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A Biennial Like No Other LI Resident Reflects on URJ Convention in Washington with 6,000 Fellow Jews by HOWARD J

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A Biennial Like No Other LI Resident Reflects on URJ Convention in Washington with 6,000 Fellow Jews by HOWARD J A Biennial Like No Other LI resident reflects on URJ convention in Washington with 6,000 fellow Jews By HOWARD J. HERMAN an incredible outpouring of warmth and emotion during magine hearing President Obama talk about the the award ceremony. The admiration that Boies and Olson week’s parsha; being in the presence of Natan feel toward one another is clear, and the support they had ISharansky and Ehud Barak; and sitting down to from the majority of the convention attendees (including Shabbat dinner with some 6,000 of your closest friends. me) was also quite apparent. Those are but a few of the moments I experienced at the • Boies and Olson were followed by a hero of Israel, Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) Biennial, Dec. 14-18 in Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak, who spoke passionately about Israel. He thanked FIRST PERSON us for our ongoing support. • I was pleasantly surprised when Barak was followed National Harbor, Md., just outside Washington, D.C. I by some people who I know: Rabbi Morris Barzilai; his was a participant in the largest URJ Biennial ever held, as wife, Lisa Barzilai; and their three children. Lisa, who is nearly 6,000 Reform Jews from across North America and president of the National Association of Temple other parts of the world gathered at our 71st General Educators, and the children spoke about their experiences Assembly. as students at the Eisendrath International Exchange High So you can better understand my perspective on the Rabbi Richard Jacobs (left) succeeds Rabbi Eric Yoffie (right) as School in Israel. Rabbi Morris Barzilai is a former associ- Biennial, I’ll tell you a little about myself. My family president of the URJ in June. They are gathered with Rep. Eric ate rabbi at Temple Beth-El. I will always remember his joined Temple Beth-El of Great Neck in 1982. My wife, Cantor (R-Va.; center), who addressed the delegates. support when my father died. Barbara, and I engage in many volunteer activities for • Friday morning brought another surprise. Doug our synagogue. I’m a member of Beth-El’s Board of reliant children. Many of us laughed about her stories of Cotler was on the keyboard at the Friday morning service Trustees and its Executive Committee. I also serve as overprotective and overly involved parents, but I wonder I attended. Doug is the singer-songwriter of a haunting chair of our Ritual Committee and as Webmaster and how many of us will be able to put her words into action. and meaningful song entitled “Listen.” The song embod- • I obtained inspiration ies much of the meaning of our Sh’ma from a true Jewish hero, and V’ahavta prayers. At the end of the Natan Sharansky. By joining together service, I was excited to have the oppor- • On Thursday morning, I in learning tunity to thank him for the moments of attended a men-only morning helpful solitude that his song has given service. Fifty men who had sessions, in prayer me. never before worshipped • Soon the big event was upon us — together sounded remarkably and in song with the appearance of President Obama. I good when joined in prayer. waited on a crowded security line for A few other morning services thousands of more than an hour and made new friends. took place concurrently, and others who share I was surprised when a young woman we were all to join together in said, “Hello, Mr. Herman, do you one large room for the Torah my interests and remember me?” I indeed remembered service. So, there we were, 50 her because, at one time, she was the men, led by Rabbi Jeffrey values, I am only Jewish girl on The Johns Hopkins Salkin carrying a Torah, renewed and University swim team when my son was marching through the lobby the only Jewish boy. Jewish parents Obama “was in top form” at the convention, Herman comments. “He and his speech of the convention center on revitalized. always know those things. writers knew his audience.” our way to join with other • Obama was in top form. I’m a fan, but worshippers. A spontaneous Al Shlosha even those who aren’t fans had to admit that he and his Facebook page administrator. If I didn’t enjoy the work D’varim broke out. Other convention attendees, who were speech writers knew his audience. He told us that his I do for my temple, I wouldn’t do it. However, even the socializing in the lobby, stood when the Torah daughter Malia attends a bar or bat mitzvah nearly every most gratifying volunteer work can be frustrating and approached, smiled, clapped rhythmically and joined with weekend and that there are weekly negotiations regarding difficult at times. That’s where the us in song. Then, at the combined Biennial enters the picture. By join- Obama stated that service, I heard a lovely female ing together in learning sessions, in voice singing in the row behind plenary sessions, in prayer and in he has learned me. I turned around and saw that it song with thousands of others who that it’s good to was Rabbi Sara Sapadin, a former share my interests and values, I am assistant rabbi at Temple Beth-El. renewed and revitalized. start a talk with a What a way to start the day! This was my third Biennial. • Our keynote speaker on Although the schedule of each reference to the Thursday morning was House Biennial is similar, with learning ses- week’s Torah Majority Leader Eric Cantor. sions and plenary sessions taking up Although Cantor’s supporters were most of Wednesday, Thursday and portion, and not in the majority, they greeted part of Friday, followed by Shabbat- him enthusiastically, while the rest centered activities on Friday evening proceeded to tell of us applauded politely. He was and Saturday, each Biennial has its us about the an effective speaker and stuck to own character. For this one, the prox- the safe topics of support for Israel imity to Washington, D.C. enabled us significance of the and the Jewish people. to see and hear a particularly outstand- • On Thursday evening, David A one-hour songfest raised the energy level at the convention. ing array of speakers. Yet, as you’ll word hineni in the Boies and Ted Olson were presented with the the skirts she wears. He stated that he has learned from see below, the unexpected moments Maurice N. Eisendrath “Bearer of Light” Malia that it’s good to start a talk with a reference to the can be among the most significant. parsha. Award. Boies and Olson were, respectively, week’s Torah portion, and he proceeded to tell us about These were the highlights for me: the attorneys for Al Gore and George Bush, in the the significance of the word hineni in the parsha. He • On Wednesday evening, Dr. Wendy Mogel, author of (in)famous 2000 Supreme Court case. Now they are work- thanked the Reform movement for its longtime support of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, spoke about raising self- ing together in the fight for marriage equality. There was equal rights for all, and commented that without such sup- 16 JEWISH TRIBUNE • JANUARY 13-19, 2012 port he might not be standing it was a good exhaustion. Natan Sharansky, “a true Jewish hero,” before us. His appearance was • On Shabbat morning, I addresses the crowd. well worth the long wait. attended one of 12 Torah study • Shabbat at the Biennial is sessions, followed by an uplift- always special. The prayer ing service with about 5,000 in lowed. I also saw Cantor Rachel melodies, led by outstanding attendance. Former Temple Stock Spilker at the luncheon. cantors and the Biennial choir, Beth-El Cantor Barbara Ostfeld She was the cantor for the first were beautiful as always. I can chanted the Haftarah. I chose to Biennial Shabbat morning serv- now say that I was part of what attend a Shabbat luncheon at ice that I ever attended, and I was probably the largest Shabbat which Ellen Weiss, a three-time finally got a chance to thank her dinner in history. Dinner was fol- Peabody Award winner, spoke on in person for helping make my lowed by a one-hour oneg “The Role of Media in Civil first Biennial Shabbat something Shabbat songfest led by Josh Society.” As a former journalism to remember. Nelson and other Jewish song major and amateur journalist, I There’s so much more to tell, leaders and composers. I was greatly appreciated her talk and but I’ll stop here, having given exhausted when it was over, but the Q-and-A session that fol- you just some of the reasons why the URJ Biennial is so meaning- ful to me. Howard J. Herman is a mem- ber of the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee of Temple Beth-El of Great Neck. (Right): With 6,000 Jews from across North America in attendance, there were plenty of opportunities for networking. (Left): Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak speaks with U.S. President Barack Obama at the convention. Shabbat dinner was followed by a one- hour oneg Shabbat songfest led by Josh Nelson. I was exhausted when it was over, but it was a good exhaustion. URJ INCUBATOR GRANTS he Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) is offering Incubator TGrants for member congregations to fund projects that will help engage members in Reform synagogue life. As many as 20 projects will be funded for up to $5,000 each for the fiscal year July 1, 2012–June 30, 2013.
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