From Fair-Trade Judaica: Guilt-free Gelt, Tagline Contest, Guatemala Trip, and More!

If you are having difficulty viewing this message, view the graphics version online at http://fairtradejudaica.org/our-story/news-press/ October 2013 Newsletter   Cheshvan 5774, October 2013 In this issue: Chanukah Gelt Guilt-free Gelt Tagline Contest FTJ 2014 Guatemala Trip Upcoming Events; DC, Philly, Brooklyn NEW Product - Challah Cover Fair Trade 2014 calendar October is Fair Trade Month Follow Us on Facebook   Fair Trade Judaica: FTJ envisions a world in which Jewish consumers recognize fair trade as an expression of core Jewish values, seek out fair trade Judaica products, and use their purchasing power to support thriving communities of artisans around the world.   Quick Links: FTJ Website FTJ Blog Find out about new fair trade Judaica products as soon as they hit the market and when our blogs are posted!! Join Us: Join our email list, and get updates about new products, artisans, and FTJ activities. Forward this email to friends and colleagues.   Donate: Your tax deductible gift helps us provide assistance and support to fair trade artisans around the world, so that they, their families and communities can live with economic and social stability. Fair Trade Kosher Chanukah Gelt We are excited to let you know that Divine Chocolate is partnering with Fair Trade Judaica again this year - for every purchase of their delicious milk or dark chocolate Chanukah gelt YOU buy (wholesale and retail), they will donate 10% of sales to support FTJ's educational efforts when you use promo code FTJUDAICA at checkout! We'll also enter your name into a raffle to win one of our beautifully handmade wire and bead menorahs from South Africa. Here's the info. Guilt-free Gelt Tagline Contest Join the fun and help us find the perfect tagline for our Guilt-free Gelt Chanukah campaign! The winner will receive a treasure trove of delicious Fair Trade gelt and have their winning entry used on our website and outreach materials! Deadline is midnight October 25. Submit your entry! Join our 2014 Guatemala Trip Fair Trade Judaica's inaugural 2013 trip to Guatemala was a major success, and we're looking forward to traveling there again January 30-February 12, 2014. This is a unique opportunity to spend Shabbat with the Jewish communities in Guatemala City, meet Fair Trade artisan groups who make beautiful Judaica products, and visit major cultural and historical sites. Experience firsthand the positive impact that Fair Trade has on the artisans and their communities. We'll be able to see several new products that were inspired from our first visit (pine needle challah trays, new challah covers, and more). Sample itinerary, logistics, and info can be found here. Visit us in DC, Philly, and Brooklyn FTJ will be on the road in early November, so come visit us!   Tikvat Israel Congregation in Rockville is sponsoring an entire weekend, November 1-3, devoted to fair trade, chocolate, and the Jewish connection! Come listen to interesting talks, watch a documentary DVD followed by a chocolate tasting, and find wonderful handmade fair trade items at an afternoon market.   Ilana Schatz, founding director of FTJ, will be speaking on "Guilt-Free Gelt: How & Why Our Food Choices Matter" at Kol Tzedek, November 6. The talk is part of the Feinstein Center's (Temple University) "What's Your Food Worth Series."   FTJ is joining with Brooklyn synagogues and other organizations to host a special Chanukah fair on Sunday, November 10. A great place to buy interesting fair trade menorahs, beautifully handmade and paraffin free fair trade Chanukah candles, and more, listen to music, and just have a good time! For more info, contact ilana@fairtradejudaica.org New Brocade Challah Cover We saw the first design of this new Mayan Hands Brocade Challah Cover on our trip to Guatemala last year, and it's really beautiful! Handwoven on a backstrap loom, it comes in three color designs and will add elegance and beauty to your Shabbat table. Fair Trade Calendar The new 2014 Fair Trade Calendar is now available, featuring the 12 winning photos of fair trade artisans and farmers submitted from around the world. The calendar includes a "Where to Buy Fair Trade" section and stories about the positive impact fair trade makes in the lives of thousands of people around the world. Discounts are available for multiple copies. October is Fair Trade Month During Fair Trade Month, people across the US come together to learn about, celebrate, and promote Fair Trade. You can enter a raffle to win a basket for Fairtrade goodies, find lots of information to learn more, join events around the country, share your passion about fair trade, and more! Check out our Facebook page for almost daily news and announcements. Follow Us on Facebook Find out about new fair trade Judaica products as soon as they hit the market and when our blogs are posted! Fair Trade Judaica is a beneficiary of UpStart Bay Area.   Fair Trade Judaica is a project of Community Partners/Jumpstart.   Fair Trade Judaica is a member of the Fair Trade Federation. Copyright © 2007-2013 Fair Trade Judaica, all rights reserved.

Chancellor Eisen in Haaretz on the New Pew Report: "Reengaging American Jews - Before They Drift Away"

Dear JTS Community, The most recent report on American Jews from the Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project makes it crystal clear: this is no longer our grandparents' Jewish community—nor, for that matter, that of our parents. The statistics say that, in the last 10 years, interest in Jewish religion has continued to decline and the number of intermarriages has increased—how should we respond to this information? What do these changes mean to Jewish life as a whole? And what is Judaism anyway? A religion? A people? A culture?  I reflect on these questions and more in my newest article for Israel's Haaretz newspaper, "Reengaging American Jews—Before They Drift Away," which can be accessed in its entirety on my blog, On My Mind: Arnie Eisen. If you have some thoughts on the new Pew report, or want to share how you would engage or reengage Jews, I encourage you to share your comments online at On My Mind: Arnie Eisen. Sincerely,  Arnold M. Eisen Chancellor The Jewish Theological Seminary P.S. You can also follow me on Twitter @ArnoldEisen (twitter.com/ArnoldEisen) or read my blog at http://blog.jtsa.edu/chancellor-eisen/.

MasortiUK Reflections 2013: Noach

Reflections - Noach - Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan By Rabbi Deborah Silver In the various collections of Midrash that we have, we find our Rabbis preoccupied with the question of what exact sort of wickedness it was on the part of human beings that caused God, as it were, to throw up God's hands and proceed directly to Version 2.0. One explanation that is offered can be found in Midrash Tanhuma (Bereishit 12). In this, we are told that the reason the earth was destroyed is immorality - in Hebrew, zimmah - since this is the one thing that God simply cannot bear. Because of zimmah, the Rabbis teach, chaos comes to the world, sweeping away the good and the evil alike. We moderns might react by rolling our eyes. How Victorian, we might say to ourselves; how preoccupied the ancients were with sexual rectitude! And yet, there is a lesson here for us, too. The word the Rabbis use for chaos is itself a chaotic word - anderalamusia. We can see from its structure that it isn't really Hebrew - in fact, it comes from the Greek word for plague, carrying the idea of wholesale destruction of humanity. What is it about zimmah that creates destruction that is so immense that it's beyond the powers of ordinary Hebrew to convey? The examples the Rabbis give of zimmah - the coupling of the heavenly beings (bnai elohim) with humans and the antics of the residents of Sodom - have in common an act of flagrant breach. Zimmah runs red lights; it recklessly ignores accepted, or proper, standards of behavior, combining what should not be combined. When that happens, the Rabbis are suggesting, other boundaries get broken too. The lack of discrimination that causes an act of zimmah in the first place overflows into the result - a wholesale and likewise indiscriminate destruction. This definition of zimmah can work for us, too, and examples of it abound. At time of writing here in California, commentators are still discussing Miley Cyrus' routine at the VMA in which the actress who formally played Hannah Montana (making her required viewing for a generation of pre-teenage and teenage girls) performed a song in which, clad in a latex bikini, she 'twerked' - danced in an explicitly sexual way - with an older (and fully clothed) man. There has been a lot of discussion of that dance - was she being adult or was she being flagrant? Was it a rite of passage to show that she's finally left Hannah Montana behind her for good? Or was she simply a product of the team who planned the costume and the choreography? Stories like this are a nine days' wonder (if that); we might wrinkle our noses at them in distaste before getting on with our lives. If we have daughters of our own they might draw our attention a little more. But we'd hardly use the word 'immoral' to describe them...would we? And yet, in the way that boundaries between childhood and adulthood were breached, in the combining of what should not be combined (young and old? innocence and corruption?) this might well be an example, albeit a minor one, of zimmah. And perhaps, too, it creates a small amount of chaos in the world. Hardly a crisis, hardly a flood - but, nonetheless, a ripple of disorder. The Rabbis are teaching us to notice it, and to name it. Rabbi Deborah Silver is a member of New North London Synagogue and Assistant Rabbi at Adat Ari El, Valley Village, Los Angeles ©2013 Masorti Judaism | Alexander House. 3 Shakespeare Road. London N3 1XE

 

Forward.com: "Conservative Jews Shrug Off Evidence of Dramatic Decline in Landmark Pew Story"

A Thought: I believe that a response to these accurate numbers is found in the hearts, words, and dreams of the ShefaNetwork. Purchase the archive of our 9-year conversation! --http://www.amazon.com/Manifesto-Future-ShefaNetwork-Conservative-Dreaming/dp/149279712X - rmc

Forward.com: "Conservative Jews Shrug Off Evidence of Dramatic Decline in Landmark Pew Story"

Plunging Numbers Nothing 'New,' Declares Steve Wernick

By Josh Nathan-Kazis

Published October 01, 2013. - http://forward.com/articles/184844/conservative-jews-shrug-off-evidence-of-dramatic-d/#ixzz2gUaaJyMl

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Conservative Jewish leaders brushed off evidence that their denomination is dramatically shrinking that appeared in the new Pew survey of Jewish America.

Denominational officials said that the data, which showed that just 11% of young Jews identify with Conservative Judaism, confirmed what the movement already knows about the problems its facing. Some said that the contraction isn't necessarily a bad thing.

"I don't think there's anything new here," said Rabbi Steve Wernick, executive director of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. "We know this story, and it further validates it."

The Pew Research Center's Portrait of Jewish Americans, published October 1, found that 18% of U.S. Jews identify with the Conservative movement. As the Forward reported this morning, the survey showed that Jews are far less likely than older Jews to say they are Conservative.

For Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, the rapidly declining numbers don't mean that the movement is failing. "By its size, Conservative Judaism is losing numbers," Artson said. "Thats true. But I want to focus on our quality."

Artson said that the smaller size of the movement may correlate to what it asks of its members. "It's very hard to be a casual Conservative Jew," Artson said. "If you're passionate about integrating tradition and modernity, we continue to be a great home."

Others said that the movement is already working to address the membership crisis outlined in the survey results. Wernick noted that movement's convention, set to take place in early October, will deal with these broad issues. Eight hundred people are expected to attend.

In an emailed statement, Jewish Theological Seminary chancellor Arnold Eisen said that his institution was working on the problem as well. "While this information is not a surprise, and institutions like JTS have long been addressing these concerns, we must create more compelling - and more meaningful - opportunities to strengthen the connection between the next generation of Jews and Jewish communities and tradition," Eisen wrote.

Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, head of the Rabbinical Assembly, the Conservative movement's rabbinical association, was not immediately available for comment.

Read more: http://forward.com/articles/184844/conservative-jews-shrug-off-evidence-of-dramatic-d/#ixzz2gUaaJyMl

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Rabbi Menachem Creditor
▶menachemcreditor.org ▶netivotshalom.org

announcing the publication of "A Manifesto for the Future: The ShefaNetwork Archive: Conservative/Masorti Judaism Dreaming from Within"

announcing the publication of

A Manifesto for the Future: The ShefaNetwork Archive

Conservative/Masorti Judaism Dreaming from Within

Edited by Rabbi Menachem Creditor

Available for purchase at http://www.amazon.com/Manifesto-Future-ShefaNetwork-Conservative-Dreaming/dp/149279712X/

(See Table of Contents Below)

This collection has been nine years in the making and is an archive of overflowing Jewish passion. There future of Conservative/Masorti Judaism depends on voices like those shared in this book, which was created to fulfill the mission of ShefaNetwork: to bring together dreamers from within the Conservative/Masorti Movement and to give their dreams an audible voice. ShefaNetwork was born in December of 2004 to create a virtual community of professional and lay activists in the Conservative/Masorti movement and a place to discuss the movement's direction and ways of strengthening Conservative Judaism for the future. Perhaps one of the greatest strengths of the Shefa enterprise is the way it has avoided strict boundaries between the intellectual and the practical. Shefa has provided a very fruitful engagement between intellectuals and practitioners, many of whom should be described as falling in both categories. This is as it should be, because a religious movement needs both a coherent vision with philosophical rigor and historical perspective, and the practical wisdom to enact this vision. Usually, these two tasks are not done well by the same people, but that too is a bias that leads us to divide the world into "theorists" and "practitioners," as if the two are from different planets. If the Conservative movement is going to succeed in creating spiritual communities in its schools, synagogues and camps, it will have to bring together the theological visions of the movement's intellectual lights with the practical wisdom of professionals and lay people. The most important accomplishment of ShefaNetwork may be that it has begun a conversation that includes all of these essential voices.

Contents

1             Introduction, Rabbi Menachem Creditor

From ShefaJournal 5766: Definitions

15           Foreword, Rabbi Menachem Creditor

17    Editors' Introduction, Sara Shapiro-Plevan and Rabbi William Plevan

33    The Challenge Facing the Conservative Movement, Rabbi Judith Hauptman

37    Between the Holy and the Sacred: Conservative Judaism's Halachah Controversy, Rabbi Ira F. Stone

46    Fostering Holiness and Spirituality in a Solomon Schechter Day School, Jane Taubenfeld Cohen

52    Finding Spiritual Jewish Prayer, Rabbi Menachem Creditor

55           Traditional and Egalitarian, Emily Fishman

62    Revitalizing the Conservative Synagogue, Fran Gordon

71    A Manifesto for the Future: Drop 'Conservative' Label to Tap True Meaning and Reach the Faithful, Rabbi David Wolpe

81           To My Rabbis and Teachers, Jonathan Lopatin

89           On Being a Conservative Jew, Rose Shoshana Wolok

91     Halachah and the Conservative Movement, Aaron Weininger

95    Ethically Driven Halachah: The Future of the Conservative Movement, Rabbi Judith Hauptman

100  The Struggle for Self-Definition in Conservative Judaism, Rabbi Robert Gordis

123  Maintaining the Balance: Achieving the Dream, Nicole Guzik

From ShefaJournal 5768.1: Instrumental Music on Shabbat and Chag

131  Editor's Introduction, Rabbi Menachem Creditor

133-168  A conversation including Robert L. Smith, Dahlia Schwartz, Glenn Tamir, Rebecca Boggs, Rabbi David Kay, Craig Taubman, Rabbi Barry Leff, Karen Silberman, Rabbi Menachem Creditor, Fran Gordon, and Rabbi Neal Loevenger (January through May 2008)

169  Conservative Judaism and Social Justice, Rabbi Bill Plevan

169  Merge the Movements?, Rabbi David Kay

From ShefaNetwork Journal 5768.2: Kashrut, Halachah, and Conservative Jews

177  Editor's Introduction, Rabbi Menachem Creditor

179  The Invitation from Rabbi Barry Leff

181-250  A conversation including Zack Berger, Fred Passman, R.L. Smith, Larry Lenhoff, Steve, Rabbi Barry Leff, Avi Hein, Rabbi Menachem Creditor, Fran Gordon, Rabbi Jim Rogozen, Rabbi Joshua Heller, Rabbi Bill Plevan, Rebecca Boggs, Anne Pettet, Rabbi David Bockman, Ilan Glazer, Rabbi David Siff, Gella Solomon, Rabbi Len Sharzer, Rabbi David Kay, Rabbi Andy Sacks, and Rabbi Dr. Ilana Rosansky (Messages 2109‐2164 on the Shefa listserv)

251  A Closing Reflection on the Conversation with Rabbi Leff, Rabbi Menachem Creditor

From ShefaNetwork Journal 5769.1: USCJ (Vol 1)

256  Editor's Introduction, Rabbi Menachem Creditor

257-311 A conversation including Zack Frankel, Steven Katz, Rabbi David Kay, Fred Passman, Jonathan Loring, Rabbi Bill Plevan, Anne Pettit, Ira Fink, Rabbi  Menachem Creditor, Steven Katz, Nina Kretzmer, Matt Shapiro, Shoshana Michael-Zucker, Rabbi Leonard Gordon, Marc Stober, and Dahlia Schwartz (selected posts between February 17 and February 22, 2009)

From ShefaNetwork Journal 5769.2: USCJ (Vol 2)

313  Editor's Introduction, Rabbi Menachem Creditor

315  Toward a new vision for the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Rabbi Neil A. Tow

317  Conservative Judaism's Future, Karla Worell

321  To What do We Aspire? Dr. Jonathan Woocher

324  Conservative Judaism: Valued and Validated, Rabbi David Kay

327  Moving Forward, Rabbi Jason Miller

329  What is Success? Fred Passman

330  No Plant is Fed from the Top, Paul Levine

331 The Chance to Build a Jewish Organization from the Ground Up, Rabbi Neal Joseph Loevinger

From ShefaNetwork Journal 5770.1: The Relationship Between Conservative Judaism and the Conservative Movement

335        Editor's Note, Nina S. Kretzmer

339        Shmirat HaGuf, Rabbi Menachem Creditor

Part I: The Shmirat HaGuf Discussion

341              It Begins with the Local Community, Fred Passman

346              Body or Method, Rabbi David Bockman

348              Response to Rabbi Bockman, Fred Passman

350              Response to Fred Passman, Steven Katz

352              The Compelling Idea, Dr. Jonathan S. Woocher

355              Response to Dr. Woocher, Fred Passman

Part II: An Issue of Past, An Issue of Present: Responses to Previous ShefaJournals

357  Rabbi Nicole Guzik, Response by Rabbi Neil Gillman

359  Rabbi Jim Rogozen, Larry Lenhoff, Response by Rabbi Randall J. Konigsburg

366  Jacob B. Ukeles, Responses by Paul Levine & (p. 370) Jonah Rank

377  Paul Levine, Response by Fred Passman

ShefaJournal 5770.2: "Tech-Tonic" is available online at tinyurl.com/shefatechtonic

From ShefaJournal 5770.3: Why Must Masorti/Conservative Judaism Thrive?

383        Editor's Note, Rabbi Menachem Creditor

385        Response 1: Nina S. Kretzmer

386        Response 2: Rabbi Neil Tow

387        Response 3: Karla Worrell

From ShefaJournal 5771.1: HaYom uMachar: Visions of the Conservative/ Masorti Movement in North America

391        Editor's Note, Rabbi Menachem Creditor

395        Bring Sacred Back, Ilan Glazer

398        Response to Ilan Glazer, Fred Passman

401 Public Letter to the ShefaNetwork and members of the Hayom Coalition, Nina S. Kretzmer

404  Strategic Plan Feedback for College Students and Young Adults, Rabbi Daniel Greyber

409        Suggested Responses Rabbi David Kay

413  Visioning Future Success: The Next Iteration of a Central Organization for Conservative Judaism and Kehillot, Rabbi Loren Sykes

426  A 3-Part Jewschool Post : "The USCJ Strategic Plan", by  "ImproveUSCJ"

452  My Dream, Gabriel Nachman Seed

458  Learning for the Future, Nina S. Kretzmer

462  Towards a New Model of Leadership for College Kehillot, and the Entire Movement, Sandy Johnston

473  Input on the USCJ's Strategic Plan, Judy Gerstenblith (University of Maryland, College Park)

485        About ShefaNetwork

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Rabbi Menachem Creditor
▶menachemcreditor.org ▶netivotshalom.org

AJWS Chag v'Chesed: Sukkot

 

Sukkot 5774 By Rabbi Menachem Creditor View a printable version Subscribe to this publication For more Sukkot resources, visit our website and On1Foot. What is it about the holiday of Sukkot that makes it so powerful? Tradition teaches that the energy of Sukkot is so intense, so visceral and delightful, that seven mythic figures leave the Garden of Eden to join in the light of our earthly sukkot (temporary shelters). But why? What is it about the sukkah that compels even those who have tasted Paradise? These spirit guests, known as the Ushpizin, are invited each night into our sukkot. Groupings of Ushpizin vary by community, and include biblical prophetess, revered sages and modern heroes, invoked in turn each night of Sukkot. Jewish mystical tradition suggests that each guest also serves as a reminder of an action through which the brokenness of our world is repaired. Ironically, the Ushpizin and their message of an aching world typically function as spiritual enhancements during the physical experience of plenty. Many of us live lives far removed from direct contact with those truly in need of shelter. The week we spend dwelling in the sukkah, enjoying bountiful and joyful meals, does little to help us identify with their experience. The temporary walls and roof of our sukkot are, paradoxically and luxuriously, positioned near enough to our permanent home to facilitate the smooth flow of good food and sweet guests we are blessed to share during the holiday. We'd understand better the sacred urgency of the sukkah if we had nothing else. I experienced the urgency of Sukkot just over one year ago when I participated in an AJWS Rabbinic Delegation to Ghana, West Africa. We went to support and learn about Challenging Heights, a child-centered organization dedicated to promoting children's rights to education and freedom from forced labor, in order to end child poverty. Since that journey, neither Jewish ritual moments nor interpersonal encounters have been the same. One experience stands out, and has changed Sukkot (and everything else) for me. One day, a circle of a few rabbis and children took turns telling each other stories. During one story, the girl on my right, Gladys, rested her head on my arm, obviously glad for human contact, something we were told would likely occur, as every experience of affirmation was part of the healing process for these children saved from slavery. I truly can't remember the stories we were telling, but I can feel the warmth of Gladys' head on my arm right now. And then Gladys looked at me and asked if I had eaten. I told her I would eat later. She nodded, and said, "I hope you eat tomorrow, too." I nodded, accepting her blessing, wishing it back to her a million fold. My teacher Gladys changed me profoundly, giving me new eyes through which to see as a Global Jewish citizen. She transformed my Jewish life, by blessing me to realize that every ounce of strength we put into building our joyous, temporary structures must, in effect, be a sensitizing training for the higher purpose of building a world in which everyone eats tomorrow. Gladys has become my precious Sukkot spirit guest, my Ushpiza, whose message I commit to amplify until it is, one day soon, unnecessary in our world. Discussing the Ushpizin, the mystical text, the Zohar teaches: One must also gladden the poor, and the portion that would otherwise have been set aside for these Ushpizin guests should go to the poor. For if a person sits in the shadow of faith and invites those guests and does not give their portion to the poor, they all remain distant from him. ...The first of everything must be for one's guests. If one gladdens guests and satisfies them, God rejoices over him. (Zohar, Emor 103a) So what makes Sukkot so powerful that it compels the attention of heaven and earth? The answer can be discovered within the wisdom of the Ushpizin. The force of the Ushpizin custom, infusing our present with mythic possibility, invites us to consider internalizing spiritual values each day, transforming the sukkah into a safe space for sacred justice and radical welcome, for intentional encounter and deep feelings. In short, the Ushpizin teaches that a sukkah is, after all, an ancient microcosm of the world as it could be, as it must become—a universal shelter of peace. Rabbi Menachem Creditor serves as the spiritual leader of Congregation Netivot Shalom in Berkeley, CA. Named by Newsweek as one of the 50 most influential rabbis in America (2013), he is a published author, musician, teacher and activist who has spent time working in Ghana with American Jewish World Service and in the White House with the PICO Network to amplify a prophetic Jewish voice in the world. His most recent books are Peace in Our Cities: Rabbis Against Gun Violence and Slavery, Freedom, and Everything Between. A frequent speaker on Jewish Leadership and Literacy in communities around the United States and Israel, he serves on many boards, including the Executive Council for the Rabbinical Assembly and the Chancellor's Rabbinic Leadership team for the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. AJWS is committed to a pluralistic view of Judaism and honors the broadest spectrum of interpretation of our texts and traditions. The statements made and views expressed in this commentary are solely the responsibility of the author. Inspired by the Jewish commitment to justice, American Jewish World Service works to realize human rights and end poverty in the developing world.