Podcasts about rabbinical assembly

NeshamaCast host Rabbi Ed Bernstein travels to Israel and interviews Jewish chaplains from Israel and across North America  attending a rabbinic conference in Israel.  Chaplains interviewed in this episode are, in order of appearance:  Rabbi Mary Brett Koplen, BCC, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New YorkRabbi Barbara Speyer, BCC, VA Medical Center, Los AngelesMoti Halperin, Chaplain Resident, Ichilov Hospital, Tel Aviv,  Kashouvot: The Center for Spiritual Care in Israel Rabbi Beth Naditch, BCC, ACPE, Hebrew Senior Life, BostonRabbi Naomi Kalish, PhD, BCC, ACPE, Jewish Theological Seminary, New YorkRabbi Yonatan Rudnick, Community Chaplain, Jewish Family Services, Kansas CityRabbi Miriam Berkowitz, BCC, Congregation Kol Haneshamah, Jerusalem, Co-founder of Kashouvot. During the interview with Moti Halperin, listeners can occasionally hear the voice of Rabbi Ilana Garber, Director of Global Rabbinic Development of the Rabbinical Assembly. She and Rabbi Bernstein were matched with Moti for a tour of Ichilov Hospital. Special acknowledgment to Rabbi Valerie Stessin, BCC, Director of Kashouvot and Rabbi Mira Rivera, BCC, JCC of Harlem. Rabbi Stessin planned the chaplain programming for the RA Convention, and Rabbi Rivera was a participant. See NeshamaCast feed for their full interviews with NeshamaCast. Rabbi Beth Naditch refers to the terror attack of February 25, 1996 in which JTS rabbinical student Matthew Eisenfeld and his girlfriend Sara Duker were murdered in a suicide bombing of the Number 18 Bus in Jerusalem. See the book edited by Rabbi Edward Bernstein: Love Finer Than Wine: The Writings of Matthew Eisenfeld and Sara Duker.The Nova Exhibition that is touring the US, is currently in Miami. More information here. This video discusses the agriculture crisis in the Gaza Envelope post-October 7 and the efforts of local kibbutzim to restore agriculture. Oren Barnea, who is featured in the video, spoke to the rabbinic group in December that included Rabbi Ed Bernstein and Rabbi Miriam Berkowitz.  About our host:Rabbi Edward Bernstein, BCC, is the producer and host of NeshamaCast. He serves as Chaplain at Boca Raton Regional Hospital of Baptist Health South Florida. He is a member of the Board of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. Prior to his chaplain career, he served as a pulpit rabbi in congregations in New Rochelle, NY; Beachwood, OH; and Boynton Beach, FL. He is also the host and producer of My Teacher Podcast: A Celebration of the People Who Shape Our Lives. NeshamaCast contributor Rabbi Katja Vehlow was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary and is Director of Jewish Life at Fordham University. She trained as a chaplain at Moses Maimonides Medical Center in New York. Previously, she served as Associate Professor of Religious Studies at University of South Carolina. A native German speaker, she is planning a forthcoming German-language podcast on the weekly Torah portion with a focus on pastoral care. Support NeshamaCast and NAJC with a tax deductible donation to NAJC. Transcripts for this episode and other episodes of NeshamaCast are available at NeshamaCast.simplecast.com and are typically posted one week after an episode first airs. Theme Music is “A Niggun For Ki Anu Amecha,” written and performed by Reb-Cantor Lisa Levine. Please help others find the show by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts or other podcast providers. We welcome comments and suggestions for future programming at NeshamaCast@gmail.com. And be sure to follow NAJC on Facebook to learn more about Jewish spiritual care happening in our communities.

Parashat Va-yishlach [Genesis 32:4–36:43] features the actions Jacob takes in preparation for his meeting with Esau after 20 years, the mysterious wrestling match with the מלאך [malakh, understood as a divine messenger or a human messenger], the actual meeting, the ravishing of Dinah [as Nahum Sarna entitles the episode], a theophany at Beth El, and the genealogy of Esau. It represents the concluding chapter for Isaac and Esau, as well as Deborah, the nurse of Rebecca, and Rachel, who dies shortly after giving birth to Benjamin, as he is renamed by his father. It was just Eliot and me this week. Jeremy is in Israel for the Rabbinical Assembly convention this week, but was under the weather, and thus unable to join us. We wish him a refu'ah sh'lemah, a speedy recovery, and look forward to next week when we hope that Jeremy is at full strength, as are we! Our conversation focused on the opening chapter of the parashah, as we sought out the meaning in Jacob's preparation, and struggled to understand the significance of Jacob's nocturnal encounter. We hope you enjoy it! We continue to be mindful of the hostages, may they be returned speedily to their families, and the soldiers defending Israel as members of the Israel Defense Forces, may they be removed from harm's way. Shabbat Shalom.

Yom Kippur is notorious for the strenuous difficult key feature task of fasting for 25 hours. Beyond just getting the rumbles in your tummy, starving for prolonged periods of time with no water leads to headaches, fatigue, and a lack of ability to focus. So how could it possible do any good for a time when we must reflect and pray? Rabbi Ari Averbach is no stranger to the importance of this act. Whether it's the high holidays or another fasting day, Rabbi Averbach brings attention to the deeper meaning of this holy ritual. Chaz Volk, host of Bad Jew, learns from Ari, who now heads the synagogue that Chaz grew up in. Learn from Rabbi Ari Averbach and Chaz Volk in order to add more depth to your high holidays.  00:00 Introduction 04:13 Blending storytelling, Torah, and life's pivotal moments 07:52 Understanding Yom Kippur's significance and practices discussed 12:18 Modern Judaism evolved beyond original Torah teachings 14:51 Yom Kippur fasting questioned for focus validity 17:08 Deciding between comfort and traditional discomfort 22:14 Yom Kippur questions identity in face of death 25:01 Purim and Yom Kippur: Reflection, celebration, identity 28:18 Facing death daily, alleviated by prayer reflections 30:34 Stoicism and reflection: growth through difficult situations 34:41 Conclusion About Rabbi Ari Averbach: Rabbi Ari Averbach has served as Senior Rabbi at Temple Etz Chaim since July 2019.  Rabbi Averbach grew up in Agoura Hills, a student of the public schools and Los Angeles Hebrew High School. He graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, spending several years working in film and television. His volunteering, especially with Jewish World Watch, a non-profit organization fighting genocide in Darfur and Congo, changed his career path. Through this work, he was a guest lecturer at dozens of synagogues, churches, schools and summer camps around Southern California. Rabbi Averbach was ordained at AJU's Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles, where he was presented the Chancellor's Award for Academic Excellence and was honored to be elected the class speaker. During school, he earned certification in chaplaincy at Children's Hospital, and served as the rabbinic intern at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino. Rabbi Averbach previously served as Assistant Rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook, Illinois, and volunteered as a chaplain at local hospitals. He was the founding leader of the Rabbinical Assembly affinity group for Assistant Rabbis and served as Treasurer of the local RA chapter. He was featured on CBS News, quoted in the New York Times, and was a contributor to Says You. As a family, Ari, his wife Vanessa, a high school English teacher, and their three children, spend free time going for long walks, doing crossword puzzles and riding bikes. Connect with Rabbi Ari Averbach: www.TempleEtzChaim.org Connect with Bad Jew:  BadJew.co https://linktr.ee/badjew BadJewPod@gmail.com Ig @BadJewPod TikTok @BadJewPod

This series is sponsored by Joel and Lynn Mael in memory of Estelle and Nysen Mael.In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rabbi Adam J. Raskin—a  Conservative rabbi in Maryland—and Mia Raskin, his Orthodox daughter. In discussing the ideological and sociological realities of Jewish denominations, we often lose sight of their real-world manifestation in Jewish life. By hearing how a real family navigates denominational differences, we might, in fact, learn a lesson or two about Jewish unity. In this episode we discuss:What does a Conservative rabbi think about the practice of his less observant congregants? How did Mia deal with religious observance as a Division I basketball player?How do the apparent barriers between Jewish groups play out when we interact in the world?Tune in to hear a conversation about how we might think more deeply than the labels of “secular,” “frum,” “baal teshuva,” and the like.Interview begins at 6:58.Rabbi Adam J. Raskin is the rabbi and spiritual leader of Congregation Har Shalom in Potomac, Maryland. Adam is a member of the Executive Council of the Rabbinical Assembly, the international organization of Conservative Rabbis, and is a founder of the Potomac-Area Interfaith Communities. Mia Raskin is a program director and Marketing Analyst for Athletes for Israel, a graduate of Binghamton University, where she played college basketball while keeping Shabbos.References:God in Search of Man by Abraham Joshua HeschelThe Sabbath by Abraham Joshua HeschelBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz served as the spiritual leader of Congregation B'nai Israel of Tustin, CA, for over 33 years and as a member of the Rabbinical Assembly's Committee of Jewish Law and Standards for 20 years. He has taught courses at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at Chapman University. Tuesday, June 11 7:00 – 9:00 pm Kohn Chapel

Today's disagreement is about the relationship between Israel and American Jews. To have this conversation, we've brought together two prominent American Rabbis with two very different perspectives on the current conflict. The GuestsRabbi Stuart Weinblatt founded Congregation B'Nai Tzedek in Potomac, Maryland in 1988 and is the Senior Rabbi there. He is the Chair of the Zionist Rabbinic Coalition and has previously served as the President of the Rabbinic Cabinet of the Jewish Federations of North America, and the Director of Israel Policy and Advocacy at the Rabbinical Assembly. Rabbi Matthew Soffer is the Senior Rabbi at Judea Reform Congregation in Durham, North Carolina. Previously, Rabbi Soffer served at Temple Israel in Boston, where he led the nationally influential Riverway Project and Ohel Tzedek, the synagogue's social justice wing. Today we ask a wide range of questions relating to the war in Gaza and Zionism more broadly: Is the war in Gaza a just war? How does one balance the particularism of Jewish peoplehood with the universalism of Jewish teaching?How should advocates of Israel be publicly speaking about Palestinian suffering? Can Israel defeat Hamas? If so, at what cost?Two quick notes:This is the first of what will hopefully be many conversations on Israel/Palestine and the broader conflict. Our goal is to give voice to a wide variety of stakeholders and perspectives.Disagreements are live and feral and unpredictable. In my conversation with the Rabbis, there are times where I cross over into being more of a participant than a host. This happened organically. It's not our core model. But it's honest and real. And it's representative of many of the conversations that are taking place right now. Show NotesGeneral atmosphere in Israel [05:09]Feelings of moral confusion vs moral clarity [06:44]What is the cost of defeating Hamas? [08:35]Jewish ultra-nationalists in Israeli government [15:41]Acknowledging the suffering of Palestinians [21:54]What does “defeating Hamas” mean? [28:42]Ratio of civilian to combatant deaths [30:42]Jewish concept of tikkun olam [32:43]Do American Jews need Israel? [40:32]Netanyahu's impact on Jewish peoplehood [42:46]Does Israel fill a spiritual vacuum for American Jews [46:16]Anti-Zionist Jews [51:44]Steelmanning [53:20] If you have any recommendations for other guests on the topic of Israel/Palestine/Gaza (or any recommendations for any other topics/guests) please reach out to producer Greg Woodward at greg@thedisagreement.com.

Ever wonder how the Conservative movement came to allow driving to Synagogue on Shabbat? Or whether it feels differently about driving electric cars on Shabbat? Or how it was decided that a livestreamed minyan was OK during the COVID-19 pandemic?This week Rabbi Pont talks to Rabbi David Fine of Ridgewood, New Jersey who sits on the Halacha Committee for the Rabbinical Assembly and has been a part of many of the recent decisions that shape our movement. Don't miss this fascinating conversation about the intricate process for deciding was is and is not acceptable in the ever-changing world of Conservative Judaism.

In the Conservative Jewish world, few Rabbis have their fingers on pulse like Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal. Rabbi Blumenthal serves concurrently as the CEO of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Rabbinical Assembly through a strategic alignment between the two organizations. This week, Rabbis Pont and Blumenthal have a wide ranging organization on everything from the laws that govern conservative Judaism, interfaith marriage, the war in Israel and much more. Most importantly, they share their vision for the bright future of the movement that both of them have helped lead in their communities.

Join Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz recorded on Clubhouse. We explore Martin Luthur King Jr.'s iconic “I have a Dream” speech along with an interview he gave at the Convention of the Rabbinical Assembly for Conservative Judaism, a year after the 6 Day War and 10 days before he was assassinated. We will showcase King's identification with a prophetic tradition which saw the universality of the Exodus story without diminishing its unique message for the Children of Israel. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/536664 Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2024/01/11/mlk-and-exodus/ 

Rabbi Dina Rosenberg discusses lying and deception in the Joseph story. Rabbi Rosenberg is the Senior Rabbi at CSI. She was ordained at The Jewish Theological Seminary in 2011 and previously served Conservative congregations in Mississippi, Brooklyn-New York, Maryland, and New Jersey. She has served as the secretary of the Interfaith Clergy Association in Freehold, New Jersey and currently serves on the Racial Justice Committee for the Rabbinical Assembly.

Elie Kaplan Spitz is an author, rabbi, attorney, meditation teacher, and popular lecturer. He served as the spiritual leader of Congregation B'nai Israel of Tustin, CA for over 33 years and as a member of the Rabbinical Assembly's Committee of Jewish Law and Standards for twenty years. He has published four books: Does the Soul Survive? Jewish Views of the Afterlife, Past Lives, and Living with Purpose (2000, 2015); Healing from Despair: Choosing Wholeness in a Broken World (2008), and Increasing Wholeness: Jewish Wisdom and Guided Meditations to Strengthen and Calm Body, Heart, Mind and Spirit (2015), and Duets on Psalms: Drawing New Meanings from Ancient Words (2023). more: getthefunkoutshow.kuci.org

A 26-year old named Ilya Sosansky was the seventh victim of the terrorist attack in Jerusalem on January 27 in Jerusalem's Neve Yaakov neighborhood. Ilya Sosansky was a graduate of AMIT Technology High School. AMIT sent out an email describing the indescribable loss of this young man. Ilya Sosansky was a beloved, popular DJ. His friends described him as a young man filled with a joy for life, who could cheer up anyone. Adi Yona referred to Ilya as, “A charm, a walking smile, a good soul who only did good.” At the end of AMIT's email are three Hebrew words: “Hashem Yikom Damo,” meaning, may God take revenge for his blood. How do we think about praying for revenge? It is a complicated question with sources on both sides. On the one hand, there is a famous prayer for bloody revenge during the Shabbat Musaf service Av Harachamim that is in traditional Orthodox siddurim that channels the vengeful, bloody energy of Psalm 137 (“By the rivers of Babylon, there we say…and wept”), which climaxes by invoking a blessing “on him who seizes Babylonian babies (Babylon destroyed the first Temple) and dashes them against the rocks!” These prayers for vengeance are wholly absent from our siddur, where in the same spot in the Shabbat morning service we offer a Prayer for Peace and a Prayer for the Renewal of Creation. On the other hand, whether we know it or not, we actually do pray for revenge three times a day, in the malshinim prayer of the thrice-daily Amidah which is deliberately mistranslated by the Rabbinical Assembly siddur in order to take out the offensive edge. Famously the Jewish people have been debating for thousands of years whether, at our Passover seders, when we reduce our cup of wine by ten droplets for the ten plagues, those are tears of joy (our enslavers got the punishment they deserved), or are tears of sadness (the Egyptians are also human beings made by God, and they also suffered). The ambivalence of this seder ritual carries forward to today. Do we pray for revenge of the terrorists who murdered Ilya Sosansky, just desserts for those who spilled innocent blood? Or do we channel the wisdom of the famous Beruriah in the Talmud, tractate Berakhot, interpreting Psalm 104, that we want sin to disappear not by the sinners dying, but by the sinners changing their ways so that they are no longer sinners? Sadly, this issue is not going away. It recurs. Just this week a 17-year old Jewish man, and a 20-year old Jewish man, were stabbed in Jerusalem. The news source reporting the story concluded: “The terrorists, 14 and 13 years of age respectively, hailed from eastern Jerusalem.”

Rabbi Jan Uhrbach is founding director of the Block / Kolker Center for Spiritual Arts. She brings a passion for prayer to the JTS community. Through her work as director of the Block / Kolker Center for Spiritual Arts, she has developed and overseen programs and discussions, as well as prayer services on Shabbat and festivals, for the JTS community and the general public.In addition to her role at JTS, Rabbi Uhrbach serves as the founding rabbi of the Conservative Synagogue of the Hamptons in Bridgehampton, Long Island, enabling her to mentor many of JTS's rabbinical and cantorial students in a congregational setting. She has played a key role in the acclaimed Lev Shalem prayer book series as associate editor of Siddur Lev Shalem, the Shabbat and festival siddur published by the Rabbinical Assembly in 2016. She also served on the editorial committee for Machzor Lev Shalem.

How do we think and talk about Israel now as its new government (In Israel, a Hard-Right Agenda Gains Steam. Patrick Kingsley, NY Times, 1/11/23) takes power? Here are five options. Do not think and talk about Israel. It is too upsetting. It is too much. We have our hands full. There are synagogues and rabbis who do not talk about Israel because it is too divisive. Protest and/or boycott members of the governing coalition whose words and policies are anti-democratic and anti-pluralistic. More than 330 American rabbis signed a letter doing just that. Improve your Hebrew so that you can follow contemporary Israeli discourse in Hebrew. As Danny Gordis points out, there is far more nuance, complexity, and movement within Israel than is reported in English newspapers, and we should have humility before giving up on an eternal homeland whose language we do not speak and read fluently. Words matter. Sound the alarm, eschew complacency, for the many red lines that violent words from newly empowered Israeli officials cross. And yet, as Yossi Klein Halevi notes in this thoughtful piece in reflecting on his 40 years in Israel, making Aliyah during the nadir of 1982, one can believe in Israel's capacity to renew and heal. Be always supportive of Israel our eternal homeland, and sharply and loudly critical of this Israeli government when it pursues policies that are antithetical to our values. This week's statement of the Rabbinical Assembly attempts to walk that line. The RA attempts to be humble and convicted at the same time: ----Despite our ongoing and unconditional strong support for the State of Israel, the rhetoric and initial proposals coming from this new government are of concern due to the unusual and extraordinary potential to weaken democracy and religious pluralism. Our need to publicly oppose Israeli government policies in ways that are unprecedented is of concern to us and is not a step we embrace easily. We will be in close consultation with our partners and members. What is your voice on Israel now? That is a complicated question, and it requires a nuanced conversation.

Join us for an energized and inspiring conversation with Rabbi Eric Solomon! His passion is palpable as we discuss dual narratives, multiple perspectives, and navigating turbulent contexts. This episode is full of teachings about the power of differing world views, and the progress we can make with respectful engagement across communities. Rabbi Solomon is a proud Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Maryland. He has spent years of rabbinical school studying in Jerusalem and New York City. Among his many awards after ordination, in 2005, Rabbi Solomon gained entry into the Rabbinical Assembly and arrived in Raleigh to serve Beth Meyer Synagogue. Rabbi Solomon wears many hats in his community including: the founding co-chair of the North Carolina Jewish Clergy Association, member of the City of Raleigh Human Relations Commission and Interfaith I-CARE Team of the Raleigh Police Department, and Senior Rabbinic Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. Previously, he served as the co-chair of Truah: The Rabbinical Call for Human Rights. Rabbi Solomon loves playing tennis and is an avid runner. He is married to Rabbi Dr. Jennifer Solomon, and they have three children.Rabbi Solomon is a 2022 Leadership Triangle Goodmon Fellow. He is a graduate of the Regional Program. 

Rabbi Everett Gendler (August 8, 1928 - April 1, 2022) was an American rabbi, known for his involvement in progressive causes, including the civil rights movement. He has also been widely referred to as the founder of the Jewish environmental movement. About ten years ago at the Rabbinical Assembly Convention in Atlanta, he recorded a conversation with Rabbi Ed Bernstein on Jewish environmentalism. At the time Rabbi Bernstein was Spiritual Leader of Temple Torah, now Temple Torat Emet, of Boynton Beach, FL. Rabbi Bernstein was experimenting with podcasting and recorded interviews with various thought leaders that were then published on Temple Torah's podcast. That feed is no longer online. Rabbi Bernstein's interview with Rabbi Gendler from that series is presented here. A transcript of Dr. King's public dialogue at the RA Convention with Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Rabbi Everett Gendler was published in Conservative Judaism Journal, 22:3, 1968, pp. 1-19. This was one of Dr. King's final major public appearances prior to his assassination ten days later on April 4.

At the same time as the Torah turns its pages to describe the creation and pattern of the Temple, with men, women, and children mixed together, and the haftarah describes the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem as the same, the Israeli government reneges on the Kotel Agreement to provide a separate space for mixed gender worship near the Wailing Wall, even while turning over the Wall officially to ultra extremist fundamentalist Jews who claim that the inclusion of women --or women leading prayer in the women's section-- is a fundamental affront to the original pattern (which is a lie).  In this presentation, I quote extensively from three sources:  the Haaretz article from 2020 called "What Yuval Noah Harari Thinks About Women's Fight for Equal Rights at the Western Wall," David Golinkin's 2011 article "Is the Entire Kotel Plaza Really a Synagogue?" and Rabbinical Assembly's 2022 "Statement on Non-Implementation of Kotel Agreement."

The John A. Widtsoe Foundation is deeply committed to elevating dialogue between members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other religious communities. This year's Church-wide study of the Old Testament presents a unique opportunity for members to better understand and learn from our Jewish neighbors, who have engaged with these scriptures for thousands of years. Each month, Widtsoe Foundation Director Dr. Jacob Rennaker will host a live online conversation and Q&A with a leader or scholar from the Jewish community about an upcoming topic from the Church's Come, Follow Me curriculum. This series will serve to educate Latter-day Saints about the rich history of Jewish scriptural interpretation and application, while at the same time modeling meaningful interfaith conversations and empowering Latter-day Saints to do the same in their own communities. These events will be made available on The Widtsoe Foundation YouTube Channel and podcast soon after the live event. For this live conversation and Q&A, we talked about the story of Joseph in Egypt (Genesis 42-55) from a Jewish perspective with special guest Rabbi Annie Tucker. Rabbi Tucker is the Senior Rabbi at Temple Israel Center in White Plains, New York, having previously served congregations in both suburban Chicago and Princeton, NJ. A Wexner Graduate Fellow, she did her undergraduate work at the University of Pennsylvania and then earned a master's degree in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, continuing on in the Seminary's rabbinical program where she was ordained in 2006 with a concentration in Pastoral Counseling. Rabbi Tucker is the incoming Secretary of the Rabbinical Assembly where she also chairs their Joint Placement Commission. One of the highlights of her work is teaching Bible BaBoker (Morning Bible), a Shabbat morning class on the weekly Torah portion.

The JTS Commentary for Yitro by Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, Chief Executive, USCJ and the Rabbinical Assembly, JTS Alumnus (RS '99)Music provided by JJReinhold / Pond5.

Parshat Noach - Join Geoffrey Stern, Rabbi Adam Mintz and Pastor Dumisani Washington of IBSI - Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel and Christians United For Israel for a live recording of a discussion on Clubhouse Friday October 8th with the Pastor regarding his book Zionism and the Black Church: Why Standing with Israel Will Be a Defining Issue for Christians of Color in the 21st Century. We follow a less traveled path down Noah's family tree. We discover the Biblical Mission of Africa and the bond between the Children of Shem and the Children of Ham. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/352058  Transcript: Geoffrey Stern  00:00 [To Reverend Dumisani Washington] Thank you so much for being with us. On on our clubhouse when you come up to the platform, we say first of all that you're coming up to the bimah [the podium or platform in a synagogue from which the Torah and Prophets are read from]. And then second of all, when we make you a presenter, we give you smicha... So that means that you are ordinated. So instead of Reverend, we'll call you Reb. Is that okay? Dumisani Washington  00:20 That sounds good to me. Sounds good, no problem. Geoffrey Stern  00:23 So anyway, welcome to Madlik. Madlik is every week at four o'clock, and we do record it and post it as a podcast on Sunday. And if you listen to it, and you'd like what you hear, feel free to share it and give us a few stars. And what we do is disruptive Torah. And what we mean by disruptive Torah is we look at the ancient text of the Torah, with maybe a new lens, or to see a new angle. And today, I'm delighted to say that we're not only looking at it through a new lens, but we're looking at it through another lens, a lens of a pastor, of a man of God, who we will learn about his mission. I heard about it on clubhouse one evening, I was scrolling, and I stumbled upon you Reverend, and you're on a mission and you see Judaism and you see Zionism from a whole new perspective. So I want to thank you for coming on. And I want to say that, as I told you, in my email that I sent you that you know, every week about Saturday on Shabbat, on Sunday, I start thinking about what I'm going to pick as a subject matter for the coming Madlik session. And I purchased your book maybe two months ago, and it was sitting by the side of my bed, and for some reason, and of course, I'm sure there are no coincidences in this world. I picked it up this Shabbat. And it starts with our portion of Noah, it starts by talking about the line less traveled by us Jews of Shem's son Ham. And I should say that nothing is written for no reason in the Bible. And when it gives you a genealogy, it's because of what comes in the future. And many of us Jews will look at the genealogy in Genesis 10. And focus on Shem... with Semites. And that's where the name comes from. And we go down that path, and your book starts. And of course, I should say that your book is called "Zionism and the Black Church, Why Standing with Israel will be a Defining issue for Christians of color in the 21st Century". And it begins by traveling down this path less taken, of Ham. Welcome to Madlik.  But if you could begin by touching upon our portion of the week, no off and and and discussing what you see in it, and maybe your mission. Dumisani Washington  03:06 Absolutely. And thank you, again, Rabbi for having me on. Yes, there are six chapters in "Zionism in the Black Church". And the first chapter is entitled The African Biblical Tie to Israel. And so we as I say, in the book started the beginning, right, we start at the beginning of the Scriptures, and so as you know, between the two portions of "Bereshi"  I believe whether the towards the end is when Noah was first introduced, but of course in "Noach" there's the explanation of the nations where all the nations of the earth come from, from Noah's three sons Shem, Ham, and Jafet. And so we recognize that in the Scriptures, it is said that Ham has four sons. And there's a couple of unique things as you know, you read the book, that the scriptures that in the law of Moses deals, Psalms and some of the prophets, there's a term that's given several times in the scripture about Ham's descendants harms the sentence differently, then either Jafet or Shem.  The land of Ham is actually something that's in the scriptures. And I don't know what that Hebrew word is ... "Aretz Ham" ... I never looked at that part of it, Rabbi but it talks about that, which is really interesting because there's not, to my knowledge, and I've kind of looked at for a little while, a similar rendering like the Land of Japhet or Land of Shem. Right? We're obviously the genealogy is there, right? But there's not the same thing that deals with the land and the peoples .... interesting and we've come to know that of the four sides of Hem, which are in order Kush, which you know, is where obviously the Hebrew for later on Ethiopia I believe is a Greek word, but from that region Mitzrayim, which is Egypt. Fut or Put which is Libya, and then Canaan, which is Canaan, right? So those four sons who come from him. But interestingly in the scriptures when it says land of Ham, it almost exclusively refers to Egypt and Ethiopia, what we would call today, Africa, right? This region. And again, you're talking about an antiquity these regions were much broader in size. And they are today if you look at the map today, you see Egypt as a small state and go down to the south, west, south east, and you'll see Ethiopia then you see Yemen, you see Kenya, well, obviously all those states weren't there that happened much later in modernity is particularly after the colonial period where those nations were carved up by a few states in Europe, and they were given certain names everything right, but these were regions in the Bible. And so Kush, the land of Kush, and the land of Mitzrayim, they're actually dealt with many, many times. Right? After the words obviously "Israel" and "Jerusalem". You have the word Ethiopia, I believe one of the Ethiopian scholar says some 54 times or something like that the word Ethiopia actually comes up in the Bible, obviously not as many times as Israel or Jerusalem but more than virtually any other nation other than Egypt. Right? So Egypt obviously that we know too. Africa plays a huge role in Israel's story right? The 430 years in slavery is in Africa, right? The Torah was received at Sinai: Africa. All these things happen in Africa. At some point God tells Jeremiah during the time of the impending doom, the exile that will happen at the hand of of Nebuchadnezzar and God says to to the Israelites to the Judeans, and "don't run down into Egypt, Egypt won't be able to save you." Why does he say that? Well, because historically the Israelites would go to Egypt when it until it got safer, right? For those Christians who may be on the call, you'll know that in the New Testament, Jesus, his parents take him down into Egypt because Herod's gonna kill him. Right? So there's this ongoing relationship between Ham and Shem, that's very intertwined. Moses, his wife, or his second wife, depending on how you interpret it....  Some of the sages. She's Ethiopian, right? She's kushite. So you have this interchangeable thing all the time, throughout the scriptures, but actually starts with the genealogy. And I'll say just one last thing, rabbis ..... we're opening up. This is also unfortunately, as I mentioned, the book as you know, the misnomer of the quote unquote, "Curse of Ham", as we know in the text, Ham is never cursed for what happens with Noah it is Canaan that is cursed. And he actually says, a curse that Canaan become a servant of servants shall he be, even though it was Ham who however you interpreted.... I've heard many different interpretations of "uncovered the nakedness he saw his father, naked," but somehow, for whatever reason, Noah cursed Canaan, not Ham.  Who is Canaan...  is one of him so's, his fourth son, as we know those who are listening, you may know that it is The Curse of Ham, quote, unquote, that has been used sadly, unfortunately, among many other things as a justification of the slavery of Africans. Right? That somehow, Africans are quote, unquote, "Cursed of Ham", therefore, the transatlantic slave trade, the trans Saharan slave trade, those things are somehow...  God prescribed these things in the Bible, the curse was making him black. That's why he's like all those things that are nowhere in the text whatsoever, right? skin color is not in the text. slavery as a descendant of Ham. None of those things are in the text. What's in the text? Is that Canaan is cursed for that? And so we start there, Rabbi, and from there trying to walk out this whole Israel Africa thing. Adam Mintz  08:47 First of all WOW... thank you so much. I just want to clarify in terms of color, I think that's a very interesting thing. It's very possible that in the biblical period, everybody was dark. Dumisani Washington  09:00 Yes, sir. I mentioned that in the book as well. But yes, sir. Yes, yeah. All right. Sorry, Adam Mintz  09:04 I didn't see that in your book. But that's important, you know, because a lot of people are caught up in this color thing. Did you know that there's a distinction, we don't know it for sure but it makes sense that everybody was dark in those periods. So that the difference in color was not significant. So when, when Moses marries goes to Ethiopia, maybe is king of Ethiopia, and marries an Ethiopian. And the idea is that he marries a foreigner. The fact that she's darker may or may not have been true.   Dumisani Washington  09:39 Yes, absolutely. No, thank you Rabbi. And I do touch on that, as well. We say in the terms in this modern term, even in my book, I use the term Christians of color and I don't usually use those terms just in when I'm speaking. I did it that way in the title so that it would be presented in a way that is going to deal with some provocative things but hopefully the people that they read it they'll see what I mean by that and if you're talking about the Israelite people, the Hebrew people they are what I call an afro Asiatic people. Israel is still at that at the point of where those two continents meet right Southwest Asia northeast Africa is landlocked with Egypt I tell people God opened up the Red Sea because he wanted to right ... He's big and bad and he can do what he wants to do but you can literally; I wouldn't recommend it obviously, but you could literally walk from Egypt to Israel and you always have been able to for 1000s of years that has always been the case and so you have a people that in terms of skin tone or whatever... Yes, absolutely, they would be what we would call today quote unquote people of color right and so unfortunately particularly in our country we all know race and colorism is such a huge topic and it's often so divisive and it's used in so many different ways and we know much of that goes back to whether slavery, Jim Crow, people being assigned work obviously based on how dark or light they are all of those things but the problem as you all know is that those things aren't in the Bible right? There's no God likes this person doesn't like this person, this person's dark this person's like, that type of thing. But again, that's what men do, we are fallen creatures, we read what we want to read into the text, and then we use it unfortunately, in a way that's not helpful. Let me just say and pause here, I can tell you that as a Christian pastor, over the years of my just delving into what we often call the Jewish roots of our faith, by studying Torah with rabbis and with other Jewish scholars, my faith has been more important to me than ever in that it helps me understand even more so right, what is the Hebrew in this word here? What do the sages say about that, that's been a fascinating journey for me, over the last 30 some odd years since I've been doing this particular work. Geoffrey Stern  11:58 So I just want to jump in, you said so many things. But there is in this verse that we are reading today, the word "ashkenaz", he was one of the children of of Shem, and you quote, an Ethiopian Rabbi named Ephraim Isaac, and this is a sample of some of the humor in your book or the sense of discovery. And somebody said to him, You don't look Jewish. And he said:, "Ethiopia is mentioned the Bible over 50 times, but Poland not once." And I feel like that was, that was a great line. And what it really talks to is our preconceptions, and your book, and your vision, and your mission breaks preconceptions of what it is to be a Jew, what the mission of a Jew is, but most importantly, what the relationship is between the Jewish people and the African people. And one of the things that you touched upon was the sense of Mitzraim and Kush , and in your book, you really talk about how many times they're interchangeable, because really, it is the same area and those of us who think about Mitzrayim, or Egypt, we focus on the Exodus story, we focus on the pharaoh story. But as you mentioned, the prophets later on, we're having to talk to the Jews about not going back, because ultimately, the experience in Egypt was always favorable, it was our neighbor, and it was our place of refuge. Abraham goes down there with Sarah twice, Jacob sends his kids down there during a time of famine. The relationship and the reference to a Ham and to Mitzrayim  and to Kush is a very positive one. And yes, it does say in our week's parsha of all of the children, it says, "b'artzetam v'goyehem" , that they have a special language, and they have a family and they have a land. So the fact that we are neighbors is so important in the biblical context. So I said if we were going to walk down this wonderful path, and I would love for a second to talk about your mission about reuniting our two peoples and some of the challenges that you have. Clearly you don't speak to groups like us very much, although I think that I'm going to have an opportunity later to say that I think you should, because there's so much that we can learn. But what is your mission? How did you discover it? And what are your challenges? Dumisani Washington  14:40 Well, I'll do it concise, just because I don't want to take up too much time to firstly touch as much as we can. I am the founder and CEO of an organization called The Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel. I started it in 2013 but for about nearly seven years, I was not as active I started it. I did a lot of touring and a lot of speaking throughout the United States, churches, sometimes synagogues as well. And with this mission, it was a mission that was really placed in my heart. Actually in 2012, my first trip to Israel, I went as a guest of Christians United for Israel, I would come later on to join the staff with CUFA. But I was a guest pastor, I knew some friends who were part of the organization. And the short version of that story was my first tip ever, I'm in Israel, I'm at the Western Wall of the kotel. And I have a very intense experience in which I feel although Africa and Israel were passions of mine already, but the fusing of those two things together and a real work in which we continue to strengthen the alliance between Israel and Africa. And then obviously, in the States in the black and Jewish community. And there and finished the first edition of the book now, what you have there Rabbi is the second edition. And we started this organization for that very purpose to do both of those things continue to strengthen the black Jewish relationship, and also the Israel Africa Alliance. And so the challenges have been probably more than any other thing disinformation, right? There's a lot of false information that's there, when it comes to those things that would seek to divide and separate when you're talking about whether Africa Israel, now we're talking about the modern state of Israel, obviously, the rebirth of Israel in 1948. Israel's close ties with African nations throughout the continent, starting especially with Golda Meir, the foreign minister, all the way up into the 70s, where you have, as I mentioned in the book, Israel has more embassies throughout Africa than any other nation other than the United States, African economy, some of them are thriving, a great deal. You have a lot of synergy between the African nations and Israel. And after the Yom Kippur War in 1973, like never before Israel's enemies target that relationship between Israel and its African neighbors for different reasons. One of those is voting in the United Nations, right? And that became very much of a challenge. So one of the greatest challenges is, is information. What we share in the book and when we do our organization, we teach what we call an organization "Authentic History” is really simply telling what happened, how did something [happen]. Whether we're talking about biblically, whether we're discussing the parsha or we're talking about historically, right? We're talking about what the relationship was, and is. Why those connections there? And I'll just give one quick example if you're talking about black Jewish synergy in the United States, not just Dr. King's relationship with Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel in the civil rights community, not that it happened, right? But why, what was that synergy about? Right? So we've delve into that. We share from the documents from the Rabbinical Assembly; Dr. King's most famous words regarding Israel that were recorded 10 days before he was killed, right, why? And as a pastor, what we call a prophetic moment. Why 10 days before he's taken from us, is he telling the black community in the world to stand with Israel with all of our mind and protect its right to exist? Why is he saying these things? What's so important about it. And even the generation before? Why was it a black and Jewish man who changed the trajectory of this nation, Booker T. Washington, and Julius Rosenwald; millions of now first and second generation, slave; free slaves, right? but who had no access to education, not in a broader sense, and why that synergy saw some 5400 Rosenwald schools built throughout the segregated south. We touch on those historical points, and we delve into why that black Jewish synergy has been so powerful for so many people for so long. So that is our mission to strengthen those ties, because we believe that there's a great future ahead. Geoffrey Stern  19:05 You did such amazing research. I mean, I can tell you I never knew that Herzl said about Africa, "that once I have witnessed the redemption of Israel, my people, I wish to assist in the redemption of the Africans." And that is taking a small quote out of a full paragraph where the histories of the two people are so similar. I mean, it comes to us as a pleasant surprise, these synergies but it shouldn't because both our peoples have really traversed and continue to reverse the same pathway. And you quote Marcus Garvey and even Malcolm X and William Dubois. Malcolm X says "Pan Africanism will do for the people of African descent all over the world, the same that Zionism has done for Jews. All over the world." there was a sincere admiration for this miracle of a people returning to its land, we were talking before you came on about this whole kind of image of an ark. And it reminds you of Odesyuss... and it reminds you of all of these stories of man going on this heroic journey to find their their roots to come back, gain, experience and come back to their homeland, to their Aretz.. On the one hand, your job should be very simple. I guess, like any other fights, the closer you are, the bigger the friction can be. And there's nothing bigger than the friction between brothers. But it's such a challenge to address, as you say the misinformation. Dumisani Washington  20:51 Absolutely. And this is, again, why that's our primary goal. And then as part of what our mission is, we have launched here just recently, an initiative called The PEACE initiative. And PEACE is an acronym for Plan for Education, Advocacy, and Community Engagement, and the short version of that, again: We recruit young, black American and African young people from certain cities throughout the United States, a group of them, they go to a 16 week study course having some of the same conversations we're having now, including the modern state of Israel, ancient Israel, the United Nations, all these things that intersect when it comes to the black Jewish relations, then they will travel to Israel for about 10 days, and returned to the cities from where they've been recruited, and be the hub of black Jewish synergy in their communities. We believe with our organization that one of the reasons for the synergy that we've seen in the past, whether it was at the turn of the century with Booker T Washington, and Julius Rosenwald, or the mid part of the century with Dr. King and Rabbi Heschel, right now we are in different challenges, there are challenges that face particularly the more vulnerable black communities. And we see that that synergy could really address so many issues, whether it's education, whether it's jobs, those types of things, they can be really be addressed in a very holistic way. And really harnessing that synergy between the black and the Jewish community. And this is what we are doing. An Israel advocacy that is also rooted in these communities. And it's amazing. We see already rabbis and black pastors are working together all over the country. So that continues to happen. But we want to highlight those things even more and go even further in meeting some of the challenges what we call MC ambassadors will be leading that in different cities across the country. Geoffrey Stern  22:02 That's amazing. I want to come back to this sense of self-discovery and pride. And we always talk about it from our own perspective. So if you're African American, you want to make sure that your children believe that black is beautiful, that they come from an amazing heritage to be proud of who they are. And if you're Jewish, you want the same thing. But it seems to me, and you kind of cage the question in this way, "Why standing with Israel will be a defining issue for Christians of color", when we as Jews can see ourselves in the black community as we did during the civil rights movement that redeems us. And that empowers us. And I think what you're saying, and I don't want to put words into your mouth, but the same thing works in reverse. That in a sense, when the African community can recognize in Israel, its own story. It also can find a part of itself. Is there any truth there? Dumisani Washington  23:50 I believe so Rabbi. I believe that that's exactly as a matter of fact, what we saw was the synergy. So let me use the example and go back to the early 1900s with Booker T. Washington, Julius Rosenwald. The way that story happens, as you may know is that Booker T Washington writes his seminal book "Up From Slavery". Julius Rosenwald, who lives in Chicago at the time, is very active in his community. As a matter of fact, he was active, using his wealth; of those of you who don't know of Sears Roebuck fame, he is the one who took his company to this whole different level, economically and everything. And so with his wealth as a businessman, he's helping the Jews who are being persecuted in Russia. And one of his own testimony, I don't say this part of the book, but I kind of alluded to it, that here he is driving to work from the suburbs to where his factory is where his store is, and he's passing by throngs of black people who've left the South, right? looking for a better life, but they're living in very, very bad conditions, a lot of poverty and everything. And he says to himself, basically, if I'm going to do all of this to help Russian Jews right, way over the other side of the world, and I have this human crisis right here, where I live, I want to be able to do that and his, his Rabbi was Emile Hirsch, one of the founding members of the NAACP. Right? So his Rabbi encourages him. And we see this with our Jewish brothers and sisters all the time, see yourself, do help, do use your wealth, use your ability, right? To help. And so he reads Booker T. Washington's book he's taken with him, they begin to correspond. And Booker T. Washington says, Here's how you can help me I'm trying to build schools for my people who don't have access. And Rabbi to your point. Here is this man, this Jewish man who is very well aware of his history, he knows his People's History of persecution and struggle and triumph, right? Very much sees himself in that black story, and then he uses his ability. It's amazing even what he does; there's a Rosenwald film about Rosenwald schools, I believe his children were the ones who produced it. And they were saying that what he actually did was pretty ingenious, he put up a third of the money, the black community raised a third of the money, and then he challenged the broader white community to partner with them and bring the last third and that is how those Rosenwald Schools began.  Because what he wanted to do, he wanted to see people come together, he wanted to see them all work together. Even though Booker T. Washington passes away only three years into that, right, that venture continues on Julius Rosenwald goes and sits on the board of the Tuskegee college, Tuskegee University, right? There's this long connection that's there. So in that struggle, the black American community, and he connected with this black American leader, the one of the most prominent of the time, Booker T, Washington, and they, like I tell people, changed the world. Like, can we imagine what the United States would have been if you had those millions of now freed slaves, right? with no access, and particularly those who are living in the Jim Crow South, no access whatsoever to education, Would the Harlem Renaissance have become what it become, with the black Wall Street, whether it was in Tulsa, whether in Philadelphia, these things that explode because of the access to education to now these first and second generations of people coming out of slavery, right? So I believe that that's the case and which is why I'll say again, here today, some of those challenges are there, some of the challenges are different than they were, obviously 50, 60, 70, 80 years ago, but we believe in organization that those challenges can be met with that same amazing synergy between the black and the Jewish community. Geoffrey Stern  27:26 A lot of people would argue that the rift or the change of the relationship between the African American community and the Jewish community was when the Jews or Israel stopped being looked at as the David in the Goliath story and we won the Six Day War. And how do you ensure that the facts are told, but also as you climb out of the pit, and as you achieve your goals, you shouldn't be necessarily punished for being successful. Success is not a sin. It's an inspiration. But it seems to me that's one of the challenges that we have, especially in the Jewish community for our next generation of children, who really do see ourselves not as the minority and don't see ourselves anymore mirrored in the African American community. Dumisani Washington  28:25 But one of my favorite things about the Jewish tradition of the Seder, is that you all lean and recline in the Seder today, and you tell your children, when we had the first one, we sat with our sandals on, our staff, in our hand, our belts ....because we were slaves leaving slavery, but now we are no longer. And that whole ethos of telling children, right? There's a strong parallel in the black American community, right? The whole point of going from struggle to a place where you can live in peace or at the very least, you recognize and realize the sacrifice of the people who came before you right? And I won't step into the controversial for lots of different reasons, we'll be able to unpack it, but let me just say this, for the black American experience when you're talking I often teach this in our sermons and other things that arc .... and let me say again, no, people are monolith. Obviously we just kind of put that on the table, all the Jews arent' alike all black Americans aren't alike..... Having said that, there is an overarching story when you talk about black Americans, who, from slavery to Jim Crow, segregation, black codes, all of those types of things to the modern era. And that story cannot accurately be told without talking about God and His people. In other words, when you're talking about the spirituals "Go Down Moses". "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho" and I talked about that in the book, these songs that are rooted in the scriptures, most of the time in, in the Tanakh, our Jewish brothers and sisters' side of the Bible. I mean, sometimes in the New Testament, most of the time, these songs are being sung in hope. And that hope was realized, right? It's not an Negro spiritual song technically, but I put it in that category, part of the greatest one ever. I mean, how it culminates would be "Lift Every Voice and Sing" us a song that today has all these political things connected to it for lots of different unfortunate reasons. But when James Weldon Johnson wrote that song, wrote it as a poem? Those stanzas and anybody listening to this, I want to tell Google that Google Lift Every Voice and Sing"; just read the words. And this was a very powerful, very, very much God and God's love, and our hope and our faith and our trust, and our honoring the people who came before us; all of those things. And he talked about being free. Now, it's written in 1899. Right? You still have questions. I mean, there are no laws against lynching there going on, it's still crushing racism. However, he as a father in the black community is not only acknowledging what God has done, there's amazing things that are happening. One of the economist's that I quote, in my book, Thomas Sol said that the black community after slavery, and less than 50 years after slavery went from 0% literacy to almost 50% literacy, in that half a century, something economic historians say has never happened before. And now you're later on, you're talking about the black Wall Street, you're talking about black oil barons and landowners and factory owners, right? You're talking about this black middle class emerging. There's been no civil rights bill, right? There's been no Pell grants for school. These things don't even exist yet. We're talking about the 19 teens and the 1920s. You're talking about black people who had previously been slaves for hundreds of years. Why am I saying all that we as a people know full well; if we know our history, know full well what it is to come from all of those dire situations into a place of blessing, even though there may be struggles just like our Jewish brothers and sisters. We are convinced an organization that as we know, as a black community, particularly younger people that we are talking with, and teaching, as we know and appreciate our history, not the history that's regurgitated in terms of media and, and for political purposes. But truly our history, there is a great deal to be proud of about that. And to see, as I said in the sermon a couple of months ago, not only does it not a victim narrative, I descended from superheroes, my people went through slavery, Jim Crow, and still build on Wall Street still built the Tuskegee Institute. Still, we're soldiers who fighting for their own freedom in the Civil War. I mean, you're talking on and on and on things that they should have never been able to accomplish. When I consider what they accomplished with not very much help often. I recognize the greatness of the heritage that I come from, then that allows me to see an Israel rise like a phoenix from the ashes and not spurn that but recognize that our Jewish brothers and sisters have gone through millennia of this and Israel then to be celebrated, not denigrated. Adam Mintz  33:12 Thank you. We want to thank you. Your passion, and your insight is really brought a kind of a new insight to our discussion here. We really want to thank you, you know, we at Madlik we start on time and we end on time, Shabbat is about to begin in just a little while. Hopefully we'll be able to invite you back in the future as we continue this conversation. But I know I join Geoffrey and everybody on the call and everybody who's gonna listen to the podcast. Thank you for joining us and for really your insight and your passion. You really leave us with so much to think about as we begin the Shabbat. Dumisani Washington  33:51 Thank you. Thank you for having me. Adam Mintz  33:53 Thank you Geoffrey, Shabbat Shalom, everybody, Geoffrey Stern  33:55 Shabbat Shalom. And Reb Dumisani, you mentioned the songs. There's a whole chapter in your book about Negro spirituals. And as the rabbi said, w are approaching the Shabbat. And as you observe the Sunday we observed Saturday, but you know that the secret of living without a land or being on a difficult mission is that Sabbath, the strength of the Sabbath, and the connection between Noah and the word Menucha which is "rest" is obvious. And there was a great poet named Yehuda halevi. And he wrote a poem about the Yona; the dove that Noah sent out of the ark to see if there was dry land. And he he said that on Shabbat. Yom Shabbaton Eyn L'shkoach, "the day of Shabbat you cannot forget"  Zechru l'reach Hanichoach"  He also uses Reach Nichoach which is a pleasing scent,Yonah Matzah Bominoach, the yonah, the dove found on it rest v'shom ynuchu yegiah koach  and there in the Shabbat , in that ark of rest on that ark of Sunday or Saturday is where we all gain strength. So I wish you continued success in all that you do. And that this Shabbat and this Sunday we all gather the strength to continue our mission. But I really do hope that we get another chance to study Torah together. And I really hope that all of the listeners go out and buy your book, Zionism in the Black Church because it is an absolute thrill. And I understand you're coming out with a new book that's going to talk more about the Jewish people and the various colors and flavors that we come in. Dumisani Washington  35:55 Hopefully to put that out next year sometime. Absolutely. Geoffrey Stern  35:59 Fantastic. Well thank you so much so Shabbat Shalom and we are we are in your debt. Dumisani Washington  36:05 Thank you. Shabbat Shalom and looking forward to bye bye   Music: Lift Every Voice and Sing - Melinda Dulittle https://youtu.be/6Dtk9h1gZOI 

You may not automatically think of faith organizations as advocates for a stronger food system, but boy are they ever? I'm talking today with Rabbi Joel Pitkowsky of Teaneck, New Jersey. Rabbi Pitkowsky, in addition being a rabbi, is a leader and is on the board of directors for MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. This is a national advocacy organization working to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and in Israel. Interview Summary I'd like to just say a little bit about my understanding of the work of MAZON which I greatly admire, and then have you fill in and give us a richer view of this. So I know that the organization has worked towards systemic change to address hunger and the root causes of hunger for nearly 40 years now. And I know that the work has focused especially on low income populations of problems that have been previously overlooked or ignored and that could include food insecurity in military families, veterans, single mothers, Native Americans, LGBTQ, and the seniors. So this is the first podcast in a series that we're doing in partnership with MAZON where we delve into these issues. And let's start off with this question. So what is the Jewish connection to ending hunger? And what values and traditions drive MAZON's mission? We derive our mission all the way back from the beginning of the book of Genesis and from the values that we see as being central to a Jewish view of the world. The Jewish view of the value of each human being and really a vision for what we hope the United States can be. We're a country still in the process of becoming and that idea is really core to what we do. So in Genesis chapter one, we read that as God created human beings. Each human being is created in the image of God, meaning each one of us has a spark of divinity. Each one of us regardless of any particular characteristic about us – not because of our material success, not because of our color or gender, anything, just because we're human - we have infinite value. We believe that idea calls us to justice, calls us to treat all human beings with that notion in mind. And that's where it all begins for us. We continue by thinking about, by drawing upon sources in the Bible, in the Jewish tradition, we read in the Book of Leviticus that we should leave the corners of our fields for those who are hungry, for those who are poor. We read over 30 times in the Bible that we should protect the stranger, the widow, the orphan. Those were terms that were meant to teach us about protecting those who did not have power in society. Those who were powerless. We think about the Jewish idea of tzedakah, which is often translated as charity, but it really is much closer to justice. Meaning in the Jewish scheme of the world, if you don't give your charitable giving - which again the Hebrew term is tzedakah - then it's not that you're being cheap, that you just choose not to give, it's that you're not giving what you have to give. You're obligated to give to help others. All of these ideas taken together shape for us a vision of what human beings owe other human beings. And that's why when MAZON was founded, it was founded as a Jewish response to hunger for all people. We work incredibly hard to shape a world, to create a world where people, again, we focus on the United States and Israel where people in the United States are not hungry because no one deserves to be hungry. That's just not the world we think we should live in. And it's not that there's not enough food, there is plenty of food. It's not being allocated correctly, it's not being given to those who need it. So all of these ideas for us come together with those Jewish values, bringing us forward to a vision of what we think our country could be, what the United States could be, how we could be treating each other. And it all comes down to this idea of the value of each human being and a notion of justice. Thank you for sharing your view of how hunger and food systems and human compassion fit into the spiritual tradition that you outlined. So let's get back to MAZON and talk about its founding in history. So why do you believe a Jewish voice is important in the fight to end hunger? MAZON was founded by Leonard Fein - may his memory be a blessing - in 1985. And from the start, synagogues were encouraging individuals to donate a portion of the cost of their lifecycle celebrations to address hunger. This was sort of a modern interpretation of the ancient Jewish tradition of not having celebrations in your small towns unless everyone was invited. Meaning the poor, the hungry, everyone was supposed to have a seat at the table, literally and figuratively, everyone should be included. So we quickly became more and more involved fighting hunger and communities around the country. And we learned that the only way to truly end hunger was to change the systems and circumstances that allowed it to persist. We have come to identify and pursue long term systemic policy solutions so that all people can feed themselves and their families with dignity. We know only too well that we cannot food bank our way out of the hunger crisis in the United States. It's just not possible. The only entity that has the ability to really put an end to hunger, and to give people the ability to raise themselves out of that situation - because no one wants to be there. The only entity that can do that is the federal government. So we are pushing efforts to strengthen the federal safety net because we think that is the most effective and efficient way to prevent people from being hungry in the first place. We also think that that's what our government owes the people who live here. But that aside for a moment, we think it is the most effective way for change to happen. The comments that you just made speak to this broad issue of whether addressing food security issues is a matter of providing more charity or providing justice. Can you talk about your thoughts on how those two concepts differ? Sure. So I know from my own personal experience the incredible feeling that I get and I assume other people get too when they participate in food can collections or when you give out food at a food bank to people who come, or at a homeless shelter, I've done all of those things, those are all meaningful, powerful, and very, very important for people who are hungry today. But we also know that those activities while meaningful, powerful and important are not going to solve hunger because those people will just come back another day. COVID-19 has really revealed just how many Americans are living just at the edge of poverty. Before the pandemic, nearly 40 million were facing hunger. That was the number of people that had SNAP benefits. We believe that that number has now at least doubled if not tripled in the past 12 months. It's become clear if not completely obvious, that charitable programs just cannot address the full scope of hunger. Food Pantries, Soup Kitchens, other distribution sites that operate on a country, they were never intended to meet the needs of all of those facing hunger. They were supposed to be just the last stop when everything else was exhausted. They're not structured or funded adequately to meet the scope of hunger we're witnessing today. And we believe that only the federal government has the resources to meet today's needs. Again, in addition to the idea that we believe that the federal government has a moral responsibility to do that. So charity is wonderful. Charity is one of the ways that as human beings, we express our compassion, our empathy for others. And that should continue. I am grateful that there are people all over the country who give to others, who give to either organizations or direct service, who give food so that someone else, their neighbor or someone down the street whatever it is, can be fed, but charity is just not gonna solve the hunger crisis that we have in our country. The problem is just too large. We're commanded in Deuteronomy to pursue justice. That's what the book of Deuteronomy says. Justice, justice, you shall pursue. The idea I think behind the repetition of the word, because it's in the original Hebrew as well, the repetition of the word justice, is that we can't just sit back and wait for a charitable organization to take care of someone. We can't wait for the neighbor down the street. We have to see it as our problem and by our, I mean the larger human community but let's just talk about the United States. That is our issue as a United States nation full of citizens and non-citizens, and we need to take a proactive stance. The notion that some people have that we can just sit back and wait for local charities, local food banks, or even much larger organizations to take care of the issue, I think it's really abdicating responsibility. We need to step up and we need to act. And by we, I mean the United States and the organization, the entity that can do that in the best, most financially efficient and effective way is the federal government. I appreciate your thoughts on that issue of moving from charity to justice, because more and more people are beginning to talk about this. And I suspect that over time, this could lead to some pretty profoundly different ways of looking at the issue. So let's talk a little bit more about what happens on the ground. Can you give us some examples of ways that MAZON and its partners have seen success in fighting hunger? Sure. In the last year we have employed some new ways, some new ideas to advance our goal of ending hunger. So let me just talk about a couple of those. Back in March of 2020 - it feels like a lifetime ago but it was less than a year ago - when we were just starting to really understand the impact of the pandemic, MAZON moved quickly to create a 50 state hunger resource guide to connect people to vital food assistance programs. Many of which are led and administered by our anti-hunger partners around the country. The Jewish community rallied around MAZON in new and inspiring ways. In November, we held a virtual Jewish clergy justice mission engaging over 75 communal leaders from around the country and speaking our truth to power. We met virtually with more than 50 Members of Congress, their staff to urge immediate action to boost benefits to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP formerly known as Food Stamps, which was actually enacted a month later. Several years ago we created the Quick Reaction Fund, QRF, which enables us to respond to rapid response initiatives that may arise in a moment's notice. For instance in December of this past year in Nebraska was the only state to refuse SNAP emergency allotments. So we worked with our partner in the state to persuade Nebraska state government to authorize the Pandemic EBT program, which provided additional food assistance to 61,000 families. For us these are victories, they're small victories, but they are victories because they point a way forward. That when we work together with either local officials, local organizations in different states, or at the federal level when we go to DC and we lobby, and we let people know about some of these issues, we find that people are very receptive. I've met personally with dozens of members of Congress and staff members. No one wants people in their district to be hungry. That's not the moral character of the people that are in our government. We don't always agree on how to end that hunger but the idea that anyone in their district or anyone in their state is hungry is anathema to them is really terrible. So that's the first step. And the next step is figuring out goals that we can meet, goals that are possible and working within the system of lobbying and advocacy and education to make those ideas into tangible reality and tangible results. So let me ask one final question. So what are some of the common misconceptions about who faces hunger and how much does MAZON work to combat these misconceptions? The most common misconception about hunger in the United States is that the face of hunger looks nothing like me whatever I look like. Whoever is speaking, it can't be anyone like me. It must be people who look different or have a different skin color, have a different background who aren't educated the way I am, didn't work as hard as I did. We could list two dozen ways that I could be different than you. All of that is just not true. Hunger cuts across every divide in our country. Hunger is not a red state or blue state issue, it is just a United States issue. Hunger is not for people of one color or another, hunger is not limited to people who have a certain kind of education. Hunger really strikes everyone in our country. And I think that the psychological barrier that people have in not wanting to see or not being able to see that hunger looks just like them, that is very, very difficult to break through that wall that people put up, probably just as a defense mechanism. They don't want to think. There but for the grace of God go I, they don't want to feel that one day they could be there. Several years ago we created an exhibit called the Faces of Hunger where we had a wonderful photo journalist take a few months, go across the country to food banks, to shelters, and take photos of people. And those photographs formed the basis of an exhibit that we put together called Faces of Hunger which we ended up putting in an 18 wheeler tractor trailer when we brought it all over the country to dozens and dozens of different sites for people to go inside and to see this incredible multimedia exhibit featuring people's stories and their own voices and photographs of people that look just like me. The explicit mission of that exhibit - which again is called Faces of Hunger, and there's a version of it on our website mazon.org - the mission of that was to break down those barriers and for people to really understand that hunger affects all people, hunger affects all of us. I remember these stories, people who are veterans of our armed forces, people with college degrees, and people with advanced degrees, all it takes for some people. And this is I think what I was referring to before when COVID has really illustrated for us, sort of blown open this conception of just how many people live right on the edge. Right on the edge of hunger. All it takes is one unexpected medical procedure or one unexpected loss of a job, or some other unexpected financial challenge that puts people over the edge from living within the ability to have a home, within the ability to pay for their groceries and not being able to. That line is permeable, that line is very hard to see until you're on the other side of it, and that line is I think right where many, many, many people in our country live far more than anyone suspected. Bio: Rabbi Joel Pitkowsky has been inspired by MAZON for over thirty years, and has been an active donor for nearly as long. He believes that freedom from hunger is a human right and a Jewish value and that we owe it to every human being to have a vision of what we want our world to look like, and to help make that vision become a reality.Joel is a Conservative rabbi in Teaneck, NJ, and is a graduate of Rutgers College and The Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He is also a Senior Rabbinic Fellow of The Shalom Hartman Institute in Israel. In addition to his work with MAZON, Joel is a member of the Rabbinical Assembly's Food Justice sub-committee and is a board member of Camp Young Judaea Sprout Lake. Rabbi Pitkowsky and his wife have two children.  

Shoukei Matsumoto will take us into his essential teachings on Buddhism and how he uses "cleaning" to address dissatisfaction. He will engage with Rabbi Amichai on these ideas and the concept of post-religiosity. SPEAKERSShoukei Matsumoto is a Buddhist Monk in Komyoji Temple. Born in 1979 in Japan, he graduated with a B.A. degree in Literature from the University of Tokyo. After graduation, he joined the Komyoji temple and initiated new projects such as the Temple Café Project. In 2008, the association was awarded the "Shoriki Matsutaro Prize" by a foundation for education. He completed an MBA from the Indian School of Business as an Ambassadorial Scholar of Rotary Foundation in 2011. After his MBA, he started a "Mirai no Jushoku-Juku" project or temple management school for Buddhist priests and monks. In 2013, he was nominated as a member of Young Global Leaders from the World Economic Forum. In 2019, he was also appointed as a member of the Global Future Councils from the World Economic Forum. He has published five titles, and "A Monk's Guide to a Clean House and Mind" was translated into more than fifteen languages. Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie is the Founding Spiritual Leader of Lab/Shul NYC and the creator of Storahtelling, Inc. An Israeli-born Jewish educator, writer, and performance artist; he received his rabbinical ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 2016. Rabbi Amichai is a member of the Global Justice Fellowship of the American Jewish World Service, a founding member of the Jewish Emergent Network, and serves on the Reboot Network faculty. Since 2018 he serves on the Advisory Council of the International School for Peace – a Refugee Support Project in Greece. Rabbi Amichai has been hailed as "an iconoclastic mystic" by Time Out New York, a "rock star" by the New York Times, a "Judaic Pied Piper" by the Denver Westword, a "maverick spiritual leader" by The Times of Israel and "one of the most interesting thinkers in the Jewish world" by the Jewish Week. In 2016 The Forward named him one of the thirty-two "Most Inspiring Rabbis" in America, and in 2017 he was top five on "The Forward 50," their annual list of the most influential and accomplished Jews in America. In June 2017, Rabbi Amichai published the JOY Proposal, offering a new response to the reality of Intermarriage and taking on a personal position on this issue, including his resignation from the Rabbinical Assembly of the Conservative Movement. Amichai is Abba to Alice, Ezra, and Charlotte.

Welcome to the Two Hundred Sixy Third episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg looks at Masechet Pesachim Daf 4. Today we will focus on practical halakhot about morning and who is responsible for searching for hameitz. Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg is the Associate Director of Rabbinic Services at the Rabbinical Assembly. […]

Welcome to the Two Hundred Sixy Third episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg looks at Masechet Pesachim Daf 4. Today we will focus on practical halakhot about morning and who is responsible for searching for hameitz. Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg is the Associate Director of Rabbinic Services at the Rabbinical Assembly. […]

Welcome to the Two Hundred Sixy Second episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg looks at Masechet Pesachim Daf 3. Today we focus on the importance of careful word choice. Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg is the Associate Director of Rabbinic Services at the Rabbinical Assembly. She earned an MA in Talmud and […]

Welcome to the Two Hundred Sixy Second episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg looks at Masechet Pesachim Daf 3. Today we focus on the importance of careful word choice. Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg is the Associate Director of Rabbinic Services at the Rabbinical Assembly. She earned an MA in Talmud and […]

Welcome to the Two Hundred Sixy First episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg looks at Masechet Pesachim Daf 2. Today’s we look at the definition of אור in the Misnhah. Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg is the Associate Director of Rabbinic Services at the Rabbinical Assembly. She earned an MA in Talmud […]

Welcome to the Two Hundred Sixy First episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg looks at Masechet Pesachim Daf 2. Today’s we look at the definition of אור in the Misnhah. Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg is the Associate Director of Rabbinic Services at the Rabbinical Assembly. She earned an MA in Talmud […]

Welcome to the Two Hundred Sixtieth episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg looks at Masechet Eruvin Daf 105. In today’s episode we follow a discussion of blemishes and Kohanim. Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg is the Associate Director of Rabbinic Services at the Rabbinical Assembly. She earned an MA in Talmud and […]

Welcome to the Two Hundred Sixtieth episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg looks at Masechet Eruvin Daf 105. In today’s episode we follow a discussion of blemishes and Kohanim. Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg is the Associate Director of Rabbinic Services at the Rabbinical Assembly. She earned an MA in Talmud and […]

Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove, PhD, has served as the Spiritual Leader of Park Avenue Synagogue in New York since 2008.Ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1999, Rabbi Cosgrove earned his PhD at the University of Chicago Divinity School. His dissertation, Teyku: The Insoluble Contradictions in the Life and Thought of Louis Jacobs examines the life and legacy of one of the leading Anglo-Jewish theologians of the 20th century and reflects his own passion for the intersection of Jewish scholarship and faith.Rabbi Cosgrove is the author of ten collections of selected sermons, In the Beginning (2009), An Everlasting Covenant (2010), Go Forth! (2011), Hineni (2012), A Place to Lodge (2013), Living Waters (2014), Stairway to Heaven (2015), Rise Up! (2016), A Coat of Many Colors (2017), and Provisions for the Way (2018). He is the editor of Jewish Theology in Our Time: A New Generation Explores the Foundations and Future of Jewish Belief, hailed as a provocative and inspiring collection of essays by leading rabbis and scholars.Rabbi Cosgrove is a recognized leader in Conservative Judaism, the broader Jewish community, and the community-at-large. He sits on the Chancellor's Cabinet of JTS and on the Editorial Board of Conservative Judaism. A member of the Executive Committee of the Rabbinical Assembly, he is also an officer of the New York Board of Rabbis and a member of the Board of UJA-Federation of New York. He serves as Rabbinical Advisor on Interfaith Affairs for the ADL and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Rabbi Cosgrove also serves on the Board of Trustees of Hillel at the University of Michigan and on the National Board of Governors of Hillel at the University of Pennsylvania.Rabbi Cosgrove was honored to represent the Jewish community at the National September 11 Memorial Museum during the visit of Pope Francis to New York in September 2015.Rabbi Louis Jacobs was born July 17, 1920.An overview of his illustrious life can be found in Rabbi Louis Jacobs' New York Times Obituary by Ari L. Goldman, July 9, 2006.Another recent overview of his biography and scholarship, that draws on Rabbi Cosgrove's dissertation, is: “Louis Jacobs: We Have Reason to Believe,” by Prof.Marc Zvi Brettler,Prof.Edward Breuer in TheTorah.com.The website louisjacobs.org makes available resources pertaining to the life and work of Rabbi Jacobs including an extensive archive of essays, articles and videos.The clip featured in the podcast is taken from this video retrospective in which Rabbi Jacobs surveys the nearly 50 books he wrote.Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove delivered a lecture on Rabbi Jacobs at Oxford  in 2010. For questions and comments, email Rabbi Ed Bernstein at myteacherpodcast@gmail.com. Follow the My Teacher Podcast on social media: Twitter: @PodcastTeachFacebookInstagram

It is traditional on Shavuot, "the season for the giving of the Torah" to study Torah throughout the night on Shavuot night in a ceremony called "Tikkun Leil Shavuot." This year, due to COVID-19, most communities are not able to gather in synagogues for Shavuot beginning Thursday night, May 28. The Rabbinical Assembly, the association of Conservative Rabbis, produced a series of pre-recorded video study sessions. Here's the full playlist. Here is Rabbi Bernstein's video. Here is Rabbi Bernstein's study sheet.The Rabbinical Assembly will also broadcast a live Tikkun Leil Shavuot: Thursday, May 28, 9 PM - Friday, May 29, 9 AM EDT broadcast on YouTube Live at www.tinyurl.com/RATikkun

Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields has served as Executive Director of the Women's League for Conservative Judaism since 2018. Prior to that, she led congregations in the Chicago area and in Tom's River, NJ. She is a member of the Rabbinical Assembly's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, which sets policy on Jewish legal matters for Conservative Judaism. She graduated the Double-Degree Program between Barnard College and the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) and received Rabbinic ordination from JTS. Rabbi Wolintz-Fields has also served as the co-chair of the Rabbinical Assembly's Women's Committee and is the Women's League representative to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. She has been invited to deliver opening prayers at the United States House of Representatives, the New Jersey Senate, the New Egypt Speedway, and the Ocean County College Commencement. She can often be found reading, catching up on Daf Yomi (Daily Talmud study), cheering her daughter at her high school varsity basketball games, and during NASCAR season - watching with her son who is an avid fan! Together with her husband Jonathan, they are the proud parents of three children, and live in Ocean Township, New Jersey.A biography of Rabbi Wolintz-Fields's teacher, Rabbi Benjamin Z Kreitman appears here: Obituary of Rabbi Benjamin Z. KreitmanEditor's note: Subsequent to the publication of this episode, My Teacher Podcast received the following message from Jamie Kreitman, daughter of Rabbi Benjamin Z. Kreitman, that her father's date of birth noted in the Masorti Olami obituary and cited in the podcast discussion is incorrect. She said:"[Rabbi Kreitman was born on] Dec. 27, 1918 in Warsaw, Poland. He emigrated with his mother when he was 3 years old and settled in Louisville, KY. His father, a rabbi and schochet, had already settled there with the rest of the Kreitman family."  Glossary of Hebrew and Yiddish terms used in this conversation that were not promptly translated during interview:Bashert—Yiddish term referring to a person's soulmate, especially when considered as an ideal or predestined marriage partner. Bimah—platform or stage in synagogue from where prayers are led. Kaddish—the Mourner's Kaddish, a prayer traditionally recited at a funeral and in synagogue services during prescribed periods of mourning or on the anniversary of the death of a loved one.Mesader Kiddushin—The officiant (usually a rabbi) presiding at a Jewish weddingMadrikh—literally, “leader.” Also refers to a rabbi's manual, a book with a collection of prayers for various occasions that rabbis carry with them for lifecycle events. Both usages included in this conversation. Shul—synagogue, synagogue services

On Saturday, September 16th, 2017 we hosted an interfaith panel around the discussion of God’s Compassion and Forgiveness at the Ohr Kodesh Temple co-sponsored by the Beth El Congregation of Montgomery County. This program was part of the celebrations marking the start of Jewish High Holy Days held at Ohr Kodesh Temple in Chevy Chase. Every year on the Saturday night preceding Rosh Ha-Shanah, they have a late-night service called “Selichot” and this year we had an interfaith panel as part of that service to include speakers from each of the Abrahamic faiths who discussed God’s compassion and forgiveness from each of their faith’s viewpoints.  Speakers: Imam Ali Siddiqui Classically educated Imam, Khatib, Interfaith Leader, organizer, Chaplain, and Advocate for Mutual Understanding and Respect, Peace, Economic Justice, and Humane Immigration with 43 years of interfaith experience working with Jews, Christians, Catholics, Mormons, Quakers, Buddhists, Sikh, and the other faiths in the area of community service. Imam Siddiqui is very engaged and frequently delivers invocations and benedictions at City Councils and School Boards, civic and political groups, and Graduation Ceremonies. He teaches Islam, comparative religion, history of Islam and Muslims of Americas, contemporary issues to Muslims and non-Muslims at the institutions of higher learning including Sonoma State, Santa Rosa Community College, School of Religion (Claremont Graduate University), California Baptist University, Disciple of Christ Seminary, School of Theology (now Lincoln University), and La Verne University, and Open University Denver. The Reverend Doctor Roy Howard has been the pastor of Saint Mark Presbyterian Church in Rockville since 2001. Prior to that he served congregations in Virginia and Kentucky. He earned his master’s degree in Social Work from Florida State University, his masters in divinity from Emory University in Atlanta and his Doctorate in Ministry from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC Pastor Howard has been active in interfaith relations throughout his career particularly with Jewish-Christian encounters since his first trip to Israel in 1985. Since that time he has traveled to Israel many times and been instrumental in creating a dialogue with Jews and Christians, as well as Muslims. In 2006 he and Rabbi Bill Rudolph established a dialogue group between Beth El and Saint Mark including a joint congregations visit to Israel. His most recent trip to Israel was with Interfaith Partners for Peace accompanied by Rabbi Greg Harris of Beth El and Rabbi Batya Glacier of the Jewish Community Relations Council.  Rabbi Lyle Fishman has been the religious leader of Ohr Kodesh Congregation since 1984. He served the Greenburgh Hebrew Center in Dobbs Ferry, New York, before that. He graduated with honors from Yale University majoring in religious studies. He spent his junior year at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He then attended The Jewish Theological Seminary in New York from which he received a Master’s degree in Hebrew Literature and then rabbinical ordination. He taught at the Herzl Institute of New York while serving as a rabbi. He has authored “Why Did Nadav and Avihu” for the Proceedings of the Rabbinical Assembly (1989) and “The Value Base of Jewish Family Life Education: A Rabbinic View” in “A Generation of Service: History of the Department on Religious Affairs 1952-1982” (1982). Rabbi Fishman is also very active in his community, helping to create the Washington Chevra Chapter to foster a better interchange of ideas among community rabbis, among other initiatives.

This edition of the biweekly AJC Live radio show focused on the question of how a Jew is defined in Israel. AJC Westchester/Fairfield Director Scott Richman interviewed Dr. Steven Bayme, Director of AJC's Contemporary Jewish Life Department and the head of the Koppelman Institute on American Jewish-Israeli Relations. Also on the show was Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, the Executive Vice President of the Rabbinical Assembly. Among other topics, they discussed the controversial Knesset "conversion bill" and the agreement to create a more equal egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. This show aired live on WVOX 1460 AM from New Rochelle, New York on Monday, July 31, 2017 and was streamed live at www.wvox.com. All AJC Live radio shows are podcasted and can be found in the AJC Live archive at www.ajc.org/westfair/ajclive.

Earlier this year, the Rabbinical Assembly of the Conservative movement put out a new prayer book, or siddur. Siddur Lev Shalem, which means ‘full heart,’ is full of innovations. There are new translations of traditional prayers. Poems are included. There are commentaries on different parts of the Sabbath and holiday services. There are straightforward explanations of simple rites and gestures, like when and why to bow during the Amidah. The last time the Conservative movement published a new siddur was 15 years ago—not so very long. What compelled rabbis to put together a new siddur so soon? How does it differ from what preceded it? Rabbi Edward Feld, who oversaw the creation of Siddur Lev Shalem, joins Vox Tablet host Sara Ivry to talk about the whats, whys, and hows behind this new prayer book. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this edition of Boomer Generation Radio, the first guest is Rabbi Lawrence Troster, rabbi at Kesher Israel in West Chester, PA, one of the country's leading eco-theologians, combining spirituality and environmental advocacy. In the second half of the program, the guest is Denise Lettau, vice president of the senior trust and fiducuiary specialist, Wells Fargo Wealth Management in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, to discuss financial services [spp-player] Boomer Generation Radio is sponsored in part by Kendal Corporation, a Quaker-based provider of continuing care retirement communities in the Northeast and Midwest, airs on WWDB-AM 860 every Tuesday at 10 a.m., and features news and conversation aimed at Baby Boomers and the issues facing them as members of what Rabbi Address calls “the club sandwich generation.” You can hear the show live on AM 860, or streamed live from the WWDB website. Subscribe to the RSS feed for Boomer Generation Radio podcasts.   Subscribe to the RSS feed for all Jewish Sacred Aging podcasts.   Subscribe to these podcasts in the Apple iTunes Music Store. About the Guests Rabbi Lawrence Troster Rabbi Lawrence Troster is one of this country's leading Jewish eco-theologians and religious environmental leaders. He is the founder and coordinator of Shomrei Breishit: Rabbis and Cantors For the Earth and the Rabbinic Scholar-in-Residence of GreenFaith the interfaith environmental coalition in New Jersey and the former creator and director of the GreenFaith's Fellowship program. He is part of the leadership team of Ourvoices.net a worldwide movement of people of all faiths advocating for a strong climate treaty. He is also the Rabbi-in-Residence at the Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue at Iona College. Rabbi Troster was also the Rabbinic Fellow for the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL). Rabbi Troster contributes to the Huffington Post, and he has published numerous articles and has lectured widely on eco-theology, bio-ethics, and Judaism and modern science.  He is the author of Mekor Hayyim: A Source Book on Water and Judaism (United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, 2012). And is also the author of the chapter on Jewish environment ethics in The Observant Life: The Wisdom of Conservative Judaism for Contemporary Jews, edited by Martin S. Cohen & Michael Katz, (The Rabbinical Assembly, 2012) He received his B.A. from the University of Toronto and his M.A. and rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He is presently working on a Doctor of Minstry in Eco-ministry at Drew University. He was given an honorary Doctor of Divinity by JTS for his more than 25 years of rabbinic service. Rabbi Troster was honored by the Temple of Understanding, one of the oldest worldwide interfaith organizations, as an Interfaith Visionary. Rabbi Troster has been the Jewish Chaplain of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson and an Associate of Bard's Institute of Advanced Theology and Advisor to Students and Adjunct Lecturer the Rabbinical and Graduate Schools of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and has taught at Union Theological Seminary, Hebrew Union College, the Academy for Jewish Religion and Drew Theological School. He also served as the rabbi of several congregations in New Jersey and Toronto, Canada.   Rabbi Troster is married to Elaine Kahn and has two daughters, two sons-in-law, three granddaughters and one grandson.   Denise Lettau, vice president, Wells Fargo Denise Lettau is vice president of Wells Fargo Life Management Services (formerly Elder Services), a premium wealth and life management service for aging adults designed to help meet the challenges and complexities associated with advancing years. Read more about Denise in her Linkedin Profile.

Welcome to the Two Hundred Sixy Third episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg looks at Masechet Pesachim Daf 4. Today we will focus on practical halakhot about morning and who is responsible for searching for hameitz. Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg is the Associate Director of Rabbinic Services at the Rabbinical Assembly. […]

Welcome to the Two Hundred Sixy Second episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg looks at Masechet Pesachim Daf 3. Today we focus on the importance of careful word choice. Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg is the Associate Director of Rabbinic Services at the Rabbinical Assembly. She earned an MA in Talmud and […]

Welcome to the Two Hundred Sixy First episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg looks at Masechet Pesachim Daf 2. Today’s we look at the definition of אור in the Misnhah. Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg is the Associate Director of Rabbinic Services at the Rabbinical Assembly. She earned an MA in Talmud […]

Welcome to the Two Hundred Sixtieth episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg looks at Masechet Eruvin Daf 105. In today’s episode we follow a discussion of blemishes and Kohanim. Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg is the Associate Director of Rabbinic Services at the Rabbinical Assembly. She earned an MA in Talmud and […]

"Prayerbook Commentaries" by Reuven Hammer, founding director, Schechter Institute; past president, Rabbinical Assembly