This summer, with a generous $10,000 grant from the Jewish Federation of Madison’s Cheryl Rosen Weston Fund Community Grants, Temple Beth El’s Social Action Committee partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County (BGCDC) on a summer internship program for high school and college students who participate in BGCDC programs. The students were “matched” with Temple members at two private companies and four nonprofit organizations, where they worked approximately 20 hours each week for six weeks.

This project was designed to help address the gross racial disparities in Dane County and the entire state. Wisconsin ranks among the worst in the nation in terms of racial equality. From education to jobs and income to incarceration, these disparities are gaining increasing attention from activists and policy makers. The pandemic has exacerbated these disparities in family health, family employment, and household income. This has included increased disparities in youth education and a decrease in meaningful employment opportunities. 

Unlike the majority of youth at Temple Beth El, many of whom are white and from middle-class and upper-income families, the youth served by the BGCDC do not have the same access to summer internship and employment opportunities. Parents of low-income youth often do not have the “connections” to help their children network in the community to find summer jobs or meaningful opportunities that will expose them to a wide variety of employment situations, skills, and professionals. As a result, these youth face more barriers in completing their high school education, pursuing postsecondary education, and securing meaningful employment after graduation that will provide them with sufficient income to thrive. Unpaid internship experiences perpetuate inequality and exacerbate barriers of access and opportunities. We recognized the strong need for structured internships that pay a minimum of $15 per hour to provide low-income youth with real-world experience and opportunities to prepare them for future education and careers.

Like all of our committee’s work, this project was based on many significant Jewish values and teachings. Deuteronomy 6:7 directs us to “teach your children well,” and we believe that “your children” includes all children. Maimonides defines eight levels in giving tzedakah (charity), each one higher than the preceding one. Lower levels are those where donations are given grudgingly, less than one should, and/or only when asked. The highest forms are those that involve communal funds and are administered by responsible people. The very highest is exactly what this project did: help people before they become impoverished by offering to help them find employment or establish themselves (e.g., learn skills) so that they can become self-sufficient. See https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/eight-levels-of-charitable-giving. 

This project also recognized that the employers would learn from the fresh new perspectives and insights of the young students. This, too, is recognized in our tradition. Rabbi Hanina said: “I have learned much from my teachers and even more from my friends, but from my students I have learned more than from all of them.” And indeed, the reports from the six employers have made clear that they personally and their organizations’ missions benefited from the interns.

Let’s hear about it from some of the participants themselves:

Intern Desia Xiong was placed at Madison Youth Arts Center (MYArts) and was offered a part-time job there at the end of the internship. She wrote:

This summer internship at MYArts was incredible! I did a variety of things during my six weeks. I sat in many director meetings, helped brainstorm for the building's grand opening this fall, did some room set up for events, created many signs and documents for the building, created instruction manuals and managed the MYArts social media handles. I also was brave enough to give a tour or two of the MYArts building! Data entry was also a large part of the second half of my internship, learning how to use two scheduling programs and putting in reservations from one to another, as MYArts is still transitioning from one program to another. 
 
One of the most valuable things I learned while working at MYArts is the need for diversity in the professional world. Many of my previous jobs in the past have been in student support services for minorities at educational institutions, so I have not had or been exposed to many professional occupations that were dominantly Caucasian. It was invaluable for me to learn and understand how important and valuable my perspective and voice in any conversation can be. That being said, I also run a performance group of my own at Madison College and being a student leader of color to a small performing arts group was an incredible perspective to bring to the MYArts table. Jess and Courtney made sure to tell me that every day! I feel one of my largest contributions was giving the perspective of what a small independent user group would like from the MYArts space and community. This, and creating a variety of manuals, signs and instructions for the building were my biggest contributions.

Intern Leslie Hernandez, who worked at LIFT Dane (Legal Interventions for Transforming Dane), said:

I was able to learn and take part in researching about policies in different states, not only in Wisconsin. Throughout this internship I was able to create a LinkedIn page and connect with other staff. Also I was able to help create a storyboard for an informational video on their website. … I have been able to learn about new professional career paths and how to balance working and going to school at the same time. 

And the employers had only good things to say, too.

Casey Brown, who supervised intern Mario Cancasco at Frank Beverage Group, wrote: 

Mario was creative and provided us with an outside, young adult perspective that is very beneficial to our industry. I was incredibly impressed with how smart and ambitious Mario is. He was such a pleasure to work with, and he and I connected and worked together quite nicely. 

Michael Ross’s colleague who supervised Desia at Madison Youth Arts wrote: 

Thanks to Temple Beth El and the Jewish Federation for creating and supporting this great program, and letting us participate as a very young organization. We were especially lucky to have Desia as our summer intern, and were thrilled when she accepted the part-time job we offered her.

And Marsha Mansfield, Leslie’s supervisor at LIFT Dane, wrote:

The intern we hosted made valuable contributions to our work and it was great to have new voices and energy added to our work. Addressing racial disparities is core to LIFT's mission, so hosting a Boys & Girls Club intern was one way that we could show our support of their efforts while gaining the perspective and contributions of someone whose lived experiences differ from those of other LIFT partners. We also helped the intern understand how racial disparities show up in a variety of barriers (driver's license suspensions, criminal records, etc.) imposed on people of color by our society.

In addition to the six internships organized and supported under the grant, 17 TBE members graciously participated in a fun Zoom speed-networking event. Students throughout the BGCDC programs were invited to attend, and Temple members were put into “rooms” for the categories of health care, mental health and social work, nonprofit management, law, arts, and education. TBE members provided students with background on why they chose this career, how they prepared for it, their careers’ rewards and challenges, and advice on how to prepare for such a career. Students also had the opportunity to ask the professionals questions. In addition, we prepared a directory of 37 Temple professionals with background and contact information and invited the BGCDC students interested in virtual or live follow-up discussions to reach out.

Going forward, we plan to apply for another grant and expand our involvement in this incredibly valuable and successful program. We hope that this year’s six employers will sign on for summer of 2022 and that additional Temple Beth El members will explore hosting a summer intern as well. Temple member Howard Erlanger prepared an evaluation and report on the program. For more information or to receive a copy of the evaluation, please contact Betsy Abramson at betsyabramson@gmail.com or 608-332-7867.

Very special thanks to the Jewish Federation of Madison for the grant support and to our six Temple Beth El members and their host sites:

• Elizabeth Frank, Frank Beverage Group
• Amy, Marty, Molly, and Randy Fields, Books4School
• Marsha Mansfield, LIFT Dane
• Joe Loehnis, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra
• Michael Ross, Madison Youth Arts Center
• Rabbi Bonnie Margulis, Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice

Yasher koach! May we go from strength to strength!

Well, I – for one – am glad that those confessional prayers did not end with chadeish yameinu k’kedem, you know, that “renew our days as of old” stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy the music. But if I am asked to think about returning to the “good old days” once more, I don’t know what I would do.

I tell you: If you were around during those “days of old”, you’d not want to return there. Yes: the days of creation that you read about seem very bucolic and serene, and a return to Eden has been our dream for two-and-a-half millennia. But just like other nations’ creation stories and their tales of the gods’ jealousies and deceits, the Israelite stories of God and the angels who compete for our God’s attention also have their accounts of trickery, disagreement, and violence.

Here is what I mean:

According to Midrash Rabbah[1], when God was pondering the question of whether to create a human being, the four Ministering Angels – God’s closest personal assistants, according to our lore – immediately took opposing sides on that question.

Some said, “Kol Hakavod, God, great idea, go to it”, while the naysayers argued, “Big mistake, God. Do not create humanity”. So, you see, there was hardly unanimity on the answer to the question.

Then, four ethical values, personified as other celestial beings, stepped forward to testify about their predictions about humanity’s future.

The value of Kindness said: “Yes, create humans, because they will, in time to come, perform many acts of kindness.”

The value of Peace said: “Don’t create humans, because their souls will be full of discord and strife.”

The value of Justice said: “Please create humans: They will engage in just and righteous actions.”

And the value of Truth said: “You better not create humans, God, because nothing but lies will come forth from them.”

God did not think ‘lies’ were a component of the human species that the Divine One had in mind to create. But the reality of Truth’s statement somehow got under God’s skin, so to speak. The Divine One picked up Truth by the scruff of its neck and threw it toward the earth.

The Ministering Angels pushed back.

“God: You know humans will lie. You know they’ll be deceitful. What’s the matter, can’t You stand the Truth? And, by the way, why did You treat Truth, Your most important earthly value, so shabbily?”

God immediately saw the error committed, repented, and elevated Truth from the Earth.[2] This is the reason – says the Midrash – that Psalm 85 has truth “sprouting forth” from the earth.

Despite the great amount of lying or evasions in our speech and intention, Truth is still a vital ethical standard to preserve.

As I wrote in this year’s High Holy Day program, I am moved by Psalm 85’s reunion of these four values, where it says, “Faithfulness and Truth have met; Justice and Peace have kissed. Truth will sprout forth from the earth, Justice will look down from heaven.” Each of these values needs our protective care and cultivation, and it is the job of every person, through our personal and communal acts of goodness. And we need to ensure especially that Truth regains its rightful place in the human world.

Look: We know that Truth and Fact have been – shall we say – “in debate” as of late; Truth’s pessimistic assessment of humanity’s need to lie is proven correct every day. So let us begin by examining this working definition of Truth, in order to have a common basis of understanding.

Truth is:

• The absence of falsehood … and it is more than that
• It is “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth”
• It is speaking, living, and loving in completely authentic and transparent ways
• It is the willingness to acknowledge the consequences of our actions
• Truth can be confrontational – agonizingly so – and yet is, ultimately, best delivered directly and without filters
• More importantly, Truth is a value to be sought, acquired, cherished, preserved, and diligently employed
• And with proper intention, Truth never gets depleted; that is, the more one practices speaking Truth, the more truthfulness grows deeply into the soil of one’s character.

In the structure of Psalm 85, we see an intersectionality between Truth and Justice. Where the Psalm offers that “Truth will sprout forth from the earth; Justice will look down from heaven”, I interpret from this passage not merely a case of beautiful cosmic convergence, but also a statement of causality:

When Truth will sprout forth from the earth – that is, when we humans work to:

• prepare the soil for Truth,
• plant seeds of Truth,
• nourish Truth regularly,
• cultivate Truth through trimming it back occasionally and pulling out the weeds,
• harvest Truth,
• and venerate the Truth instead of trying to conceal it

– only then will Justice look down from heaven, and grant measures of Justice and Righteousness to the world.

Sadly, we, as a species, are not yet ready to practice this level of honesty, as we can see for ourselves that Truth is clearly under assault these days. What I find most distressing are the intentional manipulations of Truth we hear all too often, in order to achieve some personal, political, or factional end.

Consider, for example, the ongoing turmoil over the teaching of the history of the Black experience in America. There should be no debate about this matter; it should be abundantly clear and accepted by all that we must understand – far better than we have – the 400 years of the Black experience in North America.

And so, here is some Truth: It is likely that only a few of us have studied the subject of ‘Black history in America’ in any great detail. To those who did, kol hakavod, that is great. For those who studied it as part of a general social studies or history class, it may have been part of the curriculum, or it might have been the efforts of the exceptional, subversive, or iconoclastic teacher who injected this subject into class discussions.

What about future generations? It is our responsibility to prepare the soil of Truth for those who follow us in this world, which is why we must learn well, and then teach about the systemic inequities and injustices in our society. This can lead us to create a world where every human being can live a life of dignity and respect.

Our children need to be prepared to take on their share of this task when they enter the adult world. Yet, without knowing the True history of how our nation came to be, they cannot understand the underlying causes of the issues we face, and therefore, will be ill-equipped to meet the challenges they will confront as adults.

There are those who would not agree with these statements. The forces of White supremacy and racism confront school board members, and they also support state legislators, in pressuring them to reduce or bar the teaching of the Black American experience from their schools.

• They want to declare the teaching of historical racism and its impact on our society as divisive and racist.
• They also strive to prohibit anti-racist and diversity training among teaching and administrative staff. If we believe that teachers have the task – and the amazing power – to influence and guide our students, then they must be properly equipped to perform this part of their jobs, and given license to do so.

Such legislation has been proposed in at least 22 states, and has been passed in at least five[3]. Here in Wisconsin, proposed Senate Bill 411 would permit the state to punish school districts who wish to educate their students about these topics by withholding some of their state education funding. The proposed legislation would also allow parents to bring a civil suit against those districts for any alleged violations.

These proposals tear at the very fabric of Truth: they allow Truth to be concealed, discounted, and denied. They permit the prejudices of uninformed, biased, and selfish legislators to eclipse the professional judgments of educators whose job is to guide American children to their greatest potential. They prohibit Americans of all colors from joyfully and completely reaching out to offer mutual help and friendship.

Nothing could be more divisive than these proposals to suppress and contradict the Truth about our nation’s systemically racist past. We are, in our day, thankfully learning and acknowledging much about the behavior of rogue law enforcement officers, the violent activities of White supremacists (who, as we Jews know, don’t like us too much either), and – in general – about the systemic racism that has denied Black Americans equal access to the American Dream. The Truth is that we have much more to learn.

Rather than suppressing and prohibiting exposure to the Truth of our nation’s racist past, all Americans should study, ponder, debate, and reflect on this history. For when we do – when we bring the Truth of our nation’s past to light; when we understand not only the history but also the implications of more open viewpoints in the future – then the attribute of Justice will, indeed, peer over the edge of the heavens, look down upon us, and shower us with its life-sustaining waters. Righteousness will be present, and Peace and Kindness will follow.

I know that Yom Kippur is not necessarily the day to dream, a word here which could mean ‘permitting one’s imagination take one away from the world of reality’. Yom Kippur is a serious day of contemplation and reflection and real-world action. Yet I do wish to dwell for a few moments on the dream of Gloria Ladson-Billings, the first Black woman to become a tenured professor of education at the University of Wisconsin.

One of the areas of focus in her working and academic life was on the educational accomplishments – or the lack thereof – of Black children. She saw few succeeding, and dared to wonder why. For her, the Truth about the success of Black children was not in the difficult home environments they might come from. It was from the dearth of Black educators and educational role models. Black students were not exposed to Black educational leaders who could demonstrate how to guide, persuade, and enrich learning.

She began asking questions about teachers of students and their classrooms. She took a hard look at how children were taught. She examined how teachers view Black students and about how those attitudes affected their teaching. She asked herself, ‘What could be done to help teachers succeed to help their students?’

“I had two hunches,” she is quoted as saying. “One was that black students who found themselves in classrooms with skilled teachers could be academically, culturally, socially and civically successful. My second hunch was that African American teachers, whose numbers were dwindling, were key to black student success.”[4]

Perhaps she was being humble when calling her intuitions as “hunches”, but she pursued this dream with a vital and passionate energy, which has turned her hunches into a Truth, which has made a serious impact on the lives of students.

This is a small but important vignette. Small, because it will be some time until her teachings make a significant impact outside of the circles of academia. Though, there, too, in Madison, schools, she has had success already.[5]

Such is the influence of Truth. We see that

• Truth can enliven the dormant human passions for work, for advancement of knowledge, and for human improvement.
• Truth can release our inhibitions and allow us to develop honest and candid relationships with one another.
• Truth can also help us determine when to rebuke someone with the Truth, or when to gently offer encouragement to people who simply have made errors.

Each of us makes mistakes; each of us speaks unTruths that represent our thinking, and may not be tied to our genuine intent or our persona. Still, Maimonides reminds us to remember the value of Truth, lest we fall prey – he says – to “the vanities of the times”, and we “pursue years of self-importance and idleness”.[6]

According to our lore, Rabbi Judah Loew both used and abused Truth when he created the Golem of Prague.

That creature was formed to serve the goal of Truth, distinguishing the serious antisemites from the casual ones and carefully determining appropriate punishment for the Jew-haters of the times.

As the last step of the monster’s animation, Rabbi Loew was said to have inscribed the Hebrew word for Truth – “emet” – on the forehead of the Golem. And yet, when life entered his body, the Truth he found compelled him to plunder, murder, and take other revenge on the ignorant people of Prague.

To stop his creation from performing further deeds of violence, Rabbi Loew removed one letter, the alef, from the word emet on the monster’s forehead, turning emet, Truth, to met, or Death. At that moment, the Golem went into “sleep” mode.

Perhaps this tells us of the dangerously slim region between Truth and Death, an area of which we must be cautious. Yet for us to find that paradise we all desire, that place where our “days will be renewed as of old”, we must take the risk to find, articulate, and defend Truth from those who would otherwise destroy it.

The prophet Zecharia had a prescription for us. He recommended us to ‘speak the truth: one with another’; that we should ‘render Truth and Compromise within our gates.[7]’ May our desire for Truth and Justice allow us to find them it in our day, and in the years to come.

G’mar Tov. May you have an easy fast and a good year ahead.

The Shofar Calls Us to Serve

Ah, the sounds of the Shofar! 

Those clarion calls that direct us toward repentance and forgiveness! 

The discordant music that could remind us of the discordant moments in our lives, and that could then compel us to harmonize our lives with others. 

That persistent sound whose message could be reproof for misbehavior. 

And the signal whose message it is to make positive changes in the world and in ourselves. These, and more, we find in the voice of a simple ram’s horn described in the Torah. 

The shofar has played the tune of Jewish survival down through the centuries. And the lore of our people assigns one further message in the sound of the Shofar: that one shofar sounding to mark the arrival of the messianic age. 

Traditional Judaism understands two biblical prophecies which, when read together, prepare us for that future transformation of the world: 

The prophet Malachi proclaims that the prophet Elijah will return to earth, preceding the advent of the messianic age. As someone who performed miracles in his day and whose stories have engendered faith in days since, his messianic role will be to bring about familial reconciliation, an important step toward the world’s ultimate salvation.1 

Then the prophet Zecharia reminds us that every human being – in days to come – will help to re-make the world just as it was at the time of Eden. Each of us will have a role to play to repair the world. 

Zecharia also makes it clear that the sound of the shofar will precede it all: the arrival of Elijah, the universal work to transform the world, and the ultimate peacemaking that will be the defining feature of that world to come.2 

It’s important to clarify that liberal traditions, such as the Reform movement, believe neither in a supernatural being’s involvement in, nor a sequence of events that herald the arrival of, the messianic age. For us, each person will engage in the repair of the world, a process that will organically bring about a time of universal peace and acceptance. 

But we nonetheless can be inspired by the stories of Elijah, the one prophet who never died a natural death, and who has been spotted throughout our 2,000-year-old diaspora helping people in need. He sets the example, and leads us toward the world’s salvation. 

I have sometimes wondered, what with the millions of shofar sounds that our earthly congregations usually produce on these holidays, whether Elijah would ever get confused and think that they signal the beginning of the messianic era. And I thought about how Elijah would react each year, at this time, to those calls. 

[SH’VARIM and T’RUAH Shofar Calls] 

ELIJAH IN THE HOUSE: 

How many times have I heard that sound! How often it has come to my ears! Thank you for declaring this New Year. 

Despite your rabbi’s fears, I know the difference between the usual beautiful sounds of the Days of Awe and that special shofar blast of the future. I know that it isn’t the moment for the messianic age to arrive … not just yet. And to be honest, you humans still have a lot of work to do … but you are making progress. 

I am here today because something else has come to mind, and since I have a Jewish congregation listening this morning, I must give expression to those thoughts. 

I, Elijah, the son of Tishbi of Gil’ad, am approaching my twenty-nine hundred and fiftieth yahrtzeit, though there are those who have asserted that I never really died, that I ascended alive to the heavens in that fiery chariot³. But I am glad that my descendants are keeping … and preserving … and promoting their faith. It does an old man’s heart good to know that his offspring maintain their family’s traditions. 

I am moved to speak to you on this occasion by the wonderful sounds of the shofar that you have just offered. For me, they contain memories, emotions, and heavenly sensations. Oh, if only you could have heard the shofar sounds as I have heard them, lo, these many years: 

The shofar calls that reverberated at the time of our people’s exodus from Egypt … The thunder, lightning, and shofar sounds that emanated from Sinai at the giving of the Ten Commandments … The sound of the shofar as it joyfully proclaimed the coronation of Israelite kings and queen in Jerusalem. 

And the shofar sounds throughout the generations at times of tragedy, as cries of warning and sadness: 

• during the Crusades and their years of anti-Jewish violence and destruction 

• during centuries of the Inquisition, and other persecutions and disabilities 

• and during the Holocaust, as its fiery hunger consumed six million of you. 

Do not misunderstand me. The sounds of the shofar have pleased me. But they have sometimes been intermixed with painful sounds: nuclear explosions, terrorist actions, continuing cries of persecuted peoples: all signs of humanity’s inability to truly get along with one another. 

For example, let me see if I can catch an echo of that sound for you, so you can appreciate what I have heard in recent days, what summons me to speak to you, and what should cause each of you to pause and consider your predicament on earth: 

[January 6 Insurrection]

You may recognize these sounds: the actualities of rioting, of human hatred, deceit, and devastation. Your propensity for audacious ways of attacking one another saddens us in the celestial community. There was so much noise this year that we peered over the edge of the heavens, and considered setting aside our Prime Directive and intervening to save you. 

It was plain to us: in Washington, Minneapolis, in Kabul, Paris, the Xinjiang region of China, Palestine, Israel, even in Madison; and many others: a deluge of human detestation and destruction. 

And I also cannot help but note that, twenty years ago this coming Shabbat morning, there was a physical manifestation of this hatred that many of you remember: billowing plumes of ash and concrete dust, a storm of such magnitude and chaos that it rivaled one of your nuclear explosions. It enveloped New York, Washington, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. 

We knew about the twisted and malevolent motivations of the perpetrators of terrorism. They were completely wrong, of course, and the Islamic sages and prophets with whom I share the heavenly house of study were distraught that a handful of their disciples had acted in such a way in the name of God. 

We asked, “Where was the shame? Where was their humility? Where was humanity on that day?” And we all wondered, “Where did any of us go wrong? Can’t we do a better job of things? Why does such evil intention and deed still thrive on the Earth?” 

We know well that intentions have not changed for some who hate full time. Destruction is on the mind of many, wanting to replicate the fires of persecution and aggression that are characteristic of some people in your world. You know well about the scourge of antisemitism, as well as every other persecuted group around. 

Something has got to give! 

Twenty years ago this week, we peered into that growing, consuming, conflagration of debris, and we saw something strange there. That malevolent cloud rolled down the streets of New York City, coating everything with a toxic, gray layer of dust and ash, coating the bodies and poisoning the lungs of those who inhaled it. 

In one very special sense, however, that gray cloud was holy, for it contained the essence of the humanity obliterated by it. Everyone who was touched by that cloud’s tendrils inhaled the souls and the spirits of the beautiful deceased. And for us, those souls will never lose their potential, and their sacrifice will be remembered, and elevated, and maintained in our memory. 

The people who wandered the streets, the ones covered with soot: the women and men; White, Black, Asian, Latinx, Middle Eastern; straight and gay, cisgendered and trans, younger and older; all those who were swallowed up by that cloud: with their patina of gray soot: the visage they presented sort of reminded us all of the beginnings of your world, many, many eons ago, when sentient beings began to emerge from the holy and fertile earth. 

Yes, I heard the Torah you offered a little while ago; I know you’re familiar with the Jewish Creation myth. Let me add a detail or two that are not in the book. 

At a very early moment in the history of your world, all creatures resembled one another. They were formless masses of organic matter. And only later, when God had the opportunity to form and teach and guide humanity; when God began to distinguish creatures by rearranging some DNA here and there; when God led humanity to study and grow; when the potential for establishing your “humanity” was greatest: 

Only then did the Creator instill in humanity variegations and differences in human character. And it was those differences between people which God called “very good” in the book of Genesis. It was – and is – those differences between people that you should be celebrating… 

… because the same thing could be said with those humans who emerged from the dust-cloud on September 11: they resembled the generation of pre-creation: gray, formless, oblivious masses, huddling in the doorways, fearing their new world, and hoping for salvation. We knew that each one was different from one another, yet each one bore the imprint of the Holy One. And each one is sacred, with sacred potential for goodness and integrity. 

Twenty years ago, when God saw those survivors with their grimy appearance, the Divine One remembered the human creatures from the first generations of Earth eons ago. God remembered the hope we all had for humanity. But realizing the terrorist action that brought about the devastation of that day, God was then heard to cry out, “I gave free will to humanity; I was hoping they would act to improve the world. Where did I – where did they – go wrong. Should we, once again, reconsider our pledge to restore Eden for them?” 

God was despondent. Creation’s blueprint did not anticipate selfishness, or brutishness, or a desire for dominance for power. Goodness knows you have known tyrants or would-be tyrants in your world. Some might even exist in your day. None of that was in God’s plan, and what we and God perceive today frightens us, and, frankly, makes your future quite dismal. 

But God then read the words of the late professor Stephen Jay Gould, who wrote about the presence of evil AND goodness within the human family: 

“Good and kind people outnumber all others by thousands to one. The tragedy of human history lies in the enormous potential for destruction in rare acts of evil, not in the high frequency of evil people … every spectacular incident of evil will be balanced by 10,000 acts of kindness, too often unnoted and invisible as the ‘ordinary’ efforts of a vast majority.  We have a duty, almost a holy responsibility, to record and honor the victorious weight of these innumerable little kindnesses, when an unprecedented act of evil so threatens to distort our perception of ordinary human behavior.”⁴ 

So, we must ask ourselves this question every day as we rise to face the challenges of life: 

How will our actions affect the world? 

Will we allow inertia and apathy to flourish, and permit centrifugal force to pull us away from a common striving … or will we pull people together and help one another bring forth goodness into the world? 

When we hear the sound of the shofar – the vibrant or muddled, the short or the long, the weak or the strong, the ram’s horn, or that of the ibex – when we hear those sounds, will they be simply the background noise of everyday life, or will they break through and call us clearly to serve one another? 

In the New Year just beginning, will we disregard those in trouble, those who have difficulties in communicating with each other, those in a different state of life from us … or will we seek to help reconcile one person to another regardless of the differences between them, regardless of the barriers that exist between people? 

When we consider our tasks for the new year, how will each of us renew our plans for bringing goodness to the world? How will each human being activate their potential for restoring the Garden of Eden to our world? 

These are our challenges, for the choices are up to each of us. If we only pause and think, we can imagine what the Holy One of Blessing would like us to do. 

I, Elijah, the son of Tishbi of Gil’ad, know that the potential for progress is alive and well here. Want to know how I know? Let me share with you one further sound that I have heard this year, a sound that brings joy to my heart, and a feeling of hope to me and my colleagues: 

[V'ahavta]

This the sound of your future. When your children continue to study, to learn, to chant, to celebrate their heritage, then I know their future is secure, and that you are moving toward the true fulfillment of their destiny. I, Elijah, have seen the future, and I believe you can do it. The point is, you need to believe you can do it. 

My, look at the time. I need to be on my way now. I’m very glad you summoned me with the shofar, even though it wasn’t yet time for messianic things to start. It was great to catch up and pour out our hearts to one another. 

Oh, and please remember: Come Passover in the Spring, dry wine, please. 

And until then, may you all have a sweet, prosperous, successful, healthy, and peaceful New Year. 

Footnotes:

[1] Malachi 3:24
[2] Zecharia 9:14
[3] II Kings 2:11
[4] Stephan Jay Gould, cited in “Rambam’s Ladder: A Meditation on Generosity and Why It Is Necessary to Give” by Julie Salomon, Workman Publishing Company, 2003.
 

Looking to volunteer? Need a b’nai mitzvah project? Here are ways to help people in our community.

Jewish Social Services Opportunities

JSS needs volunteers for no-contact delivery of groceries and other essentials, phone contact, and other tasks and projects. The need is particularly high for one or two volunteers to help with tech support. For further info, please contact Paul Borowsky at 608-442-4083.

JSS is launching its refugee mentorship program, Aljirani Madison, and is seeking volunteers! From the Swahili jirani and Arabic aljar—both meaning “neighbor”—Aljirani Madison is a six-month volunteering program that partners community volunteers with a local refugee individual or family to provide a warm welcome, companionship, and practical help. See here for a full description of the program. For further information, contact Sam Van Akkeren. Please note: partnerships will meet digitally for the foreseeable future.

Meals for Catholic Multicultural Center

The Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC) meal program provides grab-and-go meals from the CMC parking lot. Our volunteers drop off food every other Wednesday to meet the growing need. We cook for 80+ people by sharing recipes and dividing up the work. If you are interested in preparing food at home for delivery to CMC, please use this signup link. Contact Sue Levy you have any questions.

Porchlight wish list 

The Porchlight Men’s Emergency Shelter has made the move from the Warner Park Recreation Center to First Street. Porchlight is always in need of cleaning and household supplies, hotel size toiletries, and groceries. Items can be dropped off at 306 N. Brooks Street, and Porchlight will deliver them to the shelter. See here for items needed, or contact Pam Robbins for more information.

This summer, under a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Madison, Temple Beth El is partnering with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County to provide summer internships for six young people. These interns work at two businesses and four nonprofit organizations under the supervision and mentorship of Temple Beth El members. Stay tuned for the full report once the internships conclude!

Mario Cancasco has been working with Elizabeth Friedman and Casey Brown at Frank Beverages. 

Quynh-Anh Le will be attending UW this fall. She is seen here in the warehouse of her internship at Interstate Books4School, working with Amy, Marty, Randy, and Molly Fields.

“At Madison Youth Arts, Desia Xiong has been doing a wide range of things—data entry, social media, photography, user guides, and helping set up rooms for our user organizations. We’ve loved having her here and we’ve loved being part of this program!” —Jessica M. Courtier, Director of Community Partnerships, Madison Youth Arts

The Union for Reform Judaism’s Religious Action Center (RAC) is working to enact national standards for voting, to ensure that everyone can vote and every vote is counted. As Reform Jews, our tradition teaches us that we want a transparent process we can trust, where all Americans have equal freedom to vote. For these reasons, the Reform Movement’s top federal legislative priorities include the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

The For the People Act (HR 1/S 1) is a sweeping package to realize the promise of our democracy, get big money out of politics, ensure our freedom to vote, and guarantee that congressional districts are drawn to give fair representation for all. You can read more about it here.  

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, named in honor of the late civil rights icon and longtime congressman, aims to combat racial discrimination by restoring and strengthening the protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The Voting Rights Act is a signature achievement of the civil rights movement that has been significantly weakened by Supreme Court decisions, clearing the path for the regressive and discriminatory laws that we are seeing in state legislatures today. You can read more about it here. 

Although the For the People Act and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act faced minimal opposition in the House of Representatives, they face resistance in the U.S. Senate. For this reason, the RAC coordinated a national campaign of direct outreach to Senate offices through virtual lobby visits during July and August. TBE member Betsy Abramson served as the RAC’s Wisconsin lobby meeting coordinator for the first meeting in Wisconsin, with Senator Tammy Baldwin. 

On July 26, Reform Jews from eight of the nine congregations across Wisconsin participated in a Zoom call with Samuel Martin, a member of Senator Tammy Baldwin’s staff. We were joined by representatives of other Jewish congregations and organizations, interfaith supporters, disability rights groups, and voting rights and aging organizations—100 people in all—asking Senator Baldwin to make these bills a top priority. Our speakers included Barbara Beckert of Disability Rights Wisconsin and Disability Vote Coalition, a member of Temple Shalom in Milwaukee, who gave her front-line perspective based on assisting voters over the last few elections; Rabbi Bonnie Margulis of Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice and the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Coalition, summarized the impact of the bills and talked about how the filibuster is preventing debate and resolution. Rabbi Benjamin Altschuler of Mt. Sinai Congregation in Wausau, spoke about the Jewish teachings that underlie our long-standing commitment to securing everyone’s right to vote.

David Wolfson, social justice activist and member of Congregation Shalom in Milwaukee, asked about Senator Baldwin’s views on the bills and the possibilities for reforming the filibuster. Mr. Martin responded that Senator Baldwin is a strong supporter who has been working with her colleagues to get the bills passed, and she will continue talks with any senators who are on the fence. Various alternatives for reforming the filibuster are under discussion, and all options are on the table for getting it passed. Betsy Abramson thanked Senator Baldwin and Mr. Martin for their commitment to working for these bills.
 
Kai Yael Gardner-Mishlove, director of the Milwaukee Jewish Community Relations Council, closed the meeting by saying that protection of the disenfranchised and the vulnerable is important to assure a vibrant and egalitarian society. For that reason the Jewish community opposes laws that have the effect of restricting the right to vote, and she emphasized that we are in this fight for the long haul. After the meeting with Senator Baldwin’s office, we discussed setting up a similar meeting with Senator Johnson in the near future.

Our work on voting rights will carry on both nationally and in Wisconsin, and both the Racial Justice Action Team and Civic Engagement Action team will be part of this effort. If you’d like to join us in working on these critical issues, please contact Betsy Abramson at 608-332-7867 or betsyabramson@gmail.com.

Want to know more?

• To learn more about the history of the filibuster and how this tradition impacts the passage of these two bills, see the URJ’s resolution on reforming the filibuster to promote debate without endangering other rights. For an argument that the filibuster should simply be abandoned, see this perspective from the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Coalition.
• A recent report details the problems that Wisconsin residents have faced accessing the vote in past elections and the additional problems they may face in the future if certain proposals go through. See “Voting Rights Are Human Rights: In Our Own Voices,” a report from the Disability Vote Coalition.

On Tuesday night, November 16, the Environment and Climate Change Action Team and the Men’s Book Club will join together for a discussion of We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast. In this book, acclaimed author Jonathan Safran Foer explores the central global dilemma of our time in a surprising, deeply personal, and urgent new way. 

Some people reject the fact, overwhelmingly supported by scientists, that our planet is warming because of human activity. But do those of us who accept the reality of human-caused climate change truly believe it? If we did, surely we would be roused to act on what we know. Will future generations distinguish between those who didn’t believe in the science of global warming and those who said they accepted the science but failed to change their lives in response?

The task of saving the planet will involve a great reckoning with ourselves and with our all-too-human reluctance to sacrifice immediate comfort for the sake of the future. The author maintains that we have turned our planet into a farm for growing animal products, and the consequences are catastrophic. Only collective action will save our home and way of life. And it all starts with what we eat—and don’t eat—for breakfast.

All are welcome to join as we discuss what we found helpful and reflect on whether what the author proposes can drive change in us and/or our communities. Please register here. This event will run from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. It may be in person or virtual, to be determined. 

The High Holy Day Food Drive is a long-standing holiday tradition at Temple Beth El. The food drive continues to be as important as ever, with many people in our community dependent on food banks and meal programs to feed their families. Since this year some of us will worship in person and others will attend services virtually, look for the traditional food drive envelope in your August Bulletin. You can also donate online on the Temple website (choose “High Holy Day Food Drive” as payment type). 

Last year, Temple members generously donated over $15,000 to the High Holy Day Food Drive. The Social Action Committee allocated most of the money to Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin, the region's largest and most cost-effective food bank. The remainder of the money went for direct food assistance provided through our community partners at the Catholic Multicultural Center, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Centro Hispano, Porchlight, and Food for Thought. 

Because of our sizable donation to Second Harvest in the Share Your Holidays drive, TBE was named a “silver level” sponsor, the only nonprofit organization to give at this level. Since a $10 donation to Second Harvest can provide up to 25 meals, TBE members effectively provided over 30,000 meals to help people through the darkest days of the pandemic.

(from Second Harvest https://www.secondharvestmadison.org/hungers-impact/hunger-stats)

Sadly, the pandemic is not at an end, and the economic recovery has been uneven and incomplete. Even though a majority of the households served by Second Harvest have a member who works at least 30 hours per week, they still struggle to balance paying for healthy food with other basic needs like rent, transportation, and medical care. One in six children in Southwest Wisconsin live in a household without enough food. For older people, high blood pressure and diabetes can result from not having enough healthy food. 

Our goal for 2021 is to match last year’s generous level of giving to help our neighbors move forward and put this terrible time behind us. Please donate what you can by returning the donation envelope enclosed in the August Bulletin or by donating online (choose “High Holy Day Food Drive” as payment type). 

Wisconsin State Assembly Invocation, June 29, 2021 – 1:00 pm session 

(inspired by the words of Rabbi Robert Kahn of blessed memory, found on page 261 of Mishkan T’filah) 

Good afternoon. 

This is a day when we consider. . .and search. . .and seek the ideal in our work and our lives. 

So, let us consider: 

Each day when we rise, each of us turns to our own individual Source of Blessing to find inspiration. Today, as we prepare to engage in the business of the people of Wisconsin, we proceed along two pathways: we surely wish to elevate ourselves, and we strive to improve our state and her citizens. 

So, let us search: 

• Let us search for strength, so that we may control our passions and impulses. 

• Let us search for humility, so that we may assess properly our weaknesses and our true skills. 

• Let us search for courage, so that we may achieve compromise when some seek extremes, and dare to set forth in bold, individual directions when necessary. 

• Let us search for patience, so that we may fairly evaluate ourselves, but always give back to ourselves the benefit of the doubt. 

• And let us search for wisdom, so that we may rise above minor disputes and disagreements. 

When we accomplish these internal goals, then we may be able to achieve something marvelous for our state. 

Therefore, let us seek the ideal: 

In the words of the Hebrew prophet Isaiah (58:6-7), we are here on earth to ‘unlock fetters of wickedness, and untie the cords of lawlessness; to release the oppressed; to break off every burden; to share bread with the hungry, to give the poor a home; to clothe the naked when we see them, and to never neglect our own flesh and blood.’ 

Isaiah reminds us that when we ‘offer compassion to the hungry and satisfy the famished, then our light will shine in darkness, and our gloom shall be like noonday.’ 

May all of us come to share these visions of the future, and work together to achieve them. 

And we say, Amen. 

The executive staff is thankful for new laptops that we purchased thanks to the generosity of Jeff Levy. The laptops allow executive staff to work from home or the office without using their personal devices. With in-person meetings in the building, the flexibility of laptops allows executive staff to continue to use the same note-taking and document systems for meetings that they used while working remotely. Thank you to Jeff Levy for this generous donation, which provides our executive staff with a much-needed technology upgrade. 

Joe and Jeanne (z''l) Silverberg became Temple Beth El members 68 years ago! Joe’s parents were founding members of TBE. Joe and Jeanne, before her passing, have been active members of TBE and our Sisterhood and Men’s Club, dedicating countless volunteer hours as well as financial support over their long membership. Both Joe and Jeanne joined our Dorot Society, naming TBE as a beneficiary of their IRAs. They made the choice to give to TBE through their IRAs, knowing that the financial institution holding the IRA would pay it out upon a person’s passing. TBE is grateful for the generous donation we received shortly after Jeanne’s passing. Joe says that giving to Temple was important to Jeanne because she appreciated all that Temple Beth El does and wanted to make sure TBE will be here for her great-grandchildren. We are grateful for everything the Silverbergs have brought to TBE, for Joe’s continuing involvement, and for their ongoing legacy.

Looking to volunteer? Need a b’nai mitzvah project? Here are ways to help people in our community.

Jewish Social Services Refugee Support and Other Opportunities

JSS needs volunteers for no-contact delivery of groceries and other essentials, phone contact, and other tasks and projects. The need is particularly high for one or two volunteers to help with tech support. For further info, please contact Paul Borowsky, 608-442-4083.

JSS is launching its new refugee mentorship program, Aljirani Madison, and is now seeking volunteers! From the Swahili jirani and Arabic aljar—both meaning “neighbor”—Aljirani Madison is a six-month volunteering program that partners community volunteers with a local refugee individual or family to provide a warm welcome, companionship, and practical help. See here for a full description of the program. For further information, contact Sam Van Akkeren. Please note: partnerships will meet digitally for the foreseeable future.

Meals for Catholic Multicultural Center

The Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC) meal program provides grab-and-go meals from the CMC parking lot. Our volunteers drop off food every other Wednesday to meet the growing need. We cook for 80+ people by sharing recipes and dividing up the work. If you are interested in preparing food at home for delivery to CMC, please use this signup link. Contact Sue Levy you have any questions.

Porchlight Wish List

The Porchlight Men’s Emergency Shelter has made the move from the Warner Park Recreation Center to First Street. Porchlight is always in need of cleaning and household supplies, hotel-size toiletries, and groceries. Items can be dropped off at 306 N. Brooks Street and will be delivered to the shelter. See here for items needed, or contact Pam Robbins for more information.

The Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development runs an ongoing court observer program to keep watch on how the court system affects individuals from communities of color. Several TBE members currently participate in this program and find it rewarding. Volunteers begin with a three-session training (now provided online) to become familiar with the basics of the cases they will be observing. The training covers how to use the Dane County Circuit Court calendar to identify cases to observe, how to follow along with the cases to complete the observation form, and how to submit the form.

Following training, volunteers observe the courts’ handling of criminal cases and housing eviction cases. Currently this observation can be done from home, since court procedures are being livestreamed during the pandemic. Volunteers can observe as many cases as desired, with a modest minimum time commitment per month. To date, volunteers across Dane County have observed over 1,000 cases, and data is continuously being entered and analyzed. Volunteers have found the experience to be highly enlightening, and it has led to recommendations for changes in procedures.

To read more about the program, see here. Or watch this 20-minute interview of TBE court observer volunteer Lynn Silverman.

This first year of Temple’s Racial Justice Action Team has been both extraordinary and urgent, as local and national events have called on Reform Jews for a strong response and full engagement.

In 2017 Temple signed on to the Urgency of Now Campaign of URJ’s Religious Action Center (the RAC), with a plan to focus on racial justice in the criminal justice system. The combined events of the past year—the murder of George Floyd by police, the rise in white supremacy and voter suppression efforts, increased racial disparities in economics, COVID deaths, mental health, and other areas—have broadened the RAC’s focus and ours.

TBE members have had many opportunities to participate in racial justice work despite the pandemic:

• After George Floyd’s murder, Temple joined other Jewish organizations in Madison by participating in a peaceful march and rally downtown.
• Temple staff and members of the Social Action Committee organized two well-attended listening sessions in July to discuss the Jewish imperative to address the racial aspects of policing.
• We organized a series of events beginning on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. weekend instead of the usual Temple retreat. This included a Shabbat service honoring the legacy of Dr. King, a family music program on music of the civil rights movement, and discussion of a sermon on rethinking race within the Jewish community.
• In February we organized an all-Temple read and discussion of Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.
• Social Action Committee members Erica Serlin and Lynn Silverman led two cohorts of “Seven Guided Conversations About Race,” with organizational help from action team co-chair Lindsay Mindlin.
• With the Civic Engagement Action Team, we registered people to vote and took action against voter suppression. More than 50 TBE members participated in the RAC’s postcard writing campaign encouraging traditionally marginalized communities to register and vote.
• We deepened our involvement with the Nehemiah Center for Urban leadership Development by recruiting individuals to serve as court observers in the Dane County courts and helping supply food for young students. Several members, including Rabbi Biatch, have participated in the Nehemiah “Justified Anger” Black History course.
• Every week we provide a Racial Justice Action of the Week in TBE’s Weekly Happenings email to help us educate, affiliate, donate, and advocate.
• Finally, this summer, we were awarded a generous grant from Jewish Federation of Madison, enabling us to partner with the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County to provide seven summer internships for students with TBE members’ places of employment.

Many TBE members recently participated in the April 28 online kickoff of the RAC’s bold Racial Justice Campaign. This campaign will mobilize Reform congregations across North America to campaign for federal bills such as the For the People Act (H.R. 1/S. 1) and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 4), as well as statewide efforts to fight voter suppression bills pending in the Wisconsin legislature, address police reform, and make our own congregations more welcoming to Jews of color.

It’s been an important year, and there’s more to come. Stay tuned. Get involved. Contact betsyabramson@gmail.comfor more information.

There are many Jewish teachings that remind us to be good stewards of our planet. Of these, the most well-known is perhaps tikkun olam: the perfection/repair of the world is in our hands. But the Torah also prohibits wasteful consumption, the extinction of species, and causing undue pain to nonhuman creatures. And it includes numerous laws which tell us that environmental justice is a Jewish value. 

At TBE, we are restarting our efforts to engage the congregation in following our Torah teachings related to the environment. We recently formed the Environment and Climate Change Action Team. Our mission is focused both internally and externally:

To fulfill the Jewish imperative to tikkun olam by encouraging environmental stewardship within the congregation and to inspire, educate, and mobilize our congregation to protect our planet from the negative impacts of climate change and to practice environmental consciousness. 

For this story I would like to highlight accomplishments within the congregation in the past 10 years. I spoke with Dan Esser, member of the House Committee since 1999, and recent recipient of a TBE lifetime achievement award for volunteering. Dan was recruited to the committee after building our sukkah with the Men’s Club, and never left. He currently serves on eight committees—four building-related and four leadership-related, including the Executive Committee and the Making the Building Safer task force. When I remarked that he contributes so much to the congregation, he said, “I get way more than I put in.”

Dan shared some of the efforts that have contributed to making our building more efficient while optimizing limited funds:

• In 2014-15 we did a significant remodel to the front of our building. We added the outdoor terrace and converted the curved wall to new energy-efficient doors (three sets). We replaced the six front doors with fiberglass insulated units and added significant number of plantings, which included an irrigation system. 
• For the last three or four years, we have been converting our lights as they age out to LED products and getting energy rebates. We determined that since the bulk of our building is only used 10 hours per week, it was not practical to do preemptive replacements. However, we did convert all the hall lights that have to remain on 24/7 for safety purposes. 
• In 2018-19, we did an architect-let capital needs assessment of our building, which outlined expenses for the next 15-20 years and highlighted ways to reduce energy costs. 
• Our biggest investment was in 2020 HVAC replacement project, which included 9 new rooftop units, each the size of a small car. Our biggest unit is called a weather expert and we received a $1,000 rebate from Focus on Energy. We added for CO2 sensors to precisely monitor the number of people in our most populous spaces. This also qualified for an energy rebate. 

I asked Dan for suggestions for members of the congregation who want to support implementing the recommendations of the capital needs assessment, such as adding solar panels to the roof. He replied that there are plans to start a capital campaign soon and encouraged us to give generously. This investment will pay off in reducing our carbon footprint and our energy bills, both highly effective ways to fulfill our Jewish imperative of tikkun olam.

We welcome all who want to join us in supporting ongoing efforts and finding new ways to engage our community to repair the world. Our vision is to achieve greater sensitivity to the earth among members, empower all to act locally and think globally, and to impact individuals, TBE, and the communities where we live. Contact Marta Karlov at mokarlov2@gmail.com or Aleeza Hoffert at engage@tbemadison.org for more information.