We have had quite a winter. In addition to hosting the community-wide Martin Luther King, Jr. Service and the usual family events, births and deaths, b’nai mitzvah and weddings, this year, we hosted the new interfaith community project, Abraham's Tent. The project, housing guests from Columbus House’s overflow shelter, involved over 100 volunteers, either through Life Is Delicious preparing the meals, congregants staying up with the guests, or staff taking on the additional responsibilities of ensuring security (as well as preparing hot breakfasts). Our plate was full.
But what we have received in return was a great feeling of having "made a difference." As our tradition teaches, the reward of doing a mitzvah is in the doing. It was clear each morning, not only that our guests had experienced an open house and open hearts, which most of them had not known for a while, but the volunteers felt a sense of gratitude for having the opportunity to feel they had accomplished something worthwhile.
Most of our lives are spent in the effort to support ourselves and our families. We get caught up in the mundane, which drives us to succeed and to accomplish. And yet, moments of transcendence are needed to ensure our humanity. There is a story, perhaps apocryphal, that Leonard Bernstein was once asked what made his music so great. His answer was, "the pauses between the notes." Taking a day off from your routine to cook a meal (Life Is Delicious), to welcome a homeless stranger into your spiritual home, even to stay up all night and ensure his comfort and security, these are the pauses between the notes of living.
All together, this winter, there will have been some 1,200 volunteers, spending 10,000 hours in the single effort of housing a dozen homeless men. Reports from the shelter are that these men are enormously grateful for all the effort. They feel that they have been enriched and have a new sense of worth not felt in a very long time.
But for us, for many of the volunteers, it has been transformative. Not only do we have a new sense of what poverty and homelessness look like, but we can empathize with those who are experiencing it. After a day or a week with our guests, we can no longer look into their faces and see a stranger looking back, but a "familiar" human being. In that sense, our own beings have been expanded and we feel blessed for the opportunity that has come our way.
Our work however is not ended. Abraham’s Tent is no solution to the larger challenge we face in our community and in our nation. If we are inspired by this effort, let it also be to move beyond palliative solutions. At the moment, our government is mired in political theatrics. In no small way, the uninsured, the unemployed and underemployed, and the homeless are the victims of their shameful wrangling. As one young journalist wrote 27 years ago in an article on hunger in America "…we haven’t been addressing the basic problems – quality of public schools, housing, job training, job opportunities….If the whole economy does not get better, then no amount of social welfare spending is going to fix the problem." (Elin Schoen, New York Times, January 1983).
In 27 years, nothing has changed. Perhaps we have. Let us advocate for what we know is right, for our 12 guests and for the thousands more.
During the High Holy Days, we are especially reminded of our community’s obligation to perform mitzvot. How proud we can be as a congregation that we have, in so many ways, responded to the prophet’s charge.
Recently, we were reminded – especially as the nights have turned darker and colder – that winter is coming and that there are, in our extended community, people who have no home to go to or food to eat. As state funding was drying up for homeless shelters, we along with other congregations offered to help. Last year, it was by raising money to support the overflow shelters and the United Way-Jewish Foundation project called N2N (Neighbor-to-Neighbor). This year, we will go one step further. Our facilities will be used during the evening hours to house 10 to 12 men over a week’s period. Eleven other religious institutions have joined in this effort. Our assignment will be over the week of January 11 – 17, Monday through Sunday. From 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., we will welcome these men into our congregation home. Our Life Is Delicious group has committed to provide dinner each evening and breakfast the next morning.
We also will need volunteers to be available during the night for any needs or emergencies as they arise. The staff of Columbus House, a New Haven shelter, also will be available to us. At least three adults (18 and older) will be here each evening. Students from Yale have also offered to make it an "all-nighter study hall!"
What I need from you is a commitment to volunteer to be present. We anticipate no problems as our guests will be selected by the Columbus House staff as “appropriate” for this kind of placement. If you are available for an evening, please call me at the Temple office – 288-3877. Once we get our staff lined up and the schedule made, we will meet with the amazing staff from Columbus House to go over the logistics, training, and anticipate any questions that may arise.
We will be the first congregation to do this and, as you may have noted, it is intentionally over the Birthday anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King. What a great way to observe and celebrate the legacy of Dr. King and his relationship to CMI.
This past month has been a particularly difficult one. Just four days after Yom Kippur, on the eve of Sukkot, we learned that one of our "children," Ben Sklaver, had been killed in Afghanistan. He was serving in a U.S. Army unit known as Civil Affairs. That meant that Ben was trained not only in the traditional way preparing for combat, but was to work in the towns and villages to try and win "the hearts and minds" of the locals. Put especially into harm's way, Ben felt that winning the peace would take more than winning a war. Thus he earned the title of warrior for peace!
Before his mission in Afghanistan, he had been deployed in Uganda. There, he spent his time digging pure water wells for villagers – 75 in all. 6,500 Ugandans could now return to their small communities grateful to "Moses Ben" as they called him.
The outpouring of our community was extraordinary. Indeed, this was owing to the families who most suffered this loss, Laura & Gary Sklaver and The Segaloff family, especially Ben's fiancée Beth Segaloff. But it was more than that. This was a tragedy of epic proportions. For here was a young man, in the prime of life, about to take life in fully, with ideals and ambitions, and these were all cut short.
There were many expressions of cynicism and anger. Some aimed their feelings at the politicians who are sending our young men and women into harm’s way. Others were angry at God. But the overwhelming feelings of grief were paramount. We Jews are a blessed people with rich traditions and rituals that help us pass through the immediate pain -- from shmira (being present with Ben once he arrived here), the service with its readings and chants, the rich way in which his siblings shared sacred memories – both with laughter and tears – the difficult task of actually burying the dead, that final act of devotion and the recitation of Kaddish both at the cemetery and during shivah.
Since Ben Sklaver died in service, there were military honors at the service as well. But for anyone of us who has lost a loved one, a parent, a spouse, a child – our tradition beckons. And even if, at the moment, not all the words spoken can be said “with perfect faith,” nevertheless they are spoken in the hopes that, one day, they will be believed.
All the above is set in the context of community. None of this happens in a vacuum or personally. Kaddish requires presence especially at a time of grief. While Ben’s death drew out hundreds and hundreds of people, many knowing these families, others not, each family who suffers can find here an extended family – a home, as our masthead says – "Not just a place. We are a community."
How proud I am to be part of this community and to share with my colleagues, Rabbi Adler and Cantor Giglio, Jennifer Levin-Tavares and Gary Mitchell in supporting the outpouring of love and comfort that was shown by so many of you. This is a testament, both to Ben Sklaver and his family, and to you, their beloved community.
There is the old rabbinic joke about the rabbi who rises in his pulpit every Sabbath and chastises his congregation for not coming to services. When it is pointed out that he is "preaching to the choir," he asks, "Well, who else will listen?"
Consider this to be my sermon without the criticism. It was so wonderful to be with you all these past holy days. (Some of you may have been away with “other” family members – you are forgiven. Know you were missed.) Just looking out on the congregation, seeing you, being able to touch and shake hands or share a Yom Tov kiss, a wish for the New Year, an expression of love and concern, a mazel tov on an upcoming simcha, was a pleasure. Experiencing the march of time and knowing we share it with one another feels so good. Some of you (about half) have been with us for over 25 years. Some of you are new and we hope that you will be part of this community for many years to come.
How we need each other – in times of joy and sorrow and in those in-between moments. Our lot has fallen in the most pleasant of places where we can enter the doors of this place and enter with a sense of mutual security and love.
One of my favorite stories is that of the rabbi who notices that after many years of regular Sabbath attendance, a congregant has stopped attending. The rabbi decides to call on the member. As he knocks on the door, the rabbi wonders what he can say to bring the man back "into the fold." Surprise, the man opens the door and welcomes the rabbi. "It’s a cold night," the rabbi observes. "I was just passing by and saw the smoke from your chimney. May I come in to warm up a bit?" "Of course," came the reply. As the rabbi approached the roaring fireplace, he picked up the poker and began to stoke the coals, pushing one ember off to the side. The man watches the rabbi and stared into the fireplace. With a brief moment, the singled out ember burned out. As the rabbi turned to his host, the man said, "Thank you rabbi for your fiery sermon. I will be in synagogue this next Shabbat."
Don't be a stranger. Be a part of our community. Come more than once or twice a year. And together we will strengthen one another.
5769 will go down as one of the more challenging years in the life of the modern Jewish community. From the economy and its impact on the institutions of our community, the humiliation of renowned Jews arrested for criminal activities whether kosher food producers, Syrian rabbis, or investment counselors, we are deeply effected by these events. Internationally, Israel faces serious challenges including belligerent neighbors, one of whom, seems intent on arming itself with nuclear weapons and the world seems unsure how to deal with the growing threat. And in Europe, there is renewed intolerance toward Jews as incidence of Anti-semitism is on the rise.
And so, except for the swift passage of time, we gladly say goodbye to this year and look forward to a new year.
What may give us hope in these troubled times? First, there are signs that the economy is bottoming out, though we are hardly "out of the woods" yet. We hope that you will bear with us and continue to financially support CMI to the best of your ability. If circumstances have changed, please let us know. Each and every one of you is a precious member of our congregational family.
Second, let me suggest that the very existence of our congregation is a beacon of hope. Daily, there are acts of support and encouragement. Recent experiences have underscored how important and valuable it is when congregants come to a shivah house to help make up a minyan. Bereaved families are overwhelmed by the generosity of time and care that members have shown at such times. We also have families who come in to the office to stuff envelopes for mailings, or help computerize our library records. Some teach in our religious school and others help lead services during the summer. In other words, as a community, we support one another.
As a congregation, we also reach out to the larger community, whether growing vegetables for the local soup kitchens or cooking for 125 men at the Columbus House shelter or families at the Ronald McDonald House. It is because of such support that CMI has existed for 169 years and why we fully expect that we will continue for years to come.
I suppose that it is in thinking about CMI that I most have hope for our future. Throughout our past, we have faced hardships and wars and seemingly insurmountable challenges, but together, we have produced a legacy that has endured.
I look forward to seeing you all at services this year for in this "circle of hope" we may find strength and blessing. May it be a good new year for each of our families, our community and our world.
The economy continues its downward spiral and our concern for our families here at Mishkan Israel continues to grow. We are working on several initiatives to address the needs of our congregants, including listing available job opportunities as well as working with agencies in the community to support individuals and families with stress-related issues.
If you are an employer and there may be developing opportunities for positions, I would ask you to allow us to try and provide candidates. As Maimonides teaches us, there are 8 degrees of tzedakah, the highest being to provide someone the means by which they may be self-supporting.
At present, I am aware of members ranging from professionals, technical and sales personnel, clerical and even students who may have to postpone returning to college because of financial need. If you can find a place for these individuals, please let me know.
And if you are experiencing unemployment or underemployment, do not hesitate to call. I assure you strict confidentiality and more – respect as human beings. We are all more than our work and all in need of each other. The synagogue exists to provide a safe harbor in life’s storms as well as the place to celebrate life’s achievements and rites of passage.
On Sunday, January 25, what might have seemed like an ordinary day was anything but….The previous Sunday, Religious School had been cancelled and there was a big snow storm. But our Social Action Committee had scheduled a tag sale to raise money for the homeless in New Haven. For weeks, Judy, Elin and a group of over a dozen volunteers had been collecting jewelry, clothes, books, toys and furniture. Despite the snow, the tag sale brought in nearly $1,000. So much merchandise remained, however, along with offers of more, that the decision was made to open the following Sunday, January 25th. And so the day began.
Sunday School was full of activities. Parents of third grade students gathered for a Hebrew naming project. The Brotherhood of Men & Women served up their hot coffee and bagels with their usual warmth. The adult Introduction to Judaism class went on a field trip through "Jewish New Haven" visiting sites of Jewish interest. The tag sale earned an additional $1,150 for a total of $2,150. (These monies will all go to the Neighbor2Neighbor Lifeline – a partnership of the Jewish Federation and United Way – all for the purpose of providing for immediate relief in the areas of housing, food and emergency needs. This will be added to the nearly $620 of $7,200 raised during December’s Mitzvah Mall for this particular charity.)
The madrichim met for lunch to hear student ambassadors from Israel share their views of recent events in Israel-Gaza.
In addition, the kitchen was bustling with activity as Harvey, Peter and their crew of two dozen adults and children prepared a meal for Columbus House shelter. One hundred twenty five people are served by the shelter and, that night, because of our group, who call themselves “Life Is Delicious,” the shelter residents feasted on homemade meatloaf, mashed sweet potatoes, ratatouille, cooked pineapples, sugar cookies and chocolate centered cookies made by some beautiful little angels and their parents.
Ten hours had passed since the day began. It was a long and busy day for the building and for the members of CMI. As I looked around, I could not have been more proud. THIS is a synagogue in action. This is what our congregational community is all about. And so if you donated to the tag sale or volunteered to help, if you helped cook and deliver, if you learned something new, if you helped transmit the values of the past through the names of your child, if you helped to serve a hot cup of coffee and a welcome to CMI, thank you. You helped to renew our commitment to the ideals for which Mishkan Israel was created. May God give us strength to continue our work into the future.
I awoke this morning pinching myself. Senator Barack Hussein Obama is the President-elect of the United States. It is a watershed event in the history of this country. A barrier has come down. It is no longer possible to believe that a man may not be judged only "by the color of his skin" rather than "the content of his character." At such a moment, we think back to all the marches, the sit-ins, the beatings and humiliations one generation and more had to endure to bring us to this day.
In our Lounge hangs the 3 portraits by Ben Shahn of civil rights workers murdered in Philadelphia, Mississippi – Misters Schwerner, Goodman and Chaney – upon whose shoulders last night's victory was built – martyrs for a cause larger than themselves. The challenge was great, the sacrifice was greater, but four decades later, an African American was elected to the highest office of the land. Frankly, it says, to my mind, more about us as a nation than it says about Sen. Obama. While he challenged us, it is men and women, young and old, rich and poor, black and white, who accepted the challenge. He inspired hope in us, and we dared to hope.
Over the past months, I have been in conversation with one of our custodial staff, an African American in his mid-50's, who did not, at first, support Senator Obama. As he told it, his experience "taught" him that in the end, there would only be disappointment for his community. This morning, he asked me how it was that I always believe in such a possibility. My answer was simple. As Jews, our parents and grandparents came to this country hopeful that the streets were "paved with gold." What they found was poverty and discrimination. Many Jews changed their names in the hopes of changing their identities. All to no avail. But we Jews are prisoners of hope. The children of those immigrants went on to get good educations and, over time, the Jewish community became part of the larger society. Barriers fell, discrimination eased, and we became an accepted part of the fabric of American society. What Will Herberg entitled, "Catholic, Protestant, Jew." But we never forgot where we had come from and seeing the civil rights struggle of the 1960's, we joined in that effort. It is not surprising therefore that exit polls suggest that nearly 78% of Jews cast their ballots for hope – for Senator Obama. As he said: "Hope is the bedrock of this nation. The belief that our destiny will not be written for us but by us, by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is, who have the courage to remake the world as it should be." Certainly, not alone, but with people of goodwill from all backgrounds, we helped to change the history of America. And we should rejoice.
The challenges are great and we must continue to do our part – but today we can celebrate. Inspired.
Today we must dedicate ourselves and our community to this goal. As in the past, may we be worthy of seeing that hope realized. On Sunday, January 25, what might have seemed like an ordinary day was anything but….The previous Sunday, Religious School had been cancelled because of snow. But our Social Action Committee had scheduled a tag sale to raise money for the homeless in New Haven. For several days, Judy Naden, Elin Brockman and a group of over a dozen volunteers had been collecting jewelry, clothes, books, toys and furniture. Despite the snow, the tag sale brought in nearly $1,000. So much merchandise remained, however, along with offers of more, that the decision was made to open the following Sunday, January 25th. And so the day began.
Sunday School was full of activities. Parents of 3rd grade students gathered for a Hebrew naming project. The Brotherhood of Men & Women served up their hot coffee and bagels with their usual warmth. The adult Introduction to Judaism class went on a field trip through "Jewish New Haven" visiting sites of Jewish interest. The tag sale earned an additional $1,250 for a total of $2,150. (These monies will all go to the Neighbor2Neighbor Lifeline – a partnership of the Jewish Federation and United Way – all for the purpose of providing for immediate relief in the areas of housing, food and emergency needs. This will be added to the nearly $620 raised during December’s Mitzvah Mall.)
The madrichim met for lunch to hear student ambassadors from Israel share their views of recent events in Israel-Gaza.
In addition, the kitchen was bustling with activity as Harvey Cheskis, Peter Alpert and their crew of two dozen adults and children prepared a meal for Columbus House shelter. One hundred twenty five people are served by the shelter and, that night, because of our group, who call themselves "Life Is Delicious," the shelter residents feasted on homemade meatloaf, mashed sweet potatoes, ratatouille, cooked pineapples, sugar cookies and chocolate centered cookies made by some beautiful little angels and their parents.
Ten hours had passed since the day began. It was a long and busy day for the building and for the members of CMI. As I looked around, I could not have been more proud. THIS is a synagogue in action. This is what our congregational community is all about. And so if you donated to the tag sale or volunteered to help, if you helped cook and deliver, if you learned something new, if you helped transmit the values of the past through the names of your child, if you helped to serve a hot cup of coffee and a welcome to CMI, thank you. You helped to renew our commitment to the ideals for which Mishkan Israel was created. May God give us strength to continue our work into the future.