Did You Hear?

Dear Friends,

I’ve sent a couple of message to you already this week and am grateful for the significant number of responses I received.  Thank you so much for your concern and support for me and Temple Sinai!

Since I’ve already written this week, this message will be a “shorty.”  We tell you a lot about events taking place at the Temple.  For example, I know you know that on Friday evening, February 3^rd we are celebrating Shabbat Shirah with Magevet, the Yale University close harmony group.  I’m sure you also know that we are doing a Tu BiSh’vat Seder together with the Kaplen JCC at Temple Sinai on Tuesday evening, February 7^th.  And I know you have these dates on your calendar and will be there, right?  (See below for details.)  But, did you hear about the following Jewish community events coming up in the next week and half?  I highly recommend them:

1.     “Sweet Tastes of Torah III” - Saturday evening, February 4^th at 6:30 p.m.  at Fair Lawn Jewish Center (10-10 Norma Avenue, Fair Lawn)

Please join us in celebrating the rhythm and music of Jewish life along with other members of the North Jersey Jewish community by participating in this evening of song and study led by over 20 rabbis in our community!  I will be co-teaching a class on the music and poetry of Debbie Friedman.  Cost is $20.  Just come and pay at the door.

2.    “Bringing Gilad Shalit Home:  The Secret Negotiations for His Freedom” – Lecture by  Dr. Gershon Baskin on

Monday evening, February 6^th at 8:00 p.m. at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades

Dr. Gershon Baskin, the founder and chairman of the Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information, will present the story of the negotiations he held with Hamas for the release of Gilad Shalit!  Temple Sinai is co-sponsoring this event, which promises to give a rare and detailed glimpse into what really went on behind the scenes all that time between Shalit’s abduction in June 2006 and when he was recently released.  Free and open to the public.

May we all join together to celebrate the sweet taste of Torah and Gilad Shalit’s freedom as a community.

Shabbat Shalom,

Jordan

Letter

Dear Friends,

I apologize for filling your inbox with a second message this evening. However, in response to my email a congregant asked about something she saw in the Bergen Record online (NorthJersey.com), which I did not discuss. Perhaps you noticed it or will notice it tomorrow morning when you read the paper and will wonder as well whether we are the Temple in Tenafly mentioned in this report:

“The Jewish Federation, the Hackensack and Maywood temples, temples in Fair Lawn and Tenafly and two Record reporters received anti-Semitic letters last week. The letters had first-class stamps on them and New York City return addresses belonging to two Jewish activists, authorities said. The envelopes contained an 8-by-10-inch collage of photos of nine financial figures, many of whom have been implicated in financial scandals dating back to the 1980s.”

We did receive such a letter last Thursday. It was addressed to me with a return address with the name “M. Hoenlein,” that is, Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Before I had a chance to read my mail I received a call from Rabbi Neal Borovitz, Chairman of the JCRC, asking if I had received a letter fitting this description. When I located it he relayed the instructions of law enforcement with whom he was in touch not to open it but to give it to the Tenafly police. We did.

After speaking with Rabbi Borovitz I learned that the letter contained no threat to me nor to the Temple, nor was it directly connected to the serious incidents experienced by other congregations in the region. Rather, it was a nasty little flyer entitled “Wall Street Jews” with photos of Jewish financiers reproduced from magazines, many who had been involved in scandals. All the rabbis who had been quoted in the Record after the attack on the rabbi and synagogue in Rutherford received the same flyer, as well as the others mentioned above.

According to a memo I received later that day from Marilyn Mayo, Director of Right Wing Research for the ADL:

“We have received reports of this mailing, which depicts Jewish businessmen and financers on magazine covers in a derogatory manner, being sent to various Jewish leaders and lay people around the country. The implication is that the Jewish businessmen and financers (such as Bernie Madoff and Lloyd Blankfein) are behind the financial crisis and are corrupt. The page is titled, “Wall St Jews…Occupy Wall Street.” There is no indication that the mailing has anything to do with the Occupy Wall Street movement….We believe that this mailing is the work of the same anonymous person who began circulating similar material in 2009, titled, ‘100 Really Scary Jews.’”

In other words, there is an anti-Semitic crackpot out there somewhere who gets his kicks sending these lovely flyers to Jewish leaders. While it is disconcerting to receive a letter like this, it should certainly not surprise us that such nuts exist out there. Most importantly, there is no reason for us to worry that this letter means that we are being targeted in any way or have any reason to be afraid.

Of course, those of us on staff at Temple Sinai will continue to be vigilant and I urge you to do the same. The Tenafly police have been wonderful and continue to check in on us. Their advice and the advice of other experts continues to be, “If you see something say something.” In the meantime, I hope to see you at Temple and, if so, please come say, “Hi.” It’s good to be part of a community at times like these.

Kol Tuv – All the best,

Jordan

Arrested

Dear Friends,

A man believed to be responsible for the firebombing of the synagogue and rabbi’s home in Rutherford and the arson attempt at the synagogue in Paramus has been arrested. We are grateful to the FBI, Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, the New Jersey State Attorney General’s Office and all the members of local law enforcement who participated in identifying and apprehending this suspect. We pray that they have found the right man and that these violent attacks will cease.

It appears, however, that this man is not being charged in conjunction with the vandalism perpetrated against the synagogues in Maywood and Hackensack. As always, we remain vigilant and will continue our security measures at Temple Sinai. We are grateful to Chief Michael Bruno and the Tenafly police for their support and assistance.

See below for the press release issued today by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s office.

L’Shalom – May we all live in peace and safety,

Rabbi Jordan Millstein

ARREST MADE IN SYNAGOGUE FIREBOMBINGS

Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli announced today the arrest of 19 year old Anthony M. Graziano of 330 Westervelt Place, Lodi, New Jersey, in connection with the January 11, 2012, attempted murder of Rabbi Neil Schuman and his family, and the associated firebombing of the Rutherford synagogue. He has also been charged with the January 3, 2012, arson and firebombing of the Temple K’Hal Adath Jeshrun of Paramus. The charges are the result of a joint investigation conducted by members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, under the direction of Chief Steven Cucciniello; the Rutherford Police Department; the Paramus Police Department; the New Jersey State Attorney General’s Office, Division of Criminal Justice, Jeffrey Chiesa, Attorney General and Stephen Taylor, Director; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Newark Field Office, Michael Ward, Special Agent in Charge.

On Friday, January 20, 2012, streaming video and associated still photographs were released to the media in an effort to get the public’s assistance in identifying a man wanted for questioning in connection with the Rutherford attempted murder and arson. Several initial tips failed to identify the individual. On Monday, January 23, 2012, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit received a number of tips regarding the identity of the individual captured on store surveillance tape. These tipsters identified the individual seen on the video as 19 year old Anthony M. Graziano of 330 Westervelt Place, Lodi, New Jersey. After confirming that it was in fact Graziano who is seen on the security video purchasing a number of components of the incendiary device used in the Rutherford attack, police located Graziano at his Lodi home. Detectives interviewed Graziano, as well as numerous relatives and friends.

Police also executed a search warrant on the home, recovering items of evidence.

Anthony M. Graziano has been charged with nine counts of first degree attempted murder, one count of first degree Bias Intimidation and one count of first degree Aggravated Arson for the Rutherford incident. He has been charged with first degree Aggravated Arson, first degree Bias Intimidation and third degree Arson for the Paramus incident. Bail was set at $5,000,000 with no 10% option.

As with all defendants, Anthony Graziano is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Further, Prosecutor Molinelli would like to thank the Rutherford and Paramus Police Departments, the State Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their assistance in this successful joint investigation.

Priceless Gifts from Congregation Beth Am to Israel

A recent Torah reading, Vayechi (He Lived) often brings up discussions about ethical wills. While we usually look at ethical wills from the perspective of an individual, have you thought about what an ethical will would look like coming from a congregation? How does a congregation that decides it must close its doors ensure its legacy? Unfortunately, Congregation Beth Am of Teaneck, NJ established nearly 50 years ago, had to consider these questions.

Congregation Beth Am was a committed and active Reform synagogue in Teaneck. They brought in wonderful speakers, had a learned and wise Rabbi, Harvey Rosenfeld, and engaged in regular and enduring social justice actions like volunteering at the Hackensack soup kitchen, food drives for the food bank (which they proudly often led in pounds per congregant), and Friday afternoon and holiday visits to Bright Side Manor assisted living community in Teaneck to serve the needs of the Jewish (and interested non-Jewish) population.

But, as demographics changed in Teaneck, it became clear that their community could no longer support two Reform Congregations. Rather than linger and fade away, Beth Am members agreed to close their doors, liquidate their assets, and perpetuate their values with gifts that would ensure their legacy. They were helped in this decision by the actions of one of their founding couples, Harold (of blessed memory) and Marianne Bier. The Biers had helped to establish an endowment for Congregation Beth Am. At its creation, they had put in provisions for the trust in the case of dissolution of the congregation that called for the money to be used to promote Reform Judaism in Israel and in the US. Coupled with the character of the remaining congregants and the long term commitments of the congregation to social justice and Israel, the congregation decided to donate all of the remaining trust to these purposes. A five member allocations committee sifted through the ideas and possibilities, weighing them against the character and vision of the congregation. One hundred thousand dollars of their money went to Israel with the help of ARZA, the Reform Israel Fund in recognition of the generosity of Harold and Marianne Bier and their family.

• $25,000 to Darchei Noam as part of their Capital Campaign, for the Ner Tamid, so that their light will always shine in Israel 
• $35,000 to Har-el, the first Reform congregation in Israel, for a ramp to make their front entrance wheel chair accessible 
• $20,000 to Hagar Association, a Jewish-Arab Education for Equality program (that includes running a multi-cultural school) in Beer Sheva to upgrade their community/school playground 
• $20,000 to Neve Shalom (Oasis of Peace [Isaiah 32:18]): A village, jointly established by Jewish and Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel, that is engaged in educational work for peace, equality and understanding between the two peoples) to equip their new community library 

Money was also donated in the United States, to places like Bright Side to continue funding the Shabbat and Holiday programming. Beth Am also funded and secured the transfer of its Holocaust Torah on loan from the Westminster Trust to Congregation Adas Emuno, thereby keeping the torah in Bergen County, NJ.

But, it is not just about the money, the legacy of Congregation Beth Am will live on in other ways too. The members of the congregation fed into three other congregations, Temple Sinai of Bergen County in Tenafly, Temple Emeth of Teaneck, and Congregation Adas Emuno in Leonia; where they are already very active and committed, serving on ritual and social action committees. All of the congregants gathered at Congregation Adas Emuno in September for a ceremony acknowledging transfer of the Holocaust Torah. They enjoyed seeing each other so much there are plans to take regular turns gathering at one of the three congregations they joined, enriching not only their lives, but that of their respective congregations. Congregation Beth Am, whose doors have now fully closed, cannot only be said to have lived, but to be living on in perpetuity.

Unbending

Dear Friends,

As Shabbat approaches I am grateful for the sense of joy and solidarity with our people that Shabbat always brings. This Shabbat I am grateful as well for the notes of support and concern that you sent to me in response to my email message about the recent spate of anti-Semitic hate crimes in our county. One cannot underestimate the meaning and importance of this support and care. Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Ba’zeh, we are taught in the Talmud, “All Israel is connected to and responsible for one another.” This is a critical source of our strength, itself a reflection of the strength of the One we call Tzur Yisrael, “The Rock of Israel”.

A couple of you were kind enough to share words of concern for my safety and the safety of my family. I was very touched by your words. I cannot say that I am completely unconcerned. But, I think about all the generations of our people who lived in circumstances where the dangers were so much greater than anything we face and I realize how fortunate we are. So, too, are we blessed to live in a time when so many non-Jews are as outraged as we are at the attacks committed against our community and when police and government officials of every rank and background are doing everything they can to protect us and catch the perpetrators.

Last night there was a community-wide security meeting sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council. The meeting was attended by Jewish and community leaders and State, County, and local law enforcement and Homeland Security professionals. Chief Bruno of the Tenafly police was in attendance. After the meeting he spoke with our Temple Co-President Jack Reich, and Executive director, Jeff Katz, after the meeting, and indicated that he was coordinating his efforts with the other law enforcement officials and taking special care to look out for our safety at Temple Sinai.

Today, on a conference call for the leadership of Reform congregations, Michael Ward of the FBI said that his office has been involved in investigating these incidents from the beginning and that there were now six Bergen County law enforcement teams working on these crimes. They have leads but, of course, cannot discuss them at this time. He asked that anyone who has information about any anti-Semitic incidents, no matter how small they may seem, to report them to the local police and the FBI. Please call either 911 or 866-4SAFENJ (472-3365).

All members of the law enforcement community at these meetings say the same thing, “Stay alert; report any suspicious activity; but continue to live your normal lives.” This is what we must do. Tonight at Temple Sinai we have a wonderful dinner planned for our third graders and their families, followed by a service at which they will receive their first prayer books. We have taken precautions, including having our custodians and lay people at our doors letting people in. There are other security measures in place as well. But, we will not let the hatred of others stop us from the holy task of worshipping God, celebrating Shabbat and educating our children. Our ancestors who often faced far more perilous circumstances were not cowed by the threat of anti-Semitism, nor will we.

At the same time, we take heart from the knowledge that our struggle to eradicate anti-Semitism in America is part and parcel of a larger American struggle against bigotry and racism. As you know, this weekend we remember the remarkable leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King. I think of one of Dr. King’s more pithy statements, “A man can’t ride your back unless it’s bent.” We will not bend in the face of hatred, nor shrink from our holy tasks. We will do as we always do at this time, which is to come together as a community and offer our words of greeting and prayer, “Shabbat Shalom U’m’vorach,” “May you have a Sabbath of Peace and Blessing.”

Rabbi Jordan Millstein

p.s. Below is a statement issued today by the North Jersey Board of Rabbis Statement on the Anti-Semitic Acts in Bergen County:

“The recent rash of attacks on synagogues in Bergen County have reminded the Jewish community that Jews still live in the cross-hairs of hate. Regardless of denomination, affiliation or political stripe the faith communities have stood shoulder to shoulder in denouncing these baseless crimes of intolerance. After the attacks on Temple Beth Israel in Maywood, Temple Beth El in Hackensack and Congregation Khal Adath Jeshurun in Paramus. Now, these offenses have reached a new and more abhorrent level when not only a synagogue in Rutherford, NJ was targeted, but a rabbi, his wife and their children sleeping innocently in their beds were attacked by fire bombs and crude devices intended to maim and kill them.

The North Jersey Board of Rabbis unequivocally denounces all of these acts of anti-Semitism. Our members stand individually and collectively as a rabbinic board, united with our brothers and sisters and their communities that were targeted through these attacks. We send our prayers to Rabbi Nosson Schuman for a speedy recovery from the physical and emotional trauma he and his family endured. We share with them our outrage and send our love, commitment and support and are willing to help them find the resources to rebuild and afford them and their congregants the safety and security that every person in this country is to be afforded, regardless of their faith, creed or background.

The officers and members of the North Jersey Board of Rabbis wish to thank our local and regional law enforcement, fire fighters and elected officials for their outspoken support and diligent efforts in continuing to work tirelessly to find the perpetrator(s) of these heinous crimes. We applaud the leadership of the interfaith communities that are standing with us in what is another moment of challenge and attack on the Jewish community. Your friendship is invaluable.

For anyone with information on these crimes, please contact the Bergen County Prosecutors Office Major Crimes Unit at 201-226-5651 or Prosecutor@BCPO.net."

Friends in DC

Dear Friends,

Were you able to get out of town at all during this past holiday break? We took our kids on a brief but lovely visit to our nation’s capital. Our older daughter, Eve, is studying American history. It was neat showing her the major monuments and memorials and going to the National Museum of American History.

It is something that I learned outside of the monuments and museums, however, which I want to share with you. We timed our family trip to D.C. to join some old friends from when we served North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe, IL near Chicago. They were visiting their son Marc, who remained in Washington after graduation George Washington University two years ago. We are all very proud of Marc, who was not only the GW Hillel President, but last year served as a Legislative Assistant/Intern at the Religious Action Center of the Reform Movement and this year works as an advocacy coordinator for the American Jewish World Service (an organization that has been likened to the Jewish Peace Corp; see www.ajws.org) What I discovered from speaking with Marc is that he is not living in Washington on his own but in a house with a group of friends, themselves part of a network of friends all doing terrific things. Marc’s girlfriend, Zoe, works at Children’s National Medical Center as a teen program specialist, helping children with cancer and sickle cell anemia. Their friend, Xani, teaches pre-school at the JCC in downtown D.C., and runs teen philanthropy programs at the JCC and a local Temple. Another friend, Jeremy, works in Planned Parenthood’s international office. Yet another friend, Eric, is beginning an internship on Capitol Hill for Congressman Carney of Delaware.

We had dinner with these friends and joked that they could probably be the basis of a sit com like “Friends” except the show would only get aired on Shalom Television. You see, all of these young people are Jewish. To be specific, they are all from Reform Jewish families. To be even more specific, they all know one another and became friends while attending and serving as staff at the Union for Reform Judaism camp in Oconomowoc, WI - Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute.. Marc explained that there are actually about a dozen kids from this URJ camp living within 15 minutes of one another in D.C. In addition to hanging out (in the little time they have when they are not working) they sometimes have Shabbat dinners together, celebrate holidays and a number of them attend a liberal Jewish Shabbat minyan called, “Tikkun Leil”. In my Sentry article this month, I explained that at the URJ Biennial, the new URJ leadership introduced the “Campaign for Youth Engagement.” Studies have shown that approximately 80% of the children who become b’nei mitzvah in our congregations have no connection of any kind to their Jewish community by the time they reach 12th grade, far fewer after they graduate college. There is so much we need to do to reverse this trend. But, there are some things we know for sure make an enormous difference: Jewish teen trips to Israel and Jewish summer camps, i.e. camps that consciously and creatively develop Jewish identity, like the Union for Reform Judaism summer camps.

It is no mystery why these summer camps and Israel trips make such a difference. It’s all about friends. Young people’s identities are shaped by their friends. Camps and Israel trips create instant communities for young people where friendships are formed; the longer and more sustained the program the deeper the bonds. If those friendships are formed in a place where being Jewish matters, those friends are apt to be people for whom being Jewish matters. It is those friendships that are the fertile ground for a deep, abiding and meaningful Jewish identity for our young people as they grow into adulthood.

What did you see on your winter vacation? I saw the future of our Reform Jewish community. It was dynamic, bright and beautiful. But, it’s up to us to give our children the chance to be part of it. It’s never too early or too late. For more information on how to do this go to http://urj.org/youth. For information on our regional URJ summer camp and how to register your child go to http://harlam.urjcamps.org. (This just in, a great video: http://harlam.urjcamps.org/video) You can contact Jonah Zinn, our rabbinic intern and youth advisor reached at jonahzinn@gmail.org and, of course, I am available as well. You can also speak with me about scholarship money that is available to attend these programs.

Shabbat Shalom,
Jordan

P.S. If you have a high school student in grades 10-12 it is not too late to sign up for our trip to Washington, D.C., where our teens will participate in the L’Taken Seminar, a Jewish leadership and social justice weekend run by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the URJ office in D.C. Email Jonah today. You never know where this might lead!

pp.s. - Check out my blog at the address above to reply to my message and engage in dialogue with other members of our community on any issue you choose!