Rabbi's Week in Review Blog

A strange and somewhat incongruous intersection this past weekend of a time of joy, and the tragic and difficult. The joy was contained in our Kol Ami Erev Shabbat service, and my great nephew’s Bar Mitzvah Shabbat morning.

Erev Shabbat was not one of our more well attended services. I’m not too disappointed; the music was still moving and beautiful, and I am always grateful and appreciative of how folks here at Kol Ami interact with each other, and care about each other’s lives.

My great nephew did a great job leading the service and chanting Torah. B’nai Jehudah, where the Bar Mitzvah took place, gave me some time at the Bimah to give a Rabbinic charge to Jonah - Jonah whose middle name Doni is named after my father z”l - gave me some time to recall memories of my father who died almost 38 years ago. L’dor VaDor-from generation to generation.

The tragic and emotionally difficult part was the showing of the academy award winning documentary “No Other Land.” I have to admit that being on a panel after the viewing was difficult for me. The movie, if you are not aware, covers the demolition of a Palestinian village in the West Bank carried out by IDF soldiers on demolition orders from the Israeli government. Israeli settler violence against Palestinians was also shown in the movie.

I have described to people when asked how I’m doing is that I am living on parallel tracks. On one side, there is much joy in my life, Fay, my kids, grandkids, and grandkid to come.  I love our Kol Ami kehilah and pinch myself often as to how I landed in this wonderful, caring group of people.

On the other side is the state of our world and the country. Others are suffering as a result of cruel leadership that only endeavors to pursue their own power, regardless of the harm done to others. I, and many of us, do spend time in that messy and challenging space, doing something to try and change the trajectory of who we as a country and a people have become.

I do think we need to keep a foot in each world.  We need  joy or, as I have said, if we are trying to seek a better world, it would be good to have some idea of what the world looks like. And, we must understand our obligation in living our most deeply held Jewish values to make the world and our communities better; to be more humane, caring and kind. We must perform the mitzvah in which strangers are no longer oppressed, and that they know they are loved.