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The Debate Over Mixed Seating in the American Synagogue
Jack Wertheimer (ed.) The American Synagogue: A Sanctuary Transformed. New York: Cambridge 13 University Press, 1987 The Debate over Mixed Seating in the American Synagogue JONATHAN D. SARNA "Pues have never yet found an historian," John M. Neale com plained, when he undertook to survey the subject of church seating for the Cambridge Camden Society in 1842. 1 To a large extent, the same situation prevails today in connection with "pues" in the American syn agogue. Although it is common knowledge that American synagogue seating patterns have changed greatly over time - sometimes following acrimonious, even violent disputes - the subject as a whole remains unstudied, seemingly too arcane for historians to bother with. 2 Seating patterns, however, actually reflect down-to-earth social realities, and are richly deserving of study. Behind wearisome debates over how sanctuary seats should be arranged and allocated lie fundamental disagreements over the kinds of social and religious values that the synagogue should project and the relationship between the synagogue and the larger society that surrounds it. As we shall see, where people sit reveals much about what they believe. The necessarily limited study of seating patterns that follows focuses only on the most important and controversial seating innovation in the American synagogue: mixed (family) seating. Other innovations - seats that no longer face east, 3 pulpits moved from center to front, 4 free (un assigned) seating, closed-off pew ends, and the like - require separate treatment. As we shall see, mixed seating is a ramified and multifaceted issue that clearly reflects the impact of American values on synagogue life, for it pits family unity, sexual equality, and modernity against the accepted Jewish legal (halachic) practice of sexual separatiop in prayer. -
Happiness Erev Rosh Hashanah 2018 Rabbi Nancy Rita Myers Final
1 Happiness Erev Rosh Hashanah 2018 Rabbi Nancy Rita Myers Final Woody Allen once said, “There's an old joke about two elderly women who are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions." Allen adds, “Well, that's essentially how I feel about life - full of loneliness, and misery, and suffering, and unhappiness, and it's all over much too quickly.”1 I don’t know if you concur with Woody Allen or not. I hope that you don’t feel that your life is full of loneliness, misery, and suffering because we all seek joy, peace, wellbeing, in essence, we want to be happy. The word happiness is bantered around often. We ask others if they are happy and we struggle with how we feel about ourselves and our place in life. Are you happy? Such a simple question. Are you happy? How many of you need to think about that or unsure? We often recognize times when we think we are happy. For some of us, its cheering our favorite sports team to victory, watching a comedy, eating a piece of rich chocolate cake, playing in the sand, hiking a mountain, sipping some wine, or watching a favorite TV show. But are we truly happy in such moments? It’s easy to confuse momentary pleasure with long term happiness or satisfaction. We may get an initial rush out of the purchase of an electronic devise or an outfit but it’s temporary. -
Half the Hanukkah Story Rabbi Norman Lamm Chancellor and Rosh Hayeshiva, Yeshiva University
Half the Hanukkah Story Rabbi Norman Lamm Chancellor and Rosh HaYeshiva, Yeshiva University This drasha was given by Rabbi Lamm in the Jewish Center in NYC on Shabbat Chanuka, December 23, 1967. Courtesy of Rabbi Lamm and the Yad Lamm online drasha archiveof the Yeshiva University Museum. Two Themes of Hanukkah Two themes are central to the festival of Hanukkah which we welcome this week. They are, first, the nes milhamah, the miraculous victory of the few over the many and the weak over the strong as the Jews repulsed the Syrian-Greeks and reestablished their independence. The second theme is the nes shemmen, the miracle of the oil, which burned in the Temple for eight days although the supply was sufficient for only one day. The nes milhamah represents the success of the military and political enterprise of the Macabeeans, whilst the nes shemmen symbolizes the victory of the eternal Jewish spirit. Which of these is emphasized is usually an index to one’s Weltanschauung. Thus, for instance, secular Zionism spoke only of the nes milhamah, the military victory, because it was interested in establishing the nationalistic base of modern Jewry. The Talmud, however, asking, "What is Hanukkah?," answered with the nes shemmen, with the story of the miracle of the oil. In this way, the Rabbis demonstrated their unhappiness with the whole Hasmonean dynasty, descendants of the original Macabees who became Saducees, denied the Oral Law, and persecuted the Pharisees. Yet, it cannot be denied that both of these themes are integral parts of Judaism. Unlike Christianity, we never relegated religion to a realm apart from life; we never assented to the bifurcation between that which belongs to God and that which belongs to Ceasar. -
Yeshiva University AP Style Guide
Yeshiva University Style Guide Members of Yeshiva University’s office of Marketing & Communications produces multi- media materials for distribution to employees, external media and multiple constituencies such as alumni, donors and community leaders. Marketing & Communications, and others in the University producing such materials, should adhere to journalistic style standards as outlined by The Associated Press (AP) in The Associated Press Stylebook with special attention given to the unique needs of universities—specifically those relating to our own Yeshiva University community. The following style guidelines specifically address branding consistency; quality; personality; tone; and key messages for Yeshiva University and may be exceptions to AP style that should be practiced in all mediums. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary is the preferred reference for English spelling and punctuation. It can be searched online (for free) at: www.merriam-webster.com. Academic Degrees Use the possessive (’s) for bachelor’s degree and master’s degree but not with associate degree. There is no possessive in Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science (note the use of upper case). When abbreviating degrees, do not use periods, e.g. BA, JD, PhD, LLM, but set multiples off by commas. Do not capitalize majors, programs, specializations or concentrations of study when they are not part of an official department name or title. (NOTE: the exception is for English and foreign languages). When referring to the conferral of a degree, do not include “doctoral” or the word “recipients” for multiple awards. Examples: She received a bachelor's degree in history; She majored in economics; He is a French major; Governor Cuomo received an honorary degree from Yeshiva University; Honorary degrees were awarded to Governor Cuomo and Elliot Gibber. -
Orthodoxy in American Jewish Life1
ORTHODOXY IN AMERICAN JEWISH LIFE1 by CHARLES S. LIEBMAN INTRODUCTION • DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF ORTHODOXY • EARLY ORTHODOX COMMUNITY • UNCOMMITTED ORTHODOX • COM- MITTED ORTHODOX • MODERN ORTHODOX • SECTARIANS • LEAD- ERSHIP • DIRECTIONS AND TENDENCIES • APPENDLX: YESHIVOT PROVIDING INTENSIVE TALMUDIC STUDY A HIS ESSAY is an effort to describe the communal aspects and institutional forms of Orthodox Judaism in the United States. For the most part, it ignores the doctrines, faith, and practices of Orthodox Jews, and barely touches upon synagogue hie, which is the most meaningful expression of American Orthodoxy. It is hoped that the reader will find here some appreciation of the vitality of American Orthodoxy. Earlier predictions of the demise of 11 am indebted to many people who assisted me in making this essay possible. More than 40, active in a variety of Orthodox organizations, gave freely of their time for extended discussions and interviews and many lay leaders and rabbis throughout the United States responded to a mail questionnaire. A number of people read a draft of this paper. I would be remiss if I did not mention a few by name, at the same time exonerating them of any responsibility for errors of fact or for my own judgments and interpretations. The section on modern Orthodoxy was read by Rabbi Emanuel Rackman. The sections beginning with the sectarian Orthodox to the conclusion of the paper were read by Rabbi Nathan Bulman. Criticism and comments on the entire paper were forthcoming from Rabbi Aaron Lichtenstein, Dr. Marshall Ski are, and Victor Geller, without whose assistance the section on the number of Orthodox Jews could not have been written. -
American Society
AMERICAN SOCIETY Prepared By Ner Le’Elef AMERICAN SOCIETY Prepared by Ner LeElef Publication date 04 November 2007 Permission is granted to reproduce in part or in whole. Profits may not be gained from any such reproductions. This book is updated with each edition and is produced several times a year. Other Ner LeElef Booklets currently available: BOOK OF QUOTATIONS EVOLUTION HILCHOS MASHPIAH HOLOCAUST JEWISH MEDICAL ETHICS JEWISH RESOURCES LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT ORAL LAW PROOFS QUESTION & ANSWERS SCIENCE AND JUDAISM SOURCES SUFFERING THE CHOSEN PEOPLE THIS WORLD & THE NEXT WOMEN’S ISSUES (Book One) WOMEN’S ISSUES (Book Two) For information on how to order additional booklets, please contact: Ner Le’Elef P.O. Box 14503 Jewish quarter, Old City, Jerusalem, 91145 E-mail: [email protected] Fax #: 972-02-653-6229 Tel #: 972-02-651-0825 Page 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: PRINCIPLES AND CORE VALUES 5 i- Introduction 6 ii- Underlying ethical principles 10 iii- Do not do what is hateful – The Harm Principle 12 iv- Basic human rights; democracy 14 v- Equality 16 vi- Absolute equality is discriminatory 18 vii- Rights and duties 20 viii- Tolerance – relative morality 22 ix- Freedom and immaturity 32 x- Capitalism – The Great American Dream 38 a- Globalization 40 b- The Great American Dream 40 xi- Protection, litigation and victimization 42 xii- Secular Humanism/reason/Western intellectuals 44 CHAPTER TWO: SOCIETY AND LIFESTYLE 54 i- Materialism 55 ii- Religion 63 a- How religious is America? 63 b- Separation of church and state: government -
Rabbi Shimon Schwab: Comparative Jewish Chronology. Original Version
HANNAH MEYER-BREUBR to be a mother. To her, motherhood is not a vocation through ~, accident of birth or of choi~nay, it is a natural outgrowth of her \ - entire view of the world and of life, with instinctive or intuitive certainty depending upon her potentialities. In ~ vocation, the RABBI SIMON SCHWAB Jewish woman becomes complete, and frees herself from the anxiety and limitations of the earthly, sphere for the selfless devotion to and , agreement with the eternal structure of the universe: the plan of God's sovereignty. And if she devotes herself to it with the entire strength and moral energy of her personality, in resi1W,ation and painful sacrifice of her own ego, then she, who today still experiences I. upon her own self the commandment "let there be life," handed down by the Creator, with the same directness as heaven and earth experienced it. on the FIrst Day of Creation, will derive, from the Comparative Jewish Chronology choir of spheres of the universe in which she finds her rightful place, freely and in self-determination as an individual, as a chord losing itself in the womb of the whole, that very harmony of per sonality which wip ripen unto her as the most precious fruit of A. all her life. ~ \, 1. The Jewish world era (or Aera Mundi) according to which the present Jewish year 5722 corresponds to the secular year 1961:-1962 of the Common Era (CE) is based upon chronological data provided by the T'nach and by Rabbinic tradition. 'J' ..... The Biblical data up to the birth of Isaac can be easily com- puted by anyone who -
Purim Newsletter
KAJ NEWSLETTER February 26, ‘20 א' אדר תש"פ A monthly publication of K’hal Adath Jeshurun Volume 50 Number 5 25th YAHRZEIT OF RAV SCHWAB who ,זצ''ל,This coming Purim will mark the 25th Yahrzeit of our late, revered Rav, Rav Shimon Schwab was niftar on 14 Adar I 5755, Purim Kotton, Monday evening, February 13th, 1995. (Pictured below, top in 1987; top right, Rav Schwab at the 55th Aguda שליט''א ,left, Rav Schwab with Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky Convention giving his memorable speech on excesses in spending, bottom left, Rav Schwab with Rav Rav Perlow at the 1987 Dinner; bottom right, with Rabbi Moshe Scherer and the יבלח''ט Glucksman and Pnei Menachem of Gur at the 1977 Aguda convention.) on Thursday evening, March 5th/10 Adar by Rabbi אי''ה A special Shiur to mark the occasion will be given Doniel Schwab. All members, men and women, are urged to attend. Twenty-five years ago, the entire Yeshiva attended the Levaya in Shul. The next Kolenu reported as follows: “We, together with the rest of Klal Yisroel, mourn the great loss which befell us with the passing of our revered Rav Shimon Schwab, zt”l. According to police estimates, approximately 4,000 people came from all over to pay their respects to this Godol B’Yisroel. Whether Rav Schwab spoke with first graders who just received their first Vol. 50, No. 5 KAJ NEWSLETTER Page 2 Chumash or the accomplished Chochom, Rav Schwab was always able to imbue his students with Torah and Yiras Shomayim. We pray that the Rav will be a Meilitz Yosher for his beloved Kehilla and Yeshiva and all of Klal Yisroel.” Though a quarter of a century has passed, Rav Schwab’s influence, particularly through his Seforim, is still strongly felt, both in our community and throughout the Jewish world. -
Chaim Dov I\Eller
THE JEWISH OBSERVER in this issue ... THE JEWISH OBSERVER is published monthly, except July and August, by the Agudath Israel of Amercia, 5 Beekman St., New York, N. Y. 10038. Second class postage paid at New York, N. Y. Subscription: LETTERS AND RESPONSES................................................ 3 $6.50 per year; Two years, $11.00; Three years $15.00; outside of the United States $7.50 per year. Single THE LONELY JEW IN A WORLD IN UPHEAVAL, copy sixty-five cents. Chaim Dov Keller.............................................................. 7 Printed in the U.S.A. RABBI NISSON WOLPIN A RESPONSE TO THE YOM KIPPUR WAR- Editor IN RETROSPECT, Ralph Pelcovits ................................... 11 Editorial Board DR. ERNST L. BODENHEIMER FROM GERMANY TO BALTIMORE, Shmuel Singer...... 16 Chairman RABBI NATHAN BULMAN RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS CHASSIDISM ON THE MODERN SCENE, JOSEPH FRIEDENSON RABBI YAAKOV JACOBS a review article by Joseph Elias........................................... 20 RABBI MOSHE SHERER OZAR HATORAH AND SEPHARDIC JEWRY'S THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not SURVIVAL, Aryeh Kaplan................................................. 24 assume responsibility for the Kashrus of any product or service <idvertised in its pages. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, continued.............................. 28 JANUARY, 1975 VOL. X, No. 7 Typography by Compu-Scribe at ArtScroll Studios ime!T~•®_.. Letters & Responses ?7 Last month's issue, devoted to "The Jewish Woman in a Torah Society," generated a great deal of comment and an unusual number of letters. -
A Clergy Resource Guide
When Every Need is Special: NAVIGATING SPECIAL NEEDS IN A CONGREGATIONAL SETTING A Clergy Resource Guide For the best in child, family and senior services...Think JSSA Jewish Social Service Agency Rockville (Wood Hill Road), 301.838.4200 • Rockville (Montrose Road), 301.881.3700 • Fairfax, 703.204.9100 www.jssa.org - [email protected] WHEN EVERY NEED IS SPECIAL – NAVIGATING SPECIAL NEEDS IN A CONGREGATIONAL SETTING PREFACE This February, JSSA was privileged to welcome 17 rabbis and cantors to our Clergy Training Program – When Every Need is Special: Navigating Special Needs in the Synagogue Environment. Participants spanned the denominational spectrum, representing communities serving thousands throughout the Washington region. Recognizing that many area clergy who wished to attend were unable to do so, JSSA has made the accompanying Clergy Resource Guide available in a digital format. Inside you will find slides from the presentation made by JSSA social workers, lists of services and contacts selected for their relevance to local clergy, and tachlis items, like an ‘Inclusion Check‐list’, Jewish source material and divrei Torah on Special Needs and Disabilities. The feedback we have received indicates that this has been a valuable resource for all clergy. Please contact Rabbi James Kahn or Natalie Merkur Rose with any questions, comments or for additional resources. L’shalom, Rabbi James Q. Kahn, Director of Jewish Engagement & Chaplaincy Services Email [email protected]; Phone 301.610.8356 Natalie Merkur Rose, LCSW‐C, LICSW, Director of Jewish Community Outreach Email [email protected]; Phone 301.610.8319 WHEN EVERY NEED IS SPECIAL – NAVIGATING SPECIAL NEEDS IN A CONGREGATIONAL SETTING RESOURCE GUIDE: TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1: SESSION MATERIALS FOR REVIEW PAGE Program Agenda ......................................................................................................... -
******Winter Pdf Page
“the comforter.” All his life, my father quence quelled the rebellion, and he when it was my father’s turn to drive, Working with his close friend, Eliyahu kept a framed photograph of the Imrei remained in Danville for three more he was determined to get the children Kitov, he translated two of Kitov’s clas- Emes on his desk. years. Many of his congregants became to school on time, despite a terrible sic books, A Jew and His Home and The lifelong friends and loyalists. A surpris- pain in his side. In Norfolk, my father Book of Our Heritage. My father’s final ing number of Danville children were collapsed with what proved to be a resting place is on Har HaMenuchos, “Daddy, tell us again about inspired by my father to pursue careers ruptured appendix. The other father near that of his beloved friend. the shtetl where you grew up,” my sib- in kiruv, chinuch and the rabbinate. made no more threats, and all his chil- My youngest brother was born just lings and I used to joke. We knew our After leaving Danville, my father dren grew up to build Torah-true before the Six Day War, and soon after father was American-born, and he spoke served as YU’s mashgiach ruchani (spiri- homes. that my father became the rabbi of the English eloquently. Yet there was always tual advisor) for a short time. My father The following year, my father started Young Israel of Far Rockaway, a post something of the foreigner about him. ultimately moved away from the YU a day school in Newport News. -
The Genius and Limitations of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Z"L
The Genius and Limitations of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik z"l Byline: Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo is Dean of the David Cardozo Academy in Jerusalem. Thoughts to Ponder 529 The Genius and Limitations of Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik z”l * Nathan Lopes Cardozo Based on an introduction to a discussion between Professor William Kolbrener and Professor Elliott Malamet (1) Honoring the publication of Professor William Kolbrener’s new book “The Last Rabbi” (2) Yad Harav Nissim, Jerusalem, on Feb. 1, 2017 Dear Friends, I never had the privilege of meeting Rav Soloveitchik z”l or learning under him. But I believe I have read all of his books on Jewish philosophy and Halacha, and even some of his Talmudic novellae and halachic decisions. I have also spoken with many of his students. Here are my impressions. No doubt Rav Soloveitchik was a Gadol Ha-dor (a great sage of his generation). He was a supreme Talmudist and certainly one of the greatest religious thinkers of our time. His literary output is incredible. Still, I believe that he was not a mechadesh – a man whose novel ideas really moved the Jewish tradition forward, especially regarding Halacha. He did not solve major halachic problems. This may sound strange, because almost no one has written as many novel ideas about Halacha as Rav Soloveitchik (3). His masterpiece, Halakhic Man, is perhaps the prime example. Before Rav Soloveitchik appeared on the scene, nobody – surely not in mainstream Orthodoxy – had seriously dealt with the ideology and philosophy of Halacha (4). Page 1 In fact, the reverse is true.