An Open Letter to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, please join our circle of trauma survivors

Your words of recent as a result of your experience and that of so many more on January 6, 2021have been particularly poignant and searing. In following the developing story of our present Congress and Senate, I am excited, or at least hopeful, when I see more diversity and hear more voices in our lives, as I do regarding our faith communities, and the many institutions that connect us all. I, as our children all empathize with anyone oppressed, as we consistently fight for social justice, work towards understanding, participate in bringing people together to hear each other’s stories and learn our narratives, so that we can truly SEE and therefore care intentionally about each other. This is part of the imprint of my background as the child and part of subsequent generations of Russian immigrants who had to escape persecution and start a brand new life here in the United States. To be sure, there is trauma in our collective background as well, both from that background and the fact that my mom was the victim of a violent crime in her young years. From this pain, I have learned the critical importance of building important bridges of understanding instead of putting up walls. Hearing and SEEING each other and our truths is fundamental to who I am.

Within the context of my professional activities, I engage and interact with regional groups of Multi-Faith sharing and an international group of academic scholars who are people of faith. We are Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Hindu, and part of so many other faith communities as well. We know that we can celebrate what we share while showing respect and have regard for where we differ. We often find ourselves addressing the notion that victims and survivors of trauma in one group have a really hard time seeing and addressing that there are others who have experienced trauma as well and that we would do best to join in our circles of survivors and “thrivers” to work together --- in building circles of understanding. These collaborations are more necessary today than ever, it seems.

I work with and educate about such groups in many different venues. For example, there is a wonderful collective called Parents Circle-Families Forum (PCFF), which is a group of Palestinian and Israeli parents, ranging from the not so observant Muslims, Christians and Jews to those who are quite devout who meet regularly to support each other and share their hearts in trying to figure out how we can all TRULY SEE EACH OTHER and negotiate a place where all can meet, respecting our differences while supporting each other through losses. They, as I, wonder why we can’t do this to AVOID the loss of life instead of commiserate after the fact of such unimaginable loss and horrific trauma. I and members of my family are often in Israel, and I love being there with those who live in communities of co-existence, those learning Arabic and Hebrew in a program promoting understanding, families who are part of the Yad B’Yad bi-lingual school system, athletes playing in leagues including all faith communities and national identities, attending university together, and so on. This is the reality in Israel and many from Palestinian areas are included as well. While this country, like any other, is far from perfect, there are not just isolated but many peaceful co-existence initiatives to be proud of and model.

In my work with so many individuals and leaders of faith communities, those of us who are particularly religiously identified such as myself, as an Orthodox Jew, are of singular interest. We are too often the only ones from our own religiously observant communities in the room, but we believe in our presence there. I have found such joy in sharing these journeys with so many people I have come to love as friends and colleagues, as President of our large Multi-Faith Council – where I have brought people together from all faiths to stand in solidarity with those suffering at the hands of extremists that would like to destroy all of us, or in times of joy, to share elements of our respective faith and belief systems with each other, note how some of our traditional foods are so similar, learning our ethnic dances, sharing the texts and foundational beliefs of our respective lives, and so forth. My husband and I have taught the strength of our convictions and religion alongside our strong conviction that every person is created in the image of God and is to be honored as such. This has always been our focus.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of people in our religious Jewish world do not think particularly well of you nor of Ilhan Omar, even though as I stated, I love to see diversity in our government. This makes me sad, but I understand how it happens, unfortunately. There are many who will claim that the yelling and words of the “extreme left” are as bad and dangerous as the “extreme right.” I think we can all agree that given the events that have transpired recently, clearly this is just not so. That being said, I would ask that you and your colleagues consider your words and remember that they will be taken out of context and misused or abused by those who wish to do harm while justifying their own violent and inexcusable actions. Further, please remember that all of us – all faiths, all loyalties, all nationalities need to stand together in strength, with respect and regard for each other and not let the extreme fringes of our respective groups (and we all have them) pull us to positions that exclude others in ways we ourselves do not want to be excluded; and shout hurtful words at others in the way we do not want to have others do to us.

We MUST build bridges of understanding and compassion and care, so that we all can work together to overcome the destructive forces that do indeed try to divide and ultimately obliterate us. This cannot happen. Our respective faiths teach us this. Our various codes of honor and laws instruct us so. Our shared membership in the human family demands it. Go forth in strength, with conviction and a desire to learn more about those with whom you may differ but can build meaningful and fulfilling alliances. In this way, let us all turn trauma into the blessing of a shared coalition of healing.

Looking Forward and So Now, What? Lessons For This Moment from Jewish Teachings

I have been worried. I have been sad. I have actually been devastated. This is why. It is not necessarily because of recent events. As horrifying as they are, they do not surprise me. I see and acknowledge the trajectory that has taken us to this point. I know that the USA that I see myself and my family as being part of is not the same, by a long shot, for many that are part of this collective. What I find profoundly frustrating is that common decency, the most basic elements of civil conversations, the lack of trust and the abject fear of each other have reached excessive heights to the point of crushing so much that is good and right about who we are supposed to be, no matter how much we fall short of that in reality at any point in time.

When I am in pain, I turn to the teachings that bolster me – those of my Jewish faith and our foundational texts – that teach us how to intentionally live in this world. Here are some of these powerful concepts that are mulling around in my head these days. Why can’t we all agree to follow these most basic elements as we negotiate disagreements and even opposing ways of looking at our world. As I often say, if we do not all learn how to play nicely on the one playground we have – this earth – there will be no playground for any of us.

EVERY HUMAN BEING IS CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD – Rabbi Harold Kushner and so many others teach that human beings are the language of God. God created all in our world and it is noted that after each piece of Creation “God looked and said It is good.” After the Creation of the human being, God said “It is very good.” Unfortunately, a bit later in the narrative reflected in the Torah, God regrets making the human being. God has to recalibrate expectations of this individual with free will whom God created just in that matter, hoping for the best perhaps and realizing that we are bound to fall short. If we will fall short of God’s expectations, how much more so this is true amongst us in the human family. Nonetheless, God created and is part of each of us and will continue to be the case no matter who may want to deny this is so. It is our responsibility to figure this human family thing out and I believe God cries tears when we do not. We are taught not to embarrass or hurt each other because we are in fact doing the same to The One Who Created Us All.

AND GOD SAID TO CAIN, WHERE IS YOUR BROTHER? --- How should I know, am I my brother’s keeper, glibly responds Cain. The answer is YES we are each other’s keeper, each other’s guard, each other’s protector. As we have learned when any one of us refuse to take that role on and put any single person or group at risk in doing so, we are ALL at risk. As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z’l often said, if we do not stand up for any group that is being threatened or maligned, then we have no right to expect that others will do the same for us. We have to understand each other, accept our differences and realize that at times we just will have to agree to disagree. If we cannot do this, as we read in this particular text in Beresheet/Genesis, “the bloods (of those we kill) will cry out from the ground.”

DESTROY AMALEK AND NEVER FORGET … -- Many commentators point out that this is not about the enemy outside of ourselves as much as the enemy inside us. The animus that brings humanity down to a state of inhumane actions is ultimately what will destroy all of us. When we persecute the weak or shout down the one with whom we disagree we destroy the very human part of all of us, that image of God that is the soul found inside of us. What Amalek did was to go after those who did not have a chance when they were vulnerable no different than other instances in which the stronger one took advantage of the one who needed their support, not their enmity. This is always a challenge whether we evoke the actions of Shimon and Levi towards the people of Shechem or those of any group who has the advantage over others who are compromised. We can all succumb to anger, to hatred, to forgetting that the “other” is just as human as we are. The very challenge that marks us as humans is when we rise above that to see the humanity in the other, whether that person is our friend or adversary. As Beruriah, an important woman in our Talmud said to her husband, Rabbi Meir, when he wanted God to destroy two people who were “evil” to him, “No do not pray for the destruction of people, pray for the obliteration of the evil that exists within us.”

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. – The Hebrew word for neighbor RE’AH is also the rooted word for that which is “not good” (necessarily). Some define it simply as “bad” but this is missing the point, for we are taught that it is the RA in each of us that sparks creativity – that says “all is not right or ‘very good’” and needs our attention. That being said, sometimes our initiatives come from a good or complete place and sometimes from a not completely good place, but no matter, we are to cherish all that we are. In this, we all have that inside of us which is good and complete and that which is not. When we are instructed to love the other or our neighbor as one’s self, we are being told to embrace that which is good and that which is not as good both in our own beings and in others. There are many other words that could have been used in this dictum – friend, brother, etc. but I think that the choice of this particular word teaches us that no one of us is completely good and finished and we are all on a journey, on which we will only be successful if we reach out and accept others, both those with whom we agree and those with whom we disagree.

DEATH AND LIFE ARE THE PRODUCT OF THE WORDS WE USE – This statement from Mishlei/Proverbs is worded very specifically. Note what comes first – the harm we can do with our words. The purpose of this wording is to give us pause – to, as the saying goes, THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK. As the Chofetz Chayim (a very wise Jewish teacher and thinker from years ago) teaches – ask yourself – What am I saying? What is the other person hearing? Why am I saying it? Is the way I am saying it appropriate in accomplishing a properly thought through goal? Will the person to whom I am saying it hear it? Then we are taught if we cannot answer these questions constructively, better to be silent. We MUST, according to Maimonides, consider words as actions, given what can evolve because of them, and proceed accordingly.

DO NOT STAND IDLY BY THE BLOOD OF YOUR NEIGHBOR – Remember what the words we speak can do. We have learned repeatedly that bystanders and those that do nothing enable evil and all that is not good to prevail. When another person is hurting or in pain, we are to act, NOT exacerbate that pain with words that can cause death or in acting from a power position as Amalek did. We are to feel invested in each other. We cannot say “I don’t know, am I my brother’s keeper?” as Cain did. All of this causes us pain and causes Our Creator pain. If we do not stand up for others in compromised positions, then as Rabbi Sacks stated, we will suffer alone. This is not what God wants, but in observing that unfortunately, to do these things is too much part of human nature, God regrets the creation of the human being.

I finish this writing on January 20, 2021, two weeks after a horrible attack on ALL OF US. We do not have to agree, clearly, we do not and will not – that IS our human nature and our CHOICE. BUT, we must come to an understanding that we have to use our words, our agency, our actions, and search our souls so that we can truly be the language of God we are meant to be. I am feeling a bit better this morning – a bit more hopeful – a bit less devastated – because I believe that we in the United States will now be led by a voice that understands we will not all agree. That leader will not mock the disabled, make disparaging comments about various religious groupings, call people of honor names, destroy verbally those who disagree with him, and not give hearing to those who disagree with him. As I write this, Joe Biden is in church praying for strength, praying for direction, praying that the best in him and the best in us will prevail. May God help all of us. May God to whom we all pray, whatever name we use to evoke God, protect us and remind us to be the best of humanity not the worst of inhumane treatment. May God bless America and all of the people that make it up and destroy the evil that lurks amongst all so that we can all be the best we can be!

Candy Bars, Designer Sneakers, Manicured Nails and Lessons in Understanding Others

There is a fundamental Jewish teaching from Pirke Avot [Ethics of the Fathers] that instructs us to not judge another person/ your friend until you have reached his/her place. We all know the adage that feels a lot like this one “Don’t judge an Indian (or grouping or person of your choosing) until you have walked in his/her moccasins.” So, you may ask, what is the difference? I think that Hillel, the one to whom the first teaching is attributed is adding another level to this notion of realizing the experience of the person standing before you, so to speak, is NOT the same as yours or what it would be if it was yours. Until you TOTALLY understand that person, not in the context of your experience, your values, or YOUR moccasins; but rather, WHEN YOU HAVE REACHED THAT PERSON’S PLACE, you are not truly in a position to judge them. In fact, we also learn in Pirke Avot to judge the other person favorably, that is give people the benefit of the doubt, perhaps because we DO NOT actually know their reality and the context of their lives and decisions.

It seems that these are really valuable and foundationally important teachings to revisit and recommit ourselves to at this time of too much fracture in our society and often not enough understanding. This recalibration of how we look at each other’s experiences and realize we might not understand choices made in those situations may be particularly relevant in this season of gratitude, celebration and so much else.

These values were embedded in the environment in which I grew up and have been part of the ongoing spiritual and faith diet we provided for our children. One of the stories I remember well from my upbringing was shared by my mom. She along with her sister and mother, new immigrants to the United States, were poor and really struggled. Nonetheless, when they would see someone asking for money, my mom’s mom would give the person a nickel. My mom would watch them use the nickel to buy candy. She asked her mother how they could use the money they had just given them to buy candy when they were so poor – they should have used the money to buy something nourishing. My mom always explained that the answer was perhaps that was all they could eat or afford; not to judge them, just to remember that we don’t know why other people do what they do or what their story is.

During her senior year, our eldest daughter did her community service at a school/community center that had a program for unwed mothers and their children, often to help and protect them from their abusive boyfriends and/or families. She definitely met people that had a vastly different life from hers. One day she came home and was disturbed about the fact that there were young girls with their babies in designer sneakers in the program in which she was working. She didn’t understand how these welfare moms at such a young age had their children in expensive shoes when so much else was missing. We had long conversations with our daughter about how we had funds for our four children to go to college, with tens of thousands of dollars saved for that purpose. These young girls did not have any sources for or hopes of saving for college, a home or much else. They were showing their love for their children in the only way they could by buying what they thought they could afford, with the big things that add so much to our quality of life out of their perceived reach.

Years later, I was having conversations with colleagues about students in a Charter School who were getting food assistance and were being provided with many support structures due to their own lack of resources. The girls often came in with professionally manicured nails. One colleague asked why they would use money for that instead of books to read or other items that might truly improve their quality of life. Again, a manicure is a relatively small luxury and no amount of saving the money each one costs would improve the quality of life for these young ladies in their minds.

Now, clearly those of us who know to save for a home, for education, for vacations for the family and other such things have a perspective of life that has a long-range vision attached to it. This type of vision involves planning, resulting in retirement plans, contributing to community initiatives, and so much else that results from strategic planning for many years from now. That, in and of itself, comes with a set of assumptions – that our basic needs will be addressed, that we will be able to afford and access health care, carry insurance policies, and benefit from other important givens while planning for things much larger and more expensive.

It is incumbent upon those of us who have these lives to remember that when these givens are not present, a pair of designer sneakers, a manicure or a candy bar may be the only pleasure or “luxury” one can afford. Until one’s situation has changed to the point where they have reached that place, one cannot judge the need for these relatively tiny luxuries.

LARGE LIFE LESSONS FROM THE TALMUD!

I will share that I literally just finished learning the entire Talmud a few weeks ago -- this very intentional journey has taken me a bit more than seven years (beginning most days with one to two hours of learning, excepting weekends and vacations, etc.). It is so appropriate that the very last words of this rather large and extensive source is to remind us that our "goings" and our "teachings/laws" are the same Hebrew root (H-L-CH) and that if we walk around our lives without our teachings and laws, we just go about aimlessly and that is dangerous. It is only when we go about mindful of and adhering to our teachings and laws that we can function meaningfully. Hmmmmmm....

I feel that it is precisely this principle that joins all of us together as ethical, moral beings of (any) faith who share deeply held foundational beliefs. Here are a few other important lessons that are continued through this extensive tome.

1. Clearly there are expected laws and behaviors dictated by religious standards, but we are TO LIVE BY THESE actions, not die because of them 2. Humility is highly valued, and it is the one who is humble and not a braggart that is favored over the one who is flashy and obvious. 3. We are to walk in the ways of G-d by following the example of G-d’s deeds and care for each other in the way that G-d cares for each of us. 4. The laws as presented are discussed, debated, reformulated and turned every which way. Often at the end of these deliberations, we are taught there is NOT agreement, but rather each authority goes his own way, or one may change their mind, or we just don’t know and all will be determined at some future point. In the meantime, we just are to plod along, but plod we must. 5. We are always to show gratitude – if we take one thing from the ground or our environment without blessing the source and G-d who creates it, it is as if we have stolen something that is not ours. 6. Our resources are meant to share with others; for those of us who benefit from privilege, we must remember that we are blessed with bounty so that we can share with those around us. 7. The well-being of the collective is of utmost importance and we are not to exclude ourselves from its concerns and needs. 8. Questions are the most valuable learning tool we have and sometimes we explore them for the purpose of seeing the many possibilities; in these cases learning is valued for its own sake. 9. Ideal standards are articulated not so that we achieve them, for limited human beings will not be able to do so, but so we strive for the best we can be and do. 10. Living without standards and boundaries is dangerous and destructive. 11. Saving and preserving life takes precedence over all else and we are obligated to put aside various commandments and dictates in order to do so. 12. We, in following G-d’s example, are to go above and beyond the letter of the law in order to keep its foundational elements of compassion and concern for all—loving all others as ourselves and remembering that G-d is at the core of all human beings. There are so many other lessons and teachings that are critical to our well-being and that of our community and all of humanity. I will be sharing these at the event below, if you wish to attend.

Let us all be empowered to keep sharing them with all those with whom we come in contact.

If you are interested, I am having a Siyyum B’Zoom (my celebration of finishing the Gemara with a bit of learning I will share). If you would like to attend and have not already let me know, please send me an email at shulisrose@aol.com and I will send you the Zoom Link. It is this coming Sunday, December 13, 2020 at 12:00 noon EST.

And Now What? After the 2020 Presidential Election "Day"

It is one week, since our going to the polls has halted. Has anything been settled? This is what I know at this point in terms of the political, psychological, emotional and collective space in which the country I live dwells.

Half of the country is angry. Half of the country, or too many in their ranks is supporting someone who has not celebrated the unity of the many people who comprise this country for four years. Half of the country, or too many in their ranks, is supporting the leader of this country who has not definitively stated that hate crimes, rampant prejudice and discrimination and all that goes with that is WRONG under all and any circumstances. Half of the country, or too many in their ranks are making excuses for the constant drumroll of horrible statements about women, people of color, people of different faiths, people from other countries, those with various differences (disabilities) etc. made by the leader of this country during the past four years. Half of the country, or too many in their ranks, are supporting the notion that there are two ways – their way or socialism. Too many in these ranks are supporting a Supreme Court that may overturn the results of hard-fought battles to insure the rights for all, the OPTION (NOT the obligatory buy in) of Universal Health Care for those in need, and the right of a woman to make APPROPRIATE DECISIONS about her body. Half of the country, or too many in their ranks, will not even consider using Fact Check or looking at media forms with which they do not agree.

Half of the country is relieved and concerned. Half of the country, or too many in their ranks are painting all Republicans as white supremacists, hatemongers, and KKK enthusiasts. Half of the country, or too many of them, is calling the entire other side Fascists. Half of the country, or too many in their ranks are listening to those who are still screaming from the other side and not the voices of reason. Half of the country, or too many in their midst are painting our options as right or not-right, not understanding that we will ALL have to compromise to find a ground where we can co-exist. Half of the country is not watching media platforms with which they disagree. Half of the country, or many in their midst DO NOT agree with each other within the half but DO agree that we have to work together in some way to find a better way.

Half of the country is being painted as Socialist and anti-police when this is inaccurate. Half of the country is being painted as terrorists and explosive when this is inaccurate. We must reintroduce ourselves to each other and learn how to speak about issues and differences in approach instead of calling each other names or using inaccurate and explosively poor labels to collapse everyone into THE OTHER SIDE. Those of us in each of these halves who are reasonable, who want peace and well-being for all and may differ in how to achieve this need to relearn how to negotiate and figure out how to come together.

We are at war, not with a foreign intrusive power, but with each other and this is terrible. This can destroy who we are as the United States of America much more profoundly than any outside agent. WE ARE ALL part of this country – and WE ALL must get along or we will implode! People of all colors, religions, ethnicities, lands of origin, political bents MUST learn that we will all not be 100% happy 100% of the time, BUT the name-calling, disrespect, and disregard for each other will NOT help us move forward.

We do in fact have (at least) two very different entities (though if we look closer, it is more) within the United States of America, causing us not to be so united. As a moderate, who believes that we have to stop speaking in extremes, I would challenge all of us to consider what we agree on, honestly and openly.

Don’t defund the police; educate the police. Don’t defend the right to free speech when it leads to irreparable violence; teach how we can agree to disagree, and why we must do so, protecting and properly using our freedom of speech. Don’t separate yourself from your neighbors, you will need them. Don’t just think about yourself, think about others. Don’t just confine your news outlets to what you agree with; listen to all and demand that they report news correctly and accurately. Do demand that we speak with respect with each other. Do ask questions so we can all work towards a better understanding of each other. Do be consistent and remember that rules are supposed to be followed by all sides at all times consistently. Do remember that if you do not show concern for me, how can you expect that I will for you?

We learn in the Bible/Torah that Balaam was sent to curse the Israelites on behalf of Balak, and then could not do so when he saw how peacefully they were living together and how much they helped and cared about each other. What would happen today if Balaam visited the United States? That is what makes me sad beyond words. As Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z’l has taught so consistently, we must stand up for the other and try to understand his/her perspective if we have any expectation of that person doing so for us. Empathy and understanding and kindness will save us; hatred and name-calling and intolerance will not.

What do we do now after The Elections?

I am writing this on Tuesday November 3, 2020 at 12:40 pm in the afternoon. There is a great deal of nervous energy, fear, concern and so much else all around us on so many levels. So many feel these sentiments and in many cases for vastly different reasons. What WILL our world look like and what will the future portend tomorrow morning, in four days, in a few weeks? How will we all react and adjust – for no matter who is elected as President of the United States and who controls the Senate and Congress, there is so much work to do.

The Hate Crimes rate is at an all-time high according to the FBI, ADL and other monitoring groups. Virtually all groups that could be seen as minorities or different (e.g. not white home-grown Americans, whatever that is) are at risk. ALL LIVES MATTER and it is so sad to me that we have to even say that.

We have all felt the impact of the Corona virus as it has wreaked havoc in our lives in so many ways. Entire industries and areas of activity are compromised, have to close or pare down, and generally we are all stressed due to limitations on our activities and many feeling that their world is so much smaller without travel, seeing close friends and family, working and schooling at home and so on. The environment is also dealing its blows with climate change and so many people feeling the results of horrendou storms and worse.

Concerns about voter suppression and attempts to control the election are rampant. Respect for too many of our leaders and the offices they hold has been severely compromised and not even held by too many. This country and its foundational principles are very much in question and too many of us feel that this is not the USA we have known all of our lives, with its warts, imperfections, disagreements and conflicts.

This election, regardless of the results WILL NOT SOLVE ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS, but rather hopefully signal the beginning of the extremely hard work it will take to address them. We know all too well it is much easier to let go of standards of behavior and ethical barometers than to put them back into their proper place. We will have to commit ourselves to doing this together and in many cases to work across differences in doing so, in order to begin addressing all of the other challenges that confront us collectively.

It is my fervent hope that we can all begin this work soon, and as fearful as I am that this may not be the case, I am just as concerned about relationships, families and friendships that have been compromised in THIS CIVIL WAR of words, screaming, violence and lack of understanding and empathy. There is a piece going around on Facebook reminding us that our family and friends, our neighbors and community members and all those in our orbit will still be here to help each other, to raise each other up to the challenges that await us or the reality that may require more perseverance and patience on our part than we think we even have. Let us all COMMIT TODAY BEFORE THE COUNTING OF THE VOTES TO BE HERE FOR EACH OTHER. CALL SOMEONE WHOSE POLITICS ARE DIFFERENT THAN YOURS AND REMIND THEM YOU LOVE THEM. For tomorrow, or next week, or next month some people will definitely be upset and we need to be here to support and help each other. Only then will we be able to move forward.

May G-d above truly bless all of us, the United States of America and shine light on us as we have been experiencing way too much darkness.

HOW LOVELY IT IS WHEN WE CAN ALL COME TOGETHER

There is a profoundly meaningful as well as hopeful statement that is uttered by Jews when they enter prayer community in our synagogues. It goes as follows “How goodly are your tents Jacob, how lovely your dwelling places Israel.” It is based upon the blessing uttered by one who came to curse and malign the Jewish nation as we are told in the book of Numbers/BaMidbar. Yet when he (Balaam) saw how peacefully and openly the community lived, he was moved to bless instead of curse.

In this time of everything BUT such peaceful co-existence in too many instances (unfortunately), sharing and caring and above all COMPASSION for all, it is often hard to hold onto this image. Yet there are moments in time… and this past Sunday was precisely one of these. I am still floating.

Along with an amazing group of colleagues with whom I was honored to create a steering committee, including an Imam, Catholic nun and other intentional people of faith (THANK YOU Aziz, Sister Cathy, Megan and Sa’id), we brought together a gathering of over 100 people for a day of study and sharing about Giving and Forgiving. This conference was originally scheduled for this past March, but like so many such initiatives in our present COVID-19 reality, it had to be first cancelled, then rescheduled. Finally, it was set for this past Sunday once it was clear we were going to have to use a Zoom format instead of the hospitality of the Catholic college where it was planned to be held.

A collection of scholars, religious leaders and others shared important teachings from Christianity. Catholicism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Secular Humanism, among others. We also heard from civic and governmental leaders as well as philanthropists. These amazing people work regionally as well as nationally and internationality. (Due to the silver lining of presenting on Zoom, we could do that!)

What was so palpable and impressive was that the many different paths we have all taken in our life journeys have all been based on the same set of foundational beliefs of humility, the idea that hubris divides and hurts, we should all have compassion for our fellow human beings, see and try to alleviate the suffering of those who are vulnerable and so much else. We were all collectively blown away by the fellowship, shared values and amazing level of conversations as well as texts that repeatedly teach us these important formative concepts and beliefs, AND that we can honor and respect differences WHILE we celebrate what we share.

The proceedings of this four plus hour conference can be found here; and I highly recommend that you check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpeEa_d2pLs&feature=youtu.be

So much of my life is dedicated to building and expanding these important bridges of understanding to heal and rebuild, instead of hurt and destroy. This coming week is the Torah portion of Noach in the Jewish community. We have one story where an individual (Noach) is cited as being “a righteous person in/for his time” – he does what he is told to do, no more and no less. Then, he too goes astray later in the Torah reading. I cannot help but noting and thinking that this has to be somewhat precipitated by his not invested himself in becoming part of the collective, to concern himself with those around him, and therefore acting as one agent, not accountable to others.

At the end of these chapters of reading we have the narrative of the Tower of Babel, where there was cooperation alright – but to build something so representative of hubris that it would be eternal, supplanting G-d. That is not the way either. We need these relationships to be balanced – between us and G-d (or the Force/Source in which we believe) and between each other – in order to work in the symbiotic way intended.

Go through this video. If you cannot listen to the entire program just choose bits and pieces or listen to units of it at different times. You will hear respect for each other, love for all of humanity, profound lessons of caring and compassion for others, and important instances of people not just talking the talk, but walking the walk -- regardless of one’s way to get there and the faith community with which one does (or does not) associate. This is truly representative of the best of who we are.

My husband, Ken, always says that whatever is happening, we must remember that ultimately there are more people who want the correct things for the correct reasons – caring for others, sharing and caring with our resources and remembering that EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US is created BeTzelem Elokim, in the image of G-d. It is gatherings such as this one that do reinforce that feeling in my heart and soul.