This holiday season, there seems to be a ramping up of the rhetoric over whose religious holidays are more “American,” more acceptable and more tolerated. As Jews, we know that we live in a country that is almost 85% Christian, so it is always an uphill battle to feel included and accepted, but this time of year it is always amplified. With the so-called “Christmas wars” that were launched by the Christian right and their media outlet, Fox News, anyone who is not Christian is being told that Christ’s birth can and should be a national moment of joy and celebration. Not that it already isn’t, for Christmas is a federal holiday. That is a breach of church and state that unfortunately is too large to repair, so we just accept it. Just say “Merry Christmas,” or “Put the Christ back in Christmas,” are the slogans of this year’s war. The old ways of tolerance and inclusiveness, which moved us to say “Happy Holidays,” are now passé we are told, for everyone knows that Christmas is the only real holiday of this season. The President himself has been criticized for using the tolerant phrase on his cards this year, rather than saying Merry Christmas to everyone, even if they don’t celebrate that holiday. And, for those that don’t know, there was a recent resolution on the floor of the House of Representatives, which has become a real bastion of Christian ideology, which called for the defense of the traditions and symbols of Christmas. When another representative called for Jewish and other symbols to be included in the resolution, the sponsoring rep said no. No, there is to be no defense of religious freedom and expression, the very reason that we broke away from the oppressive English monarchy and their official ties to the Church of England. But, with the IRS already camping out in Pasadena, that is all I will say about the government! Save to say that I commend the President for keeping his cards inclusive and tolerant of all Americans.
What is going on? Are we seeing a move to make America a Christian nation? Are we seeing the push to eliminate the separation of church and state, the most awesome and unique aspect of our country? Last I checked, we are not a religious nation, even if we are a nation of religious people. And I am not just being cranky or whiny, as some have accused my wife because she was upset by spontaneous Christmas caroling in the public library recently. I am speaking out a sense of responsibility for the religious tolerance and freedom that makes America great. While there are still great interfaith relations in the world, like my holy brother Rev. Ed Bacon and his All-Saints Church community, there is loud interference coming through from the Christian right. We go through this in every generation, as I remember my parents fighting with many a school board over Christmas songs in the classroom, Easter baskets in art class and prayer in school. When we don’t speak up, when we don’t stand up, then those who seek to make change, which is done covertly and slowly, will get the upper hand. I have been told to let it go, for we have gone through this before and survived. But, I don’t agree with that strategy. How does it feel that Paseo Colorado mall, here in Pasadena, decided not have the menorah sponsored by Chabad this year because their new policy is not to have any “religious symbols” in their commercial establishment. Which, as a policy, might not be a bad one. However, when asked if they were removing the Christmas tree, they said, “No, that is more of a pagan symbol, a universal sign of holiday cheer, not something identified as a Christian religious item.” Yeah, and the Passover seder is a Roman banquet with Greek customs and words (afikomen anyone?), not a Jewish celebration of freedom. Happily, though, after a day of media barrage about the story, with Rabbi Chaim Hanoka of Chabad on several major networks of news, the mall owners “re-invited” the menorah to Paseo. Thanks. How great it could have been to recognize the confluence of religious traditions happening this year, bringing us closer together, rather than driving another wedge between us. And that is a theme that I feel, sadly, was prominent for this year, which is coming to an end.
I know that I am sounding a little angry, and I am. These are my last words of 2005, and I want to focus both on the good achieved, but also on the missed opportunities, which make me upset. I am angry that our country is moving backward in its tolerance rather than forward. I am saddened by the continued erosion of church and state that many on the far right of the Christian world are pushing. From intelligent design arguments (which were thankfully rejected in Dover, PA in a major victory for the Constitution), to the Christmas wars, there is a move to bring religion into every sphere of life in America, even where it doesn’t belong. I am angry because we are doing less and less for the poor and needy in our country, especially during the time of giving, as the victims of Katrina continue to suffer without power to almost 30% of the city of New Orleans, barely any of the money allocated for relief has been received and the strong words of hope and encouragement by the highest of elected officials have blown off into the winds of indifference once again. The victims of the Pakistani earthquake have been totally forgotten by the majority of the world, the fate of yet another natural disaster in a year that already faced the tsunami and Katrina. Thankfully though, former Presidents Bush and Clinton have teamed up to show us what America can really be about. These men are working together for the good of others and becoming great friends doing it. That is the spirit that all of us, from all stripes of our multifaceted rainbow, need to embody as we move into another year together. Our governmental altruism should be modeled on our individual altruism, which is strong and incredibly generous.
The Torah teaches that we are “to love our neighbor as ourselves.” What does it mean to have a holy community, a people of peace that respects, reveres and honors each other as souls of God, the embodiment of divine energy in the world? We have lived long enough to understand the patterns of human civilization such that we have seen our story before in history. Yet, alongside each of the stories of our past, there has been the words of Torah, reminding us what is truly worth striving for, what are the obstacles and how we can overcome them. And still, we have never been able to reach the goals of harmony on Earth. We once again have the opportunity to choose “the right and good in the eyes of God, hayashar v’hatov b’einey Adonai,” as we come up against chances to right previous wrongs, like occupations and hatred, where we have the chance to truly help the poor and the needy in our midst, to live according to the light of Torah, a holy word that calls for us to be tolerant, loving, merciful and giving people. When we turn away from the great gifts of the Garden of Eden, which were our destiny, and are still attainable, when we turn towards the darkness of greed, ego, fear and power, then we lose sight of the light that is equity, compassion, grace and love. When we can’t see those lights, then we are far from God and far from redemption. When we end wars, stop genocide, share wealth and free the enslaved, the light shines brighter.
On that note, this year also saw the promise to eliminate the yoke of debt from 18 of the poorest nations, mostly in Africa, thanks to the tireless effort of Bono and his ONE campaign. Facing an uphill battle, Bono used his rock star presence to make poverty and African suffering something everyone could understand and care about. And for his work, along with the other great leaders on this issue, Bill and Melinda Gates, the three of them have been named Time’s People of the Year. I am very proud to have been a small link in this chain of awareness and action that is beginning to make some headway in one of our generation’s most crucial challenges. This coming year, with the genocide still raging in Darfur, we will continue to engage in efforts to end that atrocity. I am proud that our congregation is taking an active role in speaking out against the atrocities in Darfur, by participating actively in Jewish World Watch. We must help Africa enter the modern world, and support that entry with open hearts and minds. History will show that that is the least we can do.
And speaking of doing things, what are we to do with the president of Iran? If he didn’t really mean it, it actually is comical for a moment. Comical not as in funny, but totally ironic and grossly out of place with the times. Is there ever a time when we can say, “I thought we had put that idea or notion to rest? I thought that we had already been through this?” To say that the Holocaust didn’t happen or that Israel should be wiped off the map? Haven’t we closed that chapter in the world’s conversation? I am sickened by this rhetoric and disgusted that he was elected by his people. We live on the same planet and but not in the same world, and that is still the most frightening aspect of living today. With all the Internet and global connection, we still have no idea what is going on in Iran or North Korea, really. There are now bans again on Western music and American influence in Iran. As I said earlier, we are going backwards in the world and that is incredibly scary, for we know that a backward rolling spiral and crash totally out of control. With nuclear weapons still an option, we threaten to annihilate ourselves with maniacs. When will we dismantle and destroy all nuclear weapons, finally declaring them the greatest mistake humankind has ever made? Worse, I think, than the Tower of Babble. Iran should be sanctioned and punished for its outrageous comments. The world should not tolerate leaders of nations to speak that way about other nations. We must all learn to live on this Earth together. This is the eternal lesson that the Torah calls us to in every generation. I would call for the U.N. Security Council to censure Iran for its recent racist and genocidal outbursts, and threaten greater punishment if they refuse to live according to the rules of the international community.
Having said that, I am greatly heartened by the hopes for peace in Israel and Palestine. I know that it might not look like that now, but I feel that we have another opportunity for the two peoples to come together and work out a framework for the creation of a two-state solution. Israel is restructuring its political landscape, as we all know, and this could a time when the final push forward to peace could happen. The Palestinians need to find a way to control their fundamentalists, stop the suicide bombings and rocket attacks, and elect decent people to represent them. As for Hamas joining the elections, I know that it seems unfathomable, and sadly that is what the House resolved to say last week, but a recent Ha’aretz poll showed that over 60% of Israelis favored allowing Hamas into the elections if that meant peace. And what better way to disarm people than elect them as representatives of their government? It is civilized—is that not what we want? They must abolish their wish to destroy Israel though, before we negotiate. We learned this lesson in Northern Ireland, which is having success, and it is yet another relevant comparison to that conflict from which the Middle East could learn. You might be mad at me for saying that, but I am only following what I see a majority of Israelis saying too. And in theory, aren’t governments better than terrorists?
Let 2006 be the year that we don’t torture any human being, seek to destroy any human being, discriminate against or hate within, and that we finally understand that killing any person, be it state-sanctioned execution or murder, is still killing, and that will never solve any of our problems. Shalom is the way of 2006, love is the way of 2006, equality and equity is the way of 2006, ending hunger, disease, malnutrition and what Bono calls “stupid extreme poverty” is the way of 2006. May Christians, Jews, Muslims and all religions of the world unite behind a common cause of loving our neighbor and spreading peace, true peace, to one another. May this be the year of greater religious tolerance, with a return to the civility and harmony that we had once achieved. It is a shame to go backward in civil discourse and moral clarity. And this time next year, as we herald in 2007, may we see a radically new world, where people are not going hungry, dying of common ailments and living on $1 a day. May the light of Chanukkah, which is known as the “or haganuz,” the hidden holy light of the messianic time, illumine the way to our healing. With the speed in which we operate today, a year is a long time, with a great deal of potential. Let us pray that we reach our goals now, for why should we wait to bring tikkun olam, righteous healing and repair , to our world, for even another moment?
Chag urim sameach
Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater is the spiritual leader of the Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center and a member of the National Advisory Board of The Tikkun Community.
What is going on? Are we seeing a move to make America a Christian nation? Are we seeing the push to eliminate the separation of church and state, the most awesome and unique aspect of our country? Last I checked, we are not a religious nation, even if we are a nation of religious people. And I am not just being cranky or whiny, as some have accused my wife because she was upset by spontaneous Christmas caroling in the public library recently. I am speaking out a sense of responsibility for the religious tolerance and freedom that makes America great. While there are still great interfaith relations in the world, like my holy brother Rev. Ed Bacon and his All-Saints Church community, there is loud interference coming through from the Christian right. We go through this in every generation, as I remember my parents fighting with many a school board over Christmas songs in the classroom, Easter baskets in art class and prayer in school. When we don’t speak up, when we don’t stand up, then those who seek to make change, which is done covertly and slowly, will get the upper hand. I have been told to let it go, for we have gone through this before and survived. But, I don’t agree with that strategy. How does it feel that Paseo Colorado mall, here in Pasadena, decided not have the menorah sponsored by Chabad this year because their new policy is not to have any “religious symbols” in their commercial establishment. Which, as a policy, might not be a bad one. However, when asked if they were removing the Christmas tree, they said, “No, that is more of a pagan symbol, a universal sign of holiday cheer, not something identified as a Christian religious item.” Yeah, and the Passover seder is a Roman banquet with Greek customs and words (afikomen anyone?), not a Jewish celebration of freedom. Happily, though, after a day of media barrage about the story, with Rabbi Chaim Hanoka of Chabad on several major networks of news, the mall owners “re-invited” the menorah to Paseo. Thanks. How great it could have been to recognize the confluence of religious traditions happening this year, bringing us closer together, rather than driving another wedge between us. And that is a theme that I feel, sadly, was prominent for this year, which is coming to an end.
I know that I am sounding a little angry, and I am. These are my last words of 2005, and I want to focus both on the good achieved, but also on the missed opportunities, which make me upset. I am angry that our country is moving backward in its tolerance rather than forward. I am saddened by the continued erosion of church and state that many on the far right of the Christian world are pushing. From intelligent design arguments (which were thankfully rejected in Dover, PA in a major victory for the Constitution), to the Christmas wars, there is a move to bring religion into every sphere of life in America, even where it doesn’t belong. I am angry because we are doing less and less for the poor and needy in our country, especially during the time of giving, as the victims of Katrina continue to suffer without power to almost 30% of the city of New Orleans, barely any of the money allocated for relief has been received and the strong words of hope and encouragement by the highest of elected officials have blown off into the winds of indifference once again. The victims of the Pakistani earthquake have been totally forgotten by the majority of the world, the fate of yet another natural disaster in a year that already faced the tsunami and Katrina. Thankfully though, former Presidents Bush and Clinton have teamed up to show us what America can really be about. These men are working together for the good of others and becoming great friends doing it. That is the spirit that all of us, from all stripes of our multifaceted rainbow, need to embody as we move into another year together. Our governmental altruism should be modeled on our individual altruism, which is strong and incredibly generous.
The Torah teaches that we are “to love our neighbor as ourselves.” What does it mean to have a holy community, a people of peace that respects, reveres and honors each other as souls of God, the embodiment of divine energy in the world? We have lived long enough to understand the patterns of human civilization such that we have seen our story before in history. Yet, alongside each of the stories of our past, there has been the words of Torah, reminding us what is truly worth striving for, what are the obstacles and how we can overcome them. And still, we have never been able to reach the goals of harmony on Earth. We once again have the opportunity to choose “the right and good in the eyes of God, hayashar v’hatov b’einey Adonai,” as we come up against chances to right previous wrongs, like occupations and hatred, where we have the chance to truly help the poor and the needy in our midst, to live according to the light of Torah, a holy word that calls for us to be tolerant, loving, merciful and giving people. When we turn away from the great gifts of the Garden of Eden, which were our destiny, and are still attainable, when we turn towards the darkness of greed, ego, fear and power, then we lose sight of the light that is equity, compassion, grace and love. When we can’t see those lights, then we are far from God and far from redemption. When we end wars, stop genocide, share wealth and free the enslaved, the light shines brighter.
On that note, this year also saw the promise to eliminate the yoke of debt from 18 of the poorest nations, mostly in Africa, thanks to the tireless effort of Bono and his ONE campaign. Facing an uphill battle, Bono used his rock star presence to make poverty and African suffering something everyone could understand and care about. And for his work, along with the other great leaders on this issue, Bill and Melinda Gates, the three of them have been named Time’s People of the Year. I am very proud to have been a small link in this chain of awareness and action that is beginning to make some headway in one of our generation’s most crucial challenges. This coming year, with the genocide still raging in Darfur, we will continue to engage in efforts to end that atrocity. I am proud that our congregation is taking an active role in speaking out against the atrocities in Darfur, by participating actively in Jewish World Watch. We must help Africa enter the modern world, and support that entry with open hearts and minds. History will show that that is the least we can do.
And speaking of doing things, what are we to do with the president of Iran? If he didn’t really mean it, it actually is comical for a moment. Comical not as in funny, but totally ironic and grossly out of place with the times. Is there ever a time when we can say, “I thought we had put that idea or notion to rest? I thought that we had already been through this?” To say that the Holocaust didn’t happen or that Israel should be wiped off the map? Haven’t we closed that chapter in the world’s conversation? I am sickened by this rhetoric and disgusted that he was elected by his people. We live on the same planet and but not in the same world, and that is still the most frightening aspect of living today. With all the Internet and global connection, we still have no idea what is going on in Iran or North Korea, really. There are now bans again on Western music and American influence in Iran. As I said earlier, we are going backwards in the world and that is incredibly scary, for we know that a backward rolling spiral and crash totally out of control. With nuclear weapons still an option, we threaten to annihilate ourselves with maniacs. When will we dismantle and destroy all nuclear weapons, finally declaring them the greatest mistake humankind has ever made? Worse, I think, than the Tower of Babble. Iran should be sanctioned and punished for its outrageous comments. The world should not tolerate leaders of nations to speak that way about other nations. We must all learn to live on this Earth together. This is the eternal lesson that the Torah calls us to in every generation. I would call for the U.N. Security Council to censure Iran for its recent racist and genocidal outbursts, and threaten greater punishment if they refuse to live according to the rules of the international community.
Having said that, I am greatly heartened by the hopes for peace in Israel and Palestine. I know that it might not look like that now, but I feel that we have another opportunity for the two peoples to come together and work out a framework for the creation of a two-state solution. Israel is restructuring its political landscape, as we all know, and this could a time when the final push forward to peace could happen. The Palestinians need to find a way to control their fundamentalists, stop the suicide bombings and rocket attacks, and elect decent people to represent them. As for Hamas joining the elections, I know that it seems unfathomable, and sadly that is what the House resolved to say last week, but a recent Ha’aretz poll showed that over 60% of Israelis favored allowing Hamas into the elections if that meant peace. And what better way to disarm people than elect them as representatives of their government? It is civilized—is that not what we want? They must abolish their wish to destroy Israel though, before we negotiate. We learned this lesson in Northern Ireland, which is having success, and it is yet another relevant comparison to that conflict from which the Middle East could learn. You might be mad at me for saying that, but I am only following what I see a majority of Israelis saying too. And in theory, aren’t governments better than terrorists?
Let 2006 be the year that we don’t torture any human being, seek to destroy any human being, discriminate against or hate within, and that we finally understand that killing any person, be it state-sanctioned execution or murder, is still killing, and that will never solve any of our problems. Shalom is the way of 2006, love is the way of 2006, equality and equity is the way of 2006, ending hunger, disease, malnutrition and what Bono calls “stupid extreme poverty” is the way of 2006. May Christians, Jews, Muslims and all religions of the world unite behind a common cause of loving our neighbor and spreading peace, true peace, to one another. May this be the year of greater religious tolerance, with a return to the civility and harmony that we had once achieved. It is a shame to go backward in civil discourse and moral clarity. And this time next year, as we herald in 2007, may we see a radically new world, where people are not going hungry, dying of common ailments and living on $1 a day. May the light of Chanukkah, which is known as the “or haganuz,” the hidden holy light of the messianic time, illumine the way to our healing. With the speed in which we operate today, a year is a long time, with a great deal of potential. Let us pray that we reach our goals now, for why should we wait to bring tikkun olam, righteous healing and repair , to our world, for even another moment?
Chag urim sameach
Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater is the spiritual leader of the Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center and a member of the National Advisory Board of The Tikkun Community.
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