Not Just Any Class

Dear Friends,

It’s not every day that the likes of Yossi Klein Halevi, noted author, columnist and expert on Israel and the Middle East, drops by to do a workshop for a small group of New Jersey rabbis.  It would have to be for something very special – and indeed it is.  On Monday, I will be part of a small group of rabbinic colleagues to study with Professor Halevi  to help prepare us to teach the participants in our iEngage, the “Engaging Israel Project” of the Shalom Hartman Institute.  Halevi is one of the scholars who designed the curriculum and who are continuing to produce cutting-edge new material as part of the Engaging Israel Project.  At the center of curriculum are 9 recorded video lectures by Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman, president of the Hartman Institute.  The lectures also include the teaching of other esteemed professors and experts on Israel, the Middle East and world Jewry, e.g. Professor Shlomo Avineri of Hebrew University, Professor Moshe Halbertal of Hebrew University and NYU Law School and Dr. Yehuda Kertzer of Brandeis, among others. 

Nineteen students have already signed up to participate in the iEngage program, which will meet on 18 Monday nights this fall and winter, from 8:00 – 9:30 p.m. at Temple Sinai.  Our opening session will take place on Monday evening, October 29th at 8:00 p.m.  (It was originally scheduled to begin this Monday, October 22, but we moved it back one week so as not to conflict with the last presidential election debate.)  It is not too late to sign up but we need you to do so ASAP so we can order the source materials for you from the Hartman Institute.   The cost is $36 total for members of Temple Sinai and $50 for non-members.  The program is subsidized by the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey and the Adler Family Innovation Fund, as well as Temple Sinai.  Please contact Sage Aidekman at saidekman@templesinaibc.org or 201-568-3075 by Tuesday to register.

And there is one more special treat:  On Thursday evening, November 1st at 7:30 Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman will be delivering the keynote lecture for the iEngage series at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades.  The lecture is entitled, ‘The “Tribes” of Israel’.  Rabbi Hartman will discuss the perception that Jewish life in Israel and North America reflect radically different Judaisms and “tribal” affiliations, and the challenge that this presents to a more unified Jewish world.

I am very excited to study with Yossi Klein Halevi and Rabbi Donniel Hartman, as I was privileged to do several summers ago when I attended the Shalom Hartman Institute summer program for rabbis.  I would be even more excited to have you join me on the iEngage journey with me.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Jordan Millstein

p.s.  Some of you who have been following my email blasts and blogs over the years may have expected me to write about the ruling by the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York yesterday, which struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, the law that prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriage.  So here it is:  hooray for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals!  Stay tuned for the big moment when this issue finally goes to the Supreme Court.

The Debate is On - This Sunday at 9:30 am

Dear Friends,

With the fall holiday season having come to a close it is time now to move on to…debate season!  The season actually began with last week’s presidential debate in Denver, which left Democrats with agita and Republicans jubilant.  Who knows what we will witness this Thursday night when Vice President Biden and Congressman Ryan get together at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky?

All of this, of course, is mere prelude to the big showdown, which takes place this Sunday at our very own Temple Sinai between Congressman William Pascrell (D) and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach (R), candidates for Congress in the 9^th NJ Congressional District.  OK, granted, we won’t have Jim Lehrer hosting and 70 million people watching on T.V.  On the other hand, no one was serving you free bagels and coffee for the presidential debates, as our Brotherhood will this Sunday.  In all seriousness, it’s quite an honor for Temple Sinai and our Brotherhood to be chosen to host this important local event which is sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council, the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, and the New Jersey Jewish Standard. 

This Sunday’s debate at Temple Sinai will also represent a rare moment for Jews in our local community from across the political and religious spectrum to come together.  As I discussed in my sermon on Yom Kippur, there are so many divisions within our community, yet we are all “holding onto the same tallit.”  We need to make an effort to engage one another in open, civil dialogue. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to do so. 

Breakfast starts at 9:30 a.m.  The debate itself will run from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. See below for more details. I hope you can make it. 

As I mentioned in my Yom Kippur morning sermon as well, I am looking for a few good women and men, conservatives and liberals, to participate in a Sunday morning political dialogue group.  Our goal will not be to get everyone to agree (a crazy thought in any Jewish group), but to get a small group of people with strong views to listen and learn from one another.  Please contact me at rabbimillstein@templesinaibc.org or 201-655-0266 x202 if you are interested.

L’Shalom,

Rabbi Jordan Millstein