June 13, 2008 – Sivan 10 5768

Rabbi Joshua Hammerman, Temple Beth El, Stamford, Connecticut

My dispatches from last week’s AIPAC conference are at

http://joshuahammerman.blogspot.com/

Thank you and Mazal Tov to Edward and Susan Bralower,

for sponsoring this week’s Shabbat-O-Gram in honor of Lindsay becoming Bat Mitzvah this Shabbat!

Special Occasion?  Sponsor a Shabbat Bulletin, (sent every Friday morning via e-mail),

the Shabbat Announcements (Distributed each Shabbat at the Temple)

& the Shabbat-O-Gram.  Sponsor all three publications for only $72

All sponsors will be acknowledged at the beginning of each of these announcements

and also listed in our Bi-monthly Bulletin.  Call Mindy in the office at 322-6901

Send your friends and relatives the gift of Jewish awareness -- a Shabbat-O-Gram each week, by signing them up at www.tbe.org. To be removed from this mailing list, sent e-mail request to office@tbe.org. If you have signed up and are not receiving our e-mails, check your spam filter to make sure that TBE is not being “spammed out.”

Prior Shabbat-O-Grams are archived at http://www.tbe.org/sog/index.php.

Contents of the Shabbat O Gram:

(Click to scroll down)

Just the Facts

The (Occasionally) Ranting Rabbi

Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunities

Ask the Rabbi

Spiritual Journey on the Web

The Beth El Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary

Masechet Cyberspace (NEW)

Required Reading and Action Items (links to key articles on Israel and Jewish life)

Joke for the Week

TBE Family Album (NEW)

Our 7^th Graders at their “Aliyah” service

See our Hebrew School’s end of year video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU4AoaqNy18

Quote for the Week

….I sat through Shabbat services making up my own stories about Laura Ingalls Wilder to add to the adventures in her books. And yet, inexorably, some of my own religion rubbed off on me. Might that be the way belief works for some people? Not a sudden epiphany but a long, slow accumulation of Sabbaths. No road-to-Damascus conversion but a kind of coin rubbing, in which ritual and repetition begin to reveal the credo underneath. As I grew older, I was drawn to poetry, and I began to study the haftarah—the weekly selection from the prophets. As I grew busier, I began to appreciate time away from the world. Services became a refuge. I did not need to rest when I was a child, because I did not work. I did not want to come inside, because the outside world was still entirely beautiful to me.

- Allegra Goodman, Counting Pages, from the June 9 New Yorker

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/06/09/080609fa_fact_goodman

JUST THE FACTS

Candle lighting: 8:08 pm on Friday, June 13, 2008. For Havdalah times, other Jewish calendar information, and to download a Jewish calendar to your PDA, click on http://www.hebcal.com/. To see the festivals of other faiths as well, go to http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/. The United Synagogue has updated its candlelighting information. To learn more, click here.

THE FULL SERVICE SCHEDULE NOW APPEARS ON THE SEPARATE TBE ANNOUNCEMENTS E-MAIL

Friday Night Shabbat Services: OUTDOORS AT 6:30

Shabbat Morning at 9:30

Tot Shabbat morning with Nurit at 10:30

Mazal Tov to... Edward and Susan Bralower, Lindsay and William

on Lindsay’s Bat Mitzvah this Shabbat!

Parashat Beha'alotcha

Numbers 8:1 - 12:16

1: 8:1-4
2: 8:5-9
3: 8:10-14
4: 8:15-22
5: 8:23-26
6: 9:1-8
7: 9:9-14
maf: 9:12-14

Haftarah: Zechariah 2:14 - 4:7

Text Studies and Commentaries

From www.myjewishlearning.com

Click here for a summary of B’ha’alotkha.

Text Studies

Jews March On by Rabbi Avi Weinstein - Provided by Hillel’s Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Learning, which creates educational resources for Jewish organizations on college campuses.

Craving Perspective by Rabbi Neal Joseph Loevinger -Provided by KOLEL--The Adult Centre for Liberal Jewish Learning, which is affiliated with Canada's Reform movement.

God Hears, But What We Do Matters Most by Rabbi Elaine Zecher Provided by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the central body of Reform Judaism in North America.

Commentaries

Cultivated Cravings by Jon Greenberg Provided by Canfei Nesharim, providing Torah wisdom about the importance of protecting our environment.

Internal and External Change by Rabbi Elliot Rose Kukla Provided by American Jewish World Service, pursuing global justice through grassroots change.

Our Covenantal Responsibilities by Devorah Marcus Provided by American Jewish World Service, pursuing global justice through grassroots change.

The Trumpet Blasts by Rabbi Kerry Olitzky Provided by the Jewish Outreach Institute, an organization dedicated to creating a more open and welcoming Judaism.

Words That Wound by Joseph Telushkin - Provided by CLAL: The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, a multi-denominational think tank and resource center.

Sometimes, There Are Second Chances by Rabbi Ismar Schorsch Provided by the Jewish Theological Seminary, a Conservative rabbinical seminary and university of Jewish studies.

Trying To Remember The Reason I Forgot by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson Provided by the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, which ordains Conservative rabbis at the University of Judaism.

Leaving Childhood Behind by Rabbi Shimon Felix - Provided by the Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel, a summer seminar in Israel that aims to create a multi-denominational cadre of young Jewish leaders.

How The Trouble Began by Rabbi Avraham Fischer - Provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox congregations.

Beyond Fear: Social Justice As A Sacred Communal Obligation by Nina Wouk- Provided by SocialAction.com, an on-line Jewish magazine dedicated to pursuing justice, building community, and repairing the world.

Three Paths by Renanit R. Levy- Provided by the UJA-Federation of New York, which cares for those in need, strengthens Jewish peoplehood, and fosters Jewish renaissance.

Morning Minyan: 7:30 Weekdays, 9:30 Sundays

PLEASE COME TO MINYAN!

TO ENSURE A “GUARANTEED MINYAN” FOR THE DAY OF YOUR YAHRZEIT – GO TO THE ROSNER MINYAN MAKER AT WWW.TBE.ORG AND THEN NOTIFY OUR OFFICE.

Now you can become more comfortable with the prayers of our morning service by heading to…

http://www.tbe.org/site/sog/minyanmastery.htm

Is “Zohan” Good for the Jews???

Last weekend, during that brief window between Shabbat and Shavuot, I took Dan to see the latest Adam Sandler flick, “You Don't Mess With The Zohan,” which, for a lover of Israel and devotee of hummus, was a must see. Before I give you my take, here’s the “view from the front,” an e-mail from my sister Lisa, who, as many of you know, lives in Israel, in Mitzpe.Yericho.

(Before I go on, let me take this opportunity to wish Mazal Tov to my niece, Lisa’s daughter Luz, who will be married (God willing) this July at a fantastic theme-park duplicating life from the time of Abraham called Genesis Land).

So here is Lisa’s take:

bs"d
Dear JJ

I wanted to write you a letter about this movie we just saw. I was interested in knowing if you would put it in your newsletter.

The movie is called "don’t mess with the Zohan." At first, from the trailer it looked like another "eskimo lemon" type of movie; a classic comedy where everybody is quite stupid, but in the end, the good guys win, as it were. In those movies, too, there is lots of "typical" Israeli stuff, but nobody brushes their teeth with hummus.... But the Zohan movie is a lot more problematic than just a bit of overdone shtick. There are two issues which I believe your readers should hear from an Israeli, since it is so seductive to look at a movie like this and say, "cool! We are on the map!" and reminisce about the silly and often inappropriate things that well meaning sabras do when in contact with Americans.

One issue is like this. Even "the Producers" waited till Hitler was good and dead, and there was no more war going on. To mock a situation where Israeli Jews are in mortal danger just by going to work or school is to make it all seem trivial. I suddenly realized, while watching the movie, that probably most of the Americans watching it would conclude that it is all a big joke. That really, we are such incredible super heroes that feel no pain, that this is all a show for the CNN crews, etc. (I can tell you for sure that there is no Israeli equivalent of Pallywood). It is the result of a tragic lack of understanding of the situation that someone can do such a trivial comedy about life here. I do recall a long and serious debate about "the producers," but I don't see that such a thing will happen here....
The other issue is that the movie promotes a certain kind of resolution, which is very typical of American resolutions, but precisely the kind of conclusion that can only bring on more tragedy. It is so typically American, at least in Hollywood, that if one takes someone to bed, then all is well. It is also evidently very American to see the resolution of any ethnic, racial or religious problem as "let's get married." In actual fact, the "melting pot" approach is the opposite of respecting a person's traditions and roots. It slices and dices too many rich ways of life, and insists that the "best" way to be, is like "us." It may be that the American audience will lap up this ending, but I can only hope that there are a few out there, who think that immediate gratification of one's urges is NOT a sign of a mature resolution to a problem.

I am the last to put down a good comedy.

But this is just NOT funny!

Love, L

OK. First thing: She’s the only one who gets away with calling me JJ!

Dear Lisa,

Thanks for your review!

I agree with you that “Zohan” hardly presents a realistic view of what is going on now in your neck of the woods and is insensitive to the real suffering that takes place there. It’s interesting to note that the script was first written several years ago, before the Second Intifada and they had to can it for a while because of 9/11. For some reason they decided that the time was now right for its release. At the time this film was conceived, the Pollyanna-ish ending fit right into the last embers of the Oslo years, accentuated by the failed Clinton efforts at Camp David and Sharem el-Sheik. But that doesn’t mean Hollywood is immune to glib happy endings. Zohan has a plot that, in places, is exactly the same as last year’s short film, “West Bank Story” (right down to the hummus stand), which won an Oscar.

So yes, Hollywood is delusional. But I already knew that. They still think the Lakers will beat our Celtics, for crying out loud!

But don’t confuse Hollywood with the rest of the country, or even with Hollywood itself. As I saw in Washington at AIPAC last week, Americans now relate to the Israeli experience as never before. What was said quietly by some right after 9/11, “We’re all Israelis now,” is being echoed by the vast majority of Americans and Israel’s support has never been higher because of it. We heard from residents of Sderot and nearby communities and their plight was highlighted, pointedly, during the session attended by over half of Congress. We also heard of the plight of Jewish refugees from Arab lands. As a recent article in the Jerusalem Post proclaimed, American support for Israel is at an all-time high, with a poll showing that 76% agreeing that Israel is a "vital ally" of the US, 71% saying the US should support Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians and 60% willing to identify themselves as supporters of Israel in that conflict.”

With the exception of the far left, people are fully aware that the Israeli “melting pot” is more like a cauldron and will be shattered to bits long before its contents have had time to melt. Neither is a melting pot the goal. When I saw politician after politician echoing the “Two State” mantra, it wasn’t because they think those states of Arabs and Jews will all “learn to live like good Christians” next to each other. It’s because the alternative, one state, will lead inexorably to something either non democratic or not Jewish. Something that seemed so obvious since partition now can’t be taken for granted.

Incidentally, at a lunch I attended, Natan Sharansky gave rabbis a copy of his new book, "Defending Identity", in which he makes the claim that

Identity and Democracy go hand in hand. I feel that it is vitally important, for the Jewish people and for the world, that Israel stays both democratic and Jewish (“Jewish” as defined broadly, with “halakhic” being a factor, but not the only factor). I’m looking forward to reading Sharansky’s book this summer.

While the Zohan character clearly has identity issues and could use a good therapist, I hesitate to overanalyze this film. Suffice to say that while Americans may be making light of the lot of Israelis, we aren’t nearly as good at it as the Israelis themselves. At the bottom of this O-Gram, there is a link to a TV ad that mocks Ahmadinejad’s pledge – something right out of Chaplin and Mel Brooks. My favorite Israel TV program, Eretz Nehederet, mocks Israeli culture, including its suffering, with a wicked precision that Saturday Night Live could only dream of (though they did quite a number on Hillary). During my rabbinical school year in Israel, lo those many years ago, we saw Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” and I couldn’t help but sense the irony of seeing this parody of the New Testament, in Jerusalem no less, and hearing the audience convulsing in laughter. That movie, like “Zohan” spoofed extremism - that scene with all the liberation army’s “rescue” is one of my favorites:

Reg: [arriving at Brian's crucifixion] Hello, Sibling Brian.
Brian: Thank God you've come, Reg.
Reg: Well, I think I should point out first, Brian, in all fairness, we are not, in fact, the rescue committee. However, I have been asked to read the following prepare statement on behalf of the movement. "We the People's Front of Judea, brackets, officials, end brackets, do hereby convey our sincere fraternal and sisterly greetings to you, Brian, on this, the occasion of your martyrdom.”
Brian: What?
Reg: "Your death will stand as a landmark in the continuing struggle to liberate the parent land from the hands of the Roman imperialist aggressors, excluding those concerned with drainage, medicine, roads, housing, education, viniculture and any other Romans contributing to the welfare of Jews of both sexes and hermaphrodites. Signed, on behalf of the P. F. J., etc. " And I'd just like to add, on a personal note, my own admiration, for what you're doing for us, Brian, on what must be, after all, for you a very difficult time.

“Zohan” not only spoofs the extremist threat to Israel, but, like “Munich,” it shows how the hard-nosed Israeli soldier hates to kill. In demonstrating the purity of arms that is so crucial to the IDF mindset, I think the movie shows Israelis in the most positive, peace-loving light.

I also think Zohan works as a send-up of the macho Israeli male, much like “Blazing Saddles” or “The Frisco Kid” spoofs the American cowboy. Yes, we realize that Israelis don’t brush their teeth with hummus (though it’s something I wouldn’t mind doing from time to time). Adam Sandler often throws absurdities into his films. While there are certainly some objectionable caricatures, I’d have more reason to be upset were I an Arab, actually (for mistaking Neosporin for an explosive), a supporter of gay rights or a PETA activist (the scene where they are kicking a cat like a soccer ball I’m sure got a rise out of them). Sandler’s shift from Macho Male to Borsht Belt Borat (“The Producers” meets “Shampoo”) was mildly offensive, but nothing to scream about.

So yes, it’s not realistic and yes, falling in love with the Palestinian hairdresser across the street will not solve the problems of the world. But in responding to the big question that we must ask of everything at all times, “Is it good for the Jews?” I’d have to give a qualified “yes,” based on the tourism dollars that will be generated by the Tel Aviv beach scenes alone. It’s good. Not as good as Abu Shukri’s hummus. But good.

“WHAT BEING JEWISH MEANS TO ME”

-Essays from our seventh graders-

Lara Agatstein

Being Jewish to me means becoming a Bat Mitzvah. It is a special remembrance that I will have for the rest of my life. I studied six months in advance with a tutor named Bracha. I shopped for my tallit, dress, and shoes (which I love). During the experience I learned my Torah portion, Haftarah, and trope. Then came the final day – March 1, 2008. It was spectacular. I am Jewish!

Noah Arons

Being Jewish I feel I have a special task. This task is to follow the commandments of the Torah and to be a Jew with dignity. Since there are not that many Jews I feel that we, the Jewish people, are a minority. To have dignity I need to answer questions that my peers have asked me and to correct any false statements about Jews that they might have heard, such as statements about Jews having big noses and loving money. Following the commandments is very important to me, knowing that Jews have been following the commandments for about 3000 years. I feel a sense of obligation to not let my ancestors down. That is what being Jewish means to me.

Lindsay Bralower

Jews have always overcome the hardest obstacles. Whether it was the Holocaust or any other difficult time, we have always kept the traditions alive. I am proud to be a Jew because I get to share in something my ancestors did. Eating matzah ball soup and lighting the Shabbat candles are two traditions that I get to keep alive. Why am I proud to be Jewish? The real question should be “What isn’t great about being Jewish ?”.

Eden Castle

Being Jewish means celebrating holidays with my family. I love eating Jewish foods and celebrating with my friends at Hebrew School. I can remember all of the things that Jews have survived. It makes me proud to be a Jew when we tell the stories of our ancestors. I love going to Hebrew School with my teachers and awesome friends.

Daniel Chimes

For 12 years, I have just been going through the motions. I have been just following along. Honestly, I didn’t know why I was Jewish. Maybe because society said so, or because my parents said so. Why is it that people always try to tell you who you are? Judaism is spiritual, and only you can know who you truly are. Anyway, I didn’t know what my purpose was, why I was born who I am. Then, in March, I went to Israel. Now I know why people fight over it. It holds a spell over people. It is a world of its own. I don’t think anyone truly knows what looms over this land. You could call it religion, but I think that leaving it a mystery is what makes it majestic. Anyway, Israel changed me. I found a new side of me that has never been opened before. I’m still not sure that I know what that part of me is. I still don’t know how to define Jewish, or how I am Jewish. All I know is that the bond shared together by Jews all over the world is powerful. I only wish that the rest of the world, and even I myself, could fully understand this powerful bond.

Samantha Cooper

To me being Jewish means having a rich and unique history. We have survived many years of terror and pain at the hands of our tormentors. The thing that saddens me the most are Jews who are not proud to be Jewish. The ones who don’t send their children to Hebrew School and don’t go to services. The children aren’t raised Jewish, so they won’t teach their kids to be Jewish. The Jewish population is getting smaller and smaller. It is said that Jewish people make up only a small part of the world’s population. On the other hand, there are people proud to be Jewish, like me. I always keep Passover and I am going to try to fast during Yom Kippur.

The best thing about being Jewish is having a Bar/Bat Mitzvah. My Bat Mitzvah was the best night of my life. I had so much fun. I love being Jewish. L’chaim!

Ian Cohen

My favorite thing about being a Jew is all the great food. We have latkes, matzah, hamentashen, etc. Another thing is seeing my friends at Hebrew School. I usually don’t see them during the week. I was not born Jewish, yet I was Jewish on the first day I was alive. If you are confused, I was adopted. Even though I never knew my birth parents, this is not something I am embarrassed about. I do know that my birth parents did not hate me. They couldn’t care for me and wanted me to have a better life. That makes me happy.

Rachel Cohen

The best part about being Jewish, in my opinion, was becoming a Bat Mitzvah. I loved standing up on the bimah and performing everything I had learned that past year in front of everyone who mattered to me. I truly felt like I had gained a special connection with God, and doing this truly convinced me (although I was convinced before) that there is a being greater than all of us: God.

Shira Durica

Judaism: tradition, history, joy, tears, and light. Being Jewish is more than having a Bar/Bat Mitzvah party, or getting the best presents on Chanukah. Being Jewish is remembering, practicing, and enjoying. Every second with friends in Hebrew School folds into memories. Each note of a prayer curls into a vine that holds us together. The feelings when reading from the Torah are incredible. The Jewish life cycle is like a flower: the buds of birth bloom into a flower, which falls to death, only to grow again. There is no end.

Dana Gordon

I am extremely proud to be Jewish. Being Jewish, I am unique and I stand out. I am proud to be able to enjoy the meaningful holidays of Judaism. We get together with family, eat delicious food, and celebrate being Jewish.

Leah Hazen

Being Jewish to me means my love for Israel. Even though I have never actually been to Israel I still care a lot about it. My best experience was when an Israeli soldier named Benny stayed with my family for two weeks. Benny immediately fit in with my family. He was outgoing, and taught me a lot about Israel. Just in the short amount of time that Benny spent here I learned about how close to home the war actually was for him. Benny told me that the war was two and a half hours away from his house. To me that is unthinkable. In the U.S.A. the war is far away overseas, but for Benny it isn’t that far from home. After Benny’s stay I really want to go to Israel, now more than ever. He touched my life in such an unexplainable way that my life has been changed forever. To go to Israel would be like going HOME!

Eloise Hyman

Why am I proud to be Jewish? Because even though throughout the centuries we have been hated by certain groups, cultures, and religions (Spain, KKK, Nazis, some Muslims), we still managed to live. The reasons for persecution were horrible (because we are different, because we are easy to blame, because we are cool). Also, I loved that I was able to introduce my religion to my friends through my Bat Mitzvah, with all my friends from school, camp, and Hebrew School there with me. That is why I’m proud to be Jewish.

Nick Hyman

To be a Jew to me means to be part of generations of hard-working individuals. Throughout history, Jews have lived through persecution, hardships, and sorrow. Yet we always kept our cool and never stopped working. Jews during the Holocaust lived with the thought that they would someday see their family again. Jews have always been connected to the family, and will do anything for them, which is why I’m proud to be a hard-working Jew.

Ariel Kobliner

I am Jewish because I am going to have my Bat Mitzvah. I have been preparing for months and I know that soon all the hard work will pay off. Bat (and Bar) Mitzvahs are a huge commitment to Judaism, and I am ready to make that commitment. I will be there for all my Jewish friends when they make commitments at their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.

Sophie Koester

I am Jewish because I am proud of my religion.