Hakol April 2011

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Lehigh Valley clergy respond to JTA column Rabbi Daniel Stein Bnai Abraham Synagogue

Archie Gottesman is right: we are at a pivotal moment in American Jewish identity, and these are scary times for people concerned about the future of the Jewish people.

But her approach to building a Jewish future shows that she is much more a part of the problem than the solution. Many of her solutions are fine; yes, send kids to camp, send them to Hebrew school, celebrate Shabbat.

Her premise, though, that you can simply (and condescendingly) command behavior and expect change, is what has driven American Jews from our community in droves.

Our communal obligation is to provide more meaning and less guilt. The world we live in today has changed drastically from the time when our great institutions— JCCs, synagogues, Jewish federations—were developed. If we want Judaism to survive, it is those institutions that must change first.

We are living in a dynamic and ever-changing reality; I imagine that historians looking back on the first decades of the 21st century will compare today’s technology-driven social revolution to the rapid period of upheaval that defined the industrial revolution.

This is what Archie Gottesman should know about my peers—young Jews born from 1978-92: We define the borders of our community not by our neighborhoods but by our networks. We are skeptical of authority but can hold deep convictions if they are personally meaningful. We grew up as native users of graphic computers in our classrooms and respond to icons and symbols as readily as words. We expect rapid change and will not take “it has always been that way” for an answer.

If Judaism is to survive, it must embrace the paradigm shift towards choice; the old pattern of obligation, avoidance and guilt has shown its effectiveness.

Rabbi Rob Lennick

Congregation Keneseth Israel

Indignant – that’s the word to describe Archie Gottesman’s attitude in her op-ed.

Like her, we are all concerned about the Jewish future. Her call for more relevance and accessibility is fine, and underneath her jabbering is passion to open the doors of Jewish life as wide as possible.

She need not, however, bash Birthright, synagogue Jewish education and worship and universalistic Jewish philanthropy in the process, suggesting that some entry points to Jewish life are not as worthy as

commands our respect in the eyes of the world more than our being true to our Jewish identities — not even openmindedness— and I commend Ms. Gottesman for her unabashed formulation of this point.

I fear, however, that Ms. Gottesman her-self is being too open-minded by removing from Judaism the requirement of a belief in G-d (after all, it is the very first of the real Ten Commandments!).

Jewish tradition is not merely cultural identity or a code of ethics; Judaism is built on a belief in G-d as our creator and as an active, loving force in our lives.

I strongly urge those people who are struggling with belief in G-d not to remove G-d from Judaism because they have not yet found Him, but to continue the journey. The effort will be well worth it!

With so many distractions in our

contemporary society, it may be difficult to focus our energies on a relationship with G-d; however, the good news is that there are now more tools than ever at our disposal—from online classes to multiple apps on Jewish topics.

We owe it to ourselves to engage in the study of Jewish texts, both ancient and modern, and to learn more about the beautiful rituals that augment this dynamic relationship.

More than honorable mention: Recent studies show that 90 percent of Jewish day school graduates marry Jews. With statistics like that, a profound Jewish education for our children must remain a top priority.

“If Judaism is to survive, it must embrace the paradigm shift towards choice; the old pattern of obligation, avoidance and guilt has shown its effectiveness.” ~Rabbi Daniel Stein

others. On this, I disagree.

Any entry point—religious, secular, communal, philanthropic, educational, Zionistic (and the list goes on)—is a good one.

She begins her rant around intermarriages found in wedding announcements.

As a progressive rabbi, I feel we must reach out to the intermarried and welcome them with enthusiasm into Jewish life. Intermarriage, (while not to be encouraged) should be viewed as a valid entry point, not to be wasted by the Jewish community.

When we reject the intermarried, we not only reject a Jew but make nearly certain that children of that marriage will not be raised as Jews. In the world of Jewish demographics today, we need Jewish children, however we can count them.

Unlike Gottesman, I don’t think we bend over backwards or are too openminded.

Judaism has always adapted to new times and places. It is selfcontradictory for her to call for adaptation and then criticize open-mindedness in the same breath. That adaptability, perhaps, has had more to do with our survival than anything else.

Rabbi David Wilensky Congregation Sons of Israel

I applaud Ms. Gottesman for her concern for the future of Judaism and her sentiments regarding the need to be innovative and forward thinking in engaging Judaism. Nothing HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | APRIL 2011 19

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