MARCH 2019 – ADAR I / ADAR II 5779 BULLETIN RABBI JOSHUA FRANKLIN | CANTOR/RABBI DEBRA STEIN | RABBI EMERITUS SHELDON ZIMMERMAN DIANE WIENER, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR EMERITA DR. JOEL M. HOFFMAN, DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION Purim Happy UPCOMING EVENTS GATES OF JEWISH LEARNING PURIM PARTY SUNDAY, MARCH 17 | 10:30AM THE CLUBHOUSE | EAST HAMPTON YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PURIM PARTY TUESDAY, MARCH 19 | 7:00PM KYMA | NEW YORK CITY WHAT'S YOUR MEGILLAH? WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20 | 6:00PM CANTOR'S HOME | EAST HAMPTON VISIT WWW.JCOH.ORG/PURIM FOR MORE INFORMATION A MESSAGE FROM RABBI JOSH FRANKLIN The Limits of Discourse: A Conversation about Israel and BDS I have an ongoing debate with a friend and study partner, Rabbi Josh Stanton. It shouldn’t come as a big shocker that rabbis often disagree with one another. In this dialogue, we discuss how to respond to public and political figures when they espouse views radically different than our own. More particularly, those figures who advocate BDS, the movement to Boycotting, Divesting, and Sanctioning of the State of Israel. BDS has taken root in academic institutions, churches, European political circles, and now, yes the American congress. BDS targets the Israeli government, Israeli businesses, banks, Israeli sports teams, and yes, even at times individual Israelis. We might not see completely eye to eye on Israel issues, but more or less, Rabbi Stanton and I are in the same ball park. We both believe that BDS unfairly singles out Israel as a human rights offender; we both feel that BDS is largely motivated by antisemitism (whether conscious or unconscious); and we both worry about the negative impact of BDS throughout the American cultural, educational, and political landscape. Rabbi Stanton and I also share similar goals for our visions of a healthy Jewish State. The divide between us concerns how we respond to BDS as it makes its way into the American mainstream. Rabbi Stanton believes that the only way to move the dial is to engage in conversation, and not to shut it down. In fact, he has recently been in conversations about BDS with two controversial figures, Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory, pushing them intellectually on the issue, and having frank discussions as to why the Jewish community finds this position offensive. I point out, on the other hand, that there are limits to every conversation, and when the conversation is about Israel, certain views shouldn’t only be rejected outright, but they don’t belong in the realm of acceptable discourse. While free speech is the right of every American, not every voice deserves a platform, and antisemitic speech should be unequivocally marginalized. To be quite honest, I don’t know whose view will lead us down a better path. Our ongoing disagreement on this issue shapes how I view the recent hubbub about the comments that the freshman congresswoman from Minnesota, Ilhan Omar, made on Twitter. Her tweets suggested that the American political leadership’s support for Israel is “all about the Benjamins,” or in other words, all about money. She clarified her comments by saying that she was talking about AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The details about the inaccuracies of her statement have been widely covered by almost every media outlet, so I think I can simply state that American support for Israel is much more than about lobbying money. The troubling part about her comments is that it played into the age-old conspiracy theories about Jews financing and corrupting Western politics. Her remarks were undeniably antisemitic, whether she was aware of it or not. Her tweets are also part of her overt agenda promoting BDS. Let me be clear, the problem with BDS is not the critique of the Israeli government. Israel is far from perfect and has governmental policies that deserve pushback. But when all Israel and Israelis are blanketed with a disparaging label, one can’t help but call it antisemitism. When Israeli academics are shunned by institutions because of BDS policies, they are being discriminated against because of their country of origin, because they are Israelis, and because they are Jews. In no way is this acceptable. Congresswoman Omar is one of two members of Congress who openly advocate for BDS of Israel, and for me, this is concerning. The BDS movement has emerged as modern antisemitism, and it has no place in Congress. This brings us back to the debate of how to respond to BDS. While Rabbi Stanton takes the route of conversation as a way to educate against BDS and antisemitism, I believe in enforcing the limits of discourse. When we engage with a position like BDS that we find offensive, it validates it as a legitimate thing to debate. In other words, it makes antisemitism debatable. There should be no question that hatred is unacceptable. Once something is the topic of debate, it doesn’t matter who wins the argument, it becomes a worthy viewpoint. Antisemitism should never be validated, only condemned. BDS by the same token, should be condemned, not debated. To give you another example of this, Deborah Lipstadt, the renowned Holocaust scholar, has often been challenged by Holocaust deniers to debate whether the Holocaust really happened. Her response has been simple. Facts are not up for debate. Once you debate a Holocaust denier, you make facts debatable, and give legitimacy to hatred. There are limits to discourse. And there is a point at which engaging in debate will only escalate tension and fuel hatred. 2 SECOND NIGHT COMMUNITY SEDER We find that even in the great legal book of Jewish debate, the Talmud, there are limits of discussion. An account is recorded in which the sage Polemo asks the head rabbi, Judah the Patriarch, a bizarre question. “If a person has two heads, on which head does he wear teffilin [the leather boxes and straps worn traditionally at morning prayers]? Rabbi Judah the Patriarch becomes angered at the strange legal quandary, and offers Poleimo to choose one of two punishments, “either exile yourself, or you’ll be excommunicated.” Perhaps it was a little unfair of Rabbi Judah to issue such a harsh ruling, but the point of the tale is cautionary. Don’t place things not worthy of debate at the forefront of the conversation. Condemn it! My response to Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, the only two active supporters of BDS in Congress is simple and stark: BDS does not belong in the American political arena. I will engage voices about Israel with which I may disagree, even strongly disagree. But I will never bring BDS as a valid viewpoint to the Jewish community that I serve, because it is not. Antisemitism and BDS are unacceptable always and everywhere, and most especially in Congress. Every issue is debatable, but there are limits to every debate. Racism, bigotry, antisemitism, and yes, BDS too, don’t belong in Congress, in synagogues, nor any civilized conversation. Israeli governmental policy and even the American support for Israel are arguable issues, but Israel’s right to exist isn’t in question, it is a fact. Rabbi Josh Franklin $100 SAVE THE DATE Second Night CommunityJEW Seder ISH OF SATURDAY, APRIL 20 | 5:00PM CENTER THE HAMPTONS EARLY BIRD PRE-SALE ENDS APRIL 5! MEMBERS $85 | NON-MEMBERS $95 | CHILDREN (AGES 5–12) $40 All early bird attendees will be entered into a drawing to win a $100 JCOH Judaica Shop gift card! The JCOH’s family-friendly Community Seder is on the second night of Pesach. All are welcome! Led by Rabbi Joshua Franklin and Cantor/Rabbi Debra Stein, the Seder will include a delicious Passover dinner and wine. Our Seder table will not be complete without your presence. We hope to see you there! To join us, visit www.jcoh.org or call the JCOH office at 631-324-9858 No one will be denied this experience due to finances. Speak with Rabbi Franklin or Cantor/Rabbi Stein to make special arrangements in confidence. 3 WOMEN'S WINTER DINE AROUND / BOOK CLUB WOMEN'S WINTER DINE AROUND WEDNESDAY | MARCH 6 | 6:30PM | SAM'S Often times, during the cold months of winter, I hear that loneliness sets in. However, unlike years past, when restaurants used to close for most of the winter, East Hampton has many wonderful restaurant experiences year-round. Beginning in February, we will have a night out once a month. All are invited for a warm meal and comradery as we make our way towards spring. Each of us will be responsible for our own tab. Together we will create genuine and meaningful conversations. I hope you will join me. To attend, please email [email protected] at least a week in advance. BOOK CLUB FRIDAY | MARCH 15 | 11:00AM JEWISH CENTER OF THE HAMPTONS Our book club has returned. Last month we re-launched the book club. It was very successful, with five people in attendance. The next book will be held on March 15, again at 11:00. We are reading "The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem" by Surit Yashai-Levi. To attend, please email [email protected]. 4 CANTOR'S CORNER For many of us, getting older means we have to come to terms with certain changes in our abilities. We try to compensate for these changes in many ways until ultimately we have to truly do something. There are many organizations to help us as we age, and I would like to highlight one of them in my bulletin article. JBI International is a non-profit organization dedicated to meeting the Jewish and general cultural needs of the visually impaired, blind, physically handicapped and reading disabled - of all ages and backgrounds - worldwide.