OTHER
iEWS
The Giving Table
New York
T
his week, as we gather
with family and friends
at the Thanksgiving
table, grateful for the many bless-
ings that are ours, we must not for-
get the countless people across this
continent and around the world
that do not share in this prosperity.
While many of us will gather in
warm, well-lit homes to partake in
traditional holiday fare — turkey,
stuffing, cranberries and pump-
kin pie — others, lacking even
the most basic necessities, will be
"celebrating" in shelters and soup
kitchens or, worse yet, huddled
cold and hungry in cars, aban-
doned buildings or on our streets.
For the wealthiest nation on the
planet to tolerate the despicable
reality of 37 million citizens who
are poor and at risk — an increase
of more than a million in the last
year alone — we have a lot of deep
soul-searching to do.
One in five American children
— 13 million in all — lives in
poverty and is at risk of going to
bed hungry. Every day, countless
working adults struggle to pay for
housing, food and clothing while
vulnerable seniors are
shelter. We can orga-
forced to choose between
nize food drives in
food and shelter, between
our workplaces and
heat and prescription
synagogues to col-
medications.
lect what is needed
Jewish tradition teach-
by food pantries and
es that we are required
soup kitchens, not
to feed the hungry: "If
only during the cold
there is a needy person
Rabbi Marla J.
winter months, but
Feldman
among you, one of your
also throughout the
kin in any of your settle-
Community
year as well. We can
ments in the land that
View
offer time and energy
the Eternal your God is
to help local social
giving you, do not harden
service agencies
your heart and shut your hand
assemble food baskets for holiday
against your needy kin. Rather, you distribution.
must open your hand and lend
According to Jewish lore, when
whatever is sufficient to meet the
we engage in such acts we merit
need" (Deuteronomy 15:7-8).
redemption: "At the time of
Couple this with the talmudic
Judgment, everyone will be asked,
mandate to "support the poor of
`What was your occupation?' If
the non-Jew along with the poor of you answer, `I fed the hungry, you
Israel" (Gittin 61a) and we know
will be told: 'This is the gate of the
what we must do.
Eternal; you, who fed the hungry,
If we take these words to heart,
may enter"' (Midrash Psalms
our celebration of Thanksgiving
118:17).
should include opportunities to
serve those who are most in need:
Even More
We can volunteer to pur-
Indeed, these acts are an important
chase, cook, deliver or serve
start; and we should commend
Thanksgiving meals to those in
those who toil daily to address the
need of a warm holiday dinner
human needs that surround us.
through a local soup kitchen or
But they are not enough, and they
do not fulfill our obligation to pur-
sue justice.
The lasting changes that need to
be made will not be made in food
pantries, in homeless shelters or in
soup kitchens. They will be made
in the halls of power and that is
where we must be.
Addressing hunger and home-
lessness requires us to address
their root causes: unemployment,
low-paying jobs and high housing
costs. We must raise the current
low minimum wage to a level that
reflects the reality of our economy.
We must create more affordable
housing.
We must improve and expand
child nutrition programs so that
no eligible child in America will go
hungry. We must authorize appro-
priate funding for the programs
that we know work to help needy
families move out of poverty and
into self-sufficiency. And we must
ensure that government programs
provide adequate funds for child-
care subsidies so parents can work
or get an education.
Only a comprehensive plan that
addresses all of these issues will
alleviate hunger and homelessness
in America.
Systemic change will not come
about easily; we must be willing
to say "no" to the status quo, to
acknowledge that the way things
are is unacceptable and that we
have an obligation to change it.
As others have said, where there
is an injustice, the Jew feels out-
rage; where there is suffering, the
Jew hears a call to action. Indeed,
it is our responsibility to tell our
elected officials — from our city
council members to our represen-
tatives in the state legislature and
Congress, to the president — what
values we want to govern their
decisions.
Inspired by the lessons of our
people and the commandment
to pursue justice, we must, this
Thanksgiving and always, heed
the call to speak truth to power
and promote economic justice for
all.
in St. Ignace with the Native
Americans. Worse, I pictured
images of the Spanish Inquisition.
(Tainted by Mel Brooks, all I
could think of was the History
of the World Part I version.)
Nonetheless, I had to find out
more than this poorly worded blog
question was willing to tell me.
It turns out that Rabbi Yoffie
was asking the congregations
to say to potential converts, "We
would love to have you." He also
made it clear that "special sensi-
tivities are required. Encourage,
but do not insist. And if someone
says, 'I'm not ready, listen:'
verting, I would know where to
turn. And [would feel comfort-
able doing so.
So, thank you to Rabbi Yoffie for
giving my family and me reassur-
ances that Judaism will continue
to welcome us. I do not see this
as an endorsement of intermar-
riage –L nor should it be. But, by
encouraging families like ours to
make Jewish choices, you are help-
ing to ensure the health and vital-
ity of our synagogue communities
across the country.
I know that some see this as
controversial. Will the initiative
guarantee that interfaith families
raise their children as Jews? No, it
won't. However, it certainly gives
them a far greater chance. 0
For information about what you can
do, visit www.rac.org.
Rabbi Marla J. Feldman is director of
the Commission on Social Action of
Reform Judaism. She formerly was on
staff at the Jewish Community Council
of Metropolitan Detroit.
A Reason To Be Thankful
Ann Arbor
A
lthough I am apprecia-
tive for many things all
year round, sometimes
it takes a month containing a holi-
day with the word "Thanks" in it
to motivate me to publicly thank
someone.
In this case, I would like to
acknowledge Rabbi Eric Yoffie,
president of the Union for Reform
Judaism (URJ). At last year's URJ
biennial in Houston, Rabbi Yoffie
presented his Initiative, which
takes the Jewish Reform out-
reach revolution to the next level.
Among other things, it supports
interfaith families by recogniz-
ing and honoring the non-Jewish
spouse.
While I don't feel that I person-
ally need recognition, I do believe
that this is a major step forward
in welcoming interfaith families.
It lets them know that they have a
place in the Jewish com-
munity. Many interfaith
families often feel that
they don't belong to any
community at all. They
are unsure if they are
invited. This directive
makes it perfectly clear
that they have a home.
According to Rabbi
Yoffie, "When a spouse involves
[himself or] herself in the activi-
ties of the synagogue; offers sup-
port to the Jewish involvements of
husband or wife; attends Jewish
worship; and, most important
of all, commits to raising Jewish
children, he or she is deserving
not only of welcome but of our
profound thanks."
A message such as this is
heartwarming to those already
belonging to a synagogue. More
importantly, word will spread and
encourage non-affiliated interfaith
families to make Jewish choices,
much as my wife and
I did many years ago.
We send our children
to Hebrew school
because we know
that they are welcome
there.We participate in
temple functions as an
entire family because
I know that I am a
member — even though my wife
is the Jewish spouse. I have not
converted, but I often find myself
living Jewishly.
This leads to another one of
Rabbi Yoffie's initiatives: inviting
conversion and supporting those
who are in the process of conver-
sion. When I first read this last
year, as a vague media blurb on a
Web site, I was puzzled. Obviously
intending to provoke controversy,
it read, "How do you feel about
Rabbi Yoffie's initiative to convert
more people to Judaism?"
I had images of Pere Marquette
The Right Message
I like this message. It is not
necessarily for me — I still
feel strongly connected to my
Protestant religion. However, I
am grateful that our rabbi and
community care enough to ask.
If I were ever thinking about con-
-
Jim Keen is a freelance writer and
columnist for InterfaithFamily.com . He
is the author of Inside Intermarriage:
A Christian Partner's Perspective on
Raising a Jewish Family (URJ Press).
November 23 g 2006
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