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Prepared David Skorton for the Challenge of Covid-19

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Prepared David Skorton for the Challenge of Covid-19 MAY/JUNE 2021 IYAR/SIVAN/TAMMUZ 5781 FROM RABBI ZEMEL Nothing – and Everything — FINDING OUR OWN Prepared David Skorton for the PATH TO KNOWING WHAT BEING JEWISH Challenge of Covid-19 MEANS IN OUR By Fran Dauth DAILY LIVES You may recognize David Skorton, president and CEO of the Association DEAR FRIENDS, of American Medical Colleges, from I have been using these col- the Temple Micah YouTube videos on umns to try to work out my Covid-19 in the past year. Jewish theology. The isolation You may also know he was the of the pandemic has for rea- 13th Secretary of the Smithsonian, is a sons that I cannot fully under- board-certified cardiologist, a president stand pushed me to dig more emeritus of Cornell University, a past deeply into my innermost president of the University of Iowa and thoughts. But my ruminations never feel fully adequate. a member of the National Academy of The more I engage in this quest, Medicine. the more I realize, as I suggested in my What may surprise you is that noth- last column, that we really do lack the ing in his impressive career fully pre- language to say what we believe. Our pared him for the pandemic. inherited way of thinking about Judaism, “Nothing in my experience prepared that is, our inherited language, does us me completely for the enormous dis- little good. Let us begin by abandon- ruptions wrought by Covid-19: not only ing the phrase “good Jew,” as in, “Who the terror of the virus and its lethal- is a good Jew?” What can it possibly ity, but the economic dislocation, the response to questions from The Vine. mean that someone is a better Jew personal fears and the isolation neces- In particular he was asked whether than someone else? Is being a Jew akin to being a trombone player or a third sitated by social distancing and other two events that occurred while he was baseman, pursuits in which certain skills measures. president of Cornell University were make one person demonstrably better “This resulted for many of us in tre- in any way helpful in thinking about than another? mendous anxieties, sorrow at the inabil- the pandemic. Those events were the We all know what people mean ity to be with our loved ones – including suicides of three students who jumped when using terms such as “good Jew.” those critically ill – and, underlying it to their deaths within four weeks, and They are referring to traditional and all, feelings of helplessness,” he said in CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 ; strict measures of observance: keep- ing kosher, saying daily prayers, forgo- ing electricity on Shabbat. Do I want these to be my measures? Do I want HONORING TEDDY KLAUS Judaism to be measured in such a way at all? Ridiculous, say I. We will chart a • An Appreciation p.4 new path. Our Jewish heritage is a vast culture • June 11 Service p.4 encompassing ethics, ethnic behav- iors and rules, myriad arts (literature, music, visual), philosophy and theol- • Teddy’s Brussels Sprouts Recipe p.5 CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 ; 2 IYAR/SIVAN/TAMMUZ 5781 PRESIDENT’S COLUMN “ Every person shall sit under his grapevine or fig tree with no one to make him afraid.” LET’S HELP, LET’S ACT – THAT’S WHO WE ARE MICAH, CHAPTER 4, VERSE 4 By Joshua Berman In the day-to-day rhythms of my home life, I I heard it. The message couldn’t be clearer: We often do the last dog walk of the evening for need to help ourselves and each other to repair Vine our small Labradoodle while my wife tries to the world. Our world. Vol. 57 No.5 convince our teenagers to turn off the screens Sure, as we slowly emerge from Covid, we and get some sleep. will begin to dip our toes into some of our TEMPLE MICAH— Some of you have seen the dog wander in missed pleasures. Some of us will go to restau- A REFORM JEWISH CONGREGATION the background during various Zoom Shabbats. rants. Others may cheer for the Nationals in 2829 Wisconsin Ave, NW I think, like many of us, he loves hearing Debra person. We may choose to travel, shop or even Washington, D.C. 20007 Voice: 202-342-9175 play guitar so he saunters just a bit closer when pray in person like we used to do. But as impor- Fax: 202-342-9179 services begin. tant as each of those missed joys is, equally Email: [email protected] By the end of the important are the ways we go about helping [email protected] night, his general attitude those around us. Web: templemicah.org is: “Leave me alone and Indeed, now is the moment for us to be as Daniel G. Zemel let me sleep. I do not unselfish as possible. We as a Micah community RABBI need another walk.” and as individuals have always reached out- Josh Beraha He doesn’t win that ward to help others. If there is something that ASSOCIATE RABBI battle. defines us, it’s our generosity and care for the Stephanie Crawley During Covid, I have broader global community, regardless of religion ASSISTANT RABBI taken the evening walk as or geography. But now is a moment for us to Rachel Gross a time to call my parents try to go even further. Can we each dig just a EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR in Los Angeles. We catch bit deeper and do just a little bit more in these Teddy Klaus up on the world news (usually grim), on recently precarious times? Can we each lean into causes MUSIC DIRECTOR binge-watched TV, family drama, any exercise that motivate us to act? Debra Winter we’ve managed to sneak in, of course, Covid I know the answers to those questions are WORSHIP MUSIC ARTIST and our work. It’s become such a perfect end of a resounding “YES!” Some of our community Sharon Tash my day, always gives me a smile, and, I hope, is members will rally around the women in need EDUCATION DIRECTOR one of the so-called “Covid silver linings “ that at the Micah House. The Sukkat Shalom team, don’t go away. which heroically created a new world and home BOARD OF DIRECTORS In one of these recent talks, my mom passed for the Rasoolis, already has turned its efforts Joshua Berman along a story shared by her senior rabbi, David to finding ways to help on our southern border. PRESIDENT Wolpe, in Los Angeles. Apologies to Rabbi Wolpe Our 6th graders no doubt will work even harder Rielle Miller Gabriel if I don’t get the story quite right (knowing my (with their ebullient smiles of course) to collect VICE PRESIDENT mom, I know she got it spot-on and any error is undergarments for the needy. Many of us will Harriet Tritell fully mine). march and march and march again to express SECRETARY But the gist went something like this: An our outrage at the cycle of repeating racial David Wentworth older man, feeling the weight of the world on injustice, bias towards Asian Americans and vio- TREASURER his shoulders, had a conversation with God. lence and discrimination towards women. Martha Adler In it, he ran through the litany of the prob- But let’s take this moment to stretch and to Mark Blumenthal lems facing our existence, one after another. build on those efforts. When you get to the end Marina Fanning He held his head in his hands and bemoaned of this column, before turning the page, take a Brent Goldfarb our ever-warming climate and encroach- moment and begin your internal dialogue about Jim Hamos Jennifer Kaplan ing seas. He lamented the state of affairs for what you are going to do to help. Or partner up Leesa Klepper refugees on the U.S. border, in Myanmar and with a Micah pal and tackle a project together. Heather Moran elsewhere. He raised his voice about the ter- Perhaps we can challenge ourselves to find ways Sonia Pearson White rible state of affairs regarding racial injustice. to combat climate change, not only on the per- Robin Rudowitz He pounded his fists about how Covid has rav- sonal level (shrinking our carbon footprints?) Josh Seidman aged human life and the inequitable impact on but also with a broader reach by putting sweat VINE STAFF certain populations. He muttered about the equity into organizations and global initiatives. ever-growing wealth gap and seemingly unsolv- Or maybe volunteer with an organization work- Fran Dauth CO-EDITOR able challenges to our education system. The ing to improve educational opportunities in Kate Kiggins man pleaded with God, begged in anguish and underserved communities, exacerbated even CO-EDITOR finally cried out, “Why, oh, why don’t you send more so by the pandemic. AURAS Design someone to help us?” As you have heard me say before, this Micah PRODUCTION After a moment of silence, God replied, “I community is filled with leaders. We find ways did. I sent you.” to rally our friends and help others. That’s who I’ve thought about that story every day since we are. Let’s help. Let’s act. MAY/JUNE 2021 3 She Studied Business Administration But Her Family’s Mix of Traditions Led Her to Rabbinical School By Fran Dauth Healy Slakman, the rabbinic intern customs and traditions they practiced Slakman, who lives in Brooklyn at Temple Micah this summer, says she each summer to all of their different Heights, and has worked for three years was “born to a couple of restless wan- homes in the U.S.
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