Thanks, Gene Weingarten and Christine Lavin Shout Out!

I've always enjoyed Gene Weingarten's "Below the Beltway" column in the Washington Post.

In today's (Dec. 31, 2006) column Gene gives some female friends the opportunity to take on Christopher Hitchens for his essay in Vanity Fair claiming that women aren't funny. I was thrilled to see a quote from one of my favorite contemporary female folk artists, Christine Lavin, who refers to her song "What Was I Thinking?" even adding a new verse for Christopher Hitchens. I was first introduced to Christine and her music during my decade spent in Fargo, North Dakota, where, fortunately, Minnesota Public Radio could be heard on the air on KCCD/KCCM. Her music was often featured on my favorite radio show, period - MPR's ever popular Morning Show. The D.C. Metro area is a great place to live, but whereas in Minnesota/North Dakota the Public Radio networks decided to keep BOTH classical and news programming on the air (by creating dual stations) here we've been betrayed by WETA who dropped all classical programming in February 2005 in favor of all news (although it now may be coming back.) I dropped my WETA membership in protest. Might have to rethink that...

Migdalor Guy

The Lost Mispocha

As I was reading and preparing to write my weekly Random Musing Before Shabbat I found myself drawn into a fascinating world. I decided this week to write about the haftarah for this weekly parasha (portion) of Vayigash. [A haftarah is a reading from the prophets that is read along with the weekly Torah reading in the Jewish tradition. It is said that their origin is from an early time when Jews were not permitted to read Torah publicly, thus readings from the Prophets which had some connection to a theme of the weekly reading were chosen to be read to remind us of that which we couldn't hear being read. The Torah, that is, the Five Books of Moses, is divided into 54 weekly portions which are read in a yearly cycle following the calendar of the Jewish year. Why 54? Well, that's a whole other story because a Jewish leap year has 54 weeks....]

Anyway, the haftarah is from chapter 37 of the book of Ezekiel. It contains the famous prophesy that foretells the eventual reunification of all the Israelites, meaning that the so-called lost ten tribes would be part of the reunification.

From these few short verses (Ezekiel 37:15-28) has been born legions of legends, myths, hopes, prayers, and yes, of course, some anti-Semitism. First, there are many peoples that claim to be descendants of the lost tribes from places in Africa, and Asia. There are theories about the British, the Japanese and the Kurds being remnants of the ten lost tribes. Even the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) have a big stake in this.

Just Google for yourself "ten lost tribes" or "lost tribes of Israel" and you'll see just how extensive the lore is and the theories are. I know that I am going to spend some time exploring all this mythology (and fact?) over the next few years at least.

I guess we shouldn't be too surprised that so much has been made of one short passage. After all, think of all the other things that have come about on the basis of only a few words.

If nothing else, it should certainly teach us to be cautious about what we say, and more so our leaders. (Of course, if we follow the "Motel of the Mysteries" theory, who knows what mundane and quotidian piece of text future archaeologists and anthropologists might stumble upon and choose to try and use to understand our times and culture. So we should all be wary of what we write)

A Happy, Healthy, and relatively Dubya-free secular New Year to one and all.

Migdalor Guy (aka Adrian)

Guess Maui Has More Sense Than Seattle's Airport

From the JTA:

"A Hawaii county erected a Christmas tree to protect a Chanukah menorah from achurch-state separation challenge. The American Civil Liberties Union complained to Maui County this week afterseeing the menorah, accompanied by a dreidel, in front of the county building. A local rabbi had asked authoritiesfor permission to set up the menorah. The ACLU cited laws that say that displaying a religious symbol by itselfcould constitute endorsement of that religion. County workers scrambled Wednesday to find a Christmas tree, inshort supply in Hawaii this late in the season. One was found at a local botanical garden. "

If you may recall, the good folks running SeaTac airport, when challeneged by a local rabbi about all the Christmas trees and asked to put up a menorah, decided instead to remove all the Xmas tress.

Maybe the nicer weather in Maui makes for nicer governmental officials?

Sorry Tony, Monk Was Better in Color

I have an affinity for the TV show Monk. One reason, of course, is that the character's first name is Adrian, as is my own. I also find the show cleverly written and well acted.

So I was intrigued when, this past holiday weekend, the series offered the same show in two version - black and white, and color. Ostensibly, star Tony Shaloub preferred the black and white style.

I appreciate a good film noire shot in black and white. This episode, however, was not the right venue for this experiment. Had it been set in an older time period, or been a stylistically noire script, it might have worked better in black and white.

I was all psyched-up for an episode that would likely be noire in style, and I was disappointed that it wasn't. True, however, to form, the show did tackle an unpopular subject - leprosy (Hansen's disease) with one character pretending to be a leper (and the resultant reaction of Monk's OCD character) and an advising physician (and new love intesrest for Natalie Teager?)turns out to be a recovered leper.

So, an enjoyable episoide, but simply better in color. Nice try, Tony, but no sale. I do hope you'll try again.

Migdalor Guy.

Person of the Year?

Hey, you! Person of the year! Yes, I mean you. Didn't you hear? The venerable editors at Time magazine have chosen" you" as person of the year.

Columnist John Dvorak over at PC Magazine calls it a "cop out" and an insult.

And here's my dilemma-I read both articles. And I agreed with both articles. Yes, I know, how Jewish of me. They're both right. Well, they are.

Time's editors are correct. It is a brave new world out there, and average, ordinary, everyday people are having an effect, an impact. The internet has become a very empowering tool.

Dvorak's correct in that the pictures seem an odd variety of choices. And it is somewhat of a cop-out, especially given that so much of what's on the net is sophomoric crap.

Yet I think there's an even darker side. I remember the peace movement of the 60s, and how the military-industrial complex eventually bought it out. When you could buy a peace sign necklace at department store, the end was in sight. The movement was subsumed by the capitalists and the militarists.

Yes, its an oversimplification. And I'm no conspiracy nut. However, I can still see the same thing happening to the internet. Academics rail against Wikipedia and get public schools to prohibit students from using it for research. Big companies are buying out all the vanity sites (which, in and of themselves, are hardly innocent of being part of the corporate cadre that rules the world.)

So the question becomes-will we live up to Time's choice? Can we beat Apple and Microsoft and HP and IBM and Boeing and Haliburton etc. ? Only "time" will tell.

Migdalor Guy

Why is Everybody Picking on the Conservative Movement?

I am not sure what kind of Jew I am. By default, at one time, I would have said that I am, nominally, a Reform Jew - that is, most of the congregations that I have served or been a member of have been Reform. Nevertheless, I'm definitely on the towards tradition side. And I have have taught and worked (and still do) in Conservative congregations, and even for a traditional day school. I sort of consider myself trans- (or perhaps post-) denominational when it comes to Judaism. I have no particular affinity for the principles of any one movement within Judaism.

Nevertheless, I am bothered by all those who criticize the recent votes by the Conservative Movement's Committee on Jewish Law and Halakha regarding the status GLBT individuals. Three t'shuvot were passed, with conflicting opinions. The most significant one is the one that opens the door for full participation by GLBT individuals in synagogue life, and will likely leads to admitting openly gay students to UJ and JTSA. It pushes the halakha about as far as it could in terms of having any chance of passing a committee vote, yet still retains the position that anal sex between males remains prohibited (nudge, nudge, wink, wink.)

A second t'shuva reiterates the existing position that allowed limited participation by GLBT individuals and couples in synagogue and ritual life. The third perpetuates the opinion that homosexuality et al is a disease that can be cured.

Some ask how these contradictory t'shuvot could all be approved. Some call the more liberal opinion of the three a cop-out.

Now, personally, I support the elimination of any and all obstacles to full participation by GLBT individuals in synagogue and ritual Jewish life. And yes, there are paths through the halakha that could lead the Conservative movement to such a position. G"d willing, someday they'll get there. For now, a t'shuva had to be crafted that could win the support of a majority int he committee, and there's no shame in that compromise for the sake of the progress it will bring. It took more than Lincoln's emancipation Proclamation to truly free slaves.

And what is unusual about conflicting opinions in Judaism co-existing? The Torah, Talmud and all the accompanying literature are replete with contradictory opinions and statements. Whether you agree with their sentiment or not, some respect is due to those whose opinions differ. The t'shuva that will finally open the way for openly GLBT individuals to be ordained in the Conservative movement uses the concept of human dignity as the underpinning.

In the same way, allowing the committee to pass t'shuvot representing three differing opinions also serves to preserve and protect the dignity of those who strongly hold on to convictions other than those expressed by the most liberal of the t'shuvot. They remain unconvinced by the arguments presented that, for the sake of human dignity, BLBT individuals must be allowed to participate fully in Jewish life. That is truly a shame, and I pray that someday their eyes will be opened. Yet, if we deny them their dignity, then we undermine the very underpinnings of this new t'shuva which will finally allow GLBT individuals the chance for open participation in synagogue and seminary life (in those places where the more liberal t'shuva is taken to heart.)

Yes, it's less of a victory, less of an outcome than desired. But it is not a Pyrrhic victory at all. While one side has managed to keep their foot in the door, the other side has managed to fling a door as wide open as possible.

As has been our tradition for thousands of years, each community and its leadership will be able to seek guidance from the pos'kim. May the wisdom of those pos'kim who see GLBT individuals as full members of the community prevail. And may we never fail to preserve our tradition of agreeing to disagree.

Ken y'hi ratzon

Migdalor Guy (Adrian)

BBCs Hops on Jews at Tehran Holocaust-Denial Conference Story

Leave it to the BBC-an agency, which doesn't exactly have a stellar record when it comes to a negative bias regarding Israel-to post a story about Israel-hating Jews. It should come as no surprise that they quickly picked up on this story which highlights Jews (mostly members of Naturei Ketura) who are opposed to the existence of medinat Yisrael!)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6171503.stm

What must the rest of the world think about the Jews when they see stories like this?

Migdalor Guy