Rabbi Todd: Taking Responsibility Beyond Our Own

Rabbi Todd Markley

[The following is Rabbi Todd's drash from Friday, September 27, 2013]

I am standing in the kitchen of our home cleaning the dishes just following meal time when the yelling begins from the other room. They were playing together so nicely just five seconds ago…what on earth happened? Here come the 4 and 7-year old. They’re pointing at one another. Each is a prosecutor with case prepared about why it – whatever it was…I may never know – was entirely the other one’s fault.

And so it is at the outset of the Torah. As we begin our annual Torah reading cycle anew on this Shabbat we find two stories that bespeak the childlike state of humanity just following the stories of Creation. First, Adam and Eve eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, and then ashamed, try to hide from God.

Side note: This was a rookie parenting move on God’s part…you can have anything you want in all of the Garden, just don’t touch the fruit on this tree? Come on! Any parent knows that this is the tree they’re running for first!

Seemingly not yet self-reflective enough to recognize this, God asks Adam from on high, “Ayeka…Where are you?” Of course, the Divine Being who just made Creation happen knows where these two are…the question is a spiritual and psychological one. One I might ask of my own children from my stance at the kitchen sink…Who are you? Is this really how you want to behave? What did you do?!? How do Adam and Eve respond? Adam blames Eve. Eve blames the snake. Their children are, fittingly perhaps, fruit that does not fall far from the proverbial tree.

Their sons Cain and Abel each offer up their own sacrifices to God, and in yet another highly questionable parenting moment in God’s earliest days at this, God very publicly favors one child’s gift over the other’s. The result? Cain kills Abel out of jealousy and when confronted asks, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks points out that there is a commonality between these two narratives: an unwillingness to take personal responsibility for one’s own actions. In the case of Adam and Eve, they were wrapped up in the blame game…it wasn’t me! In the case of Cain, he couldn’t fathom the possibility that he was responsible for anyone’s wellbeing beyond his own. Humanity has come a long way, and yet, sadly perhaps, we still know these behaviors all too well…in our children, in our co-workers, in our friends and neighbors, and in ourselves.

We can sometimes fall prey to our earliest forebears’ lines of thinking, not just as individuals but as communities. We experience what psychologists call “In group, Out Group” effect. We assume that our own cultural, ethnic, religious, geographic, or communal group must be better than the others. Sometimes this moves us to do good. As our Sages taught, Kol Yisrael Aravim Zeh b’Zeh…all the people of Israel areresponsible for one another, and this teaching has yielded countless examples of Jewstaking care of one another, insuring one another’s safety, well being, and peace.

On the other hand, whenever we begin dividing the world up into groups we run the risk of becoming Adam and Eve…blaming the other groups for our problems, or worse yet, of becoming Cain…not being able to imagine that we are actually responsible for the well being of others beyond our own group. Of course, throughout our history from Torah through the present day, great Jewish thinkers have sought to remind us that our people is no better than any other and that we have a unique responsibility to be a light to the entire world, not just to ourselves. Yet, we have not always been able to live up to this sacred task.

Recently, we were blessed to have a great model of such explicit and thoughtful reaching beyond faith boundaries in none other the new leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis. I have been loving much of what this Pope has shared so far, and his stock only rose with me when, earlier this week, I attended a meeting of our Needham Clergy Association. Muslim representative to the group, Abdul Cader Asmal, shared aloud this letter which Pope Francis wrote to the Muslim communities of the world to mark the end of their festival of Ramadan.

He wrote, “This year, the theme on which I would like to reflect with you and with all who will read this message is one that concerns both Muslims and Christians: Promoting Mutual Respect through Education.

“Respect” means an attitude of kindness towards people for whom we have consideration and esteem. “Mutual” means that this is not a one-way process, but something shared by both sides.

What we are called to respect in each person is first of all his life, his physical integrity, his dignity and the rights deriving from that dignity, his reputation, his property, his ethnic and cultural identity, his ideas and his political choices. We are therefore called to think, speak and write respectfully of the other, not only in his presence, but always and everywhere, avoiding unfair criticism or defamation. Families, schools, religious teaching and all forms of media have a role to play in achieving this goal.

…We are called to respect the religion of the other, its teachings, its symbols, its values.

…We have to bring up our young people to think and speak respectfully of other religions and their followers, and to avoid ridiculing or denigrating their convictions and practices.

We all know that mutual respect is fundamental in any human relationship, especially among people who profess religious belief. In this way,” concludes Pope Francis, “sincere and lasting friendship can grow.”*

Wow! Until only fifty years ago, the Catholic church embraced a supercetionist philosophy, meaning that – according to official church doctrine – the covenant between Catholics with God was superior to, and even came to replace, those of any other people in the world. Now the leader of that faith tradition is actively seeking to bridge those divides, not only for our generations, but for the children who will grow to represent our faith communities. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if his invitation was received by open hearts and open minds within the Muslim world? By his own followers in the Catholic church and their sister Christian denominations. Would it be incredible if we, as Jewish communities, could engage in this effort as well?

We are in the season of beginning our Torah anew with our stories of Creation…reminders that, according to our faith tradition, all of humanity is one large family which began with just a single person…the culmination of a Creation process which began with light. May this new year’s Torah cycle see us follow the Pope’s lead…recommitting ourselves not only to service of our own people but to knowledge of, understanding of, and service of the whole…reminding ourselves not only of our stories but those of our sister faith communities as well…taking responsibility not only for the physical, emotional, and spiritual well being of our own people but for all peoples. In so doing we can be more enlightened and can, individually and collectively, be a light to the world. Amen.

*  (MESSAGE OF POPE FRANCIS TO MUSLIMS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD FOR THE END OF RAMADAN ('ID AL-FITR): http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/messages/pont-messages/2013/documents/papa-francesco_20130710_musulmani-ramadan_en.html )

Does Fasting Make Sense Today?

Rabbi Sonsino

When was the last time you fasted?

There are various reasons for which people fast. Some do it for medical purposes, like to get thinner. Others resort to it for a political or social cause, like a hunger strike in jail. And others do it with a religious motive, like many Jews on the Day of Atonement or Muslims during Ramadan or Catholics on Ash Wednesday. The question for me is whether or not religious fasting makes sense today. It is my impression that in the Jewish community the number of people who fast for religious reasons is progressively diminishing. I agree with their skepticism.

The custom of fasting as a religious ritual was well known in the ancient Near East. In fact, fasting and then consuming special foods were part of the Mesopotamian New Year Festival (Akitu). According to some scholars, fasting survived as a remnant of the ancient cult of the dead because of its connection with weeping and mourning.

Like many other religions, Judaism too knows about fasting, and mandates both major and minor fasts. A major fast goes from sunset to nightfall the next day and a minor fast is held from sunrise to sunset. The two major fast days of the Jewish calendar are The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and Tisha Beav (9th of Av, usually in July), which commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples as well as other calamities that befell the Jewish people throughout the centuries.

The Bible mentions various fast days (each one called a tzom) that were observed either by individuals (e.g., King David fasted before the death of his child, II Sam. 12: 16), or the Jewish people at large (e.g., Ezra’s fast, 8: 21, before his return to Judah). Rabbinic law added a number of minor fasts (each one referred to as taanit), like the Fast of Esther (Taanit Esther, just before Purim) and the Fast of the First Born (Taanit bekhorot), observed just before Passover by firstborn males, commemorating the fact that they were saved from the plague of the firstborn in Egypt (Ex. 11:4-6).

Why do people turn to religious fasting? Our tradition provides various answers:  as a humbling experience (e.g., Ps. 35: 13); as an expression of mourning (e.g., Tisha Beav); as a way to propitiate the divine (e.g., Jonah 3:7); for atonement of sins (e.g., Yom Kippur), and even as a technique of divination (e.g., Moses at Mount Sinai, cf. BT Yoma 4b). None of these rationales works for me today.

The only thing that fasting accomplishes is hurting the body. This is self-punishment which does not benefit anyone. One cannot “afflict the soul”-another biblical expression for fasting (Lev. 23: 27)- without damaging the body. In fact, the ancient Rabbis forbade people from fasting if they are under age, or pregnant and even if they have a medical condition against it.

If the feelings I have during a fast day are pains and headaches due to the lack of food or drink, then the religious value of the occasion is severely diminished. I might as well concentrate on the message of the spiritual moment by keeping myself hydrated and nourished.

In the past, I never fasted on Tisha Beav, and do not expect to do it in the future,  even when this ancient memorial day progressively assumes a new and more acceptable meaning in our time, namely, the atonement due to vain hatred of the other. The destruction of the temple in Jerusalem took place in ancient antiquity and, even though I mourn the loss of life in ancient Judea, I do not pray for the rebuilding of the temple that would reestablish the sacrificial rituals, give legitimacy to the cast system that was prevalent then in the Jewish community by giving priority to priests over lay Israelites or by separating men from women. (We already have enough problems with the Haredim in Jerusalem who wish to deny women access to the Wall).

Would I continue to fast on Yom Kippur? In the past I always did. I expect that I will do it again in the future as long as I can tolerate it. But isn’t this a contradiction of what I have just been saying? Yes, of course. Then why would I continue to fast? You never heard the song, “tradition, tradition???!!!!.”

Rabbi R. Sonsino, Ph.D

July 21, 2013


PS. If you wish to follow my postings, you can sign up at rsonsino.blogspot.com 

Golden Voices and Melodies

Rabbi Sonsino

I have always been drawn by the beauty of the human voice. Even though I love instrumental music, I find that good male or female voices can reach the innermost recesses of the heart, and allow us to transform ourselves in spiritual ecstasy. Whenever I have an opportunity, I turn to my favorite singers, whether classical or pop, or, for that matter, to western as well as oriental musicians, for a transcendental experience.

Over the years I have had many favorites. Here below I wish to share with you my three choices. I hope you, too, will find them exhilarating.

a) “Morning Has Broken” by Cat Stevens:

This is a hymn that gives thanks for each day. It originally appeared in the “Songs of Praise” (1931), a Christian hymnal, and was popularized by the British-born singer and songwriter Cat Stevens, who now calls himself Yusuf Islam, reaching the No. 1 spot in the musical charts.



b) “Beklenen Sarki” (in Turkish, ‘The Long Awaited Song”)  by Zeki Muren:

Born in Turkey (1931), this incredible singer became famous for his compelling and sweet voice, precise articulation of exquisite Turkish poetry and flashy appearance (a la Liberace) in his long career (he died in 1966).  When I was young in Istanbul, I did not pay much attention to him, but now I have rediscovered him and realized what a great musician he was. In this love song, he hopes that his beloved will not have other dreams but those directed at him.



c) “Ah, Perdonna al primo affetto” from “La Clemenza di Tito” by Mozart.

In this short but sweet two-act opera, two lovers sing, each asking the other, “to forgive my former love.” In this version the duet is sung by Elena Xanthoudakis and Rosel Labone. I hope you like it.




Rifat Sonsino

PS. If you wish to receive my postings, please sign up at rsonsino.blogspot.com

The Remarkable Growth of Reform Judaism in Spain

Rabbi Sonsino

I have been going to Spain every year since 2008 in order to help out Bet Shalom in Barcelona, a small nascent Reform congregation, with its programs and religious services. This past June, after ten days in Turkey, Ines and I spent two weeks in Barcelona, taking part in history making activities.

My daily schedule was full. I officiated at three weddings for temple members, a Bar Mitzvah for an American Jewish family on its way to a Mediterranean cruise, gave two talks at Atid, the other Reform congregation in the city,  lectured in a Skype-type forum on the conversion process to the rest of the progressive congregations in Spain , had numerous meetings with various individuals, led Friday night and Sabbath morning services, and took part in the proceedings of the Bet Din (Religious Court) from London, which represented the European Region of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), and in two days we welcomed 20 individuals as Jews-by-choice (including tevilah, immersion in the ocean). After all these activities, I think I earned the right to have a long long vacation. After all, I am a retired Rabbi. But who could tell?

What made this trip so fascinating is that I witnessed the remarkable growth of Reform Judaism in Spain, and in particular, the creation of a new federation by three Reform synagogues, namely, Bet Shalom and Atid from Barcelona, and Bet Emunah from Asturias. It is expected that shortly other liberal groups from the cities of Seville, Madrid and from the region of Galicia, will join in, thus establishing a strong foundation for the presence of progressive Judaism in Spain within a cooperative structure. I am also delighted that the newly established Reform congregation in Seville has named me its honorary spiritual leader.

Friday night service, Barcelona, June 21, 2013

There aren’t too many Jews in Spain, maybe 20,000 in the entire country, but Reform Judaism is here to stay.  The creative visionary of this endeavor is Jai Anguita, 42, of Bet Shalom, who has moved earth and sky to bring enthusiasm to many of his fellow Jews and potential Jews, of which there are many in Spain, especially among those who wish to “return” to Judaism because of their families’ association with our faith going back to 1492 when Jews were forcefully expelled from the country or forced to convert.

It is not easy today to be a Jew in Spain. There is a great deal of anti-Semitism, at times even of violent nature. One prospective convert told our Bet Din about the discrimination and physical assaults he experienced because he was wearing a Magen David. Another person told us that she was cut off by her family when she announced that she was going to convert to Judaism. So, we asked her, “You still want to become Jewish?” “Yes,” she responded, “It is in my soul.”

The next phase of Reform Judaism in Spain will require that each congregation be better organized, having good publicity (e.g. Web pages) as well as a sound organizational structure, with election of officers, preparation of realistic budgets, yearly congregational meetings and imaginative fund raising campaigns. Reform Jews in Spain will also need a new and common prayer book for Shabbat and festival services. Realizing that money is always tight in these circumstances, I urge world Jewry to take note and help them out.

As for me, I did as much as I could by actually going to Barcelona and spending a few weeks on location the last few years. From now on I will be available to teach classes through Skype or other media directly from Boston. Now that the European Region of the WUPJ in London considers Spain a priority, I am sure it will continue to provide all the necessary help and services. I am glad I witnessed this historic development since 2008, and consider it a privilege to have had the opportunity to add my own contribution.

Rifat Sonsino

July 2013

PS. If you wish to receive my postings, please sign up at rsonsino.blogspot.com

Turkey's Summer of Discontent

Rabbi Sonsino

During the month of June, Ines and I spent ten days in Turkey. The main reason for our visit was to attend the wedding party (of the daughter of a classmate of mine from Law School) that took place in the magnificent French Gardens by the Bosphorus in Istanbul. Before the festivities we flew to Cappadocia for a few days to see the famous rock formations in the middle of Anatolia. It was simply spectacular, with various types of caves and volcanic rocks as well as incredible underground housing that went back to the Hittites in ancient times.  We were lucky with the weather: it was sunny and hot.

We spent most of your time in Istanbul where I grew up. The city is massive with about 17 million people. Traffic is challenging at best. People everywhere. Construction continues without stop. Yet, the Bosphorus still remains as one of the jewels of the world. Our stay coincided with serious social upheavals in the country. The Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan, a very popular right-wing politician, promised to take down the Gezi Park, in Taksim (Istanbul), and instead proposed to build another mall, a mosque and Ottoman-style military barracks. In many parts of the world, such issues are usually handled by local planning boards. But not in Turkey and not by this prime minister. Young people, by the thousands, disagreed with his decisions, and took to the streets, shouting, “Government…resign!” The noise of the protesters at night was so loud that we had to ask the hotel, located in Nisantasi, about a 10 minute walk from Taksim, to give us another room facing a back street.

In reality the social unrest stemmed from the prime minister’s autocratic style: he tells his people what to do and what not to do, including , for example, to have three children. He also prohibited the purchase of alcohol after 10 pm and is leading the country away from its traditional Ataturk-style secularism, replacing it with a structure that is more traditional and more Islamic in its orientation. The reaction of the younger generation was rather mild and peaceful. There were  protests around the country. In Taksim, thousands occupied Gezi Park, where they set up a tent city with a library, free food, a place for animals, and a small museum.

Standing by the barricades at Gezi Park

One morning, we visited the park and talked to some people. I asked them, “How long do you think you can keep up this protest?” They said “maybe another week.” But the end came quickly, when the police attacked the camp the next morning and evicted all the occupants with brutal force, using tear gas and pepper sprays. Other cities faced the same violence. So far, four people have died and about 5000 were injured. Instead of unifying the people and trying to find a middle ground, the prime minister stood by his ideology and continued to divide further the country. It is too soon to say how the crisis will end. 

We were sad to witness this new escalation, and left the country with broken hearts but with the hope for a peaceful solution. The Turkish people deserve better.

Rifat Sonsino

July, 2013

PS. If you wish to receive my postings, please sign up at rsonsino.blogspot.com                   


 

Guest Post - The Talk: Cruising Towards Puberty

The following guest post from Temple Beth Shalom member CJ Kaplan originally appeared on The Good Men Project blog:

“Dad, I need your help with my homework,” pressed my soon to be 11-year-old son, Alex.

“Sure,” I said, looking up from my half-eaten meal. “But, can I finish dinner first?”

“Yeah, but it’s got to be you. It can’t be Mom,” he insisted.

“Okay, okay. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Clearing my plate and walking into the office/play area where my kids alternately study and watch TV, I found Alex sitting on the couch holding a single piece of paper.

“I have to ask you these questions for Health Class,” he said. And without further preamble, he began.

♦◊♦

Ah yes, Health Class. The new moniker for what we used to call “Sex Ed.” That was the class where the teacher used to pull out charts, graphs, filmstrips and animated renderings of the human reproductive systems in an effort to explain how babies were made while twenty-four 5th graders giggled uncontrollably. This section of the school year also included the day when all the girls were mysteriously spirited away to a secret underground bunker to learn about their menses while us boys got to talk openly about nocturnal emissions and ask questions like: How much masturbation is too much? The answer: It all depends on how much chaffing you can stand.

Today, Sex Ed has expanded to include personal hygiene, how to deal with bullying and how to curate your online persona. (That last one may or may not be true.)

I suppose advocating for the use of deodorant has given the school board license to use the far less incendiary Health Class in lieu of the giggle-inducing Sex Ed. But, make no mistake. They’re still talking about penises and vaginas in there.

♦◊♦

I’m pleased to say that Alex was not unfamiliar with the material being covered in Health Class. He and I had discussed the mechanics of sex before he went away to overnight camp last summer. I didn’t want him learning about the X’s and O’s of intercourse from some kid on the tetherball court, so we sat on a bench outside a Fresh City Wraps. (He’ll never look at a Chicken Caesar Walkabout the same way again.) and I gave him the lowdown. He listened attentively, asked a few questions and then finished his mango-strawberry smoothie in relative silence. I told him that he was always welcome to come to me with any questions about sex or his body or any new development that he didn’t understand. But, he’d remained fairly mum on the subject. Until now.

♦◊♦

Question #1

Alex (reading from the paper): What do you remember most about puberty and growing up?

Me (crossing my legs and furrowing my brow in a professorial manner): Hmm. I remember that hair started showing up in strange places (pointing meaningfully to my crotch and my armpits) and that my voice started changing. I also remember that my main goal in life at the time was to see a naked woman.

Alex (laughing) Really?

Me: Yup.

[Aside: I did not tell that despite having achieved this goal it was still a primary driver for much of my life.]

Question #2

Alex: What did you enjoy doing when you were my age?

Me: Pretty much the same stuff you like doing. I played all kinds of sports. I read a lot. I listened to loud music. And I liked hanging out with my friends.

Alex (nodding): Yup.

Me (to myself): Nailed that one!

Question #3

Alex: What did you like and dislike about growing up?

Me: Well, I liked that I was getting taller and stronger and that I could do things that I couldn’t do when I was younger. I liked having more responsibility and staying up later and stuff like that.

What I didn’t like was that my voice sometimes cracked while it was changing, which made me sound funny. And I really didn’t like how I sometimes felt awkward when I was around kids who I thought were cooler than me. I was always afraid I was going to say the wrong thing and then everyone would think I was a bozo.

Alex: Yeah, I know what you mean.

Me: You do?

Alex: Yeah, I’ve felt that way before.

Me: Well, guess what? Everyone feels that way sometimes. So, don’t sweat it.

Alex (a little unsurely): Okay.

Me (to myself): He’s not buying it. Only partial credit on that one.

Question #4

Alex: How did you get answers to your questions about puberty and about growing up?

Me: Mostly from Zayde (the name my kids call their grandfather) and then some from school like you’re getting now. I also remember there was this TV movie called My Mom’s Having A Baby that came out when I was in 4th Grade. It was very specific about how babies are made.

Alex (incredulously): And they showed it on TV?

Me: Yeah. They told us to watch it with our parents and then discuss it afterward. Even after we watched it and talked about it, I was still a little unclear on how the sperm got into the woman’s body to fertilize the egg. So, Zayde drew a picture.

Alex: He drew a picture?!?

Me: Yup. And then I was even more confused.

Alex: Wow.

Me: Yeah, wow.

Question #5

Alex: This is the last question.

Me: Okay, I’m ready.

Alex: What do you want me to know about growing up?

Me (after thinking for a moment): I want you to know that no matter how strange and weird you think the changes that are happening to your body and your thoughts and your dreams, it’s all perfectly normal. Okay?

Alex: Okay.

Me: Now, do you need me to write those answers down on your questionnaire.

Alex (looking horrified): Jeez, Dad. My health teacher doesn’t need to know this stuff. She just wants you to sign the page so that she knows I asked you the questions.

Me: Ah. That’s probably for the best.

♦◊♦

Last week, the entire 5th Grade at Alex’s school went on a harbor cruise to celebrate the end of elementary school. Parents were also invited on board to join in the festivities.

It was a beautiful night on the water after a long, hot day. The adults sat up on deck and enjoyed the freshening breeze while chatting amiably. Below deck, the kids gobbled snacks and danced to music that seemingly exists only to drive their parents to the classic rock stations.

As I leaned against the rail and inhaled the salty air, several parents approached me at different intervals with the same report.

“You ought to see your son,” they began. “He’s dancing up a storm down there.”

“Alex?” I replied, although he was the only son I had with me on this particular outing.

“Oh, yeah,” they insisted. “He’s a big hit.”

Soon, Alex emerged from the bad music pit to get some money from me to buy a soda. He was drenched in sweat from the top of his head nearly down to his waist. Apparently, the antiperspirant he had applied earlier was no match for “Gangnam Style” or whatever the hell they were playing down there.

“Dad,” he panted between gulps of Sprite, “they played a song I requested and then everybody made a circle around me and I danced to it.”

“So I heard.”

“I’m one of the only guys in my grade who would do something like that.”

“Is that right?”

“Yeah, I’ve got some serious moves.” And with that, he handed me his empty cup and headed back to the dance floor.

Later, I snuck down below to see some of Alex’s moves for myself and perhaps film them for his mother to enjoy later. The room was hot and crowded and the music was earsplitting. Hanging back in corner with a couple of other parents, I soon spotted Alex amongst the crowd. His dancing was frenetic—arms and legs going in various directions in and out of time to the music. Occasionally, he would look to the ceiling and sort of gyrate as if his body parts were made of rubber. But, the overwhelming impression I got from his dancing is that he didn’t care at all what people thought of it. He just did what made him happy.

♦◊♦

As we walked back from the dock to the car after the cruise had ended, I showed him the video I had taken.

“So, where’d you get those moves?” I asked.

“We have a dance party every night at camp,” he replied. “That’s where I invented most of them.”

“Let me tell you something. I never would have had the guts to dance in front of my friends like that when I was your age.”

“Really?”

“Nope. And let me tell you something else. Don’t ever lose that confidence. It will serve you well.”

See, that’s the thing that I really wanted him to know about puberty. Despite all the changes, feeling good about yourself is perfectly normal too.

BESTY Board 2013-2014/5774!

What is BESTY?
BESTY (BEth Shalom Temple Youth) our Senior Youth Group is open to all temple members grades 8-12, and is a program run largely by teens, for teens. The goal of BESTY is to make Judaism accessible to all, whether that is through direct learning, spending time with Jewish friends, or anywhere in between. BESTY hosts events once or twice a month, including lounge nights, ski trips, Fire and Ice, and more.

BESTY is affiliated with NFTY-NE, the youth division of the URJ. NFTY-NE is one of 16 national regions in NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth), and is comprised of youth groups from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and parts of New York. On top of local youth group events, BESTY takes part in region-wide events with teens throughout the area.

The BESTY Board creates each event for the BESTY community on top of developing important leadership skills throughout the year. This year’s board was selected by a group of outgoing board members and their leadership. Each person applied to the board, and was carefully and thoughtfully placed into a position that was thought to be best suited for his or her skill set.

And the positions are…

• President: Molly Shuman
• Liaison Vice President: Margo Blank
• Programming Vice President: Sammy Lerner
• Social Action Vice President: Rebecca Resnic
• Membership and Publicity Vice President: Gabi Sherman
• Religious and Cultural Vice Presidents: Sammy Altman, Rachel Zaff
• Financial Vice Presidents: Molly Lemkin, Sam Cohen
• Correspondence: Jeremy Marcus
• NFTY-NE Representative: Michelle Saylor
• 9th Grade Rep: Maddy Garf
• 12th Grade Rep: Tzipi Crandell

Dan Sheetz's Sinai Statement

We know that humans have ten fingers, we know that 12+3 is 15 and we know that a full grown male walrus in the Pacific can weigh up to 3,700 lbs. We know a lot. Everything that we know is something that was proven. The proven facts we hold in our minds can be used to answer many of life's questions. Nevertheless, there are some questions that we can not answer with our knowledge. These questions are ones that the world's greatest minds have quarreled with since they were first posed millennia ago. Under this category fall questions like, "What is the meaning of life?", "How was the universe created?", "How did everything we see today come to be?" as well as thousands of other existential inquiries. For a large majority of the people on Earth, the answer to many of these questions is religion and more specifically, "God".

To me, there isn't a God. What I mean by that is I don't think that there's an enormous, bearded caucasian man in the sky wearing white robes and granting wishes. I think that God is an answer, a common denominator that people use to solve the questions in life. How did time begin? Scientists can't prove their answers so the answer is, God. How did humans come to be? There's no absolute, indubitable evidence supporting evolution and so, many people say, God did it. I don't think "God did it," however when you say something like that, people often say, then what's the answer? And frankly, I don't know. The way I see it, why do we need to answer these questions? Are we so greedy that we have to know the answer to every question? My answer for the big questions in life is God didn't do it all, but I don't know who or what did.

The reason that I don't think that God, in the conventional sense, is real is the fact that so many bad things happen to good people. Why would ‘God’ do that? Why would God, an autonomous, divine being who supposedly loves all humans, make or allow so much suffering? I look at events like the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide, the Sandy Hook shooting, and I think, how can this be part of  ‘God’s plan.’ What I am saying is I don’t think that there’s an all-knowing, all-powerful being living in the clouds making miracles and hearing prayers. Maybe I’m wrong and that’s exactly what God is. Maybe God isn’t a thing but rather an idea, maybe God is the love that people feel between one another. When one looks around in nature throughout the world, there is eerie ubiquitous divinity in the pure beauty of landscapes. Point is, I don’t know for sure about anything, much less the answer to the age-old inquiry of the presence of a god. I just don’t know but it’s struggling with these unanswerable questions of life and divinity, even if that means disagreeing with some aspects of  Torah, that is the true essence of our faith.

Marla Perelmuter's Sinai Statement

Ever since I was born I have been raised with the values that I think most Jewish families live by. Until recently I was oblivious to the fact that it was mostly Jews living with the same morals that I have. Being part of the youth program at temple has opened my eyes up to a whole Jewish-teen community that I wasn’t aware of previously. The community I speak of has started within the temple. Some of my best friends have come from the temple youth group. Ever since the Kallot started in eighth grade, I have formed a group of friends that I can rely on for anything. Not only are we talking non-stop outside of temple activities, but the temple trips have given us an opportunity to become closer on a much different level.

Beyond my friends at the temple, participating in BESTY activities and going on our DC trip made me aware of how the Jewish-teen communities are strong within the state and all over the country. Although walking into a conference or dance with a bunch of strangers that I didn’t yet know was intimidating, we all connected through the fact that we are all Jewish. Although that sounds cliche, it is true. On the trip to DC I was so comfortable walking up to any of the other teens and introducing myself because I knew that we were all feeling the same way and would have similar views on many issues. This was an automatic community that was formed from being involved in the youth group, and I am so glad I am a part of this.

Being in these setting of people that are like me has helped me feel comfortable in my own skin and with the people around me. Temple was my first exposure to this type of community and it is something I will take with me for the rest of my life and will continue to be a part of wherever life takes me.

Julia Silverman's Sinai Statement

This past January, members of the Confirmation class traveled to the Religious Action Center in Washington DC. In DC we learned about justice, and how, individually, we have our own opinions on morality. On the trip, we participated in different programs on issues or bills that are being debated in Congress. We learned about particular legislation and how each bill might impact an important issue in the world or the United States. One of the main components discussed throughout the trip was justice. In my mind justice goes hand in hand with morality. Our nation’s laws reflect our nation’s values. This is why it is important to participate in the legislative process and have our voices heard. As Jews, we must express our morals and values, and how those come to be expressed in our nation.

On the trip, I lobbied representative Kennedy about the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people in the working environment. I was for the bill which called for equal rights for all in places of business. When I thought about why I felt strongly that the bill should be passed, the answer to me was that I believe all men and women are created equal. The book of Genesis states that all humans were created “in the image of God.” Not just some...all. Therefore, I believe, all humans should have the same basic human rights, including being free of discrimination. According to current laws it is legal to treat people in the LGBT community differently than straight people in workplaces. However, it is illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities, different races, and different religions in the same situations. I could not imagine why this would be a fair reason for discrimination. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender people have the same capabilities to work as anyone else, so why should they be treated differently than their straight counterparts. I chose to lobby for this important legislation because I felt that they did not deserve to be treated differently than the rest of America in the working place.

My whole life I have had a hard time finding places where I fit in. I am not the most athletic person, the most talented artist, or the best at anything, I have always just been me. I am okay with that but to be good at an occupation and not be able to do that occupation just because of your sexual orientation is incomprehensible to me. It is simply unjust. The Declaration of Independence states that “all men are created equal,” but in reality that is not the case because if someone is deemed unqualified for a job just because of their sexual orientation then how are they created as equals? I haven’t yet determined what I am most passionate about and where I will fit in the professional world, but for those who have - shouldn’t they be allowed to contribute to their field regardless of their sexual orientation?