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FORUM The moment Miracle About eight years ago I was living in an isolated and decidedly non-Jewish rural community in Northern California I had been estranged from the practice of Judaism for...
...t»ch««> Hon are tome of the sentiment* expressed by the Po*f-Foxman supporters: Did you ever hear the Arabs castigate other Arabs puokcly...
...The AnbOelamabon League's natjonal oVec t or Abraham Foxman took the Other side, saymg Swgman sounded the wrong note at the wrong tfne...
...One mother wrote: We have chwJren kvng n Israel as weH as giandchMren...
...I would never refer to him as "wheelchair-bound"—and ^either should anyone else...
...Bernard J Shapiro, M D Willowdale, Ontario An Additional Af Chert for Jacob Neusner In his October [1990] column, Jacob Neusner attempts to address what he perceives to be the weaknesses in High Holiday services as conducted by rabbis and cantors and to suggest possible solutions to those problems As a chazzan (cantor) who takes very seriously the responsibility of shaliach tzibur [congregational messenger], I am particularly distressed by the tenor of his remarks regarding the music of the yamim noraim [Days of Awe, High Holy Days...
...For a person of his stature and accomplishment, I can only say in Yiddish, es past nischt [it's not appropriate] . It certainly does not become him...
...But I have rarely found a rabbi's comments "intrusive " I have not always agreed with their point of view, but their remarks usually stimulate me to think, as they explain the origin of a prayer or a passage in the siddur [prayer book] or its setting within the service...
...It is unfortunate that Dr Neusner's unsatisfying High Holiday experiences have led him td the conclusions he draws...
...The music should reflect both tradition and modernity...
...However, more needs to be said concerning the issue of gender references to God...
...From the moment he got his first wheelchair, at the age of 5, Dan has been free to move about in the world...
...You can probably guess where this is leading...
...I am offended by Mr...
...A New Translation (Yale Univ., 1987)—a welcome and well-used addition to my library of Judaica...
...Our rabbi had just suggested the same thing from the pulpit during the high holidays, and in our latest temple newsletter we have included the blessing that he created...
...The formidable task the rabbi and cantor face is to create a spintu-ally satisfying worship expenence, taking into account the tremendous range of knowledge, understanding and abilities of the congregation...
...I was even thinking of^ using some of his ideas for my instructional material, until I came to his words: "Texts that have become offensive to modern Jews, such as the blessing praising God for not having made me a woman, should be changed...
...Most were excellent, a few were not...
...We're sending everyone a copy of the Dnesen article, as well I'll give my usual plug for moment subscriptions, of course...
...It is my personal commitment, as well as a basic principle of the member organizations of C-MEP, to support Israel's security and recognition by its neighbors and also to support the right of Palestinians to self-determination and sovereignty...
...We cannot tea them and the* government what is best for them...
...I thmk that most of the mator organizations want my money and a blanket approval to speak for me...
...Jacob Neusner...
...But the male, who has not been given these special privileges, does have the opportunity to commune with God in a different way, through the fulfillment of those required mitzvot from which the woman is exempt...
...I believe the fuse is lit for the Mideast war, which the great prophet Ezekiel told would happen in the 38th chapter of his book He also said in chapter 39 that five-sixths of the enemies' armies would be wiped out as God gives Israel the victory Then later on—I believe in this decade, if the calendar is correct—the great batde of Armageddon will take place and the messiah will bring the armies of heaven to settle it, and it will be followed by a thousand years of peace I would like to know how Jewish people really feel about things, so send me your magazine...
...Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kolek came to Segman's defense...
...I felt like the worst hypocrite, going through the motions of reading the siddur [prayer book], trying to have faith in a God I couldn't relate to in the least...
...I believe the harder question is: Can God do anything useful in a timely manner for anyone in particular' Let's face it...
...SMi It Own It i One of the major problems the Amencan Jewish commuraty laces m the 1990s is the fact that so many of us are unafhkated The doseOtrarKtodness and dKtatonal nature of our mapr organizations is a significant factor that keeps Amencan Jews Irom afhkabng...
...This was m conflict with Canaanite culture, also patriarchal but polytheistic...
...However, when you publish two articles on prayer ("Why You Can't Pray and What You Can Do About It" and "How God Gets in the Way of Praying," October 1990)—from the Conservative and Reform perspectives— and neglect the Orthodox viewpoint, I begin to fear that your sensitivity does not extend to all of us and may not consider that there are numbers of readers out here with high hopes for you who are Orthodox Dr Reva Ehrhch Lawrence, New York Thanks, God, for Not Making Me a Woman I especially enjoyed reading Rabbi Neil Gillman's essay, "Why You Can't Pray and What You Can Do About It" (October 1990), because I am involved in outreach work in my community...
...The Jewish woman who is not required to perform these mitzvot is privileged rather than underprivileged...
...It is the maligned, the overworked congregational rabbi (who according to Neusner never reads a book or studies Torah) who brings even a smattering of the beauty and profundity of our Judaic heritage to the people Instead of damning these rabbis, the academics of our Judaic world should help, encourage and praise them...
...Everyone has a function—he in the lab and I with my patient consultations...
...Altemyer has found that the highest correlation is between antisemitism and the belief that Zionism is racism...
...I have an active Jewish life, including regular attendance at services...
...Klein claims, a fig leaf, but it is an olive tree of hope for a future when Israelis and Palestinians can live in sovereign security side by side...
...But until a month ago, I was terribly burdened by a problem that I'd been struggling with for several years I didn't believe in God...
...Nn Va» Two letters come from American mothers of Israelii...
...others, to participate through congregational singing, still others, to derive inspiration from the chazzan's interpretation of a magnificent liturgy And of course, there are those who do some or all of these Add to that the need to balance the old with the new, and it becomes clear that one of the greatest challenges facing today's cantor is in balancing the music so that it facilitates the spintual expression of his or her entire congregation...
...I send him a yasher koach [congratulations...
...However, several feminine forms have appeared in reference to God at vanous stages in Jewish history Rafael Patai has noted some of them in his book, The Hebrew Goddess (Wayne State Univ, 1990...
...My wife and I planted trees in Israel We were both baptized in the Jordan River...
...Robert Moss, president of the United Church of Christ, has pointed out...
...Jews are the easiest people to convnce when it comes to a humanrtanan cause...
...I greatly respect Prof Neusner I am grateful for one of his latest works, The Mishnah...
...Neusner's comments are analagous to a medical research professor leaving his lab and coming into my practice and telling me how to handle my patients and consultations...
...Rjto Strry D» Sc*mu •tefcaflt Cavn...
...And thats the vicious plot—to convnce, through clever propaganda, that the man issue here is humaratanarasm toward the Paieshnums...
...If the thought of praying in a Reform temple does not please Mr Driesen, then let him accept the traditional liturgy and cease gntting his teeth If Jews want tradition, there are synagogues that offer it If they want liturgical creativity and intellectual integrity, there are synagogues that offer it...
...And the good news is' K'tonton continues to reach out to new friends m story as well as— now—in song...
...many are ignorant of the liturgy, of the musical traditions and of the Hebrew language...
...Rabbi Stephen M Wylen Scranton, Pennsylvania Neglecting The Orthodox I had thought that in moment I had found a magazine that spoke to all Jewish concerns and could be a unifying force in our much-divided nation...
...Because of this religious conflict, hardly anything feminine was allowed to attach itself to anthropomorphic descriptions of God found in biblical culture...
...Ed...
...Too much is at stake to reman saent, Dstti) ElMwi obligation to fulfill certain mitzvot [commandments] She is excused from some of them, mainly those which have a time factor, out of consideration for her household duties, to which the Torah gives precedence...
...I never find that their comments "disrupt, annoy and destroy...
...Where does Rabbi Gillman have the nght to suggest that our holy liturgy be changed...
...Join a Reform temple, and your troubles will be over You can pray words that are consistent with the beliefs of a contemporary, serious Jew...
...K >s a good first step...
...The real sticking point for me was the Holocaust...
...Dnesen wrote my thoughts and feelings so exquisitely and completely that I was weeping with relief as I read faster and faster And then he answered the quesuon that I hadn't been able to resolve in my conversations with parents, friends, rabbis and myself...
...The words in the prayer book say that God will protect us and help and we should trust and put our faith in Him Nu> Could I read that and believe in that God in light of the events in our recent history...
...and that is i Thank you for taking the mrbahve to pubksh this pol...
...Neusner fails to take into account the reality of the congregational demographics at most synagogues during the High Holiday season Sad to say, most Jews who attend synagogue on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are not particularly knowledgable Jewishly...
...And it's been successful...
...Some come to shul to daven...
...Many organizations, including the National Easter Seals Society in Chicago, publish informative brochures on the subject of how language reflects attitudes about this Many newspapers, magazines and electronic media have used the Easter Seals guidelines to make significant improvements in their style books— and their attitudes For a person with a mobhlity impairment, a wheelchair is usually a very liberating factor in his or her life...
...Because of this, Jewish law has exempted the woman from the moment's Poll: American Jews Riven The renrfts of NO?Nfs nformat pcM stvw ttol American Jews are as riven as rsraeks on important questions...
...Klein's implication that I am not genuine in my support of seeking Arab recognition of Israel...
...Reverend Charles Olewme Levrttown, Pennsylvania Response of Churches For Middle East Peace moment published a column in its October issue by Morton A Klein, who is affiliated with CAMERA, the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America...
...Needless to say, I am profoundly grateful to Mr Dnesen for his honesty and insight and to you for including his article in your magazine I know that your job probably pushes you to your limits and you might someumes wonder if it's worth it I hope your ongoing contribution to this reader's spiritual transformation brings you some naches [pleasure plus pride] and adds to the quality of your life as moment has added to mine Roz Keller Eureka, California P.S Your inclusion on blessing your children ("Blessing Your Children—An Entry into Prayer") was timely and beautiful...
...Nancy F Kaplan West Bloomfield, Michigan K'tonton on Tape Jonathan Sarna's fond memories of K'tonton in your October [1990] issue ("From K'tonton to the Torah") are echoed by three generations of children privileged to grow up with this thumb-sized companion...
...We should not be deceived by the use of the term 'Zionism', .[those who sponsor anti-Zionist resolutions] mean Jews' and Judaism' as well as the state of Israel...
...In our account of the debate moose Vote: With Whom Do You Most Hearty Agreed October 1990) we asked our readers to vote: Agreement with StegmarvKoaek meant American Jewish leaders should speak out puokcly when they left Israel was wrong...
...He should know, as should the readership of MOMENT magazine, that there do exist synagogues, many synagogues, where services are all that he envisions they should be...
...F rankty...
...Problem' There is no problem...
...These new materials are available from the publisher at the address below...
...Foxman either do not understand or underesbmate the frustration, drsaopomtment, anger and uttimate sorrow thousands of Amencan Jews (eel toward Israel...
...Even if God exists as a separate entity but can't do much—and there seems to be ample evidence as to the not being able to do very much—then the whole topic is just not so exciting anymore...
...quite the contrary, for man's task is to be the breadwinner, while the woman takes care of a home and raises the children The latter, being a very delicate and complicated task, requires special qualities, which divine providence graciously bestowed on the woman...
...In fact, I think it is the epitome of chutzpah [gall...
...His characterization of the cantonal art as "musical gibberish that passes for an expressive presentation" is an insult to the cantorate and to the centunes-old tradition it is striving to maintain...
...Neusner notes, and correctly so, that the liturgy of Rosh Hashanah is most complex and most profound...
...Professor R A Altemyer, the distinguished Canadian research psychologist, has studied the character traits of antisemites in order to determine which of an individual's opinions (on all topics) is most closely related to that individual's antisemitism Dr...
...As Gillman implies, it is impossible to find a gender-neutral language in Hebrew, since all nouns, adjectives and verbs are either masculine or feminine...
...kkv Mwi Ouuwf Itrunt...
...Stop Gritting Your Teeth, Driesen...
...As Dr...
...As any number of persons with disabilities and their friends, relatives and advocates will tell you, "wheelchair-bound" and "confined to a wheelchair" are inappropriate ways to refer to a person who uses a wheelchair to provide or enhance his or her own mobility...
...However, I find it crass, distasteful and supercilious for an academic who has probably never had to prepare seven or eight sermons for the High Holidays to voice such damning criticism...
...These questions were debated last summer m a heated exchange n the Jerusalem Post...
...We have also changed all the Hebrew pronounciations to Sephardit, except that Gemara is still chanted the traditional way by K'tonton's father...
...Corinne Whitlatch, Staff Consultant Churches for Middle East Peace Washington, D C The Congregational Rabbi On the Firing Line In your October 1990 issue you published a column by Prof...
...The process that began then has brought me to a very different place as I write to you today I have been a board member, secretary and am now the president of Temple Beth El in Eureka, California...
...So I remained in a state of spiritual cnsis and near despair...
...My son, who is 13, has spina bifida and paraplegia...
...If the true nature of God can only be manifest by our own thoughts and actions, then let us just say it plainly The Jewish God is the conunuing invention of the Jewish people, and God does indeed exist, but only in our minds Fred Sweet San Diego, California The Correlation between Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism moment deserves commendation for publishing the expose of the anti-Israel Churches for Middle East Peace by Morton Klein of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) (Guest Column, October 1990...
...Anyone who is familiar with the high esteem in which the Jewish woman is held would not be foolish enough to think that this blessing casts a reflection on Jewish womanhood Our sages frequently emphasized the moral strength and spiritual excellence of the Jewish woman Was it not for the merits of righteous women that the children of Israel were liberated from Egyptian bondage, that at the giving of the Torah the women were approached first, that at the sin of the golden calf the women had no part, and at the building of the mishkan [tabernacle], the women were most generous' When a Jew recites the blessing thanking God for not making him a woman, he does not say these words with any feeling of superiority...
...Mr Klein's charges lead moment readers to have misconceptions about Churches for Middle East Peace (C-MEP) In May [1990] we organized Washington Advocacy Days for members of our churches to lobby their congressmembers about the need for bipartisan congressional support of U S. diplomatic efforts to bring Israel and the Palestinians to negotiation...
...I can envision the destruction of Israel, God forbid, a hundred hmes, not because of superior mrttary rr*gtrt agamst her but because of some Amencan Jews who undertime the Jewish state...
...From the opening sentence in George Dnesen's "How God Gets in the Way of Praying," (October 1990), moment Miracle number two commenced...
...For it is mainly through their efforts that we can hope that our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will remain Jewish...
...I implore the leaders of Churches for Middle East Peace to remember the biblical warning, "Those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will be cursed (Genesis 12:3...
...Ctttmt The other mother wrote: We have chedren and grandchildren m Israel They also bekeve that we can criticize Israel Dubiety...
...Yes, for me, too, God is a poetic metaphor for the vast portion of reality that is unknowable and beyond our control And I, too, find that a far more comforung belief than that of an intervening God who is responsible for the tragedies in our lives...
...The Jewish prayer book has held us together for thousands of years These prayers have been a source of strength and inspiration through times of turmoil and catastrophe in our long, troubled history To infer that we can tamper with or change our sacred liturgy, as Rabbi Gillman seems to suggest, would be totally unacceptable...
...This was a jarrmg flaw in an otherwise sophisticated and superbly researched piece...
...Dnesen, there is liturgical creativity, and there has been for nearly 200 years now...
...FORUM The moment Miracle About eight years ago I was living in an isolated and decidedly non-Jewish rural community in Northern California I had been estranged from the practice of Judaism for about 15 years when my father sent me a gift subscription to moment...
...Od you ever hear the Arabs condemn Patestman violence *i Israel or violence n other Arab countries' ___ Amencan Zionists have an obkgabon to commuracate canckdy with fsraef government officials oVecUy and with other American Jews through letters w\ Jewish publications, but expensive ads n the New York Times are for impressing genbtes For what purpose...
...Two votes lor an open society...
...Another objective of the gathering was to educate these church activists about the breadth and evenhandedness of the churches' policies on the conflict and other Middle East issues We knew that some of the registrants, especially those who had visited the West Bank and Gaza during the intifada, were focused on the current suffering and the situation of the Palestinians living under occupation A few participants were outspoken in their anger about Israeli and United States' policies Some indeed chafed under the bridle of our direction that, as participants in our conference, they advocate C-MEP positions that seek justice and security for both Palestinians and Israel...
...Rabbi Gillman should be a bit more careful in his choice of words in an otherwise excellent article and not espouse thoughts that are offensive not to the modern Jews but to Torah Judaism...
...When gender is unknown, Hebrew uses the masculine form So in reference to God the masculine terms are the norm...
...Moshel Sorscher Brooklyn, New York The Feminine Aspect of the Jewish God Professor Neil Gillman's article on prayer ("Why You Can't Pray and What You Can Do About It," October 1990) is excellent...
...Since when did our liturgy become petrified...
...Thee bves are on the kne...
...Although you mentioned in Notes & News that three books are still available, your readers may be interested in knowing that Sadie Rose Weilerstein's very latest stories appear in her collaborative work with me, the K'tonton in Israel Cassette and Book series, based on the out-of-print K'tonton in Israel (Jewish Publication Society, 1964) Mrs Weilerstein expended considerable loving effort in updating historical references, adding new matenal (example: the Ethiopian exodus) and writing verses to be set to music for the cassettes...
...It was a miracle in my life, and I wrote to Leonard Fein and let him know that his magazine was my link to my heritage...
...The latter gave separate feminine counterparts to most of the male gods...
...Dennis Prager (Column, October 1990) asked and answered the easy question: "Does God exist...
...Klein was correct when he pointed out that some Christian critics of Israel are motivated not by sincere dissent from Israeli policies but rather by what he called "unbridled hostility toward Israel, Zionism and American Jews"— in other words, old-fashioned anti-Semitism...
...Judy Chernak Judy Chernak Productions 3114 Hatton Road Pikesville, Maryland 21208 "Yours Till Jesus Comes" I am not a Jew, but I love the Jews I have traveled Israel from one end to the other...
...Will iiiimilWhii»iiil NajiflMt Why does not one Arab country have a movement or organization par aid to Israefs "Peace Now...
...it is important for Israel ctaens to know the truth, especially because they kve n a democracy...
...Yours till Jesus comes Arthur D Avery Tulsa, Oklahoma Correction: Temple Beth Hillel is in North Hollywood, California, not South Bend, Indiana, as reported in "As the Rabbi Said...
...A vote for Posf-f oxman reflected the view that criticism of Israel by American Jewish leaders should be expressed pnvatery These are the results: Siegmanttolek (speak out) — 55 percent PosFF oxman (express pnvateJy)— 45 percent Hoeo on oomo of Sao ooooJoiOMOi People ike Mr...
...I am ashamed of such behavior by my fellow-Christians...
...George Dnesen ("How God Gets in the Way of Praying," October 1990) reminds me of a man leading a horse by the reins, moaning "Oh, if only I had a horse, if only I had a horse " Since he has a horse, let him get on it and stop moaning' Mr Driesen says that he gnts his teeth every time he prays, knowing that the traditional liturgy contains so many statements that he cannot recite with spintual integnty He bemoans the absence of liturgical creativity in Judaism and he points out correctly the impediment to spiritual growth in reciting words, however hallowed by tradition, that one cannot literally consent to But, Mr...
...For the sin of generalizing what he perceives to be the weaknesses of all rabbis and cantors, Dr Neusner might wish to recite an addiuonal Al Cheit ["We Have Sinned" prayer] next Yom Kippur Cantor Stephen Freedman Congregation Beth Israel Worcester, Massachusetts A Wheelchair Is Liberating for the Mobility Impaired It's ironic and discouraging that an article ostensibly devoted to matters of sensitivity and nuance in communications, "As Others See Us—Jews on TV," by Jonathan and Judith Pearl (October 1990), displayed a lamentable insensiUvity of its own by referring not once but twice to people as being "wheelchair-bound...
...CtktGooOw SouMMd...
...He published my letter ("Consciousness-Raising," December 1982) and even mentioned me years later in his farewell comments when he left moment ("Coming to a Conclusion," August 1987...
...I have attended many different synagogues, and I have heard a great variety of rabbis give sermons—Orthodox, Conservative and Reform...
...Mr Prager says, "God is wherever we let God in " It would seem that at the least God should be able to get around and visit whomever God pleases...
...October 1990...
...He then asserts that "the goal of the rabbi should be to make the liturgical moment live ..to create a moment of enchantment and transformation " With all due respect to rabbis everywhere, it is the function of the chazzan as the representative of his or her congregation before God, to interpret the liturgy and to infuse it with life and with meaning Every service needs davening [praying] , cantonal chanting and congregauonal singing...
...Our evenhandedness is not, as Mr...
...S«0i Ifefraoa There's no such thng as a secret n ntemobonaJ fefobons and n pokbcs...
...Prof...
...Should Arnencan Jewish leaders speak out puokcly when they are critical ol Israel or should they express the* news privately...
...The Bible indicates the idea of multiple aspects within God (which could include both male and female aspects) by using the term Elohim for God This term is a plural form (the singular is Eloah), but the adjectives and verbs associated with it are almost always singular Rabbi H D Uriel Smrth Ambridge, Pennsylvania Even If God Exists, Can God Do Anything Useful...
...Jacob Neusner in the university studying, writing and teaching and the congregational rabbi on the firing line confronting the congregation, teaching, cajoling and making the liturgy come to life to an often unwilling and frequently disinterested populace...
...The Post was critical of American Jewish Congress executive director Henry Stegman (or speaking out m cnbcrsm ol Israel...
...Do American Jewish leaders reaty represent American Jews generaty...
...No way...
...Biblical culture was patriarchal, oscillating between monotheism (the belief in the one and only God) and henotheism (the belief that only one god should be worshiped without denying the existence of other gods...
Vol. 16 • February 1991 • No. 1
