Opinions

Another cycle of the Hebrew calendar has come to an end. In a few days, according to the Jewish tradition, we will celebrate the beginning of a New Hebrew Year — 5780. These days are times of soul searching. A time for us to stop our routine and look back at the year that is ending as well as anticipate the New Year that is just around the corner.

I would like to take this opportunity to focus on the relationship between Israel and the Jewish communities in the Diaspora. One does not have to be a scholar to know that during the last few years there has been a constant feeling of tension between Israel, or maybe we should say the Israeli government, and the Jewish Diaspora. This tension is not new and it seems that it has always been hanging above our heads. Nevertheless, it still seems that since the decision of the Israeli government to suspend the “Sharansky Report” (June 2017) by not recognizing the new official egalitarian plaza adjacent to the traditional Orthodox plaza at the Kotel (Western Wall), things have deteriorated.

After this came the “Nationality Law” (July 2019), a piece of Israeli legislation, which, however well intentioned, became incredibly divisive throughout the Diaspora. Additionally, we cannot forget that during all of these years the “Conversion Issue” has not yet been addressed to the disappointment and frustration of myself, and most importantly the Diaspora.

Recently the Israeli government decided to bar two Congresswomen from entering the state of Israel, due to their ongoing active support of the BDS movement. BDS, also known as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, is a campaign that has one goal on its agenda: to delegitimize the very existence of the state of Israel. This decision regarding the Congresswomen has once again frayed the unity of our communities.

Today at first sight, it could appear as if the major Jewish communities are disagreeing upon too many core issues. One may ask: Where are we heading? How much more can we distance ourselves from each other? As the consul general of the state of Israel to the southwest, I have the privilege and honor to meet many leaders and the individuals who make up the Jewish community who are frustrated, angry and worst of all feel alienated from Israel. I hear them; I understand their genuine frustration and my heart goes out to them as they are members of our Israeli family.

My dear friends, during this time of the year as we enter into the High Holy Days, I would like to suggest that we all stop. We will have plenty of time and opportunities to argue and debate. But for now, let us put our differences on hold — at least for this special time of year. Let us focus on something that for too long we have forgotten or ignored. When was the last time we put aside the differences between us and instead focused on the common values, beliefs and goals that we as a people share.

Believe me my friends, not everything is politics! The vast majority of the Jewish community, both in Israel and the United States, believe in our mutual destiny. We know that the deep bond between us is undeniable and irrevocable. There is a fascinating story about Rabbi Arye Levin, a very well-known rabbi who lived in Israel during the first half of the 20th century. He was known for his endless love for each and every Jew. It was told that there was once a time when the rabbi and his wife went to see the doctor. Upon arriving, the doctor asked them for the reason they came to see him. Rabbi Arye Levin answered, “My wife has an issue with her leg and we both feel the pain.” Although we have our disagreements and even argue between ourselves, at the end of the day we all feel each other’s pain.

That feeling is stronger than anything we can imagine. It shows us time and time again just how close and dependent we are on one another. Knowing and remembering that, especially around this time of year, enables us to foresee our mutual future in the true context of yachad — together. Allow me to end by quoting from Ecclesiastes chapter 4 verses 9-12:

9: “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor.

10: For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him up.

11: Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one be warm alone?

12: And if a man prevail against him that is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

Shanah Tova!

Gilad Katz is Consul General of Israel to the Southwest, based in Houston, which is responsible for the six-state region of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

Your article about Avi Berkowitz (“Who is Avi Berkowitz, the Kushner adviser stepping in to work on Israeli-Palestinian peace? Sept. 12) points out quite clearly why so many Orthodox Jews are supporting Trump and Netanyahu. They have a strong belief that the West Bank is part of “lands that religious Jews believe were part of the whole of Israel that was given to the Jewish people, starting with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob going back to the times of the Bible.”

How different are they from evangelicals who are voting for Trump because of his stand on abortion? Evidently it’s OK to vote for a pathological liar and con artist, womanizer and white racist if that person is in line with your beliefs about Israel and abortion. No wonder more and more people are turning away from organized religions.

Marvin Fremerman

Springfield, Missouri

In the Sept. 5 article in The Chronicle “Pay to Pray,” I felt as though the description of the Kehilath Israel Synagogue’s policies were vague and misleading. Kehilath Israel Synagogue has always welcomed all unaffiliated people to High Holiday services regardless of ability to pay. (The only thing we ask is you call the synagogue office in advance at 913-642-1880.) Kehilath Israel Synagogue also offers free membership to those who are unable to afford membership dues. This policy has existed for over 70 years. In fact, it was afforded to my parents in 1951 just after they arrived in Kansas City.

In addition, Kehilath Israel Synagogue also offers free Hebrew school education to any Jewish member of the community regardless of affiliation and regardless of ability to pay. Our school is absolutely free to all members of the community.

As a synagogue, we are proud that we are able to offer these services to our community.

Sam Devinki

Leawood, Kansas

In the Sept. 5 issue of The Chronicle, Martha Gershun castigates the Reform movement for refusing to allow intermarried (or inter-partnered) men and women to enter the rabbinic or cantorial programs at Hebrew Union College. (Personally, I don’t believe that it is right to extend this policy to school directors, but that is a separate issue). I believe that she has taken an overly simplified approach to this complex issue.

First of all, she uses emotionally weighted words such as “obsolete,” “offensive,” and “bigoted” to describe the HUC-JIR policy. Bigotry implies people that certain groups believe to be inferior. No one who supports the policy is saying that Gentiles are inferior to Jews.

Her statement that Jewish clergy are no different from the rest of us is only partially correct. Rabbis and cantors have traditionally been seen as role models, and they are expected to adhere to higher standards than the rest of us. An extramarital affair can cost a rabbi his or her job; this is rarely the case in other professions. One of my sons is a congregational rabbi, and he is aware that when he is out in public, he has to be conscious of the fact that in some ways he represents not only his congregation but the Jewish people in general. For example, he will never take even one alcoholic drink (except for a sip of Kiddush wine) if he is planning to drive afterward.

Gershun correctly points out that especially within Reform congregations there are many intermarried couples who are living Jewish lives and raising Jewish children. However, if HUC-JIR accepts intermarried men and women to study for the rabbinate, might not some of these candidates be married to committed Christians who would therefore not agree to raise the children as Jewish but rather try to raise them in both religions? Could a policy be framed in a way that would allow some intermarried candidates and deny others?

Gershun worries that the current policy is offensive to intermarried couples who are part of our congregational life. I wonder if she has polled such people on this issue. Non-Jewish spouses generally accept the fact that they are treated differently from the Jewish members of a congregation. For example, they do not lead services or have aliyas, just as their Jewish spouses would not take communion at their churches. In fact, I have known of previously non-Jewish spouses who have converted in order to be able to have an aliya at their children’s Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies.

Clearly, there are inconsistencies with the current policy. There is no guarantee that an unmarried graduate would not intermarry after ordination. Also, the current policy could lead to insincere conversions on the part of the non-Jewish partner, which is a violation of Jewish law. However, the issue is far more complex than Gershun allows, and calling the current policy “obsolete” or “bigoted” is not a useful way to start.

Stu Lewis

Prairie Village, Kansas

Editor’s note: On Sept. 4, the Overland Park City Council heard from members of the community on a proposed non-discrimination ordinance, which would offer legal protections for all sexual orientations and gender identity. Congregation Beth Torah and The Temple, Congregation B'nai Jehudah were represented at the meeting by Rabbi Javier Cattapan and Rabbi Monica Kleinman. (B’nai Jehudah had and education program requiring the rabbis’ attendance that evening.) In addition, the congregations sent the following letter to the council in support of the ordinance.

Dear Members of the Overland Park City Council,

We are writing to you on behalf of the two Reform synagogues in Overland Park. Both our boards have unanimously approved a resolution in support of passing a non-discrimination ordinance in our city.

We are guided by the very basic belief that all human beings are created b’tselem Elohim, “in the Divine image,” as it says in Genesis 1:27, "And God created humans in God’s own image, in the image of God, God created them […]." Each of us, whether straight or a member of the LGBTQ+ community, is created in God’s image and has a unique talent, with which we can contribute to the high moral purpose of tikkun olam, the repair of our world. Excluding anyone from our community lessens our chances of achieving this goal of a more perfect world. Our congregations are guided by this value and our members treasure the celebration all expressions of love.

Finally, as members of a religious minority, we are intimately acquainted with the effects of bigotry. Our ancestors knew both the continuing indignities of second-class citizenship and the constant fear of xenophobic violence; our history teaches us that discrimination against any members of a community threatens the security of the entire community. 

We welcome the public expression of our values and the lessons from our history by asking the Council to approve a NDO for our city.

Respectfully submitted,

Scott Franklin
President
Congregation Beth Torah

Jocelyn Fry
President
The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah

Rabbi Javier Cattapan
Senior Rabbi
Congregation Beth Torah

Rabbi Arthur P. Nemitoff
Senior Rabbi
The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah

“Kol Israel Arevim zeh la-ze (All Jews are responsible for one another). This well-known slogan of the Jewish people is from the Talmud. There now exists a group of Jewish people that reject that pledge. It is the Naturie Karta, which is associating itself with those that seek the demise of Israel. 

It acts on the belief that the State should not exist until the coming of the Messiah, therefore Israel is an abomination. Its activities have included petitioning the United Nation not to declare separating Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. When Jews began to leave the USSR, their first stop was Vienna where they were met with these extremists. They implored these migrants not to go to Israel. In 2007 their representatives participated in a Holocaust denial convention that took place in Iran.

In my view this amounts to treason against the people of Israel as they have consorted with enemies that seek the destruction of Israel. They libel Israel in the most atrocious way by exhibiting posters in public accusing Israel of horrendous crimes. A recent photo was taken of several of its adherents displaying their hatred of Israel while members live in Israel! Some of these posters state “Judaism. G-dly and compassionate. Zionism G-dless and merciless.” “Israel is state organized terror.” Those people who rant like this and partner with our enemies do not deserve to live in Israel. As they have demonstrated their hatred toward Israelis and Zionists, wherever they are, they have left their ties with us and deserve to be shunned and excommunicated. 

Sol Koenigsberg

Overland Park, Kansas

What makes a Jewish home unique? The very first thing is the mezuzah on the front door. The story is told about a Roman prince who searched for truth and came to the conclusion that he wanted to convert to Judaism. He traveled to the land of Israel where he began to study with the Jewish sages and became a full-fledged Jew.

When word of this came to the emperor of Rome he was livid. How dare his nephew throw away the luxuries of palace life and take on the religion of the downtrodden Jews. He immediately sent his soldiers to bring Onkelos, his nephew back to Rome.

Onkelos was well known in the palace where he grew up. He was a very bright and friendly young lad and the favorite of the court. When the soldiers came to Israel and sat down with Onkelos, they asked him what made him do such a thing as to become a Jew. Onkelos explained the beauty of the Jewish religion to them and answered all their questions with insight and clarity. Indeed, the soldiers were so inspired that they decided to remain in Jerusalem and study more. Eventually they too converted and became Jewish.

When news of this came to the Roman emperor, he chose another group of soldiers to go fetch Onkelos. His instructions were clear. “Here is the edict for his arrest,” he said. “Now do not speak a word with him, just show him the edict and bring him back with you. That is my command.”

The soldiers came to Israel and found Onkelos at home. True to their mission, they presented him with the edict from his uncle without uttering a word. Onkelos began to pack a few things and followed them to the door. At the door, he raised his hand to the mezuzah attached to the door and kissed it. At this moment, the superstitious soldiers could not hold themselves back. They blurted out, “Onkelos, what kind of a curse are you putting on us?!”

Onkelos calmed them down and said, “Please come back into my house and I will explain to you what I was doing.”

Onkelos told them, “Your king sits in his palace and guards stand at the door day and night to watch over him. However, our G-d, the true King of the universe, stands at our door and at our gates and watches over us by day and by night.”

Tell us more, the soldiers requested, happy to be in the company of their beloved Onkelos.

Onkelos told them about Judaism and the many moral laws and G-dly wisdom of the Torah. He told them about the importance of helping each other and always doing good deeds. They listened attentively and when he was finished decided they wanted to learn more. Indeed, this group, too, converted to Judaism.

At this point the emperor realized he better not send any other legions.

Onkelos continued to study the Torah diligently until he became one of the greatest leaders of the Jewish people. Still today we study the interpretation of Onkelos on the Torah and he is considered as one of the greatest sages, who is a direct link to the teachings of Moses, our first leader.

I traveled with 50 Jewish and Muslim women from across the U.S. this summer on the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom (SOSS) Building Bridges trip to Berlin and Poland. The purpose of the trip was to witness what happens when hate is unchecked and to understand what we can do today to ensure it doesn’t happen again, to anyone.

One of our stops in Berlin was at Gleis (Track) 17. Fifty thousand Berlin Jews boarded the train from this track, ultimately taken to their deaths. They were told to pack their most valuable possessions in their suitcases and purchase their own tickets. 

Praying together, with all our hearts, brought tears to everyone’s eyes, and that helped bring the tears I needed to shed.  I cried for what the worst of humanity brought; I cried for the best of humanity — the innocent Jews and the women standing together to honor their memory. 

With the rise of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in Europe, we learned about initiatives on the ground that help foster Muslim and Jewish relationships for better understanding and friendship. After visiting mosques and synagogues in Berlin, we traveled by train to Warsaw and then by bus to Krakow to face the inevitable: Auschwitz.

En route, Dr. Mehnaz Afridi, our expert guide in Holocaust studies, suggested we be silent for 30 minutes. I sat toward the back with a view of my sisters sitting in silence, several with headscarves and kippot as we drove by the fields of green and yellow. We were on this sacred journey together. 

There was a regimented way to enter Auschwitz. One ticket at a time, one person at a time; we were to stay in line and do exactly as told. I started to boil, but of course, this was nothing compared to what the victims went through. I felt numb as our tour guide spoke. 

Then I saw the case full of hair and broke down. 

Once in Auschwitz II, also known as Birkenau, the scope of the death machine was even more incomprehensible. We made our way to a building called Kanada, where the Nazis stored items taken from the Jews in order to use them in the war effort.

We came to a room that displayed photos brought to the camp in the victims’ suitcases. We stood in a circle and prepared for the second memorial service of our trip. 

This was the first known Muslim and Jewish women’s group from the U.S. to experience Berlin, Warsaw, Krakow and Auschwitz-Birkenau together. It didn’t matter if one was Jewish or Muslim. We all shed tears for the lives lost, and what could have been.

Women named loved ones who perished in the Holocaust. A couple of our Muslim sisters read names given to them by Jewish sisters who could not join the trip. The names of 66 Muslims who were also murdered at Auschwitz were read aloud.

As a few of us were walking out of Birkenau, we saw a group of German high school teens. They told us they signed up for enrichment to learn about the Holocaust. It was not obligatory. They were also inspired by the work of SOSS and our traveling together in Berlin and Poland. Walking out of Birkenau with the German teens gave us hope.

The next day we helped clean up at the Jewish cemetery in Krakow as a way to heal. Together, we cleared an area of weeds, swept and some wiped off dirt from gravestones to honor the deceased.

Since our return to the U.S., the Muslim and Jewish women are even more committed to helping immigrants, getting people registered to vote, making care packages with socks and toiletries for asylum seekers; teaching people of all ages about the Holocaust; attending rallies that speak truth to power, expressing that it’s not OK to use hate speech, which incites white supremacists to have carte blanche in carrying out terrorist attacks in our own country.

As Jews, we say, “Never again.” To me that means Never Again to Jews or to anyone. 

In the midst of evil, I find strength in the best of humanity – with my sisters in the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom.

Sheila Sonnenschein is a founding member of Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom in Greater Kansas City and actively promotes interfaith understanding.

Some time ago I was talking with a dear friend, also a Reform Jew, who wanted to be a cantor. I asked them why they didn’t take the leap and apply to the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), our movement’s most well-known institution for Jewish higher education, to pursue their passion. They explained their personal life made that option impossible; a Jew whose life-partner is not Jewish is not welcome at the seminary.

I was astounded and appalled! How is that possible in our modern day Reform movement?

I looked up HUC-JIR’s admissions policy online, and, yes, in fact, it does discriminate in this very specific way:  

“We celebrate the contribution of people of all faiths toward building and sustaining loving Jewish homes, and yet we believe that rabbis, cantors and educators should exemplify a distinct standard of Jewish continuity. Therefore, HUC-JIR will only admit, graduate or ordain candidates who, if in a committed long-term relationship, are in such a relationship with a Jewish partner.” 

This policy is dismaying and counter-productive for many reasons:

1. My understanding of Jewish history, belief and tradition is that our Jewish leaders are no different than the rest of us. They may be trained as teachers and specialists to lead worship and to lead congregations, but modern-day rabbis and cantors are not the priests of old; they hold no special place in the eyes of God. So what does it mean to be held to “a distinct standard of Jewish continuity?”

Clearly, that is code for making Jewish children and raising them in a Jewish home. Yet the HUC-JIR admits candidates — both single and coupled, both gay and straight — who do not intend to bear, adopt or otherwise raise children. HUC-JIR admits women candidates past the age of child-bearing. HUC-JIR admits candidates who intend to limit the size of their families. HUC-JIR admits candidates who are infertile.

If the concern is “Jewish continuity,” why are candidates committed to life partners who are not Jewish — including those who plan to raise Jewish children in a Jewish home — seen as the only detractors?

2. The future of our people, as the HUC-JIR readily admits, depends on the contributions and the goodwill of interfaith couples — many of whom are raising Jewish children in Jewish homes. Many of the families in my synagogue have one partner who is not Jewish. Last year our son married a woman who is not Jewish — under a chuppah, with a ketubah, officiated by a rabbi ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary. They are building a Jewish home with much greater care and intention than many couples where both were born Jewish or where one or both formally converted to our religion.  

What signal does it send to interfaith families to tell them there is a higher standard of Judaism — which they do not meet? How does that help keep them included, so that more families remain engaged in congregational life and more children are raised and educated as Jews? One could argue that the seminary’s policy of exclusion harms Jewish continuity rather than promoting it.

3. As an independent professional woman, I am offended that my partner’s faith, behavior, education or any other characteristic could ever limit my own educational or career options. Imagine the outrage today if a company had a policy of only hiring or promoting men with stay-at-home wives, once standard practice in a corporate culture now seen as anachronistic and patriarchal.

In the same way, the time is long past when a congregation hired a male rabbi (or cantor) and got a second staff person “for free” in the form of his willing, available wife. If a person is fully able to fulfill the duties, responsibilities and commitments of the position of rabbi or cantor, what does it matter the faith of their partner? A congregation is hiring one — not both.  

4. We are walking away from talent. My friend would have made an amazing cantor. And yet, because of this arcane and bigoted policy, they cannot study at the HUC-JIR to become one. This policy deprives them of the opportunity for career development within the Jewish faith, and it deprives the Jewish community of a much-needed cantor.

I did not previously know about this obsolete and offensive policy of exclusion. I bet a lot of Reform Jews don’t know either and would be upset if they did. Our community of modern, Reform Jews needs to call upon the HUC-JIR to change their policy to reflect our movement’s values of inclusivity, fairness and individual autonomy.

Martha Gershun is a retired nonprofit executive.  She is a member of Congregation Beth Torah, where she serves on the Liturgical Committee and leads worship as a lay volunteer.

“Heretics” by Leonardo Padura, Farrar, 

Strauss and Giroux, 2017, 528 pages, 

$16.15 Amazon paperback

Leonardo Padura is a well-known Cuban author whose mysteries featuring Cuban police detective Mario Conde have been very popular. In fact, he is also the author of historical fiction of note including “The Man Who Loved Dogs,” a novel about the assassination of Leon Trotsky, and “Adios Hemingway” about the author’s life in Cuba.

In “Heretics” Padura combines crimes that the now-retired Conde must solve, with an exploration of Jewish life in Cuba before Batista took over and stories reaching far into the past from Amsterdam to Poland in the 1600’s.

The novel begins with 9-year-old Daniel Kaminsky standing on the dock in Havana as the SS Saint Louis comes into the harbor carrying hundreds of Jews who are fleeing Hitler. Daniel’s parents are on board, carrying with them a small Rembrandt portrait that has been in their family for about 300 years. The Kaminskys hope to use it to bargain for their freedom, but they fail. Like the other passengers on board, they are sent back to Europe and end up murdered in a concentration camp.

That however, is only the beginning of the novel. How did the Rembrandt become a possession of the Kaminsky family? Who is the boy in the portrait? Where did the painting go when the Kaminskys were denied entry to Cuba? What happens to Daniel? All of these questions are eventually answered.

Padura shifts the narrative to Amsterdam in the 1600s where Jews from Catholic countries found a safe haven from the Inquisition. He introduces the excommunication of Baruch Spinoza and the emergence of Shabtai Tzvi who claimed to be the new Messiah. Finally he returns his story to modern day Cuba when the mysterious painting is found in auction in England. Then Daniel’s grandson decides to recover it for the family.

“Heretics” is a complicated narrative that explores Jewish history for three centuries. It is beautifully written, combining mysteries, Jewish history and characters a reader will care about. Yes, it is over 500 pages long, but so is any recounting of Jewish history.

Andrea Kempf is a retired librarian and an award winning book reviewer.