Our recent European adventure had the added delight that our daughter and her fiancé came with us for the cruise section of the trip. They live in Israel, so we do not see them very often. In fact we were looking forward to getting to know our future son-in-law a bit better.
Standing behind Rabbi Cukierkorn
The board of directors and congregants of Temple Israel of Greater Kansas City stand behind our rabbi, Jacques Cukierkorn. He has been a steady, strong and inspirational leader since our founding four years ago. We appreciate him and his family for staying with us when it would have been easier, in many respects, for them to leave. Our congregation’s warmth and inclusiveness owes much to Rabbi Cukierkorn’s values and leadership. We look forward to his service as our rabbi for many years to come.
So, what exactly is your background?”
“Both of your parents aren’t Jewish, are they?”
“Wait, so you’re just like a Jewish Barack Obama!”
Growing up as a half-black and half-white person who is also Jewish definitely raised some interesting questions and responses upon “revealing” my identity to my friends.
The recent bout of commentaries on fighting anti-Semitism fall far short of what needs to be done.
We Jews need to proactively address the critical problem of anti-Semitism. In his wisdom, Rabbi Hillel asked three questions: “If I am not for me, who will be for me? If I am for myself only, what am I? If not now, when?”
Recently, the Israeli consul, based in Chicago and the German consul met at the Jewish Community Campus. They discussed the diplomatic relationship between their respective countries which was established in 1965. They agreed that Germany is a strong supporter of Israel. It was an event not to be missed. Thanks to the Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee CRB for presenting the discussion.
“Drawn From Water: An American Poet, An Ethiopian Family, An Israeli Story” by Dina Elenbogen. (BkMk Press, 2015.)
In the past few months the problems facing Ethiopian Jews in Israel have been regularly in the headlines. An Israeli policeman beat an Ethiopian-Israeli soldier, and his actions were caught on video. Hundreds of Ethiopian Israelis began protesting in Tel Aviv, calling attention to Israel’s biased treatment of its Ethiopian citizens. Like African-Americans in the U.S., Ethiopian-Israelis primarily live in low-income housing. Few of them have been given college opportunities. A large percentage of Ethiopian Jewish men are in prisons. Dina Elenbogen’s memoir of her friendship with some Ethiopian families over 25 years presents readers with a more nuanced view of the experiences of Ethiopian immigrants to the Holy Land.
Over the years Chronicle contributing reviewer Andrea Kempf has reviewed several books about Jews of Iraq. The list below may whet the appetite for the subject for those planning to visit the exhibition “Discovery and Recovery: Preserving Iraqi Jewish Heritage” currently on display at the National Archives through Aug. 15, or may be of interest to those who want to learn more about this Jewish community. Viewing hours for the exhibition, which is free and open to the public, are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Dear Mr. Prime Minister:
When you were a guest of the United States Congress in March, you insisted that the American Congress listen and respond to the words of Iranian leaders that threaten the State of Israel. You were adamant that we take words seriously.
Don’t ever run again
Rabbi Levin’s article in The Jewish Chronicle’s July 2 edition provides an important consideration of Judaic pluralism. It brought to mind a short tale told by Rabbi Margolies, ohav shalom, known in this community for his forceful initiation and subsequent fostering of the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy. He tells the story of his village Kiryat Moshe Montfiore (now in Israel) in 1929 when it was suddenly surrounded by Arabs.
As a youngster of 8 years of age, he remarked, “We had to make a run for it, from our house into the interior of the village on foot. {mprestriction ids="1,3"}As we were running, an aged neighbor, 73 years old, Chayah Dvorah was her name, drew up alongside. I loved her very dearly, and I wanted to make sure that we both made it. But the old woman was felled by a bullet as she ran. As she lay there, bleeding to death, I bent over her, I said: (in Hebrew), ‘What is the matter, grandma?’ I did not understand what was taking place. She said: ‘Nothing is the matter, my child, I am dying, but before I die, I want you to remember this.’ And what she said I will never forget: ‘You must promise me, my child, that from now on you will stop running. Don’t ever run again.’ This wonderful septuagenarian bespoke the spirit of the entire Jewish people in the land of Palestine, as was later to be demonstrated.”
Were I to add to the words of Chayah Dvorah, I would say:
Don’t ever run again, and don’t ever run against each other.
As Rabbi Friedman of the Torah Learning Center recently remarked, using the words of the late Hasidic Rebbe, we are all affiliated Jews of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Harris Winitz
Kansas City, Missouri
Stakes are too high
It has become increasingly apparent that President Obama is no friend of Israel. To counter this view, Obama’s Jewish defenders have used favorable quotes from Michael Oren, who was constrained by diplomatic niceties when he was the ambassador from Israel. Now that Oren is no longer ambassador, he is able to reveal in his book “Ally” what really happened in his intimate, direct dealings with the administration.
In the face of the now overwhelming evidence against Obama, Rabbi Rick Shapiro attempts a defense in his letter (July 2). Rabbi Shapiro offers no facts to support his claim. So he tries to discredit Oren by associating him with an unnamed “political establishment” that had been “vilifying President Obama and his family.” Apparently, disagreeing with Obama’s disastrous moves means that you are personally attacking not only Obama, but also “his family.” And Oren’s agreement with those who disagree with Obama nullifies Oren’s first-hand experiences with the Administration. Rabbi Shapiro does not mention that Oren taught at such right-wing institutions as Harvard and Yale, was known to battle with Netanyahu over settlement policies, and publicly opposed the war in Iraq.
Rabbi Shapiro claims Dan Shapiro and John Kerry would be better sources of information. Both of them happen to work for Obama.
In order to defend Obama and reduce his cognitive dissonance, Rabbi Shapiro must ignore the facts. It would be nice if Shapiro was as emotional about the security of Israel as he is in defending Obama. The rest of us need to be more objective. With Israel’s existence on the line, the stakes are too high.
Jeff Horen
Overland Park, Kansas{/mprestriction}
No one lives by biblical law. No one. If they did men would be allowed to marry multiple wives simultaneously, stubborn and rebellious sons could be stoned by communities (Deuteronomy 21:18), and anyone gathering sticks on Shabbat could be legally killed (Numbers 15:32). Everyone would celebrate the Sabbath on the seventh day of the week.
What, then, do people mean when they say, “The Bible prohibits people from doing that,” if they don’t observe what the Bible commands in other aspects of their lives?
