JustASC

Headline on today’s press release from the Israel Project:

Yom Kippur to Begin Wednesday Evening

Holiday Marks 35th Anniversary of Yom Kippur War
 

I turned my posts on the campaign Rosh Hashana greetings into a column for next week. Here’s a sneak peek:

There’s the old joke about the elevator ride at the psychiatric convention. One guy gets off at his floor and says to his colleagues, “Have a good night.” As soon as the doors close one shrink turns to another and says, “I wonder what he meant by that?”

I feel a little like that when I read the High Holy Days messages of Barack Obama and John McCain.

Read the rest of this entry »

For Yom Kippur reading: the late great David Foster Wallace on life’s choices:

But of course there are all different kinds of freedom, and the kind that is most precious you will not hear much talked about in the great outside world of winning and achieving and displaying. The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day. That is real freedom. The alternative is unconsciousness, the default-setting, the “rat race” — the constant gnawing sense of having had and lost some infinite thing.

I heard a nice, even important comment on the Binding of Isaac story during Rosh Hashana services yesterday, courtesy of my synagogue’s former president (who credited it to a sermon he heard at the Rutgers Hillel 30 years ago from, perhaps, Rabbi Julius Funke or Rabbi Gerald Serotta).

Many of us find it hard to admire the behavior of Abraham after God instructs him to take his son Isaac up the mountain for ritual sacrifice. Where is the Abraham who dared debate God, when God declared He was about to destroy Sodom and Gemorrah for their wickedness? Where is Abraham who demanded that God reconsider, the Abraham who argued, “Will the judge of the whole world not act justly?”

By the time we get to the binding, his moral chutzpa has been replaced with blind faith, unthinking obedience.

Some teach the story as God’s test of Abraham — a test that Abraham passes by suspending his human judgment and paternal instincts to obey God. 

But if you find that hard to swallow — and think it’s a short hop from blind faith to religious fanaticism to holy terror — consider this: Maybe Abraham failed the test, and Torah wants you to realize that.

What’s the textual proof? At the begining of Chapter 22, God speaks directly to Abraham, as he did previously in the Sodom and Gemorrah episode, here instructing him to ” Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and … sacrifice him … as a burnt offering.”

Abraham does what he is told, and is prevented from killing Isaac only by the hand of an intervening angel — an angel, not God directly. Perhaps this is a suggestion that Abraham, failing the test by not arguing for Isaac’s life, has fallen out of favor with God, Who will no longer speak with Abraham directly. In fact, God will no longer speak directly with Abraham in the rest of the Torah.

Another hint? Why do we need three patriarchs to begin with — what remained unfulfilled in Abraham’s lifetime? It takes Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, to make the story whole, and then only after he earns his new name, Israel, by wrestling with an angel. The very name Israel — ‘one who wrestles with God’ — suggests the test that Abraham failed. We earn our name — we earn our covenant — only when we wrestle with God. Not when we put aside our moral reasoning and human instincts, but when we engage with the tradition by bringing those faculties to bear. Only when we’re willing to wrestle with the implications of faith and obedience, holy writ vs. observed life, do we really pass the test.

If the McCain campaign sent out official Rosh Hashanah greetings, I haven’t been able to find them. But here’s a statement he gave to “Jewels of Elul,” musician Craig Taubman’s annual compendium of thoughts appropriate to the High Holy Days season:

Hope In Our Hands
The Jewish month of Elul is both a time for reflection and one of hope for the future. Jewish tradition teaches that a person is judged on Yom Kippur, but afterwards the slate is wiped clean for the coming year. No matter how bad the past, the future is always one of hope.

Indeed, one of Judaism’s greatest contributions is the lesson of hope. Ancient civilizations believed in fate. A man’s future was not in his own hands but in the stars. The Hebrew Bible refuted that. It taught that man is created in God’s image, and that God gave man free will. It is a lesson of hope and destiny.

It is no coincidence that the oppressors of the Jewish people, from ancient times to today, are always those who have tried to stifle hope and freedom. The reestablishment of the State of Israel and its repeated survival against all odds represents the legacy of hope the Bible infused in its people.

Natan Sharansky exemplifies the tradition of hope. He spent nine years in the Soviet Gulag - 400 days were in punishment cells, and more than 200 days were on hunger strikes. He never backed down or made a deal. He knew his future was not predetermined; it was in his hands.

That lesson of hope is one that has helped me throughout my life. And as we look to the future, it is helpful to remind ourselves that there is no problem or challenge we cannot overcome together.

If you didn’t know it was McCain, you might think it was Obama, who branded “hope” in the title of his memoir. But McCain has taken the fight to Obama’s territory before, co-opting Obama’s “Change you can believe in” to read “a leader you can believe in.”

And there are clear McCainian tropes, none so obvious as his identification with a fellow ex-prisoner, Natan Sharansky, who “never backed down or made a deal” despite his imprisonment. Both McCain’s critics and fans can have a field day with ”or made a deal” — fans will see him as firm and resolute, unlike Obama, who appears willing to meet with Iran’s president; critics will see him as bull-headed and hawkish, and fearful of diplomacy.

The specter of Iran hangs over McCain’s R.H. greetings, in a way it doesn’t in remarks by Bush or Obama (see below). At least that’s what I read into “the oppressors of the Jewish people, from ancient times to today.”

(I’m also intrigued by “No matter how bad the past, the future is always one of hope.” Can this be a message of reassurance to voters that he represents a break from the past eight years? That would be consistent with his message at the GOP convention ["I fight to restore the pride and principles of our party..."].)

Rosh Hashanah greetings are a nice gesture from political campaigns, but they are campaign documents none-the-less. Read them this way, and you can decode the candidates’ messages to Jewish voters:

McCain: “With Israel facing a dire threat from Iran, things may appear hopless. That’s why you need a leader, tested like your heroes by persecution and torture, who will stand up to that threat without appeasing the enemy or backing down.”

Obama: “The world needs fixing, and Israel seeks peace. Let’s address our problems by tapping the traditional American-Jewish commitment to social justice, and our willingness to sacrifice to make the world a better place.” 

Both messages are entirely consistent with the way the Jewish vote is breaking for the two candidates: Those most anxious about Iran and Israel are leaning toward McCain; traditionally Democratic Jews, who place domestic concerns higher among their priorities, are for Obama.

The fight is for those in-between these poles.

I’m collecting official Rosh Hashanah greetings from the campaigns and the administration, which make for an interesting compare and contrast. So far I’ve gotten the president’s message and Obama’s (I’ll post about McCain’s if and when he sends one).

Here’s the president’s:

I send greetings to those celebrating Rosh Hashanah.

On this occasion of spiritual reflection, people of the Jewish faith in our country and around the world recognize the blessings from the Almighty as they commemorate the anniversary of the creation of the world. During this holy time, men and women take time to remember the past, contemplate the sweetness of the new year, and look forward to a promising future.  This special occasion is also an opportunity to celebrate the history of the Jewish people and the values that bind us all together.

Laura and I send our best wishes for a meaningful Rosh Hashanah and L’shanah tovah.

Nice past, present, and future theme. The part about Jewish history is interesting and a little unexpected. Note in last line the word “meaningful” where the traditional Jewish greetings talk about “sweet” and “good”; it’s only in the past decade or so, I’d venture, that serious-minded Jews began using the world “meaningful” in this context, stressing the idea that R.H. is not just the Jews’ Jan. 1 but a period of reflection with spiritual work to be done. I bet someone in the White House speech-writing corps is part of one of DC’s more “serious” minyanim.

Finally, note Bush’s use of “Almighty.” In previous greetings to the Jews he has been more forthright in speaking about God than, for example, was Bill Clinton — reflecting Bush’s own religiosity, no doubt, and view of where God belongs in public discourse.

Contrast with Barack Obama, as we see here, in his official greeting: 

“As Jews around the world celebrate Rosh Hashanah, I want to send my best wishes for a happy, healthy, and sweet new year. This marks not just a time for rejoicing, but for reflecting on the hopes the new year brings, and on our responsibilities to see them fulfilled. As families come together to mark the High Holy Days, upholding a proud Jewish tradition, let us all rededicate ourselves to the task of repairing this world for our children and grandchildren, and to working to achieve peace and security for Israel. On behalf of all of the Obamas and Bidens, Shana Tovah.”

No God in these greetings, perhaps reflecting a Democratic Party that is a little more committed to the seoaration of church and state (or, a critic might say, less comfortable with talk of God). “Repairing this world” is a direct translation of tikkun olam, language that has been popularized by the Jewish left as a term for social action, and basically absorbed by the Reform and Conservative movements, and by unaffiliated Jews who want to put a Jewish marker on their politics or activism. These remarks would go down well in most Reform and Conservative synagogues, or at the annual meetings of most of the big Jewish defense and policy orgs.

Obama also references Israel, while Bush does not. Obama’s campaign knows he has work to do of his own in convincing the Jewish swing vote of his pro-Israel bona fides.

The “meaningful” aspect of Rosh Hashana is suggested here in the line about “responsibilities” - stressing the serious side of Rosh Hashana that goes along with the “sweet”and “happy” aspects.

The Wall Street Journal reports on the sale of Obama and McCain yarmulkes:

Mr. Tennenhaus has sold 269 in support of Sen. McCain — including five dozen to his campaign — and 172 in favor of Sen. Obama. The figures are surprising, given that typically, Jewish-Americans have voted overwhelmingly Democratic in presidential elections. Sales of Mr. Perelman’s yarmulkes are more true to form, with Obama kippahs easily the top sellers.
 

Surprising, except when you factor in that the voters most likely even to wear yarmulkes — the Orthodox — have been skewing pro-McCain for months now (not to mention that McCain’s campaign bought 60 yarmulkes).

Our old friend, and NJJN alumnus, Rabbi Shammai Engelmayer is described as “not amused’ by political messages on kippot:

“It’s inappropriate,” said Rabbi Shammai Engelmayer of Temple Israel Community Center in Cliffside Park, N.J., president of the North Jersey Board of Rabbis. “Would anybody put ‘Vote for McCain’ or ‘Vote for Obama’ on a cross? Anybody who did that would be considered sacrilegious.”

I wonder how he feels about yarmulkes with Mets and Yankees insignia, smiley faces, and Nike swooshes, all of which can be seen in a typical synagogue.

Rabbi Stephen Stern of the Arden Heights Boulevard Jewish Center in Staten Island, N.Y., disagrees with him: 

“The yarmulke doesn’t have any holiness attached to it,” he said, unlike a prayer shawl that is blessed by a rabbi.
 

I just got a press release for an interfaith forum with a very alarming title:

Meeting the Needs of Crime in Essex County

IDC Luncheon Forum is hosting Ms. Paula T. Dow, Essex County Prosecutor. She will deliver a speech on “Meeting the needs of crime in Essex County”. Come and join this forum, ask questions and convey your messages.

Below and after the jump, my final, pre-pub thoughts on the Palin-Iran rally fiasco, because apparently not enough people have opined on this.

Rule One: Keep it nonpartisan

Sometime in the last century I was an intern at the Jewish Community Relations Council in Philadelphia, where my big claim to fame was helping stage an Israel Independence Day celebration.

It was a hugely educational experience. I learned to staff committees, negotiate with municipal officials, and placate angry vendors.

I also learned that I needed to become a journalist, so that never again would I have to staff committees, negotiate with municipal officials, and placate angry vendors.

I also learned Rule One of community relations work: Keep it nonpartisan. Read the rest of this entry »

Opposing views on the Palin-Iran rally fiasco.

First, The New York Post rips into the Democrats:

With one astonishingly clumsy public temper tantrum, Hillary Clinton and the Obama campaign have transformed what for decades has been a bipartisan policy - American support for Israel - into a political football.  

Meanwhile, at the HuffPost, Menachem Rozensaft says its the McCain campaign that’s exploiting the issue:

Let’s be perfectly clear. The organizers had initially invited Governor Palin without ever contacting, let alone inviting, anyone from the Obama campaign. When they finally issued a belated invitation to the Obama side, it was accepted, and a prominent Democratic Member of Congress was going to speak at the rally. The organizers then disinvited both Governor Palin and Representative Wexler. And whom does the GOP hold responsible for this fiasco? Barack Obama, of course.