Monthly Archives: May 2008

Deportation Day

Posted on May 30, 2008 | 2 Comments

I spent my morning with nuns from the Sisters of Mercy and other Catholic immigration activists in front of the Broadview detention center – a nondescript facility in a west suburb of Chicago where undocumented immigrants are processed before they are deported. The Sisters have been gathering here every Friday at 7:15 am (Friday is deportation day) to pray the rosary and protest the abysmally broken immigration system in this country.

Our current immigration policy is our national shame. We are punishing individuals for the crime of seeking a better life (and for taking the jobs we somehow consider beneath us) and we are literally ripping families apart in the process. We are also detaining and deporting individuals at an unprecedented rate. In 2007, more than 322,000 undocumented immigrants passed through immigration detention facilities, and approximately 280,000 of them were deported from the United States.

It was my honor, together with the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, to join the Sisters of Mercy in their prayer vigil and in particular to urge the passage of the Access to Religious Ministry Act (SB 2747) which is currently stuck in the Rules Committee of the Illinois State Senate. This bill would permit religious workers “reasonable access” to inmates in order to minister to their significant spiritual needs. Amazingly, contact with religious workers and chaplains are among the various rights denied inmates at immigrant detention centers. As I commented at the gathering, this kind of spiritual sustenance is a basic human need and a fundamental human right. I believe fervently that a society that actively denies contact between clergy and those they serve is in danger of losing its very soul.

During the course of our vigil, vans and buses with their windows papered over would periodically pull out of the lot and head toward O’Hare. It was truly a chilling sight to behold. Even so, I am in awe of the steadfast courage and compassion of the Sisters of Mercy. Every time a bus went by, they paused their recitation of the rosary and lifted their hands in solidarity.

For more about the prayer vigil and the Access to Religious Ministry Act, check out this article from the Chicago Sun-Times. If you are an Illinois resident, I encourage you to call Senate President Emil Jones and Senate Rules Committee Chair Senator Ricky Hendon and ask them to publicly support SB 2747. We need both Senators to use their leadership to get the bill out of Rules Committee and onto the floor for a full Senate vote. Here’s their contact info:

Senate President Emil Jones: (D-14) 217.782.2728
Senator Rickey R. Hendon: (D-5) 217.782.6252

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Posted in Current Events, Immigration, Interfaith, Religion

Hitchin’ a Ride on the Hagee Train

Posted on May 28, 2008 | 1 Comment

Pastor John Hagee’s outfit, Christians United For Israel is gearing up for their annual summit next month, and if you need to be reminded of just how troubling CUFI’s views are, check out journalist Max Blumenthal’s video report on last year’s summit. It includes the truly horrifying testimonials of Hagee’s followers – and the even more horrifying sermons of Hagee himself. (It’s all there on the clip above – trust me, this is a must-watch).

One of the most disturbing developments of the CUFI story is the increasingly cozy relationship between Pastor Hagee and Connecticut Senator Joseph Liberman. Anyone close to a news source must certainly know that Lieberman’s friend John McCain recently repudiated Hagee’s endorsement when he learned of a particularly noxious sermon in which the good pastor opined that God sent the Holocaust in order to get the Jews to emigrate to Israel. What is truly puzzling is that while McCain has called Hagee’s views “offensive” and “indefensible,” Lieberman (who is himself married to the daughter of Holocaust survivors) continues to support Hagee – and is in fact the KEYNOTE SPEAKER of the upcoming CUFI summit. (In the clip, Lieberman actually compares to Hagee to Moses and refers to him as an “Ish Elohim” – a “man of God.”)

If you’d like to urge Senator Lieberman to cut his ties to the Hagee wagon, I encourage you to sign this petition from J Street. You can also check out Max Blumenthal’s blog for more analysis and great links on this issue.

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Posted in American Jewish Community, Holocaust, Interfaith, Iran, Israel, Politics, Religion, Zionism

Living With Two Narratives

Posted on May 28, 2008 | 1 Comment

Last week, JRC hosted a visit from journalist Sandy Tolan (above) and nearly 250 people came out on a Sunday evening to hear him speak. Tolan is the author of the “The Lemon Tree” (a book I’ve written about previously and recommend to just about anyone who will listen). It’s the powerful story of two individuals: a Palestinian man named Bashir Khairi and an Israeli woman, Dahila Eshkenazi. Bashir’s family built a house in al-Ramle, Palestine and were among the Palestinians who were expelled from that town by the Israeli military in 1948. Dahlia’s family were Holocaust refugees from Bulgaria who moved into the house (in what is now the Israeli city of Ramle) immediately after the war.

“The Lemon Tree” documents the unlikely encounter and growing friendship between Bashir and Dahlia. Tolan does a masterful job of placing this compelling narrative amidst the a masterfully researched historical presentation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from 1948 to present day. The wonder of this book is that it succeeds brilliantly both as a story about two remarkable individuals and as a nuanced historical analysis of notoriously complex subject.

Indeed, there are precious few accounts of this issue that manage to honor both the Israeli and Palestinian experiences with such sensitivity. We know of course that there are two distinctly different narratives of the events of 1948 – for the Israelis it marks their War of Independence, for the Palestinians, it is referred to as “al-Nakhba” (“The Catastrophe”). Books such as “The Lemon Tree” are so very essential because they allow us to hold both narratives before us, without attempting to negate the other side or sugar coat the differences. I believe that living with these kinds of contradictions is a difficult but necessary first step toward reconciliation and (dare I suggest it?) the eventual merging of these two narratives into one.

During our congregational trip to Israel this past summer, we visited Bashir and Dahlia’s house, which now is now home to an Israeli Arab nursery school and and co-existence programming for Arab and Israeli youth. The members of our trip were so inspired by the experience that they organized our evening with Sandy Tolan as a benefit for “The Open House.” It was heartening indeed to see so many people come out to hear this important story and support the cause of coexistence.

(Thanks to JRC member Jerome Bloom for providing the gorgeous pic of Tolan above. As you can see, the trees outside our east wall window are currently exploding into full bloom…)

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Posted in Books, Coexistence, Israel, Palestine, Peace

How to Observe Memorial Day

Posted on May 23, 2008 | Leave a comment

Rabban Shim’on ben Gamli’el said, “On three things the world stands: on justice, on truth, and on peace.” Rav Muna said, “These three are one thing: Where justice is done, truth is done and peace is made. Every place there is justice, there is peace.” — Talmud, Derekh Eretz Zuta, Chapter 2

What does it mean to observe Memorial Day if you (along with the majority of Americans) oppose the continuing war in Iraq? How might we honor the memory of the fallen in a war that most of us believe never should have began in the first place?

Here are a few suggestions:

- Visit the powerful traveling exhibit “Eyes Wide Open” which continues to make its way back and forth across the US. If it’s not landing near you any time soon, look through the extensive resources on their website and/or click the trailer above.

- Visit the website of Veterans Against the Iraq War. Read the soldiers’ blogs and learn more about how to support this important organization that supports the troops but opposes the war.

- Check out Veterans for Peace – a veteran’s network that is sponsoring memorials and events across the country. (The VFP recently made the news when it was shamefully denied permission to participate in the upcoming Memorial Day March in Washington DC.)

- Visit the website of Winter Soldier and watch their collection of eyewitness accounts from soldiers, veterans, scholars, and journalists about the reality on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hope your Memorial Day is more than BBQs and discount sales this year…

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Posted in Iraq, Peace, War

People You Should Know About: Stellamaris Mulaeh

Posted on May 22, 2008 | 1 Comment

Here’s a great story of hope from a country that has seen its share of tragedy in recent months. An article from last month’s Christian Science Monitor profiled Stellamaris Mulaeh (above), a young Kenyan women who is spearheading grassroots conflict resolution efforts in her home country. 

Before the recent post-election crisis, Mulaeh founded the 65-member Peace Working Committee of Maseno University – a campus-based group which that students in conflict resolution skills. After the recent violence broke out, the Committee broadened its work throughout Kenya, particularly in the Narobi slum of Kibera, which was a flash point for ethnic clashes. Based on the success of her efforts, Mulaeh is planning to hold a summer conference to promote further reconciliation.

Mulaeh’s Peacemaking CV is truly impressive. She is also Pax Romana‘s national coordinator for peace-building in Kenya and holds several postions in the World Conference of Religions for Peace.

For those of us who regularly read the news about crisis points like Kenya, I think its enormously important to educate ourselves about individuals such as Stellamaris Mulaeh.  I suspect there are many more like her out there: inspiring examples of individuals committed to defying hopelessness around the world…

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Posted in Africa, Nonviolence, Peace, People You Should Know About

Waltz with Bashir

Posted on May 21, 2008 | Leave a comment

The new animated Israeli feature, “Waltz with Bashir” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last week to extremely positive reviews and I must say I am REALLY looking forward to seeing this one. Directed by Israeli documentarian Ari Folman (one of the writers of the HBO series, “In Treatment”), “Waltz” is largely based on actual interviews with 1982 Lebanon war veterans – and Folman’s personal memory of the Sabra/Shatilla massacre of Palestinian civilians.

According to one review:

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that I wouldn’t be surprised to see Waltz with Bashir show up on the slate at Telluride in September, and even less so to see it wind up with an Oscar nod come January. Folman has made a beautiful, disturbing and deeply compelling film that documents the horrors to which he and his friends were witnesses, while offering hope that he and others might, some day, heal from the ravages of war. While it’s too much to hope that this or any film might have an impact in the real world that could put an end to mankind’s seemingly endless capacity to hurt one another, films like Waltz with Bashir offer us the opportunity to learn about and from history. If those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it, perhaps those who do might, eventually, build a world where such atrocities no longer exist.

From the looks of the trailer above, “Waltz” looks to be one of the most original and significant Israeli feature films in recent memory. It is scheduled to open in Israel on June 5. Here’s hoping it travels stateside soon.

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Posted in Israel, Lebanon, Movies, War

The God of Boundlessness

Posted on May 20, 2008 | Leave a comment

Do you ever find yourself reading the Torah and thinking to yourself, “That’s not the God I believe in!?” If so, then you should know that the Biblical God – the rewarding/punishing, supernatural God that exists apart from Creation – is not the sum total of Jewish theology.

If you are interested in a decidedly different Jewish God concept, check out this wonderful article in the current issue of Parabola Magazine by one of my favorite rabbis, David Cooper. Rabbi Cooper is one of the world’s greatest teachers of Jewish contemplative practice and is particularly adept at teaching Jewish mysticism to laypeople in an eminently accessible but non-trivializing way.

Here’s what he has to say about the traditional Biblical belief system:

Belief in the biblical God has benefited many people with great comfort, good deeds, charity, loving-kindness, ethics, compassion, devotion, and so forth. It has also led to inquisitions, wars, intolerance, hypocrisy, triumphalism, witch hunts, terrorism, and holocausts. We must be circumspect when engaging any belief systems, especially concerning thoughts that are rooted in fear, greed, self-aggrandizement, and any other identities that tend to lock us in a sense of separation and isolation.

In the article, he offers the Jewish mystical concept of the Ein Sof (“Infinite” or “Boundless”) as an alternative to the problems of the traditional Jewish dualistic God concept. If this sounds like your cup of tea (or even if it doesn’t) you should read Rabbi Cooper’s article.

Speaking, personally, Kabbalistic theology – and in particular the conception of Ein Sof – gave me my first meaningful entry into Jewish belief and spirituality. Rabbi Cooper’s article offers a great introduction this powerful stream of Jewish thought that is fast becoming a hallmark of the new Jewish spirituality. (BTW: if you DO find this article to be your cup of tea, I recommend moving on to his book, “God is a Verb.”)

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Posted in God, Judaism, Religion, Spirituality

Rabbi Lynn on the Radio

Posted on May 16, 2008 | Leave a comment

Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb (of whom I wrote a few posts ago) was interviewed on Chicago Public Radio’s program Worldview today. She spoke extensively about her recent trip to Iran with the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Among other things, she has a great deal of insight to share about her experiences with the Jewish community of Iran.

I believe she has some enormously important things to say – click below to listen:

Rabbi Lynn on Worldview

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Posted in Iran, Judaism, Nonviolence, Peace, Religion

Strangers on the Land

Posted on May 16, 2008 | 2 Comments

From this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Behar:

“But the land must not be sold beyond reclaim, for the land is Mine; you are but strangers resident with me.” – Leviticus 25:23

In the middle of a litany of laws dealing with how to treat the resident alien (in Hebrew: “ger toshav“) we find this remarkable verse that suggests that at the end of the day, we are all really resident aliens after all.

This short verse has a myriad of spiritually radical implications. Just think of what our national priorities might look like if we truly took this idea to heart. Consider its impact on environmental policy, on immigration, on foreign policy, on trade…

As I mentioned in my last post, I believe this concept is absolutely intrinsic to the Jewish world view. The earth does not belong to us – it belongs to a greater and more transcendent Good. In the end, redemption will only come to the land when we truly come to realize the extent to which we are all but strangers upon it.

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Posted in Energy Policy, Immigration, Judaism, Religion, Torah Commentary

An Interfaith Conversation on Fair Trade

Posted on May 15, 2008 | Leave a comment

Check out the Mirembe Kawomera blog for some interfaith musings on the meaning of Fair Trade, moderated by my friend Ben Corey-Moran at Thanksgiving Coffee. I was honored to provide the Jewish point of view, alongside Reverend Will Scott (of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco), Nyla Khan (a teacher at the Islamic Foundation School in West Chicago) and Reverend Anne Myosho Kyle Brown (of the Kumeido Zen Center in California).

Here’s an excerpt from my piece:

I find a great deal of spiritual power in this teaching: that the world becomes ours to enjoy only when we acknowledge that it really doesn’t belong to us. I also believe that this insight has profound implications for a world in which humanity too often claims exclusive proprietorship over its bounty – where increasingly powerful interests are claiming ownership over increasingly diminishing resources.

I sometimes find myself wondering, what would it mean for our global world economy if we truly took this teaching to heart: that none of it was ever really ours to begin with? One thing I do believe is that it would force us to confront the chronic sense of entitlement we have toward the earth’s resources. And I also believe it would give us a much deeper sensitivity to the process by which goods and services reach our door.

You may recall my earlier posts about Miremebe Kawomera the incredible Ugandan Jewish/Christian/Muslim Fair Trade Coffee cooperative with which JRC has partnered actively over the years. I’m excited to report that we will be visiting our good friends at the MK coop as part of JRC’s congregational service delegation to Rwanda/Uganda this July. Stay tuned for much more on this one!

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Posted in Africa, Fair Trade, Interfaith, Religion, Rwanda, Uganda