Why do I like the Bulletin? Because even if I only skim the contents when it lands on my desk at the beginning of each month, I feel instantly informed about everything that is going on. I, like so many of you, often forget the exact date or lose the registration form for the next event, but no one can tell me it's not a handy thing to have around. The Bulletin gives me an inkling, in the back of my mind, as to the basics of the month and I can double-check it later, as needed. And even I, sitting in the temple office three days a week, usually feel it necessary to read the articles from our different lay leaders and staff. Frankly, it's good to hear from them. And every once in a while, I hope you read mine.
In March and the beginning of April, we begin Passover. I now know that there are three seders during Passover. Now, reasonably, since knowing our calendar is part of my job description, I've cheated a little bit. However, even I use this handy newsletter to double-check.
So here it is, this fantastic little monthly-reference book, in digital form. Now, go forth and feel informed.
You can view the entire March 2010 Bulletin on our website, here.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Making hamantaschen?
As we prepare for Purim, many of us are whipping out our Jewish cookbooks and our bubbe's old recipes and remembering the perfect technique for folding out those sweet little hats we call hamantaschen. In honor of this baking tradition, we have found a recipe to share with those who may need one. Do you have a favorite hamantaschen recipe?
* 1 stick of sweet butter, softened
* 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
* 2 egg yolks
* 3 tablespoons ice water
* 1l/2 cups flour
* jam, apricot or prune
* butter to grease the cookie sheet
* flour to roll the dough on
Directions
1. Cream the butter and sugar together in the large bowl. Add the egg yolks and continue to mix well.
2. Add the ice water. Gradually stir in flour until a ball of dough is formed. Place the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for several hours or overnight.
When ready to continue, take dough out of refrigerator
3. Turn on the oven to 350 degrees.
4. Grease the cookie sheet with the butter.
5. Divide the dough in half. Wrap the extra half in the plastic and put back in the refrigerator.
6. Roll out the dough on a clean, lightly floured surface to a 1/4" thickness. Cut it into 2" circles (use the top of a glass to "press out" the circles)
7. Place 1 teaspoon of the jam in the center of each circle and fold into three-cornered cookies:
start by pressing two sides together, then fold the third side over and press the ends together.
8. Place the Hamantaschen about an inch apart on the greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned along the edges
Makes about 12 Hamantaschen
(Recipe by Purim on the Net)
* 1 stick of sweet butter, softened
* 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
* 2 egg yolks
* 3 tablespoons ice water
* 1l/2 cups flour
* jam, apricot or prune
* butter to grease the cookie sheet
* flour to roll the dough on
Directions
1. Cream the butter and sugar together in the large bowl. Add the egg yolks and continue to mix well.
2. Add the ice water. Gradually stir in flour until a ball of dough is formed. Place the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for several hours or overnight.
When ready to continue, take dough out of refrigerator
3. Turn on the oven to 350 degrees.
4. Grease the cookie sheet with the butter.
5. Divide the dough in half. Wrap the extra half in the plastic and put back in the refrigerator.
6. Roll out the dough on a clean, lightly floured surface to a 1/4" thickness. Cut it into 2" circles (use the top of a glass to "press out" the circles)
7. Place 1 teaspoon of the jam in the center of each circle and fold into three-cornered cookies:
start by pressing two sides together, then fold the third side over and press the ends together.
8. Place the Hamantaschen about an inch apart on the greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned along the edges
Makes about 12 Hamantaschen
(Recipe by Purim on the Net)
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
J Street: Is it good for the Jews? Sermon February 5th
There is a relatively new kid on the block of Jewish organizational life which is creating a great deal of controversy. The new organization –founded in April 2008-- is J Street, which describes itself as “the political arm of the pro-Israel, pro-peace movement.” It is attempting to create a strong, dynamic organization which represents Jews (and some non-Jews) who support Israel, while at the same time are often more critical of Israel government policy and actions than most pro-Israel organizations.
Its website explains that “J Street was founded to change the dynamics of American politics and policy on Israel and the Middle East. We believe the security and future of Israel as the democratic home of the Jewish people depend on rapidly achieving a two-state solution and regional comprehensive peace. Our mission is to promote meaningful American leadership to achieve peace and security in the Middle East and to broaden the debate on these issues nationally and in the Jewish community.”
J Street was developed to challenge AIPAC as the primary voice of the organized Jewish community on Capitol Hill with regard to Israel, and to provide a meaningful organization for many particularly younger Jews who have felt disenfranchised by the Jewish establishment. Its name is a play on words, with the J standing for Jewish; the lobbyist corridor in Washington DC is K Street and there is no J Street in the District. Now there is.
J Street is actually comprised of three independent organizations:
--a registered lobby and non-profit corporation;
--a political action committee to support candidates for office;
--an educational fund and education/outreach organization.
(It is not unusual for organizations to be structured like this for legal and fundraising purposes.)
Israel is quite often an emotionally charged issue and J Street has been met with much controversy. It has been fairly criticized by some who support it, such as Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the President of the URJ who spoke at the J Street inaugural conference this past fall. It has also been unfairly vilified by others who perceive it as a threat to Israel and to the pro-Israel efforts of AIPAC.
I speak this evening as a supporter of AIPAC and its mission, but one who believes that there is room for other voices in the Jewish community. I have not yet decided whether I can support J Street as one of those voices, but hope that it develops into an organization I can support.
The questions we, as a Jewish community, should address regarding J Street are:
--Do we need an organization like this?
--Will it complement the efforts of AIPAC on Capitol Hill or undermine them?
--What are the limits of criticism of Israel from a pro-Israel organization?
J Street claims that it is filling a need in the Jewish community of a prominent organization representing the pro-peace, pro-Israel community. While this community has always existed in the form of organizations such as Breira in the 1970s and Brit Tzedek v’Shalom more recently, they have generally been small groups with relatively limited impact. J Street was started by a small group of activists who are well financed, but is working to build a national grassroots organization. In fact, last night they held their first local kickoff events in 21 cities across the country including Seattle.
The J Street leadership recognizes that there are many Jews, particularly young Jews, who are conflicted about Israel and feel disenfranchised. They care about Israel, or at least did so at one time, but have been turned off by some of Israel’s actions. They do not want to be part of the Jewish establishment which they perceive as being uncritical of Israel, but want to have their voices heard. J Street hopes to draw these people back into the world of Jewish engagement with Israel.
If J Street is able to accomplish this goal and provide a significant voice for these Jews it will do a great service to our community which continues to struggle at reaching the 20 and 30 somethings who have drifted away from active Jewish life. Birthright Israel is one attempt to engage the younger cohort with Israel and Jewish life. And there are many independent minyanim which have cropped up across the country, but each of these efforts has only reached a limited number of Jewish young adults. It remains to be seen whether J Street will be able to develop significant grassroots support, which –in the long run—will go a long way to determining the ultimate success and impact of this organization.
The second, and perhaps most important question, is whether J Street will complement or undermine the important work that AIPAC does on Capitol Hill. AIPAC is unquestionably one of the most effective lobbying organizations on any issue and in large part responsible for the overwhelming support which Israel receives from Congress. While there are other groups that lobby on Israel issues, including at times the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, none approach the ability of AIPAC to influence Congress. It has been said that when AIPAC speaks, Congress listens.
AIPAC is very concerned about J Street; AIPAC’s supporters have offered some of the strongest criticism of J Street. The primary concern is that there will no longer be a unified voice coming from the Jewish community. AIPAC’s effectiveness has been due in great part to the perception that it represents the vast majority of the Jewish community and that for the most part we speak with one voice.
Now members of Congress will see that the Jewish community does not always speak with one voice and that at the very least there is a minority within the community that has a different take on some issues, is willing to openly criticize Israel and will encourage Congress and the United States to take a more active role in the pursuit of peace. Of course, most members of Congress know this; but unless they directly see an organized effort to present another voice, they are not likely to pay much attention.
So there is good reason to believe that J Street will –to some extent—undermine the work that AIPAC does. However, I do not think that it will have a serious impact on AIPAC’s efforts as long as AIPAC continues to enjoy the support it does in the Jewish community.
The third important question concerns criticism of Israel within the Jewish community. AIPAC does not face this issue because it is committed to supporting actions and positions of Israel’s government, whether it is a more left leaning Labor or Kadima government, or a more right leaning Likud. When Israel made the decision a few years ago to withdraw unilaterally from the Gaza Strip, AIPAC supported the effort, even though some of its members did not.
J Street has indicated that it is not afraid to criticize Israel and to encourage the United States to pressure Israel toward returning to the peace talks. Now, there are some within the Jewish community who oppose all public criticism of Israel because, they argue, it plays into the hand of Israel’s enemies and therefore serves to undermine Israel. There is a certain amount of validity to this argument.
However, Israel’s enemies will continue to say what they want and do what they do regardless of criticism of Israel from the Jewish community. Furthermore, we certainly are not afraid to criticize Israel when it fails to support the rights of Reform Jews or the rights of Women of the Wall to worship freely. We should similarly be free to offer words of criticism on other matters in an appropriate manner.
It is best, for example, when these criticisms are voiced within the Jewish community, in the Jewish press for example, rather than “washing our dirty laundry” in public so to speak. But sometimes these issues have their way of going beyond our community and often there is very little that we can do about it. We can certainly discuss the appropriate parameters of such criticism, but we should not attempt to stifle such criticism since such efforts are bound to fail.
In this regard, J Street has a particular challenge in that it is attempting to reach out to a broad range of Jews, some of whom are more willing to openly criticize Israel than others. Every time J Street takes a particular position or fails to take a particular position it will please or displease some of its potential constituents. Some will continue to support the organization, but others will walk away.
In order to navigate this challenge, J Street has to clearly articulate its basic principles, as it attempts to do on its website and in other materials, and recognize that it cannot represent the entire “pro-peace, pro-Israel” community. There will be those who think J Street is not critical enough and those who think J Street is too critical. J Street needs to accept this fact of Jewish life and recognize that there are enough Jews between these positions to support their efforts.
So, is J Street good for the Jews? I am not ready definitively to answer that question because it is really too early to do so. I cannot agree with those who have already rejected J Street, but I am not personally ready to embrace it. I believe that it can be good for the Jews if it is able to mobilize and energize young Jews who otherwise would not find a voice on the issue of Israel, if it is able to consistently articulate a “pro-peace, pro-Israel” position without being co-opted by some who might want to lead it in other directions, and if it is able to offer its criticism in appropriate ways. If J Street is able to meet these challenges in the long run, it will indeed be good for our community.
Rabbi Bruce Kadden
February 5, 2010/22 Sh’vat 5770
Its website explains that “J Street was founded to change the dynamics of American politics and policy on Israel and the Middle East. We believe the security and future of Israel as the democratic home of the Jewish people depend on rapidly achieving a two-state solution and regional comprehensive peace. Our mission is to promote meaningful American leadership to achieve peace and security in the Middle East and to broaden the debate on these issues nationally and in the Jewish community.”
J Street was developed to challenge AIPAC as the primary voice of the organized Jewish community on Capitol Hill with regard to Israel, and to provide a meaningful organization for many particularly younger Jews who have felt disenfranchised by the Jewish establishment. Its name is a play on words, with the J standing for Jewish; the lobbyist corridor in Washington DC is K Street and there is no J Street in the District. Now there is.
J Street is actually comprised of three independent organizations:
--a registered lobby and non-profit corporation;
--a political action committee to support candidates for office;
--an educational fund and education/outreach organization.
(It is not unusual for organizations to be structured like this for legal and fundraising purposes.)
Israel is quite often an emotionally charged issue and J Street has been met with much controversy. It has been fairly criticized by some who support it, such as Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the President of the URJ who spoke at the J Street inaugural conference this past fall. It has also been unfairly vilified by others who perceive it as a threat to Israel and to the pro-Israel efforts of AIPAC.
I speak this evening as a supporter of AIPAC and its mission, but one who believes that there is room for other voices in the Jewish community. I have not yet decided whether I can support J Street as one of those voices, but hope that it develops into an organization I can support.
The questions we, as a Jewish community, should address regarding J Street are:
--Do we need an organization like this?
--Will it complement the efforts of AIPAC on Capitol Hill or undermine them?
--What are the limits of criticism of Israel from a pro-Israel organization?
J Street claims that it is filling a need in the Jewish community of a prominent organization representing the pro-peace, pro-Israel community. While this community has always existed in the form of organizations such as Breira in the 1970s and Brit Tzedek v’Shalom more recently, they have generally been small groups with relatively limited impact. J Street was started by a small group of activists who are well financed, but is working to build a national grassroots organization. In fact, last night they held their first local kickoff events in 21 cities across the country including Seattle.
The J Street leadership recognizes that there are many Jews, particularly young Jews, who are conflicted about Israel and feel disenfranchised. They care about Israel, or at least did so at one time, but have been turned off by some of Israel’s actions. They do not want to be part of the Jewish establishment which they perceive as being uncritical of Israel, but want to have their voices heard. J Street hopes to draw these people back into the world of Jewish engagement with Israel.
If J Street is able to accomplish this goal and provide a significant voice for these Jews it will do a great service to our community which continues to struggle at reaching the 20 and 30 somethings who have drifted away from active Jewish life. Birthright Israel is one attempt to engage the younger cohort with Israel and Jewish life. And there are many independent minyanim which have cropped up across the country, but each of these efforts has only reached a limited number of Jewish young adults. It remains to be seen whether J Street will be able to develop significant grassroots support, which –in the long run—will go a long way to determining the ultimate success and impact of this organization.
The second, and perhaps most important question, is whether J Street will complement or undermine the important work that AIPAC does on Capitol Hill. AIPAC is unquestionably one of the most effective lobbying organizations on any issue and in large part responsible for the overwhelming support which Israel receives from Congress. While there are other groups that lobby on Israel issues, including at times the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, none approach the ability of AIPAC to influence Congress. It has been said that when AIPAC speaks, Congress listens.
AIPAC is very concerned about J Street; AIPAC’s supporters have offered some of the strongest criticism of J Street. The primary concern is that there will no longer be a unified voice coming from the Jewish community. AIPAC’s effectiveness has been due in great part to the perception that it represents the vast majority of the Jewish community and that for the most part we speak with one voice.
Now members of Congress will see that the Jewish community does not always speak with one voice and that at the very least there is a minority within the community that has a different take on some issues, is willing to openly criticize Israel and will encourage Congress and the United States to take a more active role in the pursuit of peace. Of course, most members of Congress know this; but unless they directly see an organized effort to present another voice, they are not likely to pay much attention.
So there is good reason to believe that J Street will –to some extent—undermine the work that AIPAC does. However, I do not think that it will have a serious impact on AIPAC’s efforts as long as AIPAC continues to enjoy the support it does in the Jewish community.
The third important question concerns criticism of Israel within the Jewish community. AIPAC does not face this issue because it is committed to supporting actions and positions of Israel’s government, whether it is a more left leaning Labor or Kadima government, or a more right leaning Likud. When Israel made the decision a few years ago to withdraw unilaterally from the Gaza Strip, AIPAC supported the effort, even though some of its members did not.
J Street has indicated that it is not afraid to criticize Israel and to encourage the United States to pressure Israel toward returning to the peace talks. Now, there are some within the Jewish community who oppose all public criticism of Israel because, they argue, it plays into the hand of Israel’s enemies and therefore serves to undermine Israel. There is a certain amount of validity to this argument.
However, Israel’s enemies will continue to say what they want and do what they do regardless of criticism of Israel from the Jewish community. Furthermore, we certainly are not afraid to criticize Israel when it fails to support the rights of Reform Jews or the rights of Women of the Wall to worship freely. We should similarly be free to offer words of criticism on other matters in an appropriate manner.
It is best, for example, when these criticisms are voiced within the Jewish community, in the Jewish press for example, rather than “washing our dirty laundry” in public so to speak. But sometimes these issues have their way of going beyond our community and often there is very little that we can do about it. We can certainly discuss the appropriate parameters of such criticism, but we should not attempt to stifle such criticism since such efforts are bound to fail.
In this regard, J Street has a particular challenge in that it is attempting to reach out to a broad range of Jews, some of whom are more willing to openly criticize Israel than others. Every time J Street takes a particular position or fails to take a particular position it will please or displease some of its potential constituents. Some will continue to support the organization, but others will walk away.
In order to navigate this challenge, J Street has to clearly articulate its basic principles, as it attempts to do on its website and in other materials, and recognize that it cannot represent the entire “pro-peace, pro-Israel” community. There will be those who think J Street is not critical enough and those who think J Street is too critical. J Street needs to accept this fact of Jewish life and recognize that there are enough Jews between these positions to support their efforts.
So, is J Street good for the Jews? I am not ready definitively to answer that question because it is really too early to do so. I cannot agree with those who have already rejected J Street, but I am not personally ready to embrace it. I believe that it can be good for the Jews if it is able to mobilize and energize young Jews who otherwise would not find a voice on the issue of Israel, if it is able to consistently articulate a “pro-peace, pro-Israel” position without being co-opted by some who might want to lead it in other directions, and if it is able to offer its criticism in appropriate ways. If J Street is able to meet these challenges in the long run, it will indeed be good for our community.
Rabbi Bruce Kadden
February 5, 2010/22 Sh’vat 5770
Thursday, February 4, 2010
J Street: Is it good for the Jews?
Its website explains that “J Street was founded to change the dynamics of American politics and policy on Israel and the Middle East. We believe the security and future of Israel as the democratic home of the Jewish people depend on rapidly achieving a two-state solution and regional comprehensive peace. Our mission is to promote meaningful American leadership to achieve peace and security in the Middle East and to broaden the debate on these issues nationally and in the Jewish community.”
J Street was developed to challenge AIPAC as the primary - and at times only - voice of the organized Jewish community on Capitol Hill and to provide a voice for many particularly younger Jews who have felt disenfranchised by the Jewish establishment. Its name is a play on words; the lobbyist corridor in Washington DC is K Street and there is no J Street in the District.
J Street is actually comprised of three independent organizations:
--a registered lobby and non-profit corporation;
--a political action committee to support candidates for office;
--an educational fund and education/outreach organization.
The questions we should address are:
--Do we need an organization like this?
--Will it complement the efforts of AIPAC on Capitol Hill or undermine them?
--What are the limits of criticism of Israel from a pro-Israel organization?
I will be sharing my answers to these questions at Shabbat services tomorrow night, February 5th at 7:30 p.m. and will post a link to the sermon here next week.
What do you think?
To learn more about J Street you can visit their website at: http://www.jstreet.org/.
Here is a link to an article strongly critical of J Street: http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/pollak/48751
Bruce Kadden
Rabbi
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