Sharing ideas about Talmud with secondyear rabbinical students, 2013.
You are a certified commercial pilot and a sailor. Do you see any parallels between steering a plane or ship and steering HUC-JIR? Definitely. Federal Aviation Administration rules require that, before takeoff, a pilot assess everything that might affect the flight: conditions of the taxiways and runways, capabilities of the aircraft, terrain heights, wind reform judaism
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Top Photo by Paul Colliton
Engineer of Innovation
Is it HUC-JIR’s responsibility to In effect, you are using prepare students to be entreprehistorical texts to facilitate neurial, to think outside the box? change management. Yes. Thinking outside the box is a Yes. In order to effect positive constant theme in my classes. This change, we need to know the tramorning, for example, while teachdition well. In Judaism there has ing a text from the Book of Ezra, I always been a tension between tradisaid, “Picture a Jewish community tion and innovation. There are times that has just spent 70 years in exile when moving away from meaningand is about to return to the Land of ful tradition leaves behind important Israel. In effect, the Jewish people pieces the community needs to prehave to reconstitute their community.” serve. Conversely, there are times I then posed the questions, when you have to say, “This tradi“What are the elements of recon- With my wife Lisa Messinger. tion is no longer serving us and we stitution?” “What does this comneed to think in new ways.” So, for munity in biblical antiquity need—the right kind example, our students and graduates are out there of people, leaders, religious institutions?” “Does experimenting as “entrepreneurs” by establishing everyone have to speak the same language?” the first-ever pluralistic mikveh for Jews in New From this historical basis, I believe we can begin York City, and reaching out to 20- and 30-yearto examine how one formulates effective commu- olds by holding Jewish congregational events in nity in North America in our day: “Who should be the cafes, bookstores, and community service venincluded?” “What institutions, such as the syna- ues many of them frequent. gogue, can bring people together?” Historical context also helps students think more In our day, what makes a rabbi or cantor broadly about why traditional institutions were fash- successful? ioned as they were. Students can then ask, “Is this Successful clergy are in a sacred relationship with the best way to structure the synagogue today?” their congregants. They listen to their members “Should we be improving our current structures or and are there for them when needed. At the same exploring ways to form new ones?” “Should we be time, they stand up for what they believe. The inventing new directions to increase Jewish com- clergy who have had the most profound influmunal participation?” This kind of questioning ence upon me—such as those who marched in roots students appropriately in prior Jewish expe- Selma to help lead the struggle for civil rights— rience, teaches them how to think creatively, and spoke truth to power, asserting the Jewish value helps us make our institutions better—incremen- of human rights. I’m very proud of our alumni tally, and sometimes exponentially. who have been at the forefront of the struggle for women’s right to pray at the Western Wall. Our graduates need to possess the strength of character and spirit to lead with such conviction and resolve.
spring 2014
2/19/14 2:46 PM