JCC Dinner of Champions

I was honored to be asked once again to offer the invocation at the annual Jewish Community Center Dinner. This is an important fundraiser which raises approximately $250,000 to support the outstanding work of the JCC, especially its special needs and inclusion program.

JCC Sports Hall of Fame 2010

We gather tonight in the middle of the hockey, basketball, soccer, lacrosse and football seasons.

Tonight is a great night because we celebrate –

The wonderful work of the JCC and all it does to give otherwise disadvantaged young people hope, fun and the opportunity to just be regular kids;

We honor all those young people who are role models, counselors, campers, volunteers and staff members who give so much;

We come together as a community to celebrate what it means to be a part of such a vibrant and dynamic local Jewish community that despite economic setbacks strives to do so much to improve the lives of all, in pursuit of the Jewish imperative to better our world and to serve others.

And tonight we recognize and honor our local athletes and the pride they bring us from their accomplishments both on and off the field over the years;

As we all know in all of these sports, behind every good athlete is a loving, concerned and supportive family, and in most instances, a supportive Jewish mother. Nowhere is this more true than the story of one of the first great NFL players, Sidney Luckman, who was blessed with an especially loving mother.

Sid Luckman, a nice Jewish kid was the National Football League's Most Valuable Player in 1943 and a member of the NFL Hall of Fame. He played quarterback for the Chicago Bears from 1939 to 1950. He was the first modern T-formation quarterback and is considered the greatest long range passer of his time. During his 12 seasons with the Bears he led them to four NFL championships and five western division titles.

What you might not know is that the first time his mother saw him playing professionally was in a memorable game in which he threw 7 touchdown passes against the New York Giants. She wasn’t all that familiar with the game or what was going on. All she knew was what she saw – a bunch of guys chasing after her son, trying to tackle him and take the ball from him.

At one point she began to shout out at the top of her lungs, “Sidney, if they want the ball that much, just give it to them.”

Christian – Jewish Dialogue

Under the auspices of the American Jewish Committee, I recently attended an ongoing dialogue group that I am a part of with Lutheran clergy and lay leaders, as well as rabbis and lay leaders of the Jewish community.

The particular issue before us is a document highly offensive to those of us who are lovers and supporters of Israel. The “Kairos Document” purports to represent the voice of Christian Palestinians. It is a highly charged diatribe filled with invective against Israel. We met with our Christian counterparts in the spirit of cooperation and concern. Our colleagues were as disturbed by the hostility expressed against Israel as were the Jews in the room.

We are fortunate to have friends in the Christian community, and must never forget how important it is to continue to nurture these relationships.

Rally for Gilad Shalit

I was extremely impressed by the energy and raw enthusiasm of the students who organized a rally in November on behalf of Gilad Shalit on the National Mall. The students pulled together in a very short period of time a rally in which they called for 1,600 people to attend to mark the 1,600 days of captivity of Gilad Shalit. Although there were no official crowd estimates, they certainly had over 1,000 people attend and may very well have had close to 1,600.

I was asked to address the crowd and said, “The 1,600 of us here today send a message. We will not forget Gilad Shalit or his 1,600 days in captivity. We send this message to the capitals throughout the world, as well as to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”

I also reminded those in attendance of the courage and bravery of the Soviet Jews who were held captive by the communist regime. They faced similar odds and had to encounter despair. I told them the story of Natan Sharansky, who writes in his autobiography, “Fear no evil” that his Russian jailors would taunt him by belittling those who were speaking on his behalf. They would tell him, “We are the mighty Soviet empire. And all you have are a bunch of students and housewives demonstrating on your behalf.” But Sharansky explains, “Whenever they would say this, I would respond, ‘Ah, but you don’t understand. Those are Jewish students and Jewish housewives who are demonstrating for my freedom!’”

So hopefully this outpouring by students will also result in the release of Gilad Shalit and his safe and speedy return to his family. It is important that we not forget him and that we not lose hope.

Chanukah 2010

This Chanukah has been an extremely busy time of year, especially as I am slowly taking on more responsibilities and beginning to resume a full schedule. On the first night of Chanukah I was with Ambassador Michael Oren and his wife, Sally, at a private reception at the 6th & I Synagogue downtown. From there I went to a reception hosted by the Ambassador of Morocco for members of the Jewish community. In addition to family celebrations and those here at B’nai Tzedek, I was honored to be invited by Governor Martin O’Malley to officiate at the reception at the Governor’s Mansion, as well as at a reception hosted by the DCM of the Israel Embassy, Dan Arbell and his wife, Sarit for members of the Diplomatic Corps in the Washington, DC area.

I wanted to share with you’re my remarks at the Governor’s Mansion.

Chanukah 2010 - Annapolis, Maryland

This will be a Chanukah unlike any other. This festival of lights, is one we will remember, not because it comes “so early this year,” or because of the beautiful chanukiyot that shine so brightly in our homes, but on account of the darkness it has brought to our beloved land of Israel.

As we gather today, and Governor O’Malley and his wife, Katie are kind enough to open their home to us to light the candles of the menorah our festive mood is diminished somewhat because our precious holy land is engulfed in flames. The traditional images associated with the menorah, symbol of light, of Chanukah, of candles burning bright to remind us of the Macabees and the joy of their victory eludes us as instead the flickering flames evokes the image of the fire raging in the north of Israel.

The loss of life is tragic, the pain compounded only by the amount of trees and wild life destroyed. It is all especially painful and hurts because we know how much pride Israel takes in the forests that have been planted this past century to help nourish the soil in accordance with the Jewish injunction to care for the earth.

We Jews are much more familiar and better adapted to the role of planting trees than of putting out fires.

In part that may be because one of the most prominent commandments found in the torah, familiar to every Jew was when Moses told the people to plant trees upon their entry into the land of Israel. And so we have done so ever since, and with special zeal and fervor since the 19th century, when the Zionist pioneers started to build settlements and make aliyah in massive numbers.

The effort has been a true partnership, between the Jews of Israel and around the world. Most of us here today have contributed to plant trees, and many of us have actually planted trees with our own hands when in Israel. You chop up the land, take a little sapling protected by black plastic, place it in the ground, cover it with dirt, water it, and hope it will take root and grow.

The midrash reminds and teaches us that fire, like life itself has a dual capability. It can destroy and it can build. It can be used to mold, to meld, and to mend or to maim and end life. The rabbis go on to teach us that how fire is used, whether it be constructive or destructive, for good or to harm is up to us. We decide how to employ and use it, and thereby determine if it will bring blessing and prosperity or death and devastation.

Similarly, the story of the Macabees and Chanukah reminds us as well that life is a series of choices and that we hold the key to our destiny and fate. When the Macabees chose to fight for freedom, and to keep the flame of Judaism alive, they bequeathed to us a precious gift. When they entered into a darkened Temple, desecrated by the Selucids, they searched and found a small cruse of oil. Rather than curse the darkness, they lit a candle and sought to rebuild and rededicate the Temple.

We look forward to the time when the fires that rage in Israel will be brought under control, and are grateful to see that the people of Israel do not stand alone. The good will of those around the world who have sent aid will help quench the fire, and give emotional support and comfort as well. We hope and pray that rain will come to the parched land and that once again the light of freedom will shine bright.

B’nai Tzedek has joined with the Jewish National Fund to raise funds to help purchase another fire truck and additional firefighting equipment. If you would like to make a donation, send your check to B’nai Tzedek (10621 South Glen Road, Potomac, MD 20854) and indicate that it is for the Greater DC Fire Relief Fund.

Response to Time Magazine article entitled, “Why Israelis Don’t Care about Peace”

A number of years ago Steve Martin had a wonderful line, “Well excuuuse me.” It eventually evolved into, “Well excuse me for living.” In many respects, the response to the Time Magazine article entitled, “Why Israelis Don’t Care about Peace,” could be summed up as, “Well excuse us for living.” The premise seems to be: The chutzpah of the Israelis to dare to go on living in the face of terror. The fact that Israelis have chosen, consistent with Jewish tradition to choose life and not to succumb to the constant attacks launched against them, is deemed inappropriate. The truth is the world can learn a great deal from Israeli tenacity, persistence and perseverance in response to unrelenting attempts at isolation, delegitimization and annihilation.

After a particularly disastrous terrorist attack at a night club along the beach of Tel Aviv in June 2001 resulting in the murder of over 20 young kids who were just going out to have a good time at a discotheque, a makeshift memorial was erected in front of the Dolfinarium, the site of the attack. It bore the simple words, “Lo nafseek lirkod: We will not stop dancing.”

After a terrorist attack in Israel the area is cleaned up as quickly as possible in order to allow life to go on. This contrasts with what happens in Palestinian areas, where destruction is left for weeks, months and sometimes even years. It is not coincidental that the two societies handle these matters differently. The two contrasting approaches reflect different attitudes. On the Israeli side, there is a desire to attempt to continue to live – precisely because of the hope for normalcy and to keep hope alive by not having reminders of despair ever-present. On the Arab side, however, the preference is to emphasize the role of being a martyr or a victim. It also explains why Israel absorbed 600,000 refugees evicted from Arab lands who arrived penniless since their property was confiscated from them, while 62 years later Arab refugees are still kept in squalid refuge camps.

Israel is a nation in which the entire people feel that Gilad Shalit, the captive kidnapped by Hamas, is their son. It mourns the loss of innocent lives, while Samir Kuntar, a terrorist who smashed the head of a four year old year child in the presence of a parent and then killed that parent is welcomed as a hero when he is released by Israel and returned to Lebanon.

So Time Magazine comes along and tells us that Israelis enjoy going to the beach and are trying to make the best of their situation by having a prosperous and flourishing economy. Can they be blamed for that? Why the resentment? What they are saying to their enemies is: First you try to destroy us by sending armies to attack the State of Israel as soon as it was established in 1948, and you tried again in 1967 and 1973. When you saw that armies could not defeat us, you launched a wave of terror attacks throughout the world against Israeli targets. When you saw that did not defeat us, you sent a wave of suicide bombers to our schools, buses and public places. When you saw that did not defeat us, you launched rockets into civilian areas. And all the while that you promoted an ongoing coordinated effort to boycott and ostracize us, we consistently held out our hand in peace, hoping it would be accepted. Our leaders and all of our Prime Ministers have prepared us for peace by telling us we will need to make painful concessions. But even those nations who have signed peace treaties with us, Egypt and Jordan, don’t really want us to come and visit and do not allow us to participate in academic or cultural exchanges or cooperative projects. Despite the unprecedented act of giving up to Egypt the entire Sinai Peninsula (two thirds of our territory), including turning over oil fields Egyptians did not even know they had; despite our withdrawal of troops from Lebanon and uprooting of residents of Gaza, the response was one of continued hostility and attacks. So can anyone really blame the Israelis for being skeptical about whether or not the Arabs are interested in peace?

As one who visits Israel several times a year, I often marvel at the lack of animosity displayed by Israelis towards those who are out to destroy them. The songs that Israelis play on the radio and children learn and sing are songs that express a longing for peace. The Israeli government is quick to respond to anti-Arab sentiment and has a low tolerance for it. This is in stark contrast to the hateful propaganda found on Arab and Palestinian children’s TV shows, as well as in their textbooks and the sermons preached in their mosques.

The way I would explain the Israeli attitude differs significantly from Time Magazine’s description. I would say they are telling their enemies, “Tell you what. We are not going anywhere. We will continue to build a flourishing open democratic society. We will continue to develop our economy. We will also continue to extend a hand to you in the hope that it will be accepted. And when you are ready and serious about living peacefully side by side with us and are willing to accept us, you know where to find us.”

“Seeing is Believing”

As part of our ongoing outreach to younger children of members and members in their 20’s, “20 Somethings” (Generation Xers), organized a Shabbat meal for their contemporaries. I went downtown and met almost 30 young people for a beautiful Shabbat dinner, cooked primarily by Jason Symonds, who prepared two different types of chicken no less, as well as all of the supplements and desserts. We welcomed Shabbat by singing Shalom Aleichem, chanting the Kiddush and having a wonderful discussion.

The meal was hosted in the Party Room in the apartment building of Micha Weinblatt, who along with Lily Goldstein, Morgan Greenhouse, Andrew Haberman and Jason, pulled it all together. Already the young people are talking about exploring other opportunities for more sessions and programs.

We all should derive much nachas and be proud of our young people, as they are carrying on the B’nai Tzedek tradition into the next generation.

“Live from Potomac: It’s Saturday Night!”

An Evening with Al Franken

On Sunday night, June 6th, we presented the David Ifshin Annual Memorial Award to Minnesota Senator Al Franken. The turnout of between 300 – 350 people was the largest we have ever had for this annual event. The award is given in honor of David Ifshin who had a distinguished career as an attorney and who sought to build bridges between individuals of different political persuasions and thought, who lived life with zest and passion, who had a keen interest in contemporary affairs and whose life tragically ended way too soon at the young age of 47.

Franken’s appearance at the synagogue generated some controversy – I received an anonymous letter from someone who objected, as well as an email from someone concerned that Franken was too polarizing an individual. For all the concern about his being here, he actually was very non-controversial. He spoke personally and touched upon issues of faith and how it helps when dealing with loss.

I believe, as did David and his family who established the award in his memory, that the synagogue should be a place where a free exchange of ideas can occur. It should be a place where we are intellectually challenged and stimulated and where significant ideas and contemporary issues that affect us and our society are discussed and debated in a respectful manner. In this way, a synagogue fulfills its mission as a beit knesset, a place of assembly and of meeting. Although I do not have a copy of his talk, here is an excerpt from my introduction of him.

As many of you know, prior to beginning his current career as a public servant, tonight’s speaker began his career as a performer who did stand-up comedy and impersonations in a number of clubs and comedy venues. Oh, this must be a mistake …. I’m sorry, I am reading from my bio, rather than our speaker’s ….

Al grew up in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, and graduated from Harvard in 1973. He was elected to represent the State of Minnesota two years ago in the United States Senate, in a major landslide, and was sworn in July of 2009 following a statewide hand recount, just to be sure.

….In his short time since becoming a member of the United States Senate, he has focused on economic and environmental issues. In choosing Mr. Franken as this year’s honoree, he was chosen for a number of reasons, but primarily because he is good enough, smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like him.