My Religious Rights

Dear Friends,

Last week I wrote to you objecting to the Obama Administration’s plans to compel institutions run by religious organizations to include birth control in the health care coverage for their employees.  I said that I considered this a matter of freedom of religion and challenged the Obama Administration to “find another way” to accomplish the goal of providing birth control for all.  I didn’t think I had that much clout but even before my email left the Temple computer system the Administration shifted its position and found that other way.  Even if many bishops don’t agree I found the compromise quite reasonable.

This week I write to you about a situation where I feel my own right to freedom of religion is being violated.  As a rabbi I have been given the authority by the State of New Jersey to solemnize marriages.  The Reform Movement in Judaism along with a number of Protestant denominations endorses the right of same sex couples to marry.  Our support for gay marriage is shaped by our religious beliefs, among them that all people are made in the image of God.  I have officiated at such ceremonies in the past and would like to do so here in New Jersey.  But, the state continues to consider such marriages invalid.  As such, it is endorsing the views of some religious groups and their clergy and restricting the rights of others, including my own.  This is wrong.  Of course, the harm being done to thousands of gay couples in New Jersey by denying them the right to marry is far greater than any harm done to me.  For gay couples this is not only about religious rights but equality before the law and in society.  We cannot say that gay people have equal rights in our society until we recognize the equality of their relationships. 

I applaud our State Legislature for voting to legalize same sex marriage.  This action is long overdue.  Unfortunately, our governor believes that the equality of gays and lesbians and my freedom of religion should be put up for a vote.  I find this offensive. 

I recognize that not everyone receiving this email agrees with me, just as you didn’t all agree with my last email!  But, I feel it is my role as your rabbi to share with you where I stand on important issues and why and to spur discussion among us about them.  I look forward to your responses!

Shabbat Shalom,

Jordan

Contraception

Dear Friends,

I was dismayed by the Obama Administration’s recent decision to compel some institutions run by religious organizations to provide health insurance that covers birth control.  Specifically, the ruling issued by the Department of Health and Human Services said that only religious organizations that primarily employ and serve their co-religionists would be exempt from this requirement.  That means that churches and synagogues are exempt but religiously affiliated hospitals, colleges and agencies are not.  I agree with Archbishop Timothy Dolan and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that this ruling violates the principle of the free exercise of religion enshrined in the Bill of Rights.

The Reform Movement in Judaism is a liberal religious movement.  We believe in the right of couples to use birth control when and how they see fit.  We also support the use of Federal funding to provide birth control and family planning services to women who cannot otherwise afford these services.  I am proud to be part of a religious Movement which supports progressive policies in the area of family planning and reproductive rights. 

Nevertheless, I must object to a government policy which says that those religious movements which do not agree with these views be compelled to have their institutions follow them.  If the tables were turned and we were the ones being told to do something that violated our religious principles how would we feel?  As a religious minority we have to be especially sensitive to this concern.  The government may be right to try to make contraception available to all those who want to use it.   But, it is wrong to force those who disagree to provide it.  They simply have to find another way.

Shabbat Shalom,

Jordan

p.s. The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism does not agree with me on this matter.  If you would like to learn more on their position, please read the press release.

Tu Bi or Not Tu Bi

Dear Friends,

That is the question.  Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the boredom of an average Tuesday night in February, or to take note of the Jewish calendar and by going to Temple Sinai to celebrate!   

To celebrate what?  Tu BiSh’vat! 

How?  By attending our Tu BiShvat Seder!

When?  This Tuesday night from 5:45 to 8:00 p.m.

Where?  At Temple Sinai

RSVP to Templesinai@templesinaibc.org or call 201-568-3035 x200.  You must RSVP no late than this Monday morning by 9:00 a.m.  This is the final deadline.  **** See below for cost and other details.

What’s Sh’vat?  Sh’vat is a month on the Jewish calendar, the month we are in right now.    “Tu Bi” is the way we sound out the number 15 when it is written in the ancient way that our people has written dates, using Hebrew letters.  (Like the Romans we used letters to signify numbers.)  Tu BiSh’vat is the 15^th day of the month of Sh’vat.  The rabbis of the Talmud declared this date to be the New Year of Trees, when the sap in the trees in Israel began to flow after the winter rains. 

In the late middle ages the Kabbalists living in the city of Safed in Galilee in Israel developed a seder to celebrate this festival.  In recent years the Tu Bish’vat seder has become a popular practice once again, often featuring a Zionist theme of returning to the Land of Israel and planting trees there or, more recently, a Jewish environmentalist theme.  This year our seder will feature both of these themes, as well as two rabbis and two cantors!  Rabbi Golden of the JCC and I will lead the seder along with Cantor Nitza Amit-Shama and Cantor Regina Lambert-Hayut, of Temple Beth Or (and a former cantorial intern at Temple Sinai).  Our Sisterhood is working together with the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades to put together the seder.

Hope to see you at our Shabbat Shirah service tonight at 7:30 and at 5:45 on Tuesday evening to celebrate Tu Bish’vat!

Shabbat Shalom,

Jordan

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.