Kind Words

Given the subject on which I wrote this past week, there was a bit of irony that played out tonight as I skimmed through the news. It is especially curious since it was only a couple of weeks ago that I did sit down and write a letter in the hope to reconnect with someone who had been so kind to me in the past. It wasn’t until long after the sun had set and our son was asleep in his bed when I learned about the passing of Elie Wiesel. As I read through the remembrances streaming across my computer, I couldn’t help but think about the moment when I received a letter in the mail with his name in the upper left hand side of the envelope.

While we had never met in person, I did correspond with this wonderful man in the past and I had been fortunate to receive his blessing regarding the poems that I originally wrote about Janusz Korzcak. Words that, while brief, carried the weight of the world and of history. At the time I had doubts about whether my writing was honoring the memories of those lost. I have never been one to rely on the approval of others to write but this is a subject and a project that was a completely different scenario. With a few simple sentences, I had the confidence to continue which resulted in the collection that I published this year, What Was Not Said: Echoes From The Holocaust.

What speaks volumes of his legacy is that my interaction with this great man is not a unique experience. He gave more of his time, his energy, his life not just to ensuring the permanence of memory but to the lives of others in pursuit of knowledge and understanding. Dr. Wiesel supported many of us, from near and far, in more ways than most could ever dream. Some were personal interactions while others only got to know him through his words printed on the pages in one of his fifty seven books, countless essays and articles, and numerous interviews and speeches. I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones to have corresponded with this righteous man.

And when we look back on the life of this great man, there is much that we can learn from not just his words but his actions. While he lived through unimaginable horrors, he chose to live with hope and kindness. He pursued the perpetuation of memory and ensured that it served as a means for achieving peace. He was a beacon for the world shining light not just into the darkness of the past but casting a warm glow on the possibilities of the future. Sometimes he would do this on a grand stage in front of thousands or on television in front of millions but also in a classroom in from of a mere dozens or in a conversation, a letter, a phone call one on one. This is why, for many reasons, I now say I will never forget!

Rant Time: Protesters And Immigration

It has been about a month since I thought about writing this post but I wanted to give it a little time and think about what I wanted to say. In this instance, that was the wrong approach as the rant has, for lack of a better term, festered a bit. So, what got me riled up? It was all the protesters taking to the streets of Philadelphia in mid April… most of which should have been charged, at the very least, with disturbing the peace.  

I don’t have anything against protests in general as there are many messages and policies about which people are passionate about whether they are right or wrong to hold those views. However, the recent trend has been to, at best, disrupt the lives of those in the vicinity of the marching and chanting and, at worst, simply a collection of misguided hooligans that could care less about the negative impact that they have on those around them. A prime example of the latter occurred during the morning rush hour last month when a small group gathered in Old City with no clear message but with the purpose of simply terrorizing those who got in their way. This small gathering was only the preamble to mass chanting of vitriol slogans during the protests during the evening rush hour.

While many of the “peaceful” protesters that have recently come out of the woodwork there is nothing peaceful about the words that they are using or simply their actions during these gatherings. In many cases there is no question that they are using this ‘peaceful means of expression’ to incite violence and hatred (for which there are a few that should be charged accordingly). In the above mentioned incident, those involved in that small group in Old City should be facing charges as they were clearly guilty of false imprisonment (a woman was unable to move her car or get out of her car) and corruption of minors (they encouraged kids on their way to school to participate in their act of harassment). But, not surprisingly, no charges have been filed.

Unfortunately, I wouldn’t expect anything else from a city that insists on breaking the law. Following the Obama administration’s campaign to only deport those ‘undocumented workers’ who commit a crime, many delusional cities have declared sanctuary status including Philadelphia in January of this year. While the DHS directive birthed from that declaration has citied that enforcement will only occur if the person in question is a known criminal or breaks any additional laws after illegally entering the United States. Guess what, I am not buying that load of crap!

Let’s make things really simple. If I break the law, I should be held accountable. By entering the country illegally, by breaking the law, you have committed a crime and the penalty for that crime is to be deported. It is a rather cut and dry matter. The government is not to be held accountable should you have children in the United States (they would be citizens in this instance and cannot be deported) after illegally entering the county… it was your decision to not obey the laws of this country. You are the one tearing apart your family.

Am I saying that the immigration system is perfect? Heck no, it is broken to say the least. But there are many departments and agencies in this country that could be described as FUBAR but that doesn’t mean that we can simply ignore the laws and regulations enforced by those agencies… the IRS is a perfect example of this. Unfortunately, there are misguided politicians in this country that are declaring sanctuary status for their cities. And they should be held accountable for their actions as well as they are aiding and abetting a known criminal with the possibility of criminal conspiracy charges being leveled should it be proven that this was a coordinated and calculated effort to break the law. Arrest them or impeach them (or both) but hold them accountable for their actions like the rest of us are in our daily lives.

But, for now, enforce the law. Don’t just overlook the criminal acts of others and hand out free passes. We have to be held accountable for our own actions and we must protect ourselves and our rights before simply handing them over to others. Now, if you want to see the system changed, get involved. Don’t just start yelling in the streets and making hollow declarations. Take action and put forth the effort to effect change in this country. After all, 99% of the people in these protests are the ones who voted for change in the first place but what are they doing to influence the process and make progress on the policies about which they hold the greatest passion?

However, don’t preach about the rights of others with one breath and try to strip the rights from law abiding citizens in the next like I have heard many politicians and protesters do as they jump from an immigration rally to an anti-gun rally! My rights are not on the table, they are not for debate, and any politician in Pennsylvania should face impeachment should they question that right.

Prayers, Candles, and Presents

A couple of nights ago we started Hanukkah a little early. Over the last month we had bought a few too many toys for our son so we figured we would begin part of the evening routine a couple of days prior. He didn’t really know what to make of it but he was happy with what we got him and seeing that smile made the few extra dollars seem like the bargain of the century. After all, this is his first Hanukkah and we want to make it a little more special so we have tried to make it as fun as possible while setting the ground work for a new holiday tradition.

We are starting this tradition as a family… just the three of us this year. Throughout the weekend, my wife and I made enough brisket to last for the eight nights and we made sure, beginning tonight, to light the candles with the proper blessings. It is only after the candles are lit, which our son seems to enjoy in and of itself, when we go back into the office closet and pull out the next toy for our son to play with. Reading the transliteration in front of our son know that, at one point I could read the Hebrew, reignited my desire to learn this beautiful language.

There is something calming about slowing down for a few moments, reading the prayers, and carefully lighting each candle. It really allows all three of us to just be in the moment while we enjoy our faith as a family. This followed by the happiness in our son’s face as he played with the toys (and the boxes that they came in) are really what makes this a special time of year and I look forward to sharing with him more and more about the holiday and the significance that it holds.

Of course, there is also another fun part of the evening as I was able to hide the small gifts that I have been accumulating over the past several weeks from my wife. Well, most of them are small. While the vast majority were clearance finds or daily deals, I was also able to find something that I had been meaning to get for her for some time now. Thankfully the camera that I was looking at went on sale and I was able to stay within budget. So now, each night, we will have images to accompany our memories and, most importantly, I might have made up, at least a little bit, for my mistakes during her birthday.

And now, with the candles having long since faded, and my wife and son sleeping, I am sitting here writing this and looking forward to the rest of the Hanukkah holiday. I am so glad that we are able to have this experience throughout the week and I can’t wait to see the smiles every evening. And, just think, it only gets better from here.

Not Such A Wonderful Life

Once again things are getting out of hand in another major urban area in the country. Last year we watched Ferguson get flipped upside down and now we are watching Baltimore burn. In each instance a rush to judgement, a rush to convict local law enforcement, fueled a rage within those communities resulting in the destruction of their own home and the disruption of life across the country.

These are just the most prominent instances when the community has rallied around the untimely death of a frequent felon. That’s right, I said it. When one looks at the records of the men who were killed in each of these instances you will find a long criminal record casting a shadow over the events that lead to their ultimate demise.

Could law enforcement handled things differently in each of these cases? Most definitely. Would the outcome have been different? There is no guarantee that it would have been any different or that the results would have been worse. Would there have been riots in the streets had the police officer been the one shot? I don’t think so.

No one in the streets is interested in hearing both sides of the story. They are only seeing one possible scenario, the one that fits into their own racist views, the cops are out to kill “black men”. Truth be told… black lives matter, white lives matter, blue lives matter, all lives matter. Don’t assign sainthood on someone just because it fits your agenda. Don’t use the loss of life as an excuse to destroy your own community.

Every time an alarm rings an "angel" gets his bling. That is the real modern twist on a classic. This isn’t such a wonderful life.

As for those who are taking to the streets to protest… anyone who participates in these riots or vandalism should be arrested. I’m not talking about those who are peacefully doing so… you may be misguided and annoying but you are certainly within your right to do so. I’m talking about those who insist on destroying property, harass people passing by, and shut down streets in major cities by recklessly blocking all the lanes. Arrest them all.

However, the most important thing that all of the people out there who are upset about what is going on should remember is that what you are doing now and how you are going about it will not bring about the change you are looking for. If you want your community to improve, your situation to change, law enforcement to act differently do something about it and get involved. Don’t just walk around screaming and throwing stones. Get a job, volunteer to help the community, go to school, run for office, or, better yet, become a police officer. Stop destroying the world and make an effort to improve it!

When The Mayor Takes Action

Now this is definitely something that I couldn’t see Mayor Nutter doing in the streets of Philadelphia. In fact, I don’t know if I could see any mayor in a major city in the United States doing this in their respective streets. I guess this is one of those situations that demonstrates the clear difference between Israel and the United States and Israelis and Americans in particular.

Last month I was skimming through my news feed and came across an article in Haaretz that immediately got my attention. As it turns out, the Mayor of Jerusalem (a city and a place close to my heart), Nir Barkat, was driving down the road when he suddenly asked his bodyguard to stop the car. He had seen a Palestinian terrorist (and that is what he is) stabbing a Jewish man at Tzahal Square. In the end, the bodyguard pulled his gun causing the teenager to drop the knife and the Mayor wrestled the madman to the ground, subdued him, and offered aid to the victim until police arrived on the scene.

As I stated above, the thing that struck me the most when I came across this article is just how different this kind of story is to someone reading it in the United States. I couldn’t see a mayor from a major city in the states taking action in the same way. Additionally, even if they would simply make a call having seen a similar attack, the need to promote their actions would be quite evident. There would be a much more grandiose gesture following the incident not a simple reflection such as the one Barkat gave in the Haaretz article:

"My bodyguard and I jumped straight out of the car, he drew his weapon and together we caught the terrorist until police arrived, and we took care of the wounded, who, happily, was only lightly wounded."  

Barkat said that when he and his bodyguards faced the assailant, he threw down his knife.

"This too is part of our life in Jerusalem. It's clear that if he would have looked to continue stabbing he wouldn't have been alive now. But he threw the knife away," Barkat said. 

The second half of that quote is particularly striking… “This too is part of life in Jerusalem.” Unfortunately, that is a reality in the holy city and one that continues to be a pervasive certainty in the streets throughout Israel. Terrorism is still a reality and the cause of such incidents continues to be muddled in the pages and reports that are disseminated around the world. It is a crisis that needs to be addressed with more than just talks and 10 year plans.

The means by which the State of Israel is portrayed continues to be inaccurate which has perpetuated protests and attacks throughout the world. Israel as a whole and Jerusalem in particular are a place of peace in a region obsessed with war and Jihad. Until the world accepts the reality that Israel is a peaceful state, terrorism will continue to taint that reality in the streets of Jerusalem.

Thankfully, the Israeli people are some of the most resilient that the world has ever known. They are the reason that Israel remains strong in the face of international accusations and terrorism in the streets. To those leaders, IDF soldiers, and all those who live in the holy land I end this post with two simple words… Thank you!

Reflections On This Day

As has been obvious to anyone watching or reading the news, over the past year (especially during the last six month) there has been a tremendous amount of racial discourse. There have been many instances when the protests have been thoughtful and thought provoking while there have also been numerous occasions when the messages have been lost in the rage and rampage both physically and verbally. There have been calls for peace as well as race baiting accusations. Overall, the dichotomy has been tremendous especially considering that each has called on the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to support their actions.

In the majority of these instances, the verdict was declared before a pursuit of justice could even begin. On more than one occasion, those who sought to tell the truth were threatened with their lives… some came forward but too many remained silent. It makes me wonder how those who seek to prevent justice view this holiday when we remember a man who spent his life and gave his life in the hope that justice, freedom, equality, and peace could be embraced by all regardless of race, religion, or nationality. As Coretta Scott King wrote in “The Meaning of The King Holiday”:

On this day we commemorate Dr. King’s great dream of a vibrant, multiracial nation united in justice, peace and reconciliation; a nation that has a place at the table for children of every race and room at the inn for every needy child. We are called on this holiday, not merely to honor, but to celebrate the values of equality, tolerance and interracial sister and brotherhood he so compellingly expressed in his great dream for America.

It is a day of interracial and intercultural cooperation and sharing. No other day of the year brings so many peoples from different cultural backgrounds together in such a vibrant spirit of brother and sisterhood. Whether you are African-American, Hispanic or Native American, whether you are Caucasian or Asian-American, you are part of the great dream Martin Luther King, Jr. had for America. This is not a black holiday; it is a peoples’ holiday. And it is the young people of all races and religions who hold the keys to the fulfillment of his dream.

We commemorate on this holiday the ecumenical leader and visionary who embraced the unity of all faiths in love and truth. And though we take patriotic pride that Dr. King was an American, on this holiday we must also commemorate the global leader who inspired nonviolent liberation movements around the world. Indeed, on this day, programs commemorating my husband’s birthday are being observed in more than 100 nations.

The King Holiday celebrates Dr. King’s global vision of the world house, a world whose people and nations had triumphed over poverty, racism, war and violence. The holiday celebrates his vision of ecumenical solidarity, his insistence that all faiths had something meaningful to contribute to building the beloved community.

The Holiday commemorates America’s pre-eminent advocate of nonviolence — the man who taught by his example that nonviolent action is the most powerful, revolutionary force for social change available to oppressed people in their struggles for liberation.

This holiday honors the courage of a man who endured harassment, threats and beatings, and even bombings. We commemorate the man who went to jail 29 times to achieve freedom for others, and who knew he would pay the ultimate price for his leadership, but kept on marching and protesting and organizing anyway.

Every King Holiday has been a national “teach-in” on the values of nonviolence, including unconditional love, tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation, which are so desperately-needed to unify America. It is a day of intensive education and training in Martin’s philosophy and methods of nonviolent social change and conflict-reconciliation. The Holiday provides a unique opportunity to teach young people to fight evil, not people, to get in the habit of asking themselves, “what is the most loving way I can resolve this conflict?”

In Dr. King’s memory, I hope that we can all seek peace during this tumultuous time and seek truth and justice rather than assume guilt simply based on whether the person is black or white. To strive to accomplish any less in his memory would be to contradict all that he fought and died for. Remember, his dream was that ALL men are created equal!

Why This Day?

Like most religious holidays, especially ones that have become a piece of commercialized pop culture, it is interesting to look at the roots of the Christmas holiday and basically how it came to fall on this particular day in December. It seems that almost from the very beginning, the selection of this date has been a marketing play to ensure the success of the holiday and the spread of the religion. And you can’t really blame the early church for doing this because of the simple fact that it works. This theory is summarized on Wikipedia in the follow passage:

One theory to explain the choice of 25 December for the celebration of the birth of Jesus is that the purpose was to Christianize the pagan festival in Rome of the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti means "the birthday of the Unconquered Sun", a festival inaugurated by the Roman emperor Aurelian (270–275) to celebrate the sun god and celebrated at the winter solstice, 25 December. According to this theory, during the reign of the emperor Constantine, Christian writers assimilated this feast as the birthday of Jesus, associating him with the 'sun of righteousness' mentioned in Malachi 4:2 (Sol Iustitiae).

An explicit expression of this theory appears in an annotation of uncertain date added to a manuscript of a work by 12th-century Syrian bishop Jacob Bar-Salibi. The scribe who added it wrote: "It was a custom of the Pagans to celebrate on the same 25 December the birthday of the Sun, at which they kindled lights in token of festivity. In these solemnities and revelries the Christians also took part. Accordingly when the doctors of the Church perceived that the Christians had a leaning to this festival, they took counsel and resolved that the true Nativity should be solemnised on that day." This idea became popular especially in the 18th and 19th centuries.

It is interesting in the origins and evolution of the holiday that the, for lack of a better term, mood of the holiday has changed so drastically back and forth over the centuries. What was once a means of celebration to rival that of a pagan holiday transformed into a day of reverential awe. Now we find ourselves, regardless of our own particular faith, surrounded by the sights and sounds of the season which are downright joyous. And while it is no longer my holiday of choice the messages of peace, love, family, appreciation, and joy are universal and should be embraced by all. And for everything else there is always Festivus!

Prolonging The Conflict

Israeli-distributed candies in the West Bank bear the slogan
'Here are some sweets because Hamas is making life bitter in the West Bank.'

For more than a month, Hamas and Israel have been doing back and forth both on the ground and in the conference room. Papers and missiles have been exchanged on a regular basis with no realistic end in sight. Those that haven’t been keeping current on the conflict probably don’t realize that it has been that long… it seems as though this is one of those unfortunate wars when we lose sight of the beginning.

During this prolonged conflict, ceasefires have come and gone and holidays have passed by without peace prevailing. Tisha B'Av offered little respite during this time but hope remained palpable as people reflected on the loss, the strife, the anger, the fear. What are usually marked as days unlike other in the surrounding blocks of the calendar, were a continuation of the same emotions dominating the regional psyche. For Jews, this was just another event to mourn during this sorrowful day.

Tisha B'Av, the Fast of the Ninth of Av, is a day of mourning to commemorate the many tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people, many of which have occurred on the ninth of Av.

Tisha B'Av primarily commemorates the destruction of the first and second Temples, both of which were destroyed on the ninth of Av (the first by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E.; the second by the Romans in 70 C.E.).

Although this holiday is primarily meant to commemorate the destruction of the Temple, it is appropriate to consider on this day the many other tragedies of the Jewish people, many of which occurred on this day, most notably the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 and from England in 1290.

It is during these times of what is usually holy celebration and reverence when the claws are drawn throughout the world. The back and forth between conflict and ceasefire, holiday and conflict, has the world in an uproar for all the wrong reasons. So who is to blame? Unlike many of the protests and ‘reports’ Israel is not to blame for the elusiveness of peace.

Every ceasefire that has been negotiated and strong armed have not been times for the people of Israel to break or the IDF to relax. They have served as perpetual countdowns to the next rocket to sail over the boarder at innocent civilians. This FACT seems to be lost on the world. However, as we have reflected on what has seemed like a prolonged period of mourning, we have kept in the forefront of our minds that, while the situation is tenuous, it will pass and be but a memory which we will forever remember. We are strong, we will fight, and we will not allow the world to destroy our land or expel our people. Hope will prevail and peace will once again return to our land.

Time Flies When I’m Thinking

Last night I had planned on going to bed early. Around ten, I sat at my desk to clean out some receipts from my wallet and throw them in the shred box. This is a simple task that should have taken no more than ten minutes. However, I found myself sitting there, staring at the wall, and thinking. A very dangerous habit but one that I can’t seem to break. Before I knew it, midnight had come and gone and I was just getting ready for bed.

Since the moment we found out that we are having a baby there have been moments here and there when I would catch a glimpse of how drastically our life would change. Last night was the first time when I really sat and thought about all that needs to be done and everything that we will have to shift around in our life. While time is one consideration, space is another and as I looked around our office, there are a lot of things that need to be changed by the end of the year.

It is nothing that we can’t handle but it is going to take some thought to plan out the moves necessary to maximize the limited square footage of our apartment. What can I say, we have a lot of stuff. But that is part of the process; that is part of the change that occurs during this stage in life; out with our stuff, in with the baby stuff. It makes me wonder what George Carlin would have to say about this change in stuff status.

Contrary to what you might originally think, it is kind of a relief. While there are a lot of things that we will be holding on to, it brings to my attention all the things that we never should have held on to in the first place. We’re not hoarders but we are not living a minimalistic life either. It reminds me of when we decided to move to Israel; we had to look around and figure out what we really wanted to keep and what we could get rid of. While this is not as extreme, we now need to focus on what things we want to take with us on this new adventure.

So now, in addition to the cleaning that is already long overdue, it is time to sort and organize so that we can begin preparing for the life that we have always dreamed of which is now, slowly, becoming a reality. I am sure that there will be times when the stress will outweigh the optimism but, overall, these moments when I am just able to sit and think quietly are the ones that will continue to fuel my anticipation. In between, I am going to continue working, cleaning, organizing, and trying my best to prepare myself for the changes on the horizon.

Not looking forward to that 'stuff'!

 

And So It Begins

A friend of mine in Israel posted this on Facebook tonight:

“So, it's started. And it has a name. Operation Protective Edge or "צוק איתן". #bringit”

And now, as I write, the planes are in the air, the rockets are flying into Israel, and I am sitting here is safety, holding my breath, waiting, hoping, and wishing there was something I could do. I am waiting for the rockets to be silenced, the sirens to cease their echoes, and the air to once again be still. I am waiting for the updates from friends, hoping that all are safe and not shaken too badly from the latest escalation.

I am waiting for the hatred to be posted to Facebook. The post by supposedly peace loving people who will inevitably condemn the fact that Israel is, once again, defending itself after a prolonged (I think too long) period of attacks against innocent people. It has happened before and I am sure that my friends list will shrink by at least a couple again this time around a well. They can do what they want... I know that I am in the right to support Israel and I don't understand how you can oppose the operation when I keep reading posts like this...

“Soroka hospital moving preemies and baby departments to bomb shelter.”

Undoubtedly there will be heartbreaking stories and even some of the preparations that take place can be hard to read as, from my perspective here in the US, this is something that I do not experience. However, that small part of me, that Israeli part of me, understands the pain, humor, and heartbreak that is woven in the following statement: 

“There's snow days, hurricane days... in Israel we have rocket days. Tomorrow is a rocket day. People in the south check to see if you have school/university tomorrow before you go.”

Of course, the pervasive emotion is anger. Anger at those murderers who served as the catalyst for this escalation, anger at hamas for seeking murder as a resolution, and anger at all those people and countries that hate us just for being who we are and for holding sacred the land which G-d has bestowed upon us. This is our land. How dare you bastardize history to serve your murderous ambitions!

While I am not a proponent of war… bring it! This has got to come to a resolution at some point and turning the other way while you fire rockets at women and children doesn’t seem to be working so… bring it! Mourning the defenseless that you have murdered and calling for the end to the violence obviously falls on deaf ears so… bring it! While Israel and the IDF have showed remarkable restraint in the past and have not occupied the terrorist territories, it is time to put an end to this, it is time to bring it!

*Thank you Laura Ben-David for keeping us all up to date. Stay safe!

 

A Liberal Dose Of Crazy Outside Our Door

I walked out of our apartment today and immediately noticed the car parked in front of me leaving little room for me to walk passed. After mumbling a few choice words about visitors parking in resident spaces and the specific orifice they resemble, I began reading the collage of stickers blanketing the front bumper. As I read this brilliant little snippets of mental flatulence it seemed as though the breeze carried a faint wisp of patchouli. With my curiosity piqued, I had to see what was plastered on the back of this tiny car.

Well, I can’t say that I agreed with everything that was being pitched on this mobile billboard but what really got me is just how blatantly liberal and uncompromising a simple car can be. Additionally, the contrary nature of the views expressed demonstrate a lack of follow through with their own thoughts. While I wish I had also gotten a picture of the front bumper, the basic gist of it was contrary to those stickers on the back… the two that I specifically recall are the pro-choice and supporting the rights of all people.

You read that correctly and probably reacted the same way. The same person that preaches peace and pro-life on the back supports abortion on the front. The same person that supports the rights of all people on the front is happy to strip the individual right to bear arms on the back. It is not even a matter of voicing an opinion it is the fact that they don’t know what opinion they have… there is even a bumper sticker on top of a bumper sticker.

Now I am not a stranger to having things stuck to my car but I am very conservative (in more ways than one) about what I have displayed. I have a couple Masonic symbols on the back of my trunk along with a Philly Friendship Circle magnet, a NRA sticker and college stickers in my back window (on the edges so that my field of view is not obscured) and a Rotary sticker in my back side window. Honestly, I think my little collection is pushing it but this lady (as I found out later that the owner was actually a female hippie) took it to a whole different level.

I can and will stand behind everything that I stick to my car and I feel they are consistent with my views and beliefs… they represent one voice. Many believe that your car says a lot about you and, to a certain extent, I can support that theory. But that isn’t always the case anymore… while Herbie may have been a VW Beetle it is obvious that times have changed, now we have Sybil the Honda Fit. I think that may be the perfect bumper sticker for that little car.

Embrace The Change Brought About By A Simple Declaration

Sorry to disappoint but this is not what it is all about.

Today we celebrate a moment in our history that impacts all of us. The signing of the Declaration of Independence is one of the most pivotal moments in history that ha rippled throughout the world and across generations. What began as an act of treason is now celebrated as a moment when the people rose up against an oppressive government. Today is the day when we celebrate the power of a nation fed up with an overreaching nobility taking a stand, reclaiming their rights, and declaring their independence.

On this day we also remember those who have fought for the ideas and ideals embraced those many summers ago in Philadelphia. It has taken the blood of too many good men to ensure the thriving vitality of the tree of liberty and yet those lives lost are too often forgotten during this time of celebration. And it is those lives that we disgrace when we slowly strip the people of the rights that we fought so hard for and sacrificed so much to secure. While history does not change the perspective and lens used to view that which shaped the world can sometimes cast a drunken delirium on the current status of the nation.

Too often people forget that we fought for freedom. We fought to ensure that the people maintain their rights. We were given the ability to pursue happiness not the guarantee of all life’s pleasures. We brought about change that shifted the power from the powerful to the people. We all have rights.

We now find ourselves in a situation when entitlement and an overreaching government are once again trying to dominate our daily lives. The freedoms that we once fought for and cherished are now be questioned and deemed radical and dangerous. The independence and individuality that we once enjoyed is now seen as rebellious and racist. The thing that we once had to work hard for and earn are now preached to be that which everyone should have regardless of the effort and deservingness of the individual.

We cannot be given everything nor expect to be given anything. We are one nation of many people with individual rights. We each have to embrace those rights, decide for ourselves whether we are going to exercise certain rights, and respect the decisions of others as to whether or not they will embrace the freedoms that those rights provide. It took tremendous acts of defiance to secure those rights and found this nation and it took courage to defend those rights. Now we must remember those men who stood before us and let their legacy fuel the bravery we need now to exercise our rights.

When Prayers Go Unanswered

Ever since the news reported their disappearance, we have been hoping, praying, and some pleading for the safe return of Eyal Yifrah, 19, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Naftali Fraenkel, 16, the three Israeli teenagers who were kidnapped on June 12. Yesterday, all those words that each of us kept repeating seemed to fall short as reports quickly spread that those three boys were found murdered with the last whispers of one of the victims recorded by a phone call placed to 100, Israel’s emergency hotline. “They’ve kidnapped me.”

This national and international tragedy came to a tearful conclusion today… while difficult for me to express, the first line I read in a Times of Israel article today perfectly captured that whish we are all experiencing:

“Despite frantic prayers and more than two weeks of desperate searching, the saga of the three kidnapped boys ended Tuesday with the mourner’s kaddish, the traditional prayer for the dead, with three families clasped in prayer and an entire country standing behind them.”

I heard the news, debates, and questions on the radio all morning and watched as the news streamed across my screen all day but until I read my email this evening I wasn’t even sure I would be writing this post (I encourage you to read the email pasted below from Rabbis Shraga Sherman & Mendy Cohen of Chabad of the Main Line). There are few words that can be said at this time that mean anything. It may be difficult for some to understand, and I have had to explain it a few times, but our connection to Israel is not just to a piece of land. We are one with Israel in body, mind, heart, and soul. No matter where we are in this world or where we are in life, we are one. These are our boys.

Unfortunately, as we still mourn we know that soon we will be defending ourselves to the same people that now offer their condolences because we are allowed to mourn and suffer tragedy but we are not allowed to fight back and defend ourselves against future tragedy. It is this constant back and forth of the emotional pendulum that also binds us together but, right now, we mourn. We silently remember ‘our boys’ and ask that our renewed prayers are heeded… let them be the last.

B"H

Shalom,

Yesterday, we all heard the tragic news from Israel. There are few words. Only grief. Sadness. Pain. For 18 days, the Jewish world was so united. We became one family. Our differences and labels of affiliations were pushed to the side. These 3 boys united us. They made us one. Eyal, Gilad and Naftali became our sons... our brothers... No, we never met them but they were OURS... We prayed, we cried, we demanded, we posted - BRING OUR BOYS HOME! It was OUR boys. The power of this unity deserved a different ending. Deserved a reunion of the Jewish world with their boys. Deserved an all night/all day dancing session at the Western Wall celebrating their safe return to their new large family, the family of Klal Yisroel. But it was not meant to be...

We are left heartbroken... numb... in grief... and angry...

First, we must mourn. There is a need for us to realize it is okay to cry and mourn the loss of a loved one... it is beyond words of consoling... it is real pain and tears... We lost 3 children... 3 brothers... As those families are now sitting shiva, we too feel that the deep sense of loss and the love we have for these children and their families.

It is only after we mourn that we will need to deal with our anger. The united Jewish family will have to stand strong and give the Land of Israel the support they will need and deserve.

Today is also the 20th yahrtzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, On the anniversary of a tzadik’s passing, all the light that he planted in this world—his teachings, good deeds, and everything in which he invested his life and being—all this shines brightly, so that anyone connected to him can receive blessings of life, happiness and wisdom. Today more than ever the world needs the comfort, the insight and the fortitude which the Rebbe taught us.

I have pasted below an article just released by Rabbi Jonathan Sachs, very well said…

Just as we mourn together today, so may we very soon celebrate together. May there be many Simchos by all of us, with the ultimate Simcha, the coming of Moshiach. May it already take place.

Rabbis Shraga Sherman & Mendy Cohen

P.S. - There will be a Farbrengen this evening at 9:15 p.m. (Chabad of the Main Line, 625 Montgomery Ave, Merion) marking the Rebbe’s 20th Yahrtzeit. It is a good time for us to be together and hear words of strength and inspiration. Please join us.

In memoriam Eyal, Gilad and Naftali from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

This past Shabbat we read the parsha of Chukkat with its almost incomprehensible commandment of the red heifer whose mixed with "living water" purified those who had been in contact with death so that they could enter the Mishkan, symbolic home of the glory of God. Almost incomprehensible, but not entirely so.

The mitzvah of the parah adumah, the red heifer, was a protest against the religions of the ancient world that glorified death. Death for the Egyptians was the realm of the spirits and the gods. The pyramids were places where, it was believed, the spirit of the dead Pharaoh ascended to heaven and joined the immortals.

The single most striking thing about the Torah and Tanakh in general is its almost total silence on life after death. We believe in it profoundly. We believe in olam haba (the world to come), Gan Eden (paradise), and techiyat hametim (the resurrection of the dead). Yet Tanakh speaks about these things only sparingly and by allusion. Why so?

Because too intense a focus on heaven is capable of justifying every kind of evil on earth. There was a time when Jews were burned at the stake, so their murderers said, in order to save their immortal souls. Every injustice on earth, every act of violence, even suicide bombings, can be theoretically defended on the grounds that true justice is reserved for life after death.

Against this Judaism protests with every sinew of its soul, every fibre of its faith. Life is sacred. Death defiles. God is the God of life to be found only by consecrating life. Even King David was told by God that he would not be permitted to build the Temple because dam larov shafachta, "you have shed much blood."

Judaism is supremely a religion of life. That is the logic of the Torah's principle that those who have had even the slightest contact with death need purification before they may enter sacred space. The parah adumah, the rite of the red heifer, delivered this message in the most dramatic possible way. It said, in effect, that everything that lives - even a heifer that never bore the yoke, even red, the color of blood which is the symbol of life - may one day turn to ash, but that ash must be dissolved in the waters of life. God lives in life. God must never be associated with death.

Eyal, Gilad and Naftali were killed by people who believed in death. Too often in the past Jews were victims of people who practiced hate in the name of the God of love, cruelty in the name of the God of compassion, and murder in the name of the God of life. It is shocking to the very depths of humanity that this still continues to this day.

Never was there a more pointed contrast than, on the one hand, these young men who dedicated their lives to study and to peace, and on the other the revelation that other young men, even from Europe, have become radicalized into violence in the name of God and are now committing murder in His name. That is the difference between a culture of life and one of death, and this has become the battle of our time, not only in Israel but in Syria, in Iraq, in Nigeria and elsewhere. Whole societies are being torn to shreds by people practicing violence in the name of God.

Against this we must never forget the simple truth that those who begin by practicing violence against their enemies end by committing it against their fellow believers. The verdict of history is that cultures that worship death, die, while those that sanctify life, live on. That is why Judaism survives while the great empires that sought its destruction were themselves destroyed.

Our tears go out to the families of Eyal, Gilad and Naftali. We are with them in grief. We will neither forget the young victims nor what they lived for: the right that everyone on earth should enjoy, to live a life of faith without fear.

Bila hamavet lanetzach: "May He destroy death forever, and may the Lord God wipe away the tears from all faces." May the God of life, in whose image we are, teach all humanity to serve Him by sanctifying life.

A Day Late And A Shekel Short!

I took this photo of the Jaffa Gate during our honeymoon in June 2009.

Every Jew connects with Jerusalem in their own way with the roots of our faith as the common thread among us. It is this deep passion and bond that makes this modern holiday resonate so deeply within us. It is the Holy City and our capital after all.

One of the many narrow alleys in the Old City, July 2011.

And even though I only spent about half a second living in Jerusalem, that short time has magnified the connection I have with the city. It is a bond stronger that steel that it is hard to describe to those who have never walked those ancient streets, gotten lost in the maze of alleyways in Old City, and placed their hand on the Kotel (Western Wall). It is this passion that prevents me from accurately putting into words the importance of Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day). It is that passion that forced me to let the holiday nearly pass before starting to write this post.

The Kotel, June 2009.

Even now, it is difficult to put this day into words. Taking the time to celebrate and free and unified Jerusalem has never been more important than it is today as we are constantly facing forces (mostly politicians) that seek to once again divide the capital. At the very least, those people are a shekel short of sanity. To understand the importance of liberation of Jerusalem during the Six Day War in 1967, you have to look at the centuries old struggle that led to that day. For this background, I have included the summary of the history found on Jewish Virtual Library website:

Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day in Hebrew) is the anniversary of the liberation and unification of Jerusalem under Jewish sovereignty that occurred during the Six Day War. It is one of four holiday (in addition to Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron, and Yom HaAtzmaut) that were added to the Jewish calendar in the 20th century. Yom Yerushalayim is celebrated on the 28th of the month of Iyar (one week before Shavuot).

The liberation of Jerusalem in 1967 marked the first time in thousands of years that the entire city of Jerusalem, the holiest city in Judaism, was under Jewish sovereignty. The destruction of Jerusalem was a watershed event in Jewish history that began thousands of years of mourning for Jerusalem, so, it follows, that the reunification of Jerusalem should be a joyous celebration that begins the process of reversing thousands of years of destruction and exile. Jerusalem is central to the Jewish tradition. Jews face in the direction of Jerusalem and all of the prayer services are filled with references to Jerusalem.

The observance of Yom Yerushalayim outside of the city cannot compare to its celebration in reunited Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, thousands of people march around the city and walk through the liberated Old City, where Jews were denied access from 1948 to 1967 while it was under Jordanian control. The march ends at the Kotel (Western Wall), one of the ancient retaining walls surrounding the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site. Once everyone gets to the Kotel, there are speeches and concerts and celebratory dancing.

Rare in the Jewish liturgy, a festive Hallel is recited during the evening prayers. This practice is only done on the first night (and, outside of Israel, on the second night) of Passover and Yom HaAtzmaut. The Chief Rabbinate of Israel declared that the holiday version of Pseuki d'Zimra and Hallel should be recited. According to the major religious Zionist halakhists (decisors of Jewish law), even those who do not recite the blessing over Hallel (psalms of praise) on Yom HaAtzmaut should recite it on Yom Yerushalayim because the liberation and reunification over the entire city of Jerusalem is said to be of an even greater miracle than Jewish political sovereignty over part of the land of Israel.

Many religious leaders also hold that the mourning restrictions of 33 days of the omer are lifted on Yom Yerushalayim for those who observe them after Lag B'omer. In the Progressive (Reform) community in Israel, the prayerbook notes that Hallel should be recited on Yom Yerushalayim but the Masorti (Conservative) prayerbook does not. The American Conservative siddur Sim Shalom mentions that Hallel is recited "in some congregations" on Yom Yerushalayim. When it is celebrated in liberal Jewish communities the commemoration tends to include special programs on Jerusalem and festive celebration.

Despite the fact that the religious Zionist community in Israel holds that Yom Yerushalayim is even more important than Yom HaAtzmaut, the non-Orthodox diaspora Jewish community generally does not observe Yom Yerushalayim. This may be because the holiday makes politically liberal Jews uncomfortable as the status of Jerusalem in the international community is debated, and the international community does not recognize the liberation and restoration of Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem as valid.

This holiday, this monumental moment in Jewish history, will continue to inspire and motivate Israel and the Jewish people in general to stand our ground. We cannot be forced to make near sighted sacrifices which will make long term peace and security an impossibility. Jerusalem needs to remain a free, unified, holy city if peace is every going to have a chance in Israel and the entire Middle East in general. And if you don’t believe me, get on a plane and see it, feel it, breathe it for yourself.



View of the Temple Mount at night with Mount Scopus in the background. June 2009.