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December

For those of us still a bit down in the mouth after Nov. 2, here are two quotes I’ve found helpful:

"A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt......If the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake." --Thomas Jefferson, 1798, after the passage of the Sedition Act

Jim Levinson, Sh'liach Tzibur, and Rachel Prabhakar, BAJC President
 

Religion may have been the most important element of this election. But religion is not the enemy. The struggle in our country need not be one of rationality against spirituality. Progressive American Jews must not vilify people who embrace religion. Many of these are people like ourselves who seek in religion a sense of community and a sense of caring offered by religious communities, people who look to religion for a higher value in life. But that morality often has been selective. Part of our task now may be to insist that religion – every religion - be more inclusive in embracing traditional values. We must remind our friends that religious tradition also means not turning our back on the poor, that religious tradition also asks that we love - or at least seek to understand our neighbors in the world; that religious tradition also demands that we not respond to violence with violence.

-- paraphrase of a message from Rabbi Michael Lerner, November 3, 2004

Moving forward, I have been absolutely delighted with our major fall events, the dramatic reading of Karen Hesse’s’ Witness and the auction. Beyond the funds they elicited, both were examples of community-building at its best. So many thanks to Norma, Beth, Faith, the legion of auction volunteers, the cast of Witness and everyone else whose hard work made these events possible. I still can hear the voice of Emma Bradford’s Esther Hirsh resonating in my ear, and I’m still smiling about bidding on – and winning - the piano bench belonging to All Souls Church !

With these events, our growing membership, and the quantum leap in content and quality we’ve made in our Hebrew School this year, it feels like a particularly “up” time for BAJC. For those of you who were not able to participate fully in these fall events, let me urge you to take part in the rich array of activities forthcoming. Beyond the fun, we all need, at this difficult time in the world, more community in our lives.

As a simple start – and also an expression of gratitude to those individuals who have been knocking themselves out this fall – please take five minutes before you put down this newsletter, to contact Faith, and buy a raffle ticket (or 5, or 10) – for Mara Novak’s stunning quilt.

B’shalom,

Jim