Category: morality

Oseh Shalom

עֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵיֽנוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל כָּל יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵּבֵל.

Oseh shalom bimromav hu ya’aseh shalom aleyn ve’al kol yisrael ve’al kol yoshvei teiveil.

May the One who brings Peace in the Heavens bring peace to all of us here on earth.

~Amen

Lean In

I am reeling from the attacks on my fellow Jews here in the United States. I struggle to understand the apparent fight against anti-Semitism by targeting institutions like Harvard, which seems to provoke a backlash. It appears that Jew-hatred has been normalized enough for these miscreants to heed the words that sanction violent acts. Recent horrific attacks on Jews leave us wondering if we are safe. What should we do?

LEAN IN

I take pride in my heritage, the values of my tradition, and the prophetic call to make the world a better place. I connect with people who share my beliefs, and I also reach out to those who do not. I stand up for what I believe and engage in conversation with others.

I will proudly defend my identity, including that of an American who upholds the aspirations of our founding documents and the struggle for equality, justice, and liberty.

Now is not the time to cower in fear but to realize that many others are like me, seeking a safe and secure world for our children, believing in something greater than myself, and understanding that the “other” is not a threat; they are just someone I have yet to know. It can be scary and difficult to do.

I attend my synagogue.  If you haven’t done so recently, now is a great time to find community.  And there are so many causes that demand our attention, for our charge is to make the world a better place.  It is more important than ever to fulfill our mission.  There is strength in numbers, and besides our Jewish community, we have many allies.

I am a Jew; I am an American.  I fight for the causes I believe in because they are righteous and good.  Join me and Lean In.

Difficult and loving conversations about Israel

I had the honor of moderating a conversation for the New Israel Fund (NIF) at Beth Am Israel, located on the Main Line in suburban Philadelphia.

Our speakers, Rabbi Noa Sattath and Libby Linkenski are dedicated to fostering a shared society that upholds our Jewish values. Our values endure, even in challenging times like these, when they are stressed and tested as rarely before in our history. Indeed, our values are more important than ever for maintaining perspective. Libby shared three points to remember as we navigate these difficult times:

  1. People are not their governments. 

Palestinians are not Hamas. Israelis are not Benjamin Netanyahu. Americans are not Donald Trump. We are more than the actions of our extremist leaders and are not directly complicit in their worst acts.

  1. Don’t defend the indefensible. 

The conflict didn’t begin on October 7, and October 7 itself was indefensible. So is the ongoing assault on the people of Gaza. We can’t lose our moral clarity, regardless of politics.

  1. Two peoples, one land. 

Two peoples have always existed between the river and the sea, and both will continue to exist. Any vision that erases one side is a vision of unimaginable violence. The question is not whether we coexist but how. That’s where the conversation begins—and where it must end.

We must continue working to lay the foundation for a future where both people can live with dignity and security.

 

As we continue our trek from Egypt to Sinai, to Redemption and the gift of Torah,

I am moved by ‘Redemption Song,’ knowing our story is sadly not ours alone and is still unfulfilled for too many.

Last night we gathered for Yom HaShoah, the second while our people remain prisoners, held hostage.

Wishing for Shabbat Shalom

#BringThemHomeNOw

 

Miranda wasn’t a hero What his case represented was heroic

Have you informed him of his Miranda Rights?

It’s deeply embedded in our understanding of the system.

“You have the right to remain silent; anything you say can and will be used against you…” Many of us can even repeat the words quoted at every arrest and in every cop show we watch on TV.

Miranda was somewhat of a lowlife.  He confessed to rape, but that conviction was overturned because the Supreme Court determined his confession was improper.  Miranda was tried without his confession and subsequently convicted.

Protection from self-incrimination is regarded as a fundamental right under our principle of innocent until proven guilty. This right is enshrined in the 5th Amendment, which explicitly safeguards individuals against self-incrimination.  Additional protections also exist, including the right to counsel and due process as established in the 6th and 14th Amendments, respectively. It is the responsibility of the government to prove guilt, not the obligation of the defendant to prove innocence. This distinction makes our system unique and enviable.

We are willing to let a guilty person go free rather than wrongfully convict an innocent individual. This means that sometimes bad guys “get away with it” because we want to protect the innocent. The system is flawed and abused. However, this sets us apart from many other legal systems and is the envy of the free world, limiting the government’s power from steamrolling over whoever it decides to target.  These rights were denied to Abrego Garcia when he was abruptly taken to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.

It is not that Abrego Garcia is a good guy or a bad guy. He has never had access to the protections our system offers. Bring him back into the legal system for proper adjudication. Present the evidence, make the arguments, and let the chips fall where they may. We cannot risk the implications of denying Abrego Garcia his rights; we could only ask, Who’s Next?

Free Palestine

AP Photo/ Jehad Alshrafi

We are witnessing the most extraordinary acts of courage.  Thousands of Palestinians are in the streets demanding an end to the war and an end to the brutal Hamas regime.  Knowing the severe punishment for this act of defiance by tyrants, they are protesting the horrors they endure.

Such bravery is rarely displayed; we must move quickly to bolster this movement before it is brutally repressed and these leaders killed.

These individuals are the ones with whom peace can be achieved.  These Palestinians are ready to fight for their rights with a passion that recognizes the longing for a future for their children and surpasses the ideology that exploits them as instruments of war in support of a distorted Hobson’s choice of endless death and destruction.

We have a vested interest in helping these people by strengthening their voices through aid and security, providing them with a foothold and a respectful path to self-rule with dignity and safety alongside their neighbor, Israel.

Palestinians have been victimized for far too long.  The perpetuation of their refugee status on their land is unacceptable.  These people have been subject to the manipulation of outside powers seeking political regional hegemony and the destruction of the State of Israel.  It must come to an end.  Now.

The United States and countries in the region all recognize the value of peace.  There are Palestinians courageous enough to advocate for peace, even in these incredibly difficult times.  We must support them.

A Statement of Jewish Beliefs

Reform Rabbis and Cantors are signing this statement of Jewish Beliefs.  I am proud to be among them.

In this time of swirling events and governmental chaos, it is important to remind ourselves of our core beliefs as American Jews.  These are some of the values we hold dear and which guide our lives and our actions.

  1. We believe that all people are the children of God, endowed with holiness, all equal in value. (Gen. 1:27)
  2. We believe in welcoming the stranger, the alien in our midst, the one who lives with us. (Lev. 19:33) We are commanded to love the stranger as ourselves.  We are a people of repeated migrations, descended from strangers in Egypt.
  3. We believe in honesty, commanded not to bear false witness (Ex. 20:13, Lev. 19:11)
  4. We believe in listening respectfully, valuing the ideas of those who disagree, and seeking peace. (Avot 1:12, 1:18)
  5. We believe in fairness in business and all transactions: not engaging in fraud, paying workers promptly, honestly representing what is offered. (Lev.19:13; 19:35-6)
  6. We believe in respect for others, especially for the strangers among us, for elders and those less fortunate, and all who struggle. We are commanded not to take advantage of the weakness of others, not to place a stumbling block before the blind. (Lev. 19:32; 19:14)  We feel it is important to engage in acts of kindness and believe that we are in relationship with all people and should behave with compassion and empathy. (Avot 1:2)
  7. We call what we give to others tzedakah, giving based on justice. We believe in the importance of compassion, but what we give to others in need is based on seeking justice in society.
  8. We believe in knowledge and the exchange of ideas, including minority viewpoints. We value learning and the advancement of knowledge, in science, in literature, sacred and secular. (Avot 1:16)
  9. We believe in respecting and caring for our world, for tending the land and acting as dedicated stewards. (Gen 1:29-30 and Lev. 19:23 ff.)
  • We cherish the religious freedom in the United States and celebrate the diversity of beliefs and practices in our country. We deeply value the American Constitutional guarantees separating religion and state that have made possible the flourishing of all religions in our country.

 

How do you deal with an enemy that won’t capitulate?

The end of World War 2 came at a significant human cost.  Eisenhower continued to bomb cities in Germany so that the Germans knew with certainty they had lost.  Not one, but two atomic bombs were dropped on Japanese cities, unleashing their death and destruction.  And yet many did not put down their arms.  5,000 Japanese soldiers refused to surrender at the war’s conclusion, remaining loyal to their oath to the Emperor, the deeply ingrained values of Bushido, emphasis on honor, and self-sacrifice at their core.

Shouichi Yokoi courtesy of Wikipedia

The most famous among them was Shoichi Yokoi, who returned to Japan from Guam in 1972, 27 years after the war’s end.  He is quoted as saying, “It is with much embarrassment that I return.” (Smithsonian Magazine; https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-japanese-wwii-soldier-who-refused-to-surrender-for-27-years-180979431/)

There may be invaluable lessons from the Japanese fighters who held out even after the war ended when dealing with Hamas.

To understand the fighters loyal to Hamas, we must understand the profound philosophical, existential commitment to the idea of fighting to regain the land perceived as stolen.  Leaders with bona fides that these Hamas fighters will respect must arise and offer a different path forward.  This can initiate a process where, eventually, those committed to Israel’s obliteration will be overcome by those committed to a peace wherein both sides live in safety and security, side by side.

The sheer brutality of the current war in Gaza would, under normal circumstances, make any leader want to stop the suffering of the people and compromise in the name of peace.  However, Hamas is not normal circumstances.  The human suffering they use in the service of their ideology is perfectly acceptable to them and is, in point of fact, one of the weapons they have employed in dealing with the Palestinians and the hostages.

Similarly, the hatred on the Israeli side of the equation is equally brutal.  The invasion of October 7 was viscerally felt as an existential moment.  Hatred and the desire for revenge only build with the cynical bargaining chip that is the hostages.  As those lives hang in the balance, Israelis must also find courageous leaders to lead their people to peace.

One of the few things made clear is the current situation is a meat grinder consuming human victims with impunity.  This is morally and ethically reprehensible.  Moderating voices must arise to quell this war machine and find a better path forward.

There will be those who see victory only as the destruction and capitulation of the enemy. It is an unrealistic goal.  The price is astronomically high in lives lost and is ultimately unachievable.  These ideologues and zealots must be marginalized.  It may take generations for this view of the world to fade away, and only with perseverance and strength can we support those seeking a way forward that can permit a peaceful coexistence to form.

 

Shabbat Shalom

The traveler’s prayer is shared as we embark on a journey hoping:

May it be Your will that You should lead us in peace and direct our steps in peace, and guide us in peace, and support us in peace, and cause us to reach our destination in life, joy, and peace.

This Shabbat lets pray that our journey might be so and that our destination itself is Peace.

Shabbat Shalom

Thanks to the gifted Marni Loffman.