Dear Friends,

After the violent, hate-filled march which took place in Charlottesville this past weekend, it has become clear that that voices of hated and intolerance must be defeated by forces of love and acceptance. Among the many public statements made by politicians and clergy over the course of the past several days, this poem contains a powerful message for all of us to consider.

We Will Not Yield

Today,

I am neither Democrat nor Republican,

Neither left nor right nor center.

I am an American,

Born to a legacy of truth and justice,

Born to a legacy of freedom and equality.

Today, I am a patriot

Who will not yield this nation to hate.

Not to neo-Nazis.

Not to thugs self-styled as militia.

Not to slogans or chants.

Not to gestures or flags.

Not to threats and not to violence.

Hate is hate,

Ugly and brutal,

And we will not yield.

Today,

I am Christian, Muslim and Jew,

Catholic, Buddist, Hindu and Sikh,

Atheist and agnostic.

I am Asian, Latino, Hispanic, African American, White, Native American and multi-racial.

I am an immigrant, a child of the American Revolution, A veteran and a soldier.

I work in the dark depth of the mines

And the high towers of Wall Street,

In the factories and the farms,

In our hospitals and strip malls.

I am gay, lesbian, straight, bi, trans,

Man, woman and gender-neutral.

I am young, old, blind and deaf,

Hearing and sighted,

Disabled,

Powerful and unafraid.

Truth is truth,

That all are created equal,

And we will not yield.

Today, I am an American,

A citizen of the United States,

A child of this great democracy,

A child of this wise republic,

Dedicated to liberty,

Dedicated to action.

We will not yield.

—-

http://tobendlight.com/2017/08/we-will-not-yield/

“We Will Not Yield” is © 2017 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com (Rights to share and reproduce the text in full and unmodified are granted on the condition that the copyright line above is included.)

Dear Friends,

“Where are you from?” This is perhaps one of the most common questions we ask to someone when we first meet them, and we are able to answer it with ease. The location of our birth is usually a nice way to play Jewish geography, but it is rarely a core aspect of our identities.

For the kids with whom I just spent a wonderful weekend at Peace Camp, the answer to this simple question was far from simple. In many ways, the place of one’s birth for Jews and Arabs living in Israel and the Palestinian territories often defines their lives. For example, one of the teens answered the question in the following way, “I am a Palestinian Armenian Christian Israeli living in East Jerusalem.”

Unpacking the complexity of the religious, political, socio-economic and ethic complexities of one’s identity was just a starting point for a two week Peace Camp for Jewish, Muslim and Christian teens from Israel.  Join us this Friday night at Shabbat Services to hear their stories and learn about this groundbreaking camp and how it has transformed these peace-minded teens.

L’Shalom-Steve

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, Jews around the world observed a solemn Jewish holiday called Tishah B’Av. According to our tradition, it was on the 9th of Av that both the First and Second Temples were destroyed – first by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and then by the Romans in the year 70 CE.  Jewish tradition further teaches that throughout our history many of the worst atrocities against the Jews fell on Tishah B’Av.

In remembrance of these catastrophes many Jews observe a day-long fast and read from the book of Lamentations, a scroll in which the author bewails the destruction of the First Temple and the exile of the Jews from Jerusalem.

While few of us may have fasted yesterday, our angst and fears about Jerusalem continue to be real for all of us today. Our threats come from within our faith and from forces beyond us.  Internally, the Ultra-Orthodox control of the Temple Plaza and all religious activities in the State of Israel represents a threat to Jews around the world.  Externally, issues concerning the Temple Mount continue to be a real barrier to peace in the region.  These are real concerns for all of us, and they remind us that Jerusalem is and has always been central to our faith.

L’Shalom-Steve

Dear Friends,

Dear Friends,

Rabbi Gross is at Greene Family Camp this week.

Over 20 HCRJ kids are attending Greene this summer. Enjoy these pictures of our kids at camp!

Dear Friends,

On Tuesday, we celebrated our independence as a nation. We spent time with family and friends as a way to honor our nation’s birth. The fireworks that filled the skies were a beautiful reminder of the fact that July 4th is a celebration that unites every American in the spirit of freedom regardless of creed or heritage.

Being one of our only purely American holidays, the Fourth of July transcends faith and culture. It does not matter what one believes or from where one’s ancestors once lived. The Fourth of July invites each of us to rejoice in the story of our nation.

On Friday night, we will celebrate these sacred values during our
services. We will sing songs that celebrate the beauty and joy of American life, and we will emphasize the fact that we must constantly stand up for the core values of our nation so that in every generation liberty and freedom, diversity and independence will be guaranteed to all.

L’Shalom-Steve

Dear Friends,

In this week’s Torah portion, we are presented with one of the strangest rituals in the entire Torah. God instructs Moses to make a copper serpent and mount it on a pole. All who were bitten by poisonous snakes (which by the way God had sent the night before to punish the people for rebelling) could heal themselves.

Frankly, snake idols that heal seem very out of place in our faith and are certainly not at the core of the Judaism we practice today. In fact, it is surprising to find such rituals in the Torah in the first place.

The great Torah scholar, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, suggests that over time our ancestors had grown complacent regarding their freedom and security. By introducing them to attacks from poisonous snakes (which reminded them of danger) and then allowing them to find healing and safety by simply looking at a copper serpent, Rabbi Hirsch suggests that God is trying to generate fear and reverence at the same time.

This story and its commentary may seem strange, but it is not beyond us today to ritualize experiences fear and awe simultaneously through symbolic imagery. Next week our nation will use a very similar technique as celebrate our freedom and our independence with fireworks, a spectacular ritual that evokes far more awe that a copper serpent.

L’Shalom-Steve

Dear Friends,

The American Jewish community has a long history of supporting causes that ensure the liberties of all human beings in the world, and during this past weekend in Philadelphia my sense of pride in our faith’s commitment to human rights was elevated. In the course of three full days, Beckye and I were able to visit three amazing museums: The Museum of the American Revolution, the Liberty Museum and the National Museum of American Jewish History. Each in its own way addressed the value and importance of liberty, and each was generously supported by Jewish families and foundations.

Our faith’s commitment to liberty is not new. It is rooted in a very long history of oppression and persecution which has brutally demonstrated the necessity to defend and uphold the rights and freedoms endowed to all people. On the heels of Juneteenth (commemorating the Emancipation Proclamation) and in the midst of a month in which LGBTQ communities throughout the country are marching in pride parades, each of us has an opportunity to reflect of the value and importance of promoting liberty and justice for all.

L’Shalom-Steve

Dear Friends,

“Youth are not vessels to be filled, but rather fires to be lit.”

This axiom from the Roman philosopher Plutarch is the punchline of this 45 second video clip from a Ted Talk by Peter Benson.

Summer is the perfect time to help our youth find ways to light these fires. Theater, art, dance and sports are just a few of the things that can help our youth find their passions in life, and summer camps and programs enable them to explore things they really care about.

On Friday night June 23, we will welcome a group of children from a Theater company called SPARK. These children will augment our worship with songs from Fiddler on the Roof. Join us for an amazing evening inspired by the passions of these talented students followed by a special oneg in their honor.

Please save the date and bring friends. This will be a very special event.

L’Shalom-Steve