Free Jonathan Pollard!

This letter was composed by my friend and colleague Rabbi Steven Saks, from Adas Kodesh Shel Emeth.

We, the members of the Delaware Association of Rabbis and Cantors join with the National Council of Young Israel, The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations in calling for the release of Jonathan Pollard. While Pollard actions were clearly wrong, his sentence was disproportionate to his crime. He is the only person to have been sentenced to life for spying for an American ally, the average sentence being 2-4 years. Pollard is now beginning the 26th year of his sentence and is in poor health.

In the interest of justice and compassion we urge you to support Congressman Barney Frank’s effort to have Pollard released from prison. As of now, 39 House Democrats have signed a letter asking the President to commute the reminder of Pollard’s sentence. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,
Rabbi Steven Saks, Adas Kodesch Shel Emeth, Wilmington & President of the Delaware Association of Rabbis and Cantors
Rabbi Michael Beals, Congregation Beth Shalom, Wilmington
Rabbi Yair D. Robinson, Beth Emeth, Wilmington
Rabbi Peggy deProphetis, Congregation Beth Shalom, Dover
Beth Cohen, Spiritual Leader, Seaside Jewish Community, Rehoboth Beach
Rabbi Michael Krammer

Forgot to mention

The URJ's magazine, Reform Judaism, included this blog in their blogroll, specifically my quoting an article regarding college-aged folks' commitment to Israel. You can find that article at Tablet here.

Remembering John Lennon

Zichrono Livracha, may he be remembered for blessing.

Netanyahu slams top rabbis' call to forbid renting homes to Arabs - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

If there was ever a reason to justify organizations like ARZA, this is it. God bless Bibi for speaking on what's right and just, and shame on those so-called 'rabbis' who use their authority to undermine the values enshrined in the Torah they claim to uphold.

Netanyahu slams top rabbis' call to forbid renting homes to Arabs - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

*cough cough*

Sorry, it's a little dusty. You know how it goes: work piles up, it's hard to get around to posting, then you have too many things to post, then it just slips to the bottom of the list, you make excuses...

No, doesn't happen to you? Well then.

So expect a bunch more postings in the next week or two, with some saved up stuff. Stuff on Christmas and the Jews (and why it should be okay to put the Christ back in Christmas), Israel, Gender, possibly something on transformers. And perhaps a couple of articles on Israel that are worth sharing (more specifically, what Advocacy looks like from a left-wing perspective). And, you know, more excuses.

Chag Sameach!

Yeah, it's a repost of my sermon from this past week, but this is how I'm feeling these days.

And this was dialed back from how I was really feeling that day!

The world, The Baal Shem Tov once said, is full of people who in the guise of piety are ready to harm others.

How often we have seen those words come true, especially lately. Just a casual glance at the news shows again and again hurtful words and actions and their results: Increasingly hostile rhetoric on both sides, with ever greater hyperbole fueling a self-destructive national discourse. A loyalty oath for non-Jews, but not Jews. A rash of suicides among gay teens and young adults, followed up by some of the worst violence against gays the city of New York has ever seen, and a political candidate rubbing salt into the wound, insisting that “There is nothing to be proud of being a homosexual. That’s not how God created us” to the applause of rabbis and Jews. And on, and on, until we feel we are surrounded by hate and hateful speech. And while it saddens and angers us when it happens with anyone, I am especially torn up inside when I see fellow Jews, landsmen, on the wrong side, as we’ve seen both with Carl Paladino’s presentation as well as what’s happening in Israel.
This is not how it’s supposed to be. We read this week God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah: “I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, and curse the one who curses you; and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

We are to be a blessing, a light to the nations, as Isaiah writes. How can we bring light, that everlasting fire, as Tolstoy writes, if we are too busy engaging in curses? No, we must find the way to bring blessing again.

There are rays of light. The “It gets better” program that started spontaneously a few years ago from commentator Dan Savage is picking up speed, helping those agonized by bullying, especially in the LGBT community. Our own Reform movement has created more resources against such injustices, and the organization Keshet is asking every Jewish community and all members of every community to pledge to stand against suffering and injustice. But it cannot be enough to let organizations do it on their own, to simply pass along an email or a news clipping or youtube video. We must become advocates ourselves. We must become lights ourselves. We must stand against the speech, against the curses, at every opportunity, and fill that space with blessing. We owe it to those around us and to ourselves to not stand idly by, and whether that discrimination is coming from Jews or non-Jews, to stand against it and for that kindness that brings on wisdom. Then, may it truly be said, that we shall be a blessing. Amen.

The New Prayerbook

Here's a nice article about Congregation Beth Emeth's adoption of the new Reform Movement prayerbook, Mishkan T'fillah. Some parts of it are a bit, uh, Christo-centric (we don't open our books 'from back to front', but from right to left), and one of the quotes gets the patriarchs wrong (see if you can spot it!), but otherwise, it (I think) accurately reflects how a congregation explores the question of how we change how we pray.