Our Newsletter

Adar-Nisan 5776 Our Newsletter

North Fork Reform Synagogue Member of the Union for Reform Judaism Web Site: www.northforkreformsynagogue.org

Message from the Rabbi Message from the President

Shalom

On June 3rd, we will read from parshat Bechukotai, the last chapter in the book of Leviti- As I write this column the North Fork is turning cus. In Bechukotai, we learn about the Jubilee or green. Trees are sprouting leaves and the Sabbatical year, the year when we are command- lawns are coming to life. The Ospreys are back ed to refrain from working the land and allow it to and many of our snow birds have returned as rest. well. As is customary this time of year we cele- We read that we are forbidden from selling brate Purim and Passover. We also conduct the land "beyond reclaim" (Leviticus 25:23), even our annual Women’s Service. This year we when such a sale might bring profit, because, God held an all-new Purim Shpiel using Dr. Seuss tells us, "the land is Mine; you are but strangers as a theme. A good time was had by all. Our resident with Me" (Leviticus 25:23). Rabbi Beth Ka- Women’s Service was the result of a great deal lish teaches, “God's words are a lesson in grati- tude, a lesson that is fundamental to the Jewish of hard work and dedication of Ruth Eilenberg way of being in the world.” We learn that, just as and Kay Freeman. It is truly a wonderful exam- the land is not ours, neither are its produces. The ple of a tradition that was started years ago and ability to learn to cultivate the land and reap suc- had developed and improved each year, much cess is our privilege; this opportunity is a blessing, as fine wine. As has also been part of that cus- and not a gift to be taken for granted. tom, a very copious oneg was provided by the I have had the great privilege of partnering men of our congregation. with you, the members, builders, and visionaries of the North Fork Reform Synagogue. You have given me the opportunity to learn and grow, and work- In May we have a good deal of exciting items to ing with you has been a blessing that has prepared look forward to. We conclude our 2016 Cine- th me for continued growth and learning. matic Series on April 30 with a showing of A NFRS is a remarkable community. You cre- Borrowed Identity, a complex story about a Pal- ate many opportunities to learn together and be estinian Israeli’s life being a 10% minority together even beyond services and onegs. The amongst the Jewish community in Israel. On book of Leviticus has one main message: Sunday May 1, our congregant Joel Klein (a “Kedoshim t’hiyu—You shall be holy, for Adonai, renowned archeologist) will lead a Program on your God is holy.” Together, we shared in many the irrefutable facts modern archeology has de- holy moments this year: The introduction of our termined about the existence of the Holocaust. new High Holiday machzorim (prayer books), the th annual Foodie Tour, the celebration of Simchat To- Our book club will be meeting on May 7 and our final adult education conducted by Rabbi (Continued on page 2) Jade will also take place that day. More details on all of these events can be found on our website. (Continued on page 2) Page 1

(Continued from page 1, from the Rabbi) (Continued from page 1, from the President rah—when we unrolled the entire Torah around the sanctuary, lighting Channukah candles together, joining together to celebrate the young As most of you know Marcia and Steve Weinstein people in our congregation as Hudson and Miles long standing members of our congregation and helped to lead Shabbat evening services, singing Steve being the Editor of our Newsletter have relo- the Song of the Sea on shabbat shira (though we cated to New Jersey. In recognition of the years of were scheduled for a blizzard later that night), service the Weinstein’s have given to our Syna- Hudson’s bar mitzvah on March 12th, the Seuss- style Purim schpiel, the annual Women’s Ser- gogue we are holding a “farewell party” in their hon- vice, the Yom HaShoah Memorial service, the or. The party will be held at the home of Sara and generous support and care you continue to pro- Jerry Levin on May 21. We are also holding our vide to members of this community, the participa- summer party at the home of Ellen Zimmerman on tion of so many life-long learners and teachers in June 4th honoring Rabbi Jade Sank who will be lively and enriching adult Hebrew and adult edu- leaving us at that time. cation sessions, and in so many more moments of kadosh—of holiness, this year. We received notice from Hebrew Union College You are an inspiring group of learners and leaders who have created a community that is so about our upcoming student Rabbi for the 2016- warm and welcoming. This year has been one of 2017 year. The individual selected is Tobias Moss. immense growth for me. I have learned so much Tobias has been an outstanding student with vast from each of you. It has been a true privilege to experience belying his years. He is also very musi- be with you this year and I cannot thank you cally focused and we are looking forward to fully uti- enough for this opportunity, for your wisdom, and lizing all of his talents. Please look elsewhere in this for your partnership. newsletter for more information about Tobias. When we finish a book of the Torah, or mark a milestone in our learning, we say “Chazak! Chazak! v’nitchazek!—Strength! I am pleased to tell you that we have reached an Strength! And may we strengthen one another!” agreement with Temple Israel of Riverhead and May you, the North Fork Community, go from Tifereth Israel of Greenport to continue our newly strength to strength. May you continue to bless established tradition of holding a “joint” beach ser- your student rabbis with opportunities to learn vice with all of the North Fork Congregations. The and grow, may you continue to strengthen one services will be jointly led by Rabbi Gadi Capela of another at all moments of holiness and may you Tifereth Israel and Rabbi Michael Rascoe of Temple be blessed with continued learning, warm com- th munity, and peace. Israel. The joint service will be held on June 17 at Kenny’s beach in Southold. A Kosher meal will be Student Rabbi Jade Sank provided by the participating synagogues. The exact time of the dinner and services is still being deter- mined. Please check our website for the final details as they materialize. Join us at our Summer Party Our Foodie Tour committee has been hard at work. On June 4th; 2:00-4:00 PM Our Tenth Annual Foodie Tour will be held on Sun- To say goodbye to Rabbi Jade day September 11th. As you all are aware the Food- ie Tour is our major fund raising event, without At the home of Ellen Zimmerman which we would be unable to maintain our dues East Marion, NY structure and other costly events. One of the things we rely heavily on is our congregants, their families and friends to act as docents at the Foodie Tour. I cannot stress enough that we need the assistance (Continued on page 4)

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10th Anniversary Foodie Tour! Save the Date Newsletter Sponsorship This Newsletter is sponsored by : Hard to believe but plans are already well under Joan and Eugene Kuchner way to make this 10th Anniversary North Fork Foodie Tour the best yet! In loving memory of their parents: We're asking you to mark your calendars Harriet and Howard Freeman now...Sunday, September 11, 2016...and save the date, so that when Miriam Lastoria calls you to ask you to be a docent, your answer can be yes! Our docents are valuable re- sources...without them we can't have a Foodie Tour...with more of them, we can accommodate more vendors and expand the tour. Please ask your family to mark the date as well...we can really use their help. Remember, all docents get a free wristband and can visit the Foodie Tour when they are not working. Upcoming Book Club March 26th Help us make this, the 10th Anniversary of the People of the Book, North Fork Foodie Tour, a resounding success. by Geraldine Brooks. Kay F and Ellen Z

Inspired by a true story, People of the Book is a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity by an acclaimed and beloved author. This ambitious, electrifying work traces the harrowing journey of the famed Sara- SYNAGOGUE OFFICERS jevo Haggadah, a beautifully illuminated Hebrew manuscript created in fifteenth-century Spain. When it falls to Hanna Heath, an Australian rare- Steven Hill...... President book expert, to conserve this priceless work, the series of tiny artifacts she discovers in its ancient Margo Lowry.....Vice President binding-an insect wing fragment, wine stains, Kay Freeman...... VP, Treasurer salt crystals, a white hair-only begin to unlock its Ellen Love...... Secretary deep mysteries and unexpectedly plunges Han- na into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultra- Barbara Sheryll...... Trustee nationalist fanatics. Howard Eilenberg...... Trustee Ellen Zimmerman...... Trustee May 7, 10:00AM At the home of Kay and Irwin Irwin Freeman....Past President Freeman

The discussion will be led by Howard Eilenberg

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(Message from the President Continued from page 2) Our New Student Rabbi of all in order to conduct this wonderful event. In Our new Student the recent past we have send emails requesting additional volunteers to join our existing commit- Rabbi for 2016- tees and help make the wheels at the NFRS run 2017 smoothly. I am embarrassed to tell you that only I am pleased to an- nounce that Hebrew one single person has responded affirmatively to Union College has se- these requests. It is not my intent to lecture read- lected Tobias Moss to ership, but please understand that we are a very become our new stu- small congregation and we need hands-on in- dent Rabbi for the up- volvement to make things happen. If you like coming year. what we do and want us to continue doing what we do, please do not turn a deaf ear when you Tobias Divack Moss grew up in Tenafly, New Jer- are asked to pitch in and help, whether it is for the sey, and later attended Washington University in Foodie Tour or other committees. St. Louis, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History. During his education Tobi- I look forward to seeing all of you at our various celebrations and certainly at our Beach Services. as achieved outstanding academic credentials graduating Magna Cum Laude. Prior to beginning Shalom HUC's Rabbinical Program, he worked in business analytics and studied at the Pardes Institute’s beit Steven Midrash. Tobias has served as a music, prayer, and educational leader at JCC Ranch Camp, American University’s Hillel High Holiday services, and scholar-in-residence seminars in Istanbul, Cri- NEWSLETTER SOPNSORSHIP Please consider sponsoring a NFRS Newsletter. mea, and Ecuador. Tobias has held various Pulpit Complete as Follows: positions in the past including High Holidays at I enclose a check payable to the North Fork Reform Washington University. This past year he acted as Synagogue in the amount of $100. a religious educator of 4 and 5 year old students at My Name: ______Ansche Chesed & East End Temple in NYC. This Address: coming summer he will serve as a chaplain intern ______at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. We hope to Reason for Sponsorship: use Tobias’ musical skills to continue music during

Memory of Loved One: Name: our services. Word has it that he sports a mean ______Special Occasion: (describe) guitar in addition to other musical instruments. ______Other: (please describe) ______Please complete this form and enclose your check and mail to: North Fork Reform Synagogue, PO Box 1625, Southold, NY 11971

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An item of interest from the URJ

calls an “autoimmune disease,” something within the religious tradition that is self-destructive, but too Is Religion often invisible to its adherents. As he explains it, this disease has two core features: “God-intoxication” and “God-manipulation.” God-intoxication occurs when people are so over- Blind to Its whelmed by God’s presence that they seem to for- get the needs of other people and the ethical de- mands of their religion’s teachings. A prime exam- Own Flaws? ple, he says, is the binding of Isaac (Genesis 22). BY RABBI ROBERT ORKAND , 4/19/2016 Blinded by his faith in God, Abraham was willing to sacrifice his own son. The same blindness can af- flict suicide bombers who will kill innocent children while declaring, “Allah is Great!” God-manipulation occurs when God is invoked “to serve the self-interests of the anointed to the exclu- sion of all others.” It embraces the notion that God has chosen one monotheistic faith tradition over another and blesses the actions of the favored group unconditionally. Rabbi Hartman notes that one of the saddest episodes in the Bible is Jacob’s steal- Hardly a week goes by without news of religious ing his father’s blessing from the older son, Esau. extremists committing atrocities against people of When Esau asks their father Isaac, “Do you have any other faiths in the name of God or some other holy blessing for me?” Isaac says “no.” God-manipulation allows cause. As a result, “religion” itself has been put on that one God can bless only one son, making God’s bless- trial. ing a zero-sum game among competing faith systems. The world is divided into those who are beloved and those who Is religion to blame for the moral failures of the are not, those who have been chosen and those who have world, as some charge, or is it humankind’s best not. Rabbi Hartman points to the history of Judaism, Chris- hope for peace? tianity, and Islam as a struggle for religious domination, In his eminently readable new book, Putting God which often turns to violence when the balance of power Second: How to Save Religion from Itself (Beacon shifts. Press), Rabbi Donniel Hartman, an Orthodox rabbi and teacher who is president of the prestigious As important as diagnosing the disease is finding the cure. Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, has jumped boldly into this debate. Frustrated with what he calls “religion’s moral un- To that end, Rabbi Hartman believes that each religion derachievement,” he asks: If religion is supposed to must first look within. He reminds us that religion’s role is to bring enlightenment to the world, why do so many be a “moral mentor, reminding, cajoling, exhorting, and at people who believe in a benevolent God fail to live times threatening its adherents to check their self-interest and become people who see others, who cannot remain up the moral standards of their faith? indifferent, and who define their religious identities as His central and most profound contention is that agents of moral good.” misguided individuals do not weaken religions; rather, it is something inherent in monotheistic religions themselves – and that something is none oth- Jews who are not meeting their moral obligations must ask: er than God! Are we doing something in the name of Judaism that un- Upon entering our lives, Rabbi Hartman explains, dermines its highest moral and ethical ideals? God can inspire people to reach moral heights and be a force for good. Human history offers ample evidence of people responding to religion’s call to love their neighbors as they love themselves. But God can also lead people to moral blindness. (Continued on page 7) At the root of this blindness is what Rabbi Hartman Page 5

NEW FROM NFRS Book Notes

Now you can easily acknowledge a simcha or By Jerry Levin other event in the lives of family or friends with a hand-inscribed tribute card that can be sent for you. I loved Steven Nadler’s Rembrandt’s Jews. The This is an excellent opportunity to let the recipient Jews in questions were primarily Portuguese know that you have made a donation to the syna- conversos (forced converts)—merchants and pro- gogue to commemorate the occasion. Unless you fessionals—who were all too successful as “New Catholics” in the Iberian Peninsula and were now request it, the amount of the contribution will not fleeing an Inquisition that relentlessly sought appear. By giving tzeddakah you are supporting signs of secret Judaizing. The Inquisition used the synagogue while offering your congratulations spies and torture, traumatizing an entire society, or condolences. We suggest a minimum donation reducing it to living in constant fear. The Spanish of $18 (chai). came up with the notion of “purity of the blood,” turning religious anti-Semitism into racial anti- To send a card contact Kay Freeman at 631 722- Semitism, a prefiguration of the Nazis’ racial 5712 or [email protected]. By mail, send laws. Generally unwelcome in most of Western your request with a check payable to North Fork Europe (there were exceptions; Venice and Ham- burg come to mind) the conversos, now openly Reform Synagogue, Tribute Fund, PO Box 1625 returning to Judaism, found refuge in the Nether- Southold, NY 11971. lands, which had just fought a bloody and brutal Include recipient’s name, mailing address, occa- war of independence from Catholic Spain and its Hapsburg monarchs. So to speak, the Dutch and sion being commemorated, donor’s name, address, these returnees to Judaism were natural allies. phone number and amount of contribution if you Nevertheless, Jews’ acceptance into Dutch soci- wish to have it included. ety was uneven and quite slow, taking more than 100 years till they got full rights as well as citizen- ship. The major reason for their acceptance was the commercial skills they brought with them, and indeed, they were to play a major role in the Dutch “Golden Age.” Apart from these pragmatic considerations, it is not entirely surprising that the Dutch welcomed the Jews, however ambivalent- ly, given that Holland was the most liberal state in Europe and had provided refuge to Quakers, An- abaptists, and those of the “Protestant Left” as well as the philosophers René Descartes, John Locke, and Thomas Hobbes. Rembrandt lived for many years among the Sephardim. So Rem- brandt’s Jews were neighbors, in some cases friends, models for his biblical paintings, patrons, artistic advisors in such matters as the Hebrew calligraphy that appears in some of his paintings, and occasionally opponents in lawsuits. There is controversy over how pro-Semitic Rembrandt was. Nadler notes that the relationship has been romanticized, yet comes to the conclusion that Rembrandt’s Jewish neighbors importantly influ- enced both his art and his life.

(Continued on page 10)

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A Special Concert at (From the URJ Continued from page 5) the Cutchogue Presbyterian Church

This question is particularly pressing now, suggests Rab- On Saturday May 14th, the Church will, in con- bi Hartman, because Jews are no longer powerless. As a subjugated people, it was easy for them to raise the bar junction with The Douglas Moore Committee, hold of moral consciousness. Now that Jews have power as the 5th Annual Organ Concert at 3 pm in the the majority sovereign in Israel and considerable clout in Church sanctuary. As in the past, two Juilliard or- America, it is much harder to live up to the moral stand- ganists will perform on our beautiful Kilgen organ. ards demanded of our tradition. Rabbi Hartman calls on his fellow Israelis: “Do not cast all external critics as hos- A reception will follow in Fellowship Hall. tile enemies. If you do, you will lose a profound resource for moral self-renewal. To the contrary, actively cultivate All are welcome to attend this amazing event the voices, and embrace the judgments, of outsiders who articulate an independent moral standard.” No charge for admission

Birthdays and Anniversaries May Birthdays June Birthdays May 5 – Mel Levine June 1 – Ellen Love May 8 – Ronald Hellman June 5 – Nohra Corredor May 9 – Bert Spitz -Gavyn Drago May 10 – Kathleen Grossman June 14 – Jerry Levin May 17 – Stephanie Bogart June 14 – Miriam Schwartz May 23 – Jay Slotkin June 17 – Stuart Grossman June 18—Ellen Gilman May Anniversaries June 28 – Marc Sheryll May 15 – Sara Zarem & Jerry Levin June 29 – Steve Hill May 24 – Joan & Mike Furst June 30 – Sharna Nicholson June Anniversaries June 7 – Kay & Irwin Freeman June 15 – Margo & Andy Lowry June 16 – Sue & Sandy Hanauer June 17 – Joanne Davis & Jay Slotkin

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Chef’s Corner from the heat and whisk in the milk till thoroughly blended. Return to medium heat and cook, stirring Brett's Favorite Mac 'n' Cheese until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from My grandson, Brett, age 14, would eat mac 'n' the heat and stir in the mustard and the 10 ounces cheese three meals a day. This is his favorite! of cheddar cheese, the salt, pepper, nutmeg and hot sauce. 1 cup diced onion 2. Meanwhile cook the pasta until just al dente. 2 tbl unsalted butter Drain but do not rinse. Stir immediately into the 2 tbl flour prepared cheese sauce until well blended. Adjust 2 cups low fat milk the seasonings. 1 tbl Dijon mustard 3. Spoon the mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Top with the remaining 2 ounces of cheddar 10 oz sharp white cheddar cheese, cheese and the Parmegiano-Reggiano. Refrigerate grated, plus 2 ounces if desired. Salt and pepper to taste 4. To serve, let the dish return to room temp. Pre- heat the oven to 400 degrees, bake about 30 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg minutes, until the mixture is hot and bubbling 1/4 tsp hot sauce (optional) throughout, and golden. 12 ounces cavatappi or elbow macaroni (yields 3-4 servings as a main dish, 6 servings as a 2 tbl grated Parmigiano Reggiano side dish.)

Preparation 1. In a large saucepan, cook onion in the melted Recipe deliciously supplied by Kay Freeman butter under low heat, until onion is soft, but not browned, 5-7mminutes. Stir in the flour. Remove

Remembering Your Departed Loved Ones

Last year we dedicated our newest bronze Memorial Plaque, underwritten by the generosity of our members, Arlene and Ed Fox. This plaque, which is hung next to our first memorial plaque in the vestibule as you enter the front door of the sanctuary, continues to offer our members the opportunity to memorialize their loved ones. The tablet accommodates 30 individual nameplates to memorialize our departed loved ones. Each 2 inch by l0 inch nameplate features a light to be lit on the yahrzeit of the deceased as well as on Yom Kippur. The memorialized names will also be featured in our Book of Remembrance on Yom Kippur. The member may choose to have the English name of the deceased on the plaque…or both the English and the Hebrew names. The donation for each nameplate is $500. Several of our members have already ordered nameplates for the new memorial wall. Please note that, because of the limited number of memorial nameplates available, this opportunity is open only to members of the North Fork Reform Synagogue.

Please contact Irwin Freeman ([email protected] or 722-5712) for an order form or for further information. Page 8

North Fork Reform Synagogue Member of the Union for Reform Judaism

UPCOMING EVENTS Sunday May 1 A special program given by our congregant Dr. Joel Klein. “The Archeology of the Holocaust”. 2:00PM at the Peconic Lane Recreation Center annex.

Friday, May 6 Shabbat Services 8:00PM, Yom HaShoah Host for the Rabbi, Howard and Ruth Eilenberg, Oneg Provided by Stephanie and George Zinger Saturday, May 7 Book Club 10:00AM at the home of Kay and Irwin Freeman. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, discussion led by Howard Eilenberg Adult Education 4:00PM at the home of Ellen Love Friday, May 20 Shabbat Services 8:00PM Host for the Rabbi, Kay and Irwin Freeman Oneg provided by Ellen and Paul Gilman Saturday, May 21 A party to honor Marcia and Steve Weinstein. 4:00PM at the home of Sara and Jerry Levin (rain location, the home of Linda and Steven Hill). Please contact Kay Freeman to volunteer an appetizer or dessert. Friday, June 3 Shabbat Service 8:00PM Host for the Rabbi Ellen Zimmerman Oneg provided by Fred Cohen Saturday, June 4 Summer party at the home of Ellen Zimmerman 2:00-4:00PM Friday, June 17 Beach Services 6:30 Kenny’s Beach, Southold A Joint service with Temple Israel of Riverhead and Tifereth Israel of Green- port Friday, July 1 Beach Services 6:30 Kenny’s Beach, Southold

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(Book Notes Continued from page 6) who later settled there were destroyed during the Holocaust—that Dutch Jewry was virtually wiped Nadler takes issue with the notion that the out—there is an ongoing feeling of sadness as we second commandment prohibiting graven images accompany Nadler across time and space, im- effectively barred the Jews from participation in the mersed in this remarkable culture. visual arts. He notes that Sephardic rabbis tended to be quite flexible, even liberal, in their interpreta- The other bookend is Nadler’s imagined, tion of this commandment. In any case Amster- although altogether plausible, description of the dam’s Jews became major patrons and there was aged and struggling painter paying his last re- no lack of Jewish painters. Fortunately for us, that spects to his friend Rabbi Manasseh ben Israel at resulted in masterpieces ranging from Emanuel the congregation’s cemetery at Ouderkerk, twenty deWitte’s stunning interiors of the Portuguese miles upriver from Amsterdam, the cemetery im- Esnoga, to commissioned paintings of bris, to mortalized in his painting entitled “The Jewish Rembrandt’s magnificant The Jewish Bride. Cemetery” by Jacob Von Ruisdael.

Nadler is clearly fascinated by and indeed Between the bookends the bike ride and seems to love seventeenth-century Amsterdam. the boat trip, we travel the streets of seventeenth- He has encyclopedic knowledge of both its Jewish century Amsterdam. Nadler, who speaks fluent and gentile worlds: their histories, their remarkably Dutch, knows who lived in each house and their smooth integration, their machers and shakers, back stories, as well as where to get the best their dissenters, their internal conflicts and their bread in the modern city. He is a delightful guide. magnificent achievements. Although Nadler is per- We meet the artists, Jewish and Dutch; the busi- fectly at home in both the commercial world of the ness leaders whose oligarchy ran the community; Dutch East and West Indian Companies and of La the feuding rabbis, busily condemning and in one Nacio (nation) as Dutch, his special strength lies in case excommunicating each other; the secular his intimate and often insightful knowledge of the Dutch authorities—the liberal and tolerant Johan art of the “Dutch Golden Age.” Nevertheless, it DeWitt, who was the equivalent of prime minister; would be incorrect to characterize Nadler as eru- and the conservative and much less tolerant cler- dite: erudition implies a certain scholarly weight, gy of the Dutch Reformed Church, as well as the an intrinsic heaviness, whereas Nadler’s impres- rebels and heretics. sive prose, as saturated with fact as it is, flows as it narrates and illuminates. It is a pleasure to read, The rabbis had their hands full trying to re- standing in strong contrast to Simon Schama’s Judaize and (re)educate an often skeptical con- The Embarrassment of Riches that covers the gregation who knew little of Jewish custom or law same period, but tells the reader too much. With and who worshiped St. Esther at Purim. Ideologi- Schama I sometimes got the feeling that he is cally, the rabbis covered the spectrum: Saul Levi showing off—never with Nadler. Mortera, the only Ashkenazi among them, was a traditionalist and a rationalist; Isaac Aboab, was a Nadler, who has some of the skills of a nov- kabbalist and a mystic; and Manasseh ben Israel, elist, beautifully bookends his tale of Rembrandt who wrote in Latin as well as Hebrew, Portu- and the Jews. He starts out by taking us on a bike guese, and Dutch, and was known and had ride from Amsterdam’s Central Square to a house friends across Christian Europe, was the most lib- that had a wall shared by Rembrandt and a eral, a man of broad humanistic culture. Perhaps wealthy “Portuguese” merchant, who was raising paradoxically, Manasseh was also the most mes- his home to protect it from encroaching waters. sianic of the rabbis, expecting the arrival of the Dust from the construction made it impossible for Messiah momentarily. He ended his life in a quix- Rembrandt to paint for over a year. The two wound otic trip to England, trying to persuade Cromwell up in a lawsuit over who should pay for what. For to readmit the Jews. Nadler brings them all—the an artist on the verge of bankruptcy this was a dis- Dutch painters and politicians, the feuding rabbis aster. Yet there is no evidence that Rembrandt ev- and the oligarchs—to life. We feel we have not on- er turned a business dispute into an occasion for ly met them; we know them fairly well. Nadler is anti-Semitism. Nadler repeatedly notes the every- particularly good in discussing the power strug- dayness of Jewish-Christian relations, including gles within and between the first Jewish congre- the depiction of the Jews and their synagogues by gations in Amsterdam, eventuating in a merger of Dutch artists. the three competing synagogues. He highlights the contempt Sephardim had for the often impov- Knowing that the descendents of these Se- erished growing Ashkenazi presence in their phardic Jews as well as those of the Ashkenazis (Continued on page 13) Page 10

Our Hebrew School Principal Barbara Sheryll and baking class as part of our creative curriculum, Al- Teacher. Renee Navarette conducted a Passover so in attendance was new student Gavyn Drago

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(Book Notes Continued from page 10) Land when totally without warning Shabbati Zevi, given the choice of conversion or death by the sultan, midst. They were embarrassed by their uncouth and became a Muslim. The shock was profound, yet rela- all too obvious differences from the Dutch bourgeoisie tively quickly life returned to “normal” in Amsterdam. the Sephardim successfully emulated. The Ashkenazi Although he comments on the continuing influence of returned the compliment, scorning the Sephardim as their long years immersed in Catholic culture, with its being as spiritually impoverished as they themselves belief in salvation by Jesus, Nadler doesn’t offer a were financially impoverished. Nevertheless, the for- convincing explanation for the Shabbati Zevi phenom- mer conversos helped their Ashkenazi brethren, how- enon, but then neither does anyone else I’m familiar ever reluctantly. By the time the Sephardim built a with. . magnificent synagogue (still in use) immortalized in several works by Dutch artists, the Ashkenazi were Nadler ends his book with Manasseh ben Is- able to build their own, not quite as impressive, syna- rael’s funeral trip up the Amstel to the cemetery at gogue. Things haven’t changed all that much, though Ouderkerk. As we make the journey, he tells us a nowadays it is the Ashkenazi who look down on the great deal about Jewish belief and lack of dogma Sephardim. about the “life to come.” This sort of explanation and exposition of Jewish belief and practice has been wo- Then there were the heretics: Uriel DaCosta ven into the narrative throughout Rembrandt’s Jews. and Spinoza. DaCosta, mentally unstable, vacillated Nadler does this, so to speak, en passant, as he back and forth between belief and rebellion, who in brings seventeenth-century Amsterdam to life. His im- the end submitted to public whipping as a price of re- agining of Rembrandt’s attendance at his friend’s fu- admission to the synagogue, then went home and put neral, which well might have happened, is deeply a bullet in his brain, whereas the far more strong- moving, especially if we remember the account of the minded Spinoza commented, “They didn’t do anything two men planning the illustrations Rembrandt made I would not have done myself,” when the congregation for Manasseh’s last book. He had also painted him excommunicated him and he went on to become one several times. The etchings Rembrandt made to illus- of the founders of modern Liberalism and one of the trate the book were to illuminate Manasseh’s exposi- foremost philosophers of the Enlightenment. Nadler, tion of the visions in the book of Daniel. So the mysti- who wrote a biography of him, treats Spinoza rather cal inclinations the two men shared seems a perfect sketchily in Rembrandt’s Jews. backdrop to the great painter’s farewell to the great rabbi, writer, publisher, and scholar. For a deeper exploration of the inner life of the Marranos (the Spaniards’ contemptuous term for the But I found another of Nadler’s scenes even forced converts that means “pigs”) and the external more moving. He tells of attending a Sabbath service circumstances that shaped their inner life, you might in a seventeenth-century synagogue, miraculously want to try Yirmiyahu Yovel’s Spinoza and Other Her- untouched by the Nazis, and finding himself in attend- etics, more scholarly and not as easy to read as ance at a Bar Mitzvah. Neither the Inquisition nor the Nadler, but brilliantly illuminating on the shifting identi- Nazis had succeeded in destroying the tradition. The ties of the erstwhile conversos, an identity conflict that rabbi gives the Bar Mitzvah boy a mini-sermon on not often eventuated in skepticism. In fact, Yovel attrib- ending his Jewish education and commitment on at- utes the origin of much of modern skepticism to the taining his majority and Nadler remembers hearing a Marrano experience. similar exhortation from his rabbi at his own Bar Mitz- vah. You can hear the thirteen-year-old’s push back in Returning to Nadler: he tells of the hysteria that Nadler’s telling; yet fortunately for us, there must have swept the Amsterdam Jewish community when ru- been something beneath the push back, for Steven mors of the advent of the Messiah in the person of Nadler went on to become professor of philosophy at Shabbati Zevi, as proclaimed by his prophet Nathan the University of Wisconsin and the chair of the de- of Gaza, arrived there. A mad belief in this false mes- partment of Jewish Studies there, writing among other siah swept Jewish Europe. It is hardly surprising that things, Rembrandt’s Jews. the traumatized Jews of the Ukraine and other parts of eastern Europe, often impoverished and poorly ed- Jerry Levin ucated, who had recently endured massacres by the Cossacks, or even Manasseh ben Israel who, for all his scholarly achievement had long anticipated the Messiah, would be swept up in the mania, but that the highly educated, wealthy and worldly Sephardim of Amsterdam would be so overcome was and is star- tling. But they were, as they abandoned homes, sold their businesses, and made plans to travel to the Holy Page 13