BULLETIN Words
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TTEMPLEEMPLE AADATHDATH YYESHURUNESHURUN RABBI’S MESSAGE Beth D. Davidson Monadnock Piques TAY Hikers BULLETIN Words: Bridges or Blocks? __________________________________________________________ Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet? William Shake- speare famously thought so, though I have to wonder, if we were to call members of the Rosaceae family “skunk cabbages,” would we find them fragrant or odiferous? The words we use, how we use them, and our tone of voice often reveal our thoughts and feelings. Language is crucial, which is why I have spent virtually my entire rab- binic career using gender free lan- guage when talking about God! Why use He or Him or His, know- ing full well that we don’t really think God has a gender? Iyar/Sivan You may have noticed that many Jews don’t use BC or AD, rather we 4-30-17. On Sunday, these 6 hikers—ages 7 to 67—climbed Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey, NH, on use BCE and CE. Why? As Jews we don’t mark time with theological a trip organized by the JFNH. From left, TAY member Jeff Crocker of Peterboro—who is also the timestamp of “Before Christ,” or Chair of JFNH this year. Next to him, TAY member Mary Singer of Goffstown, then JFNH Board member Matthew Jordan Lee of Francestown (his two adventurous daughters are in the fore- 5777 “Anno Domini, Year of our Lord.” ground), and Udi Goren, Israeli photographer, wearing knitted cap. Goren organized this picture “Before the Common Era,” and at the peak and then handed his camera to a skilled amateur who snapped the shot. More on p.5. “Common Era” are descriptive of the Parenthetically, if you have heard some- wrong—we don’t need to use the word same periods of one call themselves a “Jew for Jesus,” “gypped,” which feeds into a centuries-old time, yet they do there is no such thing—someone who be- stereotype that labelled all Gypsies as not make religious lieves that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son thieves and swindlers. And in fact many statements. Simi- of God, and that he died on the Cross to people don’t use the word Gypsy at all, de- larly, we don’t use take away humanity’s sin: that person is rived, as it was, from the word Egypt, mak- Old Testament (for Christian. “Jews for Jesus” may observe ing a pejorative comment on the often us, there is NO New Testament): we Jewish holy days, even use Jewish ritual call our Sacred Scripture the Bible, objects, but they aren’t Jews, and it is dis- Cont. at RABBI’s WORDS, p. 2. Hebrew Scriptures, or use the ingenuous for them to call themselves acronym Tannach. anything other than Christian. INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Nor do we use the noun “Jesus Words are important. I suspect that some Bagels & Biscuits 5K………………...7-9 Christ.” Christ, from the Greek for among us may think that the notion of PC Board Contacts………………………...12 “the Annointed One,” refers to the (political correctness) has gone too far, Bro’hood BBQ & Sugerman Essay.4 & 18 Messiah. We may think that Jesus that the many words which have been Calendar………………………………..19 was a teacher, a preacher, or a rabbi, added to the “unacceptable” list have Capital Campaign Donors to date…..10-11 but we don’t believe he was our made a mockery of what was originally an Donations………………………………16 Messiah, so we don’t label him as important idea. But I disagree. Joke...Yegerman……………………………..3 such. This in no way denigrates Peace & Pomegranates...Garnick……...6-7 who Jesus is for our Christian English is rich in vocabulary, and we can President’s Message…………………….3 neighbors; it simply and correctly find words that are not harmful or offen- Rabbi’s Message………………………1-2 identifies how Judaism views him. sive. We can use “cheater,” or “thief” to “I was a Shabbos Goy”...Vellarde…...13 -14 describe someone who has done us Sisterhood News……………………….13 May 2017 1 TTEMPLEEMPLE AADATHDATH YYESHURUNESHURUN RABBI’S WORDS, cont. from p. 1. already know, a “Shabbos Goy” was the Steve Short Directs non-Jew who could be hired by an ob- swarthy skin tones of the people who servant Jew to do things forbidden to MCTP Spring Musical BULLETIN call themselves the Rom. Jews on Shabbat—lighting a fire, for ex- ample. Hiring people to do what you Manchester Community Theatre And yes, I admit that I am a little em- cannot do makes sense, and in and of Players caps off its 3-show Spring barrassed that Daniel Snyder, the Jew- itself, the idea isn’t a bad one. I am left with FAME. The Musical, directed ish owner of the Washington Redskins, however, with a negative kishke (a Yid- by our own Steve Short. has refused to consider changing the dish word for intestines) response every team’s name, a label which is offensive time I hear or read “Shabbos Goy.” FAME provides an open look at the to so many. When I run the world, New York City’s High School of perhaps things will change. Why? Because “GOY” has taken on neg- Performing Arts, where sweat and (Kidding, sort of!) ative connotations, and in recent memory hard work are the key factors to a it has been used in a dismissive and de- successful life as a performer. The Few of us today are Yiddish speakers, rogatory way. And, because the general plot follows a group of students but many of us sprinkle some Yiddush public didn’t understand that the tasks across the acting, dancing and music words into our day to day existence. I performed by the “Shabbos Goy” were faculties from 1980-1984 as they know I couldn’t make it without the banned for religious reasons, not because learn to master their craft and grow word “chutzpah,” (there is no English of class strata, the idea of the Shabbos up alongside each other, rising to the equivalent); and I would have a very Goy became problematic as antiSemites various challenges that face them. hard time without some of Yiddish’s latched onto the idea that Jews were too more colorful “curse” words, words good to light a fire, and accused us of This youth/young adult show wel- that I won’t print here but you may taking economic advantage of poorly- comes returning MCTP players, but know what they are. paid flunkies. over half the cast are new to the com- pany. MCTP provides theatrical I could, however, easily do without the In fact, “GOY” is simply the Hebrew performance and instructional oppor- Iyar/Sivan all too common shiksa or sheygetz, word for “nation” or “people”, sometimes tunities in acting, vocal performance, which we usually translate as a seem- used Biblically to refer to a group of non- dance, orchestra, and technical thea- ingly harmless noun for someone who Jewish people. It is not pejorative, simp- tre—without production fees which is not Jewish. However, both of these ly descriptive. might discourage financially chal- words are derived from the Biblical lenged youth or adults—to residents of Manchester and the surrounding Hebrew word for something that is an So when asked if this belonged on our 5777 “abomination.” Perhaps when our FaceBook page I said “No,” and I admit communities. to the same “no” when our Bulletin Edi- grandparents used these words they really felt that a non-Jew was so; I tor, Miri Singer, asked me what I thought Our neighbors at The North End don’t know anyone in our congregation about running this piece in the Bulletin. Montessori School across the street who would agree to that today, so why My gut instinct was “Why open this can from TAY are graciously hosting this use a word which is derogatory and of worms, why use such a negatively event. MCTP hopes that you will offensive? laden language, why give those who come see FAME. The Musical—on don’t know anything except the negative June 2, 3, and 4. Please see Some might answer that the majority of about this phrase the chance to look at www.mctp.info for tickets and folks who use these words have no clue our Bulletin (which I am sure is read performance times. across the nation!) and repeat the classic where the words originate. To that I say we should know what we are say- canard?” Send your good news, awards & ing, even if and when the rest of society Honors to the Bulletin: is ignorant. Just because “everyone” And then our Assistant Editor, Jonathan uses it, doesn’t mean we should. We Pollack, pointed out that I was missing a [email protected] should, in fact, educate people about teaching opportunity. What rabbi can why they shouldn’t use these nouns! resist such a moment? Certainly not this one. So you will find the piece in ques- I hope and pray for a day when everyone In this edition of the Bulletin, you will tion in our Bulletin, as both our Editor is treated with dignity and respect, and find a piece that uses the phrase and Assistant Editor thought the bigger our beautiful words and languages are “Shabbos Goy,” and I will admit that I message was timely and uplifting. I am used not in a derogatory way but in cele- have a great deal of discomfort with curious to hear from others, and perhaps bration that roses by any name do in fact this label (not the piece itself, just the our Editors will run, in the next issue, the smell sweet.