A Gentle Reminder


For those of us involved in the synagogue world the summer will soon be over. Yes, it is still only July but in Jewish time that means that it will soon be time to begin preparation for the High Holidays. Although Rosh HaShannah comes “late this year,” there is a lot to be done in every congregation to insure that the holidays are welcoming and meaningful for our community. No matter where you will be for the holidays, our congregations and institutions will begin the new year confronting the most challenging environment that we have ever faced. Here in South Florida affiliation rates are among the lowest anywhere. The economy has made those bad numbers even worse. Every congregation has been struggling to do more with less resources and the coming year will not be any better. We are the third largest Jewish population center in America but our institutions will continue to suffer from the economic downturn. That is a reality but all the news is not bad. If you look around you will see that we continue to be a community that offers Jewish experiences, involvement, and education to all ages. Given the difficulty of the task, I would say we are doing a pretty good job!
To my fellow Jewish professionals and those who volunteer their time as members of boards, congregation officers, and community leaders I would like to remind you of some simple facts that we sometimes forget. In the day to day struggle for covering “the bottom-line” we sometimes forget how lucky we are to be engaged in the struggle! I can think of no worthier cause than to strive to serve the Jewish community.
Sometimes we also forget that institutional territorialism can be a very bad thing- yes we all want members, we all want volunteers, we all compete to flourish in a community where there are too many chiefs and not enough Indians, but the basic truth is that we are all on the same side! Despite our various visions for the future of the Jewish people, we are all working for the same goals. That is basic but sometimes we need to remind ourselves.
In the year ahead let’s try to remember these basic truths. We need each other. We need to co-operate with each other. We need to share the resources that we have to educate and serve this wonderful Jewish community. The time has passed to be worried about defending our respective “turf.” In these challenging times we need less competition and more co-operation. We need to feel the bonds of community more than ever on both the personal level and the institutional level.
As I look around at the South Florida Jewish community I see great people creating a great Jewish future. Yes, it may be harder than it used to be, but it is more important than ever. My hope is that this year Rosh HaShannah will bring all of us closer than ever. We can still achieve great things for our community but we can only do it working together.

Betrayed Again


Delta Air has made it clear- although Delta is an American company it believes in making money more than it believes in freedom and the values for which America stands. You may have already heard the story- maybe not. Delta has reached an agreement to include Saudi Arabian Airlines in its “Skyteam.” As of this moment Delta will uphold the Saudi policy that forbids Jews and Israelis from flying to Saudi Arabia. As for Christians, if they bring any religious items to the country (like a Bible, a rosary, or any non-Islamic item) they will be confiscated.
Delta has defended itself by saying that, as a common carrier, it has to respect the laws of the countries it serves. Plainly, the sharia law of Saudia Arabia is more important to the Delta bottom-line than the freedoms of American citizens. This move by Delta will not really affect us- what Jew would want to go to Saudia Arabia- but it does affect those who might have to go there on business. It will certainly effect Christian travelers who will also have their rights and freedom stolen by the tyranny of sharia.
The entire discussion may seem unimportant to you but think about it- an American company has, for the sake of business, turned its back on everything for which our country stands. Would Delta go out of business if they did not fly to Saudia Arabia? What has happened to the idea of an American company running by American values? Is this the future? Will our freedoms continue to shrink to accommodate a world of intolerance and hate?
Would this not be a perfect opportunity for Delta to make a statement? Would it be so hard to reject a partnership with a society that oppresses its own people and all non-Muslims? If such voices will not be heard from this country and its business community than where will such a voice be heard?
Delta has affirmed that Jews and Israelis are subject to laws that do not affect others. Sound familiar? Delta has affirmed that all non-Muslims and all women are second class human beings in the rule of sharia. Is this an association that an American company should have? This is a time to affirm that American companies stand for the values that have allowed them to exist!
I urge you to contact Delta (404-773-0305)- let them know what you think. Don’t be betrayed in silence.

A Case of Very Poor Judgment
In my last article I brought the anti-circumcision referendum to your attention. Yes, San Francisco has a proposal to make circumcision (on anyone under 18) a crime. I hope you have been following this issue- it is important to us as Jews, in effect making it impossible to practice Brit Millah within the city limits. It is also important to us as Americans- there is great danger is letting a small group of activists turn their agenda into law. I am happy to report that there are two members of Congress, one a Jew and one a Moslem, who are seeking a national law to protect parents’ rights. Such a national ruling would defuse the San Francisco law.
This debate should give us pause about protecting our rights to practice religion- this law is frontal attack on both Judaism and Islam. There is a new issue that gives me even greater reason for concern: the group sponsoring the anti-circumcision legislation (nocirc.org) is promoting their cause through a series of comic books. The hero is “foreskin man” and his “evil” enemy is “monster mohel.” I have seen several excerpts on line- the whole undertaking is very juvenile (no pun intended) but making matters worse is the depiction of “monster mohel.” The black- hated tallis- wearing mohel looks like a demon about to set upon babies to destroy them. “Monster mohel” is an ugly depiction that looks like something out of a piece of Nazi propaganda or an edition of The Elders of Zion. I don’t think any Jew could look at this and not be offended. (If you want to see for yourself, Google “monster mohel.”
The authors of the comic books have stated that they have no anti-Semitic intention in their work but if you look at the pictures a very different impression is revealed. The hero, Foreskin Man, is a blond muscular figure- his enemy is a dark evil looking character who carries a scalpel. (Yes, as I write this I too am stuck by the stupidity of the whole thing- I find it insulting that I even have to be writing about a guy named “Foreskin Man!”)
The legal issues about this city law are important- it is about personal liberty, it is about “big brother” telling you what to do; it is about being able to observe Judaism. These ridiculous comic books now cast Judaism in the role of “the evil mohel” and the pictures in the comic book are classic caricatures of an observant Jew. While the authors can claim that the books are not anti-Semitic all they want the fact remains that they are offensive and show the worst case of judgment I can imagine. To us the mohel is no “monster,” to us he represents the continuity of Jewish life. To those folks in San Francisco I would say “the world is full of real problems- go find another cause!”

Upcoming LChaim Segments, JLTV, Tuesdays at 8pm and 11pm-- Updates

Here are the updates for the coming weeks- be sure to tune in each week on JLTV Comcast 239 in South Florida.

Here is the revised schedule for upcoming June To "Life, L'Chaim" episodes:

6/7/11 - Uri Man discusses his experience on March Of The Living, Rabbi
Yaakov Thompson talks with Eric Stillman of the Jewish Federation of
Broward County and Robert Salomon of USY

6/14/11 - Israeli Deputy Consul Paul Herschenson talks about US/Israel
relations, Sun-Sentinel religion reporter Jim Davis

6/21/11 - Interviews about The Touch A Heart Foundation and two students
who participated in an Israel/US student exchange program

6/28/11 - Coverage of the Yom Ha'Shoah ceremony at Sunrise Jewish Center

Listen to the Audio from the Craig Henne Show

Ban On Circumcision?

You might have heard about this one but thought someone was kidding- this fall San Francisco will have a bill on the ballot that outlaws circumcision for any male under 18. It is called the MGM Bill (male genital mutilation.) It outlaws circumcision and makes it an offence punishable with a $1000 fine and a year in jail. (Bad news if you are a mohel!) This bill seems to ignore the fact that over 1.2 million circumcisions are done each year. It also ignores the many studies that prove that circumcision is a sound medical policy. Before I turn to the religious implications I remind you that it is a parent’s business if they wish a baby to be circumcised or not.

To me it is one of those laughable causes that make me wonder what people do with their time and energy. With all the problems in the world couldn’t these want-to-be- do-gooders find a more meaningful cause? It is almost a case of when you “think you’ve seen it all” something comes along that “takes the cake.”  Spiritually I worry about issues like these- it shows that people do need a cause, a belief, a reason to get up in the morning and think their actions really matter. I would not be the first person to question if “activism,”- the pursuit of causes and “isms” to believe in- has replaced the empty value systems of our country. There is far too little that people “believe in” any more, and in the place of meaningful values comes a flood of “causes” that sit on the edge of silly or worse!

This proposed ban on circumcision is such a case. Even if I was not a Jew I would feel that it is no one’s business if I decide to have my son circumcised. What’s next, a ban on bottle feeding? Maybe breast feeding needs to be stopped! I have to hope that there are still enough reasonable people in San Francisco to defeat this bill but I can’t help but wonder “what’s next?”

Lastly, let me change seats and put my “rabbi” cap on! It is obvious that, as Jews, we must speak out against any action that would, in effect, deny us the right to observe Judaism. Circumcision or, for us, Brit Milah, is the oldest observance in the history of our faith. It represents the covenant given to Abraham and the promise made to the Jewish people. That is the issue that causes my greatest concern. Is this wacky proposal a veiled attack on religion in general? Remember, circumcision is central to Islam also. Is preventing circumcision one more way to chip away at the right to observe any religion? It might sound like a broad indictment but I remind you that many people do believe that America should be a completely secular society. It is that group that would revel in a ban on circumcision.

I Was So Wrong


Last week I wrote a piece asking you to watch political events in Europe. I warned that the EU’s support of Palestinian statehood was a threat to the safety and existence of Israel. Well, I was so wrong—forget Europe. The most dangerous threat to Israel is in this country and he lives in the White House. Today, as I write, the news just broke- President Obama has called for Israel to return to the 1967 borders for the sake of “making peace in the mid-east.” If there was ever any doubt in your mind I hope you now have heard the message loud and clear—Barak Obama is no friend to Israel or the Jewish people of America.

Many Jewish voters have held on to the illusion of the Obama smoke-and-mirrors doubletalk. I can only hope that our community now admits the truth. America has no coherent foreign policy and certainly no logical policy regarding peace between Israel and the Arab world. Once again, Obama has sold out the safety of the Jewish State for the sake of his false beliefs that he can become the “savior” of the Arab world.

If we try to follow the twisted logic of the current administration this call for Israel’s retreat is in answer to the “Arab spring,” the false belief that the unrest in the Arab world will result in the establishment of moderate democracies. The problem is that there is no evidence to assure us that this will happen. The opposite is true- the rumblings from the Moslem Brotherhood shows that even the peace accord with Egypt may be discarded by a new Egyptian government. Syria is in crisis, Lebanon is increasingly under the thumb of Iran, and the nuclear threat to Israel remains. How can any of these developments be a basis for Israel to make itself more vulnerable than ever? It seems our president has much more faith in the future of the Arab world than most of us do. Well, maybe not faith, just wishful thinking.

Look at a map made before 1967. Try to remember what Israel looked like then. Now, imagine trying to protect that much-reduced little piece of land. Can it be any surprise that Israel has already rejected the Obama dictate? Why is our president so arrogant? How could he have the nerve to make such an outrageous statement the day before he was to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu? If I were the Prime Minister I would take great pleasure in not showing up for that meeting. Yes, if I sound bitter I am. If you voted for Obama I can only hope you come to your senses soon. In the meantime, enjoy the view from under the bus!