Newsletters

Rabbi's Week in Review



A cohort of national multifaith leaders, put together by Faith in Action, attended a conference in Kansas City last week. (I’m not sure why they chose KC.) As a member of the Faith in Action Clergy Organizers Advisory Board, I was made aware of the conference, and Fay and I hosted a dinner for the cohort at our home. During the dinner, I conducted a panel discussion on the intersection of justice work and multifaith relationship. I was ... Click here to read the rest of Rabbi Doug's blog post.

This Week's Torah Portion
Parashat Ki Tavo
(Devarim/Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8)



Five verses toward the beginning of the Torah portion relate our history — the story of how we came to be in Egypt and ultimately slaves, leading to our exodus from Egypt and G-d’s power to redeem us from slavery. Bookending those verses is the ceremony of the first fruits. We bring offerings to G-d in thanks for the food we have and a G-d of compassion who does redeem us.  

Before the recounting of our history, we hand our first fruits over to the Kohein, the priest who, as our proxy, makes the offering on our behalf. However, after we understand our story and our history, we no longer need the Kohein. Each of us will make our offerings ourselves; we are small “d” democratic, with our own voice.

Weekly Feature

Bread and Roses
By Pat Clinton 



Labor Day signals the end of summer and, for us, the soon-to-be beginning of a new year. How does Labor Day connect to our Jewish culture?

A little research took me to the U.S. Department of Labor Blog and the Cultural and Secular Jewish Organization website for a dive into the rich history of Jewish involvement in the labor movement.
 
Labor leader and organizer Rose Schneiderman coined the phrase “bread and roses” from the poem “Bread and Roses” by James Oppenheim that has become the anthem of organized labor — “The woman worker needs bread,” Schneiderman said, “but she must have roses, too.”
 
Bread is essential to sustain life, but one must also have human dignity. 

In 1909, the International Ladies Garment Workers Union and the New York Women’s Trade Union partnered to lead a strike known as the Uprising of the 20,000, which lasted 11 weeks. Yet the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire followed, in March 1911. In demanding better pay, working conditions, and health and safety regulations, workers-rights activist Clara Lemlich Shavelson set the tone for the continued fight for a safer, more equitable work environment. Other examples of Jews involved in the labor movement include Frank Tannenbaum and Samuel Gompers in the early 20th century and today's leaders such as Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Jewish Labor Committee, and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, to name a few.

Now, this summer, with unrelenting heat in many parts of the country, workers in San Antonio and Dallas — laying fiber-optic cable and delivering mail — have died from heat exhaustion. And sadly, here in Kansas City this past July, a construction worker (employed by a company previously cited by OSHA for health and safety violations) fell to his death down an elevator shaft during renovation of the AT&T Building. People continue to suffer the consequences of working conditions that are dangerous.

This Labor Day, September 4, we can reflect on why we honor workers and what we can do to support with “bread and roses” all those who are in the labor force.



​​​​​​​