Opinions

President Trump’s State of the Union Address

I thought President Trump’s 2020 State of the Union speech was outstanding, Nancy Pelosi’s inexcusable behavior not withstanding.  I understand that the Chronicle presented its leftwing perspective but I wish that it had elected to provide a more balanced view as well. 

Thank You Barbara Bayer

The announcement of the planned retirement of Barbara Bayer from the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle is a reminder of the tremendous role she plays in the success of the paper serving members of the community, in educating and informing the Jewish community of activities.  KCJC is the primary source of organizational news, and Barbara performs spectacular and gracious work under a weekly deadline.  Barbara treats organizations small and large with respect, curiosity and interest of their work, and as an advocate for each organization’s role in the community.  She gives the same respectful treatment to each individual, and is unselfish in praising and articulating the work of so many in the community.  Kol hakovod and thank you Barbara Baellow Bayer.

Of disagreements, the freedom to question/challenge

Most everyone remembers Perchick from “Fiddler On The Roof”:

“He’s right.” “He’s right, and he’s right? They can’t both be right.” “You know, you are also right.”

The Marcy Avenue Armory is a historic military building taking up a full, valuable block in Williamsburg, New York. Originally built in 1883 to house and serve the military, the armory ended its official military era in 2011. Last week it was home to a different kind of army, that only comes together once every year. The army of Shluchot. The female Chabad emissaries scattered across the globe.

The first Democratic socialist in American politics 

I remember growing up as a small boy living at 26th and Agnes in Kansas City, Missouri. In those days my buddies and I used to play basketball at the old Jewish Community Center on Linwood Boulevard. And there was a Democratic socialist in the White House. His name was Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Love your enemies

In 1993, I took an anthropology class at KU, taught by Dr. Felix Moos, called “Violence and Terrorism.” Mid-semester he opened class by writing the following on the board:

Sunday night begins Tu b’Shevat (literally, “15th of Shevat”). In our tradition, Tu b’Shevat is the birthday of trees.

Now that seems so implausible, celebrating the “birth” of trees in February, when the average temperature is in the mid-40s. But it is.

Because in Israel — exactly at this time — the trees begin to awaken from their winter hibernation and start to bloom. All over Israel this coming week, almond trees will announce the start of spring by displaying the beautiful white and pink almond blossoms.

And our tradition celebrates this moment.

Why?

All one needs to do is to look at the changing weather patterns in our area and around the world — and note the effects such climate changes have already had on us — increased ferocity of hurricanes, of forest fires, of droughts, flooding, excessive heat ... we all know the litany of catastrophes that our planet suffers — and we are made painfully aware how fragile our environment is.

Judaism recognizes the precarious nature of humanity’s “stewardship” over the land — that balancing act between using the resources of this planet to grow our societies and the obligation to protect the planet for future generations. And today, with all the dire warnings how climate change — as a result of our human actions — is radically altering our planet and (therefore) our ability to sustain ourselves .. .maybe it is a good thing that we pause and consider the gifts that nature gives to us?

It is not by accident the rabbis talked about Tu b’Shevat being a “birthday” of the trees. Consider a birthday party. It is a day to celebrate an individual’s growth, to shower that person with love and affection, to help that individual feel appreciated, to let her or him know that s/he matters.

Maybe not a bad idea for us and our environment (represented by our “trees”): to spend a moment recognizing the importance that our world holds for our survival ... and our commitment to protect and “appreciate” it. 

We are not in Israel. And this time of year our trees here are often covered with snow and ice and far from ready to bloom. But it is not too early to acknowledge our dependency on our environment and our need to protect it .. .to shower it with “love and affection”... on this birthday of our trees!

Rabbi Arthur Nemitoff is senior rabbi at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah.

The Holocaust is the systematic mass murder of European Jewry by the Nazis. The term Holocaust literally means a fire that causes total destruction .Yehuda Bauer, one of the world’s most eminent historians of the Holocaust, differentiates between the term genocide and Holocaust by defining the term genocide as partial murder .While there have been numerous instances of genocide, the total annihilation of a people was never an officially sanctioned purpose of a national government as it was in Nazi Germany. It is precisely this which differentiates the Nazi action against the Jews from other genocidal attempts against a people.

The Nazis wished to conquer the world and therefore threatened the very existence of every single Jew in the world. The principle target of the Nazis was always the Jews. Yes, it is true that as many as 50 million human beings were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators. The Nazis destroyed the lives of Gypsies, homosexuals, the mentally disabled, Jehovah’s Witnesses, communists, socialists, trade unionists and religious opponents. But it was only the Jews who were singled out for the Final Solution.

The Jews, according to Hitler, were maggots, a virus that had to be eliminated. Hitler saw himself as the German Messiah doing God’s work by destroying the Jew. Let us not forget that all people with three or four Jewish grandparents were sentenced to death. Regarding the Polish population, there were no plans for total annihilation. Slavs were looked upon as being inferior Aryans; however Slovaks, Croats and Bulgarians were Slavs who served as German allies. It was only the Jew that Hitler and the Nazis considered to be like the Devil and therefore inhuman. In the Jew Hitler saw the image of Satan. According to Hitler it was only the Jew who wished to dominate the world, and it was the Jew Hitler wanted to destroy.

Hitler and the Nazis created a policy of selective mass murder against the homosexuals, Gypsies, Poles, Russians, prisoners of war, Catholic priests, Jehovah’s Witnesses’, the physically and mentally disabled, dissidents and others. But it was the Jew that was seen as a virus, a bacillus that had to be destroyed before it infected the entire world. It was the Jews who poisoned the mind of mankind. The policy of making the world Judenrein applied to the entire world. The group Hitler hated above all was the Jews. He made himself the supreme racist.

In his final hours, Hitler continued to urge the destruction of the Jew. Hitler had diverted trains and soldiers to concentration camps when he desperately needed them for the war effort. Germany was destroyed due to this mad man and at the end all he could think about was murdering more Jews.

This mad man was responsible for the murder of my grandparents, two siblings, uncles, aunts and cousins. My father, Jacob, of blessed memory, survived Auschwitz and my mother, Rachel, of blessed memory, survived Skazyskokarmiene. I became a rabbi to do everything in my power to prevent another Holocaust and to teach the world the lessons of the Holocaust. My fear is that after the death of the final Holocaust survivor and eventually the death of the children of Holocaust survivors, history will be rewritten and the Holocaust will no longer be a Jewish issue but rather a universal one. The number will no longer be the 6 million Jews but rather the 50 million casualties of war. Many still persist in saying there were 6 million Jews and 5 million non- Jews who were exterminated by the Nazis. We all should mourn and honor those who fought and died, Jew and non-Jew alike. However, let us never forget and always remember that it was the Jews who were the primary target of Hitler and the Nazi regime. The historian Bauer wrote; “Simon Wiesenthal, as he admitted to me in private, (invented the figure 6 million Jews and 5 million non-Jews) in order to create sympathy for the Jews — in order to make the non-Jews feel they are part of us.”

I was born in a displaced persons camp in Germany of Polish parents. I came to America as a refugee. I pray that the Holocaust and the memory of those who perished will be kept alive by our grandchildren and future generations. Let us not dilute the memory of the Holocaust by stressing Holocaust and genocide. While it is important to stress that we should never be innocent bystanders while others are murdered or discriminated against, we also should never dilute the singular significance of the Holocaust. I fear that 50 years from now the Holocaust will be forgotten and become only a date in history together with other genocides. I will do all I can now to prevent this. Another Holocaust can happen. We must be vigilant. If G-d forbid Israel were to lose one war that would be a Holocaust. Bauer said if it happened once, it can happen again.

I often write about the uniqueness of the Holocaust and state that the Holocaust is completely different from other genocides.

This position is controversial to some people. There are those who believe that the only way to preserve the memory of the Holocaust is by making it a universal lesson regarding the tribulations throughout the world.

Whether I am right or wrong, only our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will know. Seventy-five years from when the last of the Holocaust survivors are gone I predict that regardless of Yad Vashem, the United States Memorial Holocaust Museum, and all the other museums and books, the memory of the Holocaust will not be preserved. It will be regarded as just another genocide in the history of genocides.

Unless we preserve the memory of the Holocaust and tie it to Jewish observance and ritual by including the Holocaust in prayer service or, as I have done, creating a Holocaust haggadah, the Holocaust will become a mere date in history. It has to be tied into a revitalized Judaism to keep it alive.

I for one, at this point in my life, no longer stress the pain, suffering and horrors of the Holocaust. Today I speak of the importance of learning about the heroic individuals who survived the Holocaust to make better lives for themselves and their families. Many Holocaust survivors have created synagogues, yeshivot and day schools and still support them financially.

We need to learn about those who resisted the Nazis, not only about the crematoriums. The memory of the Holocaust will be kept alive by future generations if we have pride in the accomplishments of the survivors and preserve Judaism.

‘Seventy-five years ago today, when Soviet troops entered these gates, they had no idea what lay behind them. And since that day, the entire world has struggled with what they found inside,’ said World Jewish Congress president Ronald S. Lauder.

Sunday night begins Tu b’Shevat (literally, “15th of Shevat”). In our tradition, Tu b’Shevat is the birthday of trees.

Now that seems so implausible, celebrating the “birth” of trees in February, when the average temperature is in the mid-40s. But it is.

Because in Israel — exactly at this time — the trees begin to awaken from their winter hibernation and start to bloom. All over Israel this coming week, almond trees will announce the start of spring by displaying the beautiful white and pink almond blossoms.

And our tradition celebrates this moment.

Why?

All one needs to do is to look at the changing weather patterns in our area and around the world — and note the effects such climate changes have already had on us — increased ferocity of hurricanes, of forest fires, of droughts, flooding, excessive heat ... we all know the litany of catastrophes that our planet suffers — and we are made painfully aware how fragile our environment is.

Judaism recognizes the precarious nature of humanity’s “stewardship” over the land — that balancing act between using the resources of this planet to grow our societies and the obligation to protect the planet for future generations. And today, with all the dire warnings how climate change — as a result of our human actions — is radically altering our planet and (therefore) our ability to sustain ourselves .. .maybe it is a good thing that we pause and consider the gifts that nature gives to us?

It is not by accident the rabbis talked about Tu b’Shevat being a “birthday” of the trees. Consider a birthday party. It is a day to celebrate an individual’s growth, to shower that person with love and affection, to help that individual feel appreciated, to let her or him know that s/he matters.

Maybe not a bad idea for us and our environment (represented by our “trees”): to spend a moment recognizing the importance that our world holds for our survival ... and our commitment to protect and “appreciate” it. 

We are not in Israel. And this time of year our trees here are often covered with snow and ice and far from ready to bloom. But it is not too early to acknowledge our dependency on our environment and our need to protect it .. .to shower it with “love and affection”... on this birthday of our trees!

Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg was raised in Kansas City, Missouri.

Rabbinical Association responds

to recent anti-Semitic attacks

The Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City shares in the sadness and concern of Jews everywhere over recent anti-Semitic attacks, and the alarming proliferation of attacks against Jews over recent years. This is not just a crisis for our Jewish community, but for our country as well. Attacks on Jews are attacks on our country’s most cherished democratic values.

While we acknowledge the fear felt in our congregations and our communities, providing our support wherever it is needed, we also stand determined to not allow fear to change who we are as proud Jews. We carry that Hanukkah message with us throughout the year, and for the years and generations to come.

Our support for any Jews who come under attack is without denominational boundaries. An attack against one Jew is an attack against all of us.

May there soon come a time when peace and mutual respect will prevail, and any and all violence will cease. May that be G-d’s Will.

The Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City

Rabbi Doug Alpert, Congregation Kol Ami

Rabbi Javier Cattapan, Congregation Beth Torah

Rabbi Stuart Davis, Temple Sinai

Rabbi David Glickman, Congregation  Beth Shalom

Rabbi Moshe Grussgott, Kehilath Israel Synagogue

Rabbi Jon Kleinman, Chaplain, Vitas Healthcare

Rabbi Monica Kleinman, Congregation Beth Torah

Rabbi Josh Leighton, Congregation B’nai Jehudah

Rabbi Mark Levin, Founding Rabbi, Congregation Beth Torah

Rabbi Alan Londy, New Reform Temple

Rabbi Herbert Mandl, Rabbi Emeritus, Kehilath Israel Synagogue

Rabbi Yitzchak Mizrahi, Beth Israel Abraham & Voliner

Rabbi Arthur Nemitoff, Congregation B’nai Jehudah

Rabbi Beryl Padorr, Congregation Ohev Sholom

Rabbi Jonathan Rudnick, Community Chaplain

Rabbi Neal Schuster, KU Hillel

Rabbi Sarah Smiley, Congregation B’nai Jehudah

Rabbi Linda K. Steigman, Temple Adath Joseph, St. Joseph

Rabbi Debbie Stiel, Temple Beth Sholom, Topeka

Rabbi Avi Weinstein, Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy

Rabbi Scott White, Former rabbi, Congregation Ohev Sholom

Beyond comprehension

Some things are beyond comprehension. Among these are the letter from Rabbi Mark Levin in the Dec. 26, 2019, edition of The Chronicle and the letter in last week’s issue supporting him.

President Trump is issuing an executive order directing the Department of Education to consider whether incidents of harassment or discrimination on university campuses are motivated by anti-Semitism, and to withhold government funds if this is the case. Rabbi Levin and his supporter demur. Rabbi Levin states that Jews are not protected under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. He could not be more wrong. Both the Bush and Obama administrations pronounced that Jews are a protected group under Title VI. Why would any Jew oppose this?

To attempt to justify his bizarre conclusion, the rabbi proclaims “the false concept of race.” Wow, he’s solved the race problem, single handedly! If race is a false concept, racism is impossible. How can there be racism if there aren’t any races? He also states that the problem on college campuses must be fought with ideas, by faculty teaching, by the university administration making clear that anti-Semitism will not be tolerated. That is incredibly naive. It is precisely these faculties and university administrations that are in the forefront of promoting anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, and pro-BDS activity.

The rabbi’s ally finds it impossible to believe that President Trump is a friend of the Jews. This is very odd considering Trump, in addition to his executive order, has moved the American embassy to Jerusalem, recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, recognized the legality of settlements in the Jordan Valley and imposed additional sanctions on Hezbollah.

Elsewhere, Trump has been denounced as an anti-Semite. Very strange behavior for an anti-Semite. Very strange behavior for one who is not a friend of Israel and the Jews.

What this all boils down to is that there are individuals so consumed with hatred of Trump they will never grant him credit for anything, and will advocate any convoluted twist of reasoning, no matter how weird, to denounce anything he does.

Lee Levin

Leawood, Kansas