Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on December 17, 2019

Alan Stern Published 10:17 a.m. ET Dec. 16, 2019 | Updated 5:00 a.m. ET Dec. 17, 2019

Rabbi Avi Schnall of Lakewood talks about increase in anti-Semitism incidents in Ocean County. Brian Johnston, Asbury Park Press

I am neither a rabbi nor a Talmudic scholar. I am a dentist by profession. I was born to a Hungarian Holocaust survivor who married an American Jewish soldier from Brooklyn shortly after having been liberated from Auschwitz.

I was educated in a modern Conservative Jewish Day School in Queens and worshiped in a small storefront Orthodox Jewish synagogue until I left my native New York at age 24. Ive been exposed to various Orthodox, Conservativeand Reform Jewish communities. I love and respect all of them. I myself am a member and past president of Congregation Torat El, a Modern Conservative synagogue in Ocean Township.

These are my credentials for writing this piece. At the risk that a lay person takes in commenting outside his professional training, I hope my comments will be sufficient to show that Jewish people of all denominations, despite our apparent differences, have more in common than many would suspect and that each one of us is vested in the others well-being.

Representatives of Toms Rivers' Orthodox Jewish community and members of the Unity Project discuss issues at the home of Rabbi Moshe Rotberg.(Photo: Colin Lewis)

A brief look at modern Jewish history and tradition shows howdifferent interpretations of them lead to some differences among Jewish people.

Until the latter half of the 18thcentury, Jewish communities were organized and flourished as self-governing, insular, almost autonomous states within the nations of Europe. The rule of religious law was the norm in these communities and its interpretation and enforcement were carried out by rabbis. There were few if any factions. European Christian communities, by the way, had the same religious autonomy!

But when the 18th-century French Revolution and subsequent enlightenment led to the modern state, the power of the clergy was diminished, which led to deep divisions in Jewish communities. Some modern-minded19th-century European Jews attempted to reconcile religious law with secular reality, giving birth to the Reform Movement. Orthodox elements struggled to retain their exclusivity but also split into fringes. When all this came to post-Holocaust America, the schism persisted.

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Today we see a number of very fascinating different styles of Judaism.Orthodox Judaism emphasizes the strict observance of Jewish law as outlined in the Torah. Orthodoxy is split into many segments from modern to non-modern.

Orthodox Q & A Brian Johnston, Asbury Park Press

Conservative Judaism attempts to reconcile Jewish law, principleand tradition in a modern world. Its rules and bylaws are constantly being reviewed and changed by rabbis as the world changes.Reform Judaism emphasizes ethics and social justice over traditions and ritual.Reconstructionist and Humanistic Judaism, though slightly different, emphasize cultural uniqueness over anything else.

All of these Jewish groups, to the best of my knowledge, overtly and in their own way, practice tikkun olam, the Hebrew phrase which translates roughly to making the world better.

There is an underlying tension today between the well-intended populations of Jewish people looking to preserve and maintain the past and those looking to keep our religion alive and flourishing in a modern world. The roles of women, adherence to dietary lawsand observance of the Sabbath as a day of rest and reclusion from worldly affairs are some of the key differences among Jewish people today.

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Throughout our entire history, all of the seemingly simple 613 rules and commandments laid out in the Torah have been subject to serious debate, discussion and interpretation.The Talmud is an amazingly complex scholarly document featuring this type of discussion of Divine Law. Arguments for the sake of God have been a hallmark of our faith and heritage for centuries. Ideally, these arguments should be vehicles for constructive engagement and growth as the world changes while the words of the Torah (obviously) remain the same.

Sadly, however, within our various communities, arguments and differences regarding proper adherence to the very rules thatwere meant to bind us together as a people striving to make the world a better place have caused dangerous schisms in our tiny, vulnerable population.

There is a sad element of truth when we Jewish people joke among ourselves with the line 2 Jews, 3 opinions.Even within strict Orthodox communities, minor differences in interpretation create needless disunity. Throw in the guidelines of Conservative, and Reform Judaism, and you have the basis for misunderstanding among people who have faced, and continue to face, existential threats throughout their history. The passion of the differences of opinion to the point of utter rejection of the other not only would seem absurd to a non-Jewish observer; they pose yet another existential threat to all of us.

I am saddened and scared when I hear any group of any religion claim that they have the word of God to the exclusion of all others.

The reality all Jewish (and non-Jewish, for that matter) people need to see is that we all are pursuing the truth and the best life possible for ourselves and our families. In a time when anti-Semitism is once again rearing its ugly head, the need for mutual understanding, engagement with curiosityand the presumption of good intent among and between all Jewish people is critical. If we are to stand strongly against all hate and to work to make the world better, we must first work to strengthen and build community amongst ourselves. Lets start now as though our Jewish heritage and our childrens lives depend on it. Because they do!

Alan Stern(Photo: Alan Stern)

Alan Stern is a dentist from Ocean Township.

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Read more from the original source:

Judaism What is It, anyway? It comes in many forms - Asbury Park Press

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