What a Country!

Today I am 6,000 miles from where I was yesterday, and just in terms of geography.

I landed in Israel early this morning.  I'm here to attend the winter session of the Hartman Institute's RLI (Religious Leaders Institute) winter seminar and I'm very excited.  As a Senior Rabbinic Fellow at Hartman I get to study with some the best Judaic scholars in the world: David and Donniel Hartman, Micha Goodman, Alick Isaacs, Menachem, Moshe Idel, Moshe Halberthal, Menachem Lorberbaum, Melila Hellner-Esed, et al.  I can't wait!

I arrived a couple of days early so that I would have sufficient time to deal with the all too common effects of jet lag.  Last June I found myself dosing off in class at the start of the session.  We were studying the Zohar, it was very hot, and I was still on Milwaukee time.  And sitting next to the teacher didn't help.  The class was being video taped and I was doing everything short of snoring.  It would have been even more embarrassing had not most of my colleagues also been in the same situation.

My foresight has saved me this time.  I had a 4:00 am wake-up call so that I could make it to Chicago O'Hare from my hotel in time to catch a 6:00 am plane to Newark where I would connect with my 1:15 pm EL AL flight.  By the time I arrived at Ben Gurion this morning at 7:00 am I was exhausted.  Taking a sleeping pill helped, but I only slept for three hours.  I knew during my cab ride to Jerusalem that I had to do everything possible to stay awake and reset my internal clock.  I would go to sleep according to Israel time because if I didn't . . . most of you who have travelled internationally know the consequences.

So, I checked into the hotel, unpacked and went for a walk, a long walk, and in the process I did what I always do when I walked the streets of Jerusalem, I fell back in love with the city.  I put together a list of chores: exchange dollars for shekels, buy a universal converter (I forgot mine at home), eat lunch, and walk to stay awake.  I made my way to the Midrekhov (the pedestrian mall downtown) and accomplished goals one and two.  I could have gotten a shwarma at one of my favorite shwarma stands, Moshiko's, but after eating three heavy meals on the plane which were still embedded in my stomach I opted to walk still further to Mahane Yehuda (Jerusalem's large, open air market) for a felafel.  And I knew I would get it at Achim Levi's, the best felafel stand in the city.

But as soon as I had walked two blocks I noticed a dramatic change to the city's downtown landscape; Jaffa Road, a major artery which runs through downtown was now closed not only to cars, but buses as well.  For several years, more than Jerusalemites would like to count, the street has been torn up and perennially under construction for the laying of tracks which would serve as the foundation for the city's new light rail system.  Finally the construction was over!  As I crossed the street I saw a brand new, sleek light rail train approaching.  It was not in service; filled with transit workers for a trail run.  Watching that train come to a stop at a passenger platform right next to me was exhilarating!  I pulled out my Blackberry and snapped a photo (as soon as I get home I'll add that photo to this post).  Wow!  Jerusalem now has a modern light rail system, something we in Milwaukee could really use.

I eventually reached Mahane Yehuda. How could I miss the beehive of human activity.  It was packed as usual.  Vendors were hawking their produce and merchandise.  Staples like olives, dates, fish, eggs, breads, cheeses and halvah were impeccably placed on their table.  And then it was there,  Felafel Achim Levi, the market's famous, almost revered felafel stand.  I stood on line waiting to order (New Yorkers never stand "in line," we stand "on line") when the expected happened.  A woman walked up from behind me and stood in front of me.  She looked at me, I looked at her, and we laughed; collaborators in an all-too common Israeli phenomenon: rude behavior.  neither of would budge (at least I didn't let on that I would have relented).  Our game of chicken was finally resolved by the proprietor.  When my nemesis stepped forward to order he chided her, "He was here before you."  At in seem-less fashion he turned from her and directed his attention to me.  It was a beautiful moment of vindication and justice!

I stepped up to the counter and said, "Lafa, bevakasha."  I couldn't believe the words I had just uttered.  I asked for a giant, monster felafel comprised of 5 felafel balls instead of the usual 3; wrapped in an enormous flat pita instead of the half pita shell with which most are familiar.  But I was giddy over my moral victory and my euphoria had gotten the better of me.  "Harif?" - Spicy, hot sauce? - asked the owner.  "Ken, aval k'tzat," - Yes, but just a little, I said.  I was crazy, but not stupid!  "Salat, hummus, chips?" - Salad, hummus, french fries?  He further queried.  "Ken, b'vakaha," - Yes, please, I responded.  "Metzuyan." - Excellent, he approvingly said.  It was then that I knew that I was really in Israel.  It was a typical, archetypal Israeli comment and moment.
And I thought of that line made famous in the '80s by the Russian born American Jewish comic, "What a country!"

Yes, I did end up paying dearly for my indulgence with a whopper of a stomach ache.  But it was more than worth it; a forschbeis of what I hope will be more delicious and memorable culinary experiences and study of Torah.  So stay tuned for more posts to follow . . .

Paying Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is being celebrated today throughout America (with some exceptions, most notably the State of Arizona).  Many people recall Dr. King as a remarkable religious leader, an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War, a tireless advocate of working people and organized labor, and, of course, this nation’s most passionate and greatest civil rights leader.  It was Dr. King’s leadership which ultimately led to the fall of Jim Crow and the beginning of our country’s journey to racial equality.  Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream Speech” to this day continues to inspire Americans of all races and creeds.

What few of us know is that Martin Luther King was an ardent Zionist and friend to the Jewish community.  We’re all familiar with the photo of Dr. King standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the “March on Washington.”  My favorite photo is the one where he’s marching with Dr. Abraham Joshua Heschel in Selma.  It speaks of the powerful partnership and collaboration that existed between these profound religious thinkers and leaders, and symbolically between the black and Jewish communities of their day.  Dr. King proudly proclaimed that he had read all of Dr. Heschel’s writings and that he was deeply influenced by them.  Dr. Heschel said of his experience working with Dr. King, “When I marched in Selma, my feet were praying.”

Dr. King felt a true kindred spirit within the American Jewish community.  He shared a common religious language with our spiritual leaders, most notably with Dr. Heschel, and not only recognized, but supported our community’s Zionist ideals and beliefs.  He was an unabashed and ardent supporter of the Jewish people’s right to fulfill our religious and national aspirations in our ancestral and historic homeland – the land of Israel.  He put his political capital on the line time and time again in support of the State of Israel’s right to exist.  While speaking at Harvard University shortly before his assignation, Dr. King took a hostile question from a student who asked him to address the issue of Zionism.  Dr. King responded, “When people criticize Zionists they mean Jews, you are talking anti-Semitism.”   Here are just a few of his many supportive statements related to Israel:

“I would have made it crystal clear that I could not have supported any resolution calling for black separatism or calling for a condemnation of Israel and an unqualified endorsement of the policy of the Arab powers.”

“Israel’s right to exist as a state is incontestable.  At the same time the great powers have the obligation to recognize that the Arab world is in a state of imposed poverty and backwardness that must threaten peace and harmony.”

“. . . some Arab feudal rulers are no less concerned for oil wealth and neglect the plight of their own peoples. The solution will have to be found in statesmanship by Israel and progressive Arab forces who in concert with the great powers recognize fair and peaceful solutions are the concern of all humanity and must be found.”

“. . . peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality.”

Today let’s remember and pay tribute to Dr. King as a champion for civil rights, racial equality and harmony, and a true friend of the Jewish people and the State of Israel!

Remembering the Victims in Tucson

I can’t get the image of his face out of my head, the one of Jared L. Loughner who last Saturday nearly succeeded in assassinating Congresswoman Gabrille Giffords.

Loughner’s photo was plastered yesterday on the cover of every major American newspaper.  His bald head, the piercing gaze of his eyes combined with a somewhat reserved grin coalesce to create the image of a diabolic mad man.  In the wake of the shooting we’ve come to learn that Loughner was a troubled young man who had been expelled from the community college he attended in Tuscon, was an expert marksman and enjoyed reading the nihilistic works of writers like Nietzsche.  He and his parents lived a rather withdrawn life in their north-west Tucson neighborhood. 

I imagine in the coming days and weeks ahead more information about Loughner will become public.  The focus of our attention is frequently turned – many times without much resistance – to the one who perpetrates a horrific and nefarious crime.  The life of a victim – in this case victims – gets only a passing mention.  This phenomenon cruelly exacerbates the tragedy of the event.  We compound the crime if we remember Loughner and forget about the lives he so casually sought to and succeeded in snuffing out.

One of the casualties was Judge John M. Roll who had stopped by the mall for a cup of coffee and a moment with a member of Congress to talk about overcrowded courts. Christina Taylor Green was the 9-year-old student council president at Mesa Verde Elementary school.  She had been born on September 11, 2001 and attended Congresswoman Gifford’s “Congress on Your Corner” event because she wanted a real-life lesson in American politics.  Gabriel Zimmerman was the Congresswoman’s 30 year-old aide and was engaged to be married.  At the time of the shooting rampage he was doing his normal duty, helping to line up the Saturday morning crowd.  Three other innocent people were murdered that day, fourteen, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords were critically wounded.  Giffords remains in critical condition at Tucson hospital.

While Loughner’s deed should never ever be forgotten, we should seek to remember the people who died by his hands and appreciate the good the contributions that they made to their community regardless of their age.  “Zekher tzadik l'vrakha.” - The memory of a righteous person is a blessing.” (Proverbs 10:7)

Katsav's Shame

I remember as an eleven year-old watching Richard Nixon standing in the door of Air Force One for the very last time raising his arms in that seemingly awkward and all too familiar victory salute, and wondering why he was happy, almost ebullient and triumphant when he had just resigned from the presidency in utter disgrace.  Without a doubt, August 9, 1974 was a day of shame for the institution of the American presidency. 

Israelis had a similar moment of presidential shame last Thursday when former Israeli President, Moshe Katsav, was found guilty of rape and sexual assault by a Tel Aviv District Court.  The Court’s judges ruled that his version of events was "riddled with lies." The unanimous verdict was handed down more than four years after complaints surfaced of grave sexual offenses against various subordinates, during his terms as tourism minister and as president.

In the wake of the verdict social media forums like Facebook were abuzz with commentary.  I was struck by two predominant themes:  Israelis themselves should feel ashamed by what President Katsav had done, and Jews should feel ashamed that another Jew committed such a heinous act.

I do not share either of these two views. 

Israelis had nothing to do with Katsav’s crimes.  The Knesset members who elected him President also bear no responsibility.  They had no idea that Katsav was such a despicable person. To the contrary, he was known by his colleagues as a respectable and conciliatory member of the Knesset who had a traditional "religious" background. His bona fides as a “religious” Jew were buttressed by his insistence that the official Presidential residence have a chapel.  He had one built.  I've actually seen it.

In 2003 I was invited by the Government of Poland to accompany Katsav and Aleksander Kwaśniewski, the then President of Poland, on a walking tour of the former Warsaw Ghetto.  It was the 60th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. We toured significant sites of the Ghetto and commemorated them.  Katsav conducted himself with dignity and honor. I and the rabbinic colleagues who were with me could not have been more proud of him.  What did we know of his outrageous crimes?  He appeared the dugma (exemplar) of decency and humility. 

But that’s the art of the predator: appear to look and act decently and no will ever know how you use your power to dominate, harass, inspire fear in, prey on and abuse others.  Think of all of the shocking revelations related to priests or other religious leaders who were sexually molesting children while everyone else thought that they were serving God.  We were all fooled by Katsav the manipulator.

The fact that Katsav was tried by an Israeli court and found guilty should be a source of great pride for every Israeli and every Jew (Can you imagine any of Israel's neighbors arresting, putting on trial and  convicting one of its former leaders unless it was for the purpose of seizing power or de-legitimizing its opposition?)

It’s absolutely true that a Jew should never commit rape.  It is a horrible crime just short of murder.  It causes untold pain, anguish, and trauma to the victim and the victim’s loved ones.  It’s morally reprehensible and a grave sin.  But to be surprised that someone who is Jewish would commit such a terrible sin is to be unrealistic.

 

The Torah itself presupposes that people will violate the law, at times in despicable and terrible ways. It understands all too well human nature.  The fact that an Israeli court upheld the letter of Israeli secular, criminal law and the spirit of the Torah should be applauded. Yes, a Jew (or for that matter a Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, etc.) should never commit rape, or steal, or commit murder. But even the Torah and by extension the halakhah (Jewish rabbinic law) recognizes that human beings will commit crimes, will transgress and therefore provides punishments for those transgressions.  The only difference between Katsav and other Jews who are currently in prison for the same crime is their respective stations in public life.

Sadly and tragically Israelis and Americans now share yet one more thing in common: each has had a former president disgrace himself and his office.  No American should bear the disgrace of Richard Nixon, and no Israeli or Jew should carry Katsav’s shame.