Opinion
Editor's Notebook
Peace On Earth
Sunday School
Outside Our Religion,
They Watch Us Fade
ERICA MEYER RAUZIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
PHIL JACOBS ED TOR
ecently, I was the guest
speaker at an adult Sun-
day school at a rural
Methodist church. I was
given an hour on their agenda,
one hour in which to explain my-
self and my religion. It was an in-
teresting and slightly
nerve-wracking experience.
When I arrived, I was escort-
ed into the church dining hall
where members of the congrega-
tion were sharing coffee, orange
juice and donuts before Sunday
school (there were several class-
es) and services.
Children ran around, weaving
through adults; every adult knew
every child by name. Little girls
in bright dresses looked at me
wide-eyed over their donuts. I
was not sure they had ever seen
anyone Jewish before, at least not
anyone they knew was Jewish.
I am accustomed to public
speaking, but most of my audi-
ences are either classrooms of
small children or luncheon
groups of Jewish ladies. The
Peace on Earth Sunday School
class was a new experience for
me.
And, I think, I was a new ex-
perience for them.
The class began by singing
hymns. Lacking a decent singing
voice, a knowledge of the lyrics
and any internal commitment to
the content of the songs, I was
happy to listen and to try to gath-
er my thoughts. The singing was
followed by an update from the
volunteer chairwoman; she of-
fered a tally of recent fund rais-
ing, a list of those who were ailing
and should be prayed for and a
gracious welcome.
As I stood up, the church's
minister came in to the class and
R
Erica Meyer Rauzin is a writer in
Miami Beach, Fla.
sat down. My nervousness ratch-
eted up a couple more
notches.
I had been asked to dis-
cuss Jewish customs and tra-
ditions. Instead of offering a
litany of holidays, I tried to de-
scribe behaviors that bring the
religion home, that make it a
part of our everyday lives, at
least in the modern Orthodox
world: studying Torah,
keeping kosher and ob-
serving Sabbath. „„..„
I began by explain-
ing that I could
speak only for myself, not for Ju- meant what did Judaism offer for
daism, not for Orthodoxy, not for forgiveness and repentance, so
anyone else. I told them, "I know I described both the daily prayers'
100 people, not counting a score request for atonement and the
of rabbis, who could do this task solemnity of Yom Kippur.
And then they asked about
better than I can; but I am the
one who is here, and so I will try." their messiah: who was he to me?
They listened carefully, po- This is always the hard question,
litely. Most of them were older the dividing line question; and I
than I am, though a few were 40- always try to answer honestly,
something like me. They were but without offense. This time I
taken by the items I had brought: had the right story to offer.
I have a dear college friend in
a prayer book with commentary,
a Chumash (Torah) with com- North Carolina. Mary is a tal-
mentary, a tallit, and a jar of ented writer, a dedicated moth-
olives I had picked up at the con- er, and a very religious person.
venience store on the way over, She has been working on a bibli-
so I could show them the U in the cal time line of both testaments.
circle on the label, a little spot of She had finished her Old Testa-
kosher-confirmation right on ment project and was consider-
ing whether to send it to a
their block.
When we got around to the publisher now or to wait until she
questions, the minister asked me completed the New Testament
to explain the symbolism of the section to go with it.
"I'm wondering," she told me
items on the seder plate. I could
do that. One lady asked if I had on the phone, "if the Old Testa-
been this caught up in my reli- ment stands on its own?"
"Well," I told her, with a smile
gion my whole life. No, I hadn't.
I grew up Conservative, spent my in my voice, "I always thought
early professional life in a Reform so."
And we laughed together.
congregation and became more
It was good to laugh with her
observant when I got married.
An older man asked, "What do and with the Sunday school class,
as we went out into the bright,
you do about sin?"
I managed not to make any cordial morning, content with our
jokes (like, "I try to avoid it"). He differences. ❑
Opinion
Waffling On Jerusalem
MITCHELL G. BARD SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
hen it comes to prosely-
tizing, no one beats our
State Department. Its
ability to win converts
to its Arabist world view should
be the envy of religious institu-
tions.
Perhaps the most alarming
view propagated by the keepers
of the diplomatic Holy Grail is
that the United States refrain
from recognizing Jerusalem as
Israel's capital to avoid upsetting
the Arabs and jeopardizing the
peace process.
This position is dangerous be-
W
cause it allows the Arabs to pre-
serve hope of regaining control of
the city and leaves open the pos-
sibility an American adminis-
tration will pressure Israel to
compromise on Jerusalem's uni-
ty.
The latest convert is Ambas-
sador to Israel-designate Martin
Indyk, the first Jew ever nomi-
nated for the position. As he
breezed through his confirmation
hearings, few people noticed he
had adopted the State Depart-
ment line that the status of
Jerusalem be left open to negoti-
ation. No one has more solid pro-
Israel credentials than Mr. In-
dyk. He is probably the first
person who was a prominent
member of the Israeli lobby to be-
come a senior adviser on the Mid-
dle East, which has been his role
the last two years at the Nation-
al Security Council. But Mr. In-
dyk can't change the
longstanding catechism on
Jerusalem; instead, he has em-
braced it.
Members of Congress are trying
JERUSALEM page 10
This is a scary
one.
Last week at
a time when
most of the staff
was out of the of-
fice, I took a call
from a reader.
He was dis-
traught. No, not
because he didn't get his paper
on time or we spelled his name
several different ways. There
was an urgency in his voice, a
feeling coming over the phone
that I cannot describe.
The man had been a guest to
a lecture at a congregation in
our area. He was black and
Muslim. He was invited to a
Jewish congregation as part of
one of many interfaith get-to-
gethers that are held each year.
He said that he had just
been in a building where he
felt God was absent. No, this
phone call wasn't about claim-
ing one faith was better than
another. Not once was this an
issue. Instead, the man want-
ed to get some explanations.
What really was Judaism? De-
fine it. Has anyone ever asked
you that question? Could you
answer it? As a Jew, do you
know yourself? Please under-
stand that there was nothing
mean-spirited here. He asked
me to talk about the differ-
ences between Orthodox, Con-
servative and Reform. He
wanted to know about Recon-
structionism and Humanism.
We talked about intermar-
riage and assimilation. We
even went so far as to trace the
Jewish experience from Eu-
rope through Ellis Island and
New York. There was a strong
desire among many of our
grand- and great-grandparents
to lose their European heritage
all the way down to their ac-
cents. Cheders were replaced
by public schools. The dream
of a Jewish way of life was
changed to a dream for an
American way of life. We
worked hard to become suc-
cessful Americans. For many
of us, though, we traded in part
of our Jewish selves. That was
the cost. Now you hear many
of our contemporaries talk
about how they remember how
their bubbies used to light Sab-
bath candles or how their
great-aunt and great-uncle
used to build a sukkah. They
talk this way as if lighting can-
dles or introducing symbols of
Judaism in their lives is part
of ancient history. Well, it is.
It should be an important part
of our daily 20th-century lives
as well.
My black Muslim friend
found it interesting that the
Jewish refugees to America
seem to have sealed their own
fate. By encouraging their chil-
dren to be more American,
they got what they wanted.
Unfortunately, it ran away like
a train out of control. Now,
when a Jewish man or woman
comes home with a non-Jew-
ish spouse, the grandparents
of assimilation cannot be so
surprised.
He asked me if what he had
experienced was a watered-
down version of Judaism. I felt
uncomfortable considering
that. But the truth is, I think
we spend more time avoiding
that which is religious. We look
so much for the easy way, in-
stead of asking our rabbis and
our teachers for ways of diving
into our faith. It would be bet-
ter to learn our way through
Judaism than to fake our way.
Forty-five minutes on the
phone with this black Muslim
reader of The Jewish News
made me wonder.
Are we being watched by
members of the other faiths?
How do we look to them? Are
we more vulnerable than ever
to missionaries and cults?
We're too
successful at
being Americans.
I think we are.
But back to the subject. No
matter where your Jewish
"voyage" is taking you, take
positive steps towards your Ju-
daism. Learn something. Get
your Jewish News from last
week and read about the many
classes and courses available
to people at all levels. The
Yeshiva Beth Yehudah offers
individuals study partners
through its Partners In Torah
program. Lubavitch even
reaches children out in Livo-
nia with study opportunities.
Yes, your grandparents want-
ed you to be Americans. But
they didn't want the dilution
of what they brought with
them to go this far.
Oh, you'll want to know the
last thing that the black Mus-
lim said to me, "The more we
try to be like everyone else in
this society, the further away
from God we become."
Think about that.
Light the candles tonight
like your bubbie did. Then fig-
ure out something that you can
do that your grandchildren
might remember.
Maybe we're fading.'Maybe
everybody realizes it.
Except for us. ❑