from Rabbi Joey

[Joey]

Dear Yesodniks,

What, you've got no quandaries? Can't be true. We start up for the
final three weeks on April 7th, and I need to know from you what you'd
like me to take up. Of course, I can guess where confusion lies. But
I sure would like this section of the course to speak directly to your
own questions. PLEASE open up a conversation, or at least post some
notably thorny issues. (Otherwise, I'll simply believe that you are
happy just being observant... No way.) Come on - I'm trying to
instigate some trouble here. Get cooking!

Also, remember that on April 21st, Rabbi Tzvi Fischer (who is Orthodox
and quite so!) will be with us - so we can formulate some interesting
questions for him in advance about the nature of his faith and
implications for sectarian thinking, etc. He's a great guy, so don't
hold back.

Some of you have disappeared over the past couple of months, so I'd
like to have the original group check in. Please confirm with me, if
you will, that you'll either be there for the 7th, the 14th and the
21st - or you won't. That will help me in my own planning.

Many thanks and a wonderful Pesach!
Rabbi Joey

[Rob Tanner]

Joey,

I have a quandary.  Did you change the dates?  My calendar and the Havurah website all say we start up on the 14th, not the 7th.  I certainly hope that's the case because I wouldn't want to have to miss the first night.

-- Rob

[Joey Wolf]

Sorry.  Rob points out my error.  It’s the 14^th, the 21^st, and the 28^th!!!!! 

 

Rabbi Joey

 

---

[beth...@spiritone.com]

Hi Joey --I'm all in.

Here are some questions to kick around:

1. Odd parallel: In Christianity the idea is to develop a "personal" relationship with Christ. In Judaism it seems to be to develop a personal relationship with Israel (modern? secular? spiritual? political? all of the above? Dunno). How does a modern Jew standing in the crack between Boomer and X'er figure out where to begin? I have such a tough time relating at ALL to Israel, especially with all the modern crap going on there.
Visit Israel? Not likely anytime soon. (And to be honest, if I were ever in a position to travel there's a half-dozen other places I'd rather see first. That's how unconnected I feel about Israel.)
Pray for Israel? Sure, of course; but the prayer -- and the *work* it ought to hopefully inspire -- must be for some outcome far more specific (and perhaps more painful) than Mere Peace. Praying for Mere Peace feels like a cop-out anymore. What does Judaism have to offer here?

2. How does a modern Jew navigate the fine line between being part of the larger world and being part of a people who remain apart? I'm blessed in that I have Saturdays off, but there's a whole ton of Jews out there -- especially those Jews without an established career and/or who struggle in the present economy -- who must work on Shabbat and major Jewish holidays or risk unemployment.
How best to find connection with Judaism and with Jewish community if your American reality and your Jewish one don't agree? I know our ancestors had a tough time with this one. Today we have more choice and I wonder if that's made things easier, or harder?

There are more questions but that's a start.

Thanks --Beth

[Racheli Ross]

I'm planning to be there, unless Josh leaves town again for some reason

[Racheli Ross]

I have a few questions, not a full-on quandaries...

1) Growing up in Israel, I always felt that the Ashkenazi culture (to which I belong) is a lot more extreme and polarized than the Sepharadic. The secular are much more secular and the religious are much more orthodox. Is it the western influence? Most Sepharadic jews in Israel are simply traditional and only in the recent years have become more orthodox in their practice. Just wondering why...

2) Why do I feel so threatened by Christmas??? It is not logical at all...

3) Perhaps it's question to Rabbi Tzvi Fischer if it's not too simplistic---do ultraorthodox jews really believe that God is ultimately good? if so, and assuming they believe God created the world, where did evil come from? Does it mean that God has some evil in him?

On Wed, Mar 17, 2010 at 4:28 PM, Joey <joey...@havurahshalom.org> wrote:

[fran weick]

Hi Joey, I will be there for all the classes.

Fran

--- On Wed, 3/17/10, Joey <joey...@havurahshalom.org> wrote:

[Jennifer Willis]

Go, Beth! I've also been wrestling with the assumption that being Jewish automatically means adopting Zionism -- at least, this is a common expectation that I run into, even though I myself still have this rather uncomfortable ambivalence with it comes to Israel.

Another question/quandary I've been struggling with is the traditional role of the family within Judaism. Many of our holidays and observances are centered on home and family observance. That's all well and good for a nuclear family that stays together, but there are so many divorces now, many couples choosing not to have children, and others (like me) who are well into their adult years having never been married and having no children.

I'm curious if there's been any traditional role of the "spinster" (a half-serious, half-tongue-in-cheek quest), and also how modern families -- however we choose to define this concept for ourselves -- address holidays and other aspects of Jewish life.

-- jennifer

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Silence is the only language God speaks. 

Everything else is a bad translation.  

-- Unknown

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

jennifer willis

j...@jennifer-willis.com / rev...@gmail.com

503-419-8172

jennifer-willis.com

[Liz Joffe]

On the theme of non-traditional families, what makes our children Jewish?  As we question and modify patriarchal aspects of Judaism, should we also question the requirement of the matrilineal line?  Why is a conversion necessary for an adopted infant?  What if a child has two dads?  Does an egg donor’s mother’s religion really matter more than how the child is raised?  If that child later identifies as Jewish, is she an imposter?  Will her children be Jewish?  Is our perseverance as a People threatened by more open notions of who is Jewish?  -Liz

 

From: 5770-yeso...@googlegroups.com [mailto:5770-yeso...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Jennifer Willis
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 9:49 PM
To: 5770-yeso...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: from Rabbi Joey

 

Go, Beth! I've also been wrestling with the assumption that being Jewish automatically means adopting Zionism -- at least, this is a common expectation that I run into, even though I myself still have this rather uncomfortable ambivalence with it comes to Israel.

---

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[Doria Raetz]

Hi;

It's on my calendar, and I intend to attend!  Quandary: "Mixed marriage"  to a spouse who is a practicing member of another faith or a non-practicing anything or a pseudo-jew who never converted.  This presents quandaries at home every minute, just about, and definitely in the broader jewish and non-jewish world.  It goes far beyond the "December dilemma."
Doria

[Jennifer Besen]

Hello, regarding the spinster idea: a friend of mine says to always cultivate younger friends. That way you become part of their tradition, Pesach, And High Holidays. Anyway I thought it was clever. Since I am no longer young!!!!

 

Before you read this, it may sound too personal, too picky, it is feelings about sharing holidays.

 

About Families, Being a family I feel I can speak to this. Being a family can be isolating as well.  It is true Jews, Havurah, we focus holidays on family, but what I really miss is having my friends ( my family of people I know at Havurah) for Pesach and other holidays. And yet because so many people subscribe or who knows why keep to their usual groups of “jewish” family that I have rarely been invited to some of the larger gathering of Jews for Pesach. We were dropped from one we had attended for years.

I have even been told, when I asked if I cd come, Well there are too many already, and u cant come unless someone bails. And this is from  Havurah people. I am not implying they are bad this is just what happened. And I understand  20 people for Pesach is a lot.

 

If I sound like I might be begging for an invite, I’m not. This year the Universe of calendars has made it so we are on vacay during Pesach and will be joinging Kauaian Jews for a community seder. And this year, One family we know well DID invite us to Pesach. We have know them 17 years. Made my day.  

So what does it take to make a community? Well willingness for difference and mix it up now and then wd be nice. I think this is one of the reasons Havurah tries to have community Pesach. But it never works for me, because, Aha, the food is never up to par for me (Jewish Food Snob) (and food allergies)  and the cliques exist there too.

 

Hope this is not some can of worms I will regret opening. Sometimes I think its me, they don’t like me, but in my experience nothing is about me. People make habits. And I am not  beyond asking to be invited, if I am feeling real brave that day. So what is it? An expectation of those Wings of Peace bringing us together, regardless if we are not in the same clique at Havurah? Calling up and saying, we see each other for years, lets do some eating and shmoosing soon? (sp)

 

We are all in need of real relationship with other Jews. Its what keeps me going. The study never ends and the wonder never ceases.   Jenni

 

 

From: 5770-yeso...@googlegroups.com [mailto:5770-yeso...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Jennifer Willis
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 9:49 PM
To: 5770-yeso...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: from Rabbi Joey

 

Go, Beth! I've also been wrestling with the assumption that being Jewish automatically means adopting Zionism -- at least, this is a common expectation that I run into, even though I myself still have this rather uncomfortable ambivalence with it comes to Israel.

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[Jennifer Besen]

Yes for Jenni.

[Jennifer Willis]

Absolutely, Liz. In my earlier "quandary," I'd meant to include such "non-traditional" families as kids with single parents, parents who never married each other or same-sex parents. Thanks for making sure this got added to the discussion.

Thanks also for raising the question of adoption. This is something I've wondered about as well.

Back in the first meeting of the history series, someone -- I apologize, I really don't remember who it was -- raised the point that there didn't used to be a conversion process. Plenty of non-Jews joined Jewish communities and married into Jewish families and became practicing Jews without ritual or protracted study. I think we're getting into a larger conversation here about who is Jewish and what constitutes that definition of identity.

-- jennifer

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

We can only treat badly those things or people whose souls we 

 disregard.

-- Thomas Moore

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

jennifer willis

j...@jennifer-willis.com / rev...@gmail.com

503-419-8172

jennifer-willis.com

[Gail Streicker]

I will be there.

Gail

---

From: joey...@havurahshalom.org
To: 5770-yeso...@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: from Rabbi Joey
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:35:53 -0700

[Hannah Treuhaft]

I'll be there for the 14th and 28th, but unfortunately have to miss Rabbi Fischer for a work function.

Have a great Pesach!
Hannah

On Wed, Mar 17, 2010 at 4:28 PM, Joey <joey...@havurahshalom.org> wrote:

[Doria Raetz]

Another quandary--kashrut.  EcoKashrut?  Biblical Kashrut?  Conservadox kashrut?  Or none (as per our reform firends and family)?  Also, Ashkenazi vs. Seferad for Pesach?  It's hard to know what to bring to a potluck or meeting or seder.  No wonder the non-jews can't understand the concept of kashrut.

Doria 

To unsubscribe from this group, send email to 5770-yesod-havurah+unsubscribegooglegroups.com or reply to this email with the words "REMOVE ME" as the subject.

[Hannah Treuhaft]

I've always been troubled by the notion of 'Chosen-ness' and would like to wrestle with that as a group. 

Hannah

On Wed, Mar 17, 2010 at 4:28 PM, Joey <joey...@havurahshalom.org> wrote:

[miriamr...@comcast.net]

The quandary I have been thinking about since our study of history and particularly the part about the German Jews is this:  The Kultur community or "cosmopolitan humanity" that they developed sounds really appealing to me...the emphasis on education, holding salons to discuss everything from philosophy to art, striving all the time toward self-improvement and improving the world (like tikkun olam?)...without an emphasis on religious observance.  And it seems to me that the only reason it stopped or couldn't continue was because of anti-semitism.  Are we Jewish only/mostly because of anti-semites?  That doesn't seem like a good reason....Is there any other reason why their society would not have been able to continue and thrive?  In an ideal world without anti-semitism (I'm not saying that really exists anywhere), is Jewish observance important?  Is it enough to be a good person, a good community member, etc.?

[F. Davis Woods-Morse]

 I'll be there as well.

[Elianne Lieberman]

I'll be there. Elianne

[hips...@comcast.net]

me too except maybe not on the 14th

Original Message:
-----------------
From: F. Davis Woods-Morse davis...@gmail.com
Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:22:17 -0700

To: 5770-yeso...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: from Rabbi Joey

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[Doria Raetz]

i just watched "When can we eat?" on netflix's watch-it-now function, and wow!  It's really good to watch this time of year!  Thanks for the reccomendation!

Good Shabbas, all!

Doria