Traveling to Israel at a Hard Time

Here I am (hineini) in Newark Airport, awaiting my flight to Israel later this afternoon.

It could hardly be a worse time to visit Israel, or at least one might think so.

The last week or more have been highlighted by attacks each day in Jerusalem and around the country—mostly individual Arabs wielding knives against individual Israelis.

Naturally, Facebook has lit up with testimonies about “now you see what we’re up against”, replete with videos of some horrible attacks, as well as some of the rhetoric that encourages them.

My trip is in conjunction with the upcoming World Zionist Congress, being held next week at Binyanei Haumah – the main convention center in the heart of Jerusalem.  I am an alternate in the Mercaz delegation.  (Mercaz is the Zionist Organization of the Conservative Movement.)

Since I’m merely an alternate, I didn’t work too hard to prepare for the trip, although I suspect I may have worked as hard as other average participants – especially having sat on my flight from Columbus looking through the entire slate of proposals to be considered at the Congress.

I know a fair amount about what to expect:  I attended the previous World Zionist Congress about 5 years ago – also as an alternate.  In that case, I was going to be the NEXT President of the Cantors Assembly – which is why I was included.  In this case, I’m one past being Immediate Past President.  Last time, my colleague David Propis got to be the voting member (he was the incumbent President).  This time, it’s Alberto Mizrahi (the current President).

Last time was the first time that SHAS was included in the Congress – and it’s not such a clear thing how that worked out, how it WILL work out.

It was fascinating – sometimes inspiring, sometimes frightening, sometimes maddening – to read the resolutions that are to be presented by various factions from left to right.

Since I’m not at the heart of the Mercaz faction, I don’t know what are the prospects for the resolutions – and maybe they don’t either.  We will meet on Sunday evening and begin our preparations for the meetings, and I’ll know much more based on Sunday evening and Monday.  The Congress convenes for the full delegation on Tuesday.

Here’s the thing I want YOU to think about – to recognize – to remember – to celebrate – to share.  Zionism is a fantastic thing.  This has gotten lost in the reality of trying to deal with a complicated world, a  world which still contains way too much anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.

Here’s what we all should keep in mind:  “The Declaration of Independence [of Israel] states that the State will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the Prophets of Israel; will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants, irrespective of religion, race, or sex; will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture, and will safeguard the Holy Places of all religion.” [from the Resolutions to be presented to the Congress].

How much the State of Israel has succeeded in accomplishing those goals is stunning, miraculous, and worth celebrating.  How far it has fallen short requires us to redouble our efforts to bring this model of saving our people while lifting up our neighbors “up to spec.”

Unfortunately, the loudest voices proclaiming Israel’s righteousness do so with little regard for the imperfections and challenges it faces, and try to shout out the many nasty things said to and about Israel, losing credibility in terms of what Israel does and can stand for.

Simultaneously, there are huge splits within the Jewish communities in Israel and around the world, and many who seek to deny rights to others in their own community.

The breadth of the Jewish world might be summarized in two consecutive resolutions: 

In the Resolutions regarding “A Free People In Our Land” (which is a line from “Hatikvah,” Israel’s anthem), there are, side by side, resolutions from Arzenu, the International Federation of Reform and Progressive Religious Zionists) regarding a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and from Members of the Ohavei Zion Faction, World Sephardic Zionist Organization, regarding The Settlement Enterprise.

The Reform/Progressive resolution notes that “the conflict can be traced back to events long before the establishment of the Jewish State,” that the conflict “has been marked by competing and conflicting interpretations of nhistorical facts,” and that “there are outstanding examples as to how some nations have successfully dealt with such internal conflicts.”  It calls for the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, made up of equal numbers of Israel’s Jewish and Arab populations, appointed by the President of Israel.  Its tasks will include “listening to each other’s narratives,” “recommending measres to the Government that would include means to facilitate the public admission of past injustices that both communities have visited upon the other,” and recommending a process for each side “to accept painful compromises necessary for the sake of living together in peace.”

I think this is a beautiful idea, and we certainly need to foster more conversations – not waiting for the “perfect day” to resolve issues between Israelis and Palestinians.  That perfect day will never arrive – but we can bend justice toward it – and challenge our adversaries to do the same.

The very next resolution decries the government having declared “a construction freeze in Jerusalem, a decision which has been detrimental to the awareness of our right to the Land of Israel.” 

The Resolution calls for the government to “annul the construction freeze immediately and increase construction in all parts of Eretz Yisrael, to continue building in all Jerusalem neighborhoods. . . and to increase the Settlement Division’s budget.”

People like me believe that the government’s acquiescence or insistence (is Netanyahu pushed to do this? Or is it something that he just APPEARS to be pushed to do?) is making a peaceful resolution to this ancient and modern conflict more and more difficult – perhaps impossible.

But I will not allow the bullying of those who think that it “all belongs to us” – just as the Palestinians are justifiably criticized for their maps showing no Israel – to kill the dream – to build a just, Jewish democratic nation and maintain and nurture the rights of others.

Experience has suggested that I’m in the left edge of my Mercaz faction.  The crucial thing is to continue this conversation, to continue this battle.  But it is imperative that we recognize how far short we are of living out the vision of the Declaration of Independence – and how we will fall further and further from it if we don’t engage in this mental, spiritual, emotional – and sometimes physical – battle every day.

As to what’s happening in the streets of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and elsewhere – it’s quite a nightmare.  How will these events affect the Congress?  Do the Resolutions I’ve read today have any bearing on the present and future?  Or are we just walking around planning our own lives while ignoring the lives, being in denial about the lives around us and intertwined with us?

I will write more about that later.

For now, I want to invite you to hope, to pray, to work toward the reality envisioned by Herzl and those who founded the State of Israel in 1948.  Im tirtzu, ein zu aggadah.  If you WILL IT/WANT IT it’s not just a dream, just a story.  But WILL, we have seen, isn’t enough.  It comes with hard work, and a demand for almost infinite patience. 

You may want to defend the government of the State of Israel.  You may not.  But I call on you to engage in not giving up on the dream – and being the biggest part you can be of the Dream Team.

After my recent experience as a "rookie" at the Hartman Institute, I had a chance to give a sermon about some aspects of it. .  . Here's the sermon I gave last Shabbat:

Sermon—July 18, 2015

Tzedek Umishpat

Justice and Righteousness

Cantor Jack Chomsky

From June 30 to July 9, I was privileged to be part of the Hartman Institute Rabbinic Torah Study Seminar – Justice and Righteousness—Personal Ethics and National Aspirations – held in Jerusalem.

I had heard about the annual rabbinic study seminar at the Hartman Institute from many rabbinic and a few cantorial colleagues—always in glowing complimentary fashion.  So I was pleased when the schedule for this year provided an opportunity for me to dive in.

For most of 10 days, I spent over 12 hours a day in study and fellowship with about 175 colleagues from across the U.S., plus a few from Canada, New Zealand and South America.  It was a reunion of sorts for many of them – and for me, too.  I reconnected with people I remember from my days in cantorial school when they were studying to be rabbis, and with prominent rabbis of the Conservative and Reform Movements.  And I met and studied with people active in new corners of Orthodoxy—including the first woman to be recognized as a Rabbah in the Orthodox world. 

What a treat to roll up our sleeves in chevrusa study—sometimes in pairs, sometimes in groups of 3 to 6, to encounter a stunning variety of texts meticulously prepared for us—to hear from a wide variety of scholars—movers and shakers in Israeli and American society—and to challenge ourselves with the question of how to turn learning into doing—for ourselves and for those we serve.

It will take me a long time to unpack the texts and ideas I encountered over those 10 days.  This morning, I’d like to explore one corner with you—a corner that turns out to be extremely timely.

Melila Hellsner-Eshed’s presentation was entitled “Saving the World from the Flames of Justice.”  Dr. Hellsner-Eshed is a professor of Jewish mysticism and Zohar at the Hebrew University, and for two decades has been a central figure in the Israeli renaissance of Jewish textual study, not just in the religious world, but also the secular.

The key question we must face is – what is the proper balance between righteousness and judgement?

Although it’s often impossible to confine one ancient Hebrew word to one modern English word definition, we can mostly be fairly safe in saying that

Tzedek can be understood as Righteousness

And Mishpat can be understood to be judgement

Tzedek uMishpat m’chon kisecha – Righteousness and judgement are the foundation of God’s throne—and therefore the foundation of the world that we want to perfect in God’s image.

What images do you associate with these words

Tzedek—Righteousness

Scales? . . A fist?. . . A blindfolded lady?

Mishpat – Judgement

A judge?  A courtroom?

Sometimes these values can seem opposed.

A classic example from the Talmud:

Mishna Gittin 5:5 says. . .

Rabbi Yochanan ben Gudgodah testified. . . in the case of a beam that has been stolen and the thief went and built it into a large building or palace, its owner can only claim its value in money. 

On this same issue, the Gemara tells us that Shammai ruled that the thief must demolish the whole building and restore the beam to its owner.  Hillel, though, said that the owner can claim only the money value of the beam, so as not to place obstacles in the way of penitents.

Shammai – “I want my beam back.  Until I get it back, there will be no justice.  I don’t care what you have to knock down to do it.”

Hillel --  “If we want a world where people will come to justice, we need to have money damages.  We need to have a way to move FORWARD and not just keep knocking things down.”

As Dr. Hellner-Eshed put it – the whole world that we know is based on stolen beams.

This isn’t a denunciation of the government here or in Israel—or anywhere.  It’s the basic human condition.  We understand that NOTHING really belongs to us.  It belonged to someone else first—or didn’t.  It all belongs to God. 

There are two passages from the world of the Zohar that may be particularly helpful in getting us past the kind of oppositional justice that is too much a part of today’s world.

First --  Two Rungs: Mishpat and Tzedek – from Zohar Vol. III 85b (Parashat K’doshim)

Rabbi Yose said “You shall not do wrong b’mishpat – in judging.

You shall not favor the poor and you shall not defer to the rich:

B’tzedek tishpot – In righteousness you shall judge your fellow.

“Come and see: there are two rungs here: mishpat (justice) and tzedek (righteousness).  What is the difference between them? Well, one is Compassion and one is Judgment, turning each other fragrantly firm.  When righteousness is aroused, it renders judgment to all equally, for it contains no compassion or leniency.  And when justice is aroused, it contains compassion.  You might think that there is justice entirely—but Scripture comes and says b’tzedek tishpot—in righteousness shall you judge.  Why?  Because righteousness does not punish one and forgive the other; rather all of them equally, evenly balanced.”

If Compassion conducted the world alone, evil would go unpunished; while if strict Judgment operated alone, humanity would not survive.

So where does that leave us?  This is a very complex passage, worthy of an hour of study that we’re not going to do this morning.  But there was one concept that came up in this discussion that is completely innovative.  Did you hear it? 

What is the difference between them?  The qualities of compassion and judgment – when properly balanced, turn each other FRAGRANTLY FIRM.

Seeking the FRAGRANCE of justice.  If it’s on fire, it might not be the long-term solution!

The other passage from the world of Zohar is not from the Zohar itself, but another writing by its probable author Rabbi Moshe Di Leon.

This passage quite literally brings light to the subject.

In his Sha’arei Tzedek (Gates of Righteousness), he wrote, regarding Proverbs 20:27 which says “The human soul is the candle of God.”…

“The essence of faith and the root of the holy intention for a human in this world is to serve the Creator, to repair one’s soul (l’taken et nafsho), to be enlightened with the light of the living.”

Instead of tinkering with things, which is probably the way we usually think of tikun olam, he writes, “The secret of faith and the root of intention is that a person in this world be a foundation and seat upon which may rest the Throne on high.  The person is the WICK, and the mitzvot and good deeds are the OIL to prepare the wick . . . so that the radiant light will shine on us so that we will be illumined before the Creator.  The essence of the mitzvot and good deeds that a person does in this world is to prepare the soul and to repair great and good matters above and draw forth upon us the abundant light from above. “

What beautiful imagery!  Leaning upward toward justice.  Instead of beating down on someone to create justice.

I’m sure that justice is very much on your mind.  You’re a Jew.  We obsess about it.  Thank God.  What is justice in South Carolina?  What is justice in who can marry whom?  What is justice in dealing with Iran and nuclear weapons?  I know that you’re hearing a lot of noise and some wisdom about these things.

Let’s try to lean upward, too—and to be sensitive to the FRAGRANCE of justice.

We Jews have sought to make a more just world—from the time of the Torah, to the times of the Rabbis of the Talmud, through 2000 years of exile from our promised land, and in most of the “justice” revolutions of the modern world.

In our own lifetime, we know well the words “If I had hammer. . . If I had a bell. . . If I had a song to sing.”  Too often today, people try to hammer each OTHER with that hammer of justice.

Dr. Hellner-Eshed really raises a crucial point with the title of her presentation. . . Saving the World from the Flames of Justice.  We are in danger of burning things down with the heat we use to pursue justice.

Or as put magnificently by 20^th century Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai:

Hamakom Bo Anu Tzodkim—The Place Where We Are Right

From the place where we are right (shebo anu tzodkim)

Flowers will never grow

In the spring.

The place where we are right

Is hard and trampled

Like a yard.

But doubts and loves (sfakot v’-ahavot)

Dig up the world

Like a mole, a plow.

And a whisper will be heard in the place

Where the ruined

House once stood.

This tells us that we must seek to create the fragrance of justice in places where everything has been swept away – and where nothing is YET growing.

This is the story of our people—whether in the aftermath of the Holocaust—whether in the aftermath of the destruction that we are preparing to remember as Tisha B’Av comes next weekend—or in the swept away places in our own lives.

May we find the strength, the patience, and the wisdom, to lean upward and help to create the fragrance of that kind of balanced justice in our lives, in our community, in our world, in our time.

             Some Thoughts the Day after Shavuot

   One of the nice things I’ve heard in recent years is when a young adult or their parent tells me about their going to synagogue somewhere else, enjoying it okay, but really missing me—because my voice is such an important part of their sense of what synagogue and Jewish life are and should be—or at least have been.  A lovely thing for a cantor to contemplate, and something I understand in terms of hearing the voices of my cantors—Leo Roitman, cantor of my youth at Little Neck Jewish Center, and Ivan Perlman, cantor of my discovery of Jewish life, music and the cantorate at Temple Emanu-El in Providence, Rhode Island.

                I thought of that sentiment on Monday morning this week as I led services for the 2^nd Day of Shavuot.  I recently passed my 60^th birthday, and I’m a great deal more aware now of the idea that my voice won’t be ringing in the Sanctuary of Tifereth Israel in Columbus, Ohio forever—that in 10 years I will hopefully still be healthy and happy – but by that time the Cantor Emeritus, a voice still heard, but perhaps only occasionally.

                The bittersweet moment leaned toward the bitter when I thought about how, at that moment, I thought I was making great, worthwhile and even memorable sounds, but that so few were on hand to share them.  I’ve been doing this for over 30 years.  I’m thrilled to find that I’m very strong physically and vocally—more than I might have expected.  When I studied voice in college, my standard for an “old voice” was Dr. David Laurent, head of the music department at Brown.  I remember that Jon Mills, who was the only person I had ever met from Columbus, Ohio, referred to him as “the belly.”  This sounds disrespectful and mean-spirited now, but seemed affectionate then.  Laurent was a distinguished bass-baritone, and I remember how his voice seemed a deep grey-green to me.  (Living in the Google age, I can pause for a moment’s research and learn that Laurent was a member of the class of 1949 at Brown.  His last full-length recital was conducted in 1987, some ten years after my graduation.  He was a past president of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.  He WON A GRAND PRIX DU DISQUE for a recording of the St. John Passion (albeit in the 1950s).)  Doing the math, it seems that Laurent was probably 49 years old when we gave him the nickname.  The idea that I am still singing strong at age 60 is a surprise to the 27-year-old I was when I arrived in Columbus—not so much to the 50+ year-old I became later. 

                In any case, I felt, this past Monday morning, that it was more worthwhile for someone to daven with me than perhaps at any previous time in my career—the combination of increased knowledge and intimacy with the texts and nusach, along with essentially undiminished vocal capacity.  And I was kind of sad that there were so few present to share in it.

                On Festival mornings, the hazzan (cantor) begins at Ha-el—a paragraph sooner than Shochein Ad, where he/she begins on Shabbat.  And that moment the text has a special melody unique to the Shalosh Regalim—the Three Festivals (if one can say that it’s unique when it appears in each of the ten Festival Days on the liturgical calendar).  On this particular morning, it seemed like more than just singing the right notes.  It seemed like someone who would ordinarily hear me on a Shabbat morning would really experience a sense of the altered holiness of the Festival Day.  But of course, that’s part of the problem right there: most of the hundred or so (we like to think it’s 150, and sometimes it is and sometimes it’s more) who come on Shabbat aren’t present for Shochein Ad. 

                The whole flow of liturgy from where the hazzan begins is a liturgical, musical and linguistic procession that benefits from familiarity. 

                A friend once observed that she was having difficulty connecting spiritually with services despite her fairly regular attendance.  My response was that she ought to come earlier—that the whole experience really fits together better if you’re there from the beginning –or near the beginning. 

                I don’t think that I’ve ever been forgiven for that response—but the response wasn’t YOU should come earlier (or shouldn’t have been), but rather that the experience is deepened and makes much more sense if it begins earlier.

                In explaining to people what we do in services—daily and on Shabbat—I have reduced the experience to “four words that are three words”: ME YOU US US.  ME refers to Birkot Hashachar.  YOU refers to P’sukei D’zimrah.  These sections actually occur prior to when the cantor begins, but they are critical to the depth of the spiritual experience.  Birkot Hashachar expresses 1^st-person thankfulness for starting our day with the amazing faculties we have as humans and as Jews.  This sense of elation is only increased with P’sukei D’zimrah, the series of poetry—especially many psalms and the Shirat Hayam (Song of the Sea) that remind us, coursing through our mind and body as we recite them—of God’s greatness. 

                Equipped with excitement and energy about our personal thankfulness and God’s greatness, we then arrive at the main business of our prayers: Sh’ma and Amidah.  Sh’ma is the first US—that you and I, God, have a relationship.  I proclaim Your oneness and my loyalty to You.  And I express my hope or belief that there will be reward for the good that I bring to the world.  The Amidah is the second US—the one that says that I have such a deep relationship with the Creator that I step into God’s office for a conversation about what’s on my mind.  On weekdays, this involves 19 blessings about every corner of my daily concern.  On Shabbat (and Festivals), we keep it to 7 blessings—as the middle 13 blessings fold down into one that declare the holiness of the day—recognizing that God’s office is closed for business on Shabbat and Yom Tov except for the joyful business of celebrating Shabbat and Yom Tov.

                All of this ME YOU US US happens by about 9:55 a.m. on a typical Shabbat.  Which means that someone arriving at 10:15 a.m. is party to a completely different experience.  Not a bad experience, but one lacking a foundation of deep spiritual joy. 

                So there I was, davening Shacharit on the 2^nd Day of Shavuot, experiencing and sharing the sameness of the procession through the liturgy alongside its differentness.  Same because the words are so consistent.  Different because of the tension between Yom Tov and Shabbat.  Or between this time, last time and next time.  Each time is different.  I think that those who are with us at 9 a.m. or 9:15 a.m. can tell you that.  I could stop and explain it to you, but that’s not how we roll.

                On the two days of Shavuot, we did Full Hallel—as contrasted with the “Half Hallel” we do most of the time.  Each of these days had a strong musical personality distinct from the other.   On the 1^st Day, we prayed in the Chapel.  This meant that anything that the congregation did in consonance or in harmony with me was felt with way above average immediacy.  I chose tunes and tempos that were appropriate to that situation—and it was a super-charged Hallel.  (Thanks, Aaron Rosenfeld, for noticing that.  And Rosa Stolz, for enabling it—being a full partner in it.)  On the 2^nd Day, we were in the Sanctuary—and on the road toward Yizkor (Memorial Service)—as well as the inclusion of a chapter from the Book of Ruth.  These things affect the choices that I make.  I don’t need to stop and explain.  But I hope that you understand the thought and feeling that’s going into this.

                So, as I start to recognize that my voice will be but a memory sooner than later—or at least soner than used to be the case—I start to think about who will remember?  What will they remember?  Will they remember hearing me? What my voice sounded like?  How I helped them find their way into the liturgy through my singing as well as by my teaching?  Or will they just remember that they know that I sang, even though they weren’t there?  Or even though they weren’t there yet?

                Looking back, I remember that Cantor Roitman, my childhood cantor, loved leading our services.  He always seemed to have a beatific smile when he led our prayers, one which drew us (or me, at least) toward him, and perhaps heavenward.  I had no idea what lay at the foundation of what he was doing.  That word, nusach, that refers to the traditions of prayers, modes and melodies, which I have devoted my life to nurturing, preserving and teaching?  I never heard that word until my work in college or afterward with Cantor Perlman.  And I’m upset to know that many people in our congregation don’t know or understand it either.  That although I can be tiresome about preserving and nurturing our musical and liturgical traditions, I’m apparently nowhere near tiresome enough!  I had one irreverent class of 6^th graders who used to sing “Tropes Man, Tropes Man, Trope! Trope!” every time I walked in to teach them the tropes for chanting haftarah.  I think (Googling again) this referred to a 1981 hit called “The Stroke.”  In any case, I don’t think that enough people comment as I come or go “there’s Nusach Man”.

                The point of all of this is not “listen to me.”  The point is that I want to remind you again and again and again that there is a benefit to investing the time and effort to learn and recite the prayers.  To grow intimate with the words and melodies.  But it’s not a simple thing.  You’re not likely to get it by experiencing it two or three times.  Like all deep things, it requires a real investment.  I want to invite you to make that investment.  I feel that I can promise you an almost limitless return on your investment.  We live in a world in which 2% annually is considered pretty fantastic, although we also expect immediate gratification in almost every corner of our life. 

                I can pretty much promise you that you won’t get immediate gratification.  But I think that 500% might be a low estimate for the eventual outcome.

                Thanks for listening.  Please consider listening some more.  And singing along at every opportunity.

                To “amplify,” I’ll be adding some words soon about the prayer recited just before I begin each Shabbat or Festival day – Nishmat Kol Chai.  But I’ll let you come at that text fresh!

Wendy’s – Say “YES – Me Too” to Just Treatment of Tomato Workers

By Cantor Jack Chomsky

Chanukah has come and gone on our Jewish calendar, but our sense of trying to bring the light of freedom in a world with too much darkness continues.  Human Rights Shabbat is being observed in many congregations the Shabbat of December 6-7 or December 13-14 -- and International Human Rights Day is observed on December 10.

There are so many issues for us to consider.  As Co-President of Columbus' BREAD Organization, I am conscious of the new problem we at BREAD have selected -- mental health, as well as some of the problems BREAD has developed into solutions in recent years -- school truancy, restorative justice, discrimination against immigrants in our community.  And my synagogue's observance of Human Rights Shabbat focused in part on the terrible problems attributable to gun violence as we mark one year since the tragic events of Sandy Hook, Connecticut.

I'd like to turn our attention for a moment -- or at least a week or two -- to another justice issue in our community which has national implications.  This has to do with Wendy's treatment of tomato growers.  Here in Columbus, Wendy's has a stellar reputation as a community leader and loveable Columbus symbol.  The late Dave Thomas was, on-screen and off, a symbol of decency and civic virtue.  How sad I was to learn that Wendy's does not have a reputation of fairness or decency in its treatment of agricultural workers in Florida. 

The good news is that a historic partnership among farmworkers, the vast majority of Florida tomato growers, and eleven leading corporations is rooting out forced labor and other human rights abuses from the fields. The Fair Food Program combines a strict code of conduct, worker-to-worker education, a complaint resolution process and market consequences for non-compliance, constituting the most advanced human rights program in the domestic produce industry today. Now, farmworkers are reporting a historic shift in the fields: access to shade and water, an effective form of recourse for abuse, and the first wage increase in over 30 years.

Here in Ohio, however, more and more attention has been focused in recent months on Wendy's unwillingness to join all of the other largest fast food businesses -- McDonald's, Subway, Burger King and Taco Bell -- in agreeing to join the program and ensure human rights for the farmworkers in their supply chain. 

While each of those other corporations has signed on to support the fair treatment of tomato workers, Wendy's has refused repeatedly, even engaging in a misleading advertising campaign to combat allegations about the issue. Wendy’s claims, for instance, to already be paying a premium for its Florida tomatoes, but whatever premium they are paying most certainly is not being monitored by the auditing systems of the Fair Food Program and is not going to alleviate the abject poverty suffered by the workers who have picked Wendy’s tomatoes for decades.

This week, as Wendy’s opens its “flagship store,” celebrating the history of Wendy’s and the values of founder Dave Thomas, I encourage people to join with representatives of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) at the new Wendy’s location (complete with beautiful Wendy’s “historical artifacts”) at 6480 Riverside Drive in Dublin, OH at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, December 16.    We want to encourage them to live up the values that Dave Thomas espoused -- to step out in front, to be a responsible corporation alongside its peer corporations. 

Jews are commanded, according to our tradition, to take care about what we eat.  It’s not realistic to expect Wendy’s to follow Jewish law and make their establishments kosher (although a choice Wendy’s in a choice location could follow that route!) but it IS realistic to expect them to follow decent employment practices—and to refrain from eating in them if they don’t.

This issue has been a nationwide focus for T’ruah—The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, an organization of over 1800 rabbis and cantors.  It is consistent with their ongoing efforts to combat slavery and human trafficking in today’s world.

Many readers will remember Wendy's very funny and very successful "Where's the Beef?" ad campaign of almost 30 years ago.  Lately, they have chosen a "Wendy" character whose smart-alecky approach to her friends shows that Wendy's is the smart place to go.  With just a little effort, Wendy's can do the smart thing and be more worth your fast-food dollar.

Here's to working together to make sure that comes to pass. 

Cantor Jack Chomsky serves Congregation Tifereth Israel in Columbus, Ohio. Co-President of the BREAD Organization, he is also Immediate Past President of the Cantors Assembly.

Interfaith Encounter Association in Israel

A Guest Post -- from Yehudah Stolov, founder of the Interfaith Encounter Association.

I have made Yehudah, and follow and support his amazing work in the Land of Israel.  I encourage you to read/be inspired and support this great work -- and maybe look to connect with them when you visit Israel!

I hope you had a great Chanukah.  Stay safe. . . Jack Chomsky

Now,  heeeeere's Yehudah. . . . . . .

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”  - John Lennon

Inspiring words, aren’t they? Yet we all know that despite the best of intentions, building caring relationships - even with friends, co-workers, family members, or others of our own faith - can be fraught with difficulties. So often we end up talking past each other, or don’t allow ourselves to let down our guard and see things from others’ points of view. And it’s natural to think that if we can’t always speak even to those closest to us, surely a bitter conflict such as the one in the Holy Land must be intractable. I often hear from people that relations within their own faith are so complex and challenging that they simply can’t imagine how people can come to love and respect those who they see as being on “the other side”.

But I am writing today to tell you about how the IEA is making exactly that happen, by cultivating an approach which is truly different, which utilizes the power of religion as a force for peace and compassion instead of conflict. And I’d like to ask you to partner with us by making a helpful financial commitment to our work. Because the dreams we dream together truly are becoming reality.

Many people see religion solely as a source of conflict in the Holy Land, and thus think of it mainly as an obstacle to be gotten around if peace is to someday flourish.  But we believe that it doesn’t have to be this way. Indeed we believe that if religion is part of the problem it must - and can - be part of the solution as well. For some 12 years, we have brought together people from all faiths and cultures - over 8000 so far in 58 ongoing encounter groups - to build lifetime bonds through sharing their cultures, beliefs, and traditions, and by creating a “safe space” for friendly disagreement. This way, any potentially divisive issues are discussed between friends, and that makes all the difference.  As one of our members recently wrote,

“I was overjoyed to see that in spite of the differences and varying viewpoints among the girls, and their diverse customs and communities, there was something truly deep that connects us all to each other. We truly felt like one big family. Thank you so much for the amazing opportunity to get to know them!”

Our groups coalesce into passionate, cohesive communities which cherish the unique identity of each individual, empowering members to make a real difference in their broader social circles. Because we successfully reach out to a very wide spectrum of each population, we are building a true broad-based, popular movement for peace. We believe that without this grassroots component, political efforts cannot succeed. Our growth is proof that religion, which so often is misused to divide and inflame, can also serve as a potent unifying force that helps us to tear down walls of ignorance and fear. 

In 2013 we expanded our activity into several new arenas, such as:

·         Groups for Yeshiva students and Palestinians from areas East of Jerusalem

·         Ultra-orthodox Jews and religious Muslims from Jerusalem

·         Joining of the “Visit Palestine” initiative for joint Israeli-Palestinian mutual visits, as part of IEA

·         Joining the EU’s Tempus project which has already led to the founding of 6 new on-going groups of interfaith encounter so far, one in Sakhnin College and five in Gordon College in Haifa. Two more are expected to begin shortly, one in Sakhnin and one at the Interdisciplinary Center in Hertzlia.

      We are  beginning a new project called “Meeting on the Pitch” which will target at-risk children of all three Abrahamic faiths and bring them together to play soccer in mixed teams with children from other faith communities and  dialogue with them

·       

      Lastly, we have begun an ongoing partnership with the prestigious Fetzer Institute of Michigan to support building inter-communal relations by young adults in the Holy Land.

There’s so much more I’d like to tell you about. If you haven’t seen our 2012 Annual Report which details all of our activities, it can be found at http://interfaith-encounter.org/2012%20Annual%20Report.pdf

Only through meeting the Other face-to-face will the conflict finally end. Your kind support for our work will make it possible for us to continue to bring hope to the peoples of the Holy Land.

Your donation of:

$30 – covers printing and communications costs for one encounter session

$60 – buys food for one encounter session

$100 – pays for transportation for Palestinian youth to come to Israel for an encounter session

$250 – allows us to retain trained coordinators of one encounter session

$500 – covers all the costs for one Palestinian and Israeli Youth Encounter

$1,000 – pays for one conference

$5,000 – can sustain one ongoing dialogue group for one year.

You can now easily contribute online at http://interfaithencounter.wordpress.com/donate/

All contributions are extremely helpful and fully tax-deductible in the US (501(c)3). See http://interfaithencounter.wordpress.com/donate for how to make tax-deductible contributions if you are a UK or Swiss citizen. 

In the US, contributions by check may be mailed directly to: Friends of IEA, 832 Lathrop Ave., Forest Park, IL, 60130-2039

As always, all contributions of any size are very warmly appreciated!

Sincerely,

Dr. Yehuda Stolov, Executive Director

E-mail: yehuda@interfaith-encounter.org

Preliminary Thoughts from the J Street Conference

The timing was less than fortuitous--immediately after the fall holidays.  I mean--IMMEDIATELY after the fall holidays!!!  The Conference began Saturday night -- and Shabbat followed immediately on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.  So Susan and I couldn't go until Sunday morning and missed the apparently stellar Saturday night program

which was headlined by Tzipi Livni, Cong. John Lewis and J Street Founder Jeremy Ben-Ami.  

But our Sunday and Monday were jam-packed with amazing encounters of the best kind.

Perhaps I will blog-post later about in-person appearances by VP Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, a taped message from Ambassador Michael Oren and the address by Martin Indyk, who is directing the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. . . but for now I will share a remarkable series of quotes heard on a few panels -- quite literally from left to right (or, from the Jewish and Arab perspective, right to left?).

Members of the Israeli Knesset from the following parties were represented -- Labor, Hatnuah, Meretz, Likud Yisrael Beiteinu, Yesh Atid and Shas -- along with representatives of various Palestinian factions.  Read that list again: Labor, Hatnuah, Meretz, Likud Yisrael Beiteinu, Yesh Atid and Shas.

2 years ago, socioeconomic issues were of no interest.  Now, people are more interested in those issues than in a peace process.  MKs talk about what the people declare to be important.  What was it that made the economic concerns suddenly the focus of Israeli life?  We don’t know what we did!  If we just sit and watch, nothing will happen.  If we put pressure on, something could happen.  So relying on Tzipi Livni’s optimism isn’t enough. 

                The 2 State Solution is in Israel’s interest for social, political, economic, purpose.  But, maybe more important, it’s the right thing to do.  Don’t minimize that.  This is what it means to be Jewish and Zionist and Israeli.

Stav Shaffir, Labor

What is the meaning of Zionism?  A Jewish and democratic state – and equality of all citizens, regardless of race, religion or gender. 

We cannot tolerate the inequality which has become much too common in Israeli society – 50% of Israelis don’t earn enough to pay taxes!

For the sake of Israel’s future, MOVE AHEAD (Mr. Netanyahu) – we will support you.  The people of Israel will support you.  The world will support you.

Shelly Yachimovich, Labor

I believe that Netanyahu is on the verge “to make history or to be history.”  It’s hard to stress enough the importance of making peace for Israel.  This is the only obstacle which makes it impossible for us to have good relations with the 65 Islamic countries.  The PM should say “I’m willing to establish an Israeli state on the basis of the ’67 borders.”

 

Meir Shetreet, Hatnuah

We are in the middle.  We have to be a majority.  We cannot be an occupier.  In the One State Solution we will not be a majority.  We must be a Jewish nation/state.

Ruth Calderon, Yesh Atid

Either we take 5 million Palestinians from Judea and Samaria and make them citizens, or give them their own state.  I think this is the vital interest of the State of Israel.  Lives are more important than land.  Time to make a decision:  Palestinian and Israeli leaders should reach an agreement and the people will approve it.

Itzhak Vaknin, Shas

Everyone knows we won’t go back to the exact 1967 borders.  PM Netanyahu has shifted through the years like every leader.   I am convinced the Palestinians are genuine partners.  They mean what they say and they want peace.  But if they continue to hold expectation that they will return to their 1948 homes, we’re stuck and cannot move forward.  They have never been able to give me a clear-cut answer on it.  We can have an agreement on Jerusalem.

I was assaulted on Facebook etc. when I agreed to meet with this group “that is seeking to destroy Israel and financed by Iran.”  So I looked more deeply, and I was encouraged by what I saw and how wrong these people were.  You don’t need legitimacy.  The legitimacy you have derives from your love of the State of Israel.  I won’t attend your next Conference because your founder told me that you are going to dismantle after the Solution has been reached and we WILL reach that solution.

Tzachi Hanegbi, Likud Yisrael Beiteinu

I don’t think the main divide is between one or two states.  I think it’s between those who are optimistic about anything and those who feel no hope.  The argument goes as if it’s Palestinian violence that provokes the Israeli occupation and not the other way around.  This whole security situation is a smokescreen.   In my opinion, given the resources and opportunity, Palestine should be among the middle income countries of the world.  Occupation robs them of their opportunity and movement.    The starting point has to be for the Palestinian community to embark on our journey.

Husam S. Zomlot, Exec Deputy Commissioner, Commission for International Affairs, Palestine

It’s important to demonstrate to the Palestinian people that positive steps are being taken.  Not that there are more settlements; more stuff getting worse; but more running water in our taps, more ease of movement for Palestinians.  To leak information that there are some things that the negotiators can agree on right now.  Palestinians feel, otherwise, that their basic human needs are being violated every day.  The Israeli Government and some elements on the Palestinian side are preventing this interaction.  The Israeli public today has no incentive to have contact with the Palestinian public. 

Riman Barekat, Co-CEO, Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information

How do you move from “Start Up Nation” to “Smarten Up Nation?”  In commercial litigation, there’s rarely a good side and a bad side.  There are just competing interests.  It guests resolved either through successful negotiation or litigation: an all-out battle.  Even winning the litigation, you end up with spoiled fruit.  I would like for the Prime Minister to articulate what is the long-term value of peace.  What are the compromises we need to make TODAY to get there?  They are not going to get easier in the future.

Scott Mortman, Former Head, Global Business Development, Better Place

Speaker after speaker, whether American, Israeli or Palestinian affirmed that the 2-State Solution is THE necessary solution -- and it is needed NOW.  It is the only way to assure a secure, democratic, Jewish State of Israel.  We are not always the voice heard most loudly in the Jewish world or in the American or Israeli press.  But we ARE the majority opinion of Jews, and we need you to join with us to make that clear to our elected officials.  To let them know that we will support THEIR support of the two-state solution -- and we must do everything we can to encourage Prime Minister Netanyahu to see to it that these negotiations reach a successful conclusion.

We visited with Congress (Senators and Members of the House) on the very day that the Federal Government was shut down.  Which is another subject.   Stay tuned for more about what you can do to be part of the solution -- and/or visit http://2campaign.org/

Thank you for "listening" -- and Shabbat Shalom!

Jack

Thoughts Before Yom Kippur

Thoughts Shared with the Congregation This Yom Kippur (published in a pamphlet. . . )

Forgiveness on Yom Kippur – Which Direction?

Central to our prayer experience on Yom Kippur is asking God that we be forgiven and asking those around us to forgive us, too.  Rabbi Ungar writes meaningfully above about some of the issues involved in seeking forgiveness, especially from others, as well as our obligation to forgive others.

In fact, forgiving may be at the heart of this whole process, and more central than we typically imagine.  If we begin with forgiving others, we may be much readier or much more eligible to ask for forgiveness ourselves.  The response to the Kol Nidrei prayer is assurance of forgiveness and the phrase Vayomer Adonai Salachti Kidvarecha—“I have forgiven, as you have asked.”

But what about forgiving what has not been asked?  Each of us carries the burden of things we haven’t forgiven.  We think it’s because the act was unforgiveable or we haven’t been asked.  But the burden of it really turns out to be our burden.  Think of something that you haven’t previously been able to forgive.  Let go of it and you will see that it is liberating to you and can bring you closer to the person involved.  Letting go of this canker inside you will free you up to be more generally forgiving, and in a better mood to ask (and hopefully receive) forgiveness. 

For a demonstration, (after the holiday) check out Ikar LA’s I Forgive You on YouTube. http://www.ikar-la.org/videos/ After that, please forgive me.  (I’ve already forgiven you!)

More about the liturgy and music of Yom Kippur. . .

KOL NIDREI:  The paragraph of Kol Nidrei is a legal formula developed by the Rabbis which annuls only those vows which are made between humans and God.  Tradition suggests, for its three repetitions, 1^st softly, like someone hesitating before entering the royal palace; the 2^nd time, a bit more confidently; the 3^rd time like someone who feels comfortable in the royal court and approaches the ruler like a friend.  We will echo this progression by having the first recitation as a solo, the 2^nd with the choir, and the 3^rd together with the entire congregation.  Please sing!

After the Amidah comes the beautiful piyyut (poem) Yaaleh (223).  A reverse anacrostic, it describes poetically the emotional arc of the day.  The prayers Shomeia T’filah (224) and Han’shamah Lach (225) are among those special Missinai tunes heard especially with these passages – and only on Selichot and Yom Kippur.  What beautiful texts – full of yearning and appreciation of the breath of life.  The piyyut Ki Hinei Kachomer (227) envisions God as potter, mason, craftsman, glass-blower, etc – God as shaping creator.   

SELIHOT AND VIDUI: Two highlights of the prayers of penitence (Selihot) are El Melech Yoshev (229) and Sh’ma Koleinu.  The choir’s version of El Melech Yoshev is a very dramatic setting by the composer-conductor Zavel Zilberts (1881-1949).  Conductor of the Workmen’s Circle Choir and others in the 1920s, he was an extremely influential figure in the world of traditional Jewish music.  Our Sh’ma Koleinu (233) melody is from Shlomo Carlebach. 

The Vidui section (234) is the group of confessional prayers which we find in our Yom Kippur and Selihot services.  This includes Ashamnu (235).  Remember that the major third in the ay-ay-ays may sound happy to us 21st century Americans, but in the tradition of Jewish music, this note is meant to imply our vulnerability, our rawness, and our emotional pain in the act of confession.  (I loved this little melody as a child—but what we should love is that we are casting out our sins through confessing them; rather than rejoicing in naming them!)

YOM KIPPUR MORNING: Among the prayers in which the Choir will participate in Shacharit is Tavo L’fanecha (263). The choir will sing Samuel Naumbourg (1815-1880, Chief Cantor of Paris)’s musical setting of this prayer.  This composition beautifully expresses the disappointment of arriving with a full list of transgressions annually, despite our best intentions. 

YIZKOR: The Yizkor service (290) begins with the Choir singing Enosh by Louis Lewandowski.  This familiar text, which is not present in our Machzor, is taken from Psalm 103:  The days of mortals are as grass.  We flourish like a flower in the field.  The wind passes over it and it is gone, and none can even recognize where it grew.  But God’s compassion is from forever to forever for those who fear God; so is God’s righteousness to their children’s children.  Lewandowski’s musical setting beautifully brings this awe-inspiring text to life.  Also heard in the Yizkor service is Gerald Cohen's soothing setting of the 23rd Psalm - Adonai Roi (293).

YOM  KIPPUR MUSAPH: The Yom Kippur Musaph is lengthy in a different way from the Rosh Hashanah Musaph.  On Rosh Hashanah, we had Malchuyot, Zichronot and Shofrot, pages and pages of Torah, Prophets and Writings verses on the themes of God’s Sovereignty, Remembrance, and Shofar Soundings.  On Yom Kippur, the Musaph includes (in addition to the aforementioned selichot and vidui portions) a Martyrology service and the Avodah Service recalling the majesty of the ancient Temple. 

As on Rosh Hashanah, the Musaph begins with the haunting Hatzi Kaddish (298), Silent Amidah (300), Hin’ni (312), and the start of the repetition of the Amidah (313).  The early highlight of this section of the service is the Un’taneh Tokef.  The beautiful lyrical duet of B’rosh Hashanah (315) by Meir Finkelstein will be sung again by Gabrielle Cohen, Halley Dunn, Marissa Madison, Allison Meyer, along with me.  After the Great Alenu (325) comes a significant Yom Kippur insertion: the Avodah service (326) recalling the annual purification ritual by the High Priest in the Temple in Jerusalem.  The MiSinai tune which is chanted to V’hakohanim (330, 331, 332) is reminiscent in its own way of Gregorian chant, which itself may have been an imitation (or later manifestation) of the chant of the Temple. 

MINCHAH:  The Minchah service (361) led by our beloved Jerry Benis is noted for a Torah reading (363) sung in the ordinary Torah chant (as opposed to the High Holiday version heard this morning and on Rosh Hashanah) and the mind-boggling Haftarah (367) – the Book of Jonah.  Maftir Yonah is being chanted by some of our high schoolers this year:  Talia Rozenbojm,Orri Benatar, Micah Goldson, Lily Sline, Aaron Abramowitz, Jenna Rodier, and Gabrielle Cohen.   As the afternoon deepens and we approach. . .

N’ILAH: The N’ilah service (392) provides us with our last opportunity to plead our cause in the spiritual marathon which is Yom Kippur.  The Sephardic hymn El Nora Alilah (407) is sung prior to the repetition of the  N’ilah Amidah.  You will hear two different but related melodies.  The first, for the refrain, is in a western (Spanish Portuguese) style.  The second, for the verses, is more typical of world Sephardic practices and the source of the melody.

The melodies unique to this service create a special sound picture to bind us to the conclusion of Yom Kippur in years past, whether in our lives or in those of our people over many hundreds of years.  The nusach melody of N’ilah is evocative of walking carefully forward as we prepare to leave the divine presence—as, indeed, the gates close before us.  Special unique MiSinai melodies are heard at Sh’ma Na (410), P’tach Lanu Sha’ar (414), Enkat M’saldecha (416), and Rachem Na (419).  Passages on 421 and 422 are quite distinct from the “boilerplate” of the rest of Yom Kippur amidahs.  Who among us would not be moved by these two pages of liturgy?  We hope, of course, that God is also moved!

We conclude the day’s observances with the Ma’ariv weekday prayer (445), followed by Havdalah (459) and the affirmations (429)  of Sh’ma (1x), Baruch Shem (3x), and Adonai Hu HaElohim (7x).  Followed of course by a t’kiah g’dolah and the chanting of Lashanah Haba-ah biY’rushalayim—next year in Jerusalem.  May it be so!

G’mar chatimah tovah—may you have a good seal in the Book of Life for the coming year.

— Cantor Jack Chomsky

(page #s are in Mahzor Lev Shalem)