Mifgash Means Encounter, Part 1

By Ira Wise

Six months ago, some of us thought holding a day long conference with the Fellows and Mentors of the Leadership Institute and a group of Israel public school principals was not a good idea. We are bringing people thousands of miles for a mere 9 days of traveling and learning in the land. How could we devote more than 10% of that time in classrooms? We were certain there would be a revolt.

Still, the plans progressed. Evie Rotstein - our fearless leader - along with Roberta Bell-Kligler and David Mittelberg and the rest of their staff at Oranim framed the conference around the idea of Jewish Peoplehood.  Mittelberg described the idea of Jewish Peoplehood as emerging from a dialogic discourse. It describes both process and content. He invited the combined American/Israeli group of educators to explore and model what Jewish People can emerge to be. 

Doctor David Mittelberg

He cited two studies (NJPS 2000 and Avi Chai/Guttman 2012) that indicate that both American and Israeli Jews have between an 80 - 93% sense of connection to the Jewish people. So what is the problem with that? Why a conference and a whole department of Jewish Peoplehood at Oranim? Mittelberg says that both Israeli and Diaspora Jewries are partial and incomplete. Neither can do it on their own. Both communities see imparting a sense of connectedness to our children as real challenge.

In Israel, he said, being Jewish is a matter of fact. In the United States, it is a matter of choice. The problem is both in variety of degree and in type. In Israel being Jewish is taken for granted. In the U.S. being Jewish cannot be taken for granted. And being born Jewish in either place is no guarantee anymore that you will stay Jewish. He suggested that only in our mifgash (encounter) with each other can we make up for each of our deficiencies.

He said quite a bit more, and I refer you to the resources at the bottom of this posting for more detail. It was an amazing mifgash. So much so that this is coming in three posts, as I sit at Ben Gurion waiting to go home a week later. I was skeptical about having this conference. It was the highlight of an amazing trip with a wonderful group of educators. Evie, I was wrong. You, Roberta and David were right. Now we need to have more of these mifgashim between American and Israeli educators or it will just have been a great day. It needs to be the beginning of a long and truly essential conversation.


Resources on Peoplehood:
Convergent and Divergent Dimensions of Jewish Peoplehood - David Mittelberg (pdf)
Jewish Peoplehood Education: Framing the Field - Shlomi Ravid & Varda Rafaeli
Towards Jewish Peoplehood - David Mittelberg (pdf)
Jewish Educational Leadership - A Guide to Jewish Peoplehood

Crossposted to Welcome to the Next Level

My Dvar Torah for Shabbat Shekalim our last Shabbat together

By Rabbi Gary Greene

I have to admit that I am a bit nervous speaking to you. You are my friends who have high expectations from me and I’ve seen what wonderful educators you are.  I don’t want to let you down.  The committee didn’t give me any instructions about the length of this D'var Torah. I don’t know how long or short it should be. When I am nervous, I tend to ramble.  I remember when I was a “green” rabbi interviewing for my first pulpit, I was nervous and spoke a little too long.  In the receiving line, I began to apologize for speaking too long.  One woman tried to make me feel better by saying: “Oh Rabbi, you didn’t speak too long. It only felt long.”  I figure it would be good to do both again today.

As you well know there are 4 special Shabbatot surrounding Purim and Passover to help us prepare physically and spiritually for those holidays.  This Shabbat marks the first special Shabbat, Shabbat Shekalim.  In the second Torah portion, the Torah imposes a flat tax of a half Shekel upon Israel.  “This is what everyone who is entered in the records shall pay; a half-shekel and from the age of 20 years up, shall give the Lord’s offering: the rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than a half a shekel.”  (Exodus 30:13-15)  Everybody had an equal share in maintaining the Holy Temple, the Bet HaMikdosh. 

This tax was due by the 1st of Nisan.  The rabbis ordained that this parasha reminder should be read the Shabbat before Rosh Hodash Adar as to give the Jewish people time to save their prutot in order to pay their tax bill. 

Ever since we landed in Israel, we‘ve been spending shekalim instead of dollars.  What a way to make the Torah reading more tangible!  Since shekalim look and spend more like monopoly money I’ve been thinking a lot about money.

I’ve learned more Torah from Mary Douglas, a British Catholic anthropologist, than almost all my JTS professors. She wrote in her book The World of Good that our money has no intrinsic value.  Unlike the silver dollars of old, our paper bills are literally worth only the value of the raw materials plus the manufacturing costs.  We assign value to the bills and make them one dollar, five dollar, ten dollar, 50 dollar, and 100 dollar bills.

Looking at money that way, we can understand money as value markers.  Where we spend our money shows us where our true values lie.  One person will value a car more than another and is willing to spend top dollar for the newest car with all the bells and whistles while another is just as happy with an old jalopy to get him back and forth from work.  Both cars do the same thing, travel from point a to point b, but one person values a car more than the other.  When I was a rabbinical school student and needed to buy a set of Talmud, off course I had to purchase the top of the line and not a cheap off-set copy.  They both contain the same words, but I valued the Talmud and my money flowed to the most expensive set as an expression of my values.

My father z”l taught me that if you really want to learn about a person’s deepest held values, don’t read his autobiography.  You’ll just get his politically correct spin. Which book do you have to read? Read his check book! Our ancestors valued the Temple and its central role in the life of the people and demonstrated it by donating a half shekel to the Bet HaMikdosh. 

Although I haven’t seen any the check books of the following people I know where their values lie.  I want to appreciate and thank all the people who truly value  the Leadership Institute.  First I appreciate and acknowledge the contribution of the Federation who by their grant makes this whole institute possible along with this trip.  I’ve already learned so much.  It has changed my life.  I know all of you share my sentiment that this institute and this trip to Israel is a real gift.

I want to appreciate thank all the mentors, those here and those who could not come.  Although they are actually working hard while we are enjoying the fruits of their labor here, they had to contribute out of their own pocket towards their trip like all of us did.  They have truly put their money where there mouths are.

Of course, I want to thank Roberta and Ronit on this side of the pond and Evie and Beth on our side of the pond for all they have done for us.  Words are inadequate to describe their contribution to our success as educators.

I know that I speak on behalf of all of us as I conclude “Todah Rabah min halev!”

Shabbat Shalom!

Once Again, A Moment in Time

 by Gail F. Nalven

Pre-Shabbat and the shuk, Jerusalem’s Machane Yehudah marketplace is bustling with shoppers.  All are walking fast through the rows and rows of luscious fruits and vegetables.  The colors are amazing.  The smells of the home baked challah and cakes are in the air.  I quickly bypass the meat and fish stalls which are not so appetizing.  I notice that there are new stores, “real” stores, and not just open stalls.  There are now sit down restaurants and not just quick falafel stands.

Rehov Sukkat Shalom, just outside the shuk

I find myself standing in almost the exact spot I stood on Yom HaZikaron, 1997 when the 10am siren blew.  Yom HaZikaron is Israel’s memorial day.  A day to remember those who died on the battlefield, and in terrorist attacks.  It is not marked with sales and bar-b-ques as in the US.  It is a solemn day.  When the sirens blast, everyone stops in their tracks.  People get out of cars, off buses.  And they remember. For just a moment. For everyone knows at least one person who has died, before their time.


As I stood in that same spot before this Shabbat, I remembered the woman who had stood in front of me 14 years before, holding her packages and weeping.  I remembered the newly painted stalls that terrorists had blown up just a short time before, killing innocent shopkeepers.  I remembered people stopping to mourn. There was a silence not often heard in the marketplace. And then the siren stopped.  Everyone picked up their bags. Everyone move on, getting on with their lives and the business of keeping Israel going, keeping Israel alive.

Mourning is not a business here.  It is not a full time occupation that makes Israeli’s building monuments taller and taller into the sky.  It is appropriate and life goes on.  And Israel continues to stand.

Note:  This post is also published @tefillah.wordpress.com.

Israeli vs Jewish Identity

All through our Israel seminar, we've been discussing the difference between an Israeli identity and a Jewish identity. Speaking to high school seniors from the Carmel High School near Haifa, we learned that they feel Israeli but not Jewish.

The opposite happened to me. Thursday night we went to the Zappa Bar to hear Tzvika Pik perform.  He was a popular rock star in the 70's and 80's.  To tell you the truth I was never a fan of his and he did not endear himself to me by arriving on the stage 1 hour and 15 minutes late.  Instead of starting a 9:00 pm he began at 10:15 pm. On top of every thing the song that announced him was Ave Maria which had nothing to do with anything with his concert.  He only sang the songs he wrote.

The Israelis there really got into his music.  They swayed with their hands over their heads singing along with him the songs of their youth.  The music didn't touch me in any way (I admit that I was tired and cranky).  This was the first time on the trip I felt a gap between me and the Israelis.  I have a very strong Jewish identity that couldn't relate to their Israeli identity.

So today I bought some Israeli music, the biluyim and Kobi Oz, to bridge that gap.

Hashkedidei Porachat: Almond Tree Blooming

By Robin Kahn
Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Shalom L'Kulam!

Greetings from Haifa, Israel.

After dancing at a friend's wedding in New York, I boarded the plane for Tel Aviv, and made my way to Haifa where I was warmly welcomed by my group.

Ofek Meir, principle of the
Leo Baeck Junior High School

Today, Tuesday, I took an early morning walk on the promenade to the Baha'i Gardens, and had a full Israeli breakfast (vegetables, fruit, fish, eggs, pastries and more). My morning was spent at the Leo Baeck School, a K-12 progressive, partially public and partially private Israeli School with a connection with the Reform movement.

The school's mission is Torah, avodah(work) and gemilut hasadim - very similar to our schools's guiding principal.

In our conversations with 8th graders we listened to their reflections on the questions, "Why is it important for Israelis to engage in Jewish studies?" and "Why is it a waste of time for Israelis to engage in Judaic studies?" I learned that while the American Jewish community is grappling with Israel education, educators in Israeli schools are grappling with how to teach Jewish studies in a secular environment.

We spent the afternoon focused on "bringing religious community and change to the Galilee." In the Galilee we met with Marc, Nir, Gallit, and Tova, 4 inspiring leaders from various yishuvot (roughly translated as a closed community, think something like a condo association) who shared with us the reasons their families have chosen to live in the yishuvot in the Galilee. Much of our dialogue focused on the relationship between the Jewish and Arab communities in Northern Israel and longstanding partnerships.

Meir Shalev and Yossi Abulafia

This evening Meir Shalev and Yossi Abulafia, an Israeli novelist/children's book author and cartoonist/illustrator shared their work with us. Their presentation was light, fun and a real treat. Many of their books have been translated to English and I look forward to sharing some of the stories with our community.

Tomorrow we're heading to Jerusalem!

L'Shalom,

Robin

Music Speaks Louder than Words: Connecting Personally with Davening

By Susan Cosden


Throughout our trip in Israel we have had opportunities to pray together as a community, to experience how some of our fellows teach prayer to their students/congregants, and to attend services at synagogues in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Each prayer opportunity has come down to: How do we connect to pray individually and help each individual we teach connect with prayer, connect with the Jewish people through prayer and connect to God?

Our first service together was spent at the Leonardo Basel Hotel in Tel Aviv. That evening a group of fellows and mentors led a very moving Kabbalat Shabbat and Minchah service for us. At this service they decided to use instruments for Kabbalat Shabbat but not for minchah. The service was full of joyous singing as it was our first Shabbat together and our first Shabbat together in Israel. For me personally, all the emotions I have felt building up to this trip and since we arrived came flooding out during this service and I am grateful for my colleagues who created the kavannah - the intention, mood and focus.

Once again music was a key component this erev Shabbat when several of us had the opportunity to pray at Kol HaNeshamah for Kabbalat Shabbat and Minchah. This seems appropriate as the translation of this congregation's name is Voice of the Soul. On one level this service allowed me to connect with memories as this was the congregation I belonged to when I was a first year student at Hebrew Union College.

On a second level this service allowed me to connect with other Jews as I was greeted by Israeli friends I hadn't seen in a long time, including a classmate from my time at Hebrew Union College who lives in Jerusalem.

 On a third level this service allowed me to connect with Jews around the world as each Shabbat there are guests from around the world and this Shabbat was no exception.

Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman

On a fourth level this service allowed me to connect with the prayers themselves as Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman led us in deep breathing before some of the prayers, led us in guided meditation reflecting on the past week before other prayers, and led the congregation in different paces of singing the prayers to add to the kavannah.

On a fifth level this service allowed me to connect with God as the beautiful singing of the congregation, especially when in harmony or in rounds, was able to carry all of our prayers Higher.

The service that moved me the most and got me to think about applying techniques to my school's prayer experiences was the study session and then havdallah with Bet T'fillah Israeli led by Esteban Gottfried and Company. During our study session and havdallah we were introduced to their siddur, whose design in some ways reminded me of Mishkan Tefillah, the Reform Movement's new siddur. Their siddur is designed with the right hand page being the traditional prayers and the left hand page being a collection of songs and poems whose themes match the traditional prayers yet are part of the popular culture or cultural history of Israel, e.g. Arik Einstein's Ani V'atah for Aleinu. Through our experience with them it was clear to me how they were able to attract hundreds of Israelis to the pier in Tel Aviv during the summer to welcome Shabbat. The experience was so powerful that many of us felt moved to share through song our gratitudes that Shabbat and our hopes for the upcoming week.

Afterwards, a few of us were discussing how could we create a service like this for our teens and how would we know which songs would connect them with this same deep meaning. I shared with my colleagues how twice this year with our seventh graders at Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester, thanks to our wonderful seventh grade coordinator, we gave our students a rubric of the service with an explanation of each prayer and asked them to find songs on their MP3 players that had the same themes. Then we had a service of playing these songs. The experience must have connected with our students because several parents shared with me how their teen came home and shared this with them and some even shared it with extended family.

My thought of how to take it to the next level is to do this a few more times to gather more ideas and create a siddur for our teen tefillah experiences each week at religious school. Even better would be for several of us to do this activity with our teens and create a siddur we all can use. What a great way to allow prosumer learning.

This trip has given us many wonderful gifts. In the case of prayer, this trip has given me many more tools in my tool box to bring our students closer to prayer, each other, Jews around the world, and God. What an awe-inspiring gift this is.

Bookends

By Lisa Friedman

To post at the beginning and the end of an experience like we've had is quite special. I am always mindful of the opportunity to see if I have done what I had set out to do. Ten days ago I stood under the full moon near the desert, and we shared an opening ceremony through all of our senses. I stated then that it would be my goal to experience all of Israel through every sense. This is not hard to do!

What did I see? People, schools, stunning architecture, gorgeous wild flowers, the interplay of old & new....

What did I taste? Falafel, cheese, olives, feta, pita, hummus, rugelach....

What did I hear? Hebrew, children laughing, friends greeting, praying, music, rain, hail...

What did I smell? Flowers, grilled meats, frying oil, spices, candles burning...

What did I feel? Hugs, tears, good belly laughs, a silk tallit, warmth, cold....

All this and so much more. And I am grateful. Grateful for the experience and grateful for the ability to use all my senses. Thank you, Israel.