Opinions

Another take on the Israel-Palestinian conflict 

Arabs continue to harass and murder Israelis despite the many losses they incurred as Israel defends itself. Israel has fought defense wars and terrorism even before statehood. Israel has been rejected as a Jewish state by Arab Palestinians, a position that is the root cause of the conflict. After the war of independence, the Six-Day War and the Yom Kipper war, Israel offered peace proposals, and each have been rejected.

Both Prime Ministers Barack (2000) and Olmert (2008) proposed withdrawal from over 90% of the West Bank settlements and agreed to have East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state. These generous proposals were rejected, and riots and terrorism were resumed. Why? Many will not agree with me, but I am among those that believe that the Palestinians want the Jews to disappear or accept being a minority, ending the existence of the Jewish State of Israel. Going back to the beginning of the 1947 partition plan of the United Nations, both Jews and Palestinians were each offered their own state, Jews accepted but Palestinians and Arab states rejected the U.N. proposal and went to war intent on strangling the newly reborn state. They still have that ambition. 

Arab Israelis now number nearly 2 million. That is the largest number of Arabs that ever lived in pre-state or the current State of Israel. Recent polls revealed that 77% would choose to remain in Israel should there ever be a separate Palestinian state. This makes negotiations complicated.

So, what about a two- state solution? The U.S. Congress has reaffirmed that it favors a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The Arab Palestinians repeatedly have stated that their goal was to have only one state that they will dominate and eliminate the Jewish state. With their refusal to return to the negotiating table, how is a two-state solution to be achieved? And what about Gaza? Hamas has sworn to destroy Israel. It has fired hundreds of rockets and fire balloons into Israel. It has targeted the city of Sderot whose residents are pleading to the government for more action against Hamas. What more can Israel do to protect its citizens? 

With all the above is a two-state solution possible? For now, the answer is no. It has been stated that the resolution of the conflict will have to wait for new leadership. There can be no guarantee that even then peace between these two parties will be achieved. The status quo will exist until Israel is recognized and accepted as a Jewish state by its adversaries. 

Sol Koenigsberg

Overland Park, Kansas 

This past Hanukkah was framed by the horrific shooting at the kosher market in Jersey City and the machete attack in the home of a rabbi’s Hanukkah party in Monsey, New York.  

Because of the attack at the Jewish Community Campus here in Overland Park several years ago as well as this year’s synagogue shootings, my congregants (as in many synagogues and temples here in Kansas City) have expressed security concerns about our Jewish buildings. Like the other synagogues, temples and Campus, we have upgraded our building’s security significantly.

I have not heard, however, a fear of physical violence on individual Jewish persons. I think that this comes from the fact that the vast majority of non-Orthodox Jews do not choose any distinctive Jewish manner of dress aside from the occasional T-shirt with Hebrew. In short: most of us can pass. It’s not that we hide from our Jewish identity, or shy away from discussing Jewish subjects. To an outsider looking at most of us in a mall, grocery store, or the park, it is rare that someone would say: “There goes a Jew.”  

The same cannot be said of our ultra-Orthodox or Haredi brethren. Ultra-Orthodox are visible as Jews every place: whether traveling, shopping or working. With the exception of “local Chabad rabbis” in every hamlet of today’s America, it is not uncommon for a non-Orthodox Jew to have never had a real friendship or relationship with a Haredi Jew.  

For the most part, we don’t live in the same towns. We don’t go to the same schools. We don’t shop in the same stores.

To one another, we are often other.

The interesting contrast is the way that the non-Orthodox Jewish community has embraced the non-Jewish religious communities. For the purposes of supporting Israel, the modern and centrist Orthodox communities have also embraced some Christian communities. While we can always do better, the non-Orthodox movements have built strong and robust relationships with our Christian and Muslim communities.

At synagogues and temples throughout our community we see regular interaction between a Jewish religious community and a Christian or Muslim religious community. Sometimes, the interactions are tours or visits to one another’s houses of worship. Sometimes, they are social dinners to simply create organic, human bonds between disparate faith communities. We also see deep collaboration on a local and national level on a variety of public policy issues, justice issues, or scripture-based dialogue.

But rarely do we see these kinds of interactions between ultra-Orthodox Jews and non-Orthodox Jews in any formal capacity. When was the last time you saw a Reform or Conservative synagogue advertising a program titled “Hang out with a Hasid?”

True, we don’t see the near violent animus between Jews as there was in the beginning of the Hasidic movement and the Jewish enlightenment movements (the Haskalah) three centuries ago. Nor do we see the awful as we do in Israel — often over control over the policies of the State. By and large in America, we exist in two separate, parallel worlds.

True, there are very significant and meaningful differences between the ultra-Orthodox and non-Orthodox worlds that should not be papered over. These go far deeper than dress and neighborhood, but into the ways we interpret scripture, the role of women in our communities, and the overall acceptance of Western values.

Additionally, there is a long history of ultra-Orthodox rabbis not permitting their rabbis to formally work in partnership with non-Orthodox rabbis. For some, it is forbidden to even enter a non-Orthodox synagogue.  

Within non-Orthodox communities I am sure that there is also subconscious messaging where we may telegraph to our communities to not go into their places of worship or community.

However, if we think about it, there are also huge chasms between ourselves and non-Jewish groups. And yet, we find ways to create partnerships. Might there be Christian groups we partner with on domestic social issues who also support the BDS movement? Might there be individual Muslims in our interfaith programs who don’t believe in the legitimacy of a Jewish state? Might there be Christian groups with whom we find common cause on Israel, but also think Jews are damned without accepting Christianity? Despite this, we find ways of building friendships and allies.

Could the views of the ultra-Orthodox be so much more offensive?

The Hanukkah attacks provoked universal condemnation. The fact is, though, all of 2019 has been peppered with anti-Semitic incidents against the ultra-Orthodox. These attacks were negligible topics of conversation amongst the non-Orthodox until Hanukkah.

The response of the impressive march last Sunday in New York was inspiring. However, it was also apparent that there were few ultra-Orthodox in the crowd numbering more than 25,000 marching. (In another observation: There were also virtually no non-Orthodox at the 90,000 person crowd celebrating the completion of the Talmud at MetLife Stadium just days earlier).

To the degree that these attacks did not register on our personal radars prior to Hanukkah, we need to ask ourselves: why not?

The most profound question of the Torah is HaShomer Achi Anochi? “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

In our approach toward the non-Jewish world, we have spent so much of the 70 years since the Shoah answering this question with a resounding: “Yes!” We have done an incredible job of bringing ourselves to see religious communities unlike our own as our brothers and our sisters. 

This has come from the hard work of many individuals, organizations and denominations both inside and outside the Jewish community. But why do we only work at this with our non-Jewish neighbors, why not each other?

What would it look like to have the same desire to build intra-faith relations as inter-faith relations?

When I participate in multi-denominational initiatives, I am usually with Jewish leaders who are fairly close to me philosophically. What would it mean to work to build real relationships across profound philosophical chasms?  

Can we afford not to? Is it impossible to find any opportunities to build actual ally-ship and friendship? Can we afford to view an entire segment of the Jewish world as other instead of brother?  

Rabbi David M. Glickman is senior rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom.

In September of 2015, my work took me to the New York area as the Kansas City Royals prepared to play Game 5 of the World Series against the New York Mets at Citi Field in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park.

The Royals were ahead in the series 3-1, and I realized that this game could be THE game — the one in which the boys in blue would finally become the World Champions for the first time since 1985. With some help from StubHub, I was able to find an affordable last minute ticket, and so, proudly donning my KC cap, I hopped on a train from Manhattan with just about 90 minutes to go before game time.

As the train got closer to its destination, I found myself treading water in a sea of blue and orange wall-to-wall Mets fans. At one point, I made eye-contact with one of them, sitting about 20 feet away, toward one end of the subway car. He starred and pointed. I stood like a deer in oncoming headlights — nowhere to go, no time to avoid what was coming next.

“Look at what we have over here,” he yelped, so that everyone could hear. All eyes looked my way, accompanied by a kind of spontaneous escalating vocalization that sounded like a shoddy chorus of singers groaning an entire octave of notes, from low to high, increasing in volume as they increased in pitch.

“A Royals fan on our train! What the f**k?” I heard coming from over my shoulder. To say I was scared would be an understatement. The train was moving fast, no expectation that it would make a stop anytime soon.

“So, who’s gonna win the World Series?” asked the one who had outed me to the rancorous crowd. In that moment I thought that if I told them what they wanted to hear, what kind of Royals fan would that make me? And if I told them what I thought, I imagined an underground lynching might have quickly ensued.

“It’s gonna be close,” I offered, hoping that was ambiguous enough for him and the others. It seemed to work. They took it to mean that I still thought those Mets had a fighting chance (which I secretly did not for a minute believe).

Just when I thought it was behind me, the same guy walks across the car and asks me, “So where you from, Kansas City?”

Feeling empowered by my earlier verbal victory, I decided I was on a roll, and told the truth. “Well, I used to live there, but now I live in Israel.”

As the words “I live in Israel” rolled off my tongue, I kicked myself for such hubris. What was I thinking? Why did I feel the need to wear my proud Zionism on my sleeve and risk yet another round of “us versus them?”

I was prepared for the worst, when the tall, loud NY fan put his hand on my shoulder, smiled and looked me in the eye. “You Jewish? I’m Jewish too.”

Wow. In those few minutes, a lot had transpired. The two of us were just two minutes ago anonymous adversaries, two men whose paths had never before crossed, and yet, by dint of our sports allegiances, were mutually suspected arch-enemies. There was a palpable resentment bordering on hatred brewing between us — or to be more exact, between me and a packed subway car full of my nemeses. A shrewd answer on my part had avoided conflict. Risking another round of “us versus them,” I had shown my hand, revealed my ancestry, offering information that I could just as easily have kept to myself, tempting fate almost irrationally.

Instead, in that split-second questionable decision, I had actually succeeded in completely quashing the “us versus them” vibe between us, converting it into a “just us,” or “we’re on the same side” dynamic that led to another 20 minutes of Jewish geography and Hebrew schools reminiscences.

We arrived at the stadium. Still tripping as I was on the amazing turnaround of that train ride, and before climbing the steep stairs way up to my “cheap” seat, I decided to make a stop at one of Major League Baseball’s only kosher hot dog stands. The line was uncompassionate in its length and snail pace, but I was looking forward to that feeling of being again with “us,” standing on line with “my people.”

In a matter of a seconds, however, I realized that as the only KC fan in that long line, I was about to become the “them” for all of these hungry, anxious, trailing 1-3 kosher-observant Jewish Mets fans. Quite the opposite of many Orthodox Jewish travelers today, I contemplated taking off my baseball cap, and revealing my knit kippah! Looking around, I could see the people checking me out, wondering how this poor KC fan managed to get into the wrong hot dog line. (Of course, their natural animosity toward me made them incapable of even suggesting I might be in the wrong line and pointing me in the right direction for a short-line treif hot dog.) I was once again “the other,” and if I did keep kosher, maybe even suspected of treason!

Just then, I looked around and saw behind me in line — lo and behold — another kosher KC cap wearer! Of course, standing there in the depths of New York, my first thought was, “this poor KC fan is standing in the wrong line, I should tell him.” However, upon closer examination, I realized that I knew the guy — he had grown up in the KC synagogue where I had served as rabbi in the 1990s. I left the line to gladly take my place again about 10 people back from where I was, considering that a small price to pay to once again feel a part of “us,” rather than “them.”

Psychologists speak of the “us versus them” phenomenon in human existence. It is a primal instinct, a carry-over from back in the day when human survival was tied into tribal unity. Those not immediately identifiable as members of the tribe — those who looked different, or dressed differently were de facto suspects, until proven otherwise, the result of a built-in human defense mechanism that served to protect individuals and their tribes from the “others,” those people whose otherness made them potential threats to my clan’s existence.

They say that this behavior is a natural human survival instinct, an instinct that can never be completely eradicated, no different than fear of the dark. The only way to neutralize the instinct is to take the risk of getting to know the individual before you, finding out that s/he is actually as much or even more a part of “us” than “them.”

Judaism in its expression — by ritual, by dress, by language and by worldview — defacto turns its followers into “the other.” In a climate where people are inclined to first get to know you, before casting judgment, these differences are not threatening — they might even be considered enriching or interesting! However, in a climate of polarization, where everything is about drawing lines and defining people based on their political positions, and labeling them with denigrating names — in such a climate, anti-Semitism is bound to flourish.

When people are empowered to activate their tribal impulses and refuse to speak with those who don’t see the world as they do — in such a world, anti-Semitism will flourish, no matter what rights are guaranteed by the legal system wherein Jews are living. For Jews have, since the time of the biblical Gentile prophet Bilaam and before, been perceived as “a people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations.” (Numbers 23:9)

Rabbi Morey Schwartz is the international director of the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning and the former rabbi of Congregation BIAV.

Rabbi Mark Levin’s letter regarding Trump’s executive order on anti-Semitism was exactly on target and a necessary read for Jews everywhere. Unlike Rabbi Rosenberg, who thinks that punishment works and education doesn’t, Rabbi Levin understands the historical context and the potential damage the order can reap on Jews in this country.

Anyone who thinks that our president is a friend of the Jews, in fact a friend of anyone but himself and his power, is sadly mistaken. This is a dangerous time for Jews in this country and elsewhere. We don’t need executive orders and the false hopes of an administration only interested in self-preservation. We need more education, more enforcement of the laws on the books and more “stand-up” Jews to call out the racists and anti-Semites who feel enabled and liberated in the current political environment.

 Jeffrey Roitman

Overland Park, Kansas

As Jews around the world lit the Hanukkah candles (Saturday, Dec. 28), we learned of yet another horrific anti-Semitic attack. A man armed with a machete entered a rabbi’s home in Monsey, New York, during a Hanukkah celebration, and stabbed five people. The victims were taken to the hospital for injuries, with at least one in critical condition. 

We are grateful for the swift response of law enforcement and the later arrest of the alleged suspect in New York City.

We are witnessing a full-fledged epidemic of anti-Semitic attacks in the New York region, with at least one every day this past week — only weeks after the shooting at a kosher market in New Jersey. Friends and allies, please understand that what is happening is extremely traumatic for our community.

As AJC notes, anti-Semitism must never be seen as a uniquely Jewish phenomenon. It is not. It is a virus that, as we have been saying since time immemorial, may begin with targeting Jews, but, ultimately, also seeks to destroy the pluralistic fabric of our democratic societies.

This surge in attacks must also be seen in the larger context of rising anti-Semitism around the world, including elsewhere in our country and in significant parts of Europe. We are also aware that the incidents in Monsey, in Jersey City, and many of the events of this past week were not perpetrated by white supremacists. It is incredibly important that our allies unequivocally call out all anti-Semitism and recognize that it comes from several sources. Local state, and federal officials must take equally seriously each incident, whatever its source may be. Anti-Semitism is anti-Semitism.

Finally, we as a community must be very intentional not to allow these events to stoke racism. We cannot feed into the “us vs them” narrative that pits our communities against each other — it is a zero sum game.

We too are feeling scared, heartbroken and angry. But the solution is to figure out how to build bridges, not walls. That is JCRB|AJC’s commitment, and that is our work.

As Dr. King said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

During Hanukkah, we commit to fighting darkness by creating light. Let’s remember to be the light always. We’re praying for the victims and praying for us all — that we can love each other, listen to each other, and support each other through this wave of darkness.

 JCRB|AJC Kansas City

As Jews around the world lit the Hanukkah candles (Saturday, Dec. 28), we learned of yet another horrific anti-Semitic attack. A man armed with a machete entered a rabbi’s home in Monsey, New York, during a Hanukkah celebration and stabbed five people. The victims were taken to the hospital for injuries, with at least one in critical condition. 

This assault is the latest in a disturbing string of violent attacks against members of New York’s Jewish community during Hanukkah, only weeks since the shooting at a Kosher deli in New Jersey. And, it stands as the fourth violent attack on a Jewish gathering in the last 14 months, targeting Jews as they were simply practicing their religion.

As we consider these sobering facts, let’s also remember that anti-Semitism is not a “Jewish problem.” It is a societal problem, just as an attack on Jews praying is not just an attack on Jews alone, but an assault on our American right to religious freedom. This is why we are so grateful for leaders across the political spectrum and throughout our civil society who have spoken out strongly against antisemitism and all forms of hatred.

We have much work to do in this arena. However, it is important at this moment for the Jewish community to be aware of the critical work that is already underway to increase the security of our community.

The Federation’s safety and security efforts — at a national level — are led by the Secure Community Network (SCN), which has dramatically increased capacity to support all local Federation Security Directors, as well as serve the vast majority of Federations and communities that do not have such a resource but are increasingly committed and working to address security.

Locally, the Jewish Federation leads the initiative for Jewish community safety and security for Kansas City. Our strategy is one of security awareness, information sharing, training, close communication with local law enforcement, and partnerships with national organizations charged with keeping our Jewish community and other institutions safe.

Let us remember the ancient teaching that Hanukkah offers: Even the smallest light can triumph over darkness if we have the courage to kindle it. Collectively, we will use our Hanukkah light to stomp out this darkness our brothers and sisters are facing.

 Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City

Never before in human history has so much Jewish content been available so easily to so many Jews. It can be both overwhelming and invigorating. In this column I am going to try to curate some great Jewish learning that is available on the internet beyond Chabad.org, Aish.com, and MyJewishLearning.com (though all three are great). 

Sefaria: The Greatest Jewish 

Library for Free on Your Computer

In my opinion, Sefaria (sefaria.org) is greatest revolution in Jewish publications since Daniel Bomberg mass-published the Talmud on a printing press in the 1520s. Sefaria has access and connections to every significant classical Jewish text. All of it is accessible in Hebrew and the number of texts available in translation grow each week. Every time that a verse from the Hebrew Bible is found in other sources, a list of those sources pop up. When you are studying the Talmud, there is a list of every commentary and later legal work that quotes that section. 

An Introduction to Podcasts

For those who haven’t entered into the world of podcasts, these are essentially homemade radio shows that can be listened to on your computer, tablet or smartphone. You use an application like Apple Podcasts (which come preinstalled on all iPhones and iPads). Other options are Overcast for iPhone (download from overcast.fm) or Pocketcasts for either iPhone or Android (download from pocketcasts.com). Podcasts can also be streamed on Spotify.

You can search for the following suggested podcasts using Google.

Podcasts: Jewish politics and culture

Self-described as “The world’s leading Jewish podcast,” Unorthodox produced by the online magazine Tablet (tabletmag.com) is a blend of culture, religion and politics. The politics tend to skew left of center, and the tone is irreverent and smart. They also tour around America so sometimes the episodes are broadcast from different locations.

The Tikvah Fund (tikvahfund.org) is a Jewish, Zionist neo-con thinktank that has a very good interview-based podcast called The Tikvah Podcast. When discussing politics it is almost exclusively moderately right-of-center. Beyond politics, though, they have some of the best interviews with historians, Jewish thinkers and nonfiction authors.  

A podcast I just discovered recently is Judaism Unbound (judaismunbound.com). This is a bit of Jewish “insider baseball,” interviewing many Jewish professionals that work in the Jewish world. However, it is a great insight into innovations in Jewish communal life around the country. It is a collaboration of The Institute for the Next Jewish Future and The Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, California. 

Podcasts: Jewish textual learning

For a comfortable conversation about the weekly Torah portion, give a listen to Parsha in Progress (tablet.com). Each week this hosts a conversation between author Abigail Pogrebin and Rabbi Dov Linzer. Pogrebin is Reform Jew and noted author. Linzer is the head of the liberal Orthodox, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. Each episode is under 15 minutes and is like you are listening in on a coffee-shop conversation about the weekly Torah portion between two very smart friends.

If you to dive into rabbinic commentaries on the Torah portion check out The Parsha Nut (parshanut.com). This is a pun, because “parshanut” is the medieval practice of deep commentary on the Torah. This podcast is not making new episodes, but it is one of the best introductions to rabbinic commentaries on the Torah. It is created by Rabbi David Kasher, a rabbi ordained by Chovevei Torah and now teaching at Ikar in Los Angeles. The website has textually rich written source sheets to follow along with and read deeper. 

The Hadar Institute (hadar.org) is an egalitarian, post-denominational yeshiva in New York that I have a close relationship with. Rabbi Ethan Tucker is interviewed on the Responsa Radio Podcast by Rabbi Avi Killip exploring cutting edge topics in Jewish law like: “Can I bow down in a karate class?” and “Can I keep an Amazon Echo active on Shabbat?” This has a conversational style but takes a thoughtful deep dive into the meaning undergirding Jewish law. It seeks relevant connection between our ancient wisdom and contemporary life.

In the “V’ahavta,” the first paragraph of the Shema, we say that the Torah is to be u’vlecht’cha baderech — with us as we “walk on the way.” With these podcasts, Jewish wisdom can accompany you when you walk on the way, jog on the track, drive in your commute, or sit in an airport. If you check one of these out — please drop me a line at so we can talk about it!

Rabbi David Glickman is senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom. His next installment of online learning with introduce online classes available for free or a minimal charge.

Israelis settlements and US policy

I have found it intresting that almost all of the 2020 Democratic candidates take the position that Jewish settlements in Israel’s West Bank are “illegal” and slam U.S. reconsideration of policy (as The Chronicle headline read). These candidates include Sen. Bernie Sanders, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Julian Castro and U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak.

So if one of them happens to be the Democratic candidate to oppose Trump, and in the event he or she wins, you can look for some major changes in America’s policies regarding Israeli settlements in the West Bank. As Sen. Sanders wrote: “Israeli settlements in occupied territory are illegal. This is clear from international law and multiple United Nations resolutions. Once again, Mr. Trump is isolating the United States and undermining diplomacy by pandering to his extreme base.”

 Marvin Fremerman

Springfield, Missouri

Holocaust museums need to stop worrying about genocides around the world and start emphasizing the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. Same is true for Holocaust commissions.

I just saw the press conference on TV regarding the shooting at the kosher grocery in Jersey City. This can happen in Kansas City also. I disagree with some of the opinions that most who put swastikas on Jewish sites don’t know what the symbol means.

Anyone who watches TV or has access to the internet, including teenagers, knows that the swastika is a symbol of anti-Semitism. I was co-editor and one of the founders of the New Jersey State Holocaust Commission. We don’t need more commissions on how to teach tolerance.

What is needed are harsher punishments. I predicted this upsurge decades ago. The perpetrators must know that law enforcement will use their power against them. Congratulations to President Trump for fighting anti-Semitism with new legislation.

Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg

Edison, New Jersey

President Trump is proposing an executive order to limit anti-Semitic speech on college campuses. The New York Times comments: “The order will effectively interpret Judaism as a race or nationality, not just a religion, to prompt a federal law penalizing colleges and universities deemed to be shirking their responsibility to foster an open climate for minority students.” Judaism is neither a race (race is a false concept) nor a nationality.

Israeli is a nationality. In order to enforce this, the U.S. government will have to define Judaism as a race or nationality. “Title VI does not protect students from religious discrimination,” according to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ ocr/docs/know-rights-201701-religious-disc.pdf).

This new policy is desired by some to combat the already failed BDS Movement. Certainly we are not a race. One cannot convert into or out of a race. The false concept of race is a permanent marker of a person: black, Asian, Caucasian, etc.

Jews have no such permanent markers, and members of any race can become Jews. Defining Jews as a nationality leaves the Jewish community of the U.S. open to the anti-Semitic canard of “dual loyalty,” a loyalty to more than one nation — viz: the U.S. and the Jewish nation. This false accusation will likely only be furthered by our national government officially defining Jews as a separate nation. Trump’s proposal, at the very least, is an extraordinarily bad idea, and at the worst is a veiled attempt to “other” America’s Jews. This idea will ultimately not protect Jews, and we do not need such protection.

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 among the student body or faculty. The president’s order may be used to stifle speech. But more dangerously, it opens the Jewish community to a government definition of Jews within the U.S. as a separate category than American, and thus may further the “othering” of the American Jewish community.

Rabbi Mark H. Levin, DHL

Founding rabbi, Congregation Beth Torah