JewsByChoice.org

Hi all,

Recently my congregation, Temple Israel in Duluth, Minnesota, completed a many months long process of searching for our new rabbi.  Our current rabbi is headed to another community in a part of the country that is decidedly warmer and has a significantly larger Jewish community, and her decision to move on left us (ok, I will own it and say “me,” but I know others felt the same) wondering how on earth we would be able to attract such a dynamic and engaging rabbi with such outstanding talents in leading us in study, prayer, singing, and living Jewishly.  I mean, seriously.  I live so far north that when our Israeli (and Californian) brothers and sisters are actually planting trees on Tu b’Shevat, we’re looking at another 4 months of the ground being frozen.  See first photo.  Our synagogue is 150 miles from another synagogue with a permanent rabbi; we are closer to a 2 million acre National Wilderness (The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, directly adjacent to Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario) than to a kosher restaurant.  So, really, what chance did we have of replacing our outgoing rabbi with one so good?

Our first couple of visits with candidates went ok, and they were certainly nice young rabbis who will do well wherever they end up next in their careers.  I didn’t feel though that they fit with our community and its unique characteristics very well.  Our third visit was altogether different however, and I am pleased that the candidate we spent Shabbat with that weekend was a fantastic fit; apparently he thought so as well, because he has recently signed a contract and will serve as our next rabbi, to my great happiness.  Being as far-flung as we are, I think there was so much riding on the selection of our next rabbi.  We don’t “do Jewish” in a place where one simply walks down the street and around a corner to find another rabbi if the current one doesn’t work out, and it was hard to not be mindful of the difficulty many of us thought we would face in attracting a rabbi who would bring everything to the table we were hoping for.

It is an interesting milestone of sorts for me too as a Jew by Choice, in that while the outgoing rabbi was not the one with whom I studied the most for conversion, she was my sponsoring rabbi, and was my first rabbi after conversion.  I have gone on to become a pretty capable (I think) and traditionally observant (in many ways; adding more all the time!) member of the Jewish people, yet somehow my “first” rabbi leaving seems significant some how, sort of like moving off to college in a way. When the new rabbi begins his tenure, he will never have known me as anything but a Jew, a gabbai and shliach tzibbur in the synagogue, and a teacher of b’nei mitzvah students and adults both within the synagogue and in the community.  My current rabbi has never treated me in a way that made me conscious of my status as a convert, but she still knew me before I knew what a know now about being a Jew.  The new rabbi won’t have had that experience with me, and I wonder how that will impact how I reflect on my own identity as a Jewish guy living closer to moose and wolves than a yeshiva.   It is a pretty cool place to live though.  See second photo.

Hi all,

I thought I would share with readers an artist who many have probably heard of before, and whose music is some of my very favorite.  His name is Yair Dalal, and he is an Israeli Jew born to parents of Iraqi extraction.  His music ranges from Jewish prayers to traditional Iraqi Jewish music to his own desert-inspired creations.  Dalal is a fantastic ‘oud and violin player, and his mellow vocal style blends nicely with his playing.  He performs regularly with the Al Ol Ensemble, a group comprised of several of his Bedouin friends.

Dalal’s music does a beautiful job of capturing the desert spirituality we see reflected in the face of our tradition in many places, and that one can find also in Islamic and Christian sources from the Middle East as well.  His closeness to the land comes through in his music, as does his love and respect for the Judeo-Arabic musical tradition.

Dalal also invests a lot of time using music to being Jews and Arabs together, as he believes that appreciation for what the cultures share in history and in their songs can serve as a framework for building peaceful coexistence.  His “Almaya Studio” was created for this specific purpose, and he touches on what drives him in this video.  In a time when it almost seems impossible for Jews and Arabs to live in peace together, I think Dalal demonstrates just how much difference can be made by a single person who decides to act on kindness, on respect for other human beings, and on the open-heartedness which both Jews and Arabs attribute to our shared cultural father: Avraham (Ibrahim).  As a person who has joined this family through conversion and has a love for my own Jewish culture and a deep and abiding respect for Arab culture and the fertile ground where the two overlap, I think Yair Dalal has a lot to teach us all.

I just received an email from Rabbi Menachem Creditor of Netivot Shalom and the Shefa Network regarding a Conversion Bill that’s about to be presented to the Knesset. I’ve already posted about it here but I thought I should pass along Rabbi Creditors request on the main blog.

Despite my own burnout and apathy on this subject, I would urge everyone to take a couple of minutes and make your voices heard on this. It is our future that’s being decided here after all. I know I’m going to fly off an email, I hope you will to.

UPDATE: Rabbi Ginsberg has uploaded a YouTube video sharing his thoughts on the issue . Also the Jpost has a great editorial up on the subject.  Here is a copy from a forum thread I started this evening.

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URGENT ACTION REQUESTED regarding Knesset Conversion Bill

Dear Friends,

We need your help on a matter of urgency concerning a bill that will come before the Knesset. We have received word from our colleagues in Israel that a bill may be put forward for passage as soon as tomorrow which affects conversion and we need as many of us and our congregants to forward the following letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu and to your Israeli Ambassador.

The bill sponsored by MK David Rotem of Yisrael Beitenu, deals with both the authority of the Chief Rabbinate and matters of Conversion. The Rotem Bill concerns three matters:

1. It grants legal authority to the Chief Rabbinate for Conversions (while until now there was de facto recognition this gives legal recognition to the role of the Chief Rabbinate in this area) and would make it much more difficult for conversions to be performed by our Movement, by more “open-minded” Orthodox rabbis, and by Reform rabbis.

2. It provides for the ability of local rabbis in Israel to establish conversion courts. This is a good part of the bill of which we are supportive because it will potentially permit the establishment of more forward looking conversion courts. However, the first part of the bill passes, the Chief Rabbinate may declare these courts null and void, which would obviate any cause for our support.

3. Section 3 of this bill is highly problematic. Here is the summary of Section 3 by our teacher, Rabbi Reuven Hammer:

“Section 3 of the proposed conversion bill that we strongly oppose states that anyone that who entered Israel as a non-Jew and then converted to Judaism-either in Israel or the Diaspora would not be eligible for citizenship under the Law of Return. First of all this is exactly the case that we now have before the Supreme Court, asking that our conversions in Israel be recognized and citizenship rights granted to our converts. This is an attempt to go around the Supreme Court. Secondly, the wording is so vague that it could mean that if such a person had visited Israel at any time, no matter when, their conversion would not be recognized for citizenship in the future. Thirdly this would be the first time that Israel is officially making a distinction between one who is born a Jew and a righteous convert, something that we find deplorable and unsupportable in Jewish Law. Since our movement is the movement that is most involved in conversion in America and elsewhere, we and our congregants are the primary target of the bill. We urge everyone to make their protest known immediately to the Israeli government.”

WE STRONGLY URGE THAT YOU CALL UPON YOUR COMMUNITIES TONIGHT TO FORWARD THE FOLLOWING LETTER OR ITS EQUIVALENT TO THE PRIME MINISTER AND YOUR AMBASSADOR.

The Honorable Benjamin Netanyahu

Prime Minister of Israel
Office of the Prime Minister

Jerusalem, Israel

Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu,

We write to request your immediate intervention to prevent passage of the legislation being brought forward by MK David Rotem (‫הצעת חוק הרבנות הראשית תיקון- סמכות בעניני גיור)

Passage of this bill in its present form especially section 3, will have the effect of providing for a path to alter the Law of Return or, at the least, cause undue hardship to anyone in Israel who has come from Diaspora communities and seeks conversion in Israel.

Sadly, this is reminiscent of those attempts in 1997 to enact similar legislation which ultimately led to the establishment of the Ne’eman Commission.

While we are supportive of your efforts to create greater accessibility to conversion courts in Israel and have done all we can to aid in this effort, the overall impact of the Rotem Bill will set back these efforts. Moreover this legislation will adversely impact the work of our Masorti movement and its members in Israel. This we cannot abide.

Even more regrettably, should this bill be enacted, it will exacerbate a widening gap between Diaspora and Israel communities, which we are all working very hard to avoid.

Therefore, we believe it is imperative that you, Israel’s leader, who cares so deeply about the well-being of our people, intervene and urge withdrawal of this bill.

The email for Prime Minister Netanyahu is:

Prime.Minister’sOffice@it.pmo.gov.il

For Amb. Oren’s office:

info@washington.mfa.gov.il

For a list of other Ambassadors click here

While I was born into a home with two Jewish parents, I consider myself a Jew by choice. Even from the beginning of constructing my Jewish identity, it came from within and not from any overt influence of my parents. I learned to read torah and haftarah with a local rabbi of an unafilliated synagogue in suburban Chicago at my own behest at age 12. My parents, having given me the choice at age 8 as to whether or not I wanted to attend Hebrew School (guess what I chose…) never belonged to a synagogue or practiced any rituals aside from the large family gatherings of Rosh HaShanah dinners, Yom Kippur break fasts (although no one ever fasted), Passover seders and Hannukah candles. I don’t remember speaking of Israel until the Gulf War in 1991 when my sister explained to me that despite being a tiny country they are quite powerful (which I did not believe at the time). By age 18 I had become a bar mitzvah on Masada in Israel, spent two consecutive summers in Israel, learned to read and speak a little Hebrew, learned to pray and put on tefillin and had immersed myself into the history, culture and traditions of the Jewish people. By age 20 I was a firm-footed Atheist and a proud and loud Zionist. Little did I know what life had in store for me.

At age 20 I met the woman I am now married to, Danielle. The two of us fell in love in storybook fashion, it was truly love at first sight. Three or four days after we were introduced I remember having a conversation with her where she said something to the effect of, “this relationship isn’t going to work.” I was dumbfounded. The happiest three days of my life, while I was having visions of growing old with this woman, she was ready to end it before it started. “Why would you say that? I thought this was going great.” Or something to the effect must have been what I said. I will never forget what she said next, “Maybe not now, but one day you’re going to want me to convert and I don’t know if I’ll want to do that.” As I remember it correctly, I laughed at her and said “You have no idea what you’re talking about.” You must know, not only was I an Atheist, but I found Judaism particularly silly and off-putting (as any good secular Zionist should, in my mind at that time). In retrospect, this is just one of the many examples where she knew exactly what she was talking about and it was I who was seeing things through a dim lens. She did convert, and it was a beautiful and exciting experience in many regards and at the same time a painful and exacting experience. Perhaps that is the way it is designed to be. Our experience is a unique one, and that is certainly true for every individual who goes through the conversion process and their loved ones who surround them. I think I can speak for both of us confidently when I say, neither of us were completely the same once the conversion process was complete.

Ultimately, conversion is about the process of change. One is not changing themselves, but rather their identity. Rituals and laws aside, the notion of ‘conversion’ is, in my opinion, an inadequate or, at best, a misleading terms in the context of the Jewish tradition. The word, ‘to convert,’ in the Jewish tradition is להתגייר (l’hit-ga’yer) which comes from the word גור, a sojourner. Literally, what we translate as ‘to convert’ actually means ‘to cause oneself to sojourn.’ Rather than ‘converting to Judaism,’ one is joining the Jewish people. Or, as my rabbi phrases it, “accepting the fate of the Jewish people as your own.” And like any other identity one has in their life, the evolution and adaptation of new habits and practices and beliefs is a process without a start and end. And as I have experienced in my own life very plainly and clearly nearly every step of the way, we never know the journey that process is going to take us on.

My own journey (to leave out many details and experiences) has led me to soon have the privilege and responsibility of the title of ‘rabbi,’ (not yet, but not far off). I am really excited to see this on-line community growing and providing support, resources, ideas and perspectives with one another. It is an important resource for the entire Jewish people and any person who is interested in the Jewish tradition. I hope to be an active part of the community and avail myself as a resource (and not an authority, by any means) any way I am able.

In the near future you can expect to see me sharing thoughts on Torah, Jewish law, mysticism, social justice and life. I think it’s safe to say, and those who know me would agree, that I am not your most typical rabbi. So, some of the things you may read or hear from me may come across as surprising or somehow atypical of what one might hear from another rabbi. I do not want any of my words or views to be taken as representative of any institution to which I am affiliated (and I think they’d appreciate that distance). If you’d like to read me elsewhere you can find my occasionally contributing on Jewschool.com and you can see my old, now inactive, blog at pardesyehuda.blogspot.com. I look forward to learning with you and from you and want to thank you for the opportunity.

a good shabbos to all

This just came to me via email and I thought it was worth mentioning.

This evening the  NewCAJE is hosting a webinar featuring one of my very favorite rabbis. I’m going to try to make this if I can as it’s sure to be some good learning and proceeds are going to support and important organization. Hope some of you can join me. Also please feel free to pass on this information to anyone you think may be interested.

Oh and if you are interested in getting a taste of what Rav Artson is like check this out.

NEWCAJE LehrhausOnLine

PRESENTS:

Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson

Almighty? No way!

Learning to Love the God you Actually Believe In

LIVE AND INTERACTIVE MARCH 3rd

6pm Pacific/9pm Eastern

also recorded for learning at your convenience

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In his youth, Brad Artson grew up struggling with the notion of a God.  Later, when he became a rabbi and took his first pulpit, he noticed that many congregants struggle with concepts of God  that reflect what they believe are the dominant theology of Judaism.Holding these ideas about God, did not seem to serve people well when they experienced the most difficult moments of their lives. In this webinar, Artson will suggest that there are problems with the dominant notions of theology. He will explain that he believes that many, many Jews have rejected these ideas which leave them in a qandry about their religious beliefs. His approach, called “process theology” articulates the ideas that are actually held by many Jews into a theological language that everyone can understand.

Rabbi Artson will raise many questions in his presentation including:

What is the nature of God that most people have been taught?

How does our concept of God affect how we feel about the things that happen to us in our lives

How does a personal God relate to human beings?

How can each of us find the God that we can believe in?

This teaching will give you a new perspective on HOW to think about God. You may wonder…

• Why no one ever told you this information before?
• Whether the God Artson describes is really the God of the Bible and the prayerbook?
• Whether this God still demands prayer or good works or mitzvot from you?

Click here for info and to register!

One thing which becomes obviously to anyone who studies Judaism for more than about five minutes is that we are a people seemingly rife with disagreements, arguments, and often outright bigotry aimed at one another.  Secular Jews often lambaste haredim as fanatics, and the haredim often dismiss out of hand non-Orthodox Jews as heretics.  The pages of Jewish newspapers and internet sites play host to the many issues that divide us as a people, and this tendency is often jokingly explained away by the phrase “two Jews, three opinions.”  I have written previously about the conversion crisis in Israel, and this saga is just one example of how we often seem hopelessly split apart we are.

But coming off of the holiday of Purim, where we celebrate the liberation of our people from the murderous intent of Haman, we are reminded that we are one people after all.  It makes no difference how we disagree, and how often our varied convictions lead us to rancorous debate, we are still a single people with a shared destiny.  The Hamans and Hitlers of the world – may their designs come to ruin and may their names be blotted out – do not distinguish between Chabad and Reform, between Likud and Shas and Kadima.  In the end, even our most passionate disagreements with other Jews do not overshadow the fact that we are all part of this people and have shared a glorious past and look forward to a promising future.

Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the Rabbi of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, and a figure who has made what I and many others consider to be hateful statements about non-Orthodox Jews including Women of the Wall, has written a beautiful piece about the unity we share.  The essay, published here in the Jerusalem Post, describes how the holiness and sanctity of the Kotel is a place where he sees this oneness happen.  I am sure some folks will protest that Rabbi Rabinowitz has proven himself an obstacle to the expression of unity at the Kotel in his opposition to egalitarian services there, but if this is you I urge you to consider the thrust of his column.  The flames of conflict between different segments of our people may seem to hot to ignore but it is also true, in the words of Rabbi Rabinwitz, “that which unites us is 10 times greater than that which divides us.”

Wow it’s already been close to a month since my last post and I’m happy to report that in that time we’ve made a lot of progress regarding the new website design.  As I’m sure you can see by the new layout and new features now available here at JewsByChoice.org, we are trying to move in a fresh direction with the revamped site.  Basically, we’d like to be a little bit less of a one trick pony then we were in our first incarnation.  Since day one hour aim has always been to provide an online space, where Jews by choice can network with other JBCs as well as, explore and engage with Jewish identity, culture and tradition, in short more of a social networking site.

Unfortunately our first attempt never really panned out when we started this site back in 2007.  I think part of the problem is that the technology just wasn’t there yet.  Also I suppose I’m partly to blame because I didn’t have the skills to pull off what it is we were trying to accomplish.  Lastly, I don’t think that we had all of the right people involved to make things work as well as it could have.  That’s not to suggest that our contributors weren’t great because they all gave 110%.  It’s more that we (meaning me) probably needed to have some professional/paraprofessional advice and help in terms of management in project planning.  You know taking the vision and breaking it down into specific and attainable steps.  Fortunately, I now have a little bit more support from people working in the Jewish professional community and this should make things a little smoother this time round.

Anyhow, let me try to rein in this rant a little bit and get to the point.

Basically I just wanted to let everyone know that after a month of closed beta testing  we are now ready to open up registration to anyone who’s interested in participating as part of our (hopefully) growing community of engaged JBCs.  So to the people who have been e-mailing me regarding helping out, as well as anyone else who is interested in participating, I’d like to invite you to head over to our registration page and sign up for a member account.

Again please keep in mind that we are still very much in a beta phase, so the site is going to be changing (probably a fair amount) over the next few months.  Also there is bound to be bugs and glitches so please be patient with us as we continue to refine things here on the site.

With that I would like to say goodnight and thank you to everyone who’s been e-mailing and/or showing support in other ways as we work on getting the new version of the site up and running.

Be well
Avi M