CELEBRATING OUR 146TH YEAR OF SERVICE KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN Volume LXXXVII, Number 4 June 29, 2017 5 Tammuz 5777 Politics in the Pulpit Isn’t the Real Issue by Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz righteous rhetoric proliferates. In this live together. o politics ever belong in the environment, politicians and This is why avoiding pulpit? This old question has partisans are rewarded far more politics in the pulpit won’t Dreturned with renewed urgency for making emotion-laden solve the problem. Debate is a in recent months. Rabbi David Wolpe, attacks on opponents than for natural part of life. Bring two writing in the Jewish Journal, made a call offering dialogue and people together long enough, for depoliticizing sermons; this was met discussion. and they will eventually with a hail of disapproval. Among his This polarization is dividing disagree. In every relationship, respondents was Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the America. Political views have whether it be a marriage, President of the Union for Reform become a marker of personal identity. friendship, or business partnership, one Judaism, who argued that rabbis must use Friendships are breaking up over politics, needs to negotiate disagreement with “the sermon to bear prophetic witness to and even our love lives are transformed. respect and understanding, otherwise the pressing societal and communal challenges Political philosophy is now a significant relationship will fall apart. Communities their congregants faced.” Wolpe responded factor in choosing who to date, and less are no different. The problem is when it by noting that it is disingenuous to carry than 10% of Americans are now married to comes to politics, toxic arguments are the mantle of the prophets when your someone from the opposing political party. constantly on display; on cable news political views are nurtured elsewhere. He Let’s not kid ourselves; this same channels, most debate is punctuated with writes: “If Judaism supports all the policies polarization deeply affects the Jewish condescension and disrespect. In this you believe anyway, can’t you be at least a community. Angry political discussions environment, Rabbis need to teach little suspicious that your politics are occur at many Shabbat tables and Passover congregants how to disagree without being guiding your Torah, and not your Torah Seders. Everyone has an anecdote about disagreeable. And in congregations where leading to your politics?” meals abruptly ending, and friends everyone holds the same political views While it is important to have a unfriending, all due to political arguments. and live in a bubble of ideological thoughtful debate about politics in the Increasingly, politics has deeply impacted certainty, the lessons of respectful debate pulpit, we are overlooking the most communal and personal relationships. are far more important. important issue. What matters most is not For the Jewish community this division Encouraging respectful debate should whether a Rabbi speaks about politics, but is devastating. We are already divided be second nature for Rabbis. The ethos of how the Rabbi speaks about politics. Is the between Orthodox, Reform and the Talmud encourages debate, because a Rabbi dividing or uniting by what he says Conservative; now we will divide as serious argument pays large intellectual in the pulpit each and every week? Republican and Democrat as well? dividends. Yet at the same time the Rabbis America is deeply polarized. The This is where the Rabbi’s sermon plays knew debates can become heated; so they reigning paradigm on TV news is to debate a critical role. Let’s put aside the Rabbis worked hard to ensure that these each issue in adversarial and simplistic who add fuel to fire, who gain attention by arguments don’t become fights that destroy terms. Social media further exaggerates dividing others. But even Rabbis who communal unity. Rabbis would argue the divide with inflammatory propaganda speak in measured tones miss a crucial about kashrut but still eat in each other’s masquerading as news, and of course, self- teaching: our job is to teach people how to homes, because they believed that one continued on page 13 pages 10-12, 20-21 REFLECTIONS ON THE 145TH ANNUAL SYNAGOGUE MEETING pages 6-7, 13 Page 2 KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN NEW MEMBERS Seventy new households joined the Congregation this past year and were officially inducted and welcomed at the 145th Annual Meeting by Morris Massel, Secretary of the Congregation: Mark Abel Emily & Nathan Gindi Genesa Pfeifer Raquela & Avi Adelsberg Rachel Bayme & Daniel Groisser Lauren & Barry Piafsky Danielle & Jason Amirian Marian Gross & Family Elana & Ilya Podolyako Nina & Eliav Assouline Moshe Hoffman Judith & Arnold Price Beth & Marc Bengualid Glenda Cortez & Daniel Iwanicki Miriam Ranells Lillie & Danny Bensusan Sarah & Isaac Jonas Michele & Max Rayden Naomi & Jared Bernheim Elianna & Yoel Kaye Alexandra & Michael Rishty Stephanie & Igor Biselman Saba & Shawn Khodadadian Hindy Schachter Monica & David Borowik Marika Kogan Jessica & Joseph Scherban Denise & Jason Brenner Rachel & Alex Kozlowsky Liora & Ben Schulman Jordan & Caroline Bryk Rebecca & Aaron Kuperman Andrea Schwartz Ashley & Lawrence Buterman Abraham Levitman Shira & Michael Shambon Monique & Eli Chetrit Lauren & Daniel Levy Leah & Jesse Sheff Rebecca & Joshua Chubak Allie & Alexander Luxenberg Melina Spadone Aliza Katz & Ariel Cooper Rachel & Matthew Luxenberg Gila & Marco Srour Stefanie Hirsch & Patrick Coyle Jennifer & David Mashaal Stephanie & Mark Srulowitz Michele & Gad Demry Rachel Haber & Ari Mentzel Sarah & Joshua Strobel Judith & Olivier Dupont Heather & Edward Mermel Talia & Ben Strulowitz Sheila & David Ebrahimzadeh Lily & Noam Mintz Michelle & Bruce Taragin Nechama & Jason Fertig Rochelle & Charles Moche Sara & Jonathan Tsur Taryn & Daniel Fiskus Kimberlee & Jason Ostheimer Jennifer Waitman Paula & Steven Forkosh Rebecca & Terry Oved Bettina & Spencer Waxman Hannah Frappier Arielle & Jonathan Packin Natalie & Eli Zybert Annick Boyen & Ryan Palecek KJ FOOD PANTRY WELCOME The KJ Food Pantry provides kosher food weekly to New York’s hungry. Clients are referred to us through the synagogue and local service agencies. Kehilath Jeshurun warmly welcomes Each week clients come to KJ to receive food staples the following new members tailored to their diets, as well as a selection of fresh fruits who have joined the Congregatiion between the Annual and vegetables. Ramaz students pack the bags Synagogue Meeting and staff the booth in the lobby of KJ, held on March 29 and this Bulletin and Ramaz/KJ members also deliver packages which went to press on June 29. to those who are homebound. Jessie Cytryn Vivian Goodstein THE KJ FOOD PANTRY Lillian Hirsch WISHES TO THANK Julie and Ethan Marcovici D’AGOSTINO SUPERMARKET Deborah and David Rifkin FOR ALL THEIR HELP. Debbie and William Schwartz Gila and Avi Sutton Laura and Moshe Tordjman For further information or to volunteer, please contact Bernice Kahn at [email protected] KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN Page 3 SHIVAH ASSAR B’TAMMUZ, TISHA B’AV AND THE THREE WEEKS JULY 11 – AUGUST 1 uring the summer months, we (meraglim) returned to the Jews in the to eat meat and drink wine (except on mourn the destruction of both desert with a negative report about the Land Shabbat), to go swimming, to bathe for DTemples in Jerusalem, which took of Israel. In addition, it was on this day that pleasure, or to do any laundry or dry place on the ninth of Av, and the events that the city of Betar was destroyed and tens of cleaning that is not absolutely necessary. led to their destruction. We fast on the thousands of Jews were killed, and the The Talmud writes that when the month of seventeenth day of the month of Tammuz, wicked Turnus Rufus plowed the site of the Av begins, our mood should reflect our Shivah Assar B’Tammuz, because, Temple and its surroundings. Tradition mourning for the destruction of the according to tradition, it was on that day asserts that the expulsion of the Jews from Temples. On Tisha B’Av itself, besides that the enemy penetrated the walls of England in 1290 and the expulsion from fasting, we are prohibited from washing our Jerusalem prior to the destruction of the Spain in 1492 also took place on Tisha bodies, wearing leather shoes, anointing Second Temple. The Talmud, however, B’Av. ourselves and having marital relations. It is writes that these were not the only tragedies Our mourning for the destroyed forbidden, as well, to study Torah on this that befell the Jewish people on this day. Temples and for the other calamities which day excepting the sections of the prophets On the seventeenth of Tammuz four more occurred on these days extends beyond the and the Talmud that discuss the destruction. tragedies occurred: the first tablets fasts themselves. The period between these We do not wear tefillin until Mincha and the containing the Ten Commandments were two fasts, traditionally called The Three custom is to sit on low chairs as mourners broken by Moses after the sin of the Golden Weeks, includes several practices of do until midday. Our observance of Calf; the daily sacrifice was suspended mourning. During these three weeks we do mourning also forbids us from greeting during the time of the First Temple; the not get our hair cut, attend weddings or friends on Tisha B’Av. wicked Apostumos burned the Torah; and involve ourselves in large joyous We mourn the Temples that were an idol was erected in the Temple. gatherings. During the nine days which destroyed over nineteen hundred years ago, Additional tragedies also befell the begin on the first of Av, July 24, and and we pray that we will be worthy to see Jewish people on the ninth day of the month continue until midday on the tenth day of God rebuild the Temple in of Av – Tisha B’Av. On this day, the spies Av, August 2, we are additionally forbidden our lifetime.