Thursday, June 30, 2011

[Shefa] Re: List Serve

 

Bruce,


Please explain to me why this email falls outside the intended goals of the list serv, and be advised that I am blind cc'ing a number of people both the message of your refusal to post it, as I will your reply to this email explaining why you won't post it.  Everything I state is factual and I have other presidents who were in attendance at that meeting who will back up everything I said about the meeting with Robert Sunshine.  Your refusal to post it came, I'm sure, from those you answer to, and it is just more proof of USCJ's lack of transparency.

For those I have cc'd this email to:

The message that is being refused by the moderator of the presidents list serv is below.  It has to do with Mr. Rosenthal's erroneous reply about Art Glauberman's correct claims of USCJ's hidden budget and his assertion that USCJ doesn't need to be in the expensive offices that they currently occupy.

Ira Fink


On Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 7:17 PM, Bruce Littman <BLittman@socal.rr.com> wrote:
Ira:

As this message clearly falls outside the intended goals of the List Serve it will not be posted.

Bruce Littman
Co-moderator

I take exception to Mr. Rosenthal's comments, but  I'll give him the benefit of the doubt - he is apparently unaware of the past since he is relatively new to the position - but his statements are not accurate.
 
The budget was never open for review until there was enough hue and cry that USCJ had to post it.  How do I know?  About 4 years ago, I requested a copy of USCJ's budget and was first told that it was not open for viewing.  I pushed and they then agreed to show it to me if I came to their offices in NY.  I was told that they would not give me a copy, but would allow me to see it.  When I made a big enough fuss about having to go to NY to see it, they agreed to send Robert Sunshine,  then the USCJ treasurer, to the CT office in Rocky Hill to show it to me.  They paid to fly him from Washington, DC to CT and to put him up overnight in a hotel, just to show me the budget!  That got my Spidey senses tingling and I asked other presidents from our region to join me. Six of us met with Mr. Sunshine, and we soon discovered that the budget he brought was only a budget summary. There were no details at all.  In addition, it became apparent to me that, besides no detail,  there were things completely missing from the budget summary, the most glaring of which was Fuchsberg.  
 
When cornered (figuratively), Mr. Sunshine admitted that there was a second budget.  It then came to light that Fuchsberg was being subsidized to the tune of $500,000 a year from USCJ funds (our dues) to cover its mortgage and that was occurring year after year and there were (at that time) about 5 years left that we would have to cover the mortgage.  When asked why, he admitted that USCJ bought Fuchsberg before they had the money in hand, or even enough commitments.  They were unable to come up with the money, so USCJ had to subsidize Fuchsberg to the tune of a half million dollars a year from what was, essentially, money taken away from support for its members - us.  
 
I tried to smuggle a copy of the budget out of that meeting, but Mr. Sunshine was very careful to make sure he got all the copies back.  That was over 4 years ago, and there was a huge amount to try to absorb in one meeting, especially with the lack of detail given to us, but as I recall, one budget was for $18 million and the second, hidden budget was $10 million.  There were other things in the budget that were examples of questionable accounting. 
 
At that time, USCJ was trying to sell the Park Ave. offices and, according to Mr. Sunshine, a large amount of profit was to be made by the sale and a substantial sum would go back into the USCJ operating budget to give more service to the members.  I have no idea if that ever happened.  I do know that USCJ could have operated out of Brooklyn, the Bronx, or even Jersey City – all locations that make NYC easily accessible for them, but would cost a lot less money to buy.  There is no reason, other than ego or vanity, why USCJ needs expensive digs in NYC.  The excuse that USCJ needs to be there because other Jewish organizations are there is just keeping up with the Schwartz's.  Unfortunately, USCJ can't afford to be there and being there is an example of its fiscal irresponsibility.
By the way, Fuchsberg is on a very valuable, high traffic corner lot in Jerusalem.  It did not need to be in that exclusive of a location, but Fuchsberg was something the (then) leadership of USCJ wanted so badly that they were like a college kid who uses the rent money to buy that 60" flat screen TV.  They just wanted it so badly that they had to have it at any cost.
 
The reason that USCJ posted the budgets on their website is that, after I posted about our experience with Mr. Sunshine and other presidents who were there added their thoughts, there was such an outpouring of negative feedback on the list serv that USCJ felt it had to do something to appease the large number of unhappy campers they had on their hands.
 
One last thing – I take great exception with Mr. Rosenthal's depiction of USCJ's transparency. The General Assembly that Mr. Rosenthal refers to is a sham.  It is largely made up of USCJ loyalists - people who USCJ's officers know will blindly follow them. These are people who have been groomed for these positions . They hand pick those who will be cooperative and not rock the boat (something that appears to be backfiring since some of those loyalists are now becoming dissenters).  If you want transparency, why not make sure that everyone, including synagogue presidents and clergy are kept apprised about what is going on? The GA isn't paying our dues for us. Richard Skolnick should be making these announcements to us at the same time he informs the GA.
 
I know it is nearly impossible to run an organization based on the consensus of its members, but USCJ has listened so little to us and has been so unsuccessful, that we have no reason to have faith in their ability to make good business decisions. Until they restore that faith, they should be making sure that we know exactly what;s going on at all times.
 
Ira Fink
IPP
Beth Sholom B'nai Israel (350~)
Manchester, CT


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[Shefa] A Special Request: Help Fund My First Solo Album!

 

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Dear Chevreh, 


For the past 20 years, I've been blessed to sing with musical groups, and before that I learned to express my heart's music at my parents' magic Shabbat table.  I'm proud to share that I am poised to release my first solo album!  The album, tentatively titled "Within", is scheduled for release in the early Fall – if I can secure funding.   We've recorded the tracks, and we're up to the production stage.


"Within" contains 7 songs: 4 new original compositions, one never-before-recorded song by Debbie Friedman z"l, one cover of an Ansel Matthews piece, and one collaboration with my friend and musical soul-mate Rabbi David Paskin setting of an Abraham Joshua Heschel z"l poem.  Here are two audio samples:

My dream for this album is for my music to be framed by my sacred community, Congregation Netivot Shalom in Berkeley, CA.  The artwork, liner notes, and harmonies will be collaborative creation contributions of members of Netivot Shalom.  (See below for the list of songs and the cover artwork: a quilt by Karen Friedman, photographed by Nadine Samuels.)


I need your help to make this dream a reality.  The music is ready to be shared, and the only factor in the way is the cost.  An anonymous donor already funded the basic recording.  I invite you to consider the following sponsorship opportunities for my album, with or without acknowledgement on the album itself, as you choose:

  • one song: $360-$540
  • album sponsorship: $10,000

To sponsor "Within", please send a check to:

 

Rabbi Menachem Creditor

Congregation Netivot Shalom

1316 University Ave

Berkeley, CA

94702


All gifts are tax deductible, and I am also glad to hear from you with any questions.  This life-long dream has filled me with incredible spirit, and I look forward to sharing it with you all.


Kol Tuv,

Menachem




Quilt (C) Karen Friedman (photo credit: Nadine Samuels)

Scottish Niggun

melody: Rabbi Menachem Creditor


I and You

based on a poem by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, z"l (1907-1972)

melody: Rabbi Menachem Creditor and Rabbi David Paskin


Halleluyah

lyrics and melody: Ansel Matthews

recorded with permission of Ansel Matthews


Yedid Nefesh 

lyrics: Rabbi Elazar Azikri z"l (1533 - 1600) 

melody: Rabbi Menachem Creditor


Eshet Chayil

lyrics: Proverbs 31

melody: Rabbi Menachem Creditor


Lecha Dodi

Lyrics: Rabbi Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz z"l (1500-1580)

melody: Rabbi Menachem Creditor


Ve'Asu

Lyrics: Exodus 25:8

Melody: Debbie Friedman z"l (1951 – 2011)

recorded with permission from the Friedman family



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[Shefa] Forward.com: "Gay Marriage in New York Puts Conservative Rabbis on the Spot"

 

Forward.com: "Gay Marriage in New York Puts Conservative Rabbis on the Spot"

By Naomi Zeveloff

Published June 29, 2011, issue of July 08, 2011.
http://www.forward.com/articles/139292/

Orthodox rabbis fought it. Reform rabbis championed it. And when New York's historic same-sex marriage bill was finally signed into law June 24, Conservative rabbis scratched their heads.

Marriage equality is a done deal in New York — the law is set to take effect 30 days from the date it was signed — but in the Conservative movement, the passage of the bill highlights the uncertainty that many Conservative rabbis feel when it comes to officiating marriage between gay men or between lesbians. Now, with their gay congregants' relationships sanctioned by the State of New York, Conservative leaders are feeling increased pressure to clarify their position on same-sex unions and to finally answer the question: How (Conservative) Jewish is same-sex marriage?

"It has really changed the game for those of us in the field," said Gerald Skolnik, vice president of the Conservative movement's Rabbinical Assembly and a rabbi at the Forest Hills Jewish Center, in Central Queens. "I think the decision of New York State will compel those in the non-Orthodox world who have in general a more tolerant, if still evolving, view about gay and lesbian relationships to get off the fence and say, 'Would I do this or not?'"

When it comes to the question of whether Jewish law permits same-sex marriage, the Reform, Orthodox and Conservative movements offer wildly varying answers that can be summed up respectively: yes, no and sort of.

Each stream of Judaism has its own legal and ethical interpretation of how homosexuality squares with Judaism. But all three denominations have paid special attention to kiddushin, the formal liturgy and ritual that are required for a wedding in order to render a couple married under traditional Jewish law, or Halacha. Without kiddushin, and several other required rites, a couple cannot be considered halachically wed no matter what else the ceremony may contain.

Reform rabbis who conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies often have a broad understanding of Jewish wedding rites, allowing gay couples to engage in ritual acts that were written with a man and a woman in mind, such as the signing of the ketubah, or Jewish marriage contract, which is one of the required rites. Orthodox rabbis hew to a predictably narrower, traditional take on these religious requirement, applying them to heterosexual couples alone. Orthodox leaders, in partnership with Christian groups, secured an exemption from New York's same-sex marriage bill that protects religious organizations from being sued for refusing to conduct same-sex weddings.

In the Conservative movement — which sees itself as Judaism's big tent — some rabbis borrow heavily from kiddushin and other required rites to conduct gay commitment ceremonies, while others avoid them altogether and craft their own celebrations. Still others opt not to officiate at same-sex weddings in the first place.

Conservative Judaism's waffling approach to same-sex marriage was actually born of an attempt to clarify the movement's stance on gay men and lesbians in general. In 2006, the R.A.'s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards issued two different responsa — akin to Supreme Court opinions — on gay men and lesbians in the Conservative movement. One responsum, written by Rabbi Joel Roth, prohibited all homosexual activity and kept gay students out of rabbinic schools. The other responsum, written by rabbis Elliot Dorff, Daniel Nevins and Avram Reisner, was much more nuanced: restrictive in some parts, but a model of acceptance in others. For instance, citing the specific wording of the Torah's ban on homosexuality, the document accepted some forms of homosexual activity but reaffirmed the Conservative ban on male-on-male anal sex. But the responsum also invited gay Jews to apply to rabbinic schools, a landmark statement that led New York's Jewish Theological Seminary to open its doors to gay students in 2007.

When it came to the issue of same-sex marriage, the document was ambiguous. "We are not prepared at this juncture to rule upon the Halachic status of gay and lesbian relationships," the document read. "To do so would require establishing an entirely new institution in Jewish law that treats not only the ceremonies and legal instruments appropriate for creating homosexual unions but also the norms for the dissolution of such unions." The document did not endorse the use of traditional kiddushin for a same-sex union, nor did it provide an alternative model for gay men and lesbians. It did, however, encourage the "celebration" of monogamous, committed homosexual unions.

"Kiddushin is between a man and a woman, and this is something different from that," Dorff said in an interview with the Forward. "The liturgy of the sheva brachot [the seven blessings] would [also] need to be changed. It does not fit into the Halachic categories or the legal categories of kiddushin."

Conservative rabbis who chose to adopt the responsum written by Dorff, Nevins and Reisner found themselves without a template for conducting same-sex unions, so they began to create their own. Some used the ketubah. Others didn't. Some used traditional blessings. Others didn't. To be a Conservative rabbi who conducts same-sex unions is to contribute to a vast and growing global patchwork of gay Jewish marital rituals. Now, Dorff, Nevins and Reisner are taking steps to rein in the rabbis.

The three rabbis are currently collecting liturgy and ritual documents from Conservative rabbis who conduct same-sex unions in an effort to synthesize and, eventually, codify the way that same-sex marriages are performed in the Conservative movement. According to Nevins, the rabbis will issue the new guidelines sometime this summer. New York's marriage law has lit a small fire under the feet of the rabbis, prompting them to move quickly to formalize the gay marriage template.

"Now that gay couples are allowed to be married in New York State, more New York-based clergy will have the opportunity to perform such weddings," Nevins said in an e-mail to the Forward. "This may accelerate the process of clarification about the format of such ceremonies but shouldn't have much impact on their ritual nature. We have separation of church and state in America, so government policy shouldn't directly affect ritual practice."

Whether or not the new template will mimic the required traditional rites remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, some Conservative rabbis have successfully used kiddushin and the other required rites with same-sex couples. "So far I have only done one. It was pretty similar [to a heterosexual Jewish wedding]," said Rabbi Gordon Tucker, a member of the R.A. who formerly served on the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards and is an advocate for acceptance of gay men and lesbians in the Conservative movement. "There were brachot over two cups of wine that were appropriately worded [for two men]. There was a ketubah that was appropriately worded. I guess to someone sitting in the back row, it would look like a wedding."

Other rabbis remain uncomfortable with the idea of using required traditional rites for heterosexuals in a gay wedding. Skolnik was recently asked to officiate at a same-sex wedding ceremony — his first invitation to do so.

"I said, 'I work out of a traditional background,'" he said. "They regard it as a wedding. I am still in formation. I am trying to find a way to do this that I can live with, a way that I can be faithful to my tradition and still honor my appreciation of the fact that gays and lesbians deserve to be recognized in the eyes of God."

Contact Naomi Zeveloff at feedback@forward.com



Read more: http://www.forward.com/articles/139292/#ixzz1QmMYUz64


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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Rosh Hodesh Tamuz


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"Praying and chanting with Women of the Wall continues to teach me about the ways that women can come together to advance not only our standing but also our understanding of Judaism."
- Liz Piper-Goldberg

 

Join us to celebrate Rosh Hodesh Tamuz at the Kotel on Sunday, July 3, 2011 at 7 AM!
Please bring your own siddur.

If you would like to lead a part of the service or hold our Sefer Torah, please contact us.

To sponsor this month's oneg, please contact us.

הינכן מוזמנות לתפילת ראש חודש תמוז ביום ראשון ה-3 ביולי בשעה 7:00 בעזרת הנשים של הכותל המערבי, ובהמשך, קריאה בתורה בקשת רובינזון.
אנא הביאו עמכן סידור.
  אם את מעוניינת להיות חזנית, לקרוא בתורה או להחזיק בספר התורה, אנא כתבי אלינו

אם ברצונך לקחת חלק במימון הכיבוד שלאחר התפילה, אנא  כתבי אלינו

 

לפני כשבוע ציינה משפחה אחת כואבת, ועמה עם שלם, חמש שנים לחטיפתו של החייל גלעד שנים. חמש שנים שלמות, יותר מ-1,800 ימים, שהילד שהפך לילד של כולנו יושב בחדר קטן וחשוך, בלי לראות את משפחתו, בלי לדעת מתי, אם בכלל, ייצא משם. חמש שנים שבני משפחתו לא יכולים לחבק אותו, לתת לו נשיקת לילה טוב, להתקשר לשאול מה שלומו ואם הכל בסדר. מאז חטיפתו של גלעד נושאות נשות הכותל מדי חודש תפילה מיוחדת לשלומם של השבויים והנעדרים, ובמרכזם גלעד. הפעם, חמש שנים בלעדיו, תוקדש תפילת ראש חודש תמוז לשלומו ולשובו. אביבה שליט, אמו של גלעד, הוזמנה לתפילה, במהלכה גם יוטמן בכותל פתק הקורא לשחרורו המהיר, בחתימתן של נשים יהודיות בארץ ובעולם. בימים אלה, בהם עתידו של גלעד אינו ידוע, אנו לא מפסיקות לחשוב עליו, ומתפללות לשלומו



-----

 
It was only a week ago that a family in despair – along with the entire nation – marked the fifth anniversary of Gilad Shalit's kidnapping. It has been five years, more than 1, 800 days that a child of ours is sitting in a small dark room, never seeing his family, not knowing if and when he'll be free. Five years that his family members can't hug him, give him a good night kiss, or call to ask how's he doing and if everything is fine. Since Gilad's kidnapping, the Women of the Wall are saying a special prayer each month for the safety of Gilad and all the captive and MIA soldiers. This coming Rosh Chodesh, five years after the kidnapping, the Tamuz service will be dedicated to Gilad's safety and fast return. Aviva Shalit, Gilad's mother, was invited to the service, when we will put a note into the Kotel that was signed by our worldwide supporters asking for Gilad's quick release. During these days, when Gilad's fate is unknown, we will keep him in our minds and pray for his safety.
Copyright © 2011 Women of the Wall, All rights reserved.

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Women of the Wall
POB 31936
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[Shefa] tabletmag.com: "Rabbinic Scion Clinches Same-Sex Marriage"

Rabbinic Scion Clinches Same-Sex Marriage: With religious exemptions in place, N.Y. state Sen. Saland voted his conscience
BY ALLISON HOFFMAN
Jun 27, 2011

http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/71024/jewish-senator-clinches-n-y-same-sex-marriage/


A celebration Friday night in front of the historic Stonewall bar.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Just before 10 p.m. on Friday, state Sen. Stephen Saland, a Republican, told the Associated Press he would supply the decisive 32nd vote to allow same-sex marriages in New York. �My vote is a vote of conscience,� he said. �I am doing the right thing in voting to support marriage equality.� Close Albany-watchers were tipped off, however, that Saland, 67, a Conservative Jew, would reverse his position on marriage from 2009, when he voted against a similar bill: His wife, Linda, was already in the gallery, and as one person told the New York Daily News, �She wasn�t coming to watch her husband vote no.�

In the weeks leading up to the vote, Saland was heavily lobbied by the Agudath Israel, an ultra-Orthodox advocacy group, which appealed to Saland�s family tree�he is a relation of Shmuel Salant, the powerful late-19th-century chief Ashkenazi rabbi of Jerusalem�to sway him. But people familiar with the lobbying effort told Tablet Magazine in its final days that the group was less concerned with blocking the legislation than with making sure that if it passed, it would provide sufficient exemptions for religious groups opposed to same-sex marriage. (On Saturday, the Anti-Defamation League applauded both the exemptions and the legalization of same-sex marriage.)

Those exemptions were enacted before the dramatic vote, in no small part thanks to Saland�s quiet negotiations with Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Thus, late Friday night, Saland was able to tell the Senate, the public, and his wife that he was voting according to what he learned in his Jewish household. �My parents taught us to be respectful, tolerant, and accepting of others, and to do the right thing,� Saland explained in his floor speech. �I must define doing the right thing as treating all persons with equality in the definition of law as it pertains to marriage. To do otherwise would fly in the face of my upbringing.�


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[Shefa] Facing a faith's glass ceiling: Trailblazing female rabbi losing her job

 

Star Tribune: Facing a faith's glass ceiling: Trailblazing female rabbi losing her job
ROSE FRENCH
June 27, 2011
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/124626798.html

Charni Flame Selch is in rare company. She's the only female senior Conservative rabbi in Minnesota -- and at least three other surrounding states.

The ranks of female senior rabbis will thin even more this week when Bnai Emet Synagogue in St. Louis Park merges with a Minnetonka congregation, putting Selch out of a job. "The market for women pulpit rabbis is so bleak," Selch said. "Senior pulpit positions that are going to women, no matter what their qualifications, are shrinking."

Selch's plight is becoming more common as a down economy conspires with long-held traditions.

A growing number of Jewish congregations across the country are downsizing, leaving fewer available rabbinical positions. Rabbis like Selch are finding it increasingly difficult to land such coveted jobs because many Conservative congregations often tend to hire married men with young children over women and other groups.

It's the latest reminder that religious leadership remains a male-dominated line of work in many synagogues and churches, observers say.

What a rabbi should be

Faced with declining membership and financial uncertainty, Bnai Emet's congregation decided to merge with Adath Jeshurun synagogue in Minnetonka. After merger plans were announced last year, Selch applied to a dozen congregations throughout the country.

Despite her nearly 15 years of pulpit experience, Selch couldn't land a senior rabbi job and accepted instead an education director position at a congregation in Massachusetts. Selch's position at Bnai Emet ends on Thursday.

"All of the congregations that interviewed me that have hired rabbis this year ... have all hired male rabbis," Selch said. "And quite frankly, some of them have less qualifications, less experience than I do."

"I think part of it is just that visceral reaction of what a stereotypical rabbi should be," Selch said. "I think when people look for religion, they are looking for a certain comfort level. And when we look for that kind of emotional comfort level, we kind of tap into our inner child. For many of us, the vision we have ... is that of a male rabbi because that's what we grew up with."

Paul Tuchman, a member of the committee at Bnai who helped hire Selch nearly four years ago, said there's an "overall sadness" about the merger and Selch's departure.

"It wasn't meant as a judgment on Rabbi Selch at all," Tuchman said. "When you bring, as in our case, a much smaller congregation in with a much larger congregation that has clergy that have been there quite a few years ... the best of intentions can't always make things happen when you face financial and organizational realities you have to deal with."

Though Conservative congregations have become more open to hiring female rabbis in the past 25 years, this year "it's gone in a reverse direction," said Rabbi Elliot Schoenberg, associate executive director for the Conservative movement's Rabbinical Assembly. "And it's clear that's because of economic factors.

"Congregations are a little bit more nervous and anxious that it be a success," Schoenberg said. Hiring a married man with children is often viewed as the safer bet "even though there's no statistical support, or any evidence, that makes that point."

Still, the rabbinate is more diverse than it's ever been. The movement ordained its first female rabbi in 1986; worldwide, there are about 265 female rabbis out of a total of 1,650 rabbis who are members of the assembly, he said.

"It's men and women, young and older. Gay and straight, single and married," Schoenberg said. "However, the image many religious institutions ... still have is of a framework of a married male with small children. It is disappointing and frustrating that some of these institutions ... have not sort of caught up."

Economics, demographics

Ray Goldstein, interim director of the central district of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, said Selch is one of approximately eight female senior rabbis in a region that extends from Mexico to Canada and Pittsburgh to Denver. The district contains 109 Conservative congregations.

Mergers of Conservative synagogues are going on across the country, and it's "difficult for Conservative rabbis to find jobs now. Period," he said.

"Because of the economy, people are not retiring," he said. "Synagogues who used to have multiple rabbis are reducing the numbers. Last year there were 23 Conservative rabbis who did not find jobs at all." In previous years, that number has been about 10, he said.

Generational changes are compounding the economic problems, said Pamela Nadell, professor of history and Jewish studies at American University, who's written extensively about female rabbis.

Younger Jews have shown a disinterest in traditional synagogues, she said, noting that the average age of a member of a Conservative synagogue is older than the average age of a member of an Orthodox or Reform synagogue.

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