay of Operation Cast Lead 4 years ago.  They will never let up and our neighbors are more hostile than ever.  When will it end.

  Don't believe any talking head who tells you that Israel launched this war before the Israeli election in January so that Bibi can be re-elected.  That kind of thinking makes me nauseous.  Whoever says that doesn't know or want to know that missiles have been coming into the south for the past 3 or 4 weeks and hitting those beseiged cities like Sderot and Netivot and now Beersheva, Ashkelon and Ashdod. We had no choice. And the Hamas military commander we took out was behind Gilad Schalit's capture and has hundreds of Israeli;s deaths he's responsible for. The IDF has been trying to get him for years.

  One typical piece of Israeli humor.  A jet flew over the seaside palace of the Hamas head, Ismail Haniyeh, today but it didn't hit his palace, or him.  Instead, with pinpoint accuracy; ping, ping,ping  they took out his GENERATOR so he doesn't have any power and so he gets the message that this time he got off alive but next time.. . . .

   On Thursday we were in Tel Aviv going to a concert at the art museum. We always take a cab from the train station. This cabbie was very chatty, in English and Hebrew. We told him we were from Netanya and looking forward to a lovely morning. He said,  " Hey, there's big funeral in Gaza this morning, for the Hamas military chief.  Let's go down there.  I'll drive you for the same fare. . . . .should be more interesting than a concert."

Maybe you remember that droll humor that all these cabbies have.  We were screaming with laughter.

  That's Israel. Everyone now is family. While we are safe here, it doesn't lessen the pain of the rest of the country. The reason they are now aiming for Tel Aviv and J'lem is that they have newer missiles, the Fajr5, from Iran, that have a much longer distance capacity.  The air force tried to take out those sites right away in the first air strikes but they couldn't get them all. They are of course hidden in schools, residential areas and other community facilities.  Also, some missiles are coming from Sinai and we can't touch them;  that's Egypt. The Egyptians can't control those groups either.

   But all in all, the genius of the IDF, the air force, etc. is awesome, when it comes to pinpointing targets.  I remember from a visit to an army intelligence base that these kids, girls and boys in uniform, sit at computers and other screens watching everything moving on the ground, as small as a dog. So whatever they can take out without civilian casualties, they have already taken out.  Again, the army dropped leaflets to the population to please get out of their homes or areas that have missile launches.  But whether that works or not, who knows. Once we accidentally kill civilians, especially children, the whole world will be screaming at us.

  By the way, the 3 casualties in Kiryat Malachi, were all Hagadniks.  The woman who was killed was the wife of one of the Habad rabbis posted to India. The other two men were evidently friends.  They died because they didn't get to a shelter fast enough;  they made the dreadful mistake of staying a few seconds on their balcony to see what was going on.!!I can understand that because Kiryat Malachi has  never been hit and is north of Beersheva.  But oh what a dreadful decision.

   So far I don't think we've had any other casualties. As usual, this is a country of miracles, and I have faith in that and in us.

  Shabbat Shalom, Love, Jan. 

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TBE Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary: Melanie Roloff on Hayye Sarah

In my portion of Hayye Sarah, Abraham sends out his servant Eliezer to find a wife for his son Isaac.  As Eliezer arrives at his destination, he asks God for a sign to help him choose the right wife for Isaac.  He’s looking for someone who is willing to go above and beyond – not just to be kind to him, but to offer water to his camels as well.

Lo and behold, Rebecca, the first woman Eliezer meets, turns out to be just that person.  She offers not only to give Eliezer water, but to give water to his camels too.  Rebecca is a great role model for all of us and for me too.  She teaches us how important it is to go above and beyond in order to help others, whether they be animals or other people.

This is a model I’ve always tried to follow.  I’ve always tried to go above and beyond in helping others.

Abraham Joshua Heschel said, "When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people."

Well, now that I’m “old” – a bat mitzvah – I do too, and I want to be someone who can be a role model for kindness.

I’ve tried to do this for most of my life.  When I was younger, I went with the JCC to the library of a nursing home to organize the books.  I remember going with the temple to sing at a nursing home as well.

We can go above and beyond even in less noticeable ways.  I’m on the Sharks, a swim team in Stamford.  The meets can be very competitive.  But I make a practice to give encouragement to all the others swimmers, even my opponents.  I wish them good luck before the race and then at the end of the race, if they are in the next lane over I’ll always say “good job,” or something like that.  There’s always something more you can do to make others feel better.  I also encourage my teammates, even when we lose.  I still say “Good job” and “It’s OK.”  I’ve found that the more I set the tone by doing that, the more I find others giving back the same encouragement. 

To this point, no opponent has ever said “good job” to me without my doing it first, but maybe it will happen soon.  Meanwhile, it’s still good for me to above and beyond and be like Rebecca, even if others choose not to be like me.

     

      For my mitzvah project, I raised money for an O-la-mi scholarship, JCC vacation Day Program, books for TBE and now I am raising money for cancer research at Hadassah Hospital by collecting bottles and cans for deposit.  Over the past two years, I’ve raised over fifteen hundred dollars!  My family and friends have really helped me out on this.  Just like Rebecca, they’ve gone way above and beyond the call to help.

TBE Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary: Steven Yudell on Toldot

Shabbat Shalom.

Many of you know that this past summer, my grandmother Kathy passed away. I had a very special relationship with her. When she unfortunately was diagnosed with lung cancer, we thought it would be a good thing to raise money for lung cancer in her honor.  I organized a tag sale with her help and raised over 1900 dollars, on a cool March afternoon.  

My grandmother and her doctors believed that the cancer was caused by her smoking, even though she quit 30 years ago. One thing that my grandmother taught me is how important it is to think about the consequences of your actions down the road.

When I think about it, although it is very sad that she is not here, if she had not quit when she did, I might never have met her. And that brings me to my Parshah, Toldot!

My Parshah begins with Yitzhak and Rivkah who are barren, meaning they can’t have any children. They pray to god for children and they have 2 children.

These two children were born from the same parents but they took two different paths. The Torah tells us that one of the children was Esav, who the torah says was good at trapping and hunting.  It also says that he was very greedy and did everything on impulse.  He even traded his birthright for a cup of lentil soup.  Many commentaries say that Essav had little faith in life, and did not care about the future.  Unlike my Grandma.

The other child Yaakov, enjoyed studying torah.  He understood the long term implications of his actions and did not act on impulse.  This is similar to my Grandma because they were both concerned about the future and how their actions affected themselves and others.

Now, I thought it would be interesting if I related Esav and Yaakov to smoking.

Essav could easily have been a smoker.  Again, he did everything on impulse and did not think of the consequences.  He would have loved smoking because it feels good at the time but does not work out well in the future.

Yaakov, would have stopped smoking or never started.  He would think about how it could affect him or the people around him.  I know he would have been like my grandmother and found a way to quit.  Esav would not have found a way.

Because it is my mitzvah project and many of my friends and family are here today, it’s important for me to talk a little about the dangers of smoking:

Did you know that…?

Smoking is the most preventable cause of death in the United States. 

Smoking causes more than one in five deaths in America. 

90 percent of lung cancer in men is directly related to smoking and 80 percent of lung cancer in women is caused by cigarettes.  

According to the American Heart Association, most adult smokers started when they were preteens or teenagers. Unfortunately, many young people don’t fully understand the dangers of smoking and its potential affect in the future.

What is most important to understand is that smoking becomes a habit that is nearly impossible to break. It could turn any of us into Essav.

As painful and difficult as it may be to talk about this subject, I know that my grandmother would be very proud of me for teaching this to you.

Now as a Bar Mitzvah, I feel that Yaakov and my grandma should be role models for everybody.  We should always think about how our actions affect the future for ourselves and those around us.  This will help us have a more positive impact on the world.   

Shabbat-O-Gram for Nov. 16-23

Shabbat Shalom, and Happy Thanksgiving and Rosh Hodesh Kislev.

Since there will be no regularly scheduled Shabbat O Gram next week, I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving.  These two weeks are the perfect time to bring homecoming students and visiting relatives to share in our services - Friday night at 7:30 and Shabbat morning at 9:30.  Cantor Mordecai and I will be here to greet you both weekends.

As Thanksgiving approaches, we have much to be thankful for (like this week's b'nai mitzvah, Olivia Wise and Evan Kaplan, and next week's, Rebecca Gatz, and next week's naming for Ainsley Pankowsky) - but in Sandy's wake, also much to be concerned about.  See last week's parsha packet "After Sandy: Coping with Disaster, Climate Change and the New Normal," for a list of ways that we each can help.  In that spirit,. this week TBE is donating ten Thanksgiving turkeys to the local Food Bank.  We are also looking for ways to become "greener" and soon we'll have some exciting news to share on that front.

ISRAEL'S BIN LADEN MOMENT

I'm sending out this O-gram early to update you on today's events:

On Wednesday, following days during which over a hundred rockets were fired at southern Israel from Gaza, Israel struck back today in a big way, killing Hamas' Defense chief Jabiri, widely considered the architect of all Hamas terror directed against Israel in recent years, including the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit.  The Israeli response, called Operation "Pillar of Defense," has been brilliantly executed, as prime missile sites were also hit - including Fajr rocket sites capable of hitting the area of Tel Aviv - but now Israeli is bearing the brunt of the counter strike.  This evening alone, rockets have been fired at Beersheba (17 intercepted thus far by Iron Dome) and, for the first time, Dimona.  Damage and injuries have been held to a minimum thus far, but this is a difficult night of watching for the people of southern and central Israel. Our prayers are with them. 

I encourage you to monitor Israeli news sites as often as you can, and to sign up for the Israeli Network on Cablevision, which has a full, English subtitled newscast at 8 PM and breaking news in Hebrew throughout the day.

  

  

ROSH HODESH AT THE KOTEL

At the same time, Thursday is Rosh Hodesh Kislev, there is rising concern over the continued harassment women who pray at the Western Wall each month on Rosh Hodesh, the Women of the Wall.  When Jeremiah the prophet waxed eloquently about a revived Jerusalem filled with cries of mirth and gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, the voice of the bride, it was clear to him that somehow Jerusalem would continue to be impoverished without the sounds of  both men AND women singing.  

Yet, last month, Anat Hoffman, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center and chairwoman of Women of the Wall, prayed at the Western Wall and was arrested and charged with the "offense" of wearing a prayer shawl and disturbing public order. 

In August, I went down to the Kotel to see Women of the Wall and what I heard did not disturb my peace.  Instead, it was a lovely, rousing cacophony of voices, sounding much like Jeremiah must have imagined as he dreamed of Jerusalem reborn.  

On the left, a men's group was singing madly - much louder, incidentally, than the women.  Their location, hugging the divider between the men's and women's sections, and the sheer volume of their singing, led me to the impression that they were trying to drown the women out, sort of like a big sing-down at the camp mess hall (perhaps they were also planning to raid the girls bunks that evening).  But the effect, when combined with the soft voices of the women chanting Hallel, to my mind, only added a grander sense of harmony.  This was no disturbance of the peace.  

Watch the videos I took that morning.    

It's time for the Kotel to be reclaimed for all the Jewish people.

  

   

THE FORGOTTEN REVOLUTION: SOVIET JEWRY 25 YEARS LATER  

This week at the annual gathering of Jewish federations, Elie Wiesel and Natan Sharansky sat together to reminisce about what may have been the most significant and successful revolution in the Jewish world of the past half century, yet one no one ever talks about.  

The struggle to free Soviet Jewry, a 25 year battle, not only succeeded in tearing down barriers to immigration and Jewish identity, it helped to bring down the iron curtain itself.  It did so bloodlessly, and it galvanized the American Jewish community as it had never been galvanized before and hasn't since.  It enabled Jews to project pride and political clout in a manner that presaged AIPAC, despite being only tacitly endorsed by much of the Jewish establishment.  In fact, it was primarily student led, or as Sharansky's KGB captors scoffed "A bunch of students and housewives."  Yet somehow, these students helped to push an agenda that promoted human rights for all people and, through the Jackson-Vanik amendment, became a prime instrument of U.S. policy to pressure the Soviet Union.

Ironically, Jackson-Vanik is slated to be rescinded by Congress this week (see an interesting take on this from the from the Moscow Times). 

Twenty five years ago, on December 6, 1987, 250,000 Jews marched on Washington to demand freedom for Soviet Jewry.  The numbers far exceeded everyone's expectations, and coming as it did on the eve of a Reagan - Gorbachev summit, historians now know that it made a huge difference in accelerating the process of liberation.  For American Jews, it was a cathartic do-over, a chance to redeem ourselves from the perception that we had not done enough to help our brothers and sisters during the Shoah.  It was a huge moment.  For those of us who were there, it was unforgettable.  It was, for me, the first major community event I attended after moving to Stamford and it cemented relationships with other community leaders. 

This 25th anniversary of the climactic event of a 25 year revolution is a very big deal. At your Thanksgiving tables, recount the stories of what you did to help save Soviet Jewry, and to help resettle them when many came here.  It was, arguably, Stamford and American Jewry's finest hour.

See video of the Sharansky - Wiesel  G.A. appearance here.

 

 Click here for my photo essay of our Stamford group at the March on Washington

SAVE THE DATE OF SHABBAT MORNING, DECEMBER 8, WHEN, IN HONOR OF THIS 25^TH ANNIVERSARY, WE WILL BE HOSTING GAL BECKERMAN,  opinion editor at The Forward AND AUTHOR  OF "When They Come for Us, We'll be Gone,"-  The riveting story, never before told, of the three-decade struggle that became a global cause.

  

  

Finally, if are looking for a real pick me up, check out one of our TBE teens,  Brett Mayer, skating a few days ago in the Eastern Sectionals.  We are all very proud of Brett! 

And for Thanksgiving, direct from the Shabbat-O-Gram archives: 

Is Turkey Kosher?   

Counting our Blessings on Thanksgiving

Talkin' Turkey About Ethical Eating

A Thanksgiving Proclamation

Thanksgiving Blessings for Your Table

Shabbat Shalom and a blessed holiday for all!

Rabbi Joshua Hammerman

The Forgotten Revolution: The March on Washington for Soviet Jewry, 25 Years Later

This week at the G.A., the annual gathering of Jewish federations, Elie Wiesel and Natan Sharansky sat together to reminisce about what may have been the most significant and successful revolution in the Jewish world of the past half century, yet one no one ever talks about.  

The struggle to free Soviet Jewry, a 25 year battle, not only succeeded in tearing down barriers to immigration and Jewish identity, it helped to bring down the iron curtain.  It did so bloodlessly, and it galvanized the American Jewish community as it had never been galvanized before and hasn’t since.  It enabled Jews to project pride and political clout in a manner that presaged AIPAC, despite being opposed or only tacitly endorsed by much of the Jewish establishment.  In fact, it was primarily student led, or as Sharansky’s KGB captors scoffed “A bunch of students and housewives.”  Yet somehow, these students helped to push an agenda that promoted human rights for all people and, through the Jackson-Vanik amendment, became a prime instrument of U.S. policy to pressure the Soviet Union.

Ironically, Jackson-Vanik is slated to be rescinded by Congress this week (see an interesting take on this from the from the Moscow Times). 

Twenty five years ago, on December 6, 1987, 250,000 Jews marched on Washington to demand freedom for Soviet Jewry.  The numbers exceeded everyone’s expectations, and coming as it did on the eve of a Reagan - Gorbachev summit, historians now know that it made a huge difference in accelerating the process of liberation.  For American Jews, it was a cathartic do-over, a chance to redeem ourselves from the perception that we had not done enough to help our brothers and sisters during the Shoah.  It was a huge moment.  For those of us who were there, it was unforgettable.  It was, for me, the first major community event I attended after moving to Stamford and it cemented relationships with other community leaders. See my photo essay below.  maybe you'll recognize some of the people, including Natan Sharansky (newly freed), Sen. Lautenberg, Bob Dole and many from our Stamford group.

See video of the Sharansky – Wiesel  G.A. appearance here.

AND SAVE THE DATE OF SHABBAT MORNING, DECEMBER 8, WHEN, IN HONOR OF THIS 25^TH ANNIVERSARY, WE WILL BE HOSTING GAL BECKERMAN,  opinion editor at The Forward AND AUTHOR  OF ”When They Come for Us, We’ll be Gone,”-  The riveting story, never before told, of the three-decade struggle that became a global cause.

See my article on the event from the Stamford Advocate in Dec. 1987.
See also the photo essay below, as we recall that historic March on Washington of December 6, 1987. Click on photos to enlarge.

And with Hanukkah coming, read Natan Sharansky’s description of Hanukkah in the Gulag.