We need a louder and broader Jewish voice – Religion News Service
Posted By admin on September 13, 2022
(RNS) I am really, really starting to dislike the word iconic, especially because I overuse it. One of my resolutions for the coming year is to break that habit.
But, sometimes, it fits. I would eagerly attach the adjective iconic to singer-songwriter Craig Taubman. He is a veteran composer and performer of Jewish music, and not just Jewish music.
He is also not just a musician. He is a seeker and producer of meaning, and a creator of community.
I spent a few minutes the other day catching up with Craig. We talked about the weather in Los Angeles (hot, really hot!), and the heat that his community, The Pico Union Project, has generated.
Craig: My wife and I bought the Pico property about 10 years ago. It was the first home of Sinai Temple. It was where I celebrated becoming Bar Mitzvah, got married and created Friday Night Live with Rabbi David Wolpe. It happened to be the oldest synagogue structure in Los Angeles.
We thought that we could turn it into a cool place, into a destination venue. We would bring in great music, great food, and even great scotch. My daughter told me: You should ask the people in that area what they need. Youre not just a musician; youre a community builder. She put it all together for me. For the last 10 years, weve been bringing people together people from all different backgrounds, all different classes, and it has been amazing. Our principle is: Love your neighbor as yourself.
Craig Taubman. Courtesy photo
There are three faith communities that meet here: a Black church, a Latino church and a Jewish group. We have brought in amazing music, like Idan Rachel, Jackson Browne, Rhiannon Giddens and the Klezmatics. During the week, we do a lot of social service programs. We distribute 20,000 pounds of produce a week.
It also happens to be in the poorest neighborhood in Los Angeles. We are in a food desert. The closest grocery store is 2 miles away. People cant get fresh produce, so they eat unhealthy foods. It reflected what happened during COVID; over 3,000 people in our district died of the disease. But, not in our immediate neighborhood because of the food distribution program.
We do health screenings, COVID screenings it has been an interesting journey. Fifteen hundred people a week cross our threshold.
Jeff: This is amazing stuff. It makes me wonder: Have other communities imitated your model?
Craig: In Helena, Montana, a group just bought the oldest synagogue in town back from the Catholic diocese. They call the initiative the Montana Project.
I told them: The odds of you creating a strong Jewish community in Helena are pretty slim. But, if you want to create a Jewish presence here that mirrors Jewish values, that might work, and you will serve the community with those values.
They liked that. It actually means you can have Jewish values without Jews!
Jeff: So, in a smaller community where there are few or no Jews, there can still be reverberations of Jewish values. Sort of like, Judaism without Jews. I really do need to think more about that.
Craig: So, I was talking with Ron Wolfson (the visionary Jewish educator and thought leader) the other day as we were driving to Orange County to honor Pastor Rick Warrenon the occasion of his retirement from Saddleback Church.
Ron was telling me about an idea that is intriguing him getting all the people in the world who have some Jewish DNA in them and getting them to become our allies.
So, thats millions upon millions of people, whom we hope will see themselves within the Jewish narrative. But, whats in it for them? Heres an idea: Create a party for all these people who have some Jewish stuff in them, and to invite them, with no agenda, to tell their stories.
How many millions of dollars has the Jewish community spent in battling BDS? Why not take that money and invite Christian and Muslim college kids to join Jewish kids on trips to Israel? Together they could learn the good, the bad and the ugly and let them come to their own conclusions and tell their own stories.
Jeff: So, youre looking to expand the Jewish palette. Very interesting and a very compelling idea. That brings me to Jewels of Elul, your pre-High Holy Day daily set of readings. It seems to me that this is precisely what you are doing.
Craig: Exactly. If youre going to publish inspirations for the 29 days of Elul, leading up to Rosh Hashanah, why limit it to one voice, when you can get 29 different voices?
In the first year, it was mostly rabbis and other Jewish leaders basically, friends of mine. But then, in the second year, I invited Pastor Cecil Chip Murray. Hes 93 years old now and a remarkable man, who single-handedly stopped the Rodney King riots. I put him in there because it was about the art of loving your neighbor. Someone wrote to me, and said: What can I possibly learn about the High Holy Days from a n?
Jeff: My God. I simply cannot get my mind around that that someone would actually say such a thing.
Craig: I said: Wow. That anyone could think that this is a Jewish way to think about Jewish ritual shocked me! So, I opened Jewels of Elul way up. Because the only way that I can choose to love my neighbor, or not to love my neighbor, is by knowing my neighbor. If I am only listening to the same voices mostly rabbis who are my age how can I expect me or anyone to grow?
So, yes, we broke it open, and we found many allies. Did I agree with all of them? No. I didnt need to. We need more voices now more than ever before. Stop telling people how you disagree with them; find places where you do agree.
Jeff: I have to tell you, I have loved Jewels. I like seeing the people I admire in there, and you have done an amazing job of bringing in unknown or less known voices. You also have this thing about finding celebrities and getting them to talk about their lives. Who have been your favorite teachers that you have included over the years?
Craig: Rabbi Harold Schulweis, of blessed memory. I love the way he taught us to go from is to ought. Its not about what Jews are; its about what they ought to be. Its not about what a synagogue is; its about what a synagogue ought to be. Not what Judaism is; what Judaism ought to be. Not what Israel is; what Israel ought to be. Ought strengthens is.
I love the diversity of people who have written for Jewels. Lady Gaga and the Dalai Lama have written for us. But the stuff that spoke to me the most were the people who simply told stories out of the depths of their own beings and experiences about the moments, memories and epiphanies that changed them.
Hey, Jeff, do you remember the jewel you wrote for us several years ago?
Jeff: No. You will have to remind me.
So here it is:
Sometimes, a Broadway show is not just a performance. It is a dream set to music.
That was my experience when I saw The Bands Visit, the multi-Tony Award-winning musical version of the Israeli film of the same name. The Bands Visit is the story of an Egyptian police band, booked to sing in the Israeli city of Petach Tikvah (with a p). Through a simple linguistic error, the band winds up in a small desert town Beit Hatikva (with a b). There, a caf owner, Dina, invites them to stay the night, as an unresolved romantic tension between her and the captain of the band grows.
The Bands Visit portrays Israeli Jews and Egyptian Muslims as dwelling together for a single night. Forty-five years ago, Israel and Egypt fought a war against each other. No one seems to remember. Their individual cultures flow imperceptibly between them. The music is enchanting in its blurring of Arab and Middle Eastern Jewish modes.
The Bands Visit is almost a messianic moment. Israeli Jews provide hachnasat orchim, hospitality, for Egyptian strangers just as our common father Abraham did for sojourners in the same desert that now houses Beit Hatikva. People see themselves as merely people with secrets, longings, and love.
Thanks, Craig.
I almost forgot.
Link:
We need a louder and broader Jewish voice - Religion News Service
- Freehold Jewish Center - Wikipedia - May 29th, 2023
- Police: Michigan woman wanted to blame synagogue vandalism on Azov Regiment - UpNorthLive.com - May 29th, 2023
- Jury selection concludes in trial for Pittsburgh synagogue shooter who killed 11 - Fox News - May 29th, 2023
- Graphic crime scene and autopsy images will be part of synagogue ... - thejewishchronicle.net - May 29th, 2023
- Boston Synagogue to Host Boston's West End Lyric's 'The Joys of ... - OperaWire - May 29th, 2023
- Terrorist With A Knife Neutralized Near Synagogue In West Bank ... - i24NEWS - May 29th, 2023
- 22-year-old jailed for attempted arson attack on German synagogue - The Times of Israel - May 26th, 2023
- Jury selection wraps in Pittsburgh synagogue massacre with testimony expected Tuesday - ABC News - May 26th, 2023
- IDF: Palestinian killed after infiltrating West Bank settlement synagogue with knife - The Times of Israel - May 26th, 2023
- SYNAGOGUE - JewishEncyclopedia.com - May 24th, 2023
- Lit Explosive Tossed From Pickup Truck Near Synagogue - Newsweek - May 24th, 2023
- Shavuot: When Children Take Their Parents to Synagogue - Impact of Chabad Hebrew schools felt deeply at reading of ... - Chabad.org - May 24th, 2023
- Light unto the nations: How Kherson's synagogue became a massive outreach center - Ynetnews - May 24th, 2023
- Sim Shalom Online Synagogue Soars into the Summer with ... - Benzinga - May 24th, 2023
- Homepage | Park Avenue Synagogue - May 22nd, 2023
- Cherry Hill rabbi donates Torah to new synagogue in Idaho - CBS News - May 22nd, 2023
- Park East Synagogue is still searching for its next leader as another assistant rabbi exits - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - May 20th, 2023
- Synagogue massacre trial expected to start May 30 | The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle - thejewishchronicle.net - May 20th, 2023
- Campaign to give Sons of Jacob Synagogue a fresh look - My North Bay Now - May 20th, 2023
- Sacred Art: The Hope of History at Dohny Street Synagogue - MutualArt.com - May 20th, 2023
- Revelers outside Jerusalem's Great Synagogue say they 'came to ... - The Times of Israel - May 20th, 2023
- Synagogues In Orlando | Jewish Family Community Center | Ohev Shalom ... - May 17th, 2023
- Meet our Clergy - Congregation of Reform Judaism - May 17th, 2023
- London synagogue catches heat for lighting indoor Lag BOmer bonfire - The Times of Israel - May 17th, 2023
- Jury selection in Tree of Life Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial advances - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - May 17th, 2023
- Ivanka Trump and her family were spotted going to synagogue - HOLA! USA - May 17th, 2023
- Wenatchee synagogue vandalized with swastikas | News ... - wenatcheeworld.com - May 17th, 2023
- Warsaw's Great Synagogue destroyed 80 years ago today The ... - The First News - May 17th, 2023
- Pittsburgh Jewish community tracks jump in hate speech amid synagogue massacre trial - The Times of Israel - May 13th, 2023
- Voice for Jewish community reflects on first week of jury selection in synagogue shooting trial - CBS News - April 29th, 2023
- Potential jurors' stance on death penalty gauged as jury selection in synagogue shooting trial continues - WTAE Pittsburgh - April 27th, 2023
- Pittsburgh Jews keep defying hate as synagogue trial nears - The Hill - April 22nd, 2023
- Capitol Hill synagogue vandalized on eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day - The Seattle Times - April 20th, 2023
- This gay Orthodox Jew was banned from his synagogue. Now hes fighting back. - Forward - April 20th, 2023
- Teen accused of posting bomb threat targeting Forsyth County synagogue, deputies say - WSB Atlanta - April 20th, 2023
- The Synagogue | The Pluralism Project - March 10th, 2023
- Jessica Seinfeld Calls For Non-Jews To Join Friends At Synagogue Tomorrow For Shabbat To Counter Day Of Hate With Love And Light - Deadline - February 27th, 2023
- Synagogue Facts & Features | What is a Synagogue? | Study.com - February 19th, 2023
- Arab worlds 1st purpose-built synagogue in century opens at UAE interfaith center - The Times of Israel - February 17th, 2023
- What Is the Purpose of the Synagogue? | Reform Judaism - February 16th, 2023
- Ancient Synagogues in Israel and the Diaspora - February 2nd, 2023
- Park Synagogue, Cory United to hold MLK Jr. Day commemoration - Cleveland Jewish News - January 6th, 2023
- Ice Cream Factory, The Court Hotel and The Old Synagogue set for thrilling New Years Eve celebrations - PerthNow - December 21st, 2022
- NJ Synagogue Threat: FBI Says Credible Information Developed NBC New York - December 11th, 2022
- Video shows man making bigoted remarks at Bloomfield Twp. synagogue - Detroit Free Press - December 11th, 2022
- Two men, one a descendant of Holocaust survivor, indicted in connection with threat to attack NYC synagogue - CNN - December 11th, 2022
- Michigan man charged after threatening synagogue-goers yelled antisemitic invective during arraignment - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - December 7th, 2022
- AA Synagogue - November 24th, 2022
- How One Jewish Groups Tweet Surveillance Uncovered a Synagogue Plot - The New York Times - November 24th, 2022
- Tree of Life - November 21st, 2022
- Jewish Community Security Organization in UK Says It Discovered N.Y. Synagogue Threats - HS Today - HSToday - November 21st, 2022
- Welcome to Edgware United Synagogue - November 16th, 2022
- New Jersey man accused of sending online threats to attack a synagogue and Jewish people, federal prosecutor says - CNN - November 11th, 2022
- I Let My Son Be an Extra on Maisel on the Holiest Day of the Jewish Year - Kveller.com - October 19th, 2022
- Why a new program aiming to fight anti-Zionism among Reform Jews is bound to fail - Mondoweiss - October 19th, 2022
- Reeling from the loss of her mom, this rabbi created an online community for healing - St. Louis Jewish Light - October 19th, 2022
- Slovak Who Attacked Gay Bar Credits Buffalo Shooter with Giving Him 'Final Nudge' - HS Today - HSToday - October 19th, 2022
- OPINION: Let's make this the year we end paid High Holiday tickets J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - October 15th, 2022
- Churches need to see more of the faithful - liherald.com - October 15th, 2022
- Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley: October 14-20, 2022 - Sedona.biz - October 15th, 2022
- Why Conspiracy Theorists Always Land on the Jews - The Atlantic - October 15th, 2022
- Religion: Clergy strive to reconcile politically divided congregations | Journal-Courier - Jacksonville Journal-Courier - October 8th, 2022
- Huntsville's Temple B'nai Sholom encourages the community to visit the historic synagogue - WZDX - September 29th, 2022
- The synagogue is in the street: On Yom Kippur, Tel Aviv shows another side of itself - Forward - September 29th, 2022
- A Long Island synagogues renovations uncover a massive work of art - Forward - September 29th, 2022
- Synagogues exit pandemic with reflection, determination and hope for the future - Ynetnews - September 29th, 2022
- For the Sin We Have Sinned by Making People Feel Unwelcome at Synagogues - Jewish Exponent - September 29th, 2022
- The tragedy of Jews who can't stand with Israel - JNS.org - September 29th, 2022
- Fellowship in Their Golden Years - International Fellowship of Christians and Jews - September 29th, 2022
- Aurora rabbi joins other faith leaders in call for peace and progress - Daily Herald - September 29th, 2022
- Worshiper stabbed to death outside Dimona synagogue after asking suspect to be quiet - The Times of Israel - September 27th, 2022
- Paxton Works to Safeguard First Amendment Protections for Religious Group Facing Illegal Discrimination - Texas Attorney General (.gov) - September 27th, 2022
- Date, fast times, meaning behind Yom Kippur and what celebrations involve - iNews - September 27th, 2022
- Finding Refuge from War and Persecution in Connecticut's Quiet Corner - UConn Today - University of Connecticut - September 27th, 2022
- 'Sense of accomplishment': Synagogue recruits 163 Torah readers from one Rosh Hashanah to another - Daily Herald - September 25th, 2022
- So, whats up with all that kissing in synagogue? (No, not the people the Torah!) - Forward - September 25th, 2022
- The Top 10 Secrets of the Eldridge Street Synagogue and Museum in NYC - Untapped New York - September 25th, 2022
- Police increase patrols at Long Island synagogues, temples ahead of High Holy Days - CBS New York - September 25th, 2022
- Pandemic's aftermath and economic crisis have some synagogues rethinking their membership fees - eJewish Philanthropy - September 25th, 2022
- 'Exactly the spiritual leader that we wanted': Rabbi Meeka Simerly to lead her first Rosh Hashana at Havre de Grace's Temple Adas Shalom - Baltimore... - September 25th, 2022
Comments