Letters & Announcements from Rabbi Weiner - Fall 2023

November 29 - New Lunch and Learn

Dear friends,

Earlier this week, after close to three years of study that began in the depth of the COVID lockdown, a group of intrepid JCA-members and myself finally achieved our goal of lunch-and-learning our way through the entirety of Tractate Berakhot of the Babylonian Talmud!

(For those who don't speak Talmud, let me just tell you that this is a special accomplishment that I look forward to celebrating at a Shabbat kiddish in the upcoming weeks.)

With this done, I am pleased to announce a revised program for Lunch and Learn going forward--both in terms of meeting times and topics.

*Starting on Wednesday, Dec 6th, at 12:15p, I will finally be resuming an in-person, once-a-week Lunch and Learn session, such as I haven't convened since before COVID.  

On these Wednesday sessions, which will run roughly for an hour and fifteen minutes, we will study Jewish Short Fiction, beginning with an extended investigation of the work of Isaac Bashevis Singer. We will start with his famous story "Gimpel the Fool" (in the equally in/famous Saul Bellow translation) which you can find HERE.

A lot of the pace and rhythm of these sessions is to be determined--how many session we will spend on a given story, how we will structure our study etc.--but participants are encouraged to read the story in advance of the session, and come prepared with some points they'd like to discuss or passages they'd like to highlight in particular. I will begin each session with an overview and general comments, then look forward to seeing where the conversation takes us.

These sessions will be hybrid, and can be accessed by Zoom through the regular Lunch and Learn link here or on the JCA website.

*In addition, I will continue facilitating traditional Talmud study two days a week--Tuesdays and Fridays--by Zoom only, from 12:30 to 1:30pm.  

We will begin studying the fascinating Tractate Chagigah, on Tuesday, Dec. 5th, at the regular Lunch and Learn link.

You can find the text here.

I'm excited to be starting this new course of study, and hope you will join me!

b'shalom,
RBW

November 28 -- Israel

November 7 -- Additional Israel Resources

October 31 -- Israel Resources Update

Dear friends,

As we continue to navigate these days of conflict and distress, I want to share some additional thoughts and resources.

*I was grateful for the chance to spend time with you last Monday night, and the atmosphere of respectful honesty and gentle witnessing we cultivated with each other that allowed for some unburdening of our hearts. There are so many dimensions to this tragic conflict that I think it is only extremists of one side or another who know exactly what they think. Perhaps they are the lucky ones--but in the meantime we mere mortals will continue, I hope, to make space for each other to move through this complexity toward some degree of resolve--in support of our brothers and sisters in Israel, especially those who are grieving, or are in harm's way as soldiers or captives; in deep concerns for the nightmarish loss of life and humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza; and in care and protection of ourselves as Diaspora Jews feeling our own modest degree of turmoil and threat. 

I intend to hold additional gatherings soon, and will keep you posted.

*I did choose--personally as a rabbi, and not in the name of the JCA--to sign an open letter from the Jewish human rights organization T'ruah, which I have supported in the past. I did it with some hesitation and modesty, being neither a military planner nor a father with children directly in Hamas's line of fire. I did so after noticing that some center-left Israel-supporting organizations have been voicing concern for the toll in Gaza, even while continuing to affirm the right of Israel to defend itself, and I felt this was an opportunity to join my own voice to a careful call for due circumspection, and all plausible restraint, in the military response. I don't ask you to agree on all points with me, and welcome respectful conversation about this, but I wanted to share the text of the letter with you: Click Here to view the letter from T'ruah.

*In addition, a number of us who participated in the JCA's 2020 Israel trip have had the chance to visit recently, by Zoom, with our wonderful Israeli tour guides, Avsha and Adi Rotman. These have been remarkable opportunities to get a perspective on life in Israel at this moment, and engage in conversation with very thoughtful and well-informed Israelis. These conversations are ongoing, and I hope to invite you to join them. In the meantime, click here to listen to an audio recording of the talk we had with Avsha last week.

*I am also grateful to Prof. David Mednicoff, devoted JCA-member and chair of the UMass Dept. of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies, both for his efforts to bring some measure of civility to the campus response to these matters, and for inviting the JCA to participate in his endeavors. 

Last week, he hosted Dr. Ahmad Khalidi, who offered "A Palestinian Perspective on the Israel-Gaza Conflict", and he has graciously made an audio recording of the event available.

This series will continue tomorrow, Wednesday 11/1, with "An Israeli Perspective on the Israel-Gaza Conflict" offered by the JCA's own Dr. Jesse Ferris. I hope you will consider attending the event--if for no other reason than to offer Jesse some moral support! It will take place on campus, from 4-5:15 pm, in Thompson 102.

I expect David will make a recording available for those unable to attend.

* Please join the World Jewish Concerns Committee for the Annual Rabin Memorial Event on Sunday November 5th at 5pm for a 50 minute guided virtual tour of the Israel Museum / Itzhak Rabin Peace Center, Q&A to follow. This annual event is sponsored by the World Jewish Concerns and Action Committee of the JCA and funded by The Neta Bolozky and Yaffa Gunner Fund. (A previous version of this email spelled Neta Bolozky's name incorrectly. We apologize for the error and our ongoing struggle with the autocorrect function in the email program).

You may zoom at home or in person at the JCA. Those attending in person, a light Israeli dinner will be served after the virtual tour.

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to kloeb@comcast.net

Zoom link available at the JCA zoom links page: CLICK HERE

...

*Finally, I am sharing, below, a note from our Tikkun Olam Committee, including an updated list of possible organizations to support with your Tzedakah giving. Thanks so much to Amy Rothenberg and Judith Souweine, our Tikkun Olam co-chairs, for working on this list.

b'shalom.

RBW

From the Tikkun Olam Committee:

Dear JCA Community,

As the war continues, many of us are struggling to understand, to support loved ones, to know how we can be of use. It’s a tribute to our community that while we represent a spectrum of understanding and belief related to the past, this war, and the future, that we continue to gather in person and virtually to create space for sharing and support, to learn, to pray, to take part in JCA programming, and to participate in Tikkun Olam efforts.

We have put together a number of organizations to consider supporting in Israel/Palestine. We have included links to the Charity Navigator scores, to ensure that monies donated are used appropriately.

These organizations are listed alphabetically.

1. American Friends of Combatants for Peace

From their website: Combatants for Peace is a grassroots movement of Palestinians and Israelis, working together to end the occupation and bring peace, equality and freedom to our homeland. Committed to joint nonviolence since our inception, we use civil resistance, education, and other creative means of activism to transform systems of oppression and build a free and peaceful future from the ground up. Launched in 2006, we are the only movement worldwide that was founded by former fighters on both sides of an active conflict. As a result, we were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 and 2018.

DONATE HERE 

Charity navigator score: 4 Star

2. Healing Across the Divides

This organization was founded by CBI member and local physician, Norbert Goldfield, MD, a practicing internist and with a long history of leadership in addressing health needs for communities in need.

From their website: Measurably improve the health of marginalized people living in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories via community-based intervention.

DONATE HERE

Charity Navigator: 2 Star

3. HIAS as it’s known now, was originally named Hebrew Immigration Aid Society.

It is a global Jewish nonprofit that protects refugees.They have a robust effort in Israel to support those displaced by the current war. From their website: HIAS provides vital services to displaced people and communities impacted by displacement in more than 20 countries around the world….As a Jewish humanitarian organization, we stand ready to continue our work serving the needs of the most vulnerable and provide assistance to those affected by the ongoing conflict.

DONATE HERE

Charity Navigator score: 4 Star 

4. Magen David Adom

From their website: Magen David Adom is Israel’s “Red Cross”. It has activated all 1,400 of its ambulances and is treating the wounded, often while under rocket attack and gunfire themselves. MDA EMTs are among the casualties. Your help is desperately needed to put more ambulances on the road and to replenish supplies for both EMTs and paramedics and for MDA’s blood services division, which is supplying blood for the wounded.

DONATE HERE

Charity Navigator 4 Star rating 

5. New Israel Fund

From their website: The New Israel Fund (NIF) helps Israel live up to its founders' vision of a society that ensures complete equality to all its inhabitants. Our aim is to advance liberal democracy, including freedom of speech and minority rights, and to fight the inequality, injustice and extremism that diminish Israel.

DONATE HERE 

Charity navigator score: 4 Star 

October 23 -- Israel Reminders

Hi friends,

A reminder that this evening, at 7:30, I will be facilitating a chance for us to gather and share our thoughts and feelings on the war in Israel and Gaza. As with previous conversations of this type, I will be moderating carefully--everyone will have a chance to speak, and we will keep crosstalk to a minimum--so as to ensure that we can witness each other with a maximum of gentleness and respect. I will ask, also, that we speak directly from the heart, without prepared speeches or statements. 

This conversation will be for JCA-members only, and will take place on Zoom. You can register for the link here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAlduqpqTMuH9PtWhbVf4qdOXacPVOvbUia

While I have you I also want to share two more opportunities that have come through my inbox. 

*The first is an appeal for donations, from our local Hadassah chapter, to the Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital. Hadassah's Ein Kerem hospital is the only level 1 Trauma center in Jerusalem. They have treated over 100 IDF soldiers and civilians in the ER and over 50 in its trauma unit. The majority will need rehabilitation. The number of patients is growing every day. Hadassah has taken in dozens of children into its youth centers. Hadassah urgently needs your support to purchase medical supplies, essential equipment, and other indispensable devices for healing and saving the lives of some of Israel’s most severely injured victims. Every dollar makes a difference. donate now through the Hadassah’s Heal Now campaign.

*In addition, I've received an invitation for the JCA to attend upcoming sessions, this week and next, held by the UMass Department of Judaic and Near Eastern studies, offering Palestinian and Israeli perspectives on the current war. Please see full information below.

b'shalom,

RBW

----

With the intent of providing thoughtful context that can facilitate understanding and dialogue around the current Israel-Gaza war, the Department of JNE will sponsor two talks by accomplished experts who live in the Pioneer Valley. Each talk will take place from 4-5:15 PM in Thompson 102 on the day in question, and is open to the public. For off campus attendees, the UMass central garage is convenient to Thompson Hall.

The format will be a series of questions and answers for each speaker, moderated by JNE Chair Prof. David Mednicoff, with ample time at the end for questions from members of the audience.

We will also be livestreaming the events as a webinar on Zoom to members of the Five College community who pre-register with a valid, current Five College email address.

Here is the link to register on Zoom:

https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAtc-2tpjooGNDa-WZSgdsPP-Q69wDCrKOb 

Another email will be sent next week with a registration link for the event on 11/1.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Here are details about the two talks.

EVENT 1: Tuesday 10/24, 4-5:15 PM, Thompson 102

“A Palestinian Perspective on the Israel-Gaza Conflict: A Conversation with Dr. Ahmad Salih Khalidi”

Ahmad Samih Khalidi is Associate Fellow at the Center for Security Policy, Geneva, and Senior Fellow at the Institute of Palestine Studies, Beirut. A Palestinian from Jerusalem educated at Oxford and London Universities, Khalidi has been a Senior Associate Member at St. Antony’s College, Oxford, and co-editor of the Arabic edition of the Journal of Palestine Studies. He served as advisor to the Palestinian delegation at the Madrid/Washington peace talks between 1991 and 1993, as senior advisor on security in the 1993 Cairo-Taba PLO-Israeli talks, and as advisor to Presidents Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas. Khalidi has written widely in both English and Arabic in outlets such as Foreign Affairs, the New Yorker, Foreign Policy, the New York Times, The Guardian, the Cairo Review, Prospect, and OpenDemocracy, among others. He is author of three books: Syria and Iran: Rivalry and Cooperation, (Chatham House, 1995), Track-2 Diplomacy; Lessons from the Middle East (MIT Press, 2003), and A Palestinian National Security Framework (Chatham House, 2006). Dr. Khalidi lives in Northampton. 

EVENT 2: Wednesday 11/1, 4-5:15 PM, Thompson 102

“An Israeli Perspective on the Israel-Gaza Conflict: A Conversation with Dr. Jesse Ferris”

Jesse Ferris is Vice President of Strategy at the Israel Democracy Institute, where he oversees strategic planning, organizational development, and international programs. His research interests include diplomatic and military history, Middle Eastern politics, nuclear strategy and Israeli national security. Jesse grew up in the Upper Galilee and holds a BA with distinction in History from Yale University and a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University. Jesse's first book, Nasser's Gamble: How Intervention in Yemen Caused the Six Day War and the Decline of Egyptian Power, was published in 2012 by Princeton University Press. It won the 2013 Chaikin Prize, awarded annually to an Israeli author for the best book on a geostrategic topic pertaining to Israel or the Middle East. Jesse's second book (in Hebrew), How Israel Can Survive in a Nuclear Middle East, was published in September 2022 by Kinneret Zmora Dvir. It presents ten lessons from 75 years of human history with the bomb for Israeli decision makers faced with a nuclearizing Middle East. Dr. Ferris lives in Amherst.

We are very lucky to have these distinguished experts in the Valley, and willing to speak. I hope that you will welcome them and learn from their experience and insights.

October 19 -- Israel

Dear friends,

The news continues to be difficult to bear, as we absorb the reality of the Oct. 7th attacks, and the daily horrors of the war that has followed. The worst is experienced by those who are directly in harm's way, but even from afar the anxiety, fear, anger, and despair weighs us down heavily.

I hope you have been finding ways to take care of yourselves, and find some joy. Even in the midst of it all, it was a pleasure to gather for Shabbat, and then, on Sunday, to participate in two very special regional Jewish community events. In the morning, Efraim and I rode 9 miles as part of the Ride to Provide, and then, in the afternoon, I had the privilege of attending the grand opening of the new exhibit at the Yiddish Book Center, "Yiddish: A Global Culture", which I highly recommend. I found some strength and nourishment in all of these experiences.

I've also been sustained by the communication we have received from supporters in the broader community, including this very moving card that came to us from the families and children of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst.

I've also had meaningful correspondence with my local Muslim colleagues, and shared with them our fervent prayers for peace, security, and justice for the people of Israel and Gaza.

As we continue to navigate this difficult time I want to share some additional opportunities with you, as well as reminding you of some of the ones I've already shared.

*Please consider joining me, by Zoom, for a chance to share thoughts and feelings on the current situation, on Monday evening, 10/23, at 7:30pm. As with the forum we held a few months ago, this will be a carefully regulated chance to witness each other--in gentleness and respect--as we unburden our hearts a little bit. 

Here's the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84813178457

*Below, you will find the list of charitable organizations in Israel that we mentioned in the last email, which are all still important causes in need of support. I want to make one addition to the list. I'm a regular donor to Oxfam, and, in addition to my monthly donation, I made a special gift to their campaign raising funds to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. I know we all sincerely hope that there will soon be a sure and reliable means of delivering this aid.

https://www.oxfamamerica.org

In addition, there is an webinar tonight with nationally recognized expert Dr. Rachel Fish some of you may find helpful, as you navigate these complex issues. Her work was the basis for last year's anti-semitism adult ed class. The information and registration link are below.

In general, please reach out to me if there are any organizations you'd like to bring to my attention, or if I can be of help in any other way. 

And please consider joining us--whether in person or by Zoom--for Shabbat Ne'imah this Friday night at 6pm, where we will welcome Shabbat together with musical prayer suitable to the emotions we are carrying in this difficult time, and with all of the yearnings of our spirits for holiness and peace. 

b'shalom.
RBW

October 12 -- Israel

Dear friends,

With each day that has passed this week, some new dimension of horror has been made known to us about the onslaught of terror in Israel, and we continue, also, to feel the pain and trepidation of the escalating war.

Over the course of this week, we have gathered for a moving vigil, in which I shared these words. I've also had numerous conversations with JCA-members, as well as the opportunity to visit with Jewish students on the campus of Amherst College.

All of us seem to be feeling some combination of the same set of emotions: sickening horror, as well as anger, at the events that have taken place, distress at the number of people who seem to be justifying the actions, or who are ignoring the depth of our anguish, confusion about how to hold this pain in the midst of the ongoing complexities of the State of Israel, and also concern for the parameters of the response, in the knowledge that many innocent civilians in Gaza are sure to experience depredation and loss of life.

As I think of what to say to you, my first thought is: please take good care of yourselves. Find ways to be informed without letting the news overwhelm you, find ways to experience love and pleasure even in the midst of horror and war, and please seek for the solidarity and solace that is to be found through your participation in our vibrant Jewish communal life. One such opportunity is this Friday evening at 5:30pm we're holding Farbrengen (Joyous Gathering), formerly called Family + Friends Friday night.

As we begin to hear about a significant increase in antisemitic events and concerning reports regarding potential security threats to Jews outside of Israel, I want to reassure you that Executive Director Keren Rhodes has been closely monitoring the situation, including attending security briefings hosted by Secure Community Networks, and being in contact with local law enforcement. At this time there is no credible threat in the our region. Should this change and a credible threat emerge, we will respond swiftly and appropriately and provide clear and transparent communication to the community.

I will no doubt be in further communication with you about these events, and our communal response, in the days to come. In the meantime, I also want to use this note to share some opportunities for tzedakah which are listed below.

In closing, I want to make a special invitation for you to join us over Shabbat, particularly for Shabbat morning services, which I hope will be an opportunity to hold our turmoil within the rhythms of Jewish sacred time.

And I also want to remind you that you are always welcome to reach out to me directly, at rabbiweiner@jcamherst.org

b'shalom,

RBW

October 9 -- Israel

Dear friends,

As indicated briefly last night, we will be gathering tonight, at 7pm, at the JCA, for a vigil in response to the events unfolding in Israel, an opportunity to share grief and support, as well as our prayers for the security, peace, and well-being of all innocents devastated by this conflict. In doing so, we are participating in a broad show of solidarity, shared by Jewish communities up and down the Valley. This will be a hybrid event--you may join through the regular JCA services link. 

b'shalom,
RBW

October 7 -- terror in Israel

Dear friends,

Just last week, we had the opportunity to study the following words from the great Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai:

"A man doesn't have time in his life
to have time for everything.
He doesn't have seasons enough to have
a season for every purpose. Ecclesiastes
Was wrong about that.

A man needs to love and to hate at the same moment,
to laugh and cry with the same eyes,
with the same hands to throw stones and to gather them,
to make love in war and war in love.
And to hate and forgive and remember and forget,
to arrange and confuse, to eat and to digest
what history
takes years and years to do."

These stanzas came to mind again today, as my Shabbat morning preparations were interrupted by the news of the vicious attack on Israel. 

How is it possible to celebrate Shabbat, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah--to say nothing of the b'nai mitzvah of two wonderful young members of the community--as the horror in Israel is still unfolding? Over 100 murdered, with 1000s injured, hostages held in torturous conditions, rocket fire, street fighting, the counteroffensive, which, although necessary and justified, is still likely leading to further innocent deaths as I type these words... 

It is hard to take it all in--to hold it all in one mind and one heart--and yet, that's what we must do, because, as the poet said, "A man doesn't have time..."

In the coming days, as events continue to unfold, I will be in further communication with you as I continue to check in with JCA lay leaders, and the broader Jewish community, about how we will respond to these events. In the meantime, I want to offer just a few additional thoughts:

*I offer my heartfelt support to members of our own community who have family and friends directly affected, impacted, injured, and displaced by these events. 

*I invite us to follow the lead of a broad array of organizations and constituencies, from across the ideological spectrum, including the Federation Network, the New Israel Fund, and even opposition leaders in Israel, who have called for unity at this moment--not any kind of blank check to current leadership, or a surrendering of what we may hold as broader goals for peace and justice, but a sense that we are in this together as we respond to this aggression, and will avoid infighting and mutual recrimination, as best we can, as we seek a way forward.

*In the coming days, I intend to make more resources available--including potential opportunities to show up and demonstrate our support--but in the meantime, wanted to share the link I received from the Jewish Federation of Western Mass, for those seeking an immediate opportunity to make donations: https://form.jotform.com/232792945496978

*I am always available--if not immediately then at least eventually--to those who want to share their thoughts and feelings with me. You can email me directly at rabbiweiner@jcamherst.org  I do not promise immediate responses. I will do my best!

*Our executive director, Keren Rhodes, has been in touch with the Amherst PD, who are intending to up their patrolling during high usage periods today and in the days to come, and we will continue to carefully monitor information that comes to us from our security networks.

*Finally, just as they have been doing in Israel, we have every intention to go on with our celebrations. We will be gathering this evening, starting at 6pm, for Simchat Torah, to dance the reality that our story is ongoing--that we can "laugh and cry with the same eyes" --because every end is a new beginning. I invite you to join us.

shabbat shalom, chag sameach,
RBW