sign in sign up
<<
Home , Apples and honey, Bagel, Beetroot, Brisket (Jewish dish), Challah, Cheesecake

HUMANISTIC Volume XXXXI Number 3-4 Summer/Autumn 2013

JEWISH AND Adam Chalom Leora Hatchwell Rabbi Jodi Kornfeld Kaela Walker Ed Chalom Barry Swan

Wisdom from : Our Dietary Laws

Intermarriage: From Oy Vey to Mazel Tov Humanistic : Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow Rabbi Falick Leads Birmingham Temple into 50th Year

and more Humanistic Judaism is a voice for who value their and who seek an alternative to conventional Judaism.

Humanistic Judaism affirms the right of individuals to shape their own lives independent Humanistic Judaism is published quarterly by the of supernatural authority. ­Society for Humanistic Judaism, a non-profit orga- nization, 28611 West Twelve Mile Road, Farmington Hills, Michigan 48334, (248) 478-7610, Fax (248) 478-3159, [email protected], www.shj.org.

This is a combined issue: Vol. XXXXI Number 3 - 4, Summer/Autumn 2013.

Signed articles do not necessarily represent the viewpoints or policies of the Society for Humanistic Judaism.

All material © Copyright 2013 by the Society for Humanistic Judaism. No portion of this work may be reprinted or copied without written permission of the publisher.

Subscription Rates: $21.00 per year. Canadian Subscriptions $31.00. Overseas Subscriptions $43.00 per year (U.S. Dollars). No refunds. Sample copies available at single issue price plus postage. Addi- tional copies of a single issue are available from the Society for Humanistic Judaism at the cover price plus postage. Address all inquiries and subscriptions to Humanistic Judaism, 28611 West Twelve Mile Road, Farmington Hills, Michigan 48334.

Indexed in Index to Jewish Periodicals, American Jewish Yearbook, Encyclopedia of Associations, and Standard Periodical Directory.

Manuscripts are welcome and should be sent in care of the Editors, Humanistic Judaism, 28611 West Journal Editors Twelve Mile Road, Farmington Hills, Michigan 48334. MYRNA BONNIE COUSENS Three copies of each manuscript, typed and double- spaced are requested. Manuscripts not accompanied Managing Editor by return postage cannot be returned. Manuscripts DUSKIN FELDMAN may be sent to [email protected]; Word Perfect or Word Creative Editor documents preferred. Receipt of manuscripts will not be acknowledged.

Editorial Board ISSN 0441-4195 RABBI ADAM CHALOM RABBI JEFFREY FALICK RABBI MIRIAM JERRIS RABBI PETER SCHWEITZER Summer/Autumn 2013

HJ FORUM: Jewish Food and Jewish Culture

3 Food Is as Jewish as Fasting Rabbi Adam Chalom 6 Jewish : Diversity, Community, and Culture Leora Cookie Hatchwell 9 Symbolic Holiday Rabbi Jodi Kornfeld 13 Iconic Foods Kaela Walker 17 A Sephardic Perspective on Jewish Ed Chalom 19 Why Is This Seder Different from All Other Seders? Barry Swan

WISDOM FROM WINE

21 Our Dietary Laws Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine

FEATURED ARTICLES

24 Intermarriage: From Oy Vey to Mazel Tov Rabbi Adam Chalom 26 Humanistic Rabbis: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow Rabbi Miriam Jerris 31 Don’t Stop Questioning! Rabbi Denise Handlarski 34 The Prophetic Tradition: Is It Ours? Bennett Muraskin 37 A Celebration of Maurice Sendak Rabbi Jodi Kornfeld 38 Free Will: Illusion or Reality? Bertram H. Rothschild 41 A View from the Waiting Room Marla Davishoff

DEPARTMENTS

2 Briefly Speaking

29 News of the Movement Rabbi Jeffrey Falick Leads Birmingham Temple into Its 50th Year

42 Arts/Literature Jewishness, Food & Starving for Attention Marti Keller

Summer/Autumn 2013 Humanistic Jewish Congregations, Communities & Havurot MASSACHUSETTS ARIZONA Kahal B’raira, Greater Boston Congregation for Humanistic Or Adam, Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, contact: Miki Judaism, contact: Shari Gelber, 765 Concord Ave, Cambridge, Safadi, 7904 E Chaparral Rd, Unit A110-278, Scottsdale, AZ MA 02138, (617) 969-4596, www.kahalbraira.org, info@kahal- 85250, (480) 663-7788, www.oradam.org, [email protected]. braira.org. Secular Humanist Jewish Circle, contact: Cathleen Becskehazy, MICHIGAN 930 S Goldenweed Way, Tucson, AZ 85748, (520) 293-3919, The Birmingham Temple, Rabbi Jeffrey Falick, president: www.secularhumanistjewishcircle.org, [email protected]. Larry Ellenbogen, 28611 W 12 Mile Rd, Farmington Hills, MI CALIFORNIA 48334; (248) 477-1410, www.birminghamtemple.org, info@ Adat Chaverim, Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, birminghamtemple.org. president: Borden, PO Box 261204, Encino, CA 91426, MINNESOTA (888) 552-4552, www.HumanisticJudaismLA.org, info@ Or Emet, Minnesota Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, HumanisticJudaismLA.org. president: Richard Logan, 3140 Chowen Ave, S, Apt 303, Kahal Am, president: Gary Zarnow, PO Box 927751, San , MN 55416, (612) 275-7081, www.oremet.org, Diego, CA 92192, (858) 549-3088, www.kahalam.org, presi- [email protected]. [email protected]. NEW JERSEY Kol Hadash, (Northern California), contact: Kimberly Read, PO Box 2777, Berkeley, CA 94702, (510) 428-1492, www. The Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Morris County, KolHadash.org, [email protected]. contacts: Craig Schlusberg, Susan Herschman, or Rob Agree, P.O. Box 217, Chester, NJ 07930, (973) 927-0078, www.chjmc. County SHJ (OC Secular Congregation for Humanistic org, [email protected]. Judaism), contact: Rosalie Gottfried, 3155C Alta Vista, Laguna Woods, CA 92637, (949) 422-3895, [email protected]. NEW YORK Pacific Community of Cultural Jews, president: Karen Knecht, Beth , Rochester Society for Humanistic Judaism, 7238 Viento Way, Buena Park, CA 90620, (949) 760-9006, contact: Barry Swan, PO Box 18343, Rochester, NY 14618- http://pccjews.org, [email protected]. 0343, (585) 234-1644, [email protected]. COLORADO The City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, Rabbi Peter Beth Ami – Colorado Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, Schweitzer, contact: Amy Stein, 15 West 28th Street, 3rd Floor, (720) 466-0101, www.bethami.com, [email protected]. New York, NY 10001, (212) 213-1002, www.citycongregation. CONNECTICUT org, [email protected]. Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, Fairfield County, Kol Haverim, The Finger Lakes Community for Humanistic (203) 293-8867, 606 Post Rd E, #542, Westport, CT 06880, Judaism, P.O. Box 4972, Ithaca, N.Y. 14852-4972, http:// president: Jane Campbell, www.humanisticjews.org, info@ kolhaverim.net, [email protected]. humanisticjews.org. Mid-Hudson Havura, contact: Howard Garrett, 177 Union St, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Montgomery, NY 12549, [email protected]. Machar, The Washington Congregation for Secular Humanis- Westchester Community for Humanistic Judaism, contact: tic Judaism, president: Darlene Basch, contact: PO Box 42014, Dimitry Turovsky, 84 Sprague Rd, Scarsdale, NY 10583, (914) Washington, DC 20015, (202) 686-1881, www.machar.org, 713-8828, www.wchj.org, [email protected]. [email protected]. NORTH CAROLINA FLORIDA Kol Haskalah, A Humanistic Jewish Congregation, contact: Congregation Beth Adam, contact: Bob Fishman, PO Box 134 Hunter’s Ridge Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, (919) 929-5233, 2579, Boca Raton, FL 33427, (561) 443-1769, www.bethadam. www.kolhaskalah.org, [email protected]. com, [email protected]. OHIO Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, president: Susan Humanist Jewish Chavurah of Columbus, contact: Ellen Friedman, 3023 Proctor Rd, Sarasota, FL 34231, (941) 929- Rapkin, 231 Orchard Lane, Columbus, OH 43214, (614) 285- 7771, www.CHJ-sarasota.org, [email protected]. 4522, www.hjccohio.org, [email protected] or Humanistic Jewish Havurah of Southwest Florida, contact: [email protected]. Cynthia , 25051 Bainbridge Ct, #202, Bonita Springs, FL OREGON 34134, (239) 495-8197, http://humanisticjewishhavurahswfl. org, [email protected]. Kol Shalom, Community for Humanistic Judaism, 1509 SW ILLINOIS Sunset Blvd, Ste 1E, Portland, OR, 97239, (503) 459-4210, www.kolshalom.org, [email protected]. Beth Chaverim Humanistic Jewish Community, Rabbi Jodi Kornfeld, Deerfield, IL 60015, (847) 945-6512, www.beth- WASHINGTON chaverim.net, [email protected]. Secular Jewish Circle of Puget Sound, PMB 367 / 117 E Louisa Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation, Rabbi Adam Chalom, St, Seattle, WA 98102, (206) 528-1944, www.secularjewish- chair: William Brook, 175 Olde Half Day Rd, Ste 123, Lincoln- circle.org, [email protected]. shire, IL 60069, (847) 347-3003, www.kolhadash.com, info@ CANADA kolhadash.com. ONTARIO MARYLAND Oraynu Congregation, Rabbi Karen Levy, president: Louise Baltimore Jewish Cultural Chavurah, contact: Bob Jacobson, 2 Sherman, contact: Roby Sadler, 156 Duncan Mill Rd, Ste 14, Stitchberry Ct, Reisterstown MD 21136, (410) 403-2473, www. , Ontario, M3B 3N2, Canada, (416) 385-3910, www. baltimoresecularjews.org, [email protected]. oraynu.org, [email protected].

Humanistic Judaism FOCUS

No question about it: Jews love to eat. Many of our holidays focus on food: halla on , on Hanukka, the seder, outdoor dining on . Among followers of , the rules of (keeping kosher) may well be the ones most scrupulously observed. Jewish food is central to Jewish life.

What makes a food Jewish? How do Jewish dietary practices vary from one place to another? How does Jewish reflect and affect the culture of which it is an integral part? Our HJ Forum explores these and other such questions.

Also in this issue are reflections on a winning approach to intermarriage; the prophetic tradition; the state of the Humanist rabbinate; remarks by newly ordained Rabbi Denise Handlarski of Toronto and by Rabbi Jeffrey Falick on his installation as rabbi of the Birmingham Temple; and more.

– R.D.F.

Summer/Autumn 2013 1 BRIEFLY SPEAKING

The resolution on physician-assisted death (PAD) SHJ Joins Amicus Brief in Supreme “affirms that mentally competent adults with ir- Court Prayer Case reversible, terminal medical conditions accompa- The Society for Humanistic Judaism joined the nied by intense suffering should have the right to American Humanist Association and other secu- physician assistance in dying.” The resolution urges lar organizations in a friend-of-the-court (amicus) the adoption of PAD legislation with “reasonable brief in a U.S. Supreme Court case dealing with the safeguards to prevent abuse and to ensure that a constitutionality of official prayers in local govern- decision to request PAD is informed, voluntary, and ment settings. free of undue influence, and that physicians who are conscientiously opposed to PAD are free not to The 1983 Supreme Court decision in Marsh v. participate in it.” Chambers, which upheld the practice of invocational prayer in the Nebraska legislature, stopped short of an unqualified approval of legislative prayers by SHJ Joins Amicus Briefs in Same- pointing out that it was not deciding whether prayers Sex Marriage Cases that were used to proselytize or advance a particular The Society for Humanistic Judaism joined the Anti- faith were constitutional. In the present case, Town Defamation League and a coalition of twenty-nine of Greece v. Galloway, an appeals court struck down religious and secular organizations in an amicus such a practice in a town in upstate New York, where brief in the 9th Circuit Court defending same-sex only Christian clergy were invited and most of the marriage in Hawaii (Jackson v. Abercrombie) and prayers were unmistakably sectarian. A decision is Nevada (Sevcik v. Sandoval). The brief contends that expected in June. the states’ marriage bans violate not only the Four- teenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, but SHJ Adopts Resolutions on Gender also the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. A decision overturning the marriage bans would as- Equality, Chaplaincy, Physician- sure full state recognition of civil marriages, while assisted Death allowing religious groups the freedom to define The Society for Humanistic Judaism recently ad- marriage for themselves. Following signing of the opted resolutions on gender equality, chaplains in Hawaii same-sex marriage bill on December 13, that the military, and physician-assisted death. appeal has been dismissed as moot. The Nevada case is pending. The resolution on gender equality reads in part: • The Society condemns gender discrimination Gov. Deval Patrick Declares in all its forms, including restriction of rights, limited access to education, violence, and sub- “Humanist Community Day” Governor Deval Patrick issued an official procla- jugation; and mation declaring Sunday, December 8, “Humanist • The Society commits itself to maintain vigi- Community Day” in Massachusetts. The proclama- lance and speak out in the fight to bring gender tion was issued in conjunction with the opening of equality to our generation and to the generations a Humanist Hub, or meeting place, by the Humanist to follow. Community at Harvard, headed by Humanist rabbi The resolution on chaplaincy reads in part: Greg Epstein, a graduate of the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism. • . . . the Society for Humanistic Judaism supports the inclusion of humanist services and humanist “We are thrilled that the governor has made such a chaplains in all institutional chaplaincy settings; historic public recognition of the humanist, athe- • . . . the Society encourages the US military and ist, and nonreligious community,” said Epstein. other institutional employers . . . to ensure that “This is not only a victory for the nonreligious – it chaplains of all beliefs provide informed and equal is a victory for all who value reason, diversity, support to those professing humanist beliefs. and pluralism.”

2 Humanistic Judaism HJ FORUM: Jewish Food and Jewish Culture Food Is as Jewish as Fasting by Rabbi Adam Chalom What is the stereotypical theme of every makes it – though I have experienced plenty Jewish holiday? of “Jewish” delis whose food preparation staff discuss orders in perfect Spanish (until they “They tried to kill us, they failed, let’s eat.” to the word biale). Is a Jewish food one invented by Jews, or simply a food like or , Why should the eating be any less impor- commonly eaten in a country where Jews have tant than the first two elements? lived, that comes to be identified with them as they migrate? Food is a core element of Jewish identity, culture, and civilization. People who have lost What counts as Jewish food may be sub- almost every other connection with Judaism jective and arbitrary, as Lenny Bruce’s famous remember family , communal , observation suggests: special and smells of their childhood. They may even call themselves “bagels and Kool-Aid is goyish. All Drake’s are Jews.” Never mind that neither food is uniquely goyish. is Jewish, and, as you Jewish! Bagels today are eaten by anyone, and know, white is very goyish. Instant in a wide variety of . (? Asiago potatoes – goyish. Black cherry soda’s very ?) Bread made in loops, or with a hole Jewish. are very Jewish – very Jewish . is Jewish. Lime for easy storage and sale on a stick or string, jello is goyish. Lime soda is very goyish.1 dates back at least to Roman times; and that is boiled before , sometimes in a Perhaps what really makes Jewish food loop, is common in Eastern , and not Jewish is not who eats it or who makes it or who only among Jews. Lox did not become a Jewish invented it; rather, Jewish food may be Jewish food until the early twentieth century among by virtue of who values it for its memories, immigrants in New York. associations, and connections. How else did

So, what makes a Jewish food Jewish? It Rabbi Adam Chalom, Ph.D., dean of the International Insti- can’t be a function of who eats it; borscht and tute for Secular Humanistic Judaism for , is rabbi of Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation in Lincoln- , like bagels, are not eaten only by Jews shire, IL. He holds a doctorate from the University of Michi- and can be prepared and served in many ways gan and sits on the editorial board of this journal. other than those typically handed down by 1http://www.myjewishlearning.com/culture/2/Humor/ Jewish mothers. (Barbecued brisket, anyone?) History/In_America/WizardsofWit/A_Humor_Perspective/ Maybe a food’s Jewishness depends on who jewishandgoyish.shtml. Accessed September 24, 2013.

Summer/Autumn 2013 3 chop suey and egg foo yong become Jewish, as a symbolic way to relive from if not for the twentieth-century Jewish “tra- . The hamentash likely began dition” of eating out at a Chinese restaurant as a mohntasch (poppy- pocket) whose on Christmas? name was changed to connect it with Ha- man. (Thus arose the assumption that this For Humanistic Jews, food is a positive three-cornered was modeled after way to celebrate Jewish identity. To consume his hat.) And this listing doesn’t even touch Jewish food is to enjoy life beyond language on family related to the serving and and intellect. (The term epicure, from the Greek eating of brisket, , and the like. humanist philosopher Epicurus, from whose name the Jewish term apikoros, or heretic, is 2. Days of not eating: In addition to Yom derived, today refers to someone who savors Kippur, the traditional Jewish calendar the this-worldly pleasures of food and wine.) includes several fast days connected with A true appreciation of Jewish food takes a and culture. The Fast of combination of senses and skills beyond those Gedalia, which falls between the High needed for the close study of Jewish texts. It’s Holidays, commemorates a failed Jewish an opportunity to “do Jewish,” not merely to revolt. The Fast of immediately talk about what it means to be Jewish. If we before Purim, originally called Nicanor’s believe that Judaism is deeper and wider than Day, celebrates a Jewish victory over a Talmudic study and debate, then Jewish food Greek general named Nicanor. The fast of has to be part of the picture. Jewish food stays mourning on Tisha B’Av is a reminder of with a person who partakes of it, not only as the destruction of the Temple on love handles but in the form of sensory experi- that date. ences and memories. Jewish food is accessible to people of all ages and persuasions (so long as 3. Multicultural varieties of : food and dietary restrictions are taken Jewish food is not limited to Ashkenazi into account) and enables us to sample and dishes from . My father’s celebrate diverse Jewish cultures in digestible family from has an entirely different “bites.” For many nonreligious Jews, family sense of haimishe (homey) cooking.2 Such meals at Rosh Hashana or to “break the fast” Israeli foods as and are ad- (even if they weren’t fasting) at the conclu- opted from . Today sion of are more meaningful than Jewish foodies are experimenting with - services. ish food traditions borrowed from Turkish, Moroccan, Indian, and other cultures.3 Most important, Jewish food is a repository for Jewish culture and a way to connect with 4. Expressions of Jewish values: Biblical Jewish history and the wider Jewish commu- legislation (e.g., Leviticus 19) requires nity. Consider just a small sampling of cultural that farmers leave the corners of the fields food connections: and the gleanings of the harvest for the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the 1. Special holiday foods: halla (braided egg stranger. At Passover, in the opening Ha bread) for Shabbat; and for Lakhma (“This is the bread of affliction Rosh Hashana; latkes ( ) . . .”), we read, “All who are hungry, come or sufganiyot (jelly donuts) on Hanukka; and eat,” and rabbinic rules in the hamentaschen (pocket ) on Purim; prescribe that even a poor person should matza, (greens), beytsa (egg), and (bitter ) on Passover; dairy 2See “A Sephardic Perspective on Jewish Cooking” by Ed dishes on – each of these foods Chalom, elsewhere in this issue. has its own history, evolution, and 3See, for example, “Turkish Rosh Hashana Delights” by Ruth Abusch-Magder in The Forward, Sept. 26, 2011. Available connections. Some Sephardic Jews put at http://blogs.forward.com/the-jew-and-the-carrot/tags/ matza on their shoulders during the seder jewish-turkish-food/.

4 Humanistic Judaism be provided with four cups of wine for and meanings can help us understand contem- the seder ( 10:1). Although the porary Jewish lifestyle choices: for example, belief that food equals love is not unique why some Jews and Jewish establishments to Jews, it is certainly an important part of strictly observe those laws, while others follow Jewish cultural life. And is it any wonder them less rigorously or settle for “” that the earliest Jewish story about rules or keep kosher at home but not when dining and disobedience of them had to do with out. But these rules are largely irrelevant to the ? current food choices of secular, cultural, and Humanistic Jews. Jewish food is a particularly important ingredient of both folk and women’s culture. An index of how far the laws of kashrut Before modern times, Jewish women were have fallen from their one-time preeminence in often limited to hearth and home (when they Jewish life is that today only about one in five weren’t earning a living to pay for their hus- follows those rules (National bands’ study). Jewish food was a daily Jewish Population Study, 2001). At certain Is- lived experience of Jewishness that was wom- raeli McDonald’s restaurants, one can purchase en’s primary responsibility and an important a on matza during Passover. Most part of their domain. “Jewish delis” sell Reuben (corned and Swiss cheese) with side orders of Imagine, then, how limited a celebration , a combination that is blatantly trayfe of Jewish culture would be without exploring (not kosher). Some contemporary Jews are ex- the many facets of Jewish food! ploring the concept of “eco-kosher,” the idea that even traditionally kosher food should be All of the foregoing does not touch on the avoided if raised, prepared, or served in an kosher laws, which the rabbis of the Talmudic ecologically or ethically unsustainable way.4 period admitted were “mountains hanging by a hair.” To take one example, the commandment Is it okay to serve pea with ham at a “Thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother’s Yom Kippur “break the fast”? My congregation ” (Exodus 23:19) became the basis for not has even debated whether to have a reception consuming any from any animal along after Yom Kippur services, since our Rosh Ha- with any from any other animal, shana onegs are very successful in fostering a having to wait hours between consuming one sense of community. Or we might organize a of these two types of food before consuming social event without food following the service the other, and requiring separate sets of dishes and call it a “no-neg.” for each. Jewish food, as part of Jewish life, is serious But just what foods count as milk? What business. One can imagine an alternative end- are kosher, and how must they be pre- ing to the famous story of Rabbi Hillel teaching pared and cooked? What foods, such as veg- a convert the essence of Judaism while standing etables, are – in neither category, and on one foot. After explaining that one should thus edible with either? What particular rules not do to another what is hateful to oneself, apply to Passover? How these rules evolved, and all the rest is commentary, he could have and why, are certainly questions of historical ended with, “Now, come and eat!” interest, and awareness of them is a part of Jew- ish cultural literacy. Familiarity with the rules 4See Barry Swan, “Why I Keep Kosher. Humanistic Judaism, of kashrut (koshering) and with their origins Spring-Summer 2005, pp. 47-48.

Summer/Autumn 2013 5 Jewish Cuisine: Diversity, Community, and Culture by Leora Cookie Hatchwell Defining Jewish cuisine is not a simple task. Jewish dishes must therefore be hyphenated It is easy to say that Jewish food is anything as Russian-Jewish, Bukharan-Jewish, German- Jews eat, but if this were true, American-Chi- Jewish, Hungarian-Jewish, Italian-Jewish, nese food would be considered Jewish. Jewish Syrian-Jewish, and so forth. foods are not limited to those mentioned in the Tanakh (the Hebrew ): wheat, , Even within Ashkenazi or Sephardic , dates, honey, grapes, , wine, , cooking, great diversity has existed. Jews of , , , carob, and pomegran- southwestern , a beet growing ates, among others. Those are certainly some region, used much more sugar in their gefilte of our most ancient foodstuffs, but they were fish, , and halla than the Jews of Galicia, common among many ancient peoples, not just where sugar was very expensive. and the Jews. Furthermore, much of what Jews eat wursts were plentiful in German Jewish cook- today bears little or no relationship to the foods ing. Romanian Jews, influenced by their Balkan prepared in ancient , for it was in the Di- neighbors, were famous for dishes with a sour aspora that modern Jewish cooking developed. ; Hungarian Jews were fond of fruit . Jews from the might have had trouble One look at my mother’s bookshelf of more recognizing many of the dishes of the Jews of than thirty Jewish cookbooks from around or Syria. Lamb dominated in North the world makes clear that Jewish cuisine is Africa, with heavy use of , , not monolithic. Jewish gastronomy may be , and , whereas the style the world’s oldest , diverse and of cooking is largely vegetarian and dairy and evolving over many centuries. The Jewish uses a great deal of , , , and world is generally divided into its two largest juice, always with sharp contrast of fla- and most widespread cultural communities: vors. Fried are as synonymous with Ashkenazim, who originated in France and Jewish cuisine in as is in , and Sephardim, who originated in Eastern Europe and the English-speaking world. Iberia. (Yemenites, the third-largest Jewish eth- It has been said that the only truly universal nic group, are frequently subsumed under the Jewish food is matza. Yet, haroset may be more label Sephardim, while Italians are often tagged indicative of a universal Jewish food, reflecting as Ashkenazim, though both of these Jewish the differences in spicing and ingredients to communities predate those of Sephard and which Jews were exposed in various cultures. Ashkenaz, and both produced distinct cultures of their own.) In addition to these major group- Because Jews migrated from place to place, ings, a mosaic of Jewish cultural communities of the central characteristic of Jewish cooking in varying sizes and antiquity developed across the Leora Cookie Hatchwell, a past president of Kol Hadash globe in Syria, Lebanon, (Persia), Georgia, Humanistic Congregation in Lincolnshire, IL, teaches in Uzbekistan/Bukhara, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, its Sunday school and is a member of its steering commit- , India (Bombay, Cochin, and Cal- tee and chair of its bylaws and social events committees. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Society for cutta), , and Ethiopia. There were even Humanistic Judaism. She holds a master’s degree in Jewish smaller communities of Chinese Jews in Kaifeng Professional Studies from Spertus Institute of Jewish Learn- and Canton. None of these communities were ing and Leadership in , as well as another master’s in food science and nutrition from the University of Illinois Ashkenazic or Sephardic, and each possessed in Urbana-Champaign. Her bachelor’s degree is from Hebrew its own unique history, customs, and cuisine. University in Rehovot with a major in nutrition.

6 Humanistic Judaism the Diaspora is adaptation: a process of adopt- strengthen Jewish identity? How have the foods ing native recipes, improving, refining, and that Jews eat helped them to express and define altering them to fit ritual and dietetic rules. themselves as a community? As Jews moved to new locations, the recipes they brought with them were modified by the Because food is a part of life that most availability of local ingredients and indigenous closely touches people’s day-to-day existence, foods and . The history, economics, geog- we can get a of a once-vital Jewish commu- raphy, agriculture, climate, and culinary tradi- nity – its nature, history, and customs – through tions of each country in which the Jews settled its traditional dishes. For Jews, food has been determined what produce was available and a means of exclusion, persecution, influence, what resources were at their disposal. Local and assimilation into the larger society. Equally fare was incorporated into the Jewish culinary important, food has been an instrument of repertoire, and many traditional recipes were community and identity renewal. Foods shape refashioned or forgotten. memories of home and childhood. It is food that evokes the spirit of a Jewish community as Active in commerce and trade, Jews were it celebrates its festivals and life-cycle events, instrumental in the movement of food compo- keeping Jewish culture alive. Foods served nents from place to place and thus influenced week after week at Shabbat, or annually at local . From the ninth century through- holidays, forge a bond that ties the generations out the medieval period, Jewish traders domi- to their collective Jewish history, their family, nated trade routes from the Iberian Peninsula to their traditions and culture. central . In the twelfth century, sugar and traveled from Sicily to Venice, Genoa, Food has its own rules and rhythm. Within and courtesy of the Jews. The arrival of an individual community, those rules guided Baghdadi Jews in India in the late nineteenth and continue to guide how foods are prepared century resulted in the development of an inter- and served. For those who follow kashrut, con- esting combination of Iraqi recipes with Indian stant attention must be paid to dietary laws. In spices and ingredients – turmeric, , car- as well as in Poland, dairy meals tradition- damom, ginger, , , , mint, ally were not for Friday night because the Shab- cinnamon, water, , lemon, and garlic bat must be “fit for a king.” A in – combinations not previously seen in India. and a hamin in , cooked slowly overnight, were served on Shabbat after morn- The food of Israel is the ultimate hybrid ing services, sparing the cook from working in of Jewish cooking, adopting and adapting ele- the . Within each community, food was ments of all the aforementioned Jewish styles prepared in a traditional manner; the same type as well as incorporating other Middle Eastern of chicken, the same type of , the dishes. The Zionist pioneers who came from same type of kugel. The resulting gastronomy Russia and Poland at the beginning of the was an identifying sign as clear as an accent in twentieth century and started the firstkib - any language. When individuals moved away, butzim had a sense of mission: to work the their method of cooking and their recipes iden- land, to eat simply. Bread, olives, cheese, and tified them as coming from a particular region. raw were the basic kibbutz diet. As new agricultural products were introduced and For Jews in the United States, assimilation as Jews moved to Israel from more than 120 into mainstream society often meant loosen- countries, a new fusion cuisine developed – an ing the restraints of kashrut observance. Yet, innovative multicultural fare. Israel’s cuisine is although the immigrants tasted new foods and as diverse as its people and reflects a combina- experienced American culture, their traditional tion of influences from all over the world. foods and the way they prepared those foods attached them to their Jewish . Then What, then, is distinctive about Jewish and now, Jewish food continues to be the tie food? How does this multicultural cuisine that binds.

Summer/Autumn 2013 7 Contemporary Jewish cuisine represents as a tool for empowerment. As an article in a a blend of old and new. The future of Jewish 2009 edition of The Forward points out, “this food around the world continues to be fusion, philosophy is gaining in influence as seen by especially in the United States and Israel. the Conservative movement’s efforts to create New recipes for latkes, for example, upgrade a Magen Tzedek, a seal for food products that this once-humble food to a genre, would certify conformity not only to the ritual incorporating or substituting a variety of in- particulars of kashrut, but to the deeper and gredients for potatoes. In the United States, more profound requirements of Jewish social paralleling the general society, a new Jewish justice law”* – in other words, tikkun olam. food movement has emerged, emphasizing organic, locally grown produce, sustainable Jewish eating is a timeline of history. It agricultural practices, and a return to the is an inheritance, a legacy, an experiment in pleasures of preparing one’s own food. In ad- cooking, in ethics, in family, and in tradition. dition, social and economic justice issues have Jewish eating is Jewish life. become important, including workers’ rights, *Michaelson, Jay. “Magen Tzedek: Model of the Jewish Future or food access in low-income neighborhoods, Show without an Audience?” The Jewish Daily Forward. Novem- fair trade operations, and community gardens ber 18, 2009. Retrieved from www.forward.com/articles/119143/

RECOMMENDED READINGS Amster, Linda (Ed.). Jewish Longstreet, Stephen and Ethel. The Joys of Jewish Cookbook. New York: St. Martin’s, 2003. Cooking. Garden City, NY:. Doubleday, 1974.

Cooper, John. Eat and Be Satisfied: A Social History Machlin, Edda Servi. The Classic Cuisine of the Ital- of Jewish Food. New Jersey: Jason Aronson, 1993. ian Jews. Croton on Hudson, NY: Giro, 1981.

Diner, Hasia. Hungering for America: Italian. Irish, Nathan, Joan. Jewish Cooking in America. New York: and Jewish Foodways in the Age of Migration. Cam- Knopf, 2006. bridge: Harvard University Press, 2001 Nathan, Joan. Joan Nathan’s Jewish Holiday Cook- Dweck, Poopa. Aromas of Aleppo: The Legendary book. New York: Schocken Books, 2004. Cuisine of . New York: HarperCollins, 2007. Nathan, Joan. The Foods of Israel Today. New York: Knopf, 2005. Elon, Amos. The : Fathers and Sons. New York: Holt, Reinhart and Winston. 1971 Rodin, Claudia. The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York. New York: Goldman, Rivka. Mama Nazima’s Jewish-Iraqi Cui- Knopf, 1997. sine. New York: Hippocrene, 2006. Roland, Joan G. The Jewish Communities in India Goldstein, Joyce. Cucina Ebraica. San Francisco: (2nd ed.). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction, 1998. Chronicle, 1998. Simeti, Mary T. Pomp and Sustenance: Twenty-five Goldstein, Joyce. Sephardic Flavors: Jewish Cooking Centuries of Sicilian Food. New York: Knopf, 1989. of the Mediterranean. San Francisco: Chronicle, 2000. Stavroulakis, Nicholas. The Cookbook of the Jews of Haase, Richard. Jewish Regional Cooking. Secaucus, Greece. Lanham, MD: Jason Aronson, 1996. NJ: Chartwell, 1985. Twena, Pamela Grau. The Sephardic Table. Boston: Hyman, Mavis. Indian-Jewish Cooking. : Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Hyman, 1992. Ziegelman, Jane. 97 Orchard: An Edible History of Levi, Zion and Hani Agabria. The Yemenite Cook- Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement. book. New York: Seaver, 1988. New York: Smithsonian/HarperCollins, 2010.

8 Humanistic Judaism Symbolic Holiday Foods by Rabbi Jodi Kornfeld

Judaism is rich in symbolism: the use of Rosh Hashana foods comes from custom, items of clothing or ritual acts and objects as or minhagim. reminders of how to behave or conduct one’s life. Food in a Jewish holiday setting often In the Babylonian (Keritot 6a and serves this symbolic function. Horayot 12a), Rabbi Abaye is quoted as suggest- ing that at the beginning of each year, people Certain foods are thought to have intrinsic should eat the following foods that grow in meanings. For example, apples are symbols of profusion and are therefore symbolic of pros- the sweet new year and are eaten with honey perity: , rubia [a -like ], at Rosh Hashana. Associated with B’Shevat, , beets, and dates. The underlying notion the New Year of the Trees, is the is that what you eat influences your year – a tree, the first to bloom in Israel, as a symbol variation on “you are what you eat.” Generally, of spring; its Hebrew name, shaked, means at the new year, people avoid sour, bitter, or “early rising.” The carob is the food of the poor salty foods, and favor sweet, flavorful ones. and therefore represents humility. Grapes are thought to be like the Jewish people because Foods eaten at Rosh Hashana, then, can be they grow in clusters, never alone, representing a form of wish fulfillment. Think about what the community of k’lal yisrael. Dates symbolize you wish for, and the food symbol follows. (See immortality or fertility. The with the table on the next page for examples.) its many also is a symbol of fertility, as well as of peace and prosperity. Symbolic Foods for Hanukka Hanukka celebrates the victory of the Mac- Different customs regarding symbolic cabees over the Syrian Greeks in 165 B.C. E. foods, or simanim, developed in different com- According to the story, after their triumph the munities, most notably among the Ashkenazim, Maccabees returned to the the Jews of Eastern Europe; the Sephardim of on the 25th day of the month of Kislev and relit Mediterranean and Spanish descent (including the lamps to rededicate the Temple, which those from countries to which such Jews were their oppressors had defiled by worshipping dispersed following the expulsion from Greek gods. Although there apparently was in 1492); and the Mizrakhim, Jews of Middle only enough oil for one day, legend has it that Eastern descent. These variations developed the oil lasted for eight days, and thus the holi- because of the availability of different foods, day is celebrated for that length of time. the weather conditions that affected their avail- ability, and the social/cultural climate of the In actuality, according to the Book of Mac- countries in which Jews lived. For example, cabees, the reason the holiday lasts for eight the Sephardim placed greater emphasis on days is that Sukkot, the eight-day harvest festival the symbolism of food as they developed the normally observed immediately after the High custom of a Rosh Hashana seder. Holidays, had not been celebrated at the normal time because of the battle over the Temple and Symbolic Foods for Rosh Hashana instead was celebrated months later, after the In comparison with Passover, in which Maccabean victory, making Hanukka the “Suk- foods eaten at a seder are ordered and highly kot of Kislev.” However, the legend of the oil has symbolic, there are no ritual requirements concerning the foods used at the Jewish Rabbi Jodi Kornfeld is rabbi of Beth Chaverim Humanistic new year. All the symbolism associated with Jewish Community in Highland Park, IL.

Summer/Autumn 2013 9 FOODS EATEN ON ROSH HASHANA AS WISH FULFILLMENT WISH FOOD A year filled with blessings and prosperity; ; (Italy); dates stuffed with stuffed with good omens walnuts; gefilte fishgefilte ( is for stuffed) Be a leader, the head of what you do, just as Rosh Head of a fish or ; head of lettuce Hashana is the head of the year; be an example to others and lead them to good behavior Prosperity and abundance, increase in sliced like coins; green (in Hebrew, rubia – good things similar to irbu, or “increase”) Blessings; good deeds (mitzvot) to increase (613 seeds to correspond to the number of traditional mitzvot); carrots (in Yiddish, meren means both “increase” and “carrots”) Wisdom Brains Cycle of life and another year Round halla Protection, strength (as in a thick skin) Pumpkin; squash (kra or k’irah, meaning “rip” or “tear”; tear up the sentence against you) Play on Hebrew words: Cut off your enemies, Scallions/leeks (kari or y’kartu, “to cut off”; yirkatu,”to luck, defeat of those who would harm you banish”); / (selek or salukim, “take away”) Fortunes go up and down Halla shaped like a ladder. In Italy, sfratti, a traditional pastry whose name means “eviction,” a reminder of the pitfalls life has in store Sweet new year Apples with honey; in Australia, apples with sugar; raisins in halla; honey cake; tayglach, a crunchy dough boiled in honey, with almonds/walnuts; sweet dates (tamar, a play on words with t’amah, meaning “cause a sense of wonder”); in Morocco, dates or apples dipped in a mixture of ground seeds, seeds, and powdered sugar; , honey baked carrots; in Ethiopia,: sheep roasted on a spit and eaten with honey such a strong hold on the Jewish imagination that similarities in the two stories) associates this customs have developed in communities around victory with the Maccabbean revolt. The tradi- the world incorporating oil or fried foods into the tion of eating dairy foods also may account for Hanukka celebration. In Israel, fried sufganiot, or being served with latkes, combining jelly , are eaten; in Italy, ; the two stories and customs. and in Eastern European or Ashkenazic commu- nities, latkes,* or potato pancakes. Symbolic Foods for Tu B’shevat Tu B’Shevat, the New Year of the Trees, Another Hanukka tradition, which may be falls on the fifteenth day of the Jewish month more prevalent in Sephardic communities, is of Shevat. Its name comes from the gematria or the serving of cheese or dairy meals. According numerical value assigned to the Hebrew letters to the Book of Judith, an apocryphal book that of which it is composed; the tet is 9 and the is not part of the Bible, Judith, a Jewish woman, vav is 6. single-handedly saved her people by killing an enemy general named Holofernes after feeding Tu B’Shevat is not a biblical holiday; him salty cheese so he would drink enough rather, it is rabbinic in origin. In Israel, where wine to pass out. Jewish tradition (without much historical basis but rather because of * is Yiddish for ; in Hebrew, they are called levivot.

10 Humanistic Judaism the holiday originated, the winter is coming Some people you meet very quickly and be- to an end, and the almond trees are beginning come friendly with, but you may never know to blossom. It is thought to be the time of the them completely. There may be parts of them year when the sap begins to move through the that are hidden away, but you can nonetheless trees and new life is beginning. enjoy the parts they share with you. The third – raisins, figs, , grapes, and The Hebrew word for “tree” is aitz. Trees cranberries – have both insides and outsides have played an important part in Jewish tradi- that can be eaten. Again these are like people. tion. We call the Torah the aitz chayim or “tree They can be known inside and out and can of life.” In the story of Noah, a dove brings back become lasting friends. a branch from an tree to signal the end of the flood and destruction. The Torah teaches To symbolize the changing of the seasons, that even in war times we are not to destroy a Tu B’Shevat seder will include four cups of the trees, because they have no grudge against wine or . The first cup is made en- us. An old custom is for parents to plant a new tirely from white grapes to represent the white tree on the fifteenth of Shevat when a child has of winter. The second cup is made by adding a been born. little wine or juice made from red grapes to the white, making it a shade of pink. This symbol- Tu B’Shevat today is celebrated as a kind izes the spring as trees begin to blossom. The of Jewish Earth Day. It gives us reason to con- third cup is made by adding a small amount sider the importance of trees in our lives and of to the red, making it a deeper the importance of conservation and ecology. shade of pink. This is symbolic of summer Environmental themes are examined and un- when trees are in full bloom. Finally, the fourth derscored as we celebrate the holiday. cup is made entirely of red grapes and symbol- izes the autumn when leaves change to their Although no foods are mentioned in the beautiful colors. Bible or the Talmud as being specific to Tu B’Shevat, fruits and nuts mentioned in those Symbolic Foods for Purim sources, including dates, figs, and almonds Purim takes place on the fourteenth day found in Israel, are appropriate for the holiday. of the month of Adar. The story recounted in In the , the kabbalists created the tells of the triumph of good a mystical tradition that associated certain over evil as ’s plot to destroy all the rituals with teachings about the spirit and the Jews of Shushan is foiled by the courage of body, and they held a seder in connection with Queen Esther. the holiday. Purim reminds us to take whatever steps Echoing the date of the holiday, it has be- are necessary to overcome the evil of our day. come customary to eat fifteen different fruits We must find the courage to take action in the and/or nuts. These are often divided into three face of evil, even if such action imperils us. groups of five with appropriate symbolism at- Many times in our history, we have been faced tached to each group. The first fruits – oranges, with a Haman who needed to be confronted bananas, walnuts, , and – and defeated. And many times we have suc- have hard, inedible shells but a soft inside that ceeded in doing so. we can eat. These correspond to some kinds of people: they have a tough outside and are At the conclusion of all this drama, the difficult to get to know, but once you get to the Book of Esther states four positive mitzvot, or person inside, they are well worth knowing. good deeds, associated with Purim. We are re- The second fruits – dates, plums, peaches, minded to retell the story of Purim each year, to olives, and apples – have soft, edible outsides, celebrate the holiday in a festive way, to share but deep inside is a pit or seed that we cannot portions with friends, and to give charity to eat. These fruits also are like a group of people. the poor.

Summer/Autumn 2013 11 The overriding goal of modern Purim cel- are to experience that journey. We personalize ebrations, however, is to obliterate the name the story by literally tasting the bitterness of of Haman. This is done by making noise when slavery through water representing the the story is read and his name is mentioned; by tears shed by our ancestors and by savoring the stamping out his name wherever it is written; sweetness of freedom with haroset, generally and by eating foods that bear his name, such made of apples, cinnamon, and sweet wine. as the following: The haroset also symbolizes the mortar used in the bricks that the Israelite slaves were said • In Israel, oznay Haman (meaning “ears of to have made.** We use parsley (karpas) as a Haman”). They resemble the hamantashen symbol of spring; a roasted egg and a bone on from the Ashkenazic tradition. the seder plate as a symbol of sacrifices once made at the Temple; and (maror) • In Italy, orecchi di Aman (also meaning to remind us of the bitter life lived by slaves. “ears of Haman”): bits of , We eat a hard- as the symbol of twisted into odd shapes and dusted with spring, a time of rebirth in nature’s cycle for confectioner’s sugar. plants and animals. And of the matza or comes from the story of • In the United States, following the Ash- the having to leave in such haste that kenazic tradition, hamantashen (meaning they did not have time to let their dough rise “Haman’s pockets”).* before embarking on their journey.

An important feature of Purim is the hid- Sephardim find and other (kit - den identities of the characters, especially Es- niyot) acceptable, whereas Ashkenazim avoid ther, who was not known to be Jewish when she these foods for the duration of the holiday. A married the king. Therefore, foods with fillings Sephardic custom is the use of scallions as a hidden within dough, such as hamantashen, symbolic whip during the seder, to represent , and are apropos of the holiday. the treatment the slaves received.

In keeping with the of a festive Conclusion celebration, it has become customary to have Jews and food, a delicious combination! a Purim feast. This may include an especially Through specific foods, we celebrate our long, braided halla reminiscent of the rope holidays symbolically, giving the food and used to hang Haman. Because it is written that the holiday meaning as well as joy. These King reigned from India to Ethiopia, foods express the sense of the holidays; they and the Hebrew word hodu means both India reflect the cultural heritage of different Jewish and turkey, some people eat turkey on Purim. communities throughout the world; and they Others eat Ethiopian dishes, such as Ethiopian inform us of the variety of ways Jews have used . Because Esther is thought to have be- to interpret our collective past. come a vegetarian in order to keep kosher in the King’s palace, many people serve a vegetarian Purim meal. *Although hamantashen is often translated as “Haman’s hat” because of its triangular shape, it comes from a Yiddish phrase: mon, meaning”poppy,” and tashen, meaning “pocket.” Originally Symbolic Foods for Passover it was a “poppy pocket,” which became a play-on-words as a The seder held at Passover is filled with hamantashen to reflect the story’s villain, Haman. foods used specifically for their symbolic **There are numerous recipes for haroset, which vary according to their country of origin. The variations reflect different under- value. In retelling the story of how the Israel- standings of the haroset as mortar, as well as the ingredients that ites moved from slavery to freedom, we each would be available.

12 Humanistic Judaism Iconic Jewish Deli Foods by Kaela Walker

I used to be a very picky eater when I was five thousand delis in ; now there younger. At least two years ago I started ex- are just a few. Many famous delis in the city perimenting with my taste buds. I wanted to have closed. eat everything. I loved trying foods, and most foods I tried I loved. When I started to think I have been to Katz’s Deli, the 2nd Avenue about my big project for my Bat Mitzvah I knew Deli, Yonah Schimmel’s, Barney Greengrass, exactly what I wanted to do. FOOD! I picked Russ and Daughters, Queen, and five of my favorite Jewish foods to research: Junior’s. I still want to go to a lot more. What I the , matza balls, pastrami, the , and like is that the people are nice, they give you a . But first I am going to tell a little lot of samples, there is always food on the table about the history of the Jewish deli. when you sit down (pickles and coleslaw), and they give you a good amount of food. The only The first Jewish delis in the United States thing I dislike is that it is always crowded. started on the of Manhattan. In the beginning, they were strictly takeout. In And now to my five favorite Jewish foods! the 1900s, they changed into restaurants where people could sit, eat, and talk. Delis offered a The Knish sense of identity to recent immigrants and a The knish is a Jewish food that Russian feeling of belonging in their new country. A immigrants brought to America in the early deli was a gathering place where Jews could 1900s. Its name is the Yiddish word meaning find a community and spend time in each “pastry” or “.” In France, are other’s company. They would come together known by their Russian name, piroshky, and to talk about religion and politics and to get also as belglach. news about their homelands. A knish is made from dough that can be In the delis, foods of Eastern European shaped to be round, rectangular, or square Jews were combined with dishes from Lithu- with a filling in the middle of it and then can ania, Russia, and . At that time, most be baked, grilled, or deep-fried. There are a deli food was peasant food. Now the treats we variety of fillings that could be inside a knish: associate with the Jewish deli (for example, potato, , , , chopped liver, matza ball soup, and gigantic ( groats), or cheese. More modern meat-filled sandwiches) are more American varieties are filled with sweet potatoes, black than Eastern European. The Jewish newcom- beans, fruit, broccoli, tofu, or spinach. ers from Eastern Europe could not afford to eat like that. The dough of a knish is made differently depending on where the knish is being made. The importance of the deli began to decline In New York City, knish dough is made with by the 1950s and 1960s because the food was egg and potato. In Europe, the pastry is made seen as too ethnic. Also, some of the more from dough. popular Jewish foods, such as deli meats and hot dogs, could be found at the supermarket. In Russia, knishes were legendary and were Today, the traditional Jewish deli is struggling. usually served at feasts. When Jews from Russia The rent is high, people are more health con- Kaela Walker and her family are members of The City Con- scious (Jewish food is not very healthy), and gregation in Manhattan. This article is adapted from her Bat Jewish food is not trendy. In 1936, there were Mitzvah presentation on April 30, 2011.

Summer/Autumn 2013 13 migrated to the United States at the beginning of when you put them into your mouth, they melt the twentieth century, they brought their cook- with flavor. But when I went to Pastrami Queen ing and foods with them, and knishes were sold and tasted their matza ball, I wasn’t pleased. It from pushcarts on the streets of New York City. was big and heavy with no flavor. It was dense Today in Russia and Eastern Europe, the knish and hard to swallow. Judging from that experi- is no longer as popular as it is in New York. ence, I vote for the lighter kind of matza ball.

In 1910, Yonah Schimmel opened a knish- The Bagel ery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. It is the Now, who doesn’t know what a bagel is? A only knishery left in the city. At Yonah Schim- bagel is round bread with a hole in it. Although mel’s, they make the knish dough very thin. bagels are considered a Jewish food, their ori- They believe a “real” knish is round, baked, gins are actually more varied. Bread and crack- and made with potato filling. ers similar to the bagel were eaten centuries ago in , Italy, and ancient Egypt. You can see When we went to Yonah Schimmel’s, my rolls with holes in Egyptian hieroglyphics. mom and I bought a bunch of knishes – potato, vegetable, , and spinach. We first There is a well-known story about the ate the potato knish. It was huge! It weighed origin of the modern bagel, but no one knows at least a full pound! When we each took our whether it is true. According to the story, the first bite, we were in love. It was all potato – bagel came out of the Battle of in 1683. you couldn’t taste the dough at all. It was so King Sobieski of Poland was the first king who soft inside, it was amazing. The store looked did not limit the production of bread. This exactly like it did in the old days and was still meant that Jews could bake bread in the city being run by the Schimmel family. of Krakow. When King Sobieski saved from Turkish invaders, a Jewish baker made a Matza Balls roll in the shape of the king’s stirrup and called A second iconic Jewish food – maybe first it a beugel. on some people’s lists – is the matza ball. A matza ball is a traditional Ashkenazi Bagels also became popular in Germany. made from matza meal. The Yiddish word for (Bagel means “bracelet” in German.) In Eastern matza ball or dumpling is kneydlekh. It is the Europe, bagels represented good luck because food of hardship – the poor man’s food. This is they were the perfect shape, round with no because it’s made of simple ingredients: matza end or beginning. The shape symbolizes the and water. Matza balls are one of the best eternal cycle of life. This is why they were known Jewish foods and one of the most power- given to women in labor and are often eaten ful symbols of Jewish cuisine. after funerals.

Matza balls became a part of the Jewish diet When Jews immigrated to America, they in the early Middle Ages. They were especially brought the bagel to Manhattan’s Lower East popular in German, Czech, and Austrian cooking. Side. In 1907, a union was created that mo- Matza balls are traditionally served at Passover, nopolized bagel production in New York City. but they are so well liked that they are served Jews made bagels by hand with five ingredients: every day and everywhere. Jews have intense flour, yeast, water, salt, and flavoring. In arguments about the right way to cook a matza the 1950s, Jews started moving to other parts of ball. Should they be light (floaters)? Or should the city, expanding the reach of the bagel. To- they be dense (sinkers)? Dense matza balls are day some of the best known bagel stores in New heavier and doughier. Light matza balls are softer York City are not run by Jews. For instance, and less doughy; they melt in your mouth. H & H Bagels is run by a Puerto Rican family.

When I went to the 2nd Avenue Deli, I fell In America, bagels are boiled. Rings of risen in love with their matza balls. They are big, but dough are thrown into boiling water for a few

14 Humanistic Judaism seconds, then drained, cooled, and baked until origins, although what was called pastramă they are golden, shiny, and crisp. The boiling in is very different from what we helps the bagels last longer. Bagels made in call pastrami, which was actually invented New York City are supposed to taste the best in New York City. In 1888, Katz’s Deli opened because of the content of the water. and claimed to have invented pastrami. But actually it was Sussman Volk (a butcher) who Murray Lender was the first person to cre- first got the from a Romanian friend in ate frozen bagels. In 1956, when he returned exchange for storing his friend’s luggage. The from the Korean War, he bought a freezer. He became so popular that he converted and his father figured out that they could sell his butcher shop into a restaurant. (Katz’s Deli and deliver frozen bagels in batches of six. still disputes this and says it was the first.) Freezing enabled the bagels to last much longer. In the 1960s, the automated bagel machine was Pastrami was originally created as a way invented. The machine allowed bagels to be to preserve meat before modern refrigeration. made faster and more easily and enabled the Pastrami is made with brisket. The raw meat Lenders to make a lot more bagels, which they is brined, partly dried, seasoned with various shipped across the country. herbs and spices, then smoked, then steamed (which is a lot of work). Modern pastrami is Modern bagels are much bigger than before entirely different from the cured meats with and come in many more flavors, including similar names you would find in Turkey, Ro- , , garlic, onion, , mania, and the today. sesame, pumpernickel, whole wheat, and blueberry. I have tasted bagels from Tal Bagels, Pastrami has become very trendy in New which is Israeli, Bagel Bob’s, Ess-a-Bagel, and H York – so much so that in October 2010 there & H. The bagels at Tal are big and doughy and was a pastrami sculpture in a park! have a lot of flavor. The bagels at Bagel Bob’s are One restaurant serves a pastrami eggroll, and smaller and softer with less taste, unless there Russ and Daughters created pastrami-cured is or or lox on them. The salmon. Another place makes a pastrami crois- bagels at H & H are my least favorite because sant! Every year, New York City delis com- you never know whether you are going to get pete to see which one has the best pastrami. a soft bagel or a hard one. The Ess-a-Bagel are The 2nd Avenue Deli, Katz’s, , my favorite; the bagel is fluffy and doughy, and Pastrami Queen, and even a deli in Brooklyn the taste is delicious and flavorful. I love the all compete. mouth-watering smell of fresh bagels baking when you walk into the Ess-a-Bagel store! I have eaten pastrami from Pastrami Queen, the 2nd Avenue Deli, and Katz’s Deli, which is Pastrami reputed to have the best pastrami in New York And then there is the king of Jewish foods, City. The pastrami sandwich I liked best is pastrami. In the late 1800s to early 1900s, a Katz’s. What I love about Katz’s pastrami is that large population of Jews immigrated to the it is cut thick and is juicy and full of flavor. Plus Lower East Side. These immigrants crowded it melts in your mouth. The pastrami from 2nd into tenements. One to ten families would live Avenue Deli does not have a great taste and is in these tenements and there was just no room not as juicy. Pastrami Queen is also delicious, to hang out inside. So they spent time outdoors, but I still say Katz’s is the best. and that is how pushcarts and delis started. The pushcarts served knishes, pickles, and bagels, Cheesecake and people would hang out and talk. Of course, we all need a nice after dinner, and cheesecake is probably one of the One of the greatest inventions of the deli best known. What you might not know is that was pastrami. The delis served pastrami on cheesecake has a Jewish origin. Jews are known bread with . Pastrami has Romanian for their fondness for , which probably

Summer/Autumn 2013 15 comes from their involvement in the sugar trade. voring or toppings. Now people make strawber- Jews were engaged in sugar refining in Poland ry cheesecake, blueberry cheesecake, and Russia and also ran sugar plantations in the cheesecake, and even cheesecake. West Indies. Sweets have symbolic significance for Jews. They represent joy and happiness, Today, the most famous cheesecake is which is why they play an important role on made by Lindy’s. Its recipe calls for heavy many , particularly Shavuot. cream, lots of eggs, lots of sugar, extract, and no less than two and a half pounds of Long ago, the ancient Greeks made the cream cheese. (This is at least two times more first cheesecake. But more recently cheese- cream cheese than is used in most recipes!) cake originated from Poland and Russia. In Lindy’s is said to have the best cheesecake in the old days, Eastern European women made the city, but I disagree. The flavor of the filling soft cheese, which was used as the basis for is very good, but the is too cakey, and cheesecake, among other things. When Jews there is not enough filling. And the slices are immigrated to the United States, they brought just too big! Junior’s cheesecake is fluffy, and their cheesecake recipes with them. the filling has lots of flavor, but the crust is not very good, and there is so much filling that it In upstate New York in 1872, dairymen is hard to swallow. My favorite cheesecake is were trying to make cheese that tasted like from Katz’s Deli. There is a lot of crust, the the cheese from France. The cheese that re- texture of the filling is nice and creamy, and sulted turned out to be much creamier than the flavor is delicious. the French cheese, so they called it “cream cheese.” But the cream cheese spoiled quickly, *** so it was not practical to eat. It was not until after 1920, when two Jewish immigrants from Jewish food is an amazing cuisine. Before began to mass market cream cheese, I did this research, I never knew about these that it became a staple and began to appear in different foods. I had no interest in trying cheesecake fillings. Because cream cheese was them or going to delis. I didn’t even know that invented in New York, cheesecake is often re- the origin of the deli was Jewish! Doing this ferred to as “New York cheesecake,” no matter project and going to various delis helped me where it is made. experience my culture. Just as food is central to the Jewish culture, trying different cuisines Just as bagels were originally made to be has become one of my most favorite hobbies. I plain, cheesecake was also made without fla- recommend it highly!

coming winter/spring 2014

HJ Forum: Celebrating Humanistic Judaism’s First 50 Years featuring Rabbi Adam Chalom • Mark Cousens • Rabbi Jeffrey Falick • Rabbi Miriam Jerris ... and more

16 Humanistic Judaism A Sephardic Perspective on Jewish Cooking by Ed Chalom

To demonstrate the divide that exists strictly separated. Aside from Saturday night between Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews, visits to the kosher deli for a knish and a hot consider this scenario. My Orthodox great- dog, we never ate out. In those days there were grandfather, who worked on Hester Street no kosher SY restaurants; now there are quite a in lower Manhattan, arrived early to say his few in New York and New Jersey. (I must men- morning prayers. Wrapped and strapped in tion, as an aside, that I was shocked once to tallit and , he was rocking back and forth see my mother walk into a Chinese restaurant. deep in prayer when he was approached by a When I confronted her with my eyewitness man who addressed him in Yiddish. My great- accusation, she calmly replied, “It wasn’t me, grandfather, who had been born and raised in you must have seen someone else.”) Aleppo, Syria, and spoke only , turned to him with an uncomprehending look. The Mealtime was an important time. Extended other man tried some more Yiddish. When he family gatherings were frequent, and elaborate received no response, he asked incredulously, meals were prepared. Two or three generations “Du bist a Yid?” (“Are you a Jew?”) of women would work together in the bustling, aromatic kitchen. In the privileged male SY This divide is amply demonstrated in the society it was woman’s role to cook and serve culinary complex of custom, cooking, and the meals. At the dinner table my mother consumption. The Sephardic Syrian Jews from would shout, “Look who’s coming in!” When Aleppo (SYs) came to America in the early I turned to look, she would shovel food into part of the twentieth century and pitched their my plate. This is the heavy handed Sephardic tents in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. counterpart to the Ashkenazi mother’s “eat, eat, Although called Sephardic (from Sepharad, eat” admonition. Hebrew for “Spain”) these Aleppian Jews, whether descendants of Jews expelled from Food formed an essential part of the Arabic Spain or descendants of Jews who had never hospitality culture. At that time, before e-mail left the since biblical days, had and cell phones, people often made impromptu been completely Arabized over the centuries. visits to the homes of friends or relatives, and Although there were a few vestiges of Span- a visitor was always immediately offered food ish in their lexicon, they spoke Arabic and and drink. If one were adroit, one might arrive practiced Arabic customs. An insular group, at mealtime. A certain ritual known as the they countenanced but did not encourage “in- “rule of 3” then ensued. The visitor, of course, termarriage” with , and any SY would be invited to join in the meal. “Oh, no in such a union dropped a couple of rungs on thanks,” the visitor would say, “I just ate.” The the social ladder. invitation would be graciously repeated and as graciously refused a second time. It was I was brought up on SY dishes, such as bazergan (bulgar/ appetizer), ad- Ed Chalom is a longtime member of the Birmingham Temple in des (/garlic soup), (stuffed meat Farmington Hills, MI. He has authored two books, The Heart Is a torpedoes), and ajweh (date-filled crescents). Funny Reservoir – A Romantic Memoir of Iceland and The Heart Is a Funny Reservoir and Other Human Mysteries. Although retired, The rules of kashruth were followed at home. he is active in various book discussion groups, teaches French All meat was kosher, and meat and dairy were and Spanish, and is a tennis addict.

Summer/Autumn 2013 17 absolutely necessary, at this point, to make a tang of tamarind-flavored kiftes (). I third offer. The recipient, who may have been recognize that unfamiliarity breeds contempt, ravenous the whole time, was now allowed to and I admit that I have not tried to be fair. But accept. The rule of 3 was inviolable. as a wise Frenchman once said, “á chacun son gout” (to each his own taste). Although I have Frankly, I detested certain SY dishes, such lived apart from the SY community for many as banjan (, whether stuffed or not), years, I continue to cook dishes based on a bameh (stewed ), and cousah (squash). well-worn stack of index cards containing my But on the whole, I thrived on the diet. There mother’s recipes. was an emphasis on fresh fruits and veg- etables; every meal ended with lettuce and SY cooking is no longer third world. Mid- fruit. Sweet pastries, for which SY cuisine is dle Eastern restaurants are ubiquitous, though known, were served mainly on holidays and they do not serve the wide variety of dishes as . available in SY cuisine.* Traditional Ashkenazi food is still the staple in in Jewish My eventual exposure to Ashkenazi cook- neighborhoods. But the day of enlightenment ing left me unimpressed. For the most part it may be around the corner. I imagine that when was a passage from the exotic to the banal, from an underexposed Ashkenaz takes his first bite rosewater to seltzer water. on rye and of SY mujudrah (lentils and rice) or mamounia gribbenes were foreign to me (and still are). Po- ( with cinnamon), he may well ask, “Is tato latkes paled next to spanech b’jibn (cheese/ this Jewish?” spinach/onion frittata). Chopped apple haroset was insipid compared to date/ haroset. *Suggested reference: Poopa Dweck, Aromas of Aleppo (NY: Beef brisket was okay, but it didn’t have the Harper Collins, 2007).

for the skeptical and questioning, an alternative history of the Jews, told by one of the most provocative rabbis in Jewish history A Provocative People: A Secular History of the Jews by Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine edited by Rabbi Adam Chalom A Provocative People, Rabbi Wine’s final work, presents a history of the Jewish people, from their origins in the ancient Middle East to their existence as a global people in the modern world, from their beginnings as a religious people through their transition to a largely secular- ized people. Displaying his sense of humor, Wine once again distills complex ideas and devel- opments into easily understood concepts, offering his readers a compelling and very readable humanistic history of the Jewish people. paperback, $31.50 including shipping and handling Send your order to the SOCIETY FOR HUMANISTIC JUDAISM 28611 West Twelve Mile Road • Dept. HJ • Farmington Hills, MI 48334

18 Humanistic Judaism Why Is This Seder Different from All Other Seders? by Barry Swan

For many years, Beth Haskalah, the Roch- • baytsa: egg that was symbolic of mourning ester Society for Humanistic Judaism, has had and meat offerings as a sacrifice; also used a joint with the Rochester Area as a symbol of springtime and renewal. Vegetarian Society. At first we set up two tables: • : shankbone, symbolizing the pas- one “kosher” (vegan) and one “treif,” with cal lamb sacrifice. Tradition has it that chopped liver, gefilte fish, , hard its blood marked the doorposts of Jewish boiled eggs, and turkey with . houses for their safekeeping.

We are all adaptable and respectful of oth- Of these items, there is no need to alter the ers’ needs, so this transition was made rather karpas, haroset, maror, or chazeret. The only easily. Individuals shared hints as to how to items that need to be replaced are the shank substitute for specific ingredients that were not bone and the egg. acceptable to vegans: soy products, applesauce instead of eggs as a binder, and agave instead Replacing the Shankbone with the Sehlek of honey. Cooks provided lists of ingredients, (Beet) placing the lists next to their prepared dishes, The lamb is a significant part of the Pass- over story. The pascal lamb was sacrificed. Its But there was a contradiction between the blood was smeared over the door. But the re- meal and the message of the seder plate. How minder of this animal sacrifice is not welcome could you have a shank bone and an egg on a at a vegan seder. seder plate at a vegan seder? The sight of the shank bone and egg on the seder plate would The redness of the beet and its juice be as welcome as a ham bone and at a represent the blood of the . traditional kosher meal. I conferred with rabbis Our tradition tells us that was chosen and other madrikhim, asking for their input and because he showed compassion to a lamb. We opinions. I received many specific suggestions can demonstrate our compassion by substi- and some more general philosophic perspectives. tuting the beet for the lamb. Our compassion extends to our care and devotion to all people The Seder Plate and creatures. Another suggestion is to shape The traditional seder plate consists of: a bar of halvah like a shank bone.

• karpas: a green vegetable, typically parsley, Replacing the Egg (Baytsa) with Any Food that symbolizes the freshness of spring and with Seeds rebirth. It is dipped in salt water. Baytsa is the egg of life. Each of us begins • haroset: chopped apples, nuts, wine, and as a seed and grows into adulthood. The egg is spices. It symbolizes the mortar the Hebrew our potential. It is the power of our evolution- slaves used between bricks. ary past and the gift of our human inheritance. • maror: bitter herbs, usually horseradish. They symbolize the bitterness of slavery, Barry Swan, a madrikh, is leader of Beth Haskalah, Rochester, which brings tears to one’s eyes. NY. He is a student in the International Institue for Secular Humanistic Judaism Rabbinic Program. A member of the • chazeret: a bitter vegetable. It is sometimes Board of Directors of the Society for Humanistic Judaism, replaced with a bowl of salt. he co-chairs the Ethical Concerns Committee.

Summer/Autumn 2013 19 An egg made of tofu would keep the shape story about the inclusion of an orange centers consistent. There are many other foods that around her perception of the marginalized roles also may be used. An avocado pit, , of women and gays and lesbians in Jewish life and sprouts are common substitutions. The and her understanding of how the inclusion of olive, so vital in the Middle East, is another these people makes our lives better. A second popular choice. The olive branch is a symbol story relates to an interchange she had after of peace. On the seder plate, a variety of olives a public lecture. In denouncing feminism,” a would represent the variety found within our man said that a woman belongs on the bima human family. (pulpit) like an orange belongs on a seder plate. Either explanation emphasizes the ideal libera- The Addition of Tapooz (Orange) tion, which Pesakh champions. An orange is another item we can add to our seder plate. As we make room on the seder plate for an orange, we make room at our seder table (and Change is a part of the human experience, in our lives) for all people, regardless of gender which we embrace. An introduction of a new or sexual identity. Everyone deserves the gift of Passover tradition signals our ability to change. freedom and to be included in the human family.

The origin of the orange on the seder plate Humanistic Jews can celebrate Pesakh in goes back to Susannah Heschel, daughter of a manner consistent with our humanistic val- Joshua Heschel, a rabbi and phi- ues. Making our own choices about how we losopher who inspired social activism. One celebrate is a value we treasure.

Observe Life’s Passages HUMANISTICALLY

read our guides to creating Secular Humanistic Jewish observances of life cycle events

• Celebrating Life’s Passages $ 18.00 • Coming of Age - A Bar/Bat Mitsva Manual $ 18.00 • Intermarriage $ 10.00 • Death, Dying, and Bereavement $ 10.00

Add $6.50 (U.S. FUNDS), postage and handling, for first manual ordered and $1.50 for each additional manual ordered. Send order to: SOCIETY FOR HUMANISTIC JUDAISM 28611 West Twelve Mile Road • Dept. HJ • Farmington Hills, MI 48334

20 Humanistic Judaism WISDOM from WINE

In each issue of Humanistic Judaism, we are reprinting a selection from the writings of Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine that has meaning in our lives today. In this selection, reprinted with minor adaptation from Humanistic Judaism (Summer 1990), he explores Jewish dietary laws and our relationship to food. Our Dietary Laws by Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine

Most Jewish holidays, are about food. The way. It may be eaten at the wrong time. It may be celebration of the fall harvest is marked by Suk- restricted to social groups other than your own. kot, as the celebration of the spring harvest is marked by Pesakh and Shavuot. The fertility of In Jewish culture, which was a meat eating the earth and of animals is where it all began. culture, the danger lay in blood. Blood was a food that belonged to Yahveh alone. To drink Food is not trivial (despite the fact that blood was to steal the food of God and to risk highbrows deplore gastronomic Judaism). Food the punishment that would almost certainly is even more important than sex; without nutri- ensue. Blood-eating carnivorous animals were tion, reproduction fails. Food means survival. not considered proper (kosher) for eating. Ko- All religions began with rituals to regulate the sher vegetarian animals, like cows, sheep, and eating of food, whether the food was given to , had to be killed in a kosher way allowing humans or to gods. for the maximum bleeding of the slain animal. And, as an extra precaution, the meat had to be It is by no mere coincidence that our deep- salted to draw out the last vestiges of the blood. est and most profound religious attachments (Ironically, humans could eat meat or fowl, but are to celebrations that center on eating. The the beasts or birds they chose to eat could not. seder remains the most popular Jewish event in Even pigs, which are on the edge of vegetarian- North America. Sharing food goes back to the ism, were excluded because of their piggish habit earliest memories of family and community. of eating any blood-soaked refuse in sight.)

All cultures regulate eating. Some, like In time these dietary restrictions became the Anglo-Saxon, do so informally, without an intimate part of Jewish identity. Long after explicit legislation; Anglo-Saxons simply do Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine (1928-2007) was the intellectual not eat dogs, cats, or horses. Others, like Jews, framer of Humanistic Judaism, founding rabbi of the Society do it formally with much fanfare and with very for Humanistic Judaism, and founder of the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, as well as a pro- specific laws in sacred documents. lific writer, speaker, and public figure. He served as rabbi of The Birmingham Temple in Farmington Hills, Michigan, for But why these prohibitions? more than forty years. In addition to innumerable periodical articles, including the lead article in almost every issue of this journal, he was the author of Judaism Beyond God, Celebra- All cultures view certain foods as dangerous. tion: A Ceremonial Guide for Humanists and Humanistic The dangers may come from a variety of circum- Jews, A Provocative People, and Staying Sane in a Crazy World (all available from the Society for Humanistic Juda- stances. The food may belong to the gods and ism, www.shj.org). This article is reprinted from Humanistic not to humans. It may be prepared in the wrong Judaism (Vol. XV, No. IV, Autumn 1987).

Summer/Autumn 2013 21 most Jews had ceased to believe that blood was us of more and more dangers to our bodies and the food of God, long after they had stopped to our survival. The most delicious pleasures believing that eating blood was dangerous, they of life are diminished as we surrender to the continued to obey the laws and observe the discipline of health and fitness. Giving up hot prohibitions. Eating habits begin in childhood fudge for may be far more traumatic then and are reinforced by community approval and giving up for mutton. disapproval. As long as Jews lived in closed, tight-knit communities, the dietary laws re- Recently, I was on a panel with an Ortho- tained their power. Jews obeyed them because dox rabbi who was overweight and a chain they were Jews, and because there was some smoker. He spent most of his time praising vague unconscious fear that if they failed to the dietary laws and how they instill a sense obey something terrible would happen. of discipline into the daily life of the Jew. Each statement about discipline was punctuated by Modern times have subverted this obedi- a long puff of his cigarette, leading up to the ence. Political emancipation and an open soci- finale: a racking cough. ety, combined with individualism and secular education, have weakened the hold of the di- I told him that, from my point of view, etary prohibitions. Most Conservative Jews and was more dangerous than shrimp, virtually all Reform and secular Jews no longer and fried schmaltz was more devastating observe the laws, regarding than lean pork. I also pointed out to him that, them as alienating, inconvenient, or meaning- when it comes to dietary discipline, no genera- less. Some Jews feel guilty about discarding tion of Jews since the Exodus has been more them. Others create their own personal revi- disciplined than the health-craving, weight- sions: kosher food in the home but not outside, watching, pleasure-curtailing secular Jews of shrimp but not pork. Still others go on kosher modern America. binges once or twice a year, especially around Pesakh or Rosh Hashana. But, on the whole, the But we refuse to give ourselves credit for old discipline is confined to a small minority. what we do. We are always falling into the Orthodox trap of complaining how discipline “I don’t keep kosher” is the refrain of most has fallen out of Jewish life, of how hedonism secular Jews. The tone implies that the speaker with its short-run pleasures and absence of is now liberated from dietary laws. But is that long-run goals has subverted the solid values true, or even desirable? of traditional Judaism. We fail to see our own stern regimen simply because nobody has My observation is that many liberal Jews bothered to turn it into a divine decree. have substituted one set of dietary restrictions for another. And, in many cases, the new Of course Humanistic Jews have dietary laws are more demanding than the ones they laws. They are not the same as the Orthodox. have replaced. They are not absolute; new evidence constantly forces us to review them. They are not univer- For many of my secular Jewish friends, sal; there are different formulas for different dangerous foods dominate their conscious physiques. They are not cruel; excommunica- thought. Cholesterol has replaced blood as tion or execution seems a harsh penalty for the enemy, and is a foe as vicious as pork. refusing to take care of one’s own health. They Calories are like , insidious intruders into are not relentless; lapses are only human and the health of the community. moderation makes sense. But they are more than suggestions. They flow from the collective In this age of scientific nutrition, laissez- wisdom of the scientific community. faire food consumption has become about as rational as diving from an airplane without a When I teach young children, I have no parachute. Every day modern medicine warns reluctance to tell them not to smoke tobacco.

22 Humanistic Judaism I believe the evidence is pretty overwhelming We Humanistic Jews have a new and that can give them cancer. I do not very different set of dietary laws that are threaten communal punishment or advocate an important part of our lives. As I munch that their right to smoke in private be taken on lettuce and dream of brownies, I recog- away. But my responsibility is to encourage nize that the fates are sometimes cruel. We them to exercise the discipline that is necessary are designed to love what may not be good to their health. for us.

Health is a Jewish value (though not an ex- The harvest gave us and pota- clusively Jewish one). It is as important a value toes. Human ingenuity gave us blueberry as Jewish identity. It needs both information and potato latkes. Fighting human ingenuity is and discipline to make it real. not always easy.

Celebrate Passover HUMANISTICALLY

Passover is a celebration of human freedom, human courage, and the human ingenuity that leads people from despair to dignity. It need not celebrate supernatural events.

discover the humanistic meaning of Passover in your home

A Passover Manual...... $ 4.00 The Humanist Haggada – Rabbi Sherwin Wine...... $ 8.00 The Liberated – Rabbi Peter Schweitzer...... $ 13.00 Roots & Branches, A Humanist Haggadah – Horwitz, Olshen & Wright...... $ 13.00 Haggadah for Passover – Rabbi Friedman...... $ 3.00 Children’s Haggadah for Passover – Rabbi Daniel Friedman...... $ 3.00 Passover Resource Kit...... $ 21.00

Send your order to the SOCIETY FOR HUMANISTIC JUDAISM 28611 West Twelve Mile Road • Dept. HJ • Farmington Hills, MI 48334 Enclose $4.50 shipping and handling for the first item and $1.00 for each additional item ordered.

Summer/Autumn 2013 23 Intermarriage: From Oy Vey to Mazel Tov by Rabbi Adam Chalom Have you heard? More than 60 percent if there is no co-officiant. Only 22 percent of children of intermarried families are being said rabbis should refuse to officiate. raised with a Jewish identity. These numbers have probably become Intermarriage offers a huge opportunity even more favorable in the intervening thirteen for the Jewish community, but only if we stop years. shooting ourselves in the foot. The recent lam- entation over American Jewish intermarriage, Consider the disconnect between these coupled with the Pew survey finding that 20 accepting attitudes and the establishment Jew- percent of children of intermarriage are being ish strategy of 1) prevention, 2) conversion, raised “Jewish by religion,” misses two key and 3) outreach as last resort. Even though points. First, if we include being raised “partly studies estimate that about 50 percent of Re- Jewish by religion” (25 percent) and “Jewish form rabbis will perform intermarriages, the not by religion or mixed,” (16 percent), three- Central Conference of American Rabbis is still fifths of all children of intermarriage are being officially opposed to officiation at such wed- raised with some Jewish identity; only 37 per- dings and strongly opposed to coofficiation. cent are being raised with none. Second, and Conservative rabbis can be expelled from the more important, organized Judaism has created Rabbinical Assembly for any participation in its own “intermarriage problem.” an intermarriage ceremony; for Orthodox rab- bis, participation is practically unheard-of. After ten years of hysteria in response to the 1990 National Jewish Population Study’s A Jewish world in deep denial about the reports of an intermarriage rate of 52 percent, reality of intermarriage has little chance of the American Jewish Committee in 2000 asked encouraging those who do intermarry to make several questions about intermarriage in its Jewish choices. What would American Judaism annual survey of American Jewish opinion. look like if we really faced reality: intermar- Evidently the results were shocking, for it ap- riage is inevitable, conversion is not the best pears those questions were never asked again. response, and Jews want rabbis to meet the So shocking that the presentation of those needs of Jews in love with anyone? A rabbi’s results on the AJC website is garbled (the only refusal to marry a couple from different reli- survey results for which that is so). Deciphered, gious backgrounds will not prevent them from we find that: marrying; it will just push them further away from any future Jewish connections. • 80 percent of those surveyed agreed that intermarriage is inevitable in an open Imagine if the response to any Jew who society. finds love beyond Judaism were mazel“ tov!” • 68 percent disagreed with pushing conver- instead of “oy vey!” or “Will the outsider sion as the best response to intermarriage. change who he/she is?” If we can welcome and • When half of the respondents were asked whether rabbis should officiate at inter- Rabbi Adam Chalom, Ph.D., dean of the International Insti- marriage ceremonies, 57 percent said they tute for Secular Humanistic Judaism for North America, is rabbi of Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation in Lincoln- should, even if “a clergyman is in- shire, IL. He holds a doctorate from the University of Michi- volved,” and another 16% said they should gan and sits on the editorial board of this journal.

24 Humanistic Judaism celebrate those new families, intermarriage is culture and ethnicity, we must be open to the a real opportunity to grow the Jewish people other culture’s being part of the mix. Pew’s 62 and the circle of people sympathetic to and percent of American Jews who believe Jewish- connected with it. If we stop trying vainly to ness is primarily ethnicity and culture may not diminish the number of intermarrying Jews, see their Jewishness as either/or. A person can we could increase the number that make being participate in multiple cultures simultaneously Jewish part of their family life. – American, and Jewish, and gendered, and part of their community, and any other labels Fifty Jews marrying each other create the individual may choose. twenty-five Jewish households. Fifty Jews mar- rying non-Jews create fifty households with at To make intermarriage a win, we must least one Jewish member. This is why on college adapt. Coofficiation with a priest might ap- campuses today there are more students with pease the devout mother of an ex-Catholic one Jewish parent than with two. If more of who himself is happy to raise Jewish-identified these intermarried households produced chil- children. A Christmas tree can be as much a dren who identified with and were welcomed cultural symbol as a menorah for a secular Jew by the Jewish community, we could stop wor- who denies the existence of miracles. A cul- rying about the Jewish future. Imagine doubling tural Jewish identity might well be a successful the size of Hillels, of Jewish volunteers, of audi- route to connect both “Jews of no religion” and ences for Jewish art and music. intermarried families to their Jewish heritage.

What must we do? Jews marrying non- Refusing to marry more than half of Ameri- Jews need to know that their Judaism and the can Jews to the people they love is a losing Jewishness of their family does not have to be strategy. Rejecting the choice of many of these all or nothing. Children raised in homes with couples to celebrate both family cultures has one Jewish parent need to know that they do turned away the better part of a generation. It not have to choose one set of grandparents over is time, and crucially so, for American Judaism the other to be part of the Jewish family. If we to say “mazel tov!” to love to ensure a brighter want a non-Jewish partner to respect Jewish future for all of us.

give a gift of KNOWLEDGE give a gift of HUMANISTIC JUDAISM Gift Subscriptions $21 (Overseas Subscriptions $43; Canada & Mexico $31) Send your name, address, and telephone number, the recipient’s name, address, and telephone number, and your check for the full amount (U.S. FUNDS ONLY) to: SOCIETY FOR HUMANISTIC JUDAISM 28611 West Twelve Mile Road, Dept. HJ, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 And don’t forget to add a subscription for yourself!

Summer/Autumn 2013 25 Humanistic Rabbis: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow by Rabbi Miriam Jerris In 1969 I requested an application to the from the Reform rabbinate, as they had done. rabbinic program at Hebrew Union College In the early 1970s, they convened a group of (HUC), the Reform rabbinic seminary in Cin- liberal Reform rabbis to discuss the issues of in- cinnati. Shortly thereafter, I received a form termarriage, coofficiation, and conversion. The letter stating that women were not eligible resulting statement on intermarriage, released to become rabbis and inviting me to apply to in 1974, was signed by six rabbis, later joined HUC’s doctoral program instead. I can still by thirty-six others. Ultimately, however, only experience the disbelief. What did they mean, one of those rabbis, other than Wine and Fried- women couldn’t be rabbis? And then, when I man, ever identified officially with Humanistic stopped and reflected, it dawned on me that Judaism, when Jay Heyman became the rabbi I had never met a woman rabbi. How could I of Kol Hadash in northern California. be so naïve? I later realized that this blindness had to do with my belief that people were A handful of other Reform rabbis have more inclusive then they really were. A similar associated with Humanistic Judaism over the sense of disbelief occurred when I learned that years. Philip Schechter served the Congrega- in order for students to be admitted or remain tion for Humanistic Judaism in Connecticut in rabbinic school, their partners (girlfriends, for several years. Leslie Freund joined us in the boyfriends, wives, or husbands) must either be late 1990s and sadly died shortly thereafter. Ka- born Jewish or converted to Judaism. When I hal B’raira in Boston hired a series of rabbinic first became involved in Humanistic Judaism, consultants, including Jeffrey Silberman and these were the experiences and values I brought Devon Lerner, who stayed on the periphery, with me that formed the basis of my involve- although Don Pollack remained a life member ment in the Humanist rabbinate. of the Society for Humanistic Judaism until his death a few years ago. Robert Barr and Rami In 1969, members of three Humanistic con- Shapiro completed requirements at Hebrew gregations came together to form the Society for Union College through service to Humanistic Humanistic Judaism (SHJ). All three of these communities, but both left the movement in communities had rabbinic leaders, all of whom the mid-1980s. Only two Reform rabbis be- came out of the Reform movement. Sherwin sides Jay Heyman became formally identified Wine was the first, at the Birmingham Temple with Humanistic Judaism in a significant way: in suburban Detroit. Shortly after the publica- Peter Schweitzer joined the City Congregation tion of a 1965 Time Magazine article about the in New York and eventually became its rabbi, furor aroused by this “atheist rabbi,” John and and Jeffrey Falick in 2009 joined the Society Jeanne Franklin organized the Congregation for Humanistic Judaism and the Association for Humanistic Judaism (CHJ) in Connecticut with Bill Gailmor as their rabbi. In the mean- Rabbi Miriam Jerris, Ph.D., is rabbi of the Society for Hu- time, Rabbi Daniel Friedman was introducing manistic Judaism and formerly served as its first executive his concept of Humanistic Judaism, which he director. She is ordained as a humanist minister by the Humanist Society of Friends. She holds master’s degrees in called “Rational Judaism,” to his Chicago North Near Eastern Studies and clinical and humanistic psychology Shore congregation. and a doctorate in . She sits on the editorial board of this journal. This article is based on a presentation first given at the Birmingham Temple, April 26, 2013, dur- At first, Wine and Friedman assumed that ing a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Society for our future rabbinic leadership would emerge- Humanistic Judaism.

26 Humanistic Judaism of Humanistic Rabbis (AHR), accepting leader- we have primarily attracted leaders already ship roles in both organizations. Falick recently serving an existing Humanistic congregation or was named rabbi of the Birmingham Temple. community, most of the prospective students Additionally, Frank Tamburello, ordained by who now contact us are from outside the move- a nondenominational rabbinic seminary, is as- ment, including a student from the Reconstruc- sociated with the Community for Humanistic tionist seminary who is transferring to ours. Judaism in Westchester County, New York, and Inquiries are coming predominantly, although is a member of the AHR. not exclusively, from those seeking second career opportunities. With this history, it became obvious that Humanistic Judaism needed its own rabbinic Our challenge for the future is twofold: seminary – first and foremost, to give us cred- to attract students interested in working with ibility in the Jewish community, but also to Humanistic communities while at the same allow us to control the philosophy and cur- time nurturing congregations that desire and riculum of the institution that gave us our can support rabbinic leadership. Young people rabbis. The International Institute for Secular will be willing to dedicate their lives to the Hu- Humanistic Judaism (IISHJ) was established in manistic rabbinate only if they see opportuni- 1985. The first ordination of a graduate of the ties that excite them and offer enough financial Institute, Tamara Kolton, took place in 1999, security so that they can support themselves thirty-six years after the founding of Humanis- and their families. The Society for Humanistic tic Judaism. By comparison, the first graduating Judaism has created a program called Shidukh class of Reconstructionist rabbis did not occur (“match”) that has been partially funded to until fifty-four years after Kaplan bring a rabbinic student together with a com- founded Reconstructionist Judaism. munity seeking permanent rabbinic leadership. When we find an appropriate match, assistance To date, our movement has ordained ele- will be available. In the meantime, we continue ven graduates of the North American branch to grow our communities while responding of the IISHJ: Kolton, Ben Biber, Adam Chalom, to the interest we receive from prospective Miriam Jerris, Judith Seid, Sivan Maas, Eva rabbinic candidates. Goldfinger, Greg Epstein, Karen Levy, Jodi Ko- rnfeld, and Denise Handlarski. Twenty-seven In several important ways, the Humanistic rabbis have been ordained by T’mura, the rabbinate is very different from the rabbinates Israeli branch of the Institute. in other traditions. First, our rabbis are egalitar- ian. In most seminaries, future rabbis are still Eight North American students are cur- being told that they are the supreme authority rently enrolled in the rabbinic program: Barry in the congregation and Jewish community. Swan, leader of Beth Haskalah in Rochester, As humanists, we understand that authority New York; Susan Averbach of San Francisco; resides in each individual, and our rabbis are Ed Klein, leader of the Queens Community trained to know that as well. Understanding for Cultural Judaism; Natan Fuchs of the Bir- that authority is horizontal rather than vertical mingham Temple; Tzemah Yoreh, a published is fundamental to being a Humanistic rabbi. poet and scholar who holds a Ph.D. in biblical No one individual makes the decisions for studies; Tammy Kaiser of New Mexico; Mary our communities. Raskin of Kol Shalom in Oregon, who will finish IISHJ course work this year and has All rabbinic seminaries teach historical enrolled in an accredited master’s program; truth based on evidence, archaeological and and Jeremy Kridel of Indianapolis, a former literary. All the modern progressive seminar- doctoral student in ancient Jewish history and ies teach that the Bible is a human document, a judicial law clerk for the Indiana Court of many separate documents, written at different Appeals. Three other persons are engaged in times and blended – sometimes not seamlessly the application process. Whereas, up to now, – into a continuous narrative. The rabbinic

Summer/Autumn 2013 27 students in Conservative and Reform seminar- in the wider Jewish community with regard to ies learn the historical truth, for example, that a parallel development among some rabbis in there is no evidence for the Exodus as described other branches of Judaism. People ask, “What in the Torah – and then they are told to with- kind of role models are they?” With more than hold that information from their congregants 50 percent of Jews marrying someone not born because lay people cannot either bear or fathom Jewish, isn’t it time for the Jewish community the truth. Not so in our seminary. We teach the to see the value of rabbinic leaders who are not truth as we know it today and expect our rabbis married to Jews but are strong in their com- to speak it publicly and in the classroom. mitment to Judaism so that there is someone in echelons with whom The Secular Humanistic rabbinic seminary intermarried laity can identify? admits students solely on the basis of their qualifications. It is not required that their Secular Humanistic Judaism is the move- partners be Jewish, either by birth or conver- ment in the best position to respond to the issues sion. Although the Renewal movement also of modernity in the Jewish community. Our follows this policy, the IISHJ may be the only commitments to gender equality, to speaking established seminary that does not require a the truth, and to the right of all people to marry rabbinic candidate’s partner or spouse to be the ones they love, which leads to multicultural Jewish. At least three Humanistic rabbis are inclusiveness, are the foundations of our rab- married to individuals not born or converted binic training, and more and more candidates to Judaism. A significant hue and cry has arisen are seeking us out for just those reasons.

Humanistic Judaism strengthening our connection to our Jewish heritage, celebrating Jewish holidays with meaning and relevance in our time, providing a community for us, continuity for our children, enhancing pluralism in the Jewish community

Become a Part of This Exciting Movement in Jewish Life — Join the Society for Humanistic Judaism TODAY

Society for Humanistic Judaism Name______28611 West Twelve Mile Road Farmington Hills, Michigan 48334, www.shj.org Address______$95 Household Membership City______State______ZIP______$25 University Students (full time, under 25) Telephone______$1800 Life Membership

_____ Contribution E-mail______

Please make check or money order (U.S. FUNDS) payable to Society for Humanistic Judaism. Membership includes a subscription to Humanistic Judaism. The Society for Humanistic Judaism is a 501(c)(3). Contributions are deductible as provided by law.

28 Humanistic Judaism NEWS of the MOVEMENT Rabbi Jeffrey Falick Leads Birmingham Temple into Its 50th Year

Jeffrey L. Falick of Miami, Florida, has ebrate the congregation’s 50-year anniversary begun serving as rabbi for the Birmingham season with its members. His installation took Temple for Humanistic Judaism, in time to cel- place on Friday, November 15.

RABBI JEFFREY FALICK’S VISION

The following is an excerpt from Rabbi Jeffrey L. Falick’s remarks upon his installation as rabbi of the Birming- ham Temple on Friday, November 15, 2013.

I am honored by the trust you have demonstrated experience that enables me to teach, perform cer- in me by allowing me the great privilege of serving emonies and provide pastoral care. But I do so on as rabbi of The Birmingham Temple. As I formally your authority. Whether in my capacity as educa- accept my role as a leader of this congregation, I real- tor, advisor, pastor, or anything else with which ize that a good part of your hopes and desires for the you task me, I will strive to communicate the col- success of this community have been placed in me. lective interests and concerns of our community, convening and gathering all of you to do so as When I was under consideration for this position, my partners. I presented a very specific vision of the rabbinate for your consideration. I told you that my primary I would like to thank you all for your warm goal would be to create connections on your behalf and gracious welcome and support. I have and as your representative. I invoked a traditional received valuable advice and guidance from Jewish role known as the shaliach tzibur. This title many of you and I hope that you all know that typically denotes the person who prays on behalf I am always open to more – even if it involves a of the community. I put a Humanistic twist on that critique. I’ve always labored under the assump- idea. I do not represent you to a higher power. I tion that professional growth is based upon represent you to each other and to the community. solid self-assessment and the ability to accept I am your servant. constructive criticism.

At the time, I expressed it this way: With this in mind, I pledge to work hard at further- ing the goals of this congregation. I may not always A healthy community of Humanistic Jews do so perfectly, but I do hope that I will never give must view its rabbi as an extension of its you cause to question my sincerity or my efforts. members’ own obligations to each other. Any Even as our honeymoon period fades and we begin “authority” that the rabbi possesses derives to become accustomed to each other, I promise to from the trust and confidence of the mem- bers and volunteer leadership. They, not a always do my best to earn your trust in me each higher power, authorize the rabbi to serve day. I believe in the absolute necessity of Human- the community. istic Judaism. I believe in the crucial place of this congregation in our movement. And I believe in As a humanist, I do not represent the imperatives each and every one of you as I hope that you will of Jewish law or tradition. I have the training and believe in me.

Summer/Autumn 2013 29 While living and working in Florida, Rabbi important and consistent role in my own Jew- Falick was rabbinic advisor to Congregation ish life,” said the rabbi, who studied in Israel Beth Adam, the Boca Raton Congregation and has made more than 30 trips there. for Humanistic Judaism. In explaining his decision to come to Michigan, Rabbi Falick Rabbi Falick says that his recent 13-year, said, “In every movement in organized Jew- full-time engagement as the assistant executive ish life, there are some institutions that director and Jewish educator in the pluralistic represent the highest expression of its ide- environment of the Alper Jewish Community als. For Humanistic Jews, that place is the Center in Miami has confirmed his passion for Birmingham Temple.” Humanistic Judaism: “The Humanistic Jewish approach is the broadest, most encompassing Ordained as a Reform rabbi at the Hebrew embrace of our Jewish identities. It brings to Union College in Cincinnati, Rabbi Falick us a heightened awareness of the richness and turned to Humanistic Judaism about ten years variety of Jewish histories and practices across ago. He has served on the Board of Directors of time and place. It helps us to locate our own the Society for Humanistic Judaism (SHJ) for place in the Jewish experience. several years and currently serves on the SHJ Executive Committee as Secretary. He also is “This approach yields wonderful bursts of president of the Association of Humanistic Rab- creativity in our celebrations and ceremonies. bis. SHJ Rabbi Miriam Jerris, who has worked We have learned how to freely and sometimes closely with Rabbi Falick, notes, “He brings radically adapt and reposition Jewish customs his commitment to Humanistic Judaism, his because we understand that their value does passion for the Humanistic Jewish movement, not lie in their mere preservation. It lies in and his love for Jewish history and culture to the benefits they provide to our lives and the the Birmingham Temple and Metro Detroit. His strengthening of our ties to each other. Rabbi deep caring and compassion, coupled with his Sherwin Wine and the Birmingham Temple insatiable intellectual curiosity, will make a created this. Any rabbi who serves the congre- significant and powerful contribution to and gation must understand this.” impact on the temple and the community.” According to Birmingham Temple Presi- Last year Rabbi Falick led a group of dent Lawrence Ellenbogen, Rabbi Falick’s friends, all Humanistic Jews, on a tour of Israel. talents are identical to the temple’s needs. “He “ and Israel activism have played an is the perfect rabbi for the temple.”

30 Humanistic Judaism Don’t Stop Questioning! by Rabbi Denise Handlarski

When I was a child and lost my first tooth, morrow. The important thing is not to stop my parents told me that the tooth fairy would questioning.” This quote encapsulates much come, take it from under my pillow, and turn of Humanistic Judaism. We encourage critical it into a star. I found this idea charming but thinking and questioning – as individuals, didn’t really believe them. I felt that they were as a community, as Humanistic Jews. In the humoring me, but I was also humoring them – complex journey we all take Jewishly, that they wanted me to believe in their story, and so winding road of longing and belonging, it is I pretended to. When I was a bit older, though, the questions we ask, driven by our interests I decided it was time to end the ruse. I told my and passions, that ultimately land us where we parents I had lost the tooth and was upset that want to be. That has certainly been true for me the tooth fairy wouldn’t be able to find it. They on my journey to the rabbinate. assured me that she could find it no matter where it was and turn it into a star. I hid the Einstein notes that we learn from yesterday tooth and, in the morning after the tooth fairy’s – and, indeed, the questions we ask of our past supposed visit, produced the tooth, declaring inform our becoming. Such questions might that I had disproved their story. My parents, of include, what of our past do we keep and what course, laughed. do we reject? The texts, practices, philosophies, and approaches to life of our ancestors can This is a parable and a parallel for how sometimes provide us with guidance and inspi- I came to find Humanistic Judaism and, ulti- ration. Sometimes we must break from the past mately, to become a rabbi in this movement. I when it no longer carries meaning. We respect felt for a while that I was humoring rabbis who tradition but do not enslave ourselves to it. spoke of God. I felt, too, that there was a greater How we question the past guides how we make truth that I could access. I wonder how much sense of our ancestry, our family histories, and my subterfuge about the tooth fairy came from our place in the great chain of humanity. my Jewish upbringing – I was raised to be a critical thinker, and a bit chutzpahdik. I think Me at 7 years old: I announce to my mother of Pesakh – I, being the youngest, had to ask that I am going to become Orthodox when I the four questions. And I really wanted to be am older (a decision influenced by an experi- the “wise child.” It seems to me that the four ence at a Lubavitch day camp, where we got questions and the four children of the Passover to braid !). A few weeks later I change Haggadah are connected: the kinds of questions my mind, having realized that as an Orthodox we ask are indicative of the people we are being Jew I couldn’t ask all of the questions about and becoming. religion that I wanted to without being treated with disdain. It makes me uncomfortable that Questioning is part of the intellectual heri- a religion with such deep roots could be made tage of Jewish culture, but especially so for Hu- nervous by my questions. What are they hid- manistic Jews. We are not content to hear stories ing? I wonder. I want my religion/culture and of the tooth fairy or of other mythical figures and critical inquiry too. So I abandon Orthodoxy simply do what we are told to please others. We but stick with questioning. have asked big questions about what kinds of persons, what kinds of Jews, we want to be. Rabbi Denise Handlarski is assistant rabbi of Oraynu Con- gregation for Humanistic Judaism in Toronto. This address, delivered at her ordination on November 16, 2013, at the Albert Einstein, a secular Jew, said: “Learn Birmingham Temple in Farmington Hills, Michigan, has been from yesterday, live for today, hope for to- adapted for publication.

Summer/Autumn 2013 31 Me at 14 years old: I join the Lubavitchers Yves, survivor of the Rwandan genocide, and on a trip to New York and also attend my first we hold hands singing together. secular Jewish conference. First, New York, where we stay with ultra-Orthodox families Me at 30 years old: I am struggling to finish in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. I admit that I find a Ph.D. in English in a poor academic mar- the whole thing rather charming. Their families ket. For many years I have been focused on my are so close, their community so lovely. But academic career, but I have reached a point at I experience simultaneous outrage: Why are which I realize I need a change. The academic the boys off to study while the girls prepare world can be awfully cynical. And although I dinner? Why do the men pray in a huge, airy thrive in contexts of academic and intellectual space while the women are crammed into a rigor, I have found nothing for my spiritual/ tiny space without even a proper view of the emotional side. We live in a time when people rabbi? Never a wallflower, I speak up about it. are very busy, manically so, yet so many feel The (rabbi’s wife) tries to explain (she empty. We live in a world in which people really believes!) that one can reconcile Ortho- are searching for meaning and inspiration dox Judaism and feminism. But I continue to but also want to hold on to their secular and have my doubts. rational selves. I want to be in the business of inspiring people. When I get to the secular Jewish confer- ence, where women not only are able to par- The rabbinic program has not only enabled ticipate fully but are espousing a decidedly me to become someone who is in a position feminist program, I think back to that rebbetzin. to lend this type of inspiration – through the Although she really wanted to make her God- weddings I officiate and the congregants with based Judaism and her feminism align, I have whom I connect – but has opened me up to seen enough to know it is too much of a stretch. a world of insight and meaning. It has been I just don’t believe that God, if he exists, wants a beautiful journey, one for which I’m very women to be subservient in the ways I wit- grateful. But, as Einstein suggests, our past is nessed. In fact, the very ways in which God is useful only if we use it to inform the present. used to promote such power politics make me Indeed, as Humanistic Jews, we by definition question his existence altogether. Although I must focus on the present. Secular means “of think women who stay within religious, and this world” – and, if we are not waiting for the especially Orthodox, Jewish communities and world to come, we have no choice but to focus fight for a feminist agenda are heroic, it isn’t on the here and now. my battle. I want to have my Judaism and my feminism too – and I discover that in Secu- One of the key questions we might ask lar Humanistic Judaism I can. In this Jewish about the present is “How do we find and community, my intellectual questioning is define meaning in our lives?” Someone re- valued – and it feels good. I want to believe that cently said to me that, in her view, humanism whatever iteration of Jewishness I practice, I is appealing for its rationality, but it’s a hard do not have to lie to myself. I want my rational road. She said that the world is just easier if and intelligent self to be connected with my you believe that someone is out there making Jewish self. decisions for you and taking care of you. I agreed with her – I do think it is easier to go Me at 26 years old: I am on a multicultural through life that way – but that isn’t a proof trip to Auschwitz and other camps in Poland. for the existence of God so much as proof that Because I am the granddaughter of Holocaust people are lazy. I have never had an interest survivors, I am asked to lead the group in in suspending my questioning, even tough singing “We Shall Overcome” at the site of questions like: Why is there so much suffering? the blown-up crematorium that the resistance Why do so many act so selflishly? How can managed to destroy. I stand alongside Stepha- we make change in the face of big challenges? nie, granddaughter of Polish antisemites, and These are the questions that drive my passion

32 Humanistic Judaism – be it for social justice, for the need to connect When I teach, I tell my students on the with others, or for purpose in my personal and first day: This course, the texts in it, each professional life. To defer to a deity our respon- film or speaker, are all designed to chal- sibility to seek answers to these questions is to lenge and change you. If you are the same shortchange ourselves of the chance to find the at the end of this course as you are right meaning that comes from attempting to answer now, this will have been a waste of time the questions and challenges of our day. We and energy. look around and see the work that must be done and we ask: what can we do? We look around That is also my approach to every service, and see the beauty, joy, and humor around us every holiday, every educational opportunity. and ask: what of this defines me, sustains me, Humanistic Jews believe in evolution – we and makes me fully who I am? evolve through challenges to and the engage- ment of our head, heart, and our hands. For My present is fueled and charged by this the head, we look for that which stimulates type of questioning. I have been inspired by re- our intellect; for the heart, we seek the mean- searching and delivering a program on Maurice ing that comes from heightened emotion; for Sendak as a story of transformation on Yom Kip- our hands, we hold to the belief that we have pur. Our teens at Oraynu recently interviewed the capacity to build the institutions and a Holocaust survivor named Brancha, who is communities that create the kind of world a member of our congregation, and forged in- we want. tergenerational links as they worked together to tell her story. I watched the teens at the SHJ The questions we ask of our past, present, youth conclave struggle and engage with the and future, and the answers we find to those questions of our present moment – from politics questions – driven by our passion, our sense to Jewish identity to finding a balance between of purpose, and our perception of truth – lend popular and intellectual aspects of life. I cel- meaning to life. These have been a few of ebrated Tu B’Shevat at my home with Oraynu’s my questions, my moments on my way to young adult members, discussing poetry, na- ordination. As a rabbi, it is a privilege and a ture, environmental justice, and storytelling. pleasure to be on a journey with the broader My present is continually being renewed and community – Oraynu and our whole move- redefined through such experiences. ment, including all of you. I am proud of our past, stimulated by where we are at the pres- Of our future, we ask questions of hope: ent, and very hopeful for our future. For me What do we hope for ourselves, our commu- as a rabbi, and for all of us in the common nity, our movement? What future moments can community of Humanistic Jews, I believe, we imagine? How many will be in our com- as Einstein says, that though we never know munity or congregation, and in what kind of where we’re going to end up or how we’re go- space? How have we changed, and how have ing to get there, “the important thing is not to we changed the lives of others? stop questioning.”

Summer/Autumn 2013 33 The Prophetic Tradition: Is it Ours? by Bennett Muraskin

The American Jewish historian Morris Were they then at least reformers? Not that Schappes, longtime editor of the magazine either, because reformers appeal to the public Jewish Currents, once wrote: for support to achieve their desired change. The prophets appealed only to the ruling and upper There are . . . two traditions in Jewish life classes. As Walzer, a liberal political and history. There is the tradition of the philosopher, observes, “They are not agitators Hebrew prophets and the tradition of those in the modern sense. They don’t aim to create who stoned the prophets. . . . We progres- a political or social movement; they make no sive Jewish secularists lay claim to the effort to organize their audience.”3 Prophetic tradition of challenging tyranny, poverty, oppression and war. Secularism without social action . . . is too thin for Unlike revolutionaries and reformers, the survival. We see this social action as based, prophets lacked a coherent program for a better in its broadest terms, on the social program society. To be sure, they condemned excessive of the Prophets, whom we abandon at concentration of wealth and the oppression our peril.1 of the poor, but they were utopians. In their mythical past every man lived “beneath his Schappes’ view was shared by a wide vari- vine and fig tree,” as a subsistence farmer or ety of Jewish liberals and leftists, including the shepherd. Cities and the social and commercial leadership of the Reform and Reconstructionist activities that typically develop within urban movements, and to a large extent still is. Irving centers are depicted as sources of corruption. Howe, the Jewish socialist who wrote World of Our Fathers and edited Dissent magazine, was Prophetic thinking was not rational. Con- one of the few who struck a skeptical note: vinced that they were instruments of God’s will, the prophets left no room for disagree- During the 1960s, some Jewish leftists tried ment or debate, for how could anyone question to ground their politics in the “prophetic God? Furthermore, the consequences attributed tradition” with the hope of thereby staking to not following their appeals were a host of out a claim to Jewish legitimacy. These ef- forts ignored the complex diversity of Jew- harsh collective punishments, including war, ish history since the Diaspora, as indeed famine, devastation, death, and ultimately before then. With enough wrenching one the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, could find “ancestors” in the Jewish past foreign conquest, and exile. Jeremiah, for ex- for almost any opinion.2 ample, prophesied against what he considered pagan religious practices within the Kingdom Well, who was right? of Judah. He was hated by the priests for this and punished and nearly killed by kings for The prophets were definitely not revolu- predicting and then welcoming the Babylo- tionaries. They did not seek to overturn the Bennett Muraskin, a frequent contributor to this journal, is monarchy or the priesthood. (The prophet the adult education chair of the Jewish Cultural School and Ezekiel was himself a priest.) The prophets Society of North Jersey. He is the author of Humanist Read- exhorted kings and priests and others among ings in (which is available from the Society for Humanistic Judaism, www.shj.org) and of Let Justice Well Up the Jewish elite to be righteous, but they did not Like Water. He is a union representative for higher education preach among the poor or call for social protest. faculty and other professionals in New Jersey.

34 Humanistic Judaism nian invasion that destroyed the Temple and better than any other people in God’s eyes and resulted in the exile of thousands of Jews. that God will punish Jews and non-Jews alike After the conquest, he preached submission for their transgressions. However, Amos does not to Babylonian rule and actively collaborated hold out any hope that the Israelites will repent. with the occupying power. Rather he predicts that God will send a foreign nation to exact his judgment by destroying the The prophets were not practical men, and kingdom of Israel.6 For this reason (not his con- their diplomatic skills left much to be desired. demnation of social injustice), the Israelite High With Jerusalem besieged by , Isaiah Priest orders him expelled back to Judah. counseled against seeking help from Egypt on the grounds that only God could save the Isaiah (which may have had two or three day. In fact most of the prophets were isola- authors) may well be the most appealing tionists, fearing any foreign alliances or influ- prophetic book. In the oft-quoted chapter 58, ences. As Avishai Margalit, an Israeli political verses 5-8, Isaiah reaches poetic heights: philosopher, has written, “The prophets . . . condemned Israel’s defense treaties with Egypt Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day and Assyria, both superpowers at the time, by for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow which the Jews . . . bought defense in return down his head as a bulrush, and to for accepting political subjugation and paying sackcloth and ashes under him? . . . taxes. For the prophets, such treaties sinfully Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to violated the true exclusivity of God, who must loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the be the sole source of providing protection heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go to Israel.”4 free, and that ye break every yoke?

Many on the invoke the proph- Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and ets as advocates for social justice. However, a that thou bring the poor that are cast out careful analysis shows that they did not chal- to thy house? when thou seest the naked, lenge the ruling elite. Their targets were those that thou cover him; and that thou hide not individuals within the elite who acted unjustly thyself from thine own flesh? toward the poor. If only the rich and powerful Then shall thy light break forth as the would stop committing these evil deeds, all morning, and thine health shall spring would be well. If not, the prophets did not forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall foresee social unrest or civil war, but divine go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall wrath that would indiscriminately strike the be thy reward. entire society, including the oppressed. Micah (3:12) declares in no uncertain terms that be- Only in Isaiah (11:6) do we read of the cause of the sins of the high and mighty, “Zion great day when the wolf will dwell with the shall be plowed as a field and Jerusalem shall lamb, the leopard will lie down with the kid, become a heap of ruins.” As Michael Walzer and the calf with the young lion. Isaiah (2:4) is asserts, “[The Prophets] seem to accept . . . that also where swords are famously beat into plow- Zion being plowed under and Jerusalem in shares so that “nation will not lift up sword ruins represent a just response to oppression against nation and never again will they learn and corruption.”5 war.” The same message of universal lasting peace is repeated in Micah (4:3). Micah (6:8) is Only for the prophet Amos is social justice the source of another lofty passage: “And what a top priority. It is in Amos 5:24 that we find does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to the poetic phrase “Let justice well up like wa- love mercy and walk humbly with your God.” ter, righteousness like a mighty stream,” which But occasionally one prophet contradicts an- was adopted by Martin Luther King and other other. In Joel 4:10, plowshares are beaten into American civil rights leaders. Amos is also the swords and war is celebrated. Even Isaiah is only prophet to declare that Jews may not be any capable of blood- threats:

Summer/Autumn 2013 35 The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; best known instances do not come from any it will fall on Israel. . . . Therefore the Lord of the prophetic books but involve prophets will take no pleasure in the young men,nor mentioned elsewhere in the Bible. In 2 Samuel will he pity the fatherless and widows, 11, Nathan reprimands King David for sending for everyone is ungodly and wicked, Uriah the Hittite to be killed in battle so that he every mouth speaks folly. . . . Surely wick- edness burns like a fire. . . . can take his wife Bathsheba. In 1 Kings 21, Eli- jah rebukes King Ahab for having a landowner By the wrath of the Lord Almighty the land killed so he can seize his property. These are will be scorched and the people will be fuel indeed remarkable instances of speaking truth for the fire; they will not spare one another. to power in a just cause. But Elijah has a much On the right they will devour, but still be darker side. He is responsible for the massacre hungry; on the left they will eat, but not of 450 priests of the god (1 Kings 18:22-40) be satisfied. Each will feed on the flesh of and 102 Moabite soldiers (2 Kings 1:10-14). their own offspring . . . : Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised (9:7-21). There are superior examples of “speaking truth to power” in the Bible. It is Abraham at The rhetoric is grand, but the message is grue- Sodom who challenges God not to “sweep away some. the innocent along with the guilty” (Gen. 18-23). It is Moses, after the incident, who At best, the prophets can be recognized for convinces God not to wipe out the entire Jewish “speaking truth to power.” Their “truth,” howev- people (Ex. 32:10-14). The Book of Job is a searing er, was not primarily a message of social justice, indictment of God’s injustice. There is one pro- but of religious conformity. The great majority phetic book, Habakkuk, with the same message. of the prophetic writings are directed against Habakkuk is the only prophet who questions the perceived threat of worshiping other gods God’s conduct and demands that he act justly, and practicing idolatry. Essentially, the prophets yet he is never cited by progressive Jews. These railed against what today we would consider figures ascend head and shoulders over the other religious pluralism. Their call for social justice prophets in “speaking truth to power” because comes in a distant second. Yet, as Sherwin Wine they do so in defense of human dignity. said, progressive or liberal Jews “choose only to notice the . . . verses that denounce the exploita- NOTES tion of the poor and conveniently fail to notice the . . . verses that predict the cruel and inhu- 1Schappes, Morris. “Social Action for Survival.” In man destruction of opponents and enemies. To Judith Seid (Ed.), Understanding Secular Humanis- read the Prophets is to wade through blood, gore tic Judaism (1990), p. 43. and supernatural visions, before finding the few 2 7 Howe, Irving. World of Our Fathers (Harcourt Brace, nuggets of humanitarian sentiment.” 1976), p. 623.

Contrary to Schappes, there is not one 3Michael Walzer in Michael Walzer, Menachem case in the in which a prophet Lorberbaum, Noam J. , & Yair Loberbaum is stoned. That occurs in the New Testament, (Eds.), The Jewish Political Tradition, Vol. 1: Author- where Jews are depicted stoning Christian ity (Yale University Press, 2000), p. 217. prophets. This leads me to believe that Schappes never read the prophets, relying 4Margalit, Avishai. “After Strange Gods.” New York rather on secondary sources that quote them Review of Books, October 9, 2003, p. 30. out of context. I expect most progressive Jews 5Michael Walzer, op. cit., p. 219. who invoke the prophets do the same. 6See Amos 5:26-27, 7:10-15. For all their posturing, there are not many cases where the prophets directly confront kings 7Wine, Sherwin. Judaism Beyond God (Society for or priests over their abuse of power. The two Humanistic Judaism, 1985), p. 204.

36 Humanistic Judaism A Celebration of Maurice Sendak by Rabbi Jodi Kornfeld

Maurice Sendak, an American writer and or “dark.” Sendak merely tried to treat children illustrator of children’s books, has been chosen with dignity and respect. He firmly believed that as this year’s Society for Humanistic Judaism children deserve to be told the truth, although Humanistic Jewish Role Model. Throughout in a language and medium they can understand. the year, Humanistic communities across North Sendak never shied away from controversial America will celebrate his life and work. subjects, much to the delight of his young audi- ences. He created worlds in which the joyful is Maurice Sendak was born June 10, 1928, in juxtaposed with the terrible, the celebratory with Brooklyn, and died May 8, 2012. The youngest the tragic, the delightful with the frightful. As of three children in an immigrant family, he was Rahel Musleah wrote, “The fantasy world that a sickly child, forced to remain alone indoors, Sendak endlessly recreates brims with the wild and he developed the desire to be an illustrator. and scary, with raw honesty and vulnerability His personal hero was Mickey Mouse. and, ultimately, with a measure of peace and hope. It also overflows with a Jewish spirit, its Sendak’s childhood thoughts were domi- core pierced by the horror of the Holocaust.”* nated by the Holocaust in Europe. His mother constantly reminded him that he was lucky to Whether in Where the Wild Things Are, In be alive while so many others perished. He lost the Night Kitchen, or Brundibar, Sendak takes family in the Holocaust and strove in his art to his child protagonists through frightening esca- pay respect to them. His illustrations for Isaac pades only to have them land safely back home. Bashevis Singer’s Zlateh the Goat and Other Though the Jewish experience often has not had Stories are based on the photographs of rela- such happy endings, it is a very Jewish journey tives who died; in this way Sendak was able to to overcome life’s obstacles and persevere with preserve their memory. Sendak said, “It seems to resilience. In describing his purpose, Sendak me that my entire life has been devoted to bring- said, “Art has always been my salvation. And ing back, to revivifying, those lost loved souls my gods are Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson, and to telling children the truth to the best of Mozart. I believe in them with all my heart. And my ability.” He also said, “I cry a lot because I when Mozart is playing in my room, I am in miss people. They die, and I can’t stop them. conjunction with something I can’t explain – I They leave me, and I love them more.” don’t need to. I know that if there’s a purpose for life, it was for me to hear Mozart. Or if I walk Sendak never had children of his own. He in the woods and I see an animal, the purpose enjoyed a half-century relationship with his of my life was to see that animal. I can recollect partner Eugene Glynn. it, I can notice it. I’m here to take note of it. And that is beyond my ego, beyond anything that Sendak received the Caldecott Medal belongs to me, an observer.” for Wild Things in 1964; the 1983 Laura In- galls Wilder Award; the 1998 Jewish Cultural Maurice Sendak reminds us to take notice Achievement Award; and the 2003 Astrid Lind- of what’s around us, to accept the darkness with gren Memorial Award. He received the Medal of the light, and to ride out whatever journey we Arts from President Clinton in 1996. Yet, despite are on. It is a very human message. these accolades, Sendak’s books are among those Rabbi Jodi Kornfeld is rabbi of Beth Chaverim Humanistic most often sought to be banned in public librar- Jewish Community in Highland Park, IL. ies, as many critics consider his works inappro- *Musleah, R. “The Call of the Wild.” Hadassah Magazine, priate for children because they are “disturbing” February 2004.

Summer/Autumn 2013 37 Free Will: Illusion or Reality? by Bertram H. Rothschild The concept of free will has been with us life, he pondered. The burglar insisted upon perhaps from the beginning of human conscious- a response, whereupon the miserly Benny ness. We love the notion of a capacity to choose replied, “I’m thinking.” independently between this and that; our egos demand freedom, freedom of choice. It seems What is the significance offree in the con- so obvious that we have free will, just as it once struction free will? Free of what? What is it seemed obvious that the sun rotated around the that might bind or control our will? One kind earth. Yet, philosophers who have examined of unfree will is thought to be controlled by the question of the existence of free will have coercion – a Hobson’s choice, which offers no reached no satisfactory conclusion. There is no real choice at all. Yet, people do choose death evidence for free will, but there can be no way of over dishonor or die in service of a higher conclusively establishing that it does not exist; cause, as martyrs have done. The other kind it is impossible to prove a negative. Thus, free of unfree will is more subtle, a function of will remains an assertion, a conjecture. We sense forgotten life events and unknowable genetic it but cannot demonstrate it. dispositions. When we choose, we do so in an aura of freedom, but we are essentially inca- More than one hundred years ago, a French pable of knowing the basis of our choice. philosopher stated that if there were no free will we would have to invent it. Although the Notice that free will must always be con- concept of will, like that of the soul, has no scious. It is hard to imagine how we could standing in the scientific exploration of human choose while unconscious or with diminished behavior, it remains embedded in our legal mental capacity. How can a will be free if it system, in religion, and in everyday parlance. is influenced or controlled by unconscious It is hard to imagine a society without it. It forces? Unconscious has two meanings. One is the primary basis for assigning blame and describes persons in a coma, who lack any justifying punishment. Western religions have ability to communicate and very likely any pushed the notion as a way of sorting out the capacity to think or make decisions. The other virtuous from the sinners. People are assumed meaning is lack of awareness of forces that in- to be independent choosers, and if they make fluence our decisions. In one study, customers the wrong choice, off to Hell (or its equivalent)! seeking to purchase a car were seated either on a hard chair or a soft one. The original price was What is this “will” that is modified by the purposely set too high, and they were asked to adjective free? The will is a supposed mental make a counter-offer. Those on the hard chair trait that determines how we will direct efforts averaged about $300 less than those on the soft in our lives. “Which way will you go? “ “How chair. Both groups believed they had exercised will you accomplish that?” “What will you free will and had no idea what determined the do?” What people mean by will is purposive, amount they offered. directed thinking or behavior aimed toward a particular goal or solution. Our task in life Another example: Social scientists have is to choose, among the myriad opportunities found that college football games help decide and demands, the direction that best suits us. Bertram H. Rothschild, Ph.D. (deceased), was a member of Remember the old Jack Benny joke? Confronted Beth Ami, Colorado Congregation for Humanistic Judaism in by a burglar who demanded his money or his Denver, and a frequent contributor to this journal.

38 Humanistic Judaism the outcome of elections. If the home team dispositions and hidden learnings – are always triumphs, more people are likely to vote for with us. the incumbent, enough so that in a close elec- tion the incumbent wins. Of course, the voters Scientists using very sensitive instruments insist they exercised free will in choosing. can observe the brain making decisions. By Think of the voters who choose based upon their laboratory wizardry, they can tell when a how the candidate looks or sounds. These look decision is reached, sometimes as long as eight like free choices, but what is it that leads up seconds before the person making the decision to the choice? How does a person choose one knows it. How can a person be responsible candidate or course of action over another? for what her brain decides before she knows it? And yet, our legal system relies on an as- Behavior has two sources: genetics and sumption of free will. When people do socially learning. Science has lately informed us that wrong things, society feels the need to assign much of our behavior is a function of our physi- blame and provide appropriate punishment. cal inheritance; we do what our genes “tell” us We send offenders to jails and penitentiaries to do, though we do not know it. From birth, we in the hope that they will change their ways, are genetically different from all others with the learn that they cannot get away with antisocial exception of identical twins. I like salty, oily behavior. Sometimes we kill them if the crime foods, such as , potato chips, hot is heinous and the defense can find no mitiga- dogs, and ; others avoid them. Yet I have tion. (Interestingly, mitigation often focuses learned from my doctors and from sad experi- on unconscious motives leading to the crime.) ence that eating such foods in copious amounts Such punishments are pure retaliation. We is very bad for me, so I choose to refrain from want revenge for nefarious acts of imputed ingesting them. What is the basis of my choice? free will. Is it free will? When I think about it, I realize that I do not want to be fat. I also recall that There is also moral blame, which is the my mother was angry with my once-fat father. I province of religion. The sinner is tainted with grew up knowing that fat was a social disaster. evil, and unless the evil is eliminated, off to But why don’t I want to be fat? Why do I care Hell! During the Middle Ages, there were two about social approval? Why do I care about my legal systems: the standard jurisprudence that mother’s anger? The questions pile up; when sought to identify and reform criminals and I think about how my history determines my the religious system, which sought to drive now, I have to accept my ignorance. out evil.

Much of our understanding of life depends If there is no free will – if blaming malefac- upon learnings no longer in our conscious- tors for their behavior is foolish – how shall ness. A woman complained that she could we cope with them? We cannot let them run not be without a man even for a night. When free and do harm; we must restrain them. But, her husband had to be away, she always found considering the vast amount of resources de- some male to share her bed. She hated herself voted to punishment and retaliation, perhaps for her infidelity and had no clue as to why we might refocus on how to transform them. she behaved that way. After much work, she That raises an interesting dilemma. Suppose a and her therapist discovered that she was ter- murderer were rehabilitated so he is no more rified of being lesbian because she believed likely to murder than the average citizen. she would wind up in Hell. A man’s presence Should he be executed or jailed, or should he was “proof” that she was straight. The hows, be set free? whys and whens of the development of such ideas were painfully teased out over hours of Rehabilitation programs raise a more fun- therapy. Such cases tell us that without knowl- damental question: if free will is an illusion, edge of the forces impinging on “free will,” is change possible? Are we nothing but robots it has no meaning, and those forces – genetic predestined to act in specific ways? Of course

Summer/Autumn 2013 39 not. We are persistently engaged with reality, enterprise in which people aim to confirm their exposed to contrary ideas, challenged by op- concepts of reality or discover new ones, and posing beliefs, and guided to “better” ways of to do this as objectively as possible. Boyle’s life. Whole societies make profound shifts, for law concerning the inverse relationship be- example, from slavery to freedom, based on tween the volume and pressure of a gas is a significant number of individuals changing inflexible; the earth travels around the sun, their minds. The story tells us and not vice versa. Such findings collide with that humans are not satisfied with the status previously unexamined ideas, and the result quo, that by nature we are impelled to trade is transformation. Yet, despite the scientific comfort for reality. Throughout the world and consensus about climate change, many people throughout history humans have tried to make deny it. Our unfree will makes it hard to accept things better, through clothing, adornment, new ideas. body esthetics, or discovery and transformation of the environment. Homo sapiens left Africa What would be the consequences of giving and populated the earth, perhaps in search of up belief in free will? Abandoning that delusion more hospitable lands or perhaps just out of would mean that we could no longer assign mor- wanderlust. We seek the novel; the status quo al blame. Blame, after all, is a way of expressing is never good enough. With the earth heavily moral superiority over others. I do not mean that populated, we reach out to the heavens. our legal system should stop identifying who did what and when and what the consequences So, we can learn new ideas and perspec- should be, but self-congratulation would no tives – but only within the parameters of our longer inform our decisions. To rephrase an old historical and genetic capacity. Science is an saw, there but for chance go I.

40 Humanistic Judaism A View from the Waiting Room by Marla Davishoff As the mother of two boys with special ing our kids, the waiting room is often our only needs, I have spent many hours during the past respite from the crisis we now call life. We twelve years in waiting rooms. It isn’t unusual knit, read, plan dinners, do our nails, celebrate for our family’s weekly therapy hours to clock birthdays, and even write essays, all in each in at double digits. Most days I am fortunate other’s company. to wait in the lobby with other moms. Many of these women are my dearest friends, my Recently one of the moms wondered aloud “sisters,” so to speak. whether we ever would have become friends had it not been for our kids. The honest answer Emily Perl Kingsley’s “Welcome to Hol- is no. Our paths never would have crossed. Our land” is part of our first year initiation ritual. group includes an accountant, a professional The poem describes how parents of kids with clown, a lawyer, a landscape artist, a univer- special needs thought they were taking a trip sity professor, a social worker, a dentist, and to Italy, where families not affected by dis- a recovering addict. Our various backgrounds abilities live, but instead ended up in Holland, remind us that disabilities don’t discriminate. where special needs families reside. The author We are all vulnerable. But we also recognize promises that one day parents of disabled kids that the common thread that connects us is will find the tulips in Holland and appreciate much stronger than any other stitch in our being Dutch. In other words, in time we will individual tapestries. realize that Holland is not worse, just different from Italy. Although spending a lifetime walking in wooden clogs is more uncomfortable than Ital- During the first few years following a di- ian leather will ever be, my body grew callouses agnosis many of us need to cling to that hope. to endure the pain. But make no mistake: a day At some point, though, reality sets in. After doesn’t go by when I wouldn’t jump at the op- years of literally waiting, we realize that often portunity to move to Italy. Yes, even if it meant the reward for hard work is simply more hard saying goodbye to my Dutch friends. work. As our kids get older, different issues arise. Driving, housing, and employment con- When I first heard the adage “There are cerns replace talking, walking, and reading. friends for a reason, friends for a season, and friends for a lifetime,” I didn’t recognize the With each passing year, we are more honest value of having friends for a reason. But it is not with ourselves and with each other about what just a job raising children with special needs; it the future holds. Resigned to living in the real- is an all-consuming lifestyle. And, as long as I ity of Holland, we develop a deep connection continue to spend many of my waking hours in with each other. We commiserate about our lobbies, I am fortunate beyond words to have fights with schools and insurance companies, other Dutch women sitting on the commercial our fights with our parents and spouses and, grade couches and vinyl chairs with me so I perhaps most importantly, our fights with don’t have to wait out this permanent detour ourselves. We fret over whether we are doing in my life’s journey all alone. everything we can for everyone we care for. Marla Davishoff, a licensed clinical social worker who lives Could any of this possibly be our fault? with her husband and two sons in the Chicago suburbs, is a member of Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation in Besides our emotional connection to each Lincolnshire, IL. She has written for Chicago Parent, North Shore, Special Parent, and three anthologies: The Elephant other, there is a great deal of companionship. in the Playroom (2007), Special Gifts (2007), and Overcom- Since many of us spend our days case manag- ing (forthcoming).

Summer/Autumn 2013 41 ARTS/LITERATURE Jewishness, Food, and Starving for Attention by Marti Keller The subject of Jewishness and food includes the issue of eating disorders, with several recent stud- ies indicating a rise in the problem for Jewish women and girls. These disorders – anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating – affect the entire Jewish community, from the irreligious to the ultra-Orthodox. Mental health professionals point out that food is a central part of Jewish culture and is prepared in abundance for Shabbat and holiday meals. This focus on, even preoccupation with, food is said to exacerbate eating disorders for those who struggle with these syndromes. The first poem below was written shortly after I recovered from this mental illness in 1970. It was originally published in Chomo-Uri (Fall/Winter 1976). The second poem was written last year.

Anorexia Sometimes I remember those days The constant turquoise afternoons of those days with a dry horror at the passing of that were mine and not yet mine and yet are hours I had no share in living. mine often now My hips thrust out brittle and sharp, in the push and weight of adult years, the splintered wood floor, the slack and fat of peach and French stiff legs in a skeleton’s gymnasium. vanilla .

The bloated stomach, sunken cheeks, I remember sometimes the keen objectivity of the cache of sugar at midnight, madness: the hard-boiled egg I made last all day the crumbs beneath the pillow, against a gnawing hunger the half-finished , that went away after four months. the summer chill.

And me, light and giddy above this body, a lilt in my voice and my steps swift along the lethargic street. Television Anorexic There’s a thin silver ring piercing Her navel. Other than that her belly could have been Mine with pale rolls of slack skin We both mistook for fat, for shame.

Marti Keller, a Unitarian/Universalist minister, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Society for Humanistic Judaism. She co-edited Jewish Voices in Unitarian Universalism (2014).

42 Humanistic Judaism Board of Directors Executive Committee Andrea Friedlander President Larry Lawrence Vice-President E. Ronald Milan Treasurer Rabbi Jeffrey Falick Secretary Louis Altman Past President

Stephanie Blum

Directors The Society for Humanistic Judaism was Roger Addelson Marti Keller established in 1969 to provide a humanis- David Borden Rob Lasker tic alternative in Jewish life. The Society Marlene Cohen Jon Levine for Humanistic Judaism mobilizes people Paula Creed Richard Logan to celebrate Jewish identity and culture Susan Davis Sheila Malcolm consistent with a humanistic philosophy of Susan Friedman Suzanne life, independent of supernatural authority. Judi Gladstone Ellen Rapkin Rick Gold Susan Ryan The Society for Humanistic Judaism: Daniel Golombek Miki Safadi Denise Handlarski BJ • Helps to organize Humanistic Jewish Susan Herschman Cary Shaw communities — congregations Lee Jacobi Bert Steinberg and havurot. Bob Jacobson Barry Swan Paul Kadish Gary Zarnow

• Enables Humanistic Jews throughout Chip Kass the world to communicate with one Abby Ulman another. Teen Representatives Colin Klein • Serves the needs of individual Young Adult Liaison Humanistic Jews who cannot find communities that espouse their beliefs. Executive Director M. Bonnie Cousens

• Creates celebrational, inspirational, Rabbi and educational materials. Miriam Jerris

HuJews Youth Associate • Promotes the training of rabbis, Miriam Rubin leaders, and teachers for Humanistic Jewish communities. Editors, Humanistic Judaism Ruth Duskin Feldman • Provides a voice for Humanistic Jewish M. Bonnie Cousens values. Editor, Humanorah Harriet Maza

• Belongs to an international community Founder of Secular Humanistic Jews. Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine 1928-2007 Society for Humanistic Judaism Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage 28611 West Twelve Mile Road PAID Farmington Hills, Michigan Farmington Hills, MI 48334 Permit No. 349

Address Service Requested

Membership in the Society for Humanistic Judaism includes subscription to this publication.