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D’varim, Tisha B’Av and the Meaning of Justice

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My d’var Torah for Shabbat, July 24, 2015.

Painting: The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans

I want to talk today about what I see as a connection between two things: Tisha b’Av, the fast day that begins Saturday evening, and D’varim, this week’s parsha.

I’ll start with Tisha b’Av, the holiday when, traditionally, Jews mourn the destruction of the Temple and the forced exile of the Jews from Jerusalem.

Here’s a story, a fable, from the Talmud about how it is that that destruction came about:

There was a man who was very good friends with someone named Kamza and did not get along with another person with a similar name, Bar Kamza. This man was preparing to host a large banquet. He told his servant to invite his friend Kamza. But the servant made a mistake and invited Bar Kamza.

The host was very surprised to see his least favorite person, Bar Kamza, at his party, and ordered him to leave. But Bar Kamza did not want to be thrown out; he thought that would be humiliating. So he offered to pay for his portion of food. The host refused. Bar Kamza next offered to pay for half of the expenses of the large party. Still the host refused. Finally, Bar Kamza offered to pay for the entire banquet. In anger, the host grabbed Bar Kamza and physically threw him out. [Read more…] about D’varim, Tisha B’Av and the Meaning of Justice

Aden Angus D’var Torah, June 27, 2015 Parsha Chukkat

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Aden Angus Bar Mitzvah picToday I read from chapter 20 in the book of Numbers. In the book of Numbers are stories about the 40 years in the desert and what happens there. The name of the parsha is Chukkat. The Hebrew word Chukkat means a ritual law. In the beginning of this parsha God gives the law of the red heifer. A perfect red heifer is sacrificed and its ashes are then mixed with water to purify anyone who has touched or been in the same room with a dead person. One commentary I read suggested that the word chukka is used for a law that does not make rational sense. In this case, I would agree with that!

The parsha ends with the story of the Israelites attempting to cross through the lands of Arad, Edom, and Bashan. The kings of these lands did not allow the Israelites to pass and there were wars, all of which were won by the Israelites. How was this possible for a group of slaves that fled Egypt with what they could carry and hardly had food to eat?

The portion of Chukkat that I read was when Moses strikes the rock and is punished by God for not following God’s instruction. Many don’t see why Moses was punished; it didn’t make sense. The story of Moses striking the rock is a pivotal and surprising story of the Torah. It is surprising because Moses is punished so severely after not obeying God’s instructions. To truly understand the emotions of the story we must understand the thought process of Moses in the situation. As we know, Moses was one of the great leaders of all time and led the Israelites back from Egypt. He had been a flawless messenger of God up to this point. [Read more…] about Aden Angus D’var Torah, June 27, 2015 Parsha Chukkat

A Bibliography of Books by AARC Members

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Rena Selter's book coverWhen Carol Lessure sent out an announcement last week of the publication of AARC member Rena Seltzer’s new book, The Coach’s Guide for Women Professors, Margo Schlanger was reminded that she had begun working on a list of books by AARC members. The bibliography currently has thirteen books by eight authors.  I know there are lots more! As a librarian, I love bibliographies and I’d really like to fill out this one, and post it on our website. So, if you are an AARC member who has written and published a book, send me the details! This blog could use some book reviews as well. If you are willing to write short reviews of interest to AARC members, contact me and we’ll talk.

And, Rena, mazel tov on the new book!

Of Iftar and Izmir

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By Ellen Dannin

11667454_10153362462663116_3875672153086888849_nMost who know anything about Jews know something about the traditions and culture of Ashkenazi Jews – the Jews who lived in Europe and spoke Yiddish. Fewer people know about Jewish culture and history in the Middle East and Mediterranean areas. While Ashkenazi Jews traditionally speak Yiddish, which is a mix of Hebrew and German, Mediterranean Jews spoke other languages that were based on Hebrew, such as Ladino, and were an amalgam of Hebrew, Arabic, and Spanish.

A few weeks ago, the NY Times reported on a less well known part of Jewish culture to be found in Arab speaking countries. In those areas, Jews found centuries of safety and enlightenment in the midst of a scientific revolution. The Times story described the Danan Synagogue, which was named for a rabbinical family whose lineage goes back 50 generations to the 17th-century. Since Hebrew is traditionally written without vowels, there can be many spellings that sound alike. So it is probable that the Danans in the article were related to the Dannins, my family. Over the centuries, they lived in Izmir (Smyrna), Morocco, Spain, Turkey, and eventually made their way to Sweden in the early 19th century and on to Indiana.

The rituals of the Muslim holiday Ramadan are now being observed, through fasting and prayer, but also through Iftar – the evening meal eaten during Ramadan. While I lived in State College, PA, the Turkish community invited me and several hundred  other non-Muslims to enjoy the Iftar meal with them and to learn about their culture and values.

Now there is an opportunity to share the Iftar meal here in Ann Arbor, this Sunday, July 12. I hope others from AARC will join me in accepting the invitation of the Niagra Foundation, St. Clare’s Episcopal Church, and Temple Beth Emeth to an Ann Arbor Neighborhood and Friendship Iftar at Genesis, 2309 Packard Rd. The evening will begin with a screening of the film Love is a Verb at 8:00, at 8:45  there will be a prayer in the Sanctuary, and at 9:15, fast-breaking in the Social Hall. Please rsvp here.

As a member of the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation, I value the opportunity to participate in observing Iftar and to learn from one another about our traditions and values. When we Jews observe Pesach (Passover), we recall the memory of Jerusalem, the city whose very name – Ir-Shalom – means City of Peace. May we all be at peace, and may we all live in freedom.

Ice Cream Social for Returning and Prospective Beit Sefer Families

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Come join us – and (or) invite your friends with kids – at an Ice Cream Social on July 12, 2pm-4pm at the home of Caroline Richardson and Paul Resnick. Members of AARC, and non-members interested in a Jewish place for their kids to learn – are all welcome. Come meet other parents, the school’s director (Clare Kinberg), and members of the Beit Sefer committee. Find out if the AARC Beit Sefer is right for your family.

Jewish educators think a lot about what makes a Jewish supplementary Sunday school a place kids want to be. Fun; snacks; other kids; warm, reliable, knowledgeable teachers – those are part of it. Just as important though, the Beit Sefer needs to be a place where each child is valued for who they are and what they bring to the community. Find out about our plans to create a caring, ethical Jewish school based on questioning, creativity and a teaching staff who have a real passion for learning with their students.

So:

But even if you don’t RSVP, you are still welcome!

mezuzah making 1
Mezuzah Making, Beit Sefer 2015

 

 

Isaac Shore and Gil Eisbruch Graduate Profiles

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Every year our AARC community kvells with graduates and their families as they move from one stage of their lives and educations to the next.  This year we say mazel tov to quite a few: Isaac Shore, son of Rena Seltzer and Pam Shore, graduated from Ann Arbor Community High School; Gil Eisbruch, son of Emily and Avi Eisbruch, graduated from Carleton College in Minnesota; Samuel Lichtman-Mikol, son of Lori Lichtman, graduated from Kalamazoo College; and Julie and Kevin Norris’ son Russell Norris graduated from Muhlenberg College and their daughter, Leah Norris, graduated from a master’s program at University of Colorado. (And my apologies if I’ve missed any — mazel tov to them, too!)

As a parent of a rising high school senior embarking on the college quest, I am always curious what our community’s high school and college graduates think of the schools they’ve attended. With this in mind, I sought out recent graduates Gil Eisbruch and Isaac Shore with a bevy of questions. Both the Eisbruch and Seltzer/Shore families have been AARC members since their children were very young, 1995 and 2000, respectively.

Isaac Shore, Ann Arbor Community High 2015
Isaac Shore, Ann Arbor Community High, 2015

I interviewed Isaac Shore this week, the very day he returned from an overnight orientation at the College of Wooster, a small liberal arts college near Akron, OH, about 3 hours drive from Ann Arbor. Isaac became bar mitzvah at AARC four years ago.

Isaac told me how much he appreciated his slightly alternative Ann Arbor education: Hebrew Day School for elementary, Ann Arbor Open for middle school, and Community for high school. “I didn’t have to deal with a lot of bureaucracy, or people who don’t know each other,” he explained. He chose Wooster over Kalamazoo College and Michigan State, partly because it seemed the right size, about 2000 students. It helped to know that Jonah Ahuvia, the son of long-time Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Havurah members Aura and Aaron Ahuvia, is at Wooster, too. Isaac has varied interests: history, political science, biology, and physics, among them. He seemed relieved that he has another year before he should declare a major. Although Wooster is not known for its Jewish presence, it recently started offering Hebrew, he told me. And coincidently, Isaac’s roommate for the overnight enrollment process was a Jewish student from the San Francisco Bay Area. Isaac will be joining the other Wooster freshmen the last week in August.

Like Isaac, Gil Eisbruch had his bar mitzvah with the “hav.” Gil’s bar mitzvah was in 2006, a distant nine years ago. Gil, too, is a graduate of Ann Arbor’s Community High. And as of this month, he is a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from Carleton College in Northfield, MN, south of the Twin Cities.  I asked Gil why he chose Carleton. Like Isaac, he said that knowing someone there was an important influence. “My next door neighbor who is four years older than me went to Carleton and liked it,” Gil told me. (Lillie Schneyer, daughter of Mark Schneyer and Debbie Field, is a rising sophomore at Carleton as well.) When he began at Carleton, Gil imagined that he’d be a math major. A slight shift led him to his computer science major, which he loved.

Gil, on left, building a Sukkah with his friends in Jewish Students of Carleton
Gil, on left, building a Sukkah with his friends in Jewish Students of Carleton

Turns out there is much more Jewish life at Carleton than Gil first imagined. His mom had cautioned him that he may be one of the few Jewish students. But Gil discovered that Jewish Students of Carleton is an active campus group. And his sophomore year, he lived in the Jewish Interest House, a kosher living situation for five students who organize Shabbat dinners and services that 20 to 30 students regularly attend. After his sophomore year, Gil continued to attend Shabbat services on an irregular basis, as well as participate in Jewish holiday celebrations. Another passion of Gil’s was the ultimate frisbee team—which took 5th place in last year’s national tournament. Gil made good friends among both non-Jewish and Jewish students, one of whom is planning to attend rabbinical school at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati.

Emily, Gil, Avi and a friend at Gil's graduation from Carleton
Emily, Gil, Avi and Dafna at Gil’s graduation from Carleton. Gil’s sister Dafna, 26, came to Minnesota from Haifa where she lives.

This summer Gil plans on hanging out in Ann Arbor. Then, in August he’ll be moving to Milwaukee to work in the City Year program of Americorp where he’ll be working in a high school or middle school as a mentor and tutor. He hopes to eventually be a high school teacher.

 

 

Many thanks to Isaac and Gil for allowing us to profile them here.

 

At Farm Education Day and Sustainable Food Fest

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Despite periodic torrential rain, Matthaei Botanical Gardens was a beautiful place to be on June 14 for the Farm Education and Sustainable Food Fest. Marcy Epstein, Carol Lessure and Idelle Hammond-Sass talked to many people at the AARC table.
Despite periodic torrential rain, Matthaei Botanical Gardens was a beautiful place to be on June 14 for the Farm Education and Sustainable Food Fest. Marcy Epstein, Carol Lessure and Idelle Hammond-Sass talked to many people at the AARC table.

 

Blair Nosan from Hazon Detroit taught 40 people how to make sauerkraut.
Blair Nosan from Hazon Detroit taught 40 people how to make sauerkraut.
Massaging the salt into the cabbage
Massage salt into the cabbage
Add flavors
Add flavors
Pack into jar.
Pack into jar.

 

There you have it.
There you have it. “Food Fest Sauerkraut June 14 2015”
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Learning where the food comes from.
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Challah Rising irresistible samples!
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Oh the flavors of local food!
Local food, in so many flavors!
Delicious.

 

 

 

 

This Sunday, what an opportunity!

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This Sunday, June 14, Matthaei Botanical Gardens is the place to be for the Farm Education Day and Sustainable Food Fest. There is really terrific programing and incredible food planned. Two of the things I am most excited about are the connections the planners have made with young Jewish social justice activists who are living in Detroit.

Blair Nosan (right) and Chava Knox at work at Eden Gardens.
Blair Nosan (right) and Chava Knox at work at Eden Gardens.

Did you know that Hazon, one of the most creative, inspirational Jewish social justice organizations, is opening its Detroit branch this month? You can meet Detroit Hazon’s lead organizer, Blair Nosan,this Sunday at 11:15 for the workshop “Bread from the Earth: Jewish Practice and Sustainability.” The workshop will be co-led by Sue Salinger, the sister of AARC member Carole Kaplan. This is an opportunity not to be missed.

In addition, Detroit Jews for Justice is leading a workshop at 10:15, Mayim Hayyim: A Jewish Perspective on the Detroit Water Shut-offs with AJ Aaron. AJ was a Repair the World fellow last year.

AJ Aaron
AJ Aaron

If you need any inspiration over the next few days, read those links about the work Blair and AJ are involved in. And see you Sunday, let’s get inspired together!

Is there a new Jewish back to the land movement?

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green-things-logo-1Is there a new Jewish back to the land movement? Let’s talk about it together on June 14th when we gather at Matthaei Botanical Gardens for the Farm Education and Sustainability Food Fest and take a tour of Green Things Farm. Certainly Nate Lada, who with his wife Jill Sweetman are the owners and operators of Green Things Farm, sees a connection between his Hebrew Day School education and his commitment to sustainable agriculture. When he was a guest speaker at a UM Hillel Tu B’Shvat seder in 2012, Nate talked about the importance of agriculture and respecting the Earth as central to the Jewish tradition. Twentysomething graduates of the UM where they both studied Environmental Science, Nate and Jill have taken advantage of several opportunities created by longtime Ann Arbor environmental activists such as the Ann Arbor greenbelt program, a thirty year investment voted on in 2003. With the goal of starting a family farm, Nate and Jill spent two years (2011-2012) as part of the first cohort at Jeff McCabe and colleagues’ Tilian Farm Incubator Program. There Nate and Jill learned many of the basics of the business of farming while taking advantage of the program’s land, equipment, farming mentors, and community support. The land they bought to start their own farm, on Nixon near Warren about 5 miles north of downtown, was also part of the greenbelt program, in which the city of Ann Arbor bought development rights on the properties, making the land affordable for farming. [Read more…] about Is there a new Jewish back to the land movement?