Dear Friends,
So, what would you say is the biggest challenge facing the Jewish community today? Anti-Semitism? Threats to Israel’s security? The economy and lack of resources? How about the sky-high number of Jews who disappear from Jewish life after they become a bar/bat mitzvah or their children become a bar/bat mitzvah?
This is one of our greatest challenges and a primary reason the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) launched its “Campaign for Youth Engagement.” I am proud to say that before the new President of the URJ, Rabbi Rick Jacobs announced this campaign as his first major initiative, Temple Sinai launched its own campaign for youth engagement. We applied for and became one of eight congregations to be part of a Reform Movement pilot project to involve young people in what is now referred to as “teen philanthropy.” Jonah Zinn, our rabbinic intern, and I designed a unique teen philanthropy program specifically for our most “endangered” group of young people here at Temple Sinai, our 8th graders.
I say “endangered” because after a year of intensive Jewish learning in preparation to lead Shabbat services as bar/bat mitzvah, 8th graders are the most in danger of becoming disengaged from Jewish life. Our High School program at Temple Sinai is excellent and many 8th graders attend those Monday night sessions during the school year. In fact, tonight we are celebrating the graduation from our high school program of eight students who have participated all the way through their senior year! Be that as it may, we know that there are many students who do not continue in our high school program after bar/bat mitzvah and others who do but can benefit from a different kind of Jewish engagement.
Our new program for 8th graders is called, “Teen Foundation.” Neither a class nor a youth group program, the Teen Foundation combines the passion young people naturally have for making a difference in the world (Tikkun Olam/social justice) with their desire to socialize with peers, and an age-appropriate informal Jewish educational component to create a year of fun, provocative and Jewishly inspiring activity. Meeting twice a month from 5:00 – 6:15 p.m. on Sunday, the ten students in this year’s Teen Foundation spent the year learning about local non-profit organizations and the importance of philanthropy through site visits to local organizations, hands-on service and group discussions. After learning about the issues facing our community, the teens selected a need they wanted to address and solicited grant proposals from organizations which work on their issues of their choice. They then reviewed the grant proposals and awarded grants both from a philanthropic pool comprised of personal contribution from the teens and additional money they raised together through a fundraising event.
The fundraising event they put together, “Party 2Fight Poverty,” raised over $2,600. Combining that money with their family’s contributions, the teens made grants of $1,500 each to three different local organizations which address poverty among children. These teens truly made a difference!
If you have a child who will be in 8th grade next year, I urge you to encourage him or her to be a member of our Teen Foundation. Email me atrabbimillstein@templesinaibc.org to let me know your son/daughter is interested.
We will meet primarily on Sundays from 5:00 – 6:15 p.m. about twice a month starting in October, after the High Holy Days. In lieu of a registration fee each student is asked to contribute $250 to the Teen Foundation philanthropic pool (i.e. a “tzedakah collective”). Teens who may need assistance with the financial commitment please speak with me. Special funds are available for this program; no one will be excluded because of an inability to make this contribution. If you find this program as inspiring as I do and want to make a contribution to help us provide these funds, please send your check made out to Temple Sinai with the words “Teen Foundation Contribution” in the memo line.
There are a limited number of spaces in this year’s Foundation class, which will be filled in order of when registrations are received. We will send you a registration form shortly after you contact us. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or Jonah Zinn at jonahzinn@gmail.org.
Shabbat Shalom,
Jordan
Friday, June 15, 2012
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Did You Hear the Big News?
Dear Friends,
It’s not that the unemployment ticked up and the economy may be stalling again (ugh!). Nor is it that the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, in Boston, ruled unanimously Thursday that the federal law declaring marriage to be a union solely between a man and a woman discriminates against married same-sex couples (hooray!).
No, the big news for us as Reform Jews is that this Monday the attorney general of the State of Israel released his consent to recognize Rabbi Miri Gold as the first rabbi of a non-Orthodox congregation in the history the state. This decision paves the way for dozens of other Reform and Conservative Rabbis in Israel to receive a salary from the government for their work in the same way that about 4000 Orthodox rabbis currently do. And the first non-Orthodox rabbi to receive such a salary is a woman, to boot!
As Americans we may find it surprising and improper that the Israeli government pays the salaries of rabbis at all. Indeed, the lack of “separation between synagogue and state” is a very significant problem in Israel. It has led to the establishment of Orthodox Judaism as the religion of the state. That is why this decision of the attorney general is so crucial. For the first time the State of Israel is recognizing the legitimacy of Reform and Conservative rabbis. It is a major step on the path towards religious equality for our Movement and religious pluralism in Israel.
To be clear, while this is an important step, there is still a long, long way to go before our Movement and the Conservative Movement are on equal footing with Orthodoxy. The Orthodox rabbinate still has full control over marriage, divorce and other critical personal legal matters. The non-Orthodox rabbis will not have any say over matters of religion and Jewish law. Orthodox rabbis and institutions receive $400 million to $600 million in state financing each year, while Reform and Conservative institutions combined get less than $200,000. Moreover, the non-Orthodox rabbis will be paid by the Ministry of Culture and Sport not the Ministry of Religious Services.
But, rather than be insulted by that slight, we should celebrate. And I do mean “WE”. This victory came after a seven year battle in the courts waged by the Israeli Religious Action Center (IRAC), an arm of the Israeli Reform Movement. IRAC’s bills are paid by ARZA, the Association of Reform Zionists of American. ARZA gets its funding entirely from YOU. Specifically, those of you who include the $36 payment for ARZA dues in your Temple dues statement can take credit for this important change in Israeli society.
So, on behalf of my Israeli colleagues and our fellow Reform Jews in Israel: Thank you for supporting ARZA. You really make a difference. For those who have not yet become members of ARZA, all you have to do is include ARZA dues on your Temple dues statement when it comes in the summer. Or, better yet email hhans@templesinaibc.org and let Hilary know that you want to be a member of ARZA and to include ARZA dues in your next bill statement.
Shabbat Shalom,
Jordan
P.S. Tonight at Temple my father will be reading Torah and will receive a special blessing in honor of the 50 th anniversary of his ordination from the Reform seminary, Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. As it happens, back in the late 1950s my father was among the very first group of Reform rabbinical students to study in Israel. This was before HUC-JIR even had a program for rabbinical students to study in Jerusalem, and long before there were any Israeli Reform Rabbis. My Dad was a pioneer in building the relationship between the Reform Movement and Israel. Mazal Tov, Rabbi Ronald Millstein, on the 50 th anniversary of your ordination. May you go from strength to strength!
Friday, May 18, 2012
Does God Still Speak to Us?
Dear Friends,
The festival of Shavuot, which begins one week from this Saturday evening, celebrates the moment when our people stood at Mt. Sinai and, according to tradition, heard God speak the eternal words of the Ten Commandments. It is considered the greatest moment in our people’s history, the moment when we as a people entered into a covenant with God. Since that time Jewish thinkers have grappled with the question: Was that moment of revelation a one-time experience? Or does God still speak to us? If so, how? This is more than merely an academic question to be pondered by theologians. It goes to the very heart of our spiritual lives, our sense of God’s presence, of connection and purpose.
On Saturday evening May 26th I will lead a discussion on this topic together with our rabbinic intern, Jonah Zinn, a student at the Reform Movement seminary, Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. We will do so as part of what is called a, “Tikkun Leil Shavuot,” a late night (traditionally, all night) study session held on the evening of Shavuot. This observance was created by the Kabbalists, our ancestors who practiced Jewish mysticism back in the 16th and 17th centuries. They developed the “Tikkun Leil Shavuot” (literally: the repairing that takes place on the eve of Shavuot) as a way to spiritually prepare themselves to receive God’s revelation, the Torah, as our ancestors did so many centuries ago. In recent years this practice has gained in popularity in the Reform Movement as our members have recognized the value and personal meaning of engaging in Torah study. Jonah and I will be bringing a distinctly modern twist to this ancient practice by focusing on the work of modern and contemporary Jewish thinkers who have addressed this issue. As part of this discussion we look forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences.
The evening will begin at 7:00 p.m. with a dairy dinner, as is traditional on Shavuot and include Havdalah, a brief evening service, and our discussion. Please RSVP by Monday to Sally Collins at scollins@templesinaibc.org or 201-568-3035 x214 to let us know that you will be attending. We hope it will be a memorable part of your Memorial Day Weekend.
For those who are in town we will also be having a Festival Morning/Yizkor service at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 27th. I also hope you can join us on Monday morning, May 28th at 10:30 a.m. when we will confirm 15 young people who have spent their 9th grade year studying with me and Jonah. They are certainly worthy of all of our support and appreciation. Hope you can be there.
Shabbat Shalom,
Jordan
Friday, May 11, 2012
To The Day!
Dear Friends,
For some time now it has felt by many Jewish residents of this area that a Reform-Liberal-Progressive Jewish Congregation was necessary to provide for the religious needs of many families presently unaffiliated with any congregation and many others who find it inconvenient to go to congregations at some distance from homes. Accordingly, a group of us are calling a meeting to consider the formation of a Reform Jewish Congregation.
May we take this opportunity of inviting you to attend the meeting to be held on WEDNESDAY EVENING – May 21st – at 8:15 o’clock, in the MARY ELIZABETH TEACH ROOM, 96 Engle Street, Englewood, New Jersey. We shall have the pleasure of hearing from RABBI DANIEL L. DAVIS, Director of the New York Federation of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. He will discuss with us the ideas and programs of a Reform Congregation, and will be prepared to answer questions that may be put to him concerning the organization of the new Congregation….
…May we invite you to join with other interested mean and women in this creative undertaking to the end that we may form a Congregation, modern in spirit, dedicated to the liberal interpretation of Judaism, and providing a program for effective Jewish living on the American scene….”
The above is excerpted from a letter signed by “the Committee of Sponsors,” made up of 5 founding families of Temple Sinai: Mr. and Mrs. George S. Grabow, Mr. and Mrs. Michael G. Lane, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mannes, Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Rosalsky and Mr. and Mrs. Arthur R. Wecker. The date of this letter: May 12, 1952.
Tomorrow evening, sixty years to the day from when this founding document was written we will be celebrating the anniversary of the congregation formed as a result of this auspicious letter, Temple Sinai of Bergen County. Believe it or not, Jane Gellman, co-chairperson of our celebration at the Palisadium tomorrow evening, told me today that when the date was chosen for this 60th anniversary celebration neither she nor anyone else involved knew that it was to be exactly 60 years from the date of this letter. “There must have been some Hidden Hand at work.” I’ll say. That is the definition of b’shert!
There have also been a lot of unhidden hands at work, i.e. a remarkable committee led by Jane and her co-chair, Freyda Simon, to make for what promises to be a spectacular evening. Two-hundred and twenty people are coming, the largest group to attend a Temple gala in years. Twenty-two past presidents of Temple Sinai and Congregation Beth Am will be there. The “Party Dolls,” a female singing group will serenade us with sixties songs. Co-President Jack Reich will lead a group playing at the cocktail hour. There will be a DJ “spinning” 60s tunes. The bar will even feature a drink in our honor, the “Sinai Sling.” The dress – as so many are asking – is “Sixties Optional.” I will be wearing jeans and a tie-dyed shirt with a jacket over it.
If you have somehow neglected to rsvp, email Jane Gellman at janegellman@me.com.
I look forward to seeing so many of you tomorrow night!!!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Jordan Millstein
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Happy Yom Ha'atzma'ut!
Dear Friends,
Happy Yom Ha’atzma’ut – Happy Israel Independence Day! Today we celebrate Israel’s 64th birthday. In case you don’t know, Yom Ha’atzma’ut commemorates when David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, publicly read Israel’s Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948. According to the Jewish calendar that year May 14 was the fifth day of the month of Iyar. So, usually Yom Ha’atzma’ut is celebrated on the fifth of Iyar. But, if the fifth of Iyar falls on a Friday, as it does this year, Yom Ha'Atzma’ut is observed a day earlier so that the festivities do not interfere with preparations for the Sabbath. (And, by the way, if the fifth is a Saturday, the holiday is celebrated the prior Thursday, on the 3rd of Iyar.) Ah, to have a Jewish State!
Yes, there are many mishugeneh things about the State of Israel, some trivial, like the confusing calendar, and some not so trivial, like the internal divisions over religion and politics, and the seemingly intractable conflicts between Israel and her neighbors. But, today is not a day to dwell on such things. Today is a day to appreciate and celebrate the miracle that is the State of Israel. It is a day to recall the Zionist Movement and Israel’s early pioneers, the “chalutzim,” who built the state. It is a day to remember those who defended the state through its trials and tribulations. It is a day to celebrate all that Israel has achieved, all that Israel has become: a vibrant democracy; a technological and economic success story; the living, breathing homeland of the Jewish People who returned to Zion after 2000 years of statelessness!
I hope that you can join us tomorrow evening at 7:30 p.m. as we bring the special spirit of Israel into our Shabbat services in a unique way. In place of a number of our usual readings from our prayer book we will be reading the poetry of several Israeli women. Featuring the voice of Israeli women is a positive way for us to assert our Reform Jewish belief in egalitarianism while also celebrating the importance of Israel in our lives.
An important way to demonstrate your support of Israel as Reform Jews is to contribute to the Association of Reform Zionists of America/Reform Israel Fund (ARZA). This organization supports the growth and development of Reform Judaism in Israel. Your Temple dues statement includes a check off option to join ARZA for $36. Do you know if you have paid these ARZA dues? Contact Jeff Katz in our office to make sure at jkatz@templesinaibc.org. Let him know you want to support ARZA . For additional information about ARZA go to www.arza.org. At the same time I hope that you also contribute to the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, which sends a substantial portion of your contributions to the Jewish Agency for important projects in Israel.
Perhaps the best way to support Israel (short of making aliyah!) is to travel there. Temple Sinai is planning a congregational trip for this coming December (December 20, 2012 – January 1) during the holiday break. Now is the time to register. For more information contact me at rabbimillstein@templesinaibc.org.
Happy Yom Ha’atzma’ut – Happy Israel Independence Day! Today we celebrate Israel’s 64th birthday. In case you don’t know, Yom Ha’atzma’ut commemorates when David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, publicly read Israel’s Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948. According to the Jewish calendar that year May 14 was the fifth day of the month of Iyar. So, usually Yom Ha’atzma’ut is celebrated on the fifth of Iyar. But, if the fifth of Iyar falls on a Friday, as it does this year, Yom Ha'Atzma’ut is observed a day earlier so that the festivities do not interfere with preparations for the Sabbath. (And, by the way, if the fifth is a Saturday, the holiday is celebrated the prior Thursday, on the 3rd of Iyar.) Ah, to have a Jewish State!
Yes, there are many mishugeneh things about the State of Israel, some trivial, like the confusing calendar, and some not so trivial, like the internal divisions over religion and politics, and the seemingly intractable conflicts between Israel and her neighbors. But, today is not a day to dwell on such things. Today is a day to appreciate and celebrate the miracle that is the State of Israel. It is a day to recall the Zionist Movement and Israel’s early pioneers, the “chalutzim,” who built the state. It is a day to remember those who defended the state through its trials and tribulations. It is a day to celebrate all that Israel has achieved, all that Israel has become: a vibrant democracy; a technological and economic success story; the living, breathing homeland of the Jewish People who returned to Zion after 2000 years of statelessness!
I hope that you can join us tomorrow evening at 7:30 p.m. as we bring the special spirit of Israel into our Shabbat services in a unique way. In place of a number of our usual readings from our prayer book we will be reading the poetry of several Israeli women. Featuring the voice of Israeli women is a positive way for us to assert our Reform Jewish belief in egalitarianism while also celebrating the importance of Israel in our lives.
An important way to demonstrate your support of Israel as Reform Jews is to contribute to the Association of Reform Zionists of America/Reform Israel Fund (ARZA). This organization supports the growth and development of Reform Judaism in Israel. Your Temple dues statement includes a check off option to join ARZA for $36. Do you know if you have paid these ARZA dues? Contact Jeff Katz in our office to make sure at jkatz@templesinaibc.org. Let him know you want to support ARZA . For additional information about ARZA go to www.arza.org. At the same time I hope that you also contribute to the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, which sends a substantial portion of your contributions to the Jewish Agency for important projects in Israel.
Perhaps the best way to support Israel (short of making aliyah!) is to travel there. Temple Sinai is planning a congregational trip for this coming December (December 20, 2012 – January 1) during the holiday break. Now is the time to register. For more information contact me at rabbimillstein@templesinaibc.org.
Happy Yom Ha’atzma’ut!
Rabbi Jordan Millstein
P.S. While Israel is turning 64, don’t forget that our very own Temple Sinai, born just a few years later, is turning 60. You can still get an ad into the journal for the May 12 celebration if you contact the office immediately. Also, please RSVP that you will be attending our 60th anniversary bash asap. Contact Hillary in our Temple office at hhans@templesinaibc.org. Go to the Temple web site, www.templesinaibc.org for more information.
Rabbi Jordan Millstein
P.S. While Israel is turning 64, don’t forget that our very own Temple Sinai, born just a few years later, is turning 60. You can still get an ad into the journal for the May 12 celebration if you contact the office immediately. Also, please RSVP that you will be attending our 60th anniversary bash asap. Contact Hillary in our Temple office at hhans@templesinaibc.org. Go to the Temple web site, www.templesinaibc.org for more information.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Don't Be Silent
Dear Friends,
In 1958 Olga Owens Huckins wrote a letter to the editor of the The Boston Herald in which she described the death of numerous birds around her property due to the aerial spraying of DDT to kill mosquitos. She sent a copy to her friend, Rachel Carson, already a well-known naturalist and writer, and former Editor-in-Chief of publications for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Carson had already begun collecting research on the effect of pesticides, especially DDT, as far back as the 1940s when it was used extensively during the Pacific war effort. Huckin’s letter, by Carson’s report, was the spark that led her to embark on the project that would eventually become, Silent Spring, the book that many argue launched the environmentalist movement.
This is the 50th anniversary of the publication of Silent Spring. The Tenafly community, along with many others, will be marking this anniversary this Sunday on Earth Day, founded a few years after the publication of Silent Spring, in 1970. Tenafly Interfaith Association, led by Temple Sinai, the Church of the Atonement and the Presbyterian Church at Tenafly, will be holding a brief, interfaith creative service this Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Tenafly Nature Center, in the Pavilion – rain or shine! (The Pavilion is covered in case of rain). If it is not raining you are encouraged to come early and enjoy the trails and nature center before our service. Light refreshments to follow the service. Please bring your own reusable water bottle to refill at the pavilion.
If it is not raining, after refreshments we will carpool in groups to cleanup an area of land along East Clinton Ave. This would be a great project to join in with your kids or grandkids. Safety apparel, traffic cones, and cleanup equipment will be provided by the town of Tenafly. .
It is hard to imagine what our world would be like had the environmental movement not come into being in our country. I wouldn’t want to speculate. And to think that it was one person’s letter to the editor that triggered the book that began this movement which has made this a safer world for all of us….
Hope you can join us on Sunday at the Tenafly Nature Center at 2 pm – rain or shine!
In 1958 Olga Owens Huckins wrote a letter to the editor of the The Boston Herald in which she described the death of numerous birds around her property due to the aerial spraying of DDT to kill mosquitos. She sent a copy to her friend, Rachel Carson, already a well-known naturalist and writer, and former Editor-in-Chief of publications for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Carson had already begun collecting research on the effect of pesticides, especially DDT, as far back as the 1940s when it was used extensively during the Pacific war effort. Huckin’s letter, by Carson’s report, was the spark that led her to embark on the project that would eventually become, Silent Spring, the book that many argue launched the environmentalist movement.
This is the 50th anniversary of the publication of Silent Spring. The Tenafly community, along with many others, will be marking this anniversary this Sunday on Earth Day, founded a few years after the publication of Silent Spring, in 1970. Tenafly Interfaith Association, led by Temple Sinai, the Church of the Atonement and the Presbyterian Church at Tenafly, will be holding a brief, interfaith creative service this Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Tenafly Nature Center, in the Pavilion – rain or shine! (The Pavilion is covered in case of rain). If it is not raining you are encouraged to come early and enjoy the trails and nature center before our service. Light refreshments to follow the service. Please bring your own reusable water bottle to refill at the pavilion.
If it is not raining, after refreshments we will carpool in groups to cleanup an area of land along East Clinton Ave. This would be a great project to join in with your kids or grandkids. Safety apparel, traffic cones, and cleanup equipment will be provided by the town of Tenafly. .
It is hard to imagine what our world would be like had the environmental movement not come into being in our country. I wouldn’t want to speculate. And to think that it was one person’s letter to the editor that triggered the book that began this movement which has made this a safer world for all of us….
Hope you can join us on Sunday at the Tenafly Nature Center at 2 pm – rain or shine!
Shabbat Shalom,
Jordan
Jordan
Friday, April 6, 2012
This Year In Jerusalem!
Dear Friends,
Chag Sameiach and Shabbat Shalom – A happy Passover to all of you! And to those on this list on this Good Friday who are not Jewish – Happy Easter this coming Sunday!
With all the spiritual energy in the air today you might think that I would give you a lengthy message filled with teachings for the holiday. However, it is my hope that you are all going to be experiencing that this evening in the form of a seder. Consequently, I did not think such a message was necessary. Plus, I have to finish getting ready for my own family seders. Tonight at my sister’s in Nyack we have the “gantze mishpucha” – the extended family - a truly diverse group including 3 rabbis, many secular Israelis, Christians, secular American Jews, Asian Americans, Jewish day school kids, “New Age” spiritual non-conformists, etc. Perhaps, you have a similar gathering. After all, why should the rabbi’s family be different from all other families? Tomorrow night we have a second seder at my house in Demarest with just my two sisters’ families and my parents. You would think that this would be a seder where we would delve into the deep meanings of the Hagadah, debate the various ins and outs of the midrashim, go on for hours and hours. But, guaranteed, after 15 minutes the choruses will begin, “Do we really need to do that part? Can’t we skip it? When are we going to eat?” Dayeinu.
If you are looking for last minute help with finding material for or organizing your seder I suggest going to www.urj.org, our Reform Movement web site, or www.myjewishlearning.com, which has a guide for leaders of a seder. If you’ve got no Hagadah and a group that won’t tolerate a seder of more than a half hour, you can download a seder for about $20 from www.30minuteseder.com. To be clear, I have not used this seder but friends from the Temple whom I trust say that it covers all the bases, even if it’s not so scintillating.
In order to make your seder a little more interesting I am attaching two documents. One comes from our Reform Zionist organization, ARZA, and is a really clever take on the splitting of the middle matzah in order to create the afikomen. It’s an artful way to communicate the relationship between American and Israeli Jews and its importance.
The other is the itinerary for our congregation’s Israel trip this coming December. At the end of the seder each year we say, “Next year in Jerusalem.” In context, this is an age-old prayer for the coming of the messianic time, when, tradition teaches, all Jews will be united again in Israel and the world will be at peace. This year we can, quite literally, say, “This year in Jerusalem!” Why not take a few minutes at your seder this evening or tomorrow evening and discuss joining my family and other members of the Temple Sinai community and their families on our grand adventure to Israel? For additional information, including costs and information on the optional trip extension to Eilat and Petra, please see the “Shavua Tov” Constant Contact email blast that will come out Sunday evening this week. If you would like to receive all the information on the trip or have questions please email me at rabbimillstein@templesinaibc.org.
This year in Jerusalem! This year may all be free!
Chag Sameiach,
Jordan
p.s. Don’t forget we have no services tonight at Temple Sinai but we do have a service (not a seder) at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow morning. We will be hosting members from Temple Emeth in Teaneck and Congregation Adas Emuno of Leonia. It is followed by a Kiddush lunch. Please join us!
Chag Sameiach and Shabbat Shalom – A happy Passover to all of you! And to those on this list on this Good Friday who are not Jewish – Happy Easter this coming Sunday!
With all the spiritual energy in the air today you might think that I would give you a lengthy message filled with teachings for the holiday. However, it is my hope that you are all going to be experiencing that this evening in the form of a seder. Consequently, I did not think such a message was necessary. Plus, I have to finish getting ready for my own family seders. Tonight at my sister’s in Nyack we have the “gantze mishpucha” – the extended family - a truly diverse group including 3 rabbis, many secular Israelis, Christians, secular American Jews, Asian Americans, Jewish day school kids, “New Age” spiritual non-conformists, etc. Perhaps, you have a similar gathering. After all, why should the rabbi’s family be different from all other families? Tomorrow night we have a second seder at my house in Demarest with just my two sisters’ families and my parents. You would think that this would be a seder where we would delve into the deep meanings of the Hagadah, debate the various ins and outs of the midrashim, go on for hours and hours. But, guaranteed, after 15 minutes the choruses will begin, “Do we really need to do that part? Can’t we skip it? When are we going to eat?” Dayeinu.
If you are looking for last minute help with finding material for or organizing your seder I suggest going to www.urj.org, our Reform Movement web site, or www.myjewishlearning.com, which has a guide for leaders of a seder. If you’ve got no Hagadah and a group that won’t tolerate a seder of more than a half hour, you can download a seder for about $20 from www.30minuteseder.com. To be clear, I have not used this seder but friends from the Temple whom I trust say that it covers all the bases, even if it’s not so scintillating.
In order to make your seder a little more interesting I am attaching two documents. One comes from our Reform Zionist organization, ARZA, and is a really clever take on the splitting of the middle matzah in order to create the afikomen. It’s an artful way to communicate the relationship between American and Israeli Jews and its importance.
The other is the itinerary for our congregation’s Israel trip this coming December. At the end of the seder each year we say, “Next year in Jerusalem.” In context, this is an age-old prayer for the coming of the messianic time, when, tradition teaches, all Jews will be united again in Israel and the world will be at peace. This year we can, quite literally, say, “This year in Jerusalem!” Why not take a few minutes at your seder this evening or tomorrow evening and discuss joining my family and other members of the Temple Sinai community and their families on our grand adventure to Israel? For additional information, including costs and information on the optional trip extension to Eilat and Petra, please see the “Shavua Tov” Constant Contact email blast that will come out Sunday evening this week. If you would like to receive all the information on the trip or have questions please email me at rabbimillstein@templesinaibc.org.
This year in Jerusalem! This year may all be free!
Chag Sameiach,
Jordan
p.s. Don’t forget we have no services tonight at Temple Sinai but we do have a service (not a seder) at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow morning. We will be hosting members from Temple Emeth in Teaneck and Congregation Adas Emuno of Leonia. It is followed by a Kiddush lunch. Please join us!
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