Beth Ami
Colorado Congregation for Humanistic Judaism
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Colorado Congregation for Humanistic Judaism
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Beth Ami/CCHJ Newsletter October 25, 2004
President’s Message Barry LeveneThe decisions made at the congregational meeting on October 9 were courageous and thoughtful, and will take us down a road we have all been anxious to travel. This unique opportunity came along and we latched onto it. I am pleased to be part of a group that is willing to take the chance to try to move to the next level. We should all pat ourselves on the back and then get quickly to work to make sure we succeed. We agreed to embark on a growth plan that includes an effort to bring a humanistic rabbi to Colorado for weekend programs at least 6-8 times during the year. The next time will be the weekend of November 5, when Rabbi Heyn will officiate at a Shabbat service. Imagine our small congregation with a rabbi who can help build a credible organization with the programs and projects that we have only dreamed about. It is a major step that comes with some risk, but is exciting and challenging at the same time. Remember that we are, at the same time, supporting a new Sunday school. Of course, the plan requires a commitment from all of us, both in money and time. We are hoping that we will be able to sign up new members once we work with Rabbi Heyn to create a new and appealing program. In addition, we are planning a fund-raising campaign and a dues increase to an amount more in line with other humanistic congregations around the country. I am also hoping that others outside the standard core group of volunteers will step up to contribute their time to take on some of the jobs that will come with the expanded program. We could use additional people on the program committee, the membership committee, and the education committee, not to mention a new Treasurer and someone to manage the telephone answering machine. A list of committee chairs is found below this article. Please contact me or any one of them to offer your assistance. As soon as our program for next year is in place, I will be sending out letters asking existing members to renew for the coming year and others to join. To turn our plans into reality, we need an active and growing membership base as well as a generous one. If we obtain the services of a rabbi, membership dues will increase to $250 for a household headed by one adult and $435 for a household of two adults. Provisions will be made for hardship situations. Dues include the required $65 per household for membership in the national organization. We are investigating potential grants to supplement income and possibly bring in a rabbi once a month. Donations beyond membership dues to our “Growth Campaign” would further our ability to provide good programming and assure that we don’t run into deficit spending for the year. Please give what you can. I suspect there is some biblical passage that would reflect the situation we find ourselves in, but I haven’t a clue what it is. I just know that we are on the leading edge of some great adventure. As with all adventures, there is some risk and some potentially great rewards. It should be a great ride. Executive Committee MembersPresident and interim Treasurer. . . . Barry Levene Vice-President and Program Committee Co-chair. . . .Steve Greenspan Secretary . . . . .Sheila MalcolmEducation Committee Chair . . . .Gerrie Karasik Program Committee Co-chairs . . . . .Barb and Don Griss Membership Committee Chair . . . . .Jon Budoff Publicity . . . .Barb Griss Webmaster . . . .Jon Budoff Newsletter . . . . . Aviva Rothschild
Schedule of EventsNov. 5 Shabbat service with Rabbi Heyn Nov. 6 Boulder International Humanist Institute. See www.bihi.info for more information. Rabbi Heyn will be speaking at the conference—see below. Dec. 12 Chanukah party in conjunction with Sunday School
Rabbi Thomas Heyn to Speak at Boulder ConferenceRabbi Thomas Heyn, Coordinator of the “Jewish Spirituality Network” of Southwestern Ohio and Visiting Rabbi for Beth Ami/Colorado Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, will be one of three featured speakers at a symposium on “Does Humanism Offer Our Best Chance for Peace?” to be held in Boulder on Saturday, November 6, at 6:30 PM. The symposium, sponsored by the Boulder International Humanist Institute (www.bihi.info) will be in the Stadium Club in the new east side football stands, on Colorado Avenue, just west of 28th Street (a donation of $10 is requested; visitor parking is across from the conference facility). Rabbi Heyn will speak on authoritarian and humanistic traditions in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The keynote address will be by world-famous philosopher Mario Bunge, of McGill University, who will speak on “World Problems and Humanist Ethics,” summarizing the Humanist approach to ethical decisions and subsequent social and political action. Also sharing the platform will be John Benyon, President of the UN Association of Boulder, who will speak on the recent move away from reliance on evidence as the basis for US foreign and public policy. This conference, coming just after the national election, will have important implications for addressing the question “Where do we go from here?”
A New Kind of Faith Rabbi Thomas Heyn, Oct 13, 2004The last month has been a challenging time. Coming down from the "mile-high city," my enthusiasm for serving a Humanistic congregation was tempered by practical considerations.
It might have been easier to chalk up my trip to Denver as a short-lived “diversion.” It might have been easier to write off my hopes as “wishful thinking.” What made me think I could build up a small congregation in an already marginalized movement? What made me think I could find success in a city where I know only a handful of people? Faith?
As a Humanistic Jew, I could hardly be taken seriously, claiming to have “faith’—at least in the way that most people understand it. But yes, it was faith—born of conviction: conviction in the veracity and import of humanistic principles, and faith in myself and others who are willing to live by them.
I admit, there were moments when I felt inclined to pray—for help or guidance or, at least, for clarity of mind. But then I had to ask myself, "Pray? To whom?" And I had to examine this impulse, which I surmised to be either a product of social conditioning or a natural response to feelings of helplessness.
In either case, it became clear that there were two parts to my experience, and really to any human experience. There is a part over which I have some control, and a part over which I have absolutely no control. In every situation the ratio between these will vary, but in such times of great uncertainty, the controllable part seemed infinitesimally small. So, of course, a natural response is to reach out to a power or intelligence that one might imagine to be in control of everything, hoping to influence or be influenced by it in some way.
Through my association with humanistic principles and those who strive to live by them, my perspective on prayer has changed. Instead of turning to a power or intelligence in supplication, I have chosen to focus on what might still be within my power, and to direct my attention and energy there. There may be an infinite number of forces in motion, many existing beyond my comprehension, but if I am to have any influence at all, it will not be through expressions of helplessness or dependence. It will be through utilizing, to the best of my ability, the forces that remain within my power—small as they may be, but part of a vast and intricate network of multitudinous forces.
Conviction and faith alone are not enough. There are countless reasons to be cautious and conservative, but such reasons need not stifle one's aspirations altogether. They are simply the means by which conviction and faith are tested and given shape and substance. Surely there will be opposing forces and other factors to take into consideration. But I am sustained through it all by a new kind of faith; a faith rooted in conviction and responsibility, not in dependence. Yes, we are part of a seamless whole, but our part is an important one.
Beth Ami CCHJ Jewish School Gerrie Karasik, Chair, Education Committee For 6-7 months this past year (plus ten or more years) we have been struggling, obsessing, planning, and working to build a school. On Sunday, September 12, 2004, we opened the door at the Jewish Community Center and ten beautiful children (8 signed up and 2 visitors) came. Our teachers, Adam Schonberg and Gwen Murphy, were great. The children were smiling (at least the younger ones were), and assorted parents, grandparents, and committee members hovered in the hallway, peeking into the room, qvelling over the smilers and worrying over the nonsmilers. Inside the room, Adam and Gwen and the children held class around (and sometimes inside) a square formed by four three-foot tables. We could tell that a lot of learning and a lot of fun were going on. Tacked to the walls and our bulletin boards were holiday pictures, New Year cards, craft instructions, and the important words related to the holiday (hand printed by Gwen). Several books about holidays and others of Jewish interest lay on a table along one wall, while calendars, flyers, and copies of our ads adorned another table. The teacher's supply box sat on a third table along the same wall. On the other side of the room were the craft supplies for making New Year cards, apples and honey for celebrating the holiday, and plates, napkins, and moist wipes. Jon Budoff took photos. Baby Budoff decided not to appear in person at this time, so came still tucked away in Toni. Granddad and Grandam Budoff were also there with Paul (who will start in the Fall class of 2007) and Sam (Fall class of 2008) to escort Alexi to class. We had two wonderful aides, Grandma Barb Griss and Grandma Gerrie Karasik, who wandered in occasionally to give instructions or other assistance. (On Sunday, September 26, new arrival Mitchel Budoff visited along with Paul and Sam. We signed him up for the Fall class of 2010.) Gwen read the story about the chickens that went on strike in a small Jewish village during Yom Kippur. They were tired of being whirled around and dying for the people's sins. The people moaned and cried and wrung their hands, absolutely sure that the sky would fall if they did not complete this age-old ritual. But, as the boy who defended the chickens noted, the sky did not fall down. Life went on as before, and though some of the people grumbled, the chickens at least were much happier. Following snacks and the story, the class learned about tsedokah, and they decoupaged boxes to hold the money they would collect to bring to class. The lesson made a deep impression on two of our students, who brought back their tsedokah boxes filled with coins on Sunday, October 12. They learned about Sukkot and visited the suk at the JCC where they shook the lulav in four directions. Then they were introduced to the mysteries of the Jewish calendar and worked on making their own calendars. The next week, the class made a large tsedokah box to hold the collections until the end of the term, when they will present the money to a charity of their choice.
An Alternative Way to Be a Courageous Jew Stephen Greenspan, Lay Leader LA Dodgers outfielder Shaun Green made headlines recently when he declined to play in a day game on Yom Kippur, in an important series against the San Francisco Giants. Many commentators praised Green for sticking to his religious convictions. What makes the case interesting to me and to others is that Green’s convictions did not prevent him from playing the night before, on Erev Yom Kippur, in a game which concluded well after sundown. This “Solomonic” compromise of Green’s—placating fan expectations by playing one game on Yom Kippur eve, while placating Jewish expectations by sitting out another game on Yom Kippur day—bothered some conventional Jewish leaders because it did not show sufficient devotion. I would argue the opposite, namely that Green would have been more courageous had he consistently followed his true religious conviction, which is that the pennant race is more important to him than davening. In publicly declining to play a game on Yom Kippur, Green was following the example of an earlier, and more famous, Dodger: Sandy Koufax. On October 6, 1965, Koufax—one of the greatest pitchers of all time—did not pitch in the first game of the World Series against the Minnesota Twins. Koufax was not a particularly observant Jew (he had no problem pitching on the Sabbath), but for him, fasting and praying on Yom Kippur was not something he was willing to give up. He made up for missing game one by pitching three (and winning two) of the remaining six games, including a nine inning shutout win in game seven, on only two days rest, that many people consider one of the most courageous pitching efforts of all time. (He paid for this by having to retire with a damaged arm a year later). Koufax is rightly lauded for his moral courage, and has in fact routinely been profiled in the “role model” paper that youths present at their Humanistic Judaism Bar or Bat Mitzvah ceremonies. But it seems to me that equally deserving of role model recognition is Pittsburgh Steelers punter Josh Green, who refused to sit out his team’s Yom Kippur game this year against the Cleveland Browns, on the ground that “there’s only one punter, [and] I have to play”. Moral courage, it seems to me, is defined by one’s willingness to stand up against the crowd and autonomously follow one’s own convictions. Koufax’s action was courageous because forty years ago Jews were expected to fit in and not do anything to rile up the goyim. Green’s action was courageous for a similar, if opposite, reason, namely that today’s Jewish athletes are expected to emulate Koufax’s conduct. Green (a member of the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame) had the courage to listen to his own heart and say, essentially, “You be Jewish in your way and I’ll be Jewish in my way. And don’t you dare judge me by my unwillingness to conform to your expectations regarding how Jews are expected to act.” Humanistic Jews often find themselves having to defy expectations regarding how Jews--even secular ones-- are expected to act. I refuse to be guilt-tripped over my son’s lack of interest in attending our new Sunday school, and defend his right to make his own decisions. I would hope our rabbi candidate, if he comes here, will stand up to the pressures he is likely to face from his colleagues on Denver’s Rabbinical Council, who will pressure him to not perform interfaith marriage ceremonies. I respect Sandy Koufax for insisting on his right to worship, but we must not forget that, for us, the right to not worship is even more precious.
Mazel Tov!Mitchel Reis Budoff was born at 10:30 PM on September 14, 2004. He weighed 7 lb 6 oz and was 20 1/4 in long. Excited oldest Budoff child Alexi, 6, now has three brothers to protect and contend with: Paul (3 1/2), Samuel (1 1/2), and Mitchel.
ON THE EDGE OF .... Bertram Rothschild Have you ever wondered why evangelical Christians have been so vociferous in their support of Israel? They are the most consistent and powerful voice in Washington arguing in favor of the Jewish State. What the devil (OOPS) . . . What in the world prompts such heartfelt regard when, let us be frank, they are wholly, fully and irrevocably supporters of Christ? Well, die gustubus non est disputandum (in French: Chaque a son gout. In English: “Name your poison”). Around the world different faiths attract different supporters; no surprise there. But it is a surprise when one group becomes passionately positive about another group. (It is much more common for one to become passionately hateful of another.) Consider Pat Robertson’s recent visit to Israel. He spoke at an Israeli Sukkot celebration of evangelical support for the Jewish homeland. Evangelicals do so in a world that mindlessly condemns the Israelis and, ugh, praises the Palestinians. Okay, having Robertson there was a coup, but what did he actually do? He urged that the Jewish people embrace Christ as the Messiah. He spoke about "wonderful" Jews around the world who have done so and urged us all to make that aliyah to that religious persuasion. Such a trip that would be! Keep in mind that not only does he talk to god, but god talks to him. Remember when Disney World had a Gay Day, further advancing the notion that such sexual proclivities are part of mainstream America and deserving of recognition? Robertson had, I suppose, a fit—whether epileptic, of pique, or religious zeal I know not—but he informed us, seriously, without a hint of a grin or sense of duplicity, that god had informed him that Disney World would be destroyed. God, he told us, would not tolerate that Disney World could accept gays and lesbians as human beings with normal desires for good clean fun. (Who knows with what depraved fantasies Robertson enjoys himself about their "evil and perverse" sexual activities?) God would, in pietistic wrath (remember god is good) smash them flat. Never mind that it didn’t happen. Undaunted, he informs us that god will smite bin Laden and al-Qaida because he doesn’t like anyone screwing around with his plans for how the land should be partitioned. He reserves that for himself. But I digress. Why are the evangelicals such supporters of Jews? Because they anticipate the Second Coming of Christ, but it cannot happen unless there is a viable state of Israel. If the Muslims win (Robertson says Satan sent them) and Israel is destroyed, then the Second Coming will be delayed, thwarted, and otherwise be untenable; so devout Christians must support Israel with all their strength. But the kicker is that with the Second Coming, Israel must become Christianized. Did you get that? They anticipate, they expect that we will all embrace Christ with happy enthusiasm. But…. What if we don’t follow the script? What if we don’t leap in that direction, don’t take that journey? Will the evangelicals still love us? What if at some time in the future we Jews insist on remaining Jews, contentious, pains in the butt to each other, but united in our right to be what we choose? Will the evangelicals still love us? Will they? Will they? Fat chance!
IFSJH’s Tenth Biennial International Conference
Myrna Baron, Executive Director
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Last modified: 11/05/06 |