A new Portal Manager and contributor to the Catholic Portal at Patheos, Elizabeth Scalia, writes over at the First Things site on the blog The Anchoress.Recently she wrote a post about a Holocaust survivor who danced at Auschwitz and several other locations of horror in Europe with his daughter and three grandchildren.There have been some broad criticisms of him as well as of his daughter, mainly accusing her of exploiting him and making claims that he "appears" to have dementia (which is false, according to his daughter). I don't feel that he is ill or sick for wanting to celebrate his life, especially in a place that knew so much death. I don't feel it is disrespectful, and frankly, I think it is wrong for us to judge this man. He lived through it, we have only read about it. If he chose to spit on the grounds or dance or cry or laugh... he has certainly earned the right to do so without the armchair critics attacking him or his family.He seems like an incredible man who is intensely loved by his sweet family. I wish him a long and happy life, G-d willing. There are actually three videos in this series. I recommend them all. In the third, he goes back to the time in his mind and recalls the conversations they had with passing villagers while piled into the box cars, conveying them to their death.Here are the videos:Part 1[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUvo5OHH6o8&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]Part 2[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_Np3aZh6sU&hl=en_US&fs=1]Part 3[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpfID7pLe7M&hl=en_US&fs=1]
I would like to thank the Academy…
Not really...
But I do want to thank my friend Matthue Roth for his kind words! He blogged here and here about his article on The Future of Judaism at Patheos.
And in the process... said this about me:
A few weeks ago, Talia Davis wrote to a bunch of Jewish techy and thinky folks and asked us what we thought about the future of Judaism. Talia is the force of nature behind the religion blog Patheos.com’s Jewish site, and when she chops down a tree, we hear it.
Aww! :) I feel special now. Thanks Matthue!
See:
Is this the future Israeli Jewish women are doomed to live?
For a long time Women of the Wall has been a flash point in Israel and it has finally bubbled up and almost over.Anat Hoffman, leader of the group Women of the Wall, was just arrested for carrying a Torah near the Kotel, the Western Wall.These women have been beaten for having strap marks on their arm from Tefillin. Not even people witnessing them wearing it, just the leftover marks.They have been abused verbally, physically, and by the police for minding their own business on their own side of the mechitza, the ritual divider between men and women. And for what? Because a small group of people believe their INTERPRETATION if the text is better than others? Because they believe women should not be allowed the joy of reading Torah at the Wall? Unfair.Now, I straddle an interesting line. My Judaism runs Orthodox but my sensibilities run liberal. In the past I have challenged this male hierarchy in both America and Israel. I touched on that a little in my blog about my father. I wanted to dress as a boy to get on the men's side to daven. Not to do anything nefarious but because they make it seem like there is something better and more spiritual on the other side. The men attempt to make us feel dirty and wrong. Like there was some inherent sin or mistake we have made as a woman. But I have news for you, people, we aren't the Catholics. We don't believe in original sin. There isn't something wrong with me because I am a woman.Lest you forget, it was the MEN of Israel that G-d was angry with for building the Golden Calf, not the women. We refused. Our gift? The moon festivals. Frankly, it boils down to me being sick and tired of women having restrictions put on us because men can't control themselves and are piggish. I am not a raging feminist. I love my long skirts and I embrace the idea that I will cover my hair when I get married. I adore the woman's side of most shuls (unless we are given a tiny postage stamp with which to conduct our service while watching the children you men don't have a lick of patience for). I love the female bonding time with my fellow Jewish women (both spiritually and just as friends over the mundane).
I am getting sick and tired of women being punished because men are too weak to learn how to control themselves. And people are right, actions like this make the Ultra-Orthodox (and in this sense, I am using it as a pejorative) look like they took a lesson from the Taliban.Maybe this is spilling over today because I am the midst of planning an extended trip to study in Israel and I know this will confront me everyday. Maybe because I just read this article by Naomi Ragen in Moment Magazine about how men feel empowered to physically assault GRANDMOTHERS on the bus to get their way.Is this how we are raising our children? Is this the future of Judaism? Will it look like Iranian Islam? Will women be forced to have a male family member escort them? Will we be told to wear a burka? I don't like this image of the future of Judaism and I don't see that as being sustainable. While I respect most forms of ultra-orthodoxy for their commitment to Judaism and their connection to the past, and while I certainly don't want to see that disappear, it disturbs me to see them come into MY world and tell ME what I can and cannot do. Why is the minority forcing their will on the majority and why aren't we saying anything about it?I am an ardent Israel supporter. That doesn't mean I agree with everything. Israel is having growing pains. Our baby is now a teenager and we have to readjust the systems to accommodate this. But Judaism is not a teenager. Judaism is older and should know better.There is a lot to figure out here. A lot of thought and strategic planning that must go into our future. I really hope we take the time.For more articles on the future of Judaism, visit The Future of Judaism from PatheosOriginally posted at the Modern Midrash blog on the Jewish Portal of Patheos
Comparisons to Hitler
One of the Patheos guys has been writing a series on the Tea Party and different implications of it. (To read his great, albeit right leaning, perspectives on the Tea Party click here.)
In this last article, I was linked to some pictures of when Bush was in power. Now I am NOT a Bush fan and I did vote for Obama... It doesn't mean that I think Obama is the messiah or anything but I realized a couple of things looking at these pictures.
1. It doesn't matter what side of the aisle you are on... when your guy isn't in power and you don't like it, you get hateful (and that you is the broader "you).
2. It doesn't matter if it is 2003 or 2010... they are still after the Jews. I don't know why we have this target tattooed on our foreheads. I don't know why people who like to demonstrate hate Israel and the Jews (or why they can't learn to spell... is IsrAEl not IsrEAl) but there it is.
Recently, I did an interview with Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi about the future of Judaism. Reb Bahir posed the question to him, currently Jews make up a very small portion of the population. Do you think we will grow or shrink? Reb Zalman said, "How big is your gall bladder? But you have to have it, right? What about the pituitary gland?"
Point taken. We are all vital parts to the society and trying to kill the Jews just because we are Jewish isn't right. Period.
Dear Pop. A Letter From My Father to His.
I asked my father, Rebahir Davis, to write a piece about how his father inspired his Judaism for Patheos. His response was overwhelming to me as it brought back a flood of memories of my grandfather. However, it also gives a beautiful insight into the evolution of Judaism.
June 30, 2010
Dear Pop
Your granddaughter has been nagging me to write about what you taught me, how you directed my growth as a Jew. It has been hard for me to put this into words. But this morning when I could not sleep it came to me. To say that Judaism was a vehicle for social action is too easy. For to you, social action was a vehicle for Jewing. I know that term is unexpected to you. When you walked this earth it was only used in the pejorative. But a teacher of mine since your passing has helped me reclaim it from the haters and baiters and bring it back into the light.
For you, coming out of the end of the ‘classical Reform’ period, we were American Jews who applied our Judaism to our lives as good citizens of this country and this world. The words “social action” were not to be separated from our process of Jewing. See how the term Jew can be used as a positive verb? I learned early at your knee that the Synagogue was our recharging station. If, in the world our role was Tikun Olam as in to repair, then in the Synagogue we were to re-form, re-state, re-new and re-charge our batteries for the good fight. It was our place to sing and pray and listen to your magnificent calls to action. You spoke of brotherhood week in a way that made us want to be brothers with all people. You spoke of the American dream and made it Jewish. You spoke of civil rights as a Jewish ideal and you spoke of a war on cults as a war to save the souls of a generation.
I learned at your knee that Jewish HolyDays are not times of separation but of celebration. They are the times to celebrate freedom and unity of purpose. Passover powered our fight to free slaves everywhere whether bound by chains or by poverty. Sukkot sang the song of the earth and our relationship to her and to all who walked upon her. We gleaned Dr. Efromsyn’s farm and you read to us from Torah about our responsibility to the poor, and the stranger. Hanukah was lit with the lights of difference and acceptance. We proudly lit the lights and comically sang the songs. And you told the story in your own way. I learned that the lesson of Hanukah was not political power, it was religious rights. It was ringing the bell of freedom throughout the land.
You sat with priests and ministers and spoke of the priestly benediction and ministering to the downtrodden. When you marched with a Reverend in Selma, it was a joyous religious duty. When you spoke to congress on the dangers of cults your words rang out in religious fervor to protect the children and the idealism of youth. You spoke with love of the two Abrahams, he of the Bible and he of the Gettysburg address, sharing your love of the land and people and the faith of the one and your love of the land and people and the hope for the other. Pop, you always walked the walk, and showed me how that walk was the Jewish walk.
Much has happened since you passed from this plane of existence. I have found another teacher, not to replace you, but to compliment you, and comfort me. He has helped me find my own place of balance my own place on the path. I Jew the lessons that you taught me and they guide me on my own path. There is more Hebrew in my teachings now, that sacred tongue motivates me and teaches me. There are more traditional trappings too, for they fulfill me when I return to re-from, re-state, re-new, re-charge and re-focus. I focus my faith with the lens of Jewish philosophy as you taught me. And I am mesmerized by the mysteries and sit in council with Kabbalah.
How I wish you were here to share in the good conversations. I would love to listen and laugh and learn and argue with you again and especially to be hugged and held by you. But your teachings are with me. They are in my heart and in my mouth and on my hand and between my eyes. They may manifest themselves in different ways but you would recognized them and maybe smile at the stories I tell for they are of you and from you. And Pop, I have reached this point along the path because of you, for above all you taught me to be open, to listen, to learn and to love. You taught me to examine and extract and make the mission mine. This I have tried to do Pop.
Oh, by the way, you would be so proud of your grandchildren. They carry your stories, each in their own way and live them each in their own way as they walk along the path that you laid out for us. Thank you Pop for the path and for teaching that we must all follow the path in our own way.
Your loving son
Jay now known as Rabbi Bahir Davis
My Tatti Taught Me A Little Shuckel…
Okay, I admit it... I don't have the best memory in the world but there are a few things from my childhood that stick out clearly. I have mentioned some of them before, here in this blog, but with Father's Day rapidly approaching, I have asked my team to write about their father's and how they shaped their Jewish life. And so, I thought I would talk about the memories from my childhood of my dad.
My dad and me, 1983ish... these were called "Tali-Ups"
The men in my life have always figured prominently. Not sure why. Maybe because I was the first grandchild, a little girl, and they all felt protective of me. But either way... I was always close with the men... my grandfathers and my father. I think another thing that factors in is that my men were also always my rabbis. From birth I was dressed up and my picture taken for the newspaper... in my grandfather's ark, lighting candles with my father, you know what I mean.
But here is the memory I was alluding to earlier. My father, though he was an ordained Reform rabbi, was a bit more observant than typical. He liked to have Saturday morning services. He would always try to get a minyan together but it didn't often happen. I remember one Saturday morning, going to shul with my dad. There were a handful of men there and we were davvening the shachrit service. I was half-focused and maybe all of 9 at the time. I would play with my dad's tzitzit, crawl behind the behemoths that stood on the bimah... and when we got to a part I knew, I would daven. Well all the men were rocking back and forth and so I did too... thus began my fascination with and love of the shuckel. Shuckling is a "ritual" swaying front to back and side to side. In fact, I find myself doing it right now as I write this. Anyway, I had the shuckel down pat! I overheard one man say to my dad, "Well she's got the moves right, now she needs to learn the words."
Fast forward a few years to four months before my bat mitzvah. I am 12 years old and we are on an El Al flight for our first trip to Israel as a family. I was a fairly intense kid and felt my Judaism strongly. (This is shortly before I began wearing a kippah everyday as well as a talit katan - the tallis undergarment that Orthodox men wear.) I had all sorts of plans for Israel, including but not limited to dressing as a boy and sneaking onto the men's side of the Kotel, the Western Wall. (I assure you, I have figured out an appropriate way to express my enthusiasm for Judaism... 18 years later.) The flights to Israel are very long (around 13 hours) and inevitably, it comes time to davven either shachrit (morning), mincha (afternoon), or maariv (evening) services. When the time came, Orthodox men went around asking men to join them in the back of the plane for a minyan. I told my father that I wanted to davven too. He told me to grab my siddur (prayer book) and come along. Out of a level of respect, I didn't jam myself into the back where all the men where (many sects of Orthodox Judaism forbid men and women from praying together or touching) but I stood alongside my father while we davvened. I was not spared the dirty looks though and one man said to my father, "she isn't allowed to do this." To which my dear, sweet abba (father in Hebrew) replied, "If you were truly focused on your prayers, you wouldn't even notice she was here." Chastised, he harumphed and went back to davvening.
That is how my relationship has always been with my tatti (yiddish for father). He has always been my staunchest ally and defender. But not blindly. He has always challenged me to think for myself and perhaps rethink some things. He never expected, commanded, or demanded much from me in so many words. He was always gentle and kind and treated me like an adult. He explained things to me with more patience than I currently explain technology to him (sorry, tatti) and he showed me by example how dear Judaism was to him.
One thing that I can never thank my parent's enough for was the way the kept my brother and I engaged in Judaism. I never recall being forced to be Jewish, rather they showed us the beauty of our faith in every sector (from Orthodox to Renewal) and educated us in other faiths (I have been to dozens of churches and mosques). During the Passover seder, when the Four Children ask their questions, I was always struck with the answer, "It was because of what G-d did for me in the land of Egypt." That was how my parents approached Judaism. This is what is important to ME, how does it feel to YOU.
I remember one defining moment as a teen. My aunt and uncle were badgering me, much to my dismay. At one point they made the statement, well of course you will marry a Jew. And just to spite them (and without much thought) I said, well I don't know. Maybe I won't.
They immediately ran to my parents and told them what I had said. My dear father came to me and we had a talk. He expressed how important all the holidays were to him and how much he enjoyed them as a family. He expressed that he hoped I one day had a family and that we would all share in these traditions. And he reminded me that at that point in his career, he didn't perform interfaith weddings and could not do my ceremony if that was my choice (he has since altered this policy, having nothing to do with me). I was heartbroken. How could my thoughtless words have hurt my father so much? How could I have said these things that I wasn't sure I meant? There were repercussions that I hadn't thought of.
I am thankful for my lineage. I am thankful for my grandfathers, on both sides, who both held their families together in difficult times and gave me my parents. And on this father's day, I am thankful for my Tatti/TattiSan/Abba/AbbaSama/Dad/Daddy/Father.
My dad and me. 2010.
Dad - Thanks for passing on your love of all things odd to me. Thanks for tolerating my teenage inability to listen. Thanks for trying over and over to teach me Hebrew. Thanks for being my favorite rabbi. Thanks for always looking at all sides of an issue and helping me do the same. Thanks for answering the phone at 3am when I was calling collect from a public phone booth on the top of Mt. Masada in Israel.
And thanks for imbuing in me a love of Judaism, my people, my homeland (Israel), and pride. Love you, Ta. Love, Twe.
Originally posted at Patheos' Modern Midrash blog.
Gimmel Tammuz – Lubavitcher Lore and Holy Days
Today marks an auspicious day on the Chabad Lubavitcher's calendar. Today is Gimmel Tammuz (the third day of the month of Tammuz).
On this day in 5754 or 1994 in Gregorian years, the Lubavitcher Rebbe passed away. This dealt a hard blow to the community. He and his wife were childless and he did not appoint a successor. This divided the community, some believing that he was the Moshiach (messiah) and some not believing in that. It is a topic that still divides Crown Heights today.
A newly published biography of the Rebbe's life has caused a stir in the Crown Heights community as well. The New York Times touches on that today, with a nod to the holiness of the day within Chabad.
But beyond the debate, this day is very special to those who affiliate Chabad or are friends of Chabad. And it cannot be denied that The Rebbe sent thousands of people all over the world to be "a light unto the nations" and to give all Jews everywhere a place to eat Kosher food and pray and find their Judaism. Because of this, thousands of people will descend on Queens today to pray at the grave of The Rebbe and his father-in-law, the Previous Rebbe. Don't believe me? It's already started! Here are some wounded Israeli soldiers who were invited to come. And here are the people trying to get a head start on the lines.
From the last time I was at The Ohel - the Rebbe's grave:
From Chabad.org, they tell us that there is a lot more that has happened on this date in Jewish history:
• Joshua Stops the Sun (1273 BCE)
On the third of Tammuz of the year 2488 from creation (1273 BCE), Joshua was leading the Jewish people in one of the battles to conquer the Land of Israel. Victory was imminent, but darkness was about to fall. "Sun," proclaimed Joshua, "be still at Giv'on; moon, at the Ayalon valley" (Joshua 10:12). The heavenly bodies acquiesced, halting their progress through the sky until Israel's armies brought the battle to its successful conclusion. Three Natural Miracles The Book of Joshua
• Lubavitch Fire (1851)
A great fire destroyed much of the town of Lubavitch, including the home of the third Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (the "Tzemach Tzeddek", 1789-1826) and many invaluable manuscripts of Chassidic teaching.
• R. Yosef Yitzchak Released from Prison (1927)
The sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (1880-1950), who was arrested on Sivan 15 of 1927 by agents of the GPU (soviet secret police) and the Yevsektzia ("Jewish section" of the Communist Party) for his work to preserve and disseminate Jewish learning and observance throughout the Soviet Empire. Held in the notorious Spalerno prison in Leningrad, he was repeatedly interrogated and beaten. Initially sentenced to death, international pressure compelled the Soviet regime to first commute the sentence to ten years hard labor in Siberia, and then to a three-year term of exile in Kostrama, a town in the interior of Russia.
On the 3rd of Tammuz, 18 days after his arrest, he was released from prison and allowed six hours at home before reporting to the Leningrad train station to embark on his exile. Many gathered at the station to see him off. Though he knew that there were GPU agents present, he spoke to the assembled crowd, encouraging all to persist in the very activities for which he had been arrested. "This," he proclaimed "all the nations of the world must know: Only our bodies were sent into exile and subjugated to alien rule; our souls were not given over into captivity and foreign rule. We must proclaim openly and before all that any matter affecting the Jewish religion, Torah, and its mitzvot and customs is not subject to the coercion of others. No one can impose his belief upon us, nor coerce us to conduct ourselves contrary to our beliefs!"
(On the 12th of Tammuz, after serving only nine days of his three year term, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak was informed that he was free to return home. Shortly thereafter, he was allowed to leave the Soviet Union and resettled in Riga, Latvia.) Days of Light (the Rebbe's prison diary)
They say that the yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) of a tzaddik (a righteous person) is a particularly impact-full time for G-d to hear our prayers. And especially if you are praying at their grave site. Chabad is giving people a chance to send them their prayers to be placed at The Rebbe's grave. But also this is a good time to reevaluate and take on a mitzvah like lighting the shabbis candles or going to synagogue on Saturday morning.
I will leave you with my favorite quote from The Rebbe...
"You have to keep moving forward. As long as you’re holding on to where you were yesterday, you’re standing still." -The Rebbe
Keep moving forward not just in life but in Judaism too. How did you Jew today?
Lacking Something...
I have been a very bad blogger.Beyond being busy with Patheos work and my personal thesis for my Masters, there have been a couple other things going on. This year the Omer was particularly poignant. The Omer is a time when you should be reflecting on your life and working on personal growth but amidst that, I was asked to pray the section Resh of the 119 Psalm. Long story short, when someone is sick you read Psalm 119 and since it is so long, you read the letters that correspond to their Hebrew name. Resh goes like this -
So every night for 40 days, during my 49 day Omer, I prayed this psalm with a woman named Abbie in my mind. I don't know Abbie but her case has been well publicized of late. After undergoing fertility treatments to finally have children, the hospital screwed up and nicked her. She lost so much blood and is now a "vegetable." Her "husband" divorced her and took her triplets and will not allow her to see them.So I am davvening about myself and I am davvening about Abbie... and I realized any of us could be Abbie. It is so silly to say and I know everyone says it when something like this happens but we have to remember that every day is special. Every time I hug my dearest friend's 5 little girls, every time my brother and I go to the theatre, every time my dad calls me just because he is thinking about me. Those moments are precious.I have many, many, many friends who are pregnant right now, a few getting married and someone asked me, "Isn't it hard to be single and see your friend's finding happiness in relationships?" The thought hadn't occurred to me. Whether it is a friend I saw yesterday or I haven't seen for 10 years, I am genuinely thrilled for them and I love living it with them on Facebook or their blogs.Life is too short and those moments too precious to spend all your time being angry, sad, disappointed, or mad. So I had my Omer hibernation... and I will have my thesis hibernation for a while this summer (7 weeks to research and write... hair pulling begins... now!) but I will try to remember to enjoy something every day.Let me share with you what I am enjoying this week. Rashi's Daughters. If you haven't read this series, I highly recommend it. I am so enjoying learning Talmud while I read it, it has even changed the way I am approaching some of my education. It is a series to savor.I hope you find your enjoyment this week.P.S. Here's my everyday enjoyment! My beautiful faux nieces.
Who couldn't smile with these beauties in their life!
National Day of (Christian only) Prayer?
What if the National Day of Prayer meant we actually came together as a country, despite our differences and prayed together? What if we lived in a country where a kid like me wasn't bullied for trying to participate with the Christian kids in the National Day of Prayer... because I think jesus was a nice Jewish kid who was misunderstood?
So I there has been a lot of conversation about the National Day of Prayer and all that hoopla. Officially, today is the "National Day of Prayer." Initially, sounds cool, right? It's like National Badge Day where all the Panhellenic Sororities get to show off their membership to the world...
Actually, maybe it is more like badge day than I initially thought. The National Day of Prayer, it turns out is pretty exclusive. Now on one hand I was a proponent because I felt it was cool, get everyone from every religion to pray for peace and safety and health on the same day. Maybe we can all realize we are the same, no matter what language we use to speak to G-d (Allah or God or Hashem etc...)
Uhm. But that is not the case.
I thought the judge who decided it was unconstitutional was kinda right but hey, here's nice idea for everyone, get them praying to whatever. I've heard many Jews say it's not a day for us, their reasoning? We pray (or are supposed to) three times a day, one hundred prayers daily. Right we don't need to stop what we are doing to pray. But we can all come together, right?
Uhm. No. Guess not.
Maybe my idealistic brain was running away with my compassionate heart. Clearly, that is not what is happening here. The point is to exclude non-Christians. Just like that event in high school called "See You At The Pole." Remember that? One day a year they met at the flag pole to pray. Yeah, I made the mistake in my tiny, overly Christian and overly anti-Jewish town (where I went to high school) to try and join them for the praying at the pole. I was purposefully excluded from the circle and told I wasn't invited to participate... unless I accepted jesus. Cool. So pretty much National Day of Prayer, or at least as it is nationally organized, is just these kids grown up.
Their mission? (From their website) "The National Day of Prayer Task Force’s mission is to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, mobilizing the Christian community to intercede for America and its leadership in the seven centers of power: Government, Military, Media, Business, Education, Church and Family."
Vision and Values? "In accordance with Biblical truth, the National Day of Prayer Task Force seeks to:
Now, they have to have an official statement about their "Judeo-Christian" values and that anyone can organize their own thing but this is how they organize. Well interesting. So this is the leading lobby for the National Day of Prayer. No wonder other people's views are being ignored. It is only their voices that are being heard. Guess it can get pretty confusing when you say, on your website, that you are the "Official Site" of the 59th Annual Observance of the National Day of Prayer.
So I get it, we pray everyday but wouldn't it be cool if we had a national voice too? And wouldn't it be cool if kids like me were allowed to join the prayer circle? And wouldn't it be cool if kids like me weren't asked to leave the lunchtime bible study at their public high schools because they are "confusing" the other kids and making it hard for them to learn the "truth?" (Yeah, that really happened... I guess 14 was too young to have interfaith conversations...)
Ah well... guess in my dream world.
Remember the Omer!
I really love the Omer... okay, rather, I have a love hate relationship with counting the Omer. I love the spiritual lift I get, but I sometimes get annoyed at one more thing to do before sleep... hence why I need to count the Omer nightly.
I use a wonderful book that asks you questions and gives you great thoughts for each day that relates to the sepherot (like the chakras). Here is their online version for week 5 - Meaningful Life. The book is called “Counting the Omer – A Spiritual Guide” by Rabbi Simon Jacobson.
Check it out!
(Originally posted at the Jewish Portal at Patheos)