tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4995846984334625472024-03-13T07:23:32.917-07:00Words from a WeismanThis is my personal blog -- on it, I will be posting sermons, my monthly bulletin column, and other items designed to provoke discussion among my congregants, family, and friends. There will probably also be the occasional humorous, music based, or sports-related post as well.Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-32784742825862542712016-09-20T20:10:00.003-07:002016-09-20T20:10:50.819-07:00His Name was Terence Crutcher<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">The murder of unarmed Terence Crutcher in Tulsa today is
only the latest evidence that the protests started by Colin Kaepernick, the
quarterback, are based in sad reality, that something dramatic and fundamental needs to change,
and change soon in our country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
I wrote earlier today on Facebook:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“His name was Terence Crutcher. He was unarmed. Now he
is dead. Killed by police officers, who thought that, even though he wasn't
armed, he still was a dangerous man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“And yet, I guarantee that more people will mention
Colin Kaepernick by name tonight than Terence Crutcher. Because the
quarterback's name is better known, and he is more visible than yet another
black man being shot by police for being black. Because the rest of us would
rather argue about an overpriced athlete, even on the rare occasion when one of
them shows a social conscience publicly, than confront the REAL problem that
there are too many police officers (NOT ALL of them, any more than NOT ALL
other athletes care only about themselves and their salaries and endorsements
-- just too many for us to remain silent) who find ANY man of color suspicious
and dangerous, too many who are not screened for and trained to overcome their
biases, equipped with the social tools they need to serve all citizens in their
jurisdiction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“SO tonight, I symbolically take a knee, and thank the
quarterback for being a leader off the field as well as on. And tonight, I will
mention the name of the murder victim -- Terence Crutcher -- so that he does
not die anonymously, so that his family and friends who mourn his senseless
death can gain a small amount of comfort, so that our world is forced to
confront an ugly truth that is too often and too easily ignored.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“And, to be clear -- I still support the police in
general. I still respect our flag, and will stand up to defend all the ideals
it symbolizes. But when not all of us can say these two things, legitimately,
when the headlines scream again that this is not one athlete's spoiled opinion,
but an ugly truth that will not go away by itself, I will not stand silently by
and allow the status quo to continue because of my silence. So I will stand for
my flag and my country. I will stand for and with the police who daily put
their lives on the line, and hope the day comes soon when those with whom I
stand will also stand up against the abuses of those who drag them down with
them by their misdeeds. I will stand for the too many Terence Crutchers. And I
will stand for the man who refuses to stand for the anthem, to make us all
stand for what is right, even as he takes a knee in protest.”</span><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">The following is an incomplete list of similar shootings
from April, 2014 through the April, 2015 death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore
while in police custody, taken from an article on Buzzfeed that is
acknowledged, and links to lists for all of 2015, and the first half of
2016.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The numbers are shocking,
but we cannot allow these victims to be reduced to anonymous statistics, which
is why their names, and some data about their lives and deaths are included.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I apologize that I had to resort to the
links after the first article, but the copying and transcription process
became too daunting. I hope this effort makes clear just how real the need is...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">April
30, 2014: Dontre Hamilton, 31 (Milwaukee)</span></b><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;"> -- </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">was
fatally shot 14 times by a police officer in a Milwaukee park. The officer was
responding to a call from employees at a nearby Starbucks alleging that
Hamilton, who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was disturbing
the peace. The officers who arrived first determined that Hamilton wasn’t doing
anything illegal. Officer Christopher Manney showed up later and, after trying
to pat Hamilton down, engaged in a struggle with him that led to the shooting.
Manney <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikehayes/milwaukee-officer-who-killed-an-unarmed-mentally-ill-man-won"><span style="color: #0a5ee9; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">was not charged</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">July
17, 2014: Eric Garner, 43, (New York)</span></b><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;"> --</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;"> was
killed after he was put in an illegal chokehold for 15 seconds by a white
police officer — allegedly for selling loose cigarettes. Garner said “I can’t
breathe” 11 times as he was held down by several officers on a sidewalk. The
officer who put Garner in the chokehold, Daniel Pantaleo, was not charged.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">Aug.
5, 2014: John Crawford III, 22, (Dayton, Ohio)</span></b><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;"> -- </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">was
shot and killed by a police officer at a Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio. There
did not appear to be a confrontation with the police, and Crawford was unarmed
— he had been holding a toy BB gun. The officers involved in the shooting, Sean
Williams and David Darkow, <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/09/no-charges-john-crawford-iii-walmart-shooting-video.html"><span style="color: #0a5ee9; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">were not
charged.</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">Aug.
9, 2014: Michael Brown Jr. , 18, (Ferguson, Missouri)</span></b><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;"> – </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">unarmed,
was shot and killed by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. In November, 2014,
a grand jury declined to charge Wilson in the fatal shooting. Brown’s death and
the lack of charges against Wilson sparked protests, some of them violent, in
Ferguson and across the nation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">Aug.
11, 2014: Ezell Ford, 25, (Florence, California)</span></b><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;"> -- </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">a
mentally ill man, was <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikehayes/ezell-ford-autopsy-report"><span style="color: #0a5ee9; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">shot three times</span></a>,
including once in the back, by a white police officer. He was unarmed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">The investigation is still ongoing, but it has been placed
on <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/19/ezell-ford-autopsy_n_5690060.html"><span style="color: #0a5ee9; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">an
“investigative hold”</span></a>. So far, no charges have been filed against
Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas, the two officers involved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">Aug.
12, 2014: Dante Parker, 36, (Victorville, California)</span></b><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;"> -- </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">a
father of five, died in police custody after being repeatedly stunned by a
Taser in San Bernardino County.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">The local investigation is still ongoing, but the NAACP
has called for the federal government to take over, according to the San
Bernadino <a href="http://www.sbsun.com/government-and-politics/20140819/naacp-calls-for-accountability-in-dante-parkers-police-custody-death"><i><span style="color: #0a5ee9; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Sun</span></i></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">Nov.
13, 2014: Tanisha Anderson, 37, (Cleveland)</span></b><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;"> -- </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">died
after officers in Cleveland <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikehayes/mentally-ill-woman-killed-during-altercation-with-cleveland"><span style="color: #0a5ee9; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">allegedly
slammed her head</span></a> on the pavement while taking her into custody.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">Anderson’s family said she had bipolar disorder and
schizophrenia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">The investigation into the case remains ongoing, and no
charges have been filed against the officers involved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">Nov.
20, 2014: Akai Gurley, 28, (Brooklyn, New York)</span></b><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;"> -- </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">was
shot and killed by a police officer while walking in a dimly lit New York City
public housing stairwell with his girlfriend. Gurley, who was unarmed, was
pronounced dead at a hospital. New York Police Department Commissioner Bill
Bratton called the shooting an “accidental discharge.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">The officer, rookie Peter Liang, <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/nicolasmedinamora/nypd-officer-reportedly-indicted-in-stairwell-shooting-death"><span style="color: #0a5ee9; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">was charged</span></a>
with second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, second-degree
assault, reckless endangerment, and two counts of official misconduct.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">Nov.
22, 2014: Tamir Rice, 12, (Cleveland) --</span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;"> was shot and killed by
Cleveland police <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/alisonvingiano/cleveland-toy-gun-shooting"><span style="color: #0a5ee9; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">after officers
mistook his toy gun for a real weapon</span></a>. The two police officers
involved, Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback, have not been charged. Rice’s
family has filed wrongful death lawsuit against the officers and the city of
Cleveland.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">Dec.
2, 2014: Rumain Brisbon, 34, (Phoenix) </span></b><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">-- </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">was
shot and killed by a Phoenix police officer who mistook a pill bottle for a
weapon. The officer, Mark Rine, was not charged following a probe by the
Maricopa County attorney’s office, <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/phoenix-cops-won-face-charges-shooting-unarmed-man-article-1.2171514"><span style="color: #0a5ee9; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">according to the
New York <i>Daily News</i></span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">Dec.
30, 2014: Jerame Reid, 36, (Bridgeton, New Jersey) -- </span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">was
shot and killed by police officers in Bridgeton, New Jersey. He was a passenger
in a car driven by his friend, who was pulled over by police. In <a href="http://www.nj.com/cumberland/index.ssf/2015/01/watch_authorities_release_dashcam_footage_in_bridg.html#incart_m-rpt-1"><span style="color: #0a5ee9; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">dashcam video
footage of the stop</span></a>, an officer is heard claiming that there is a
gun in the glove compartment. Police shouted at Reid not to exit the car, but
he did, with his hands apparently in front of his chest. That’s when officers
Braheme Days and Roger Worley opened fire, striking Reid. Days and Worley were
placed on administrative leave with pay for the ensuing investigation, which
remains ongoing. The shooting sparked protests and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/28/jerame-reid-new-jersey-police-shooting-protests"><span style="color: #0a5ee9; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">calls for the
state attorney general</span></a> to also investigate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">March
6, 2015: Tony Robinson, 19, (Madison, Wisconsin) -- </span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">was
shot and killed by a Madison police officer who was responding to reports of
someone disrupting traffic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">Police said Robinson allegedly assaulted the officer, who
then shot him three times. Robinson was unarmed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">The investigation remains ongoing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">March
31, 2015: Phillip White, 32 (Vineland, New Jersey) -- </span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">died
while in police custody in Vineland, New Jersey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">Police had responded to a call about White acting erratically
and called an ambulance because he appeared to be in medical distress. A
violent encounter ensued, and video footage appears to show a <a href="http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Vineland-Police-Chief-PCP-Phillip-White-Death-K-9-Dog-Codispoti-Timothy-Anonymous-Hacking-GroupThreats-299103451.html"><span style="color: #0a5ee9; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">police dog
biting</span></a> White while he is on the ground.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">White was later pronounced dead at a hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">The officers involved have not been charged as the
investigation continues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">April
2, 2015: Eric Harris, 44, (Tulsa, Oklahoma) -- </span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">was
shot and killed by a 73-year-old reserve deputy officer who allegedly mistook
his own gun for a Taser. The entire incident was captured on a dashcam video. The
officer, Robert Bates, <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/stephaniemcneal/cops-cursed-at-man-who-was-fatally-shot-by-accident?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=News%20-%200414&utm_content=News%20-%200414+CID_4f72f5842de227e9159abaa984414da5&utm_source=BuzzFeed%20Newsletters&utm_term=according%20to%20the%20Tulsa%20County%20district%20attorneys%20office#.dj5V8m3ZO"><span style="color: #0a5ee9; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">was charged with
manslaughter</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">April
4, 2015: Walter Scott, 50, (North Charleston, South Carolina) -- </span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">was
shot by a police officer while running away from a traffic stop for a broken
taillight. Officer Michael Slager claimed Scott had taken his stun gun. Slager
was subsequently fired and charged with murder <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeednews/father-of-south-carolina-man-killed-by-officer-incident-woul#.bgNXl9Yj3"><span style="color: #0a5ee9; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">after a video
surfaced</span></a> showing Scott running away, his back to the officer, as
Slager fired his gun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt;">April
19, 2015: Freddie Gray, 25, (Baltimore) -- </span></b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">died of a spinal cord injury a
week after he was arrested by Baltimore police. It’s still unclear how Gray
sustained the injury. Officials say he was stopped after fleeing “unprovoked
upon noticing police presence” and arrested for allegedly possessing a
switchblade. He was put in a police van, which is where police say he suffered
a medical emergency. The officers involved in his arrest were placed on leave,
and on Friday, the state’s attorney announced that they had been criminally
charged in connection with Gray’s homicide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No convictions resulted from these charges.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">(from Buzzfeed, 5/1/15, not updated for further action against
officers after date of publication, except for Freddie Gray – this is NOT a complete or comprehensive list of such victims in this period)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;">see also, <a href="http://mappingpoliceviolence.org/unarmed">http://mappingpoliceviolence.org/unarmed</a>
on the more than 100 unarmed black people killed by police in 2015,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 17.0pt;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-people-killed-by-police-america_us_577da633e4b0c590f7e7fb17">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-people-killed-by-police-america_us_577da633e4b0c590f7e7fb17</a>
for killings of blacks by police in 2016, through July 7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(note – these are ALL police killings
of blacks for this period – armed and unarmed)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-45259376973611238362016-04-22T07:29:00.000-07:002016-04-22T07:29:13.239-07:00A Passover Meditation <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica;">Searching for Meaning at Passover <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica;">by Learning the Meaning of our Searching or<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica;">Rising to the Occasion, Even without Chameitz<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica;">A Passover Meditation Inspired by<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica;">Julie Silver’s “That We All May Rise”<span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica;">Rabbi Steve Weisman -- Passover 5776</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Tonight, we celebrate our freedom as Jews, as human
beings, our rising from the oppression of Egypt, by eating bread that has been
deliberately prevented from rising.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If that seems ironic, it should not, as the entire story of our Passover
observance plays on subtle contrasts and connections.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">We begin our celebration even before the holiday
begins, when we search our houses to remove all scraps of leavened, risen food
(chameitz).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We search until we can
be reasonably certain that all the risen matter is gone, just as we start our
journey from Egypt in the absolute degradation of servitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet, any search designed to make
certain that something no longer exists, no matter how small the area to be rid
of the matter, must end short of absolute certainty, for we never can tell if we
have truly searched everywhere, can never be sure that there isn’t some other
corner that was missed, some object not overturned, and therefore, there still
MIGHT be something there, no matter how thorough our searching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise, when we look around at our
history and our world, we must eventually recognize that, no matter how dire
our circumstances were in Egypt, they did NOT represent the absolute worst
conditions ever endured by humanity, or any part of our race.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">We start our telling of the story at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">seder</i> meal by breaking the middle matzah
to create the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">afikoman</i>, which will be
the last food we eat together at the meal, and then lifting up the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">matzah</i> – the bread that cannot rise --
and offering to share it with those who are hungry and in need, inviting them
to raise themselves up and join us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We create something new, of significant value, at least within the seder
meal, by breaking what already exists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And, in the process, no matter how careful we are, we must create some
crumbs – less than 24 hours after undertaking the exhaustive search to remove
all crumbs from our homes, in anticipation of the holiday!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We take what is left of the matzh to
invite those who might have only had crumbs for their meal, to join us and eat
– to join our celebration and raise their spirits and condition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">At the end of the meal, we search for the (now stolen)
afikoman, and the person who has taken possession of it, or have our children
and grandchildren search for it, if we have hidden it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do this in order that it can be
redeemed, so that we can end our seder meal in the traditional way, by sharing
and eating a piece of the unrisen bread, that we had earlier broken, and turned
partially into crumbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We share a
broken piece of unrisen bread as a reminder of the redemption of our ancestors
from servitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
symbolically redeemed by that which is unrisen itself, and broken by us, shared
by those whom we invited earlier to come in from their own broken world, to
rise up and join us on our journey to freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>historic
redemption is inseparably linked to the redemption we hope to bring to others
in our own day, symbolized in this last bit of unrisen bread that we share to
raise us up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">And we eat this afikoman, symbol of both our
ancestors’ redemption, and our desire to raise others from their servitude to
forces, seen and unseen, that hold them down today, as the last taste of food
at our seder table, just before rising ourselves from that table (or sending
our children) to open the door for Elijah, herald of the day when we hope we
shall all be permanently redeemed and lifted up to the ultimate glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This errand is, itself, a search, one
which, once we grow older, we recognize was never likely to be successful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet, there was always that moment
of uncertainty right before the door was opened – would this be the year that
Elijah WAS standing there, facing us as we opened the door for him?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A colleague this year shared the story
of his mother’s twist on this piece of the seder – not wanting the children to
be disappointed when they opened the door, she always placed a potted plant
outside the door after the meal started (and they were searching for the
afikoman), with a note from “Elijah,” apologizing that he couldn’t stay to
greet them because he had so many homes to visit, but encouraging them to continue
looking for him throughout the year, and again next Passover!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A beautiful addition, with a powerful
message for us all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet… I
can’t help but wonder how this mother’s sacrifice impacted her own spirituality
– forcing her to confront her assumption that there was no possibility that the
real Elijah might show up after all!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Thus, we end our journey from the degradation of human
servitude to the hope for ultimate rising just as we began – by partaking in a
search that is destined to be somewhat futile, no matter how symbolically
effective, no matter how hard we try.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And in this final moment of shades and twists in the story, in our
journey, individually and collectively, we recognize that no matter how
successful we appear to ourselves to have been, there is always something more
to still be achieved, something else that COULD happen, if only we work hard
enough, if only we are open to its possibility, when we are able to see beyond
ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No matter how far we
have come on the journey, there is still more road to travel, especially if our
goal is to help others on the upward journey from where we were to where we
hope to reach!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">All this, inspired by applying the words and message
behind this awesome song by Julie Silver to our celebration of Passover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And therefore, thanks, as always, to
this gifted artist and true mensch, for teaching a powerful lesson with her
words, her music, her example.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
a Happy and Kosher Passover to those who are celebrating.<i><u><o:p></o:p></u></i></span></div>
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Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-82397195311003338612016-02-05T09:37:00.000-08:002016-02-05T09:37:21.520-08:00The Sermon I Won’t be Giving This Shabbat<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Sermon I Won’t be
Giving This Shabbat, But Wish I Was --<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">On <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mishpatim</i>, the NFL, “Concussion,” CTE,
and Responsibility<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rabbi Steve Weisman –
Temple Solel – Bowie MD – Feb. 5, 2016<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To make perfectly clear – the reason I am not giving this
sermon this Shabbat is NOT because I find it in any way inappropriate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is merely because I am not schedule
to preach this evening at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
the contrary, I believe it IS worth preaching, which is why I wrote it anyway,
so I could post it on my blog, and spread the message this way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result, knowing I am not bound by
time restrictions, it is a little longer than usual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the silence on these issues has also gone on far longer
than it should have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So….</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Frame 1 – Setting the
scene of Torah -- </b>Last Shabbat, we all stood at the base of Mt. Sinai, and
experienced God’s presence, as we heard the Ten Commandments spoken to us from
on high.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, this Shabbat, in
parshat <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mishpatim</i>, Moses is up on the
mountain, and God is filling his head with lots of other ethical/legal
statutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of these fall under
the category that modern lawyers refer to as “tort law,” issues of
responsibility and recompense for injuries or property loss suffered by one
party by the actions or inactions of another.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Among the best known material in this portion are two
bits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first, is the so-called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lex talionis</i> – the “law of retribution,”
known better as “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second, is a sequence of
differentiated responses when a pregnant woman is injured accidentally by two
men quarrelling with each other, which frequently serve as one of the
foundation points for a Jewish “pro-choice” position on abortion rights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All this Shabbat’s material – large or
small, well known or not – combine to strengthen the ethical underpinnings upon
which the Jewish community is supposed to operate in our dealings with each
other and with our neighbors.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Frame 2 – Setting the
Cultural Scene for the Weekend – </b>For those who may not have been aware
(LOL), this Sunday is the Super Bowl ™.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Oh, sorry, I am not allowed to refer to it as such in public, because I
do not have the proper licensing from the NFL to use their trademarked
name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I should have said this
Sunday is “the big championship professional football game.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not merely a football game –
this is a football game on a scale of a major game of what the rest of the
world calls “football.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People
have seriously suggested, for some time now, that the scope of interest in this
game is so large, that the Monday after should be a national holiday, so we
have a day off to recover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two
days of the year when Americans, as a whole, overeat the most, are Thanksgiving
and the day of the “Big Game.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And, with some fanfare this year, the ugly truth has emerged that the
site of this game, each year, becomes one of the year’s biggest locations for
human trafficking and prostitution activities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So many reasons for national pride here – NOT!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And don’t even get me started on the
unresolved issue of the trademarked name and mascot of the local team!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Frame 3 – Beginning
to Raise the Issues with the Game Itself -- </b>American professional football,
right now, is a flawed product – far beyond the obscene drain on productivity
caused by games, especially this Sunday’s, and the equally obscene advertising
rates charged for air time before, during, and right after the “big game.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has become a televised spectacle,
which uses instant replay to correct calls potentially made in error by
part-time, untrained officials, who, as if that weren’t bad enough, after the
first round of the playoffs, are put together as a team only for one game
(albeit, a team of officials allegedly made up of those who rated the best
during the regular season at their particular sub-specialty of officiating),
with no practical opportunity to adjust to working together.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Under a claim of wanting to “get the calls right” to justify
the microscopic critique of human calls made in real time, the NFL further
damages its own product by creating a farce of a system for utilizing the
replay technology, designed more to entertain viewers than get calls right, or
provide fairness in the outcome of the game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, as a direct result of replay usage, the league has
micro-defined certain elements of the game, such as what constitutes catching a
pass, within an inch of their lives, far beyond either fan or player common
sense recognition, and almost to a level of making the game impossible for
referees to control in real time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rather than fixing the problems on the field of play, the
league’s officials are also now overreacting, after years of willful ignorance,
to inappropriate off-field player behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In short, whether it is actually true or not, the average
American AND the more involved true fan often believe that the league’s leadership
is interested in profits and ratings first, good publicity second, making an
entertaining show third, the integrity of the game on the field only fourth,
and the health and safety of the players who make all of the above possible,
last.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Frame 4 – Identifying
the Real Issues -- </b>And yet, like rats on crack, we Americans, many of whom
have no interest in football on any other day of the year, will get together
with friends, overeat, wager on the game, argue over the quality of the
commercials, critique the quality of the halftime act, and generally turn the
day into America’s version of the “bread and circuses” that symbolized the
decline and fall of the Roman Empire under the weight of its own ethical
lapses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even in this year in which
the movie “Concussion” should have, once and for all, moved the NFL’s blatant
disregard for the lives and safety of its players into the limelight!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even this week, when the tragi-comedy
that the life of former Heisman Trophy winner, now NFL failure, Johnny Manziel
has moved from the football field to the point where his agent has dumped him
and his father publicly fears for his long-term survival if he does not get
himself help to deal with his issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet the NFL rules for not overshadowing “The Big Game” prohibit his team
from releasing him until after the Game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even this week, when, despite the mountain of evidence against the
league, their alleged leader, Commissioner Roger Goodell, who has never met a
television camera he didn’t love, or a story he couldn’t spin to ignore the
pack of elephants on the playing field, once again got up, and turned his
“State of the Game” message into a glowing denial, in which everything is right
with the game, a poor rip-off of the riot scene from the end of “Animal House,”
in which an overmatched Kevin Bacon screams to the onrushing crowd “Remain
calm, all is good,” just before being trampled by them into the ground.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Long before the biggest scandal connected to the movie “Concussion”
was the failure of the Hollywood elite to extend a Best Actor nomination,
richly deserved, to Will Smith for his portrayal of the African-born doctor who
first identified the condition now called “chronic traumatic encephalopathy,” or
CTE, and its role in early onset dementia, and an overly large number of other
health problems and mental illness manifestations that have killed more than a
few high profile football players prematurely, this movie should have made
Americans sit up and take notice of what has been happening in professional and
amateur football for too many years without appropriate response.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, the Oscar-related controversy
seems to have derailed the REAL scandal of this movie – the true story it told
of cover-up, willful denial and negligence on the part of billionaire owners
and their minions in the league office, afraid to risk their profits, even for
the sake of player safety and survival in the face of undeniable evidence.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The movie explains, in layman’s terms, the frightening
long-term impact of multiple concussions, but even worse, the damage done by
“the compilation of sub-concussive hits over time.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It focuses on the very real, high-profile cases of the first
few players to be confirmed with the condition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem is, CTE can only be positively diagnosed in an
autopsy, after the victim has already died, as was the case again this week
with the announcement that Ken Stabler, former quarterback of the Oakland
Raiders, who died a few months ago from cancer, also suffered from an extremely
advanced form of CTE.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I remember sitting in the theater, sitting with both my
kids, and my daughter’s boyfriend, a young man who is actually an (off-field) employee
of a professional football franchise, watching “Concussion,” and who left the
theater as disturbed with the dissonance between his lifelong love of the game
and the reality portrayed so clearly on the screen as I was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me, hearing the descriptions of the
damage, and the behaviors the condition could cause, reminded me that this was
NOT the first time I had learned of this condition through pop culture
sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I went and looked it
up.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sure enough, in December of 2011, during their 13<sup>th</sup>
season, Law and Order:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Special
Victims Unit did an episode called “Spiralling Down.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guest star was Treat Williams, playing a popular retired
NFL quarterback accused of a crime against a woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the case plays out, it becomes clear that he is no longer
always in control of his behaviors, and showing signs of advanced dementia as
well, which may have resulted in his alleged attack happening without his
awareness or control.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This was SVU taking on the headlines that went with the
original public disclosure of CTE, and creating a case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember watching the episode,
thinking that Williams was playing a character based on Joe Namath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In truth, the character’s name was Jake
Stanton, which, in retrospect, and influenced by this week’s news about Ken
Stabler, makes me believe the character was written based on Stabler, but
played like Namath.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Frame 5 – The Bottom
Line</b> – A big part of the drama in the true-life story of “Concussion” was
the sad truth that the “powers that be” that control professional football at
first refused to admit that CTE was an actual condition, then claimed that it
wasn’t a real problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only when
the evidence started to mount, were they forced to admit the truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, at that point, rather than take
responsibility, and work to improve conditions and save lives, they opted
instead to simply control the spin on the issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cringed hearing “Commissioner Goodell claim this week,
with a straight face, that the league has made substantive changes to improve
player safety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure, more
concussions were reported, and more players forced to sit if concussions were
either suspected in game, or confirmed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps some equipment has been improved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rules have been tinkered with off the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, enforcement on the field is, at
best, inconsistent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several high
profile cases occurred this year in which players who should have been
prevented from returning to play were not. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rules “refinements” on the definition of a catch in the end
zone for a touchdown now almost beg a defensive back, in a last ditch effort to
prevent a score, to attempt to separate a receiver from the ball by separating
him from his senses unnecessarily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In one particularly galling and egregious incident, the
outcome of a playoff game turned when a runner was illegally hit and knocked
out on the field, and in the process, quite understandably, lost control of the
football before hitting the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not only did the officials fail to penalize the illegal hit that knocked
out the runner, as they are supposed to do, but after also failing to note the
fumble, the rules allowed the team that committed the felonious assault to
challenge the ruling on the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The rules further prohibited the officials from acting to correct their
failure to penalize the guilty player and his team, and prohibited them from
“doing the right thing” and continuing to refuse to recognize the “fumble” that
resulted.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But “Commissioner” Goodell and his talking head PR team
think the game is great, and the rules are fine, and they are making the
players safer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Excuse me, but I am
throwing a penalty flag and calling “BS” on them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I, for one, refuse to be silent in the face of such self-serving
nonsense and lies!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not when, in the meantime, more professional players’ lives
are being destroyed with each violent tackle or block – legal or illegal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Worse, by failing to take any
meaningful ameliorative action, despite claims of concern and action, they are
continuing to endanger the lives of young children whose parents allow them to
get involved in youth football.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The fact that for these young children and their parents, the willfully
dangerous decision is often strongly influenced by an equally noxious truth
that for many inner-city, lowest income kids and families, football represents
the best, and often only, potential path out of poverty and away from crime
infested neighborhoods, only makes the continued denial and failure to improve conditions
that much more heinous.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And for those, like the “leadership” of the NFL, who claim
that there is not more that can be done, I offer the case of the Seattle
Seahawks, who, for the past two years, have focused on teaching their players a
different way of tackling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
techniques are used in professional rugby, a similar game that is played
without protect helmets or heavy pads, and involve driving towards a tackle
more directly, far less frequently placing one’s own head in the line of the
contact, targeting the ball carrier in the safe middle zone of their body,
which is, not coincidentally, also the most effective place to achieve the goal
of stopping a runner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They are the only team taking this approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not coincidentally, they have had one
of the best defenses in the league the last couple of years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they have suffered among the fewest
concussions in the league since they started this approach, despite the number
of reported concussions rising significantly in that time, despite the
commissioner’s claims that players are now safer!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet, no other teams are copying them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The league has not stepped in to
evaluate and learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Few, if any,
mainstream sports media outlets are reporting on this phenomenon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And no one in authority has yet made the
obvious suggestion to look at rugby, and consider the impact of the
“protective” helmets and pads on the damaging contacts, with an eye to getting
rid of them, and making players far more accountable, through increased risk to
themselves, for their contact with other players. THAT would be a change for
the better!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Frame 6 – Tying It
All Together</b> – I find myself asking tonight, what Mishpatim would have said
about the sordid reality that is professional football today?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>IMHO, the ethical system upon which
Judaism is built, much of it expressed in this week’s Torah portion, clearly
obligates the powerful to act with awareness for and concern about the impact
on the weak; clearly values life and health; clearly expects and requires
justice and fairness, honest communication, and admission of responsibility at
all times.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On ALL of these yardsticks, the behavior of the NFL leadership
towards its players and its game falls woefully short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That they leave themselves open to the
interpretation that they are more interested in maintaining their own personal
profits and power than they are about the health and safety of those who work
for them, or the integrity of the game, and the impact they have upon American
society as a whole, only makes this a bigger set of failures.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In other words, according to this week’s Torah portion, this
IS a Jewish issue – or at least an issue that Judaism DOES speak to quite
clearly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yes, there may be
larger issues in the world today that also cry out for our outrage, our advocacy,
and our action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But try to
convince the families of the several dozen players who have already died and
been posthumously diagnosed, or of the far too many others whose behavior, or
injury history, now raise warning flags that they, too, may have already been
permanently damaged by CTE, that there are bigger issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try to convince the growing number of
parents, now up to 30%, who, when surveyed, say they would NOT let their
children start to play football, because of the potential danger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or the too many parents who are
ignoring the data, and riding their slim hope of athletic success in football
as the vehicle to escaping their poverty and dangerous neighborhoods – but at
what price?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Because, if we learn anything from Mishpatim, it is that,
even as an ethical society must assign monetary values to many daily realities
of life, there is no price that we can ethically place on the value of human
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, while football may be a
game, it is also a big business, and, until the concussion issue, and other
issues, are properly addressed, an engine of life endangerment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, no, I will NOT be watching the game on Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have never been so thankful that my
team did not win this year, making this an easy decision for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do not expect that anyone of
significance, or even any of you, will be influenced by my decision, that my
personal boycott will change any of the issues for the better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I will sleep better, happier that I
am living my ethical values.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I
will keep pointing out the hypocrisies, the moral aversions, the outright
transgressions, but most importantly, the dangers connected to this sport, and
inviting others to break themselves of their football “habit,” to speak out and
act in support of their values and the value of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because if I don’t, it is very possible that no one else
will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I cannot live with the
guilt on my conscience that will come from continued silence.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Because Mishpatim also teaches us, in words repeated by the
Rabbis in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pirkei Avot</i>, some 1700
years ago, that “All Israel is responsible, one for the other;” that in a
community, everyone has responsibility for the well-being of everyone
else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And THAT is a teaching
central to my self-identity as a Jew, one that I strive to live by every
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One that makes the difference
between our success and failure as a community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And THAT is a result I AM willing to bet on, and DO care
about making real.</div>
Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-50635666714805524602016-02-02T13:40:00.000-08:002016-02-02T13:43:05.722-08:00On Being Commanded, and Our Values – Inquiry and Homage<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Note: Posting this for the response it received</span><span style="font-size: 19px;">…</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> especially the bit that is now in bold and italics that is a reworking of the Ten Commandments in a more values based, general English than the specifics of the original, but, imho, still consistent with the original,,,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Musings for Parshat Yitro –
January 29, 2016<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Rabbi Steve Weisman, Temple
Solel, Bowie MD<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We
have just heard the stirring sound of the “Ten Commandments.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The words are still powerful and
transformative some 3000 years later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They still raise fascinating challenges for us tonight, even as we hear
them rehearsed again – we may not all be able to recite them verbatim and in
order, even with an assist from the windows of this sanctuary, but we certainly
KNOW what they say to us as a whole.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Question
number one – what do these words really give to us, as American Reform Jews of
the early 21<sup>st</sup> century?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We, who do not believe in the compulsive nature of <i>halachah</i> – a comprehensive
system of Jewish ritual and legal proscriptions that are binding upon our
behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, what hold do these
words REALLY have upon us?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Indeed,
some have accused us, as a movement, of reducing these to the “Ten
Commitments,” or “Ten Promises.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After all, there is assuredly a difference between “I will try to
observe Shabbat,” and “You shall observe Shabbat.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, if we are being honest, most of us, even those who have
chosen to be here tonight, for whatever reason, and are therefore more aware of
the reality of Shabbat in our lives in some way, are probably more comfortable
with the former commitment than we are with the latter command.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">For
me, I choose to see these “Ten Words” (the literal translation of the Hebrew
term for the words we read earlier – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aseret
HaDibrot</i>, and NOT the expected <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aseret
HaMitzvot</i>) as the beginning and core of the basic values that Torah teaches
us about what it means to be a “good” Jew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To paraphrase them:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><i>...Think intentionally about God, and the role of the Divine in our
lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><i>...Establish rituals for our
lives, </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><i>...and be careful in our use of words. </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><i>...Set aside time to escape from the
everyday world, recharge ourselves, and do things we don’t have time for during
the rest of the week that allow us to remember and reconnect with God’s
presence in our lives and the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><i>...Honor our parents, and all others who have been powerful (and positive,
we hope) influences on us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><i>...Value
life, not just our own, but others'.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><i>...Value our relationships – of all kinds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><i>...Respect what does not belong to us..., and those to whom it
does belong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><i>...Speak the truth and
act upon it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Restated
this way, these words can play a significant role in our lives, without forcing
us to embrace a particular set of behaviors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is the beauty of values as opposed to commands – the
latter demand obedience; the former require commitment to and investment in
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Restated this way, they are
more than theoretical, idealized goals – they instead become the foundation for
all that we do as Jews,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>even if we
each interpret them differently and derive different paths of action from them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which hints at a question we need to
return to in just a moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This
reinterpretation leads to a second set of questions, that stem from this one –
what does it mean for us, in this day and age, to be “commanded”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This question requires us to confront
our understanding of and relationship to and with our God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does God command us today?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If so, in what ways?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And how do we know?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, for many of us, before we can get
to those questions, we must confront even more basic questions about God – Do
we believe in God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If so, what do
we believe about God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How
confident are we in these beliefs?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And, a question that seems to become more significant every day – how do
we interact with God, and with those who have different understandings than we
do about God?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Each
of these is worthy of its own sermon and discussion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For tonight, as Rabbi of this congregation, I am far less
concerned with the specific details of our answers to each of these questions
as I am that we have answers to them at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because, without answers, we cannot approach the bigger questions
that surround the idea of being commanded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With them, even when we disagree, we at least have the
beginnings of finding common ground, on which we can take the next few steps of
our journey together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This,
too, hints at the same question we delayed raising earlier – How do our
personal understandings about God, commandments, and being commanded impact our
own words, behaviors, attitudes, our actions, our interactions and
relationships with each other?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
answers to this question are critical to how we live our lives, and are heavily
influenced by our answers to all the previous questions we have raised tonight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">If
we see the Commandments as requirements of a commanding God, then not only do
we feel compelled to follow them, but to judge others – and ourselves - by how
we perceive them succeeding or failing at following the Commandments as
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does anyone else recognize
that reality in the headlines from our world today?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sure do!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">If
we see them as Commandments, but are not sure of their Source or the process
thru which we become commanded, how can we hope to succeed in acting as we are
expected to act?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here, too, I
believe we can all recognize many truths about life today playing out in this
reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">If
we see them as Suggestions, Commitments, or Promises, even if we have a high comfort
level with God, and more so if we do not, what distinguishes these from other
suggestions, commitments, or promises from other sources, at other levels of
significance? What compels us to follow through on these, to act upon them
better than in other cases?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">BUT,
if we see these words as the beginning and core of our system of values, then
it is possible to embrace them with or without a solid sense of God’s place in
our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, these values
can, and, one might contend, actually DO, lead us toward God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, even more, toward each other – whether
we agree with their interpretations or not – BECAUSE WE ARE JOURNEYING, IF NOT
ON THE SAME PATH AS THESE OTHERS, THEN ON PATHS THAT CAN BE EASILY SEEN AS
BEING PARALLEL TO THEIRS, MERGING WITH THEIRS AT TIMES, or HEADING TO THE SAME
PLACE AS THEIRS.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This
understanding also allows us to balance better the twin pulls of modern liberal
Judaism – accepting and embracing the tradition we have received from previous
generations, even as we try to understand and reimagine what Judaism means for
us today and tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">None
of this can occur effectively in a haphazard manner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This only works with personal commitment – to embrace
tradition, to strive to develop our Judaism for our own realities, to reach out
for God, to accept the values, and to reach beyond the self to journey with
others. To live with integrity, consistency, and deliberate intention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Which
is why, before God made these words known directly to ALL the Israelites
gathered at the base of the mountain, God instructed Moses to have our
ancestors prepare themselves for 3 days to receive what they would see and
hear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is why God set physical
limits around the base of the mountain, so that they had to maintain a
respectful distance, in order to enjoy a sense of appropriate perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And these preparations and precautions
are a good lesson for us in our efforts to be intentional in our approach to
the Commandments as well!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">For
these reasons and more, these words, these teachings, these values from this
week’s Torah, are elevated above others in how I seek to live as a Jew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the words of Gates of Prayer – these
words are equal to all the others of our tradition, because they lead to them all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without the values gleaned from this
portion, from these three critical sets of questions raised by what we read
tonight, it would be far more difficult, if not impossible, to live our lives
in ways that allow us to connect effectively with each other, to walk together
with and towards God in a Jewish way. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Btw, these 3 sets of questions align well with the elemental
triangle of Judaism – our understanding of and relationship with God, Torah,
and our fellow Jews - the basis of our Covenant with God!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Which
is where my message should end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, I beg your indulgence for one more minute, as I acknowledge a
deep debt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could not express
this message, this essence of my understanding of Judaism today, were it not
for having been privileged to learn from Rabbi Eugene Borowitz, quite possibly
the leading Jewish thinker of the second half of the 20<sup>th</sup> Century,
who raised these very questions, and led three generations of Reform Rabbis
(and religious scholars of all stripes) to confront the answers for ourselves,
and the Jewish people.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Gene
left us last Friday, a few days short of his 92<sup>nd</sup> birthday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My own relationship with Borowitz began
long before I reached his class at HUC, when he encouraged me, as a teenager,
to follow my interest in Judaism and the Rabbinate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The encouragement he provided to me, the interest he showed
to a young man who sat behind him in the pews at Community Synagogue in Port
Washington (where he, too, was a member), were instrumental in my decision to
become a Rabbi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The example he
provided as a teacher and Rabbi, and the intellectual integrity and rigor he
demanded of me, and every student he learned from, is the same one I seek to
provide today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope and pray,
and believe, that if he is capable of looking down upon us now, he may have
been listening into these words tonight, no doubt with his green pen ready to
make corrections, or raise unconsidered questions or inconsistencies in what I
have spoken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If he is, for the
first time since I walked into his classroom, I hope and believe that he may find
little reason to use that pen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
was a blessing to me, and so many others, and with these words tonight, I hope
I have been able to share that blessing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>May we embrace his challenge, and learn the lessons he sought to teach
us all, and share them with future generations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-85857131623136042902015-11-24T08:11:00.001-08:002015-11-24T08:11:45.131-08:00A Prayer for Affirming Our Values[Note: I was also privileged to offer the opening prayer at yesterday's demonstration at the Annapolis State House on Syrian refugees. This is that text…]<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A Prayer for Affirming Our
Values<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">By Rabbi Stephen J. Weisman<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Heavenly
Parent – we who gather here today call upon you by many <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>names.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we know that, despite those different names, we are all
calling upon You – the One God – Creator, Protector, and Nurturer of all
humanity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We
gather here today, on the eve of our national day of Thanksgiving, because we
recognize that You have graced us with many blessings, for which we owe You
bountiful thanks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we also
recognize that mere words of thanks are not enough, when there are so many in
our world in need of Your Healing, Your Protection, Your Love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We
recognize that we must also show our thanks through our deeds – defending the
values which connect us to You and to each other, extending Your Healing, Your
Protection, Your Love to those who are not as blessed as we are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We acknowledge that we are a nation of
immigrants, that many of our greatest blessings come from being able to enjoy
the bounty and live by the values we share in freedom in this great nation,
exactly because we, or our ancestors were welcomed to become part of this
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of our ancestors came
here with little, many fled from persecution and violence, many came in
challenging moments of world unrest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">An
so we pray, for ourselves and our elected leaders – that we learn and remember
the lessons of our own individual and collective histories, that challenging
moments call not for retreat from our core values, but rededication to those
values.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moral leadership is judged
in difficult times like these, and how we respond to real human challenges
Bless us, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>O God, and bless our
Governor as well, with Your strength, for it is our responsibility to come
together, in Your name, and speak of and protect the values that make our
country great.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Bless
all who recognize Your gifts and Your blessings, all those who merely seek a
safe and welcoming place to re-establish their lives and create their new
homes, all who use Your gifts to work to improve the lives of ALL Your Creation
– today and always.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ask this in
Your name – whichever one(s) we use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-77063174796435829322015-11-24T08:00:00.002-08:002015-11-24T08:00:54.344-08:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Remarks at the Governor’s Mansion – November 23, 2015<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Rabbi Stephen J. Weisman<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">[Note:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The following is the complete prepared text from which I spoke at the
Annapolis State House, at a rally organized by Faith in Public Life, to protest
Governor Hogan’s politically motivated grandstanding, fear-mongering, and
victim blaming [MY words here] on the issue of welcoming Syrian refugees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The material in parentheses was not
spoken publically.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, if you are
reading this, you probably know that my revulsion at his lack of leadership on
this issue goes far beyond what I diplomatically shared in public when I spoke, or even what I have written here. </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">]<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Thank you to my clergy colleagues for standing with us today on this moral issue. Thank you to the folks at Faith in Public Life for starting the petition process and organizing this event here today, one of four such events across the country on this issue today. And thank you to the members of the media who have gathered here with us -- written copies of these remarks will be available at the conclusion of the event.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">We are here today because, as
clergy leaders serving communities in Maryland, we believe that we can, we
MUST, keep our country safe without forsaking the shared values that have made
our nation great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turning our
backs on refugees who felt trapped between ISIS and the Syrian government,
endangered by the continuing conflict that is destroying their country, so that
they felt it necessary to flee the carnage, is morally wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a denial of the American way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We reject the false and forced choice
between compassionate openness and personal security.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">(We, gathered here today,
recognize that humanity continues to face the urgent challenge of finding
appropriate responses to two related issues:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">The necessary response of
strength and resolve in the face of the continuing scourge of terrorism, and
those who wish to scare us into changing how we live our lives and value the
lives of others;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">And the equally compelling
response of support, understanding, and compassion toward those who have been
uprooted from their homes, and have now made the incredibly difficult decision
that starting over in a new land is in their best way forward.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">The techniques of terror are
rooted in fomenting fear – physical fear in those who are directly in the line
of fire; emotional fear in others that we might be next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because fear is a powerful motivator of
our responses.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I, and we, understand why many
fear the possibility that terrorists will attempt to infiltrate our country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are neither blind nor deaf to the
potential danger of terror in our own country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, we remember all too well the pain and loss we
ourselves felt not so long ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We,
too, want to do all we reasonably can to protect ourselves, our families, our
congregations, and our communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But we believe that our best protection starts by reinforcing our core
values, not by turning our backs on them, even temporarily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">36 times – 36 times – the Hebrew
Bible, what others call the Old Testament, commands us to care for the
strangers, “Because we know what it is like to be strangers, having ourselves
been strangers in the land of Egypt.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The moral voice of the Book of Leviticus commands us “to love your neighbor
as yourself.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">We recognize that the refugees,
like the dead and wounded in Paris, are also VICTIMS of the terrorists, not
terrorists themselves, and therefore we see opening our borders to them as part
of the solution to terror, and not as part of the problem;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">we recognize that giving into the
fear, and changing our behavior in ways that are inconsistent with our core values as a people, gives another victory to the terrorists, encourages and emboldens them to
new acts of outrage; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">we recognize that no vetting
process is perfect or can guarantee to prevent a terrorist from slipping into
the country and doing damage… however, we also recognize that Syrian refugees
are already vetted far more carefully than any other foreigners seeking entry
to the US, and therefore we come to a different conclusion than our Governor,
namely that losing our moral compass is a bigger threat to America than
terrorist infiltration in the midst of the refugees given the current processes;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">we sadly understand that this has
become a political issue in which we, as religious leaders, would prefer NOT to
get involved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would prefer to
remain focused on the moral call of our faith traditions, encouraging policies
and actions based in our shared core American values; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">as Americans, we place the
highest value on saving lives, on lifting up those who are fallen or held down,
on making sure that all can feel safe and at peace within their own homes, part
of a community that loves and respects them for who they are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the words of welcome engraved on the
Statue of Liberty, which greeted my ancestors who fled to these shores after
the Kishinev pogroms of Eastern Europe at the start of the last century, still
invite - “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe
free…” And they do so with no limitation to certain people, no prior restraint based on any religious or cultural litmus test.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">And therefore, we stand here
today at the Governor’s mansion, representing more than 2150 of our fellow
clergy members nationwide, some 100 of our fellow clergy across this great
state of Maryland, to declare that we are prepared to open our doors and welcome
these Syrian refugees to our communities, with faith that existing procedures for
accepting refugees will protect our safety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we invite our Governor, now fully restored to his usual
physical strength, to stop the political rhetoric, and use his strength to join
us in a welcome that embraces our shared core values, and brings us together in
common cause.</span></div>
Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-6973505757717199772015-09-17T22:35:00.001-07:002015-09-17T22:35:54.749-07:00"Affirmative Judaism"<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium;">[The following is an expansion on my Rosh Hashanah comments</span><span style="font-size: 19px;">…</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> it is still written in my delivery format -- my apologies if this makes it more challenging to follow]</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Affirmative Judaism” – Not
a New Movement, but a New Moment<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Commentary for the Start of
a New Year, 5776<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Rabbi Steve Weisman – Temple
Solel, Bowie MD<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Starting
omens – 16<sup>th</sup> year, 25 as Rabbi, 5776 – all perfect squares<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Back
to the Future 2 – this is the year,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
in the movie, the Chicago Cubs win the World Series!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Contrast
that with an honest and sobering look at the world – <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">headlines
and realities scream out for our attention:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Iran deal<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>global
warming<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Gun violence<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>immigration
reform<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">#black lives matter<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>electoral
rights and reform<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Syrian refugees<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>and
so many more – indeed AJ4J and Iran vote<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Our
own realities as a congregational mishpachah and community<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Also
require a greater amount of our time, energy and focus –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If
not from all of us, at least from our leaders<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
let’s give ourselves permission to admit up front, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">that none of us are looking forward to Yizkor this
year<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>b/c
the number of friends and neighbors we lost this year<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>was
painfully large<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It
is so very easy to get so caught up <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">in the needs and challenges of the moment<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">that we lose perspective, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">and spend far too much time dwelling in the
negative.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Don’t
get me wrong – every one of these items<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
several dozen more that go unnamed for the moment<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Deserve
and require our attention and involvement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Will
hopefully receive appropriate focus in New Year<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But,
before we can be a congregation of caregivers to the world<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Fulfilling
God’s first command to all of us thru Adam and Eve<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That
we be good stewards of all of Creation,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Before
we can fully embrace the imperative to work for tikkun olam<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We
must, as all good caregivers do,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Remember
to take time for ourselves, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">maintain equilibrium, make
sure we are strong,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>B/c
if we cannot maintain our own strength and wellness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
will be no good trying to help others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This,
to me, is one of our gifts as Jews,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
one that too often gets lost, or overlooked<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Judaism
allows, maybe even requires us,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To
take time for ourselves<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To
maintain both strength and balanced perspective<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">These
HHDs, especially this RH<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Can
be, and now more than ever, needs to be<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
moment of our personal and communal<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Spiritual
recharge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
Hillel taught – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Im ein ani li mi li… </i>If
I am only for myself…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Friends,
this season is the now of our Jewish year,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>These
HHDs feel like the now of our time and circumstances<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This
is the world’s birthday, after all<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
we will remind ourselves in the morning<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
we fulfill the mitzvah to hear the sound of the shofar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Birthdays
are times of joy, and celebration – first and foremost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">They
are also times of looking back at where we have been,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Of
sharing our joy with those closest to us,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But
also times of looking ahead – with hope, and vigor<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
the excitement of what lies ahead in the new year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">FB
has changed how we do birthdays –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
myself, at least, I marvel at how much they are improved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Several
hundred people, from every corner of our lifetimes,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Reach
out and stir up memory and connection,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>THAT
is a real-life blessing!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">My
standard wishes, for those who are closest to me, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">as expressed in that medium, read like an RH card. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And,
as is often the case, recognizing this changed reality as a truth<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Has
allowed me to shift my understandings and behaviors<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
other areas as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">So
even as I acknowledge that there are many needs in our world --<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Both
uniquely Jewish and at times frighteningly universal<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>(and
we will look at THAT balancing act on YK) –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>needs
that require our attention,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Even
as my own prophetically-inspired Reform Jewish soul<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Hears
the cries, and yearns to reach out in response and support,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Even
as we all acknowledge the need for our hope that<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>5776
will be a better year for the Solel family than 5775 was,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
KNOW that our first act of the new year MUST be<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To
embrace the joy, and hope, and celebration of the New Year<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Especially
with the great positive omens this year,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And
to use this opportunity for a spiritual recharge and refocus,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
that reminds us of all the positives in our lives,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Encourages
us to add to them, and maintain our balance<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In
many congregations on these HHDs, there is a natural excitement –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
some, new clergy leadership or other changes are the source;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
others, it is the new possibilities and opportunities<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Inherent
in the shift of prayerbooks to Mishkan HaNefesh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">For
others, like ours, we need to create that excitement for ourselves –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Playing
on both the (hoped-for) comfort of the familiar,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>&
the natural hope & excitement that comes from new beginnings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We
will turn to challenging ourselves more on YK – as is fitting<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of
course, for those who cannot wait, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">there is plenty of material
available on the lobby tables <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">plenty of ways to choose to
get more involved<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>to
begin to make more of a difference.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Embrace
the comfortable and familiar – but do not be fooled by it…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
are in the midst of change – significant change<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
no small part because the larger world <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">of which we actively choose
to be a part<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>is
changing with frightening speed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Many
of us joke and say that we don’t do change well as a congregation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But
I am here tonight to speak to that no longer being the truth…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It
may have been true, even a few years ago,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
we are a very different congregation tonight <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
a very different world<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">at the start of this new
year<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">than we were even a couple
of years ago<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>at
the start of our 50<sup>th</sup>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And
the best part is, much of that change happened quietly enough,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Smoothly
enough, with little or no drama,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That
many of us are surprised when we recognize the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">That,
and the reassuring fact that, most of that change has been<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Both
deliberate, and for the better,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Evolutionary,
not revolutionary,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">With
still other elements in the process of changing even as we speak.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Our
world is changing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Daily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes by the hour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Our
Reform movement has changed and is changing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">That
our congregation is in the midst of change is both needed and good<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And,
with the arrival of these HHDs, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">we seek, thru atonement, to change ourselves!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">To
help us tonight, I would like to propose a significant change <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">in how we refer to and see ourselves as Jews.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
do so NOT to seek to create a new form of Judaism,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
rather to reflect who I believe we already are <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">and who and what we seek to
be,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">as Jews, as members of the
Solel family,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">for most of us still as
Reform identifying Jews.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It
is only a little more than a decade since our movement changed name<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>UAHC
</span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">à</span></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> URJ, WRJ and NFTY (and regions) before that<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To
reflect changing times & sensitivities, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">who we had already become.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We still
are, and will continue to be, a SOLEL – <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">and even if we did not originally chose the name<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>for
all of its political and philosophical implications,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>we
embrace still the ideal of being trailblazers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>building
ramparts in the (relative) Jewish wilderness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And
be clear – Reform still carries great meaning and power<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
am not running from that identity,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
rather, hoping to strengthen it <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>By
making myself and others think about <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What it really says about us
and others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Indeed,
I have rarely been prouder to call myself a Reform Rabbi<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Than
in the last few weeks,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With
our statement on the Iran deal, and AJ4J.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But
I am also aware that, for many, both scholars & the next generation,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
live in a post-denominational world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And
therefore, I need to be able to express myself for who I am,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
hopefully you will come along, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">so we can do likewise as a
community,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Without
the baggage of labels<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That
may not be as positive to others<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
they are to me or you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">If
we can find language that more accurately reflects <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">who we already are,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">who and what we take pride in being,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>doesn’t
that strengthen us?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">If
that same language also makes it easier<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
others to see value in who we are,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Removes
stumbling blocks and makes them want to join us,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then
it is even better!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">So,
starting tonight, in this new year,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>You
will hear me start to refer <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At
least to myself, at first,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
an “Affirmative Jew,” and “Affirmative Rabbi.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And,
if I am correct in this, as I believe I am,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
hope we will begin to see ourselves and call ourselves<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>An
“Affirmative Jewish Community”!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
with all well-managed change, for me at least,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
is NOT nearly as revolutionary as it may sound at first.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
rather, the product of natural evolution over time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Affirmative,”
as descriptive of my Judaism, works in (at least) 3 ways:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">First,
it is a statement that one of the perpetual goals of my Jewishness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Is
to affirm the history and values, laws and teachings<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of
3500 years + of Jewish tradition<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On
who I am and wish to be<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Even
as I struggle to re-imagine how Judaism should look today,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">For myself and others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Second,
it affirms Judaism as a “way of life,”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>More
than just a religion, or culture, or ethnicity<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And ergo, that there are
multiple valid ways of being Jewish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Few
of us, as individuals, start by embracing Judaism as a way of life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Rather,
as individuals, we see it is primarily, if not exclusively,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
one, maybe two out of religion, culture, or ethnicity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Therefore
I seek to be more than inclusive,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>More
than respectful or tolerant,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
truly accepting of and open to <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">new and different ideas and
identities from my own,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">that allow others to care,
feel and do Jewish, as I do;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Accepting
others’ self-definitions, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Even
when wildly different from my own,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Even
as I maintain that connection to our past<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Individually,
communally, historically, practically,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>By
valuing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">k’lal Yis’ra’eil</i> – <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The unity and totality of
the Jewish people;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Even
more important, accept them for who they are,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Not
automatically seeking to change them to my definition,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
genuinely offering opportunities<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To
those who seek them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Third,
by embracing these truths, and focusing on Jewish values<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
seek to develop a Judaism that allows me<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To
see the world, and be seen by the world<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
the affirmative – as a positive force and value.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Here
are some of the things that do NOT change for me <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">in embracing this new descriptive:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Being American defines my
Jewishness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Being Jewish defines me as
an American<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">BOTH define who I am as a
person<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
an Affirmative Jew, I take ownership of these truths<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
their implications,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Even
the ones that create cognitive dissonance at times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
do so POSITIVELY, and proactively,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Defining
and AFFIRMing the person they make me,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
community they lead me to seek, build, and be part of,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Refusing
to allow others to define me negatively or passively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">2 E.G.s
-- I am a Choveiv Tzion – a lover and supporter of Israel –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>BY
MY OWN CHOICE, and ON MY OWN TERMS,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Which
at this moment is neither AIPAC nor J Street,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
still stridently pro-Israel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">My
love and support for Israel must be, empirically,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Different
from someone who lives there,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
their experience is different,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
therefore, so must their priorities be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But,
that difference does not mean<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>They
are more authentic than I – in most things,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">That they are automatically more (often) correct
than I am.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It
DOES mean their voice must count more<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On
existential matters within their community,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Just
as mine must count more than theirs,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On
essential matters to my community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Not
because one of us is right, and the other is not,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But
rather, because of our different positions in different places.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Put
practically, as a person who is an American, and who is Jewish,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
value true peace more highly than almost anything,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
therefore, my tendency is to prefer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
negotiated agreement over going to war.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
an American, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I recognize that there are opportunities and responsibilities<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Unique
to our country,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That
require us to act in certain ways<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
ourselves and others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
a Jew, and a Choveiv Tzion,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
survival of Israel and its prosperity<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Matter
more to me than to many other Americans & others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Acting
on any of these three identities alone in the current reality<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Is
likely to take me to two, maybe three, different results.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Acting
on them all together, obligates me to compromise between them,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Harmonize
differences,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
come to the consensus that best represents <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Each
individually and all together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Likewise,
I am a Jew who chooses to live in the open society,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
not in homogeneous, self-selecting, closed communities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
accept that those who make the other choice have their reasons,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
I pray that their decisions <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Work
as well for them as mine do for me,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Even
if, when I am being honest, most of the time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
must admit that I cannot see how they could,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Because
of my different experience,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Because
of my unwillingness to make their choice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
am challenged by living as a Jew in the larger society,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
those challenges are a positive choice I affirm daily<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
force for growth and strength to be embraced<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Not
to be feared and run from.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But
I am a JEW who lives in that open society,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
therefore HOW I choose to live as part of it,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Will,
at times, differ from the ways of my neighbors,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
I embrace my Jewish learning, experience, history<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That
truth makes neither I nor my neighbor right nor wrong,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Neither
is better than the other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Just
different.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And,
as Mark Twain once so eloquently put it:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">“If
two people agree on everything, one of them is unnecessary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Even though some of us disagree on the ______
issue, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">each of us is necessary in reaching a
resolution.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Here are some more things that do not change for
me<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
I embrace my new moniker,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Because
I came to my positions on them<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>By
already being a positive, engaged, affirmative Jew<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Even before
embracing the language:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">God, Torah, and Israel are central
elements <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Of
Judaism, and bind us to each other<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">How I interpret them, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">and value them relative to each other<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>is
a product of my unique experience,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>helps
to define me as a distinctive Jew,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>and
distinguishes me from other Jews,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">even as they bind us together as one family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">I embrace a Prophetic view of my role as a
Jew --<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">placing the spirit of the law above letter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>when
the two are in conflict,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">providing Jewish motivation for all that I do,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">encouraging me to find meaning in all that I do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">This encourages me to do tikkun olam<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">To
be “God’s shepherd” in tending to all Creation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
to my fellow human beings<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Not
for myself, but to repair God’s world<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
improve everyone’s lot in it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">This also encourages me to live my Judaism
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">In
relationship with others,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Both
Jews and non-Jews.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Indeed,
my Affirmative Judaism, our Judaism,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Is
often most strongly defined, motivated,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Most
positively lived <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">THRU these
relationships.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Again – what emerges is AFFIRMATIVE –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It
helps me to see the world through positive eyes;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It
encourages me to take action;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It
allows me to do so in a way that connects me to the past,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Even
as I strive to live in the present & embrace the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">And one last set of truths, somewhat unique to
me,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
concepts I have already been placing at the forefront<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of
who I hope we become, and maybe already are<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mishpachah</i> – an extended family of
support<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">k’hillah k’doshah</i> – a sacred
community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Because I see my Judaism, affirmatively,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">As
a “way of life,”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Far
more than just religion, culture, or people<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">I
also see it, and the larger world,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>holistically<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">This leads me to seek not only healing,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">For
that which is not whole,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">For
what has become worn down or broken<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
myself, my family,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My
community, my world<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
also WELLNESS –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
combination of the physical, mental,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Emotional,
and spiritual<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That
allows me to interact on multiple levels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Like
my Jewishness,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">it is greater
than the sum of its parts,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>which
allows me, at times, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">to pre-empt the need
for healing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">from external
sources,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>By
affirming my own strength,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
reinforcing it,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Even
as I seek to help others <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">to do the same
for themselves,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>individually
and communally<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">As I help to build the community,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 2.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">It
helps me recognize 3 truths <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 2.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">about my own personal motives:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">A.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">My need to be loved, respected, accepted<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 2.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">For
who I am,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 2.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
who I seek to be<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">B.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">My need to make sense of the chaos <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Of the world all around us<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">And within myself<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 2.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">C.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">My need to leave a legacy behind </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 2.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">That
tells others that I was here<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
hopefully made the world<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
little better for it<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>12.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
to recognize these 3 truths<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
all those with whom I work<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Empowering
me to recognize, support<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
empower them<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Just
as I hope and need to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Friends,
as we start the New Year 5776<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
embrace who I am and who I have become<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
an AFFIRMATIVE Jew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
am empowered not only by new language, by a new name,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
by the process of introspection and affirmation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Which
led me to dare to suggest it in public.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
hope that we all can recognize, both in my words and in my process,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That
each of us, too, either already is, or seeks to be,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>An
Affirmative Jew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And
even if we do not (yet) recognize ourselves in this way,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
hope we can agree that this IS a significant goal<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>towards
which to work – individually and collectively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And,
at the very least, even if that is still not on our horizons,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
pray that we will recognize <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
the process of introspection we each took to get here<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>so
central to our atonement-seeking at this season,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
value of recognizing the positive,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
not just the negative, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">not just for its own sake of
being positive,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>not
in some pollyannish “all is well” denial,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
for the awesome power that comes when we allow ourselves<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To
grow not only in learning from and correcting mistakes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
in moving ourselves from strength to strength,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>From
good, to even better, to [dare for] greatness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To
moving ourselves nearer to the best that is in us,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
closer to each other,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>By
seeking and finding the spark of God<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That
dwells in each of our souls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So
that, by growing closer to each other, and our best,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
also draw closer to God,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Not
just at this season of our justifying our lives,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
every day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
made a conscious decision with my words tonight, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">to speak for myself as an Affirmative Jew,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Both
because what I suggest may not yet feel right to many,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But
also so my words could model my message and my approach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">For
those who found this helpful, I am grateful,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">For
those who found that decision made it harder to hear my message,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My
profound apologies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pray to do
better on YK,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On
this, and so many other things!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
I point out every time I do a wedding –<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>1
+ 1 can and does equal three,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>when
two (or more) individuals seek to come together,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>and
become a group, united with each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
strength and success of the united group is dependent on<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
continued strength of each individual.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It
cannot extinguish that individual strength,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
rather, grow it stronger by teaching it only<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To
self-limit for the sake of the united whole.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">May
our 5776 start in joy, peace, and hope,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Allowing
us to begin the new year positive and strong,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Affirming
our Jewishness – as individuals and as a group,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So
we can confront the challenges we face <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
working towards perfection for ourselves and our world<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Like
the perfection of the square in 5776,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With
full vigor of body and soul, of spirit and mind,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Positive
and affirming in all that we think, say and do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>KYR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-39249344980260622152015-09-17T07:36:00.004-07:002015-09-17T07:45:53.287-07:00What Can We Learn from the Best Ad Campaigns?<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #36434d; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 32.0pt;">The following is an excerpt from a blog piece that
resonated with me quite strongly. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have distilled out the lessons learned by the author
from each campaign here, but I highly recommend not only looking at the
entirety of the blog for other possible insights and lessons, but to be
reminded of the ads themselves, and the impact that they had on you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then ask yourself what other ad
campaigns you would add to this list (and also which, if any, you would replace
because the lesson wasn’t as important or your choice portrayed the lesson (or
a more important one) better in your own mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #36434d; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 32.0pt;">I share this NOT as an expert in marketing or branding,
but because of the analysis on WHY these worked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I share it NOT with the intent of making us “branding”
experts, but rather because, at least for me, the lessons the writer distills
out are transferable to my efforts, to our efforts – but only if we “walk the
talk” – do more than just speak the messages, but actually act upon them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My own, hardly authoritative restatement
of the lesson as it applies to us is in parentheses at the end of each.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of them, when written out, are
anything but surprises – they are points we have made and generally agreed
upon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But seeing them all together
from a different source can change how we receive their messages. And, I
especially appreciate the start at #1, with the thought process behind it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 32.0pt;">12
of the Best Marketing & Ad Campaigns (And What Made Them Successful)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #969696; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Written
by <a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/author/lindsay-kolowich"><span style="color: #2871e0; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Lindsay Kolowich</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 32.0pt;"><a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/32763/The-10-Greatest-Marketing-Campaigns-of-All-Time.aspx">http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/32763/The-10-Greatest-Marketing-Campaigns-of-All-Time.aspx</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -26.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">Nike:
Just Do It.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #666666; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">So
when you're trying to decide the best way to present your brand, ask yourself
what problem are you solving for your customers. What solution does your
product or service provide? By hitting on that core issue in all of your
marketing messaging, you'll connect with consumers on an emotional level that
is hard to ignore.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"> [RS – isn’t this what we need to be doing in everything we do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition to making sure that our
actions and programs match our vision and values, don’t we need to have a real
world reason and goal for our efforts, that is based in the hearts of those we
speak to and work with?]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -26.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">Absolut
Vodka: The Absolut Bottle<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #666666; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">So
what’s a marketer's lesson here? No matter how boring your product looks, it
doesn’t mean you can’t <a href="http://www.hubspot.com/marketing-ebook/free-ebook-killer-marketing-content/"><span style="color: #2871e0; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">tell your story
in an interesting way</span></a>. Let me repeat: <i>Absolut created 1500 ads of
one bottle.</i> Be determined and differentiate your product in the same way. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">[Dependable and
predictable can sell, especially if one stays committed to the message.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -26.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">Miller
Lite: Great Taste, Less Filling<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #666666; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">For
decades after this campaign aired, Miller Lite dominated the light beer market
they'd essentially created. What’s the lesson marketers can learn? Strive to be
different. If people tell you there isn’t room for a product, create your
own category so you can quickly become the leader. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">[What makes us
unique?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can we focus on that
to grow?]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -26.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">Volkswagen:
Think Small<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #666666; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">See, Americans
always had a propensity to buy big American cars -- and even 15 years
after WWII ended, most Americans were still not buying small German cars. So
what did this Volkswagen advertisement do? It played right into the audience’s
expectations. <i>You think I’m small? Yeah, I am.</i> They never tried to
be something they were not. That's the most important takeaway from this
campaign: Don’t try to sell your company, product, or service as something it’s
not. Consumers recognize and appreciate honesty. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">[We need to be who we are and be honest when
we talk about who we wish to be when we aren’t there yet.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -26.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">Marlboro:
Marlboro Man<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #666666; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">The
lesson here? Remember that whatever you're selling needs to fit somehow into
your audience's lifestyle -- or their idealized lifestyle. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">[I would add that
in addition to knowing who we are reaching out to better, this also gives us
permission to promote an idealized view.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -26.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">California
Milk Processor Board: Got Milk?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #666666; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Note,
though, that the ad didn't target people who <i>weren’t</i> drinking
milk; but instead focused on the consumers who already were. The lesson here?
It's not always about getting a brand new audience to use your products or
services -- sometimes, it's about getting your current
audience to appreciate and use your product more often. Turn your audience
into advocates, and use marketing to tell them why they should
continue to enjoy the product or service you are already providing for
them. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">[Even
as we seek to bring in newcomers, there is value in strengthening our core,
even energizing them to be part of the reaching out.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -26.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">Dove:
Real Beauty<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #666666; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">For example, in their <a href="http://realbeautysketches.dove.us/"><span style="color: #2871e0; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Real Beauty Sketches campaign</span></a>,
they created ads around a social experiment in which an FBI-trained sketch
artist was asked to draw female volunteers twice: First, as
each woman described herself and the second time, as a random stranger
described her. The images that were drawn were completely different, and
Dove accompanied this finding with a compelling statistic that only 4% of women
around the world consider themselves beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The results? The different videos showing Dove's sketches
were viewed <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-doves-real-beauty-sketches-became-the-most-viral-ad-video-of-all-time-2013-5"><span style="color: #2871e0; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">more than 114
million times</span></a>, shared 3.74 million times, uploaded in 25
languages, and seen in 110 countries. The PR and blogger media impression
amounted to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-doves-real-beauty-sketches-became-the-most-viral-ad-video-of-all-time-2013-5"><span style="color: #2871e0; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">over 4 billion</span></a>.
It clearly resonated with their audience -- and people were touched both
by the ads and by the statistics Dove used to back up their message. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">[The cliché that
“perception is reality” CAN be overcome – but it takes a compelling case to do
so.]</span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">Apple: Get a Mac</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">A key takeaway here? Just because your product does some pretty
amazing things doesn’t mean you need to hit your audience over the head with
it. Instead, explain your product’s benefits in a relatable way so consumers
are able to see themselves using it. </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">[Be willing to sell – be
careful not to oversell.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -26.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">Clairol: Does She or Doesn’t She?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">The lesson here: Sometimes, simply conveying how and why your
product works is enough for consumers. Showing becomes more effective than
telling. </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">[Actions speak louder than words.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -26.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">De Beers: A Diamond is Forever<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/diamond-de-beers-marketing-campaign"><span style="color: #2871e0; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">De Beers actually built the
industry</span></a></span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">; they presented the idea
that a diamond ring was a necessary luxury. According to the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/05/fashion/weddings/how-americans-learned-to-love-diamonds.html?_r=1&"><i><span style="color: #2871e0; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">New York Times</span></i></a><i>, </i>N.W.
Ayer's game plan was to "create a situation where almost every person
pledging marriage feels compelled to acquire a diamond engagement ring."
The lesson here? Marketing can make a relatively inexpensive product seem
luxurious and essential. </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">[In attracting the
unaffiliated, our challenge is to help them better value what they do not even yet
realize they are missing.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -26.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">Old Spice: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">That first video has over 51 million views as of this
writing. Several months later, in June 2010, Old Spice followed up with a
second commercial featuring the same actor, Isaiah Mustafa. Mustafa quickly
became "Old Spice Guy," a nickname Wieden + Kennedy capitalized on
with an interactive video campaign in which Mustafa responded to
fans' comments on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media websites with
short, personalized videos. In about two days, the company had churned out 186
personalized, scripted, and quite funny video responses featuring Mustafa
responding to fans online. <a href="http://www.inc.com/articles/201108/5-marketing-lessons-from-old-spice.html"><span style="color: #2871e0; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">According to Inc</span></a>,
these videos saw almost 11 million views, and Old Spice gained about 29,000
Facebook fans and 58,000 new Twitter followers…. The lesson here? If you
find your campaign's gained momentum with your fans and followers, do
everything you can to keep them engaged while keeping your messaging true to
your brand's voice and image. </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">[When you invest in relationships, you can
get results.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 44.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -26.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #36434d; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">Wendy’s: Where’s the Beef?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Wendy’s took a more gutsy approach in this marketing
campaign: They targeted their competitors. The simple phrase "Where's
the beef?" was used to point out the lack of beef in their competitors'
burgers -- and it quickly became a catch phrase that encapsulated all that was
missing in their audience's lives. While you can’t predict when <a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/slogan-makeover-before-and-after"><span style="color: #2871e0; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">a catchphrase</span></a>
will catch on and when it won’t, Wendy’s (wisely) didn’t over-promote their hit
phrase. They only ran the campaign for a year, and allowed it to gently run its
course. The lesson here: Be careful with your campaigns' success and
failures. Just because you find something that works doesn't mean you should
keep doing it over and over to the point it's played out. Allow your company to
change and grow, and you may find that you can have even greater success in the
future by trying something new. </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">[Words, used carefully,
can change behavior – but only when they speak a truth and touch a place of
honesty in the listener.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-64482749372334777072015-05-07T21:46:00.002-07:002015-05-07T21:46:19.082-07:00Sharp Enough to Split a Hair – Or Shave Them All Off … For A Good Cause<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">[Note:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you came here looking for the link
to the donation page, scroll down to the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you came to bid in the silent auction to win the chance
to start the shaving, enter your bid as a message on this blog.]<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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On Sunday, May 17<sup>th</sup>, I will pay off on a
challenge I made to my religious school kids a year ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the last day of religious school
LAST year, when we announced the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tzedakah
</i>(significantly more than “charity,” the Hebrew value of “sacred giving” –
see the end for a deeper understanding) total for last year, I commended the
kids for their generosity, but I told them that they, that WE, could do
better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I made them a deal – if
the roughly 80 kids in our 1-2 times per week program could contribute $750 by
our mid-year Chanukkah assembly and party, then on the last day of this school
year, I would shave my head (NOT my face) bald!</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Of course, they succeeded – with plenty of room to
spare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am pretty sure those last
couple of days there were kids – and adults – slipping an extra Abe Lincoln
into the envelopes … just to make sure!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But the story only begins there – because once we were
committed to “the big shave,” I made a second pledge (publicly – it was really
the initial pledge that started this whole ball rolling) that we would use that
shaving of my head for even more good purposes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, when the trimmer starts its work in few days, we will
still be raising money to support the work of the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation
(read that as “Be Positive,” and click here, <a href="http://www.bepositive.org/">http://www.bepositive.org</a>
, to learn their story) – raising awareness about childhood cancers, doing
research that we pray will one day cure and prevent them, and supporting
families confronting this hideous disease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Since you are reading
this, I hope you will support my efforts – and B+’s, not merely to make me feel
better as I get used to being hairless!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jump down to the bottom if you wish, to learn how you can contribute to
the cause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, if you are in the
area on May 17<sup>th</sup>, please come join us for the spectacle!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had almost joined some 70 other Rabbis last spring, who
shaved their heads in solidarity with two of our colleagues, Rabbis Phyllis and
Michael Sommers, whose young son, Sam’s courageous battle against cancer had
ended just a few months before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Superman Sam,” as his parents nicknamed him, and his battle against
cancer, had been chronicled by his parents to raise awareness about childhood
cancers – the “Shave for the Brave” project, working with the folks at St.
Baldrick’s<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>( <a href="http://www.stbaldricks.org/">http://www.stbaldricks.org</a> ), raised some
$600,000 for research and support of families.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the end, I had not chosen to shave with the others last
March.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t going to be in
Chicago for the CCAR Convention at which the shaving would take place, and, as
small as the world of the Reform Rabbinate is, I had no direct link to the
family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I, like so many others,
was moved by Sam’s story, and the courage and compassion the all taught us by
their example.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I didn’t want
to just pile on as “one more,” no matter how good the cause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would wait for the right time for my
world, praying that it would never come so close to me and mine.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When one of my Sisterhood presidents asked me why I hadn’t
shaved my head like all the other Reform Rabbis, I told her this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently, several of my families
thought it would be a hoot, and could serve a good cause, if THEIR Rabbi were
to shave his head, publicly, for a cause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I made it clear that there would have to be much good involved in the
effort, but I was game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so
came my challenge to the kids, and their embrace of it, and now, we are a few
days away from my going bald.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I knew that as the day approached, I would be thinking of
both my mother-in-law, who died of breast cancer, and my mother, a retired
school teacher who put her students’ well-being and learning before everything
else, and who died of ovarian cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sure, we support efforts to combat both of those forms of the disease as
a family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, especially in
remembering my mother, it felt right to be working to help children.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
What we could not have known was that, in the interim, the
daughter of two OTHER Rabbinic colleagues whom I have known longer than they
have known each other, from my camp and regional youth group work, Maya
Ringler, would be diagnosed for a second time, at age 10, with cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After they began to know what they were
dealing with, Peter and Stacy asked their daughter, since so many people wanted
to know what they could do for her, what she wanted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her answer was wise beyond her years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even in the face of this new diagnosis,
Maya still felt as if she had everything she needed, so she said <span style="color: #272727; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">“I
don’t need anything! Tell everyone to make a donation to Alex’s Lemonade Stand </span>(<a href="http://www.alexslemonade.org/">http://www.alexslemonade.org</a> )<span style="color: #272727; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">, because
what we all really need is for no more kids to get cancer.” </span> And
so, her parents did as she asked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After all, when she had beaten kidney cancer at age 2, as a family, they
had begun supporting Alex’s in gratitude. And since January, <span style="color: #272727; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Maya’s
efforts to help others exploded past her initial fundraising goal, and her
most recent of $100,000 (as of a week ago, the total collected stood at
$117,459 and counting).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maya has
set her new goal at $250,000.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #272727; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">I am blown away, in total awe, of this 10 year old and
her family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I am not
surprised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want to be
inspired, Google her name – there are dozens of stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So much so that a part of me wishes I
had never agreed to shave – because in our little congregation, I cannot hope
to come close to the successes of Maya Rigler, or “Shave for the Brave.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #272727; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">But that part of me is silenced almost immediately,
reminded that this is NOT a competition, and that, even as the amount raised by
colleagues and friends approaches $1,000,000, we are still not any closer to
the REAL goal – of eradicating childhood cancers, and helping the families who
are already dealing with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>EVERY
penny is needed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #272727; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Even if my daughter Emily is a little ticked at her old
man for not looking at the calendar before agreeing to this, and remembering
that her college graduation is just a few days later! I know, however, that she
is just giving me a hard time, because SHE is the one who brought B+ to my
attention – she, and her sorority sisters of ZTA at The College of New Jersey,
whose TCNJams dance marathon this semester raised $50,000 for B+, and was
formally recognized as the “Program of the Year” on campus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“So – How can I
contribute to the cause?”<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Actually – there are MANY different ways to do so.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The BEST way, from my perspective, would be to
go to the website that has been set up for contributions at B+ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>: <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://www.beposfdn.org/Difference/eventpage.aspx?eventid=223213"><span style="color: #1652ca; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">https://www.beposfdn.org/Difference/eventpage.aspx?eventid=223213</span></a></span>.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Next best would be to make out a check to “The B+
Foundation,” and note that you are supporting me, Rabbi Steve Weisman, on the
memo line, and deliver or send it to Temple Solel, 2901 Mitchellville Rd.,
Bowie MD 20716.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will collect
them, and pass them through to B+.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Just be aware that we may hold them for a brief period before passing
them forward).</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->If, for any reason, you have an existing strong
connection to either St. Baldrick’s or Alex’s Lemonade, feel free to contribute
to them instead, as all these fine groups are working to the same end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you do contribute through one of
these other groups however, please provide them with my name and the Temple
address, and ask them to send me a confirmation, so we can keep track and
acknowledge all gifts</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IN ADDITION –<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">From now until May
15, we will be running a silent auction for the right to begin the shaving
process!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>That’s right, the
high bidder will get to run the trimmer for the first couple of strokes through
my hair.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The auction will run right here, in the comments
section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will establish the
opening bid at $18 – seems appropriate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you wish to bid, just do so in a message below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will close the bidding at 6:30 on
Friday, as services begin.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
*- A Note on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tzedakah</i>
– as noted above, the Jewish concept expressed in the word goes far beyond the
English concept by which it is usually translated, “charity.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Jewish value of “sacred giving”
transcends giving to help those in need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In fact, it moves beyond financial giving as well. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The root of the Hebrew term means
“correct,” or “right,” in the sense of “righteous,” which connects it into the
realm of the mitzvah (“commandment”) system that is at the heart of Jewish
interpersonal relationships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taken
from a moral perspective, HOW we help others is as important, and sometimes
more so, than what we do to help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The clarion statement of this reality comes from Maimonides, the
medieval Rabbi/philosopher, whose 8-step “Ladder of Tzedakah” makes clear all
of these elements.</div>
Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-91900530948860665232015-04-28T20:38:00.001-07:002015-04-28T20:38:19.433-07:00Musings on BaltimoreOver the last several days, I have posted many articles, and several links to ways to help bring real solutions to the explosive situation in Baltimore, starting with a restoration of peace, calm, and safety for all, so that the real issues can be addressed. The issues are real, and challenging, and complex. They defy simply solutions, and in many cases, they defy sound-byte description. In our Twitter world, you cannot explain what is happening, much less why, in 140 characters.<br />
<br />
There is much blame, and many to share it. But pointing the finger of blame does NOT solve the problems. The violence of recent days, while it may be understandable to those who truly have a sense of the real issues, also does little to solve those real issues. Those who act for their own gain in a situation like this deserve all the opprobrium we can heap upon them. But we also need to do more to understand the circumstances that lead them to take such self-defeating actions, and do what we can to support and encourage those who are working to improve that reality.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
While it is clear that the still unexplained death of
Freddie Gray after he was taken into custody, and his funeral yesterday, have
served as the spark for both peaceful protests and thoughtful coming together
in search of answers on the one hand, and now, sadly, also for violence on the
other, it is also clear that his death has served as a lightening rod for
frustrations over so many other realities in this nearby community, many of
them avoidable, and the product of our own successes and failures as a society.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is also clear that many are failing to distinguish
between the actions of individuals or small groups, and the existence of larger
sub-groups of their community and our society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The too frequent phenomenon of an unexplained death while in
the hands of law enforcement officials should, once again, give us pause, and
demand of us that we not rest until Mr. Gray’s death is fully and honestly
investigated and explained, and anyone found guilty of inappropriate behaviors
that may have led to it is identified, tried, and punished if convicted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does not, however, mean that ALL law
enforcement officers are bad – in fact, the great majority still deserve our
complete respect and support for the risks they take daily to support our
freedoms, our safety, and our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Likewise, just because a remarkably small number of people – and at this
point it is not clear who they are, and therefore whether the impetus came from
local or external sources – chose to express their frustrations through acts of
violence, theft, and destruction of others’ property, this does NOT mean that
the entire community is to blame for the behaviors of some.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, for every painful image of
burning cars or shops, or looters running with ill-gotten gain in there hand,
there have been an equal number of pictures of community leaders and average
citizens stepping up to maintain calm and peace, to discourage self-destructive
and dangerous behaviors, even today to begin the clean-up in the worst areas, or
to offer water to law enforcement officers standing guard in riot gear.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Similarly, while I cannot ever condone violence as the
preferred path to needed civil changes, and therefore add my voice as a Rabbi
to the many calling for swift and appropriate action by local leaders to end
the violence, and bring those responsible for it to justice, I am also learning
by listening to the stories of people who live closer to the impacted areas
just how deep their frustrations at lack of response and their feelings of
powerlessness and fear run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
process, I am coming to understand better how some people have been moved to
take actions I could never otherwise have understood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still do not condone such behavior, but I am working to
understand WHY it happens, in the hope that when the time comes, that awareness
can lead to change that will prevent similar outbreaks in the future.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The needs of the immediate moment require the emphasis to
shift to restoring and maintaining the peace and safety of the Baltimore community
as a whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until that happens,
sadly, attention cannot and will not be allowed to shift back to investigating
the facts of Freddie Gray’s death, and beginning the serious communal dialogues
needed to change the prevailing circumstances that put too many Freddie Gray’s
in harm’s way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pray that the
peace and safety of everyone is restored soon, for all of these reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I am aware that unless the restoration
of normal life in Baltimore is followed by a sincere effort to change what has
become accepted as normal by too many, for the better, it will only be a matter
of time before the next incident sets off a similar, or more strident,
response, whether locally or somewhere else.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If the answers were easy, we would already be doing them as
a society and community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If there
was a clear voice of leadership, people would be following.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In their absence, the status quo of
frustration and pain is allowed to fester until it explodes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such a reality is harmful to Baltimore –
it is harmful to us all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need a
new approach and new answers, because what has been tried here and elsewhere
has not achieved the needed results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As Rabbi Hillel taught:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
I am not for myself, who will be for me; but if I am only for myself, what am
I?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if not now, when?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
For better or for worse, for Baltimore, and beyond, the time needs to be
now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Local leaders are stepping
up, they need help from more of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Can we be counted on to help?</div>
Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-72081413816676258572014-09-17T12:49:00.001-07:002014-09-17T12:49:07.779-07:00A Sermonic Response to Ray Rice and the Issues of Domestic Abuse<div class="MsoNormal">
Friends:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Below is an expansion of the sermon I gave last Shabbat morning. It includes the fuller introduction I had originally written, which was cut for brevity and clarity of my spoken remarks. It also includes some minor adjustments and additions as events have played out over the last 4 days, and some very sage suggestions made by a couple of people whose opinion I very much respect in response to the words actually delivered.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am pleased that these remarks have sparked a continuing conversation of substance that is already leading to action within our congregation, as we are now planning an informational program for November 2nd, and discussing how to use the Holy Days to have information available to raise awareness of issues and programs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As always, I welcome thoughtful, respectful response -- even more than usual, as this is a REAL issue that needs our attention!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">M</span>aking Sure We are
Able to Come In in Safety<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A Sermon of Response
– Parshat Ki Tavo<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rabbi Steve Weisman,
Temple Solel Bowie MD, September 13, 2014<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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First rule of sermon writing – have a clear head… so
preparing Thursday may NOT have been the best idea in the world!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>13 years later, and the flashbacks are
still so jarring, the memories and images and emotions so vivid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I and mine were among the lucky
ones! Given this reaction – and it happens EVERY year – I cannot even begin to
imagine what someone truly suffering from PTSD deals with!</div>
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I share that honesty to begin this morning, because the
topic I want us to discuss and think about may be just as challenging – if not
for all of us, then certainly for some of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our portion on this Shabbat is Ki Tavo – when you come in;
it follows last week’s Ki Teitzei – when you go out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many have been the sermon for one or the other of these
Sabbaths over the years that played solely on the names – in order to be truly
comfortable coming in, you first must go out – physically, spiritually,
emotionally – to fully appreciate just what it is that you are coming into.</div>
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Coming as they do each year, as part of the month of Elul –
our season of introspection, soul-searching, and atonement-seeking in advance
of the upcoming High Holy Days – this can hardly be seen as a coincidence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That reality, plus the meat of the
portion that deals with blessings and curses, often as the opposite sides of
the same coin, and the need for self-discipline and adherence to our Covenant
with God, combine to make this a truly powerful Shabbat message in any given
year.</div>
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For me, today, and I suspect for many of you as well, that
power, that poignancy, is greatly increased this year by the headlines of our
week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If ONLY we were free to
acknowledge that Thursday marked the 13<sup>th</sup> anniversary of 9/11, that
would have been powerful enough to influence our reading of Torah for this
week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And on this Shabbat when we
turn upside-down our normal ritual pattern, in a subtle mirror of the changes
that day brought to so many lives!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Stop and think about it – Jewish children born in the shadows of that
day’s tragedy are celebrating becoming b’nai mitzvah on this Shabbat!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can there be a clearer message that,
even through tragedy, life, Jewish life, goes on!?</div>
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But, on the eve of that anniversary, we listened, or at
least I did, as our oft-maligned Commander-in-Chief, a man who committed
himself to bringing our young people home from fighting on foreign soil, laid
out his plans for how America will lead the world’s fight to stop the Islamic
State terrorists in their tracks, and break their hold over so many who did not
invite them in, and how he did so with a clearly defined strategy that does NOT
obligate the use of American troops on the ground for anything but training
purposes, and then, fewer than 500.</div>
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And if THAT were the only headline of the week, we could
still have a powerful and important debate, hopefully free from ideological
bias and personal opinions of the man, on an incredibly important and challenging
issue for us as Americans AND as Jews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But, remarkably, Wednesday night and Thursday served largely as a
distraction from the REAL issue of the week –</div>
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Ray Rice!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Everybody sick of hearing about this currently ex-football player with
the Ravens, and the video evidence that surfaced this week that made the
incident in which he beat his then fiancé in a casino elevator back in
February, was allowed to enter an intervention program and have his record
expunged, and earned a whopping 2-game suspension from the NFL look like the
brutal, remorseless assault it appeared to be on camera?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I am!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Except:</div>
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An incident that occurred months ago dominated the news and
our discussions this week to the point of nearly dwarfing the equivalent of a
declaration of war on the eve of the anniversary of one of our nation’s darkest
and most unforgettable days!</div>
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Sadly, MOST of the smoke and mirrors this week have led us
to every place BUT the only real issue raised by this whole sorry, obnoxious
incident that really matters. Yes, in the long term, it may matter greatly whether
the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens, or even the local police and prosecutors in New
Jersey took this case seriously enough, or acted appropriately, or preferred to
sweep things under a rug, or possibly even willfully ignored evidence or lied
when inconvenient truths came out from other places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, in the long term it may matter why these two people went
through with their marriage even after this shameful incident, or why they
appear hell-bent on staying together and supporting each other, or even what
the true context of the hideous scenes we have now seen on grainy videotape
really was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, referring to
it as the Ray Rice incident alone distorts where our focus should be!</div>
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But, the bottom line is that, unless there is a context so
bizarre and so well hidden as to defy even the most trained professionals’
ability to recognize it, the centerpiece of this week’s headlines, denials,
conspiracy theories and celebrity-obsessed focus should be the still too
prevalent issue of domestic abuse (a phrase I changed at the last minute, with
the breaking news of another player’s – Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota
Vikings – alleged violence against a child or children)!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An issue that continues to bedevil our
society, challenge our ideas of what healthy relationships and behaviors look
like, defy our ability to prevent it, and leave far too many permanently scarred
victims in its wake.</div>
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A statistic:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
the aftermath of the release of the video earlier this week, the National
Domestic Abuse Hotline reported an increase of 72% in report calls!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A clear example of a cursed act becoming
a catalyst to a potential life-saving blessing for many.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Proof that ANY improvement in
preventing the moral ambiguity of high-profile cases like this will improve
life for more than just those directly involved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An affirmation of the Talmudic teaching from Sanhedrin:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One who saves a single life, it is as
if they have saved an entire world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But a sadly temporary, passing response, which tells us how much worse
the issue really is, and cries for response even more!</div>
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A statistic:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According
to the National Coalition for Domestic Violence -- 1 in 3 women, and 1 in 10
men have experienced or will experience physical violence at the hands of an intimate
partner in their lifetime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These numbers are somewhat fluid –
another source says it is 1 in 3 black women, 1 in 8 Latino women, 1 in 17
white women, yet another, 1 in 4 women overall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whichever is accurate, those numbers are mind-blowing – their
practical application even more so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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Women – look to your right and look at the next woman you
see in that direction; then look to the left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now look forward, and back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If none of the 4 women you just saw is a victim of domestic
violence, then, according to the general statistics, you would be expected to
be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Men – look around the room and
recognize the minyan, the traditional quorum of 10 needed for public worship
(and in the traditional world, they MUST be menbeyond bar mitzvah!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to these numbers, in ANY
traditional minyan, there is likely to be a victim of domestic abuse.</div>
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Or look at it this way -- for the sake of argument, let’s
assume that the 1 in 17 figure for women is the one that should apply to our
congregation, and that the number for men is exaggerated by a factor of 2 (and
btw, NEITHER of those assumptions should be statistically valid – they should
lead to underestimation of our reality!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Using those numbers, given our current membership, then statistically,
we should expect 6 men and 10 women in OUR community have experienced abuse (and
the scary part here is that this methodology UNDERestimates our 18 – 24 year
old population, considered to be the highest at risk age group!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that statistical level, which again,
is less than what the reported statistical expectation would be, it is almost
impossible to accept that we DON’T have at least one, and probably multiple
real life victims living in our midst!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And THAT is a frightening realization, especially when we ask ourselves if
we know who they are, or what we are doing to help them!?</div>
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This is not the first time I have spoken on this issue –
publicly, or from this bimah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
decade ago, when I first raised the subject, we were still working hard to
overcome the myth that domestic abuse does not happen within the Jewish
community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does, and sadly, at
numbers comparable to the population as a whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Friends, this is NOT someone else’s problem, NOT a
phenomenon happening somewhere else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If it is NOT happening here, and I pray to God with everything I have
that it is NOT, it is ONLY by the grace of God, or dumb luck, that we have been
spared, and whichever of those is the source of our good fortune is likely to
run out sooner rather than later.</div>
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I do not share these statistics and this math to bring us
down – although admitting the truth when we have been in denial for so long
often has that effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I share in
the hopes of encouraging us to find solutions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, compare the relative lack of awareness and
knowledge of the issues in the Rice case – when the issue is domestic abuse –
to those in the Peterson case, which deals with child abuse – a subject about
which MANY reporting laws have been enacted!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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After that first sermon 10 years go, we started posting
contact information from J(ewish) C(oalition) A(gainst) D(omestic) A(buse) in
both the men’s and ladies’ bathrooms – because those are places that abused
partners often can go without their abuser AND without generating potentially
life-threatening suspicion that they might be seeking help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In those first few months, as soon as
the information would go up, someone would tear it down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t until we tried again a couple
of years later, that we finally were able to keep this potentially life saving
information on the walls, where, thankfully, it still can be found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An improvement, but sadly, one which
may have been achieved only after a victim, forced to confront a truth they
still could not admit, and therefore choosing to act out by removing the
reactive agent, was driven from the safety of our community, denied the
opportunity to gain from our support and strength.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clearly, we can, and must do more.</div>
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We must make this house of God, this center of our extended
Jewish family and communal life, a safe haven for ALL people in ALL
circumstances to come into.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
need to learn the telltale signs; to recognize the bruises, especially those
that appear repeatedly on a regular schedule; to understand the psychology of
abuse that allows abusers to hide in plain sight, and prevents their victims
from seeking help, or even talking to a trusted friend honestly, we must become
alert to the subtle emotional changes that are often the only outward clues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to be willing and able to ask
the tough questions, with non-judgmental compassionate concern; and we need to
be willing to involve ourselves in something that is not easily seen as ours to
get involved with, and do so without hesitation, like we do with indications of
child abuse – when we have reason to believe that abuse is happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if we cannot gain the entry we need
to (dis)prove our darkest fears, or offer concrete assistance ourselves, we
need to know to whom we can turn to hand off safely.</div>
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And, if that isn’t difficult enough, as this incident
demonstrates, mostly in the worst ways, we have to be careful NOT to get
overzealous in our cause, seeking out cases every place we have the slightest
suspicion that there might be one; not to assume that every mostly private
situation that looks like something always is; not to overreact to what we
think we see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The need to be sure,
because of the trusts that often need to be broken to get help to those who
need it without increasing their risk, and the severity of the need to act
immediately when the abuse is real, these create a daunting reality – one which
often scares away even those who in any other case would appropriately be the
first responders offering support.</div>
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It is easy to get overwhelmed in the reality of personally
recognizing a true case of abuse, just as it is easy to get overwhelmed with
the constant headlines of a high profile case like this, to develop a fear of
involvement or a fatigue, and not be available to be part of the solution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is why we cannot wait until we
have a confirmed incidence; this is why we cannot be distracted by all the
sideshow aspects of the Rice case, or just change the channel.</div>
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Karen Slone, the lay head of the social action committee of
our sister congregation, Temple Emanuel, in Greensboro, North Carolina, wrote a
powerful piece in response to this week’s distractions and carryings on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In it, she did what many of us wish we
could do in a serious moment of such highly charged public emotion – she looked
at the emperor, and called him out for being naked!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She regretted that Ray Rice was suspended indefinitely – not
because it took the video coming out to make it happen, but because by so
doing, it took away the opportunity to make real progress against abuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Her response?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Elegant, simple, and far more appropriate and effective than the
suspension will be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I elaborate on
it only slightly, to make it more aware of the NFL’s realities, and have
reordered the suggestions for logical reasons.</div>
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First -- mandatory anger management and relationship
counseling – with no chance of reinstatement until all the counselors sign off
that real growth has occurred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
that takes a season, or two, or more – so be it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What SHOULD matter here is both prevention (of future
incidents), and recovery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
leagues, and we as the public, need to stop looking at this as a legal issue,
and look at it as a public health issue – the abuser is suffering an emotional
(or mental) illness, and needs to be freed from other responsibilities and
burdens to seek treatment and recovery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Therefore, the path taken this week by the Vikings and Peterson, by
which he has voluntarily accepted an “exempt” status that allows him to step
away from playing in order to seek help and get himself together , while
maintaining his income from the team, and allowing the team to protect their
rights to his services when he returns (thereby sparing the league further
embarrassment, loss of sponsors and other income, and possible law suits from
the union and other players in similar circumstances).</div>
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Second -- a truly painful fine – perhaps the equivalent of
the time missed in “exempt” status, once he is found guilty or in any way
admits to his guilt – something that will assuredly make him think twice before
ever abusing again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And a
suspension once he is cleared to return, as a way of acknowledging that his
actions harmed the league and others besides himself and his partner.</div>
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Third, 20 hours per week of unpaid community service in a
women’s shelter, for the same time he is away from the playing field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something that allows him to see
victims other than his own, and be of service to them.</div>
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Fourth, make him the spokesperson for PSA’s against domestic
abuse that run once every quarter of every televised professional football game
every week for that same time that he is not playing – a combination of a
modern high-tech scarlet letter that will be burned into him for life, and some
actual teaching and awareness raising for society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Fifth, both the league and his team must match the money
that he forfeits in fines, making them contributions to local shelters,
anti-abuse efforts, and treatment programs to interdict and treat potential
abusers before they abuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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THAT is a comprehensive program of proactive and reactive
measures that actually address the issue of domestic abuse – and not just a PR
band-aid designed to protect the value of franchises and a brand!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Karen derives this, in part, from
Heschel’s comment on human behavior in wartime – “… some are guilty; all are
responsible.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to take
responsibility, and demand responsibility from those who make billions of
dollars off the talents of violent men!</div>
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We need to start there – to take responsibility by raising
awareness for ourselves and others, and by supporting shelters, anti-abuse and
prevention programs locally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
we also need to be prepared to go out ourselves – out from our comfort zone –
and help to bring in those who are lost and in need of our support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot wait for them to come in on
their own actively seeking our help, because that is an all-too-rare occurrence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to make sure that they know
that they are welcomed and valued – and safe and protected – here, with us.
Nothing less will do. </div>
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It is the message of Ki Tavo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the message of our atonement-seeking season. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is Heschel’s powerful message, about
which we will be hearing more in the coming weeks. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the message of the blaring headlines of our week now
ended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is who we seek to be as
a k’hillah k’doshah – a holy congregation!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it is the only way to be part of the solution, rather
than being dragged down into the problem!</div>
Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-18536640760450652602014-08-18T10:12:00.001-07:002014-08-18T10:12:22.438-07:00A Closer Look at the "ALS Challenge" Phenomenon<div class="MsoNormal">
I have watched, and read, with familiar eyes, over the last
48 hours, as a questioning of the latest viral element of pop culture, the “ALS
Challenge,” took form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Familiar,
because it was inevitable – the challenge has become so publicized, so
wide-spread, that it has taken on a life of its own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, in our internet world, it is only a matter of time
before social criticism catches up to our behavior, and those with questions –
legitimate and sometime otherwise – become comfortable expressing an alternate viewpoint.</div>
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I, too, have some concerns about this phenomenon, but mine
go in different directions, as you may have seen that I did follow suit
and accept the challenge myself. The following is going to be somewhat long, but it
represents my continuing evolution of thought on something that has clearly
become the latest cultural phenomenon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It may also at times come across as critical of positions other than my
own. </div>
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Let me make clear at the start that I respect virtually
every position naturally expressed in this discussion (including, btw, the
deliberate denial of some, because the reality of this disease IS horrible --
beyond what some are capable of confronting -- and the road to a possible cure
still seems an enormous distance away!) -- and even more, the dear friends who
have expressed these thoughtful concerns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, in our day, we are dangerously close to losing the ability to
have significant public discussions and debates on important issues when there is legitimate disagreement, even more
when deeply held emotional positions are involved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And therefore, simply engaging in this discussion in a
thoughtful way is important for all of us -- whether it changes a mind, or
convinces someone to contribute a penny.</div>
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We DO need to do better than dumping ice water over our own,
or a friend's or loved one's head, and video recording it to share with others
on social media.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We DO need to do
better than using a high tech chain letter to put pressure on our friends and
neighbors (and, thanks to the reach of the modern technology, people we have
never (and will never) met or gotten to know.</div>
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But we also needed to do better in working to find a cure
for ALS BEFORE this idea went viral, and part of that is raising awareness
about the disease, and its impact on its sufferers, even before it leads
(directly or indirectly) to raising needed funds.</div>
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And yes, a fair amount of money that has gone to ALS this
year is money that went to equally deserving causes last year, and now will not
go to those other causes this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is sad for those other needs, and unfortunate, and a real and
unavoidable consequence of living in an open marketplace society… and let me
affirm, those other causes deserve our attention, awareness and support as
well!</div>
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When the maker of a consumable product captures an increased
market share, either by improving their product or (more often) by a glitzy,
eye-catching PR move, we call that a success story in our consumerist,
capitalist society. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am confused
why it should be any different here, ESPECIALLY when the origins of the
challenge were with an ALS patient, who was searching only for a way to raise
awareness about his reality (and maybe some extra dollars for research!). </div>
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Yes, there is something that needs to be addressed when the
needed, and too-long delayed, increase in awareness about ALS comes about
specifically because the disease was connected to a catchy and attractive
exercise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ice water challenge
was, as I understand it (and I could be wrong here), hit upon as an (admittedly
weak by comparison to the disease's hideous reality) effort to provide healthy
folks with a small and temporary approximation of the shock to the system, and
creeping loss of feeling that ALS sufferers cannot escape, as a way of tangibly
raising awareness by sharing (however small an approximation of) their
reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because, as the campaign
went viral, and the videos became ubiquitous, THAT understanding was lost in
the growing cultural phenomenon!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once again, sad, but a virtually unavoidable response to the viral
success in spreading the word!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe the real issues here are NOT with that honest desire
and effort to raise awareness or even in our all-too-human positive response to
his suffering and reality once we are forced to confront it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it begins with the equally human
tendency to remain in ostrich-like denial until a disease like this strikes
close enough that we can no longer bury our collective and individual head in
the sand.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But maybe it is grossly exacerbated by the toxic and
malignant growth on our society's capitalist system, which has led too many of
those who are fortunate enough to create that product or that market plan,
capture that market share, and convert it into huge profits, to care far more
about maintaining and growing those profits for themselves than they do about
what good they can do by using those profits to improve the human condition for
people beyond themselves and their inner circle.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Because part of the ugly truth that requires us to change
here are the huge profits pocketed by many at the top of our economic food
chain, while too large a percentage of the philanthropic and charitable givers
in America and the world today are those with far more limited funds, requiring
us who do give to necessarily triage between competing worthy causes, sometimes
under supporting<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or ignoring
completely causes we wish we could support (even though the sheer size of the
occasional gifts from the top of the earning ladder usually control the
decision making process for how our smaller contributions are spent!).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sadly, any meaningful discussion of our concerns about what
is wrong with the current reality MUST deal with these economic realities, even
as we seek to improve our own awareness and behaviors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, given the role that the internet
and social media played in the explosion of this phenomenon, the discussion
must go there as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both of
these truths make it far more difficult for us to bring meaningful and
necessary change to real human behaviors and profound needs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But we cannot allow it to stop us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This past Shabbat, we read the words in Deuteronomy that
serve as both the motivation to create the prayer we Jews call Birqat Hamazon
-- the "grace after the meal" -- and its essential core.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, most translations into English
have made a subtle, but incredibly significant (at least to this discussion)
mistranslation of a key word, when they read: "…when you have eaten, AND
BEEN SATISFIED, you shall bless the Eternal, your God, for the good earth with
which you have been graced…" (Dt. 8:10)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By translating the Hebrew word "v'savata" as
"satisfied," rather than the more accurate (and appropriate)
"and had your fill" (that is, enough to satisfy your hunger needs),
what is intended as a statement of awareness that once we have done what we
have to do for our own survival (and even allowed ourselves a little bit of
enjoyment in the process, hopefully), we must remember to bless the Source of
our life, all too often becomes an excuse to delay even more (or ignore
completely) our acknowledging of God's role in our survival and well-being!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After all, how many of us have been raised, in our highly
competitive, success-driven society, to "never be satisfied," even by
our own success?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As usually
translated, the verse seems to allow us to hold off on praising the Eternal
until we (finally) ARE satisfied!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Which may very well be a significant contributor to the unfortunate
economic reality we have already acknowledged, and bewailed!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One other Jewish note -- several of my well-educated, deeply
socially conscious friends have invoked Maimonides "ladder of tzedakkah” (the
technical Hebrew term is best understood as far more than mere
"charity," but as righteous, charitable giving from our bounty to
help others).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I appreciate their
doing so, as we can always stand a little more Jewish knowledge and awareness
in our social consciousness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, most of them (however accurately) refer exclusively
to the highest level of giving when they do so, and, in the process,
unintentionally, imho, sacrifice one of the brilliant teachings of the medieval
master to another one.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maimonides posits 8 levels of giving, each one a little more
virtuous, a little more desirable, a little more valuable to the giver, to the
recipient, and to society as a whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The “lowest” level is described as “when donations are given
grudgingly.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some translations
also include the phrase “only after the donor is specifically requested to
give.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “highest” level is understood
as “<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">to help sustain a
person before they become impoverished by offering a substantial gift in a
dignified manner, or by extending a suitable loan, or by helping them find
employment or establish themselves in business so as to make it unnecessary for
them to become dependent on others.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">The
truth is that the fact that Maimonides chose to express this understanding in
the form of a ladder is significant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yes, he clearly wants us to understand what the optimal form of giving
should be, and encourages us to reach for that top rung of the ladder and
achieve it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the ladder
matters, too, in this teaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>BUT, by focusing on the highest rung only, we lose sight of the journey
to that goal, which, at least for me, has always been an integral part of the
lesson as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Some
of us need to start the climb at the lowest rung – in real life with a real
ladder, because we may have shorter legs, or be afraid or a little unstable
standing on the ladder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
progress slowly, cautiously, step by step.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Others,
perhaps with longer legs, and more experience on ladders, might put that first
step on the second rung (or even more visually obvious, in climbing DOWN the
ladder, be willing to jump down to the ground from even higher!), or choose to
progress by skipping steps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Either
way, the goal is the same – to reach the height we seek to reach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes, we only have a long ladder
for a short climb, and our short-term goal is a height well below the top rung.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">However,
when it comes to tzedakah, to helping others (to help themselves), Maimonides
(and those who have been invoking him in this discussion) correctly assumes
that we are all striving to reach the top rung.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does not matter where we hop on the ladder, does not
matter how fast or slow, how steady or halting our progress is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To apply the mistranslation from
Deuteronomy here, we should not be satisfied until our giving reaches, and
pulls us up, to the uppermost rung.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">However,
and this is the key point (to me) that I fear is missing in this discussion (at
least so far) – few of us are so good at giving, that we can automatically jump
to the top rung!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, if we all
were, the odds would be greatly enhanced that research to cure diseases like
ALS would already have so profited from our much greater human generosity, that
challenges like the ice-water challenge would not even be necessary!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">And
since we are not there yet, we must not only allow, but encourage, in every way
possible, those who are not yet at the top rung, or not even on the ladder yet,
to be comfortable starting or continuing the climb from wherever they are
currently at, wherever they are able and comfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If that means, in the short term, that we need a “gimmick”
like the ice water challenge to raise awareness and willingness to contribute, to
get more people onto the ladder, more people moving up it, then so be it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>AS LONG AS WE DO NOT ALLOW THE GIMMICK
TO BECOME AN END UNTO ITSELF!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">And
making progress up the ladder DOES require us to do all that we can to make
sure that our giving to this cause is an “and,” and not an “or.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To the greatest degree of our ability
to do so, our giving to this cause cannot come at the expense of giving to
other causes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To fully honor those
we seek to honor by our giving to ALS research, we can not allow it to come at
the expense of those other donations we make to support equally worthy
causes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because, if we fail at
this, then our efforts to elevate humanity, and to bring help and healing to
others, instead becomes a hideous cousin of the “Survivor” experience – that
there can only be one winner, who succeeds only by voting everyone else off the
island.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I,
like many of the critics of the challenge, DO prefer to do tzedakah privately…
because it IS a higher level of giving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>BUT, I am also a Rabbi -- a public figure, a teacher, hopefully a role
model.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I live a large part of my
life in the public eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
therefore, even as I respect and affirm my friends’ accurate desire to keep
their giving private, to aspire to higher levels, I also realize that, at least
for me, there are times when going public CAN serve a bigger good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And therefore, I CHOSE to share that I
was not only taking the plunge with the ice water, but ALSO making a
contribution – to encourage others, who might be tempted to see this as an
either/or NOT to make that mistake – but rather, to contribute money yes, but also
to contribute to the cause by raising awareness through accurately and properly
passing forward the intended message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I did not, and will not, share publicly how much I am donating to this
(or any) cause – that is between me, ALSA, and God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, I also hope that my decision to take a step DOWN the
ladder for myself allows and encourages others to take a step forward UP the
ladder, and helps bridge the gap between what I CAN give to this cause, and
what I wish I could!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I,
like many of the critics, am concerned about the element of appearing to shame
people into giving, that is inherent in a social media version of the old
fashioned chain letter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those
letters, generally consigned to the scrapheap of human experimentation,
attempted to guilt people into keeping a chain alive by playing on their fears,
and emphasizing, in urban legend form, the terrible things that (may or may not
have actually) happened to others who made the mistake of “breaking the chain.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I
was incredibly intentional in my selection of whom to challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yes, I freely admit, one of my
factors was challenging people whom I wanted to see doused in cold water!!
HOWEVER, it was far from the ONLY factor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I deliberately chose people from disparate areas of my friends list,
both in time and space; deliberately chose people who I thought, for a variety
of reasons, would make good “messengers” for the cause – their vocations, their
locations and ability to spread the message to areas that might not yet be
over-fertilized (like my newsfeed has become), their possible connections to
people who have experienced the disease, their ability and willingness to give
to a good cause like this, their personalities – the willingness to risk a
little public embarrassment for a good cause, their desire to be part of
educating the masses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">There
was never an intent to shame anyone into anything – indeed, not all of those I
challenged have (at least so far), posted video.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope (but do not know, and am fine with not knowing) that
they are all making contributions of some form… but then again, I hope that of
all 1400+ of my Facebook “friends” – whether I challenged them or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The possibility that I might be
“shaming” any of them never entered my mind – perhaps it needed to, and is yet
another “catch-up” we must make to living in the social media age!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it never did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">However,
the “art of the ask” – the centerpiece of successful fundraising – necessarily
involves an element of putting pressure on potential donors – at least until
their awareness and experience of the need or cause reaches the level when they
need not be convinced to give (but still may need to be “encouraged” to give
“more”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I can only apologize
if my actions put UNDUE pressure on any of my friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And question whether any such
unnecessary, unwarranted, and undesired pressure outweighs the benefits of
using social media to reach a far greater audience for what I consider to be a
good cause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe it still
does, despite the blow-back discussions now underway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope I am accurate in that assessment!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I
thank my friends who have not walked in lockstep to follow this latest fad, for
forcing me, and others, to think more clearly about my actions and my
motivations, and the value of my efforts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I especially thank them for the thoughtful ways they have chosen to do
so – ways that allowed the message of greater awareness and support to still
move forward!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I respect their
right to question – encourage it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I agree with the critics – the ALS challenge is an imperfect
undertaking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, for me, by
definition, it MUST be so – it is a human undertaking!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether it is a better effort than
other similar efforts, I cannot judge, and have no need to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will say, however, it was effective
with me, and apparently with many others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Can
we do better?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, because until
we are perfect, we CAN always do better next time! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And next time we will hopefully learn from this effort and do
even better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because, when it
comes to helping others, to working to eliminate pain and suffering, then the
mistranslation of Deuteronomy we mentioned before really does apply – we should
never be fully satisfied until ALL pain and suffering are gone from human
experience!</span></div>
Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-39869556083805129872014-07-15T13:59:00.001-07:002014-07-15T14:00:24.161-07:00“Everything I Need to Know I would Have Learned At 6 Points (if it had only existed back in the day!)”<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">[the
words below are a transcription after the fact (and slight expansion) of my
d’var Torah to the URJ 6 Points Sports Academy for Shabbat Pinchas – Saturday,
July 12, 2014]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">…
So our portion, Pinchas, has many good messages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From both God’s call for Moses to take a new census of the
people in the 40<sup>th</sup> year, and the back and forth as God called Moses
up onto Mt. Ebarim to see the Promised Land he would not enter, we can clearly
see that one of those messages deals with times of transition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like to call such moments “L’dor
vador moments,” using the Hebrew phrase that denotes movement from one
generation to the next.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">L’dor
vador moments don’t only happen in Torah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The other night, I was honored to receive my “5-year” 6 Points
sweatshirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me, that was a
l’dor vador moment – not because of me, but because I was able to share it with
so many of you, and together we could, however briefly, recall the people and
memories, the lessons, the fears and tears, and the smiles, jokes and laughter
we have shared along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>DONKEY [note: say it like Shrek, and understand it was a moment in my
first d’var Torah that very first summer – on Balaam!]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
have been doing this camp thing for over 40 years – which, I am pretty sure, is
longer than at least someone in this room’s PARENTS have been alive!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mention that not to make myself feel
old (although it definitely DOES!), but because in that time I have learned an important lesson ABOUT time – it
moves differently in different places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here at camp, while it is happening, days seem to disappear much faster
than at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, when we look
back, two weeks feels more like it was 2 months, doesn’t it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And
a generation – as in l’dor vador – is different in different places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Torah, 40 years is usually a
generation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In real life, it is
more like 20 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, in camp
time, 5 years is about a generation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>SO – if we are giving out our first batch of 5-year sweatshirts, we are
turning the corner from the founding generation of camp to what I am going to
call 6 Points 2.0.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">You
all, as campers, are 2.0 (the youngest of you maybe even the start of
3.0!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we came that first
summer, even the second and third, we had little idea what to expect, because
so much was new.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, the creation
work is done, and the questions shift from What? to Who? or How?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look at the CITs and staff today who we
met as campers, and some of the leadership team who were first year staff back
in the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> W</span>e aren’t even
the NEW 6 Points any more!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, I
believe we have more staff and CITs here right now than we had campers in
session 2 that first year!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
plan on being as big a part of 6 Points in version 2.0 as I have been so far – as long as Alan and
you all will have me here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, in
life, you can never be sure, so rather than take a chance of never getting to
share these words, I want to leave you with a list I have compiled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is based on one of my favorite
essays, by Robert Fulghum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I call
it <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Everything I Need to Know I would
Have Learned At 6 Points (if it had only existed back in the day!)”<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Play hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have fun doing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And play fair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because anything worth doing is worth
doing right, and better when you fully enjoy it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Life has value, especially
when your life is lived with values.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And those middah bracelets look so good and make great memories in the
middle of winter!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The day is much more
enjoyable, and you learn a lot more when you are part of a team, and not just
hanging out alone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Surprise packages from
family and friends are ALWAYS great – even when you don’t get to keep
EVERYTHING in them!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Coaches really DO know a
lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So do other adults and
leaders and even your peers (which at home also translates to bosses, parents,
and siblings!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Listen to them,
and even if you don’t let on that you are listening, you can learn and grow a
LOT!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">If you are lucky in life,
you have a great family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
are REALLY lucky in life, you might get to “create” a “family” of friends just
as powerfully good, and enjoy them for many years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am REMARKABLY lucky!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Anything worth saying is
probably worth singing… with hand motions, and echoes, and harmony…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Big challenges can be
overcome by breaking them down into a series of small fundamental steps – and mastering
each one separately, one at a time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After all, how DO you eat that 500 pound elephant?!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Don’t be afraid to take
smart, safe chances and try new things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And remember that camp, under proper supervision, is a great place to
serve as the laboratory for those experiments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Always have a spotter, or a partner – to have your back, to see things
you cannot see yourself, or to give you a different perspective, to give you
feedback, or, in the words of Jerry MacGuire, “to complete” you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I am sure there are more, but 10 seems like a really
good number to remember!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And all too soon, we will be looking back on this
summer, because of how fast time passes at camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, before it becomes a set of amazing memories, don’t waste
a minute of your opportunity to live those memories NOW!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Shabbat Shalom!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-29556358024952420352014-06-21T18:04:00.002-07:002014-06-21T19:34:01.764-07:00The words below are my response to a John Henry Bell, Jr.'s blog attempting to shed more accurate light on the smoke and headlines emanating from the Presbyterian Church's vote this week to divest from 3 American companies because of their role in supporting Israeli policies on the West Bank which they (justifiably, if not 100% accurately) find morally troubling.<br />
<br />
His blog can be found at: <a href="http://jhbelljr.net/2014/06/21/pcusa-divestment/">http://jhbelljr.net/2014/06/21/pcusa-divestment/</a><br />
<br />
and should be read in their totality to fully understand my words below.<br />
<br />
I was impressed by his sincerity, his apparent passion for peace and understanding, and the clarity of his writing. My response was made, in kind, in the hopes of bridging the self-created obstacles towards continued partnership, dialogue, and working for common goals that this vote must inevitably create between Presbyterians and Jews, to help him and others try to similarly understand the places where his words do not fully recognize the issues that I, and many of you, my readers, have in the PCUSA's action.<br />
<br />
My tone is muted, and my focus limited to his words, in contrast to the powerful response of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), issued after I originally posted. That statement can (and should) be read here:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ccarnet.org/about-us/news-and-events/condemning-vote-presbyterian-church-usa-general-assembly/">http://ccarnet.org/about-us/news-and-events/condemning-vote-presbyterian-church-usa-general-assembly/</a><br />
<br />
In addition, I also highly recommend the printed statement of Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), distributed in advance of his speech to the PCUSA assembly:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://blogs.rj.org/blog/2014/06/19/rabbi-rick-jacobs-bds-letter-to-delegates-at-the-presbyterian-church-usa-general-assembly/">http://blogs.rj.org/blog/2014/06/19/rabbi-rick-jacobs-bds-letter-to-delegates-at-the-presbyterian-church-usa-general-assembly/</a><br />
<br />
I shared there, and here, in the hopes of continuing a discussion that many may now be pressured to end, at least temporarily -- a critically important partnership between partners that have a great many common agenda items. As always, I invite response.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
I thank you for your attempt to clarify, against the sound bite mentality of our modern day, the actions you believe were taken at the PCUSA gathering this week. I also thank you for you passion -- both to your faith, and to the truth, as well as to the effort to bring true and lasting peace to Israel and the Palestinians.<br />
<br />
I do not know you -- so I do not even know if I should be addressing you by a particular title… I came to your post because of the response to it from my colleague, Rabbi Joe Black. So the above comments are based upon my reading of your words here.<br />
<br />
In the interest of a shared desire to work together towards peace, in the spirit of shared mission that Rabbi Black shared in his blog on this subject, I must speak to a couple of specific points as a Rabbi. First, your failure to mention at all the continued presence on the PCUSA website of the anti-Israeli and factually untenable screed that your own votes disavowed this week, and the role that it played in influencing opinion on this matter is an unfortunate oversight. The continued influence of this blatantly biased propaganda severely undermines the power of your own words, and those of the resolution, of support for the State of Israel, words which I dearly want to believe, and DO see played out in my own relationships with our local Presbyterian church's clergy and laity. At best, this appears to be a deliberate effort on the part of the framers of the resolution to have it both ways on the issue -- a position which is NOT in the best interest of sincere efforts towards peace, but rather a calculation to get a resolution passed. I hope I am wrong -- but the "eye test" on this leaves me little other choice of interpretations.<br />
<br />
Second, the deliberately featured involvement at the conference of a fringe group of Jews, who represent only their minority extreme viewpoint, whose funding is shadowy and suspect, whose Jewish support for their position in favor of BDS is hardly mainstream, cherry-picked by the same long-standing anti-Israel wing of your movement responsible for the flawed, inaccurate "study guide" in order to give Jewish credence to their positions is an affront, and a serious obstacle to continued good-faith efforts in dialogue and partnership in these and the many other areas of common cause between our movements. The absence in your words of any recognition of the internal politics, or the role played by this group in such a close vote, much less a repudiation of the same, does nothing to overcome that newly created obstacle.<br />
<br />
Third, I appreciate your attempt -- both in your own words, and in those of the resolution -- to distance your vote to divest from American companies from support for the global BDS movement, which has, as its clear goal, the delegitimization of the State of Israel in the court of public opinion, by convincing organizations like yours to put economic pressure on Israel. However, emphasizing that you were only acting to divest from American corporations in this resolution is disingenuous at best, and will be lost on the majority of those who hear of your action, because your reason for doing so is an objection, however morally based, to their perceived role in supporting Israeli settlement policy to which you object. Further, your decision ignores, in particular, the efforts taken by Caterpillar to work FOR the same peaceful, two-state solution I join you in supporting. But most dangerously, in the spun bite environment you rightly express concern for as your reason for writing this blog, I assure you that the leadership of the BDS movement is already trumpeting their victory as seen in your vote! They have every right to do so, now that you have placed your vote into the public discussion -- and their doing so will only weaken your ability to act as agents in bringing the peace we all seek to bring.<br />
<br />
And that would be true even if the language of the portion of the resolution which allegedly rejects such a connection were clearly and unambiguously written. The vague language, and use of an obfuscating double negative in the last sentence of that resolution point have created a text whose meaning is virtually unintelligible. If the version you have included is the correct actual text, your movement has not disavowed anything in those words. If it is not, please do yourself, and the rest of us, the service of correcting what the text actually says, hopefully in favor of clarity of language that matched the moral clarity you seek to assert. As currently shared, your contention is not matched by the evidence you provide.<br />
<br />
I thank you for this opportunity to organize and put into writing my disappointment at the outcome of this vote, alongside my desire to continue to work together with my Presbyterian friends and colleagues to improve our world and bring peace to the Middle East. I hope you can understand the concerns of the Jewish community better from my sharing, as I believe I better understand both the sincere desires of the majority of your movement, and the real issues moving forward. <br />
<br />
It is my intent to post this response to you on my own blog, and for the sake of better understanding for my readers, I will be posting a link to your blog as well. I hope I cause no offense or problem for you in doing so. And most of all, I wish you peace.Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-16344526757777948282013-11-19T13:06:00.005-08:002013-11-19T13:06:35.072-08:00An Anniversary Too Important to Let Slip By Unnoticed<div class="MsoNormal">
I am blown away at how little attention is being paid to the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. And so, I have been moved to words, and to sharing them through this too often ignored vehicle...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sesquicentennial<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
7 Score and 10 years ago, today,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
An American President –</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A giant, both in his day, and in history –</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Travelled to a blood-soaked battlefield in Pennsylvania –</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Site of a critical moment in our nation’s history –</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And began, while the war still raged around us,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The process of sanctifying the ultimate sacrifice of those
who gave their lives,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the holy work of reuniting and healing our nation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Few gathered that day could have anticipated</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What that visit, and the speech that he gave on that
occasion,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Would come to be in our nation’s history and psyche.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How 10 sentences, scrawled by hand on an envelope back,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Could totally capture the gravity</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of the event being remembered,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the site of the battle,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the needs of all the American people</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For wholeness and peace.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nor would anyone in Gettysburg that day,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have been able to believe</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That the visionary, compassionate architect</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of this needed reconciliation</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Would be taken from his country</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even as the embers of the last battle guttered down.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His simple words from the heart that day</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Guided a people still divided,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To begin to find their way back to one another.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They turned those blood-stained acres</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Into a national shrine –</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One to which we all had equal access </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and of which we could all claim ownership,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One which still awes its visitors with its immensity and
quiet holiness today.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today, we barely even pause to remember –</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And if we do remember, we do so </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Without looking inside of ourselves,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Without acknowledging our country’s reality –</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We give no honor to the man nor to the moment we recall.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is as if we do not remember,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Choose not to learn,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The lessons of that day -- </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The battle that preceded it, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the war that raged around it still.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is as if all of the herculean efforts of the man –</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First to keep the Union intact,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then to keep us from self-destruction,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And finally to bring us towards reconciliation –</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Were nothing more than mere words</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Scribbled on a piece of paper,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Destined to be only noted and remembered,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But sadly, still, never fully taken to heart in our national
life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so, as we remember on this solemn day,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let us pledge to ourselves and to each other,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To keep faith and make real his soaring words on this day –</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To keep the memories of those he came to remember,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And what they gave their lives for, as well as he, his own
--</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That government of the people, by the people, for the people</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Shall not perish from the earth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rabbi Stephen J.
Weisman<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">November 19, 2013<o:p></o:p></b></div>
Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-61067082746008051262013-09-17T07:13:00.000-07:002013-09-17T07:13:09.945-07:00The Morning After
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Morning After<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is the morning after the horrific and still unexplained
shooting rampage at The DC Navy Yard yesterday. Just after 7 AM, I am driving carpool, trying as best I can
for myself and my teenaged son, to return to normal and go on living life. As a Rabbi, days removed from Yom
Kippur, the holiest, most reflective day of our year, it is what I expected to
be doing today. But not for these
reasons; not in this way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My favorite radio station (that doesn’t play songs), is not
helping – they are still in “total coverage mode” – only traffic and weather on
the 8s, sports at 15 and 45, and commercials breaking up their non-stop focus
on exactly one story. So I switch
it off, and plug my iPod, on scramble, into the car’s sound system. I smile at the familiar melody –
Maureen McGovern singing the theme from “The Poseidon Adventure” – until the
words start to register:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #313131; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">There's got to be a morning after, if we can hold on
through the night --<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #313131; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">We have a chance to find the sunshine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #313131; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Let's keep on looking for the light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #313131; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Oh, can't you see the morning after?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #313131; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">It's waiting right outside the storm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #313131; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Why don't we cross the bridge together, and find a
place that's safe and warm?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #313131; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Nice, prayerful words, but clearly we are not there
yet, I am not there yet. I snap
off the iPod as well, and we drive on in silence. Maybe it is the heightened focus that the absence of talk
and music provides, maybe it is me projecting my own troubled soul this
morning. But it sure seems like
more of the “drivers” with whom I am trying to share the road are being just a
tad more aggressive than usual this morning. Or maybe I am being a little more cautious, unconsciously
overcompensating?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #313131; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">A quick look at the numbers flashing from the
dashboard of my still new Prius-V reassures – it isn’t me. If anything, I, too, am ignoring that
feedback more than usual, driving a little more aggressively myself. It is scant reassurance, as the BMW
pulls out to speed around me on the left as I drive north in the left lane of
Rte. 197, endangering all of us with her selfish recklessness. I watch, bemused, as the only “normal”
behaviors displayed on the drive are the slowing down for the speed cameras,
and the compensatory drag-strip speeding to get to the single lane stretch of
the road, seemingly on display from even more drivers today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #313131; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">I look over at my teenaged son, reflecting on his
reaction yesterday. Sure, it was
triggered by being told that the Nationals’ game we had planned to attend had
been cancelled, because the ballpark is right next to the site of the
shootings, but he has been in a deep funk ever since he heard what had
happened. I think to myself just
how many times he and I had gone through yesterday’s drill – 9/11, the sniper,
Sandy Hook, now yesterday – and too many other smaller ones in between to even
remain distinct in my memory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #313131; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">As I drop him off at school, and test news radio again
for my trip home, I hear the questions about whether this shooter might have
been suffering from PTSD, the concerns that those who innocently went to work
yesterday, only to find themselves the focus of nation’s attention for the day
through no fault of their own, might now similarly be impacted. I find myself wondering if David’s
response was, in itself, a form of PTSD – the product of too many such
exposures. And I find myself
wondering how many others might be going through our day today, similarly
suffering a low-grade form of the disorder. Am I? And what
help is available for those of us who are? Will they do something at school to help the kids recognize
and deal with their thoughts and emotions? Or will they, as I had earlier, try to make it just another
normal day by ignoring it as best they can?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #313131; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">And then – what do I need to get myself back to
normal? How can I get it? As a Rabbi, what can I provide for
others? Suddenly, my inner
dialogue is channeling Howard Beale – Paddy Chayefsky’s brilliantly written
character in “Network,” and the iconic monologue brought to life by Peter Finch. I AM mad as hell, and I am NOT
going to take it any more! And I
want EVERYONE to go to their windows, open them, and scream the words out with
me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #313131; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">But then, I want us to actually DO SOMETHING! I find myself wondering if maybe, just
maybe, this time, the close geographic proximity of Capitol Hill to the site of
this tragedy might make it personal enough for our elected representatives to
drop their partisan political stalemate, to ignore the craven efforts of the
gun lobby to buy their votes, and FINALLY pass common sense gun regulation. Real, enforceable laws that might begin
to save lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #313131; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">I find myself ruefully admitting that even I have lost
track of how many innocent Americans have lost their lives in gun violence
since the Newtown, CT tragedy, and vow to look it up when I get home. Slate reports the number is at least
8,238, but also notes the difficulties of keeping track, the historic
underreporting of such events, and the comparison to the best CDC data, which
suggests the actual number is three times as many, at over 25,000! In less than a year!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #313131; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Another sound byte draws my attention, even through
the reverie. As a more complete
picture of yesterday’s shooter emerges, it becomes clear that he most likely
acted alone. The hysterical
over-reactions in the heat of the moment yesterday are now giving way to the
awareness, as my radio reports, that this was “just” another workplace related
shooting, that happened to occur on a highly protected military facility. “Just”? Like somehow that makes it less painful, less significant,
less tragic? I want to call a VERY
un-Rabbinic “BS” on that one!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #313131; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">But I listen to what else we have learned about the
shooter over night. The bizarre
2004 shooting he was suspected of being involved in, and his father’s response
at that time, when questioned, that he was concerned his son was suffering from
post-9/11 related PTSD himself.
The lack of an arrest in that case, which kept him free to purchase
weapons. The lack of evidence that
the shooter was ever treated for this supposed PTSD, or whatever other emotional
issues he manifested. The equally
bizarre incident in Texas a couple of years ago, in which a gun in his
apartment discharged a bullet into the unit above his. How that incident had been dismissed as
being a gun-cleaning misfire, even though the woman in the unit above testified
that there had been friction between them, and she was fearful of what he might
do to her one day. The long-term
pattern of anger management issues, and difficulty accepting negative criticism
from work supervisors and others he apparently evidenced, including the recent
criticism of an installation job he had done at the Navy Yard. That job apparently provided him with
the credentials that he showed to get onto the base, the credentials that
cleared him through the gate without an inspection of his vehicle, or the
discovery of the three weapons he brought with him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #313131; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">And I cry a bit.
WHY is it so easy to see the pattern through the tears shed in grief,
when we look back, yet NOTHING prior to yesterday even raised a red flag that
might have prevented yet another tragedy??? Once again, I realize, the high profile cases, like this
one, even as they raise our awareness of the need for change, are actually the
events LEAST likely to be prevented by any honest and enforceable changes in
gun laws.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #313131; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">So I start to question what I can even say that will
be of value. My mind goes to the
President’s words yesterday: </span><span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">"These
are men and women who were going to work doing their jobs and protecting all of
us," Obama said. "They're patriots. They know the dangers of serving
abroad, but today they faced the unimaginable violence that they wouldn't have
expected here at home.” As I
marvel at the eloquence, and the honesty, it dawns on me – he stopped too
soon! There needed to be another
clause or 2 at the end, delivered with appropriately dramatic ellipsis. “… but today they faced the
unimaginable violence that they wouldn’t have expected here at home…. That they
shouldn’t NEED to expect here at home…. That NO ONE should have to expect here
in America.” Even Obama’s
eloquent, heartfelt sadness failed to express our simple outrage that every
life is too valuable to be sacrificed to political infighting and selfish
lobbying!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Maybe it is the close physical proximity to me and mine
this time. Maybe it is the impact
I fear I am seeing on my son, or am starting to realize may be affecting me as
well. If these are factors, then
all too soon after the atonement for last year’s shortcomings, I find myself
seeking forgiveness already again, for being motivated by personal and selfish
factors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Or maybe it is simply that proximity to Yom Kippur, during
which my own sermon on the situation in Syria included a significant element on
the dangers of remaining silent. A
sermon which quoted Edmund Burke, Pastor Martin Niemoller, and <i>Pirkei Avot</i>, and the amazing, if
too-often overlooked, remarks of Rabbi Joachim Prinz that served as the warm-up
to King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, in which he shared:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“…When I was the rabbi of the Jewish community in Berlin under the
Hitler regime, I learned many things. The most important thing that I learned
under those tragic circumstances was that bigotry and hatred are not the most
urgent problem. The most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful and
the most tragic problem is silence….”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It also included a remarkable text from Exodus, chapter 5, and a
mini-drash by my colleague, Rabbi Menachem Creditor, whose father was, amongst
an incredibly gifted and caring collection of religious school teachers in my
youth, my favorite and the most inspirational. The younger Rabbi Creditor is also a tireless activist for
gun reform, one who teaches and inspires me on a regular basis:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">"[After Moses spoke to Pharaoh, Pharaoh
increased the workload of the Israelite slaves.] Moses returned to God and
said, 'God, why did You bring harm upon this people? Why did You send me? Ever
since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has dealt worse with this
people; and still You have not delivered Your people.' (Ex. 5:22-23)" --
When something is wrong, naming it usually makes it feel worse before there's
any hope of things getting better. It's therefore tempting to not confront
problems. But while acknowledgment is painful, living a redemptive life can
begin no other way.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Whatever the reasons – good, bad or indifferent;
personal or inclusive – I can, I will remain silent no longer. Nor will I stop at simply speaking and
teaching. I must act. WE must act. The ONLY way that needed change will come, the only way that
this will be the LAST “morning after” one of these tragedies, is to change
ourselves, to change our culture, to change our laws. To become MORE aware of those around us, more sensitive when
a fellow traveler is in need of help, more courageous in breaking the silence,
and helping them get the help they need to heal BEFORE they go out and harm
others. To work HARDER, and more
insistently, to change a culture that is more concerned with protecting the
dubious right of an individual to hold weapons and ammunition that allow him to
murder wholesale before he can be stopped than it is with our right to live our
lives free from the fear of such attacks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Because this morning I was reminded how blessed
I am to have been once again spared direct, physical loss in such a tragedy. But I was also made painfully aware
that I, and all of us, are never completely spared. This morning I grieve – for all the victims of this gun
violence and their families. But
starting this morning, albeit it on a different level, I refuse to be conned into
denial that I – and all of us – are NOT victims. Until it stops, we are ALL victims.</span><span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-35035991603207900612013-04-09T07:25:00.000-07:002013-04-09T07:25:02.137-07:00A Common Sense, Jewish Approach to Curbing Gun Violence
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<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A Common
Sense, Jewish Approach to Curbing Gun Violence<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A First Draft to Start the Discussion <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">And Develop a Comprehensive, Ethically Based Model<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Rabbi Steve Weisman<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Temple Solel, Bowie MD<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>DISCLAIMER:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do not pretend to be an expert on gun
ownership or operation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a kid,
I once got an award for riflery at camp, but, ironically, had missed my group’s
only visit to the rifle range!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
am concerned by what is happening on this subject in our country, and want to
work for change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have followed,
although hardly closely, the efforts of others within the religious and other
communities to make intelligent and meaningful statements against gun violence,
some (many?) of which have included significant parts of the specifics that
follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My purpose here is to set
up a comprehensive comparative model to govern this discussion, one based in
reality rather than emotion, fact rather than rhetoric, a desire to improve the
world rather than pandering to a least common denominator through
fear-mongering.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I admit that elements of the following comparison may not be
as viable for guns as for cars, but let's at least start with a system that
works, and adapt it as needed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let
the details here be the grounds for meaningful and appropriate debate designed
to produce the best possible system, rather than allowing the debate to be
pirated and sunk by those who would prefer the discussion not even happen!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By "common sense," can we PLEASE start with a
system that isn't completely dysfunctional, but rather works fairly well (NOT
perfectly) and apply it intelligently to gun ownership and operation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like, let's say, oh... owning and
operating an automobile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And can
we please couch our discussion in a clear distinction between those items which
MUST happen for meaningful change to be possible; those which SHOULD happen, to
make sure the MUSTs can be achieved; and those which COULD happen, if we are
serious about protecting the innocent and changing the culture of gun ownership
and operation in this country?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And finally, because of my own limitations on this subject,
I humbly present this merely as a first draft to START the discussion, and
direct its progress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I expect that
some will be challenged or even offended by this effort, others troubled by
parts of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ask only that we
channel that discomfort not into personal attacks, but into meaningful and
useful thought and discussion, designed to take what seems like a good start,
and make it even better, so that it can be of the most value to the greatest
number of people and our society as a whole.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let us begin by noting that when it comes to cars, ownership
and operation are two separate items.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Owning a gun, like owning a car, must require not merely purchase, but
also registration of that purchase with the state, not merely for creating a
registry, but in a manner that allows the usage of that item to be tracked, if
necessary, if that object is improperly operated. It should also include
additional levels of action, parallel to the automobile requirements of regular
mechanical and emissions inspection, and regular renewal of registration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It could also include still other
provisions that, when it comes to gun ownership, admittedly will have little
advance deterrent value in preventing a determined shooter, but would, as part
of a deliberate cultural shift, make clear that owning and operating a gun is a
serious undertaking, with significant potential impact on the owner/operator
and others, and allow easier and more effective follow-up to transgressions
that would have the cumulative effect, over time, of making us all safer, by
limiting the ability to commit and desirability of behaviors that hurt and kill
others.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Automobiles carry VIN numbers, which are part of the
registration, but are also stamped on multiple pieces of the vehicle, and coded
to indicate characteristics of that vehicle, so that illegal chop-shopping can,
at least theoretically, be tracked, unless the bad guys go to a deliberate
extreme length to make it impossible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So too, gun registration must require both responsible treatment of the
weapon at purchase, and a mechanism for following up its usage and upkeep over
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Serial numbers are a part of this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So too are the ability to produce registration
documents if stopped and asked (for cause, not as a mechanism for abusing
proper ownership), display of a registration mechanism on the weapon itself,
which must be removed by the owner upon resale of the weapon (or else as far as
the state is concerned, the weapon is still yours and its use is YOUR responsibility!),
further identification methods including a registry of barrel groovings,
regular renewals, and regular inspection of the viability and safety of the
weapon. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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In addition, there MUST be mandatory significant penalties,
including fines, arrest, and loss of the privilege of ownership, for failure to
follow these requirements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as
registration of a car must be preceded by inspection of the vehicle for
function AND emissions, and proof of sale provided, gun registration must
provide a clear path of legal possession, and proof that the owner is taking
the steps needed to make sure the gun is kept properly in proper working order
while s/he owns it.</div>
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Among other (potentially more controversial) elements in
registration of guns might be:</div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->establishment of a pro-active national registry
computer system, into which sellers must enter all weapon and ammunition
sales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The purpose of this would
be to allow such a system to spit out to local law enforcement and registry
officials when thresholds of sales behavior indicate that an owner has either
a) moved into a position of acting as a de facto resale agent or b) has amassed
a volume of materials far beyond what is necessary for hunting or protection
(see below for licensing categories).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Failure to properly enter the needed info into the system must be
punishable for such an effort to be effective;</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->development of a system of mandatory insurance
for ownership and operation of guns;</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->requirements for proof of the ability to
maintain guns safely in the home or on person of owner;</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->categorization of weapons by capability and
primary function, with specific requirements according to category (handgun,
hunting weapon, etc.)</div>
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THEN we can talk about licensing usage, which, also
patterned on cars, must include proof of accredited training and knowledge,
passing written and physical tests, regular renewal and retesting, and multiple
levels of user licensing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems
reasonable that a different level of knowledge, experience and awareness is
needed for operating a hunting rifle in the forest as compared to keeping a
hand gun in one’s home for protection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And therefore, the expectations on these different users should be
different, and also the responsibilities.</div>
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Only THEN can we reasonably talk about whether there are
levels or classes of weapons and accessories that can or should be limited or
prohibited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Part of the problem
with the current discussion, besides the lack of such an overarching
comprehensive framework, and the obstructionism of the NRA, is that, because it
is being driven by the emotion and reality of Sandy Hook, specific bans are far
too prominent in the discussion and effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A legitimate and carefully defined system of categorizing
weapons, accessories, and usages allows for clear definitions, and authentic,
accurate distinctions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before we
can agree to ban assault rifles, we need to have a valid, accepted, useful
definition of the classes, one that allows us to determine which weapons fall
into that category and which don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And by anchoring it in an overall system of mandatory ownership and
usage registration, each individual piece has its specific role reduced,</div>
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Right now, we are talking about a specific rifle because it
was used in Connecticut, and by comparison (which may or may not be valid) to
other, better known weapons from other (read “military”) environments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we have such definitions and
distinctions, then we can make statements like “Assault rifles have no place in
public usage,” and seek to define the system in ways that their usage will be
legitimately limited to those few specific areas in which they ARE necessary
and appropriate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can seek to
ban so-called “cop-killer” bullets, or limit the size of magazines, or put
significant restrictions on usage of semi-automatic or automatic weapons
(again, only AFTER clearly defining our terms).</div>
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The effectiveness of such efforts is predicated on an
assumption which may not yet be valid, however.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That assumption is that a legitimate registration and
licensing system will be accepted by the majority of owners and users, and seen
as valuable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This system is based
on a prevailing culture in which gun owners and operators are willing to be
part of the solution, that they find value and protection in such a system for
themselves and others, and they are willing to put responsibility of ownership
and usage ahead of an absolute right of gun ownership and operation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is far from obvious that such a
culture exists at the present time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And while it is easy to recognize and blame an NRA that has become far
more a lobbying group for gun manufacturers and sellers than an advocacy group
for owners and users, as it still pretends to be, it must also be recognized
that, even in the aftermath of Sandy Hook, there has been a failure to put
forward such a comprehensive system and compelling case that would persuade
these owners to stand up for what is needed and right.</div>
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And lt us be clear yet again – this system, indeed NO
system, could prevent Sandy Hook, or Aurora, or any of the far too many high
profile incidents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or even any of
the far too frequent and ignored individual tragedies involving guns that true
common sense gun violence prevention measures are REALLY designed to reduce and
prevent.</div>
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What it can, and will, do, is to change the prevailing
culture, to make such behaviors less attractive, and less viable, to hold
accountable more people whose negligence contributes to such tragedies, so
that, moving forward, more people will take better care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will make it harder for abuses to
occur, not impossible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will
provide deterrence, in a manner that CANNOT be mistaken for random or
vindictive, and therefore be used as propaganda AGAINST improvements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, it will do all this by requiring,
encouraging, and rewarding responsibility and awareness, at least in the sense
of protecting those who act in these positive ways from unnecessary or unjustified
limitation on their rights and freedoms.</div>
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It seeks to act in accord with the teachings of the value of
life found in most religious ethical systems, as contrary to the “value” of our
current gun culture, perhaps best exemplified in the teaching of Talmud that
“one who takes a single life, it is as if they have destroyed the entire world;
but one who saves a single soul, it is as if they have saved the entire world.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just because we cannot prevent every
soul who is willing to have their own life end in a perceived blaze of glory by
taking out as many others as they can on the way to encouraging someone else to
pull the trigger on them that they cannot bring themselves to do to themselves,
does not remove from us the obligation to take this Talmudic teaching
seriously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For, indeed, the Talmud
also teaches that we “are not obligated to complete the task, but neither are
we free to simply walk away from it” without doing what we can to make things
better.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-33401708565702342692012-12-21T11:47:00.001-08:002012-12-21T11:48:34.092-08:00A Response to the Newtown Tragedy -- Based In Logic, Torah, and the Mayan Calendar
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Od Avi Chai </span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">– Joseph, Newtown, and the Mayans<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Sermon for the End of the World – 12/21/12<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Rabbi Steve Weisman –
Temple Solel, Bowie MD<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">So, we begin this evening
with a riddle – what do Torah, the US Constitution, and an obscure Mayan
calendric text have in common?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is more than their convergence on this day – there is actually a message here,
a message that virtually wrote itself in preparing for tonight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">I am pretty sure that we
are ALL aware of the Mayan text by now – watching TV this morning with my kids,
there were a shocking number of brand new commercials, unveiled for today’s
“end of the world” prophecy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
also willing to bet that, no matter how little serious attention we all paid to
this, how little credibility it had in or thinking and planning, many of us
woke up this morning, and, even more than usual, asked “Am I still alive?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when, once again, we saw that we
were, we went along with our normal routine and schedule for the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, here we are!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not being Mayans, and not having taken
it seriously, while this WAS still a moment of transition, it passed for all of
us non-Mayans, relatively unnoticed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Our Torah text, similarly,
pivots on a poignant revelation, question, and transition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joseph, no longer able to maintain the
charade of being an Egyptian prince before his brothers, reveals his true
identity, and follows immediately with the question “Is my father still
alive?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This leads to the reunion,
and a major transition for our ancestors, as they left the Promised land, and
came to Egypt, in order to survive, starting the chain of events that led,
ultimately, to the Exodus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The Constitution is dragged
into our discussion and our thoughts on this Shabbat in the aftermath of the
tragic shooting rampage in Newtown, CT last Friday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our shock of last Shabbat has turned to profound sadness at
the death of 26 innocent people, 20 of them first grade students, to anger at
how such a thing could happen, and is hopefully now ready to turn to what can
we learn from it and what changes can we make because of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Revelation of a tragedy, questions of
why and what we can do, and now, the search for transition from the event to a
better world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Guiding that discussion, as
it must, is the Second Amendment – so it becomes the text of focus on this
issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know it talks about the
right to bear arms – but do we know what it REALLY says?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we know its interpretive history?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we understand how the current “gun
culture” came to be what it is?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Can we get past our emotional reactions to a tragic event, and maintain
context and perspective to get to appropriate and workable change?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are the essential questions of
the moment; the ones which, despite MANY political efforts at distracting us,
need to stay in our view.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">So let us begin with what
the Second Amendment actually says:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">A well regulated militia being
necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and
bear arms shall not be infringed.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As a Rabbi, I know a little bit about writing, grammar, and syntax.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I HATE the structure of this
sentence from a grammatical perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, it IS the text we have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">If the URJ Biennial was being asked to
move this amendment today, it seems likely that the first clause would have
been preceded by the word “Whereas,” and the second by “therefore, be it
resolved that….”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that is how I
have always read it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The statement
about a well regulated militia is a factual truth, being used to explain why
the right in the second clause is being established.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">And I am not the only one who sees it
this way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Jeffrey Toobin points
out in an excellent item from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The New
Yorker</i>, posted online, until relatively recently, the prevailing judicial
understanding of this amendment had matched mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, as a result, says Toobin: “In other words, according to
the Supreme Court, and the lower courts as well, the amendment conferred on
state militias a right to bear arms—but did not give individuals a right to own
or carry a weapon.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">So, how did we get from there to
Newtown, to a prevailing gun culture in which, quoting </span><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Nicholas Kristof: "More Americans die in gun homicides and
suicides in six months than have died in the last 25 years in every terrorist
attack and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq combined?"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, as appeared in an article in Monday’s NY Times: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #262626; font-size: 19px;">"Children ages 5 to 14
in America are 13 times as likely to be murdered with guns as children in other
industrialized countries, according to David Hemenway, a public health
specialist at Harvard who has written an excellent book on gun violence."</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #262626; font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The answer, in a
word, or more exactly, in 3 letters, is the NRA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And no, this is NOT going to be a diatribe against the
NRA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just an attempt to understand
the truth about where we are today and why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, quoting Toobin: “</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Before the
nineteen-seventies, the N.R.A. had been devoted mostly to non-political issues,
like gun safety. But a coup d’état at the group’s annual convention in 1977
brought a group of committed political conservatives to power—as part of the
leading edge of the new, more rightward-leaning Republican Party. The new group
pushed for a novel interpretation of the Second Amendment, one that gave
individuals, not just militias, the right to bear arms. It was an uphill
struggle. At first, their views were widely scorned. Chief Justice Warren E.
Burger, who was no liberal, mocked the individual-rights theory of the
amendment as “a fraud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">“But the N.R.A. kept pushing…. Ronald
Reagan’s election in 1980 brought a gun-rights enthusiast to the White House.
At the same time, Orrin Hatch, the Utah Republican, became chairman of an
important subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and he commissioned a
report that claimed to find ‘clear—and long lost—proof that the 2nd amendment
to our Constitution was intended as an individual right of the American citizen
to keep and carry arms in a peaceful manner, for protection of himself, his
family, and his freedoms.’ The N.R.A. began commissioning academic studies
aimed at proving the same conclusion. An extreme constitutional theory,
rejected even by the establishment of the Republican Party, evolved, through
brute political force, into the conservative conventional wisdom.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Ironically, given the oft-invoked
conservative embrace of “originalism,” the belief that the proper meaning of
the words of the Constitution was fixed at the time of ratification, and their
scorn for “judicial activism,” it is hard to find a more significant example of
ignoring original intent for the sake of using the judicial branch to create
new law than this invented right of the individual to, without limitation, own
and operate arms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">I happen to agree with a lot of what
the NRA’s CEO Wayne LaPierre said today, in the organization’s first public
statement on the subject, even if I reject his conclusions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Blaming
violent video games and movies, and the media is not inaccurate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he said that the students in
Newtown might have been better protected had officials at Sandy Hook Elementary
been armed, or that putting a police officer in every single school in America
might make schools safer, he was expressing a speculative opinion with which I
do not agree, but which is hard to refute, since it is cast in the speculative
verb “might.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also happen to
agree with his statement that "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a
gun is a good guy with a gun.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">My problem is that we can, and need
to do more to keep the bad guys from getting a gun in the first place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to take steps to make everyone
more secure, but also need to be careful not to create a “security state,”
where we are forced to be comfortable being frisked every time we enter a
building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And my problem is that,
bottom line, the NRA is nothing more than an advocacy group, and a lobbying
group, for gun makers and sellers, who cloaks itself in the legitimacy of
claiming to protect the rights of gun owners, and the 2<sup>nd</sup> Amendment,
as they have helped to redefine it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">My problem is that our current
public policy utter fails to recognize the impact of guns – real and
theoretical – on our society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because I also agree with the following statements of inconsistent
reality in our lives today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of
these were taken off the Internet this week:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“One failed attempt at a shoe bomb, and
we all take off our shoes at the airport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>31 school shootings since Columbine and no changes in our regulation of
guns.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John Oliver<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Picture of a senior citizen):<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to show a photo ID at the drug store to buy Sudafed,
so the government can track how much I buy, so they know I am not running a
drug lab…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">(Picture of a smiling young
man):<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just bought 6,000 rounds
of ammunition for my killing spree over the Internet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No Id needed, and no way for the authorities to be tipped
off that I might be planning something bad…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“If a pre-school child hits another pre-school child with a
rock, the solution is NOT to give every pre-school child and teacher a rock!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Here is the truth – the Second
Amendment still has relevance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, it is no longer the truth of the framers anymore, as we now
HAVE both a national “militia” in the form of the Armed Forces, and local
militias – the National Guard – neither of which require their members to own
their own weapons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither is it
the absolutist vision of the NRA, in which their answer to Newtown is to arm
educators and guards, and increase the armed police presence in public schools
– in other words – selling more weapons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">As the 3 examples I just gave
demonstrate, common sense and experience indicate that some level of
governmental regulation Is possible without abridging the rights of individuals
to own guns, because with that right must come responsibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best model I can propose is that
which goes into owning and operating an automobile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Drivers must demonstrate proficiency and understanding of
the laws of the road to earn first a learner’s permit, and then, after further
testing, a license to operate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
addition, proof of insurance and purchase must be provided to register a car
before it can be legally driven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The car must be regularly inspected to insure it safety on the road.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">A gun ownership policy built on this
same structure would seem to make sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Moreso, it seems appropriate and necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, let us be clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such a system, by itself, will NOT solve all of our gun
related problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People still
operate vehicles that should not be, or drive without a license, or with
willful refusal to obey the laws of the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unless there are also enforcement and penalties that are
balanced but perceived as a serious deterrent, such actions will not make a
difference.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">In addition, just as driver’s
licenses exist in different categories for different vehicles, different
weapons should require different approvals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a difference between owning a single handgun, for
personal security, or a single rifle, for hunting, and being a collector, or
operating more lethal weapons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">I can see NO reasonable purpose for
semi-automatic or automatic weapons in the hands of the vast majority of
citizens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise, the huge
ammunition clips for these weapons, or the purchase of wholesale quantities of
any ammunition, or so-called “cop killer” bullets serve no useful public
purpose either, and should be banned by law.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">As one of my elementary school
friends put it this week: “</span><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">When a neighborhood
has a "drug" problem... we go after the drug dealers. Well our
neighborhood, the U.S. of A, has a gun problem, and we ought to go after the
gun dealers. It's just that simple. Let's start talking about who sold the gun,
who manufactured the gun, who made the bullets. Let's name names. Let's start
shaming them into a new business. Since that's what it is. It's a business. And
it kills.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">I am NOT willing to go that
far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BUT, there have to be
limits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, if we are being
honest, the NRA needs to be part of the discussion, if we hope to get the best
possible results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, the NRA
needs to stop being a lobbying group for the makers and sellers, and do what it
claims to do – work for the protection of gun owners and the Second
Amendment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise, these
efforts will fail, and other well-meaning Americans will come to the same
conclusion as my friend, Mary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
makers and sellers need to chose to be part of the solution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">And that brings me to my
last point tonight – what can we do ourselves, to help make things better, and
to feel like we are working to make a difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because, if we do not, as the public, make clear our
revulsion at the frequency of these massacres involving guns, do not make clear
that even one Newtown is too many, then nothing will change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Silence in this case will be
interpreted as acceptance of the status quo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if there is ANYTHING we have all come to agree upon in
the last week, the status quo is NOT acceptable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Joe Scarborough, who received the NRA’s highest ratings
when he was in Congress, and Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, equally
lauded by the NRA, both respond to what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary
School by saying that change is needed, then, clearly, change is needed!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">But there is more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can, and need to continue to console
ourselves and our families, and work to make sure that it can never happen in
our back yard, or anywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
need to remind our children, and ourselves, that we will be okay and safe, not
because we wish it to be true, but because we have worked to make it true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">We need to have the other difficult
conversations -- about mental health care in this country, a system gutted
during the Reagan years, that still is in need of repair; about the
politicization of our basic safety needs; about the glorification of guns and
violence in movies, video games, and more; even about how the media handle such
tragedies – how many of us know the name of the shooter last week, and how many
know the name of a single victim?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These secondary issues must also be addressed as part of any effective
solution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">And, we need to find little
things to do to feel like we are being part of the solution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Write letters to the editor, and lobby
for common sense gun reform – in the upcoming Maryland legislative session, and
from our elected national leaders. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">But, and this one is so
easy, and even fun, let us reach out to the victims in Connecticut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the vacation, the students at
SHES will go back to school – in a new building, to limit the impact of being
back in the place of such personal trauma and loss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can help to make their new, temporary home a little
warmer, a place of caring and healing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Over the break, sit down
with family and friends, and make some paper snowflakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Send them to:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">“Snowflake Project”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Bonnie Marsicano<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">22 Pine Tree Hill Road<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Newtown, CT 06470<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">and they will become part of the
fabric of their new school home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The mailing information is available on sheets in the lobby, and will be
included in this week’s news e-mail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">In this way we can take the poignant
revelation of the tragedy in Connecticut, and allow the legitimate questions it
raises for us become the catalyst for significant change and improvement – for
ourselves, and our world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
embrace the example of our Torah text, and allow the first days of the new
Mayan world to gain dramatic significance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Win-win.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>KYR<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"><o:p> This is the flyer that our members received:</o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Ways to Help in the Wake of Last
Week’s School Shootings<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Looking
for a way to do SOMETHING to feel like you are helping in the aftermath of the
Newtown, CT tragedy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is a
simple – and fun – craft project that, in a small way, makes a difference, by
sending a healing message of love and support.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">“Snowflake Project” <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">The
students at Sandy Hook Elementary School will return to school after the
holiday, in a new physical location, to limit the trauma of returning to the
scene of the shootings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To help
them be more comfortable in their new setting, the plan is to decorate the
walls with snowflakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we can
help!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">If you
have the chance over the break, sit down with family – children, grandchildren,
friends – and make some snowflakes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Use our creative energies to help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And when you have them done, send them, with a note identifying yourself
as part of Temple Solel, to:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Bonnie
Marsicano<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">22 Pine
Tree Hill Road<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Newtown,
CT 06470<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">And they
will be used to brighten the new school space.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">If You Want to Make Your Voice Heard<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">If you
want to be a part of the public discussion, or let our elected officials know
how we feel, DO IT!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our silence
will only be heard as acceptance of the status quo!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Write a
letter to any local paper – The Washington Jewish Week, Bowie Blade-News,
Crofton Crier, Annapolis Gazette, Washington Post or others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Contact
our representatives in Annapolis or Washington – your voice will be heard!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">In Memory Of: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Let
us change the culture of glorification of the perpetrators, by remembering the
names of the victims instead:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Charlotte
Bacon, 6 <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Daniel
Barden, 7 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Olivia
Engel, 6 <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Josephine
Gay, 7 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Ana M.
Marquez-Greene, 6 <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dylan
Hockley, 6 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"> Madeleine
F. Hsu, 6 <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Catherine
V. Hubbard, 6 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Chase
Kowalski, 7 <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span> Jesse
Lewis, 6 <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"> James
Mattioli, 6 <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Grace
McDonnell, 7 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Emilie
Parker, 6 <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span> Jack
Pinto, 6 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"> Noah
Pozner, 6 <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Caroline
Previdi, 6 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"> Jessica
Rekos, 6 <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Avielle
Richman, 6 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"> Benjamin
Wheeler, 6<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Allison N. Wyatt, 6<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Rachel
Davino, 29 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Dawn
Hochsprung, 47, principal <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Anne
Marie Murphy, 52, <a href="http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Anne-Marie-Murphy-Died-Shielding-Students-183650631.html"><span style="color: #0f429b; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">special
education teacher</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"> Lauren
Rousseau, 30, <a href="http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Victim-Loved-Teaching-183646091.html"><span style="color: #0f429b; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">teacher</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Mary
Sherlach, 56, school psychologist <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Victoria
Soto, 27, first grade teacher<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-9284264533017244232012-11-21T08:27:00.002-08:002012-11-21T09:16:19.607-08:00Responding to Reckless and Inaccurate Palestinian PropagandaFriends:<br />
<br />
**First -- my apologies for my absence... my real job and real life have kept me fairly busy this fall, and I have been shifting my preaching style to more interactive, less texted forms.**<br />
<br />
**Second -- what follows is VERY long... I know. And I am sorry. But when people who should know better just pass along crap about the Middle East without checking it, or concern for the impact of the lies and inaccuracies, the "Big Lie" must be shot down... and then usually cannot be done quick and easy...**<br />
<br />
**Third -- I am NOT sure what is happening with the formatting here... I hope this last edit has fixed the paragraphs, but just in case, I am setting off MY paragraphs (as opposed to those from the article being critiqued) with beginning and ending "**" **<br />
<br />
**I have copied the “article” below, without consent, off a site called “AlterNet.org.” I have done this so that MY readers can see the bs that is being claimed as fact by this a$$clown. A note to Mr. Cole and the owner/operator(s) of AlterNet.org -- PLEASE come and try to attack me legally for this unauthorized copying, because, I promise, if you do, you will find yourself on the receiving end of multiple suits for libel and reckless endangerment, as well as wire fraud. Not a threat, an iron clad promise.**<br />
<br />
**To my chagrin, this "article" was posted to facebook by my friend, John Rouse, once a respected journalist, but these days, seemingly reduced to using the internet as I suspect that Henry Fonda’s character in “On Golden Pond” would have – to generate enough discussion that the alerts that someone has commented on something he posted would give him constant feedback that he is, in fact, still alive, and in John’s case, still relevant.**<br />
<br />
**John Rouse the newspaper editor would NEVER have allowed an article like this to run in his newspaper – the number of factual errors and examples where unsubstantiated opinion is presented as fact is egregiously large. Yet, in his new internet ambassador role, John simply comments after posting “I just found the piece interesting. Readers can make up their own minds. There was stuff in there I never knrw. [sic]” [note: He DID ix that typo later on.]**<br />
<br />
**The comment shows how far John has fallen – not only could he not be bothered to correct his obvious typo, but his lack of responsibility is painfully typical of how too many REPORT the “news” on facebook – simply passing along, not bothering to fact check. A side note to John: did it ever occur to you that the reason you "learned" so much stuff from this article that you had never heard before was because most of this article was pure, opinionated b.s., with little or no basis in fact or reality???**<br />
<br />
**So here, as a public service to John, and to others who might easily be taken in by this a$$clown, Juan Cole, and his lies, is a BRIEF, seriatum, fact check. [yes, I KNOW it is long... trust me, if I had the time or energy to waste on schooling this moron, it would have been MUCH longer!] Please note – the wide margins are from the original, the brown represent hyper-links to Mr. Cole’s alleged sources (which sadly did not translate over to this forum), many of which are, to a trained eye, on first blush, even more spurious than his own conclusions… my insertions will be obvious, marked with ** and indented.**<br />
<br />
Informed Comment / By Juan Cole<br />
<b>Top 10 Myths About Israel's Attack on Gaza</b><br />
<br />
**The classic propagandist’s trick… accuse the other side of exactly the sin you know yourself to be committing. In this case, passing off myths as truth.** <br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>These misconceptions are spread by the American media.</b><br />
<br />
**An even more outrageous and ironic twist of the knife, as the reason many people will be taken in by this crap is because exactly the opposite of what is being claimed here is true – the Western media (American included) has been guilty of under-reporting, especially when it comes to the real origins of the current (or any) fighting from the terrorists’ side.** <br />
<br />
November 19, 2012 |<br />
<br />
1. Israeli hawks represent themselves as engaged in a ‘peace process’ with the Palestinians in which Hamas refuses to join. In fact, Israel has refused to cease colonizing and stealing Palestinian land long enough to engage in fruitful negotiations with them.<br />
<br />
**It is true that SOME Israeli governments, have, historically, been guilty of allowing settlers to squat on land that is not legally theirs, or even, in earlier days, allowed the building of new settlements on unowned land in the West Bank. It is also true that THIS current Israeli government, has approved similar development of unowned land, which has been, and continues to be a deterrent to getting new peace talks started with Abbas, not Hamas. In fact, no Israeli, hawk or dove, will allow Hamas, identified by most Western nations that still have any sense of a moral compass, as a terrorist organization, to come to the table, until they denounce terror, cease rocket attacks, and clearly and unequivocally accept Israel’s right to exist as a free country in peace. The stalled peace process is with Fatah, over the West Bank – Israel unilaterally pulled out of Gaza in 2009. Gaza is where Hamas forces its will on the native Palestinian population. Having pulled out in 2009, Israel cannot possible be colonizing or stealing land – she is not a physical presence in Gaza until the unending rocket assaults from Gaza force her to send in troops to protect her citizens.
Tel Aviv routinely announces new, unilateral house-building on the Palestinian West Bank.**<br />
**Routinely? See above. House-building? ROUTINELY, when settlers unilaterally ignore Israeli laws designed to prevent such actions, the Israeli Supreme Court rules against them, and requires them to stop and retreat. That the government is ROUTINELY incapable of forcing the settlers to abide by Israeli law simply is sad proof that ALL cultural and religious groups have their extremists who believe the law does not apply to them, usually because they claim to be doing “God’s work.” All such extremists are an impediment to peace. And, please don’t get me started on the quality of this “source,” although Reuters, unlike Mr. Cole, at least accurately limits the areas of such claims to areas completely divorced from what is happening in Gaza.** <br />
<br />
There is no peace process. It is an Israeli and American sham. Talking about a peace process is giving cover to Israeli nationalists who are determined to grab everything the Palestinians have and reduce them to penniless refugees (again).<br />
<br />
**I almost don’t know where to start on this one. The first sentence is correct. While even I will admit that both sides bear the responsibility for this truth, there is no way that it is a 50-50 split. When virtually every third party who has attempted to bring peace agrees that “the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity,” the breakdown starts to become clear. While it would help if the Netanyahu government would make a better overture, and take fewer actions that can be interpreted negatively by Palestinians (again, all almost exclusively in the West Bank, not Gaza), it is also clear that the situation on the Israeli side is a direct result of the previous failures to achieve peace, which are virtually all at the feet of Palestinian intransigence, and the lack of desire to settle for a 2-state solution.**<br />
**“Talking about a peace process” is an attempt by the world to push the parties towards the table. It is NOT, nor can it be, a cover to anyone, unless the admission here is that one party has no use for peace… and let’s be clear which party is holding out for a ONE-state solution (hint – NOT Israel!).**<br />
**And again, can we talk about the rhetorical inconsistency and stupidity inherent in the claim that Israeli nationalists “are determined to grab everything the Palestinians have…” after a) unilaterally leaving Gaza, and b) constantly making overtures to Fatah to come to the table…**<br />
**And again the propaganda tricks in “reducing them (the Palestinians) to penniless refugees (again)”… who made them refugees in the first place? NOT the Israelis (at least not for MOST of them… see below). Who KEPT them in refugee camps rather than resettling them from 1948 – 1967. Not the Israelis – these people were living in Jordan and Egypt! When did the standard of living RISE for Palestinians? After 1967, when Israel’s pre-emptive and defensive war succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest dreams! Who abdicated responsibility for return of these people to the PLO, even as they made plans to fight for the return of the lands they were on? The Arabs, not Israel – in fact, in 1970, both Jordan, and to a lesser degree, Syria, forced Palestinians OUT of their countries out of fear that they would destabilize things, which is how Arafat came to be based in Tunisia! And where has the world’s significant aid to the Palestinians disappeared since Arafat shook hands with Israel on the White House lawn? Too much of it was deflected into the pockets of Arafat and other Palestinian leaders, leaving the people Palestinian people in need. If you want to claim they are victims, I am fine with that… just blame the real villains for victimizing them…** <br />
<br />
2. Actions such as the assault on Gaza can achieve no genuine long-term strategic purpose.<br />
<br />
**Sorry -- where is the "myth" here?! Mr. Cole jumps right into his Pallywood inspired propaganda shrieking on this one!**<br />
**Opinion, and inaccurate at that, because it precludes any possibility of military success. That is NOT the position of an unbiased reporter, but of a Hamas sympathizer, who KNOWS that weapons caches are routinely stored in the basements of hospitals and schools, launchers placed in the middle of densely populated neighborhoods, and children used as human shields by armed Hamas soldiers and their proxies… all of which make the likelihood of a total Israeli military success in completely wiping out the installation that routinely launch rockets indiscriminately into sovereign Israeli territory slim at best. But such a total success WOULD BE a “genuine long-term strategic” victory.**<br />
**12000 rockets from Gaza into Israel over the last decade. Indiscriminately. But Israel drops one bomb, more carefully targeted than is required (or achieved) by ANY other military, and how quick Hamas is to cry foul… **<br />
<br />
They are being launched to ensure that Jewish-Israelis are the first to exploit key resources.**<br />
<br />
**Again – what resources? This is Gaza, which has virtually no natural resources to speak of, besides 1.7 potential victims for Hamas to use and exploit. And an interesting rhetorical flourish here, that links Israel and Jewish… and in the process, exposes the REAL animus and bias of the “reporter.”** <br />
<br />
Rattling sabers at the Palestinians creates a pretext for further land-grabs and colonies on Palestinian land. That is, the military action against the people of Gaza is a diversion tactic; the real goal is Greater Israel, an assertion of Israeli sovereignty over all the territory once held by the British Mandate of Palestine.<br />
<br />
**OMG – if this wasn’t so damned slanderous, it would be amusing for its stupidity, its inaccuracy, and its creative selection of the LEAST reputable source available to back his point. Further land grabs? Again – Israel LEFT Gaza… the OPPOSITE of land grab. Israel built (lamentably, but understandably) a separating wall between herself and the West Bank Palestinian population, to make terroristic incursions from that territory far more difficult. “Diversion tactic”? One side of the conflict has, consistently, over the last decade, used negotiations and cease-fires as a diversion… to give themselves time to re-arm, recoup, and make new plans for attack. And again, that side has been Hamas, NOT Israel. Trust me, if the goal was a “land grab” to create a “Greater Israel,” Israel would have done so long ago, and no Hamas or Palestinian effort would have stopped them. Who gave back the Sinai in return for peace? Israel. Who unilaterally left Gaza? Israel. Who has tried repeatedly to return most of the West Bank in return for a meaningful and sustainable peace? Israel. “Land grab”? Get real! And Israel has NEVER established “colonies” – in territory won in 1967 or anywhere else – since her independence was declared.**<br />
<br />
3. Israeli hawks represent their war of aggression as in ‘self-defense.’ But the UK <strike>Israeli</strike> [note: in Mr Cole's original, Israeli is struck thru] chief rabbi admitted on camera that that the Gaza attack actually ‘had something to do with Iran.’<br />
<br />
**It was launched after yet another escalation in rocket fire from Gaza. That is not only self-defense, but it is LEGITIMATE self-defense. Clever use of the cross-thru to imply a cabal between Britain and Israel… except virtually every spurious article this clown brings to support his absurd arguments has a British source, which is far closer to the current political reality, at least as applies to the British media.**<br />
**And it is clear that the Israeli response DOES have “something to do with Iran,” since Iran is the source of the rockets currently being fired from Gaza that have now brought Tel Aviv and the outskirts of Jerusalem into range, increasing the number of Israeli citizens in target range from 1 million to almost 3 million.**<br />
<br />
4. Israeli hawks demonize the Palestinians of Gaza as “bad neighbors” who don’t accept Israel. But 40% of the people in Gaza are refugees, mostly living in refugee camps, from families in pre-1948 Palestine that had lived there for millennia.<br />
<br />
**Again, the skillful and deliberate blurring of history… many families have roots in what was originally called Philistia by the Romans, to punish the Jews for their rebellion in 135 CE, but was not again called Palestine, even informally, until modernity, and not formally defined until the League of Nations broke Palestine out from the former Ottoman Empire and awarded Great Britain the Mandate for its oversight in 1920. Some of the families that can make that claim are even Jewish!
However, there is no indigenous people who can claim an ethnic or cultural identity called “Palestinian.” It simply did not exist as an entity, at least not until the Arab countries exacerbated the refugee problem created during Israel’s War of Independence (the ONLY such war in modern history, btw, in which the country declaring independence was attacked by neighbors intent on making her disappear), when the majority of refugees CHOSE to leave their homes at the request of the attacking Arab armies, who wanted them out of the way so they would not be impeded in their presumed march to “push Israel into the sea.” When that did not happen, the refugee “problem” was created, and the failure of the surrounding Arab countries to normalize and settle the refugees amongst their own population created what is today referred to as the “Palestinian people.”**<br />
**Amongst those whose families voluntarily vacated and became refugees was Mahmoud Abbas himself. In recent days, he has publicly and clearly expressed that he would like to visit Safed, the city his ancestors vacated, but he has no claim on returning there to live.**<br />
**Bottom line, however, whatever the origins of the people currently living in Gaza, that does not excuse their inability to elect leaders who will recognize Israel’s legitimacy, or work to bring a peace that would help citizens on both sides. Neighbors who allow rockets to be launched from their territory into the country next door can hardly be seen, credibly, as anything but poor neighbors!** <br />
<br />
They were expelled from what is now Israel in the 1948 Zionist ethnic cleansing campaign. Israelis are now living in their homes and farming their land, and they were never paid any reparations for the crimes done to them.[pdf] “Israel’s failure to provide reparations to Palestinian refugees over the past six decades is in blatant violation of international law.” Israel does not accept Palestine’s right to exist, even though it is constantly demanding that everyone, including the displaced and occupied Palestinians, recognize Israel’s right to exist.<br />
<br />
**On top of the clear evidence above, the opinions sited in these articles are, at best, minority opinions. Every framework towards a permanent peace agreement has made clear that the final resolution to the return question must be negotiated by the parties. Any serious attempt at reaching a negotiated agreement will require compromise and creativity from both sides – for the Palestinians to expect Israel to accept a stipulation that would, on demographic grounds, obliterate her character as a “Jewish state” is the logical equivalent of admitting that they really don’t seek a meaningful peace agreement. And again, see Abbas’ statement about his own personal “claim” to return as evidence that those who refuse to compromise on this issue are creating an invented excuse, designed to be used as a tool against Israel rather than a negotiating position.** <br />
<br />
5. Israeli hawks and their American clones depict Gaza as a foreign, hostile state with which Israel is at war. In fact, the Gaza strip is a small territory of 1.7 million people militarily occupied by Israel (something in which the UN and other international bodies concur). Israelis do not allow it to have a port or airport, nor to export most of what it produces. Palestinians cannot work about a third of its land, which is reserved by Israel as a security buffer. As an occupied territory, it is covered by the Hague Regulations of 1907 and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 on the treatment of occupied populations by their military occupier. Indiscriminate bombing of occupied territories by the occupier is clearly illegal in international law.<br />
<br />
**Now Mr. Cole has gone off the deep end, and is REALLY becoming offensive to anyone. “Israeli hawks and their American clones”?? Seriously? In fact, the US, and much of Europe, define Gaza as a disputed territory, whose ultimate resolution is still to be defined in negotiations, currently being ruled by Hamas, a recognized terrorist organization, with a clearly stated agenda to utterly destroy her neighbor, Israel. It is certainly foreign to Israel. It is clearly in a continuing state of belligerence towards Israel, defined by over 12000 rockets sent from Gaza into Israel at civilian targets – a clear violation of international law and every meaningful morality of western civilization.**<br />
**Whatever its size or population is irrelevant to the state of belligerence its government continues to foster, whether the UN and other international bodies concur or not.**<br />
**Militarily occupied? Again, do I have to repeat the argument? Israel unilaterally withdrew all forces. THERE IS NO MILITARY OCCUPATION!! Bring as many “witnesses” as you want - water will still be wet, the sky will still be up, and the sun will still “rise” in the east no matter what witnesses may claim to the contrary.
Israel has NOT prevented the current elected leadership of Gaza from creating port or airport. I WOULD expect that, if Hamas had attempted such an effort, Israel would have done everything legally possible to blockade the effort, as there is already a steady stream of weapons entering the territory illegally, and to allow more would be a legitimate threat to her security. There is no credible evidence for the claim about preventing exports. Exporting products would add to Gaza’s economy, increasing her stability, which would be to Israel’s benefit, which is why, despite the continued state of belligerence a) Israel has encouraged foreign economic help for Gaza, and b) Israel is the leading conduit for humanitarian aid entering Gaza (NOT Egypt, as would be otherwise expected. In fact, when Israel pulled out, significant amounts of agricultural equipment were left behind, to assist the Gazan economy. That equipment has all been destroyed and repurposed to military usage by the Hamas regime.**<br />
**The claims about Israel’s incursion into “a third of [Gaza’s] land” for a “security buffer” are pure fabrication and antilogical, given that final borders of Gaza remain to be negotiated, if a legitimate leadership ever fulfills the necessary prerequisites to negotiations listed above (beginning with recognition of Israel’s right to exist, and cessation of rocket fire).**<br />
**And, since Israel has withdrawn troops from the area, the claims of Geneva convention violations must no longer be relevant, but that doesn’t stop Mr. Cole and other propagandists from repeating them as part of their “Big Lie.”
As has been demonstrated, here, and elsewhere, multiple times, Israel's carefully targeted, multi-fail-safed targeting of strictly military targets in Gaza is hardly “Indiscriminate,” as Mr. Cole claims in raising his false Geneva Conventions claim. This moves from farcical propaganda to offensive irony in light of the completely indiscriminate and premeditated rocket fire that provoked Israel’s response.** <br />
<br />
6. Israeli hawks see themselves as innocent victims of bewildering Palestinian rage from Gaza. But Israel not only has kept Palestinians of Gaza in the world’s largest outdoor penitentiary, they have them under an illegal blockade that for some years aimed at limiting their nutrition without altogether starving them to death. I wrote earlier:
“The food blockade had real effects. About ten percent of Palestinian children in Gaza under 5 have had their growth stunted by malnutrition. A recent report [pdf] by Save the Children and Medical Aid for Palestinians found that, in addition, anemia is widespread, affecting over two-thirds of infants, 58.6 percent of schoolchildren, and over a third of pregnant mothers. “
If any foreign power surrounded Israel, destroyed Haifa port and Tel Aviv airport, and prevented Israeli exports from being exported, what do you think Israelis would do? Oh, that’s right, it is rude to see both Palestinians and Israelis as equal human beings.<br />
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**Most of the blame for any accuracy in these claims (which is suspect at best), must go far more to the Hamas oppressors in Gaza than to any perceived continued oppression at the hands of a withdrawn Israel. The fact that the (fiction) author here quotes something he himself wrote earlier as “evidence” can hardly inspire confidence in either factuality or accuracy to his claims.**<br />
**Despite the totally gratuitous closing statement of this point, which, to any rhetoretician or anyone seeking truth about this subject, would disqualify the entire content as the biased opinion it is, allow me to answer his rhetorical question which precedes it… when that actual scenario DID play out in spring of 1967, Israel first appealed, through proper diplomacy, to the United Nations, to end the blockade peacefully. When that failed, Israel took the legal and moral step of launching a defensive and pre-emptive strike, which became the victory of the 6 Day War. In other words, instead of launching immediately into attack, or whining and claiming victim status, Israel, at all stages, acted responsibly, and took military action only as a last resort. So, thanks for asking!<br />
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7. Israeli hawks demonize the Palestinian residents of Gaza as followers of Hamas, a party-militia of the Muslim religious right. But half of Palestinians in Gaza are minors, who never voted for Hamas and cannot be held collectively responsible for that party.<br />
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**A big, ironic LOL!! Again with the meaningless phrase “Israel (sic) hawks.” Clearly, the intent of the repeated, undefined refrain is to cast Israelis as hawks, or at least a portion of them. However, the propaganda effect is a) to keep undefined what portion of Israelis are being blamed -- is it just hawks, the government, the entire population? and b) to blur the lines. Compare this to my VERY deliberate distinction between Hamas actions and impact on Palestinians in Gaza. THIS is the difference between spouting propaganda and hiding behind rhetorical tricks to avoid acknowledging a lack of factual evidence, and reporting facts and data.**<br />
**Some in Israel do, in fact, demonize. Most, however simply call what they see. In the last elections, more Palestinians living in Gaza voted for Hamas leadership. No demonizing, simple and accurate reporting. Some even recognize the possibility that most Palestinians are every bit Hamas’ victims as Hamas hopes to make Israelis. NO Israeli defines Hamas as above – that is actually closer to Hamas' fatuous self-definition. Recognizing that he has failed to make any of his preceding 6 points effectively, the author now seeks to exempt the majority of the population from responsibility from Hamas – not by accurately blaming Hamas and distancing themselves, but rather, by spurious legal technicalities. Unlike Hamas, Israelis would never seek to blame minors for anything to begin with. Collective responsibility is a Hamas tactic, not an Israeli one.**<br />
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8. Israeli hawks justify their aggression on the Palestinians on grounds of self-defense. But Israel is a country of 7.5 million people with tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, helicopter gunships and F-16s and F-18s, plus 400 nuclear warheads. Gaza is a small occupied territory of 1.7 million which has no heavy weaponry, just some old guns and some largely ineffectual rockets. (Israelis cite hundreds of rockets fired into Israel from Gaza in 2012; but until Israel’s recent attack they had killed not a single Israeli, though they did wound a few last March when fighting between Palestinians and Israelis escalated.) Gaza is a threat to Israel the way the Transkei Bantustan was a threat to Apartheid South Africa. As for genuine asymmetrical threats from Gaza to Israel, they could be dealt with by giving the Palestinians a state and ceasing the blockade imposed on them, or in the worst case scenario counter-terrorism targeted at terrorists rather than indiscriminate bombing campaigns.<br />
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**Aww – once again the world’s smallest, and most hypocritical, violin plays the martyr song for Palestinians in the absence of legitimate debate. The idea that the rockets fired on Israel are inaccurate enough to have killed anyone in Israel until the recent escalation is here used as PROOF that Hamas innocent of any provocation? What have they done to prevent their towns and cities and homes from being used as military sites to target (however ineffectually) Israeli civilians? Nothing – either because they themselves have been bullied by Hamas, or because they support the actions. At this point, no matter how much I WISH the former to be the case, the evidence does not support a firm conclusion either way.**<br />
**And then the truly offensive slander begins. The comparison to apartheid era South Africa, no matter how attractive to some, or how useful as propaganda, simply fails the test of accuracy and fact. 12000 rockets killed that analogy! The claim of asymmetrical threats is another deliberate inversion of reality – admittedly indiscriminate targeting of Israeli civilians responded to by carefully limited and targeted singling out of military personnel and installations is truly asymmetry. The Israeli withdrawal was designed to allow Gaza to demonstrate its readiness and willingness to achieve peace and statehood – her failure to do so must lie 100% at the feet of Hamas exclusively. To claim that what is Israel is ACTUALLY DOING would be sufficient if only Israel did it is the height of sophistry.** <br />
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9. Israeli hawks maintain that they were provoked into the attack. But actually Ahmad Jabari, the Hamas leader the Israelis assassinated earlier this week, had been engaged in talks with the Israelis about a truce. Assassinations achieved by the ruse of openness to peace talks are guarantees of no further peace talks.<br />
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**The world is still waiting for the definitive evidence on this claim about Jabari. Mr. Cole cites the ONLY article making this claim that has been published to date. The Ha’aretz author had ample reason to self-promote and fabricate his claims in the article for his own advancement and self-aggrandisement. In addition, if such negotiations WERE going on, Israel’s military censor almost assuredly would have shut the story down, at least until after the cessation of hostilities. The overwhelming body of multiply proven and confirmed facts on the man is that he was responsible for Gilad Shalit’s abduction, he was the leader of Hamas’ military arm, and he was the architect of the rocket strategy. The fact that he was targeted and killed in his car makes unlikely that the Israelis used a “pretext” of negotiation as a ruse to expose him to the attack.**<br />
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10. Although most American media is a cheering section for the Likud Party,in fact the world is increasingly done out with Israel’s aggressiveness. Boycotts and sanctions will likely grow over time, leaving Israeli hawks with a deficit…<br />
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**Again, where is the myth here? The only one that I see is the one HE has invented about the leanings of the American media, one which flies in the face of the empirical evidence.**<br />
**Huh? Has this moron actually read American media coverage of Israel, before and during this conflict? And what myth is he exposing here (or for that matter, in most of his screed?)?**<br />
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**Bottom line, refuting the “Big Lie” takes far more effort and ink than making it, and this case is no exception to that truth. If the author has any sincere desire to bring peace, he would do better to shut up, or at least learn the difference between fact and fiction.** <br />
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Juan Cole is a professor of history at the University of Michigan and maintains the blog Informed Comment.<br />
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**If this is accurate, it is truly a blot on academia. I certainly hope his efforts in areas he has actually studied or knows anything about are presented to students more professionally and without bias than is demonstrated here.**<br />
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**Please -- do NOT give this idiot any more credibility that he does not deserve on his own. I have written this blog SOLELY for the purpose of being to post the link on Mr. Rouse's wall, to serve as an antidote to the real damage such reckless reposting of such foolish propaganda spouting can create. Please do NOT send your friends her to "learn the truth." We who support Israel, peace, and the truth are far better served by simply continuing to get the real facts out there, not by reposting crap like this and risking giving it traction by our attention.Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-78180553183705759992012-08-30T10:43:00.000-07:002012-08-30T10:43:22.197-07:00There's Got to be a Morning After -- my response to Paul RyanI know, it happened again, despite my promises and my best efforts... I slacked off...
But the Holy Days are coming, time to gear up again... and after last night, I just needed to work some things through, and get clear on what was really concerning me. On the off chance you just might actually read this AND agree, I share with you now...
The “Truthiness” Problem
A Moderate Rabbi’s Response to Paul Ryan
Those of you who know me, (I hope) know that, while I can (over)react when provoked, as a rule, I try really hard to be measured and careful in my responses and in my use of language. We live in a time in which too many are too careless with their words, and in the process, remove meaning, or cause harm, and make it harder for us to effectively communicate with each other.
I also try to be sensitive to the use of hyperbole, to make sure that my choices -- of words and examples -- are not only accurate in content, but do not inadvertently raise the argument to a level that it could not attain on its own, and does not deserve. Such careless rhetoric not only fails to effectively make the case the (mis)user is attempting to make, it weakens the status of the example for future usage. Babe Ruth was a unique phenomenon of a physical specimen and athlete; every misguided attempt to call the new phenom “the next Babe Ruth” weakened his historical standing.
But what I try to be most careful about is telling the truth. Call me old-fashioned. Call me a fuddy-duddy. I don’t care. As a Rabbi, a Jew, and a human being, I see what the Nazis were able to do in their propaganda war, with what they themselves referred to as “The Big Lie,” and I am not allowed to forget. The sacredness of the memory and lesson of the Holocaust is profound. It is not something to be taken lightly, or for granted.
So when political campaigns become so separated from the truth as to take one’s thoughts in the direction of comparison to the Nazi propaganda machine, by even the smallest baby-step, it is clear that we have an issue. One which can no longer be allowed to continue to slide by, unacknowledged.
And it is nothing new. In the very first episode of his “news show,” Stephen Colbert felt the need to coin a new word to describe the phenomenon. But don’t take my word for it… here is the beginning of the entry on that word from Wikipedia (I know, I know, but note the refreshingly less-than-positive self-reference in the piece!):
“Truthiness is a quality characterizing a "truth" that a person claims to know intuitively "from the gut" or because it "feels right" without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts.[1]
“American television comedian Stephen Colbert coined the word in this meaning[2] as the subject of a segment called "The Wørd" during the pilot episode of his political satire program The Colbert Report on October 17, 2005. By using this as part of his routine, Colbert satirized the misuse of appeal to emotion and "gut feeling" as a rhetorical device in contemporaneous socio-political discourse.[3] He particularly applied it to U.S. President George W. Bush's nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court and the decision to invade Iraq in 2003.[4] Colbert later ascribed truthiness to other institutions and organizations, including Wikipedia.[5] Colbert has sometimes used a Dog Latin version of the term, "Veritasiness".[6] For example, in Colbert's "Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando" the word "Veritasiness" can be seen on the banner above the eagle on the operation's seal.
“Truthiness, although a "stunt word", was named Word of the Year for 2005 by the American Dialect Society and for 2006 by Merriam-Webster.[7][8] Linguist and OED consultant Benjamin Zimmer[2][9] pointed out that the word truthiness[10] already had a history in literature and appears in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), as a derivation of truthy, and The Century Dictionary, both of which indicate it as rare or dialectal, and to be defined more straightforwardly as "truthfulness, faithfulness".[2] Responding to claims, Colbert explained the origin of his word as, "Truthiness is a word I pulled right out of my keister …."
The fact that both the American Dialect Society AND Merriam Webster BOTH recognized it as “Word of the Year” speaks volumes to me. What it says is that, no matter how much the coinage may have been meant to be satirical, it struck a chord of truth and accuracy in the ears of the listening public in a way that no other effort had previously succeeded in doing.
Fast forward to Paul Ryan’s acceptance speech last night. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a registered Democrat. I registered, so that I could vote in primary elections. A more honest evaluation of my political philosophy is that I am, and strive to be, a true moderate. I have voted for candidates of both parties, because I believed in them. I have no problem calling either side out when I believe they have crossed the line.
I voted for Obama in 2012, and proudly announced that it was the first time I was voting FOR a presidential candidate in my life, and not against his opponent. Although I have not been impressed by what he has been able to achieve in his first term of office, I am not blind to the fact that he has done far more than he is generally given credit for, nor to the truth that a deliberate effort by a totally ineffectual Congress bears the bulk of the blame for the failures. As a moderate, I honestly believe he has been neither as good or successful as his campaign is claiming, nor as bad as his opponents would have us believe him to be.
He will most likely receive my vote again in this election (although I do not make public endorsements as a rule, and reserve my right up until the moment I pull the computer card out of the machine to change my mind). But this time, it will be as much or more a vote against his opponent as it will be a vote of confidence in him.
And, in large part, that inability to consider supporting the Romney/ Ryan ticket is rooted in the severe truthiness problem that appears almost every time someone from that campaign opens their mouth. Sure, the Republican platform is loaded with extremist stances that turn my stomach. I respect the right of any citizen to disagree with my opinion – THAT is democracy. I also respect their right to make their opinion known, to work for it, and to act upon it. They are doing so.
What I cannot, and will not abide, however, are words spoken with a deliberate attempt to convey one message, while either their actions, or the historical record clearly say something different. I am not concerned that Mitt Romney has flip-flopped on issues throughout his political career. So has every other good politician. Times change. So do circumstances. Therefore, I question someone who stays tied to a position that has already grown obsolete.
I AM concerned that in this election cycle, neither party has shied away from making statements that they either do or should know to be factually untrue. And I am particularly concerned about one party’s seemingly clear choice to choose truthiness over truth, without much, if any, subtlety.
I share the following from a reposting by a friend of mine, Abbie Banks, on Facebook earlier today:
“Audrey O'Dea said --->>> "Normally I wouldn't be posting Fox News' take on anything. But this time I am, as a display of how badly Paul Ryan lied in his speech. The fact that Fox is calling out the GOP VP pick for his untruths, shows how bad it must be. "Greatest number of blatant lies slipped into a single speech.”””
That pretty much sums up my disgust by midday the morning after. And here is the ironic part – it didn’t need to be this way. As this post from my friend, Julie Silver, also on Facebook earlier today so eloquently makes clear:
“"Late last night, after the speeches were finished, David Axelrod went into his bedroom closet, closed the door and to a bunch of clothes on hangers, delivered the perfect GOP keynote that could topple President Obama. His speech hit all the incumbent's weaknesses, all the stress points with jujitsu accuracy. He offered tough criticisms and thoughtful solutions. And it was all based on the President's record. He did it without a single lie.
Then when he concluded, he breathed a sigh of relief that wasn't the speech that Ryan gave. Not even close. Then he stepped out of the closet, leaving behind a rack of pressed suits who could turn the tide of history if only they could speak." -- Nell Scovell”
The bottom line is that Paul Ryan, like so many others on the Tea Party, right-extreme of the Republican Party have foolishly done before him, took his eyes off the prize. They are so busy attacking Obama, demonizing him, vilifying him, attempting to drive him from office, that they forgot to look at what might be the best strategy to actually get their candidate elected!! Stretching the truth, at times outright breaking it, in the era of the Internet and instantaneous fact-checking, is a losing strategy.
By the end of Ryan’s speech, all the television pundits and the cyber community were buzzing, astonished at the number of demonstrably false statements Ryan gave in a single speech. At best, it was an example of lazy hubris which ought to render the man and his support staff ineligible, in the eyes of a thinking electorate, of surviving as a serious candidate. At worst, it was the Big Lie. There. I said it. Didn’t claim for sure that this was the intent, because I do not know that for sure. But I am willing to go there today, because I have no better way of expressing how outrageous this speech was.
Quibble if you want over whether $716 billion dollars that Ryan lists as savings in his own Medicare Reform Plan are or aren’t “raiding” of Medicare when Obama does it (to pay for “Obamacare,” which is not yet a 4-letter word, despite far too much venom and effort spent to make it so). I am not sure whether that rises to the level of outright lie, or is just a hideous, if all-too-familiar, shading of language.
Accuse your opponent, the incumbent, of walking away from the findings of a congressional committee trying to resolve budget issues. That makes good sense as a campaign strategy if you want to label him as weak in this area. However, when you were a member of that very same committee, and voted against its findings, you kind of lose the moral high ground when the rest of the story comes out, and you should. So maybe you should have picked a different argument. Again, not sure this reaches a level of deliberate truth avoidance, any more than the last example. Which, if nothing else, demonstrates how far we have already sunk away from honest debate.
However, when you accuse the President of being responsible for the closing of an auto plant in the Midwest, and make a personal statement to attach yourself to that community, you really need to make sure that the President was in office at the time the plant closed. And last night, Paul Ryan gave us a flat out lie on this one. The plant he was describing closed in 2008. Obama took office in 2009!
Honest mistake? Possibly, but if it is, it is a huge and bad one. The type for which multiple heads should roll. The type which makes you look foolish enough that reasonable people might reconsider their support for you. However, given the context of the man and the campaign, it stretches disbelief to see it as anything but a deliberate lie.
This is all highly troubling on its own. Coming as it does in the midst of a moment in history in which the richest 1% in our country are both being demonized as never before, but also appear to be making the most blatant power grab in American history, coming from the party whose platform makes clear their support for and from that 1% at the expense of the middle class, it becomes far more troubling. I will not go into how I come to the rather paranoid sounding conclusion I am about to draw in this blog (if I continue to see it happening, I will in a subsequent one, I promise), but, if allowed to continue unchecked, this growing outright class warfare will eventually force an American confrontation between democracy on the one hand and capitalism on the other. Reread that statement as many times as you need to for its significance to sink in. And then try to refute it. Please! I want to be wrong about this. I just don’t believe any longer that I am.
And there is one more troubling element in all of this. There appears to be a deliberately growing “information gap” being displayed and expoited here as it is in many other elements of our daily life. Sure, the talking heads on television, during and immediately after Ryan’s speech, were falling all over each other trying to come up with the greatest volume of truthiness gaffes. They were talking to the same remarkably small, self-selecting portion of the population that chose to watch the speech themselves, and heard the same lies and half-truths with their own ears. And yes, the internet has been abuzz last night and all day today with new and old tidbits (and isn’t it eerily silent from the camp that one would expect should be supporting Mr. Ryan’s words?). But again, this is material that all but the same political junkies are generally ignoring.
However, in the “mainstream” commercial media – the morning television news shows, the all-news radio formats, most of the nation’s newspapers, the places where most of America still get their "news," there was a glaring omission in much of the coverage. Many talked about how the speech “energized” the convention. Precious few talked about the problems of honesty the speech had.
And therefore, those who blissfully ignored the speech itself, who won’t bother to read a transcript or follow on-line discussions about it, may never know that a candidate for Vice President outright LIED to the American public in a brazen attempt to make his opponent look bad, and to get himself elected. And therefore, some of these folks, who, if they did know, might be moved to change their mind about his fitness as their candidate, may never be given the opportunity to do so.
THAT failing of the mainstream media is just as dangerous, just as glaring as the either unwillingness or inability of Paul Ryan to give a speech last night that was honest and truthful. In the words of the folk song from the 60’s, “There’s battle lines being drawn… nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong…” If we cannot rely on candidates to care about the truth, cannot count on the mainstream media to raise the red flag and report such breeches clearly to us, then we have little choice but to see them as on a side not our own. We cannot afford to all be wrong, especially in a battle in which there will be no winners....
Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-85499556887119533172012-01-17T07:28:00.000-08:002012-01-17T07:54:57.024-08:00A "Social Experiment"The founding premise of this blog was that, while it would primarily serve as a posting outlet for my sermons and other written materials, it would also, from time to time, be a source for other material that I found thought provoking or significant.<br /><br />Today, I ask you, my friends and readers, to join me in a "social experiment." And, I admit, up front, this is not up to the laboratory standards for such an undertaking, and in many ways it is contrary to Jewish teachings that I hold dear. But, in the afterglow of yet another powerful MLK celebration yesterday (thank you County Executive Baker and my fabulous clergy colleagues), and in the middle of an even more rhetorically divisive presidential campaign, I think I need the reality check I am seeking with this effort.<br /><br />The experiment seeks to do two things, simultaneously. First, I am seeking to get as bias-neutral a response as possible to the quote below. Secondarily, I am trying to judge how pervasive the bias of labels, names, and organizations can be in a world in which we are still far from the dream of judging "by the content of character" and merit. It is for these reasons that I am NOT sharing either the original source of the comment, or the source from which I received it -- yet.<br /><br />Here are the rules:<br /><br />1. Read the quote below. If you recognize either the speaker, or any organization that has been spreading the quote on-line, please disqualify yourself from public comment either here or on my facebook page, but feel free to send me your private reaction to AskRabbiSteve@verizon.net .<br />2. Without doing any research at all, simply decide whether you agree or disagree, and post a response either here or on my facebook page (since I have over 1000 contacts there, and probably under 50 here directly, I am running this through both places to increase traffic -- I will coordinate the response from both places), that simply says "agree" or "disagree."<br />3. Please do NOT (yet) broaden the responses on either discussion stream beyond a simple "agree" or "disagree."<br />4. If you cannot wait until next week for me to post both the results, and the sources, feel free, only after responding as above, to search out the speaker and the spreader of the quote. If you do, and are willing to share honestly how, if at all, that additional knowledge changes your opinion of the quote, I would be most curious to receive your thoughts -- again, for the sake of the experiment, privately, via e-mail.<br />5. After I post the results of the experiment, we can then have the fully contextualized debate on the merits.<br /><br />Thanking you in advance, and hoping for a fascinating response :) Here is the quote:<br /><br /><br />“Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values… it requires that their proposals be subject to argument and amenable to reason.<br /><br />“Now, I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons., to take one example, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church, or invoke God’s will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all.”Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-19294703019767808162012-01-08T08:52:00.000-08:002012-01-08T10:39:02.785-08:00A Look at the World in the New Year Thru the Eyes of TorahThis past Friday night's sermon was more of a magnum opus than a mere preaching. As some of the side notes suggest, rather than taking on the usual intro the Torah portion, read the text, preach model, this Torah service acted as a single item, with intro and sermon intertwined amongst multiple aliyot to the Torah, which were presented in different modalities. As the text indicates, this allowed a couple of seemingly unrelated "sermonettes" to be offered on different sections of the text, and then, in the end, to have all the material come together to reinforce powerfully a single message. What follows is the spoken text, including the breaks where the Torah text was read...<br /><br /><br />Vayechi – (Chazak)<br />Tying Up Loose Ends, Celebrating Life With Joy and Blessing<br />An Experimental Torah Reading and Explication<br />Rabbi Steve Weisman – Temple Solel, Bowie MD – January 6, 2012<br /><br />Tonight, I want to shake things up a little. After all, it is the start of a new year, what better time to try some changes out. But more than that, I want us to embrace one of the many powerful teachings from the Mishnah that even we, as Reform Jews, should and do take to heart. Rabbi Eliezer taught, in B’rachot 4:4 – If a man makes his prayers a fixed task, it is not (genuine) prayer. If we let our worship become too familiar, too stale, we lose its energy, its vibrancy. It ceases to be joyful – so why should we do it?! We need to maintain comfort… but every now and then, we also need to shake things up, if for no other reason than to keep ourselves honest, and, as we shall see, to allow ourselves to be joyful.<br /><br />So tonight, I want to try out a new model for Torah reading – ironically, with a Torah portion with which we have experimented before. And the model is based on the classic tale from Eastern Europe of Rabbi Judah Loew of Prague and the Golem. Rabbi Loew, a 17th century scholar and religious leader, originally created the Golem, a mud man, as a helper and a guard. According to legend, Rabbi Loew animated the Golem by inscribing the Hebrew word “emet” on its forehead. When secular authorities attempted to destroy the Jewish community, the Golem became their defender, and staved off the anti-Semitic attacks. Eventually, Rabbi Loew was convinced by the authorities that there was no further need for the Golem, in return for which, as a sign of goodwill, he de-animated the Golem, by erasing the silent aleph from its forehead, leaving the word “met” – which means death.<br /><br />A powerful story, and one which lives on still – some see it as the basis for Shelley’s Frankenstein. Others, including some Nazi occultists, searched for the body of the Golem during World War II, in vain (think Indiana Jones!). But a story whose wisdom lives on as well. In a commentary to the classic story, the power of the word emet – usually translated as “truth,” a pretty good animating key itself – was explained by pointing out that the word is made up of the first letter of the aleph-bet, the middle letter, and the last letter.<br /><br />It is THAT wisdom that animates tonight’s experiment for me. Rather than a long introduction of the portion, a reading from the sefer Torah, and a long sermon after that, I want to combine the reading and the explaining. And, since I want to read from the beginning, middle, AND end of the portion tonight, for different reasons, it seemed like a good night to try this. If nothing else, we are giving ourselves an excuse to call extra participants to the Torah, and an opportunity to hear different pieces of Torah presented in different ways – each of which is always, by itself, a good thing!<br /><br />And so, to begin… our portion is Vayechi… the last portion of Genesis, the conclusion to the Joseph saga. When we are finished, as is the tradition, we will join together and say “Chazak, chazak v’nitchazeik,” the words by which we acknowledge the completion of another book of Torah for another year. But this is more than mere formula, more than mere mantra. These are words with an actual, albeit difficult to translate, meaning. They acknowledge that we are blessed to be the recipients of words of Torah, of Divine Instruction, which bring meaning and understanding into our lives. But they also acknowledge that we strengthen ourselves and each other when we come together, as congregation and extended family, to the Torah, and make a place for these Divine Instructions in our lives. And they further acknowledge that we need to leave a little behind, and return a bit to the Torah, so that next year, and 100 years from now, those who come to these words will equally find strength in them.<br /><br />In that tripartite understanding of the meaning of these three repetitive sounding words, we also have a synopsis of what this portion, Vayechi, is about. Taken as a whole, it is about endings. We begin with Jacob making plans for his own end, and getting everything in order for the future. And we end with Joseph’s death in Egypt, leading to the transition to Moses and the Exodus story.<br /><br />And in the process, we not only learn powerful lessons about what matters in the big picture, or at least what should, but we also get a framework for looking at ourselves and evaluating what matters.<br /><br />And so we begin, at the beginning. Genesis 47:28 - 31. And we call…<br /><br />Traditional Torah chanting. Fitting for the message of these verses, as we value the beauty of Jewish tradition. Jacob is looking death square in the eyes. He sees that he is not where he needs to be. He is in diaspora, not safely at home. So he calls upon Joseph, his beloved son, the one he entrusted years ago with checking on his brothers’ well-being, the one who had risen in position to ruling over all of Egypt, with Pharaoh, and the one who was responsible for Jacob being in Egypt in the first place.<br /><br />He puts the responsibility on Joseph to make sure that when he dies, Joseph will take him and bury him in the familial burial cave at Machpelah, back home. Joseph, loving and responsible son, promises. But that is not enough, and Jacob makes him swear a vow, in the same traditional manner that Abraham made his servant swear not to take Isaac from the land when finding him a proper life partner.<br /><br />Ironically, it was Jacob who, when his most beloved wife, Rachel, died in childbirth on the journey home, FAILED to do exactly this for her, and buried her instead along the road where she died. Maybe the guilt from this is the motivation that leads him to insist that Joseph take an oath.<br /><br />For us, tonight, I compare this to a litmus test for whether we are what we think we are. This was Jacob’s way of making sure that what he thought he had taught and stressed in his life would be respected in his death, and remain as his legacy. For us, are we really that welcoming community that is safe and available and open to all… truly, in the words of Micah, a “people’s house.” Are we doing all that we can to welcome the stranger, the newcomer, and make them one of us? Is our welcoming embrace as strong for those who may be a little different from us in any one of a number of ways – skin color, approach to Judaism, marital status, religion, age, physical condition, personal gender or sexual identity, financial status, and so many more – as it is for those who we know immediately are “just like us”?<br /><br />I watched two remarkable videos go viral on You Tube this week. The first was the story, spoken in notes on index cards, rather than with her voice, of a young Jewish teenage girl, who had just “come out” to 200 of her peers at a NFTY Winter Kallah that she was gay. She found unconditional love and support at a regional Reform Jewish youth event that, in her own words, she has yet to find with her own parents (although I have to suspect that if they did not already know, they may have seen her video by now!). <br /><br />The second video, in exactly the same medium of index cards, and starting with exactly the same language as the first, was no less remarkable. It was a response to the first video, from the young woman who had been this girl’s “big sister” at this event, who honestly admitted that before the event, she usually felt uncomfortable around gay women. When her “little” came out, however, she felt nothing but pride, and the same unconditional love for her, and made the second video to ask others to help her create a world where all of those like her little would feel loved and valued.<br /><br />Friends, on this night of checking ourselves through the prism of Torah, theses two videos filled me with a strength and a pride that I do not often get to feel. Our young people get it – we do not need to make them swear an oath to keep our values alive. In fact, they have much to teach us about how we put our values into actions. Chazak, indeed. May they continue to have and show that strength, and share it with us!<br /><br />For our second aliyah, beginning at Genesis 48:13 (and continuing thru verse 20), we call…<br /><br />Our more familiar “read and translate” model here. Again, befitting a portion in which the clear message of the text is making sure that proper understanding is transmitted. Jacob having taken care of the details of his own burial, now seeks to make sure his worldly possessions and values are preserved after his death. He begins by having Joseph bring his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to be blessed, and adopted by Jacob, their grandfather, so he can pass the double portion of his inheritance to Joseph by giving a portion to each of them. Knowing his father is old and frail, Joseph brings the boys before his father, and positions them so Jacob can easily place his right hand on Manasseh, the first born.<br /><br />But Jacob deliberately crosses his arms, to place his right hand on the younger, Ephraim, where it stays throughout the blessing. Only AFTER Jacob completes the blessing, does the text tell us that Joseph tries to correct his father. Jacob, in turn, makes clear that he knew what he was doing, and makes clear to Joseph that for eternity, all Jewish sons shall be blessed through Ephraim and Manasseh – the very same blessing we still use to this day to bless our sons on Shabbat and other Jewish holidays!<br /><br />Powerful messages for us here as well. Many of us participated live in Shabbat worship at the Biennial. Many others participated on Shabbat evening by coming here, and praying along as the service was streamed live and projected on our walls in this sanctuary. Still others participated over the computer in their own homes. Many have commented to me already about how powerful and meaningful they found the worship. I am happy to hear it, but like Jacob, who had to be glad to hear Joseph vow to bury him back home, we know that there is still more we must do.<br /><br />What was it that made the experience so powerful and meaningful? Each of us may have a different answer to that question. For me, it was the sound of so many voices, joining together in word and melody, reaching out for God and towards each other. It was the ru’ach, the spirit of the melodies, as much as the words (maybe even moreso). It was the willingness of people to respond to that ru’ach not only with their voices, but with their whole selves, as many, at several moments, got up to dance spontaneously around the room while praying.<br /><br />And even as I say this, I know that there are likely to be some of us in this room tonight for whom each of those items felt strange or out of place. To be sure, a big part of any such feelings of discomfort was assuredly a lack of familiarity with such behavior, a sense that it was different from what we expected, or needed, or are accustomed to seeing. But a sense of propriety can also explain the reticence of some to dancing during worship, every bit as much as a new melody for the Hashkiveinu can be off-putting to those hearing it for the first time, every bit as much as the wall of sound created by 5000 worshippers might not resonate so positively for someone used to worshipping in a group of 35 – 50 souls, particularly after a long, loud, difficult week.<br /><br />But here is my bottom line, and it is another of the lines coming out of Biennial and playing out in my e-mail, and in the postings on-line of my colleagues across the country. We need to make ourselves comfortable reclaiming joy, and insisting on finding joy in our worship experiences. Yes, we all come into the sanctuary, in the words of the prayer, with different needs. But the truth is, the vast majority do not come into the sanctuary at all! And they do not because they find it dreary, they find it unattainable, they find it unappealing. So why make the effort?<br /><br />While there are many good answers to these concerns that we could give them on an academic and theoretical level, because their hearts are not engaged, our words will fall on deaf ears. If we learn anything from the lessons of the Hasidic masters, up to and including the amazing Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach z”l in our own day, let it be the value of prayer experience that is first and foremost joyous! Let us embrace the desire to participate, in the words of V’Ahavta, with all our hearts, our souls AND our might. Like Joseph responding to Jacob crossing his arms, let us find the value in something different – in finding joy for ourselves, and allowing those around us to find it as well – that might lead more of us to greater appreciation and involvement in the prayer life of our community. In that way, like Jacob’s blessing, we will truly be passing a blessing onto the generations that will follow us, and bring peace to our own souls! This, too, will be a source of chazak – now and in the future.<br /><br />Third aliyah… Genesis 50:22 thru the end, after which we will join in “chazak.” We call…<br /><br />The end, but not really. A point of transition, of changing books and direction. Presented in a new form, one that combines the best elements of the other two presentation models – and does so in a way that should be comfortable and familiar, because we have heard this English chanted here before!<br /><br />Joseph grows old, and is blessed. His time nears to die, and like his father before him, he asks that his kin remember to treat his body with honor and respect. Unlike his own ability to leave and come back to bury his father, he has no guarantee that his family will be treated with the same respect, so he does not demand of them, as his father did of him, instant burial back home. Instead, he promises them that God will take note of them, and eventually allow them to return home, and asks them, at that time, to take care to bury him at home. A new model for a new time. The portion even ends with him being embalmed and placed in a sarcophagus in Egypt – about as non-traditional as we can get!<br /><br />Not to beat a dead horse here, or repeat last week’s message, but I see here a POWERFUL affirmation of who we are and seek to be as Reform Jews. Those who find value in Torah, and Jewish law, and tradition, but not by following blindly the letter of the law, at the expense of losing its intent, not by ignoring the reality that we live in a larger world that changes often, and can also provide value and meaning for our lives.<br /><br />Those who are not afraid to embrace new ideas, and different ways, to achieve the same desired ends, particularly when we can anchor those innovations in the tradition we have received from those who came before us. Joseph waited until his father completed the blessing to correct his crossed arms, out of respect. But he also saw that his reality was not the same as his father’s. He valued what Jacob valued, since he learned from his father. But his circumstances required a different response to reach the same end. He was willing to risk, trusting his family, his fellow Jews, and in God, that his end would be met appropriately, eventually. In the words of Pirkei Avot, “We are not required to complete the task; neither are we free to walk away from it.”<br /><br />The foundation triangle of Judaism, from the time of Jacob and Joseph to today, has been defined by belief in God, embrace of Torah, and connection to the children of Israel. Even today, when some Jews question God, it is still the Jewish God we question. When we ignore Jewish law in our daily life, we know those laws still exist and are Jewish. But when we disconnect from our fellow Jews, we do not still have a safety net of connection in this way. The haredim who see us as treif, and we who see their actions harming Torah and not upholding it, are just one example of the difference at this corner of the triangle.<br /><br />On this night when we have experimented with form, in the end, we have come around in the most traditional of ways, to a place where not only the words of Torah, but also their unorthodox presentation, have reinforced both the message of the text itself, anda w the message we take from it into our own lives. If the first two parts of Torah tonight can serve as chazak for us, then our goal should be to be able to say at the end of this experiment, “V’nitchazeik.” In the reflexive – where we provide for ourselves, or in partnership, for our partners.<br /><br />May our Jewishness continue to reinforce all three corners of the triangle – bringing us closer to God, closer to the teachings of our Torah, and especially, closer to each other. May we find the solution to the Jewish familial lament “Why do we only get together for funerals – for better things next time.” May the choices we make as innovative modern Jews be based in the traditions we have received from our ancestors, strengthening rather than changing our Judaism. In that way, at the end of the day, we can honestly say, for ourselves and all Israel, “v’nitchazeik!” KYRRabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-86796123491092504062012-01-08T08:47:00.000-08:002012-01-08T08:51:37.220-08:00Responding to the Situation in Beit ShemeshNote: My apologies for the sparsity of posts in 2011 -- a very productive but busy year in other parts of my life. I WILL be working to add in the missing sermons over the course of the next few weeks (so check the internal dates on those posts, and NOT the posting dates!), as well as making a better effort in 2012 to be timely in adding new material...<br /><br /><br />I Tawt I Taw a Torah Text!<br />Sermon for Parshat Vayiggash – December 30, 2011<br />Rabbi Steve Weisman – Temple Solel, Bowie MD<br /><br />Tonight presents us with opportunities and challenges. It is rare that I would be absent from this pulpit for successive Shabbatot, except in summer. And in fact, events conspired to make sure that did not happen as planned, although not in a good way, and not in a way that allowed, or even obligated me to preach last Shabbat. So it has been 3 weeks since I had to prepare a sermon – actually 4, since that last service before Biennial was a family service, at which I tell a story rather than preach a sermon.<br /><br />So, tonight was already going to be an evening with too many choices, too many opportunities for preaching. That during the hiatus, we celebrated both Chanukkah and Christmas, attended an amazing URJ Biennial, and more just adds to the possibilities. That tonight marks the last Shabbat of 2011 could easily spark a look back at the year in review.<br /><br />But among the many remarkable and powerful lessons that I learned and affirmations I received at the Biennial, there was one that I wish to share with you tonight. It is the wisdom of a very wise young woman, shared with participants by her very proud father. This young woman, now becoming expert in the ways of various Rabbis as she attends the Bat Mitzvah services of many of her private school classmates (and, no doubt, a few Bar Mitzvah services as well!) across the area, gave her father, President Obama, the following advice before he addressed the Biennial: When in doubt, start with the Torah portion!<br /><br />I have certainly tried to do that whenever possible over the last 23 years. Otherwise, I might have to question the Jewish validity of the message that I ultimately preach, no matter how central to my world view it feels or how obvious it seems. Rabbi Yoffie was correct when he taught us, early in his tenure, to keep Torah at the center.<br /><br />And tonight we have a remarkable piece of Torah to focus our thoughts upon, perhaps one of the 5 most dramatic of the entire Torah. We read of the moment at which, overcome by his brother Judah’s plea to spare the life of Benjamin for his/their father’s sake, Joseph finally ends the charade and reveals his true identity to his brothers. His poignant words: It is me, Joseph; is my father really still alive?<br /><br />Sometimes, as Jews, we focus so much on the obscure and the difficult passages, that we fail to learn the lessons of the obvious ones. I had the chance to study with Rabbi Marc Rosenstein at Biennial. Marc was my Confirmation teacher, the leader, along with Rabbi Yoffie’s younger brother, of my first trip to Israel. Now he directs HUC’s Israel Rabbinic program, teaching Israelis to be Reform Rabbis.<br /><br />Over Shabbat lunch, he pointed out what happens AFTER the dramatic reveal. According to the text, Joseph sends his brothers home to tell Jacob/Israel that he, Joseph, is still alive; to let him know that the famine will continue for several years, but he, Joseph, can provide for the family, and they should come down to Egypt; and that all will be okay. <br /><br />What Rabbi Rosenstein pointed out to us is what Joseph didn’t say and do. Namely “I need to see my father’s face with my own eyes, so I will come back with you, so he believes you.” 17 years later, when Jacob died, Joseph was allowed to do exactly this – leave to bury his father back home. If he could do it in death, why not in life? He could have gone back with his brothers, to make sure Jacob believed their report, to supervise the move to Egypt, and then returned to his responsibilities and position in Egypt with his family. He didn’t. He remained in diaspora, and brought the family to him.<br /><br />L’havdil, tonight, I feel like I am doing a similar disservice to the text – dragging it to the level of my message, rather than paying full homage to its intrinsic messages for us by raising myself up to meet it. I am confident Joseph meant no disrespect to his father by not going up to see him personally to invite him to Egypt in order to survive the famine. Similarly, I mean no disrespect to a remarkable text in using it to lead into my real message tonight – even moreso, ironically, on the night when I have, for the first time, had the privilege of publicly asking birthday blessings for my father in his presence, having helped him to move here earlier in the year!<br /><br />But what it appears we have here is a temporary myopia on Joseph’s part, an almost involuntary, if momentary paralysis. Yes, we know Jacob and his sons must come to Joseph in Egypt… both the dreams of Joseph’s youth and the future needs of the Biblical narrative – that we find ourselves in Egypt to be enslaved before we can be redeemed – require it. But he could have brought them down himself, rather than by sending a message with his brothers, and done no damage to the story.<br />I share that analysis because, I believe, it is essential to understanding a truly difficult and disturbing story that has jumped to the forefront of our awareness in recent days. I speak, tonight, about the abuse, at the hands of some haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) Jews in Beit Shemesh, of a 7- or 8- year old Modern Orthodox school girl for dressing and behaving “immodestly,” and the response to this abomination in Israel and here in America. And assuredly, to get from Torah to the depths of this story requires us to drag the Torah down to this level.<br /><br />However, if we are honest, our gut-level revulsion at this story stems from exactly that truth… we see the behavior of this small group of fundamentalist, extremist religious thugs as dragging Torah, and all of Jewish law and life, down into the gutter. We see it as an utter perversion of the values of love and respect and tolerance that we claim to learn from OUR reading of Torah.<br /><br />However, there is a deeper truth that we have also already acknowledged tonight that we learn from our Torah portion. For us, as liberal American Jews, to understand the behavior and motivation of a group of Ultra-Orthodox Jews living in Beit Shemesh, twice requires us to acknowledge that we live in a different world and therefore have a different world view than they do – first in our religious approach, and second in the larger cultural influence of America vs. Israel. In order for us to fully understand, or understand as fully as our sensibilities will allow, their behavior, which ought to be a necessary prerequisite to any effort on our part to speak out against it, we need to do what Joseph did not… make the journey to their world, in order to help them find their way to ours.<br /><br />And this is extremely difficult, both because of the enormity of the differences between us and them, between here and there, but also because most of us are so turned off by such a story, that we have no desire to make the effort to try to understand those who would behave in such a way. We, many of us who mark our Jewishness first and foremost with the yardstick of social action, prophetic Judaism, the desire to bring tiqqun olam, cannot imagine any way that our religious tradition could possibly justify such inhumanity, such exclusion, such abuse. OUR tradition welcomes and honors; it does not degrade or render others powerless of second rate.<br /><br />Yet, no matter how difficult it is for us to accept, those who are guilty of the inexcusable behavior in Beit Shemesh honestly believe that they are acting to UPHOLD that same Torah and tradition that we see them throwing in the gutter and trampling upon, acting to save Judaism, rather than subject it, and themselves, and us, to ridicule. It is the exact equivalent feeling experienced by peace-loving Muslims like our friends Khalil and Imam Dawud when they are forced to explain the abuses perpetrated in the name of Islam by al-Qaeda and other fundamentalist, extremist, terrorist Muslims, who practice an Islam totally different from their own. I get this, but I do not like it. And that is okay… sometimes in life, this is the best we can hope to achieve!<br /><br />It seems clear to me, to us, that we need to stand up and say and do something. We need to make clear that THEIR Judaism is NOT our Judaism, for it is not. But honestly, we need to do more… because if all we do is make the distinction between them and us, then we are merely protecting ourselves from the claim of guilt by association. What we fail to do is improve an intolerable situation.<br /><br />And the truth is that what is happening in Beit Shemesh is NOT an isolated incident. Ultra-Orthodox Jews across Israel are insisting on segregated buses, even after the Israeli Supreme Court has said they have no right to them, to the point of verbally abusing and assaulting a young Israeli soldier when she refused to move to the back of a bus in Jerusalem. They are refusing to participate in public ceremonies in which women are singing. They have been implicated in attacks on Arabs and on Israeli military installations in the territories. All in the name of Torah.<br /><br />And their political leaders continue to hold seats in the Knesset and in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Cabinet that protect them from investigation and punishment in many of these cases. This, despite many of their religious leaders’ refusal in part or in whole to recognize the legitimacy of the State of Israel, for the failure of Messiah to bring it into being. Yet these same leaders are more than willing to play the political system, extorting millions of dollars and major concessions about their lifestyle through coalition agreements calculated to allow the main parties to have their way in the areas they find most important.<br />In other words, the government of Benjamin Netanyahu has no real reason to resolve these issues with the Ultra-Orthodox, save the possibility that they might recognize the weakening effect they are having on Israeli society as a whole. In fact, they have strong motive not to act at all, letting these hooligans continue to subvert Israeli law, attack Israeli citizens, attempting to create a fundamentalist religious state, ruled by THEIR reading of Torah, and reinstituting a caste system in which we are all second class citizens compared to these haredim.<br /><br />For several years, many of us have been preaching that there was already a cultural war being waged for Israel’s societal soul. And for those years, we have been subjected to responses that we sounded like Henny Penny, running around and proclaiming that the sky was falling. Tonight, I take absolutely no pride that events are proving that I, and we, have been correct all along. The revelation, not of Joseph’s true identity, but that of the Ultra-Orthodox in Israel, rather than creating unanticipated joy, brings continued and growing heartache.<br /><br />It casts a larger shadow over other troubling issues as well. It now seems more likely that the recent effort at using the Internet to reach Israelis abroad and guilt them into coming home to Israel with a series of slick commercials may indeed have had a secondary goal – to delegitimize the Diaspora Jewish community’s voice in general. But where, not even a month ago, we would have been tempted to accuse Netanyahu himself of seeking that goal, as the American Jewish community in particular has become more questioning of government efforts (or lack thereof) toward a lasting peace, now it is clear that his haredi partners had as much or more to gain from delegitimizing the vast majority of Diaspora Jewry whose basis they reject completely.<br /><br />This is why, during the Biennial, I had a rather remarkable conversation with our good friend, Doug Cotler. Remarkable, in that it had almost nothing to do with music, as most of our discussion naturally do. This one was about his growing frustration and concern that we cannot even talk about what is happening in Israel anymore, because the subject no longer unites us, but divides us. Without knowing he was doing so, he echoed language that I have used from this pulpit, comparing the situation in Israel today to what was happening here in the 1960s.<br /><br />So, what can we do? It is complicated, but anything worth doing is worth doing right. First and foremost, we must continue to support the State of Israel, now more than ever. For those who say, again echoing the 60s, that the government must be supported unquestioningly, I remind us all that there was a legitimate counter-point to that approach, that believed that criticizing the government out of love and respect, with the hope of correcting the perceived mistakes, was equally valid, and in many quarters, seen as being more necessary.<br /><br />With the outside world, we need to retain our vigilance, and continue to make positive statements in support of Israel. We need to object appropriately if and when the media use too broad a brush to paint the picture of what is happening in Israel, or compare the behavior of some Ultra-Orthodox Jews to attempts to impose Sharia law, even if we recognize the legitimacy of the comparisons. We need to continue to speak publicly of the values upon which the modern State of Israel was created, those enshrined in her Declaration of Independence, as well as those taught by our understanding of Torah, even as we work privately to insist that the government live up to those documents. We need to work to help her once again become “a light to the nations,” so that once again Torah may go forth from Zion, the word of God from Jerusalem.<br /><br />But, we also need to learn from Joseph. We need to get up from the comfort of Diaspora, and go to see for ourselves what is happening in Israel. We need to deliver in person -- loudly, clearly, and positively – the message of American liberal Judaism, to an Israeli society that now more than ever, needs to hear that such a view of Judaism has equal or greater legitimacy and vibrancy than the only form with which they are familiar. We need to help them to see that the emperor is, in fact, morally naked, and in need of their help to become clothed. <br /><br />That message cannot be preached effectively from overseas, or sent by messengers. It needs to be demonstrated by our example, delivered face-to-face in words that we will all understand, through relationships that will continue to feed the currently unresolved need in Israel for an alternative voice to the Ultra-Orthodox – one that is not purely secular. We are the ones who can best provide that message in this way. It is up to us to do so.<br /><br />And with that, I wish you all a happy Sylvester. If you aren’t sure what that is, or why I do so, please ask me at the Oneg Shabbat! ☺ KYRRabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-30360449584161392892011-10-27T20:20:00.000-07:002011-10-27T20:23:40.267-07:00A New, Dangerous BehaviorThe following is the text of a column I was asked to write for this week's Bowie Blade-News... I am NOT including the link to the video, deliberately, as it becomes a "how-to" guide for the curious... A must read for parents and grandparents with Halloween approaching...<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Halloween is Coming – Parents (and Kids) Beware</span><br /><br />As I watched the television news story that had been sent to me by a professional youth worker within our Reform Movement, my mouth hung open in disbelief. How could something like this be going on without my having the slightest inkling? After all, I have a college freshman and a high school freshman of my own. I spend most of my time off during the summer at two different summer camps, work with our own youth groups, teach our B’nai Mitzvah and Confirmation students. If teenagers are doing it, watching it, talking about, I am usually aware of it.<br /><br />But there, in front of me, was the latest method sweeping through our teenagers’ world – the latest way to get alcohol past unsuspecting adults. And if I was unaware, what were the odds that most of the rest of our area was as well?!<br /><br />Turns out, the odds were pretty good, as a couple of quick phone calls confirmed. My phone call to Chief Nesky, at the Bowie Police, revealed that the police are not only aware of this new phenomenon, but planning their own efforts to alert the public to the danger. But calls to other community leaders, PTSO leaders, fellow clergy, other parents, even to a local newspaper editor demonstrated the need for us to bring this information into the public square.<br /><br />So now, here I am, writing this column, at David Emanuel’s invitation and request, to catch us all up. With Halloween coming. Without creating an undue panic. And without allowing this warning to become a spur to our young people to experiment and learn how to make their own potentially toxic treats. Sure – no pressure there!<br /><br />Especially since the newest receptacles are those cute, colorful, rubbery little snack animals and shapes. They started as Gummi Bears ™, and have morphed into 100s of shapes in dozens of colors – all designed to attract kids’ attention and interest. They are everywhere – and often sold loose in candy stores.<br /><br />Turns out, they are pretty good at absorbing alcohol – they don’t melt or lose their shape. Unless you get suspicious and hold them up to your nose, you are unlikely to smell the alcohol. A couple of handfuls will get you pretty close to the legal limit for driving. And you, your child or grandchild might not even be aware that the candies they are scarfing down have been tampered with!<br /><br />Fortunately, to spike them in bulk requires them to be repackaged afterwards or distributed individually and unwrapped, although I am sure we will hear eventually of truly malignant souls finding other ways to endanger us with these candies.<br /><br />Best advice? Same as we give and get every Halloween. Only accept candy that is unopened, that comes from sources we know and trust. This year, be particularly careful of these gummis. If your child or a friend suddenly starts eating a lot more of them, ask them to share, and sniff before eating, to check for alcohol. And look for those telltale signs of substance abuse.<br /><br />I could write more. But to do so would risk encouraging copy cats, or to make the danger seem greater than it probably is. But our community has lost too many of our young people already, some to deaths that could have been avoided. And therefore, keeping quiet was not an option either.<br /><br />Sad to say – but necessary. Be safe and smart this Halloween season. And make sure that those you care about most are made aware of this latest behavioral trend.<br /><br />-<span style="font-style:italic;">-Rabbi Steve Weisman is the spiritual leader of Temple Solel, the Jewish congregation in Bowie. He serves on the faculty of the Union for Reform Judaism’s 6 Points Sports Academy and Camp Harlam, and has twice been awarded life membership for his work with the North American Federation of Temple Youth.<br /></span>Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499584698433462547.post-56528915566304677742011-10-20T06:11:00.000-07:002011-10-20T14:15:09.205-07:00Rejoicing with the Torah, and Gilad ShalitThe following were my remarks during Simchat Torah services last night. They are a refinement and expansion on my blog from yesterday, and I am indebted to the many who shared their thoughts on all sides of this complicated and painful issue who helped me to define my own.<br /><br /><br />Comments for Simchat Torah (for the start of Yizkor)<br />Rabbi Steve Weisman – Temple Solel, Bowie MD October 19, 2011<br /><br />On Sukkot, we talked about Gilad Shalit. I promised that, if events played out the way they were supposed to, tonight would be a special night. And now, they have.<br /><br />Maybe it was a good thing that I forgot to pick up the lulav and etrog, so that we could not wave them last week. Maybe we needed to wait to have our z’man simchateinu – our season of rejoicing – fully celebrated, until Gilad Shalit was free to celebrate with us. Certainly, as we begin to read Torah anew this year on this Simchat Torah, Gilad and his family begin to live their lives again anew. And so, as Sukkot ends with our celebration of Simchat Torah tonight, we wave the lulav and etrog now. [recite blessing, wave lulav and etrog]<br /><br />After more than 5 years of being held hostage by terrorist kidnappers, Gilad Shalit is now free and at home. He was taken captive on the very first day of our last congregational Israel trip. Because of that, his kidnapping became personal. When our Israel committee offered the chance to purchase dog tags for us to wear, so that he would not be forgotten, I, like many of you, bought one. For almost 5 years, I have dutifully worn mine, anxiously awaiting the day that I could take it off, after his, hopefully, safe return.<br /><br />And so, tonight, with great joy, I bring the celebration of Gilad Shalit’s freedom home to us, as I remove his dog tag from my neck. [remove tag]<br /><br />But tonight is not only about rejoicing with the Torah, and at Gilad’s return home. For on that dog tag, there were the names of THREE Israelis, all hostages, the other 2 taken by Hisbullah from the north of the country. Sadly, both Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev have already returned home. Sadly, because they were not as fortunate as Gilad – they did not return alive. Even as we rejoice for Gilad and his family, we must remember that pain of these losses that is still felt by the Goldwasser and Regev families.<br /><br />And, we must also remember the pain being felt by many other Israeli families on this otherwise joyous day. For Gilad’s release did not come easily, and it did not come cheap. Almost 500 Palestinians, each convicted in Israeli courts of crimes as serious as involvement in terrorist acts and murder, were released yesterday as well, to allow Gilad to come home. Another 500+ will be released in the coming days. The victims of their crimes, and those victims’ families, now are forced to relive their pain and loss, because those responsible for inflicting unimaginable pain upon them have now been set free.<br /><br />Some say the price of Gilad’s freedom was too high. And there is some truth in that. 13,509 Palestinians have been released in 9 exchanges over the last 54 years in return for only 16 Israelis. That is roughly 800 to 1! On the other hand, what price is too high to pay in order to see a son return home alive to his country, his home, his parents?<br /><br />I choose tonight to look at the responses to Gilad’s release. In Israel, these families of the victims were free to file appeals to the Supreme Court, free to ask to have the release of some of the detainees stopped, and in the process, free to risk Gilad’s safe return. Some appeals were filed, but many chose not to file, putting aside their personal pain to allow a neighbor, a brother, to come home alive. The country debated and agonized over a difficult decision. The courts ruled. The prisoners were pardoned and released. The democracy worked.<br /><br />In Egypt, before he could be turned over to the Israelis, before he was allowed the joyous reunion with his family, Gilad was forced to endure an ugly television interview, with an armed Hamas guard noticeably standing right behind him; forced to say that he hoped ALL Palestinian prisoners held in Israelis jails would soon be freed. The man, held not by a sovereign state, but by terrorists, denied due process or even visitors throughout his captivity, humbly did what his captors demanded of him. His interviewer claimed she was doing a fair interview, and said she was unaware of any coercion. No Egyptian official apologized for this last indignity. Even in Gilad’s release, the differences were stark and clear.<br /><br />In Israel, an excited nation rejoiced at the return of one innocent man, and then, after he hugged the Prime Minister and his father, and humbly made a few public comments, allowed him to walk away quietly, to try to return to a normal life. Because to Israelis, the value of life goes beyond simply continuing to breathe. In the West Bank, Mahmoud Abbas, the allegedly “moderate” head of a wannabe nation, led crowds in a raucous celebration of the return of their “heroic freedom fighters.” This is the man with whom Israel is expected to negotiate for peace, who seeks independence for his country not through negotiated compromise and agreement, but rather by fiat at the UN. And in Gaza, a female suicide bomber, alive only by the grace of Allah that her bomb failed to detonate when she pushed the trigger, who, to the way of thinking of those who celebrated her release, failed in her mission, was not only welcomed home a hero, but she encouraged the children who gathered to praise her to follow her example! Again, the contrast spoke volumes. Israel mourned the cost of a single life – Palestinians celebrated the taking of lives, and sought to up the ante.<br /><br />Golda Meir once famously stated that “Until they start to love their own children more than they want to kill mine, there will never be peace in the Middle East.” Rarely, if ever, has the enduring truth of that assessment been more obvious. A democratic state, seeking peace with her neighbors still, welcomed home a single kidnapped son, whose ransom they willingly overpaid, all while grieving anew their previous losses, and thereby demonstrated the importance they place on a life. A totalitarian regime built on violence and hate celebrated the wholesale return of her failed terrorists, lawbreakers and murders, and vowed to take more Israeli prisoners until all the Palestinians were freed, and in the process, celebrated death, and showed how much their own people are merely pawns to be sacrificed to achieve some narrowly defined “victory,” achievable only through the annihilation of another.<br /><br />Let me make clear – despite these comparisons and criticisms, I want peace for the Palestinian people as much as anyone, and not merely because it is essential if Israel is ever to enjoy peace herself. The Palestinian people have the right to self-determination every bit as much as every other person on this planet. And therefore I mourn for ALL the victims of the terror – not just those who died or lost loved ones, but those who are kept from achieving their self-determination by their leaders’ callous use of violence and terror against innocent targets. Only a true and lasting peace that allows all people to live free from fear and with the dignity that comes with independence will achieve the end that I, and so many others, dream of. Only such a peace will allow the families of 1402 Israeli terror victims in the last 11 years [flip the poster over to be visible] to ever have any sense of order in the chaos and doubt that came, uninvited, with their losses. Only such a peace can allow Palestinians and Israelis to live freely.<br /><br />Our liturgy on this night changes from the joy of summer, in praying for the dew of the dry season, to the gloom of the rainy season, while acknowledging that in that gloom come life-giving rains. Our celebration of Simchat Torah moves from our joy of dancing with the Torah to the painful memories evoked by Yizkor. So must our focus on this night change from the joy of celebrating the safe return of Gilad Shalit, back to the hard work of comforting the victims of those released and their families, redoubling our efforts to bring about that peace which will make the suffering end. <br /><br />On this night we remember, and begin the work to allow both the shark and the fish that Gilad wrote about at age 11 to live in peace and safety together, not just in a child’s story, but in real life. Amen.Rabbi Steve Weismanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01875296836759798518noreply@blogger.com0