Category: culture

The Masks We Wear

Courtesy of Vlad Hilitanu

As we approach Purim, I began thinking about our holiday and our celebration, which includes costumes.

I’ve always thought that Reform Jews needed better uniforms.

In our desire to embrace modernity, we’ve adopted the clothing commonly worn by others, rendering us indistinguishable as we blend into the broader culture.

Our more traditional brethren have uniforms—items that set them apart and make them easily recognizable: payot, kippot, shtreimel, sheitels, long black coats, and other garments depending on the particular denomination. Many of us will dress in costumes to celebrate Purim, but we wear masks as part of a wardrobe that reflects aspects of who we are all the time.

The truth is, we all wear uniforms.  It is easy to identify a firefighter, a police officer, or a member of the military; their uniforms indicate that they are part of an elite group with a specific purpose. Those of us who are slaves to fashion publicly claim we are au courant, while those of us who deliberately choose to rebel against such norms wear uniforms that proclaim we are iconoclasts.  These public displays of identity convey that we are part of a group motivated by pride, belonging, or sometimes even fear.  Are these masks, reflections, or projections?

Does our outward appearance reflect who we are inside, who we aspire to be, or how we want the world to perceive us?  When these aspects do not align, it’s essential to pause and reflect on why.  Why do we present ourselves in ways that do not match our true selves?  Sometimes this discrepancy is aspirational, while at other times it may stem from feelings of inadequacy or a fear of revealing our authentic selves to the world.

I hope my mask is revealing. It shares my identity and signals that I am approachable, an authority, and a source of comfort in whatever way my intended audience needs to see me, while remaining authentic to my true self on Purim and every day.  May we all find the space to be the best version of ourselves.  May we be unafraid to be who we are and grateful for that, even if we aspire to more.

 

 

 

 

Throwing the Baby Out with the Bathwater

A colleague shared ideas in a forum, ending with the words “unrepentantly Zionist and Politically Incorrect.”

He proudly resisted, and while I value his essential work and support as a rabbi, I wonder if he, like many of us, is “throwing the baby out with the bathwater.” Now is the time for nuance, to stand up for our core values, and to eliminate much of the noise that makes those values challenging to embrace. Backlash often lacks focus; now, focus on our values is needed more than ever.

I am a Zionist.  But my Zionism is a belief in identity and rights to a safe and secure place to call one’s own.  It is precisely my Zionism that compels me to understand this same need for the Palestinian people.  Both are true; I must accept the other to validate the one.  Before railing against this, let me reiterate that this modern Zionism is premised on both people having the right to safety and security.  That requires people to be committed to peaceful coexistence, which requires serious and difficult compromises from each side.

Another colleague, friend, and teacher commented on the so-called Black Lives Matter movement. He is appalled by their alliance with radical pro-Palestinian groups that are also anti-Israel. I agree that they have betrayed their righteous cause of equality under the law. This is another instance where a core idea is co-opted, diluted, and ultimately betrayed by those with different political agendas. However, we cannot allow these individuals to deter us from our core belief in equality for everyone and our commitment to working with others to realize the promise of our nation’s founding principles.

Navigating through the fog is a significant challenge, but it is what we are trained to do. Our tradition of Makhloket l’Shem Shamayim, argument for the sake of Heaven,  revolves around how our values are understood when tested under various circumstances. This is precisely the challenge we face today. Whether we agree with our government’s current policies and procedures is an essential but separate conversation; how these impact our cherished beliefs should be our focus.  Our fundamental values of caring, including feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, and caring for the widow and orphan, are constantly threatened, now evermore so.  Therefore, the need to champion our beliefs has never been more crucial.

 

 

Two questions to each of us

 

What do you stand for?

What are you willing to do about it?

Knowing who we are and the values we believe in is the first part of a critical two-step process.  The second step is knowing what you will do to realize them.

Sadly, we have grown accustomed to thinking we have done our part by voicing our opinions in public spaces. We have also shifted responsibility to the government without demanding accountability. However, only by engaging in the work can our opinions become a constructive force.

If you believe in feeding the hungry, for example, giving to a food bank in both time and money will help bring food to those in need.  Advocating for them by reaching out to those in power over the public funds is another.  Merely Saying you are against hunger on social media is a hollow gesture and a waste of time.

Decide what issues are significant enough that you will engage.  Most of us only have enough time to work on one or maybe two.  But in focusing and doing the work, you become a change agent. We are empowered to champion the values we believe in only if we are willing to commit in tangible ways to them.

 

 

What Does God Look Like?

The manger scene of the Baby Jesus swaddled in a Keffiyeh has created much commotion and attention.  Even though the Vatican has removed the display, the consciousness-raising alone means that the image has had the intended effect.

We are talking front and center through religion about the plight of the Palestinian people.

This is not the first time someone has reinterpreted something for their own purpose.  I have seen many iterations of Jesus: white, very white, swarthy, black.  Many religions that have Jesus at the center of their theology have him displayed realistically on the cross, his body cradled in his mother’s arms, lovingly gazing down upon us in a portrait or looking upwards in an icon. As a babe in mother’s arms, as a man spreading the Word, at a bountiful supper, and as a martyr.  And now swaddled in a keffiyeh.  We use religious symbols to motivate the audience toward a vision or narrative.  This is frequently for good and exemplary purposes and too often for malicious purposes.

The charge that this current manger display is Antisemitic is a particular, not universally shared Jewish perspective.  Some deliberately embrace that evil message.   I am sure that was not the intent of the Pope or the Church.  And if the manger is allowed to be a message of hatred, it will have failed miserably in its mission.

Raising awareness of the plight of the Palestinians is important.  Christmas is an essential Christian symbol of God’s love and our hope.  Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards men is the universal message of the extraordinary celebration.

Can this awareness-raising symbol be channeled into constructive forces to promote the welfare of the Palestinian people, who have been victimized for too long? It is time for the people of goodwill to lay down their arms and reach out across the divide to each other.  May love supplant the hatred that has kept both sides at war for too long.  May the promise of Christmas resound in that troubled place of Jesus’ birth so that two people learn to live together in peace and security.

Merry Christmas!

Stop the Genocide-Sue for Peace!

Although there is not a Genocide happening in Gaza, there is devastating suffering and death.

It can be stopped immediately.  Declare peace.  Accept the existence of Israel and Return the hostages.  You can immediately focus on building a State of Palestine, and most of the world’s nations, including Israel, will support the enterprise.   Outside forces of hegemony and oppression (Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah) that have imposed themselves are back on their heels, allowing Palestinians an opportunity for self-determination that has not been seen since 2000 at Camp David.

This is a pragmatic solution.  Israel exists.  Whether you question Israel’s legitimacy will not make the nation go away.  Remaining belligerent only continues the harm to both Israelis and Palestinians.  Negotiations are fraught.  Negotiating requires leaving some things behind in exchange for other things we determine are more critical.  Peace and a Sovereign State would be two extraordinary wins for the Palestinians. Peace is the only way for our children to know something beyond hatred and death.

It is time.

A Prayer for Our Country Before Election Day 2024

Our God and God of our ancestors, with hope and humility we approach Election Day, the day on which We the People will choose the individuals who will govern our nation, our states, and our communities.

You have abundantly blessed the United States of America with freedom, security, prosperity, and the right to democratic self-government.  You made it possible for the founders of our country to fulfill the command of Your Torah, to “proclaim liberty throughout the land, and unto all the inhabitants thereof.”

Daily we pray to You to restore our leaders as in former times.  On this Election Day, help us to remember that in America we are responsible for choosing our own leaders, and that the survival of our democracy, and the well-being of generations of Americans to come, depend upon the care we take in those choices.

Daily we pray to You for knowledge, discernment and wisdom.  On this Election Day grant us those blessings in full, so that we may consider our choices with knowledge and vote with discernment and wisdom, with the best interests of our country and our communities in mind.

Daily we pray to You to subdue the arrogant in our time.  On Election Day, and every day, help us to subdue the arrogance within ourselves.  Open our hearts and minds to consider the opinions of our fellow citizens, as we call upon them to consider ours.

Strengthen our will to fulfill our duties to our country and to one another.  To exercise our precious right to vote.  And to do all we can to ensure that every legal vote is counted, regardless of the candidate or party for whom it is cast.

May it be Your will that our decisions this Election Day preserve this country as a wellspring of liberty and a beacon of tolerance and democracy for the entire world.

And let us say Amen.