8 July 25 • 2019
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hat happens when two 
rabbis from two differ-
ent congregations in the 
Detroit area gather in Jerusalem with 
a diverse group of 23 other Orthodox, 
Conservative and Reform North 
American rabbis and three Israeli rab-
bis to study Jewish sacred scripture in 
one of the most prestigious leadership 
programs for rabbis in the field? “Ki 
mitzion teitzei Torah u’
dvar HaShem 
meYerushalayim” — For out of Zion 
shall go forth the Torah and the word 
of God from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3).
With profound gratitude to the 
William Davidson Foundation and 
with deep appreciation to our respec-
tive synagogue families, we are hon-
ored to be part of the seventh cohort 
of the Rabbinic Leadership Initiative 
(RLI) of the Shalom Hartman Institute. 
“Hartman,” as it is warmly called, is a 
leading center of Jewish thought and 
education, serving Israel and North 
America. Its mission, founded on 
rigorous text study and collaborative 
peer learning, “is to strengthen Jewish 
peoplehood, identity and pluralism, 
enhance the Jewish and democratic 
character of Israel, and ensure that 
Judaism is a compelling force for good 
in the 21st century.” 
Over the next three years, we will 
spend 17 weeks at the Hartman 
Campus in Israel as well as countless 
hours of online distance learning state-
side, exploring issues of peoplehood, 
faith and spirituality, ethics and moral-
ity in order to provide visionary lead-
ership to our synagogues, our Detroit 
Jewish community and the Jewish 
people. 
We write this from Jerusalem, pre-
paring to return to Detroit after com-
pleting our nearly four-week summer 
unit of learning with scholars such 
as Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman, Dr. 
Yehudah Kurtzer, Dr. Elana Stein Hain 
and Rabbi Lauren Berkun. 

EXPANDING AND SETTING BOUNDARIES
We wrestled with that which will guide 
our studies for the next year: issues of 
peoplehood, including a special empha-
sis on the relationship between Israel 
and world Jewry. We are immersed in 
traditional and contemporary texts that 

explore ancient, medieval and mod-
ern definitions of the boundaries of 
Judaism and the Jewish people — who 
was and who is “in” and “out.” Perhaps 
more importantly, we are discussing 
in our diverse group the implications 
of inclusion and exclusion with an eye 
toward the 21st-century American 
Jewish community and the implications 
for our relationship with Israeli Jews.
Our own synagogue families are case 
studies of the expanding boundaries 
of modern Judaism. The Downtown 
Synagogue and Congregation Shaarey 
Zedek warmly welcome many who pre-
viously may have experienced rejection 
by the mainstream Jewish communi-
ty, including Jews of color, Jews who 
are LGBTQ+, non-Jews interested in 
Judaism and the non-Jewish partners 
of Jews, among others. In addition, we 
firmly believe in partnering with and 
building bridges among Jews of all 
streams and with our Israeli brothers 
and sisters, as well as our non-Jewish 
friends with whom we share the goals 
of pursuing peace in the world and in 
offering compassion and support to 
those in need.
At the same time, the boundaries of 
the Jewish people cannot be completely 
open. Lines must be drawn. In some 
communities, they continue to exclude 
in one way or another those whom we 
now welcome. In other communities, 
they may draw their lines, for example, 

to exclude those identifying as Jews but 
who have not (yet) begun conversion, 
those who want to sit among the con-
gregation but are practicing Christians 
or those who reject the right of Israel to 
exist in peace and security as a demo-
cratic Jewish state. There is an endpoint 
to a community’
s level of tolerance, and 
communities are challenged in how 
they draw that line. 

IS EXCLUSION NECESSARY?
Moreover, while questions of boundar-
ies about those with whom we would 
associate religiously and those with 
whom we would not associate religious-
ly naturally occupy our conversations, 
the learning expands to address the 
current state of discourse in the United 
States. That is to say, might someone’
s 
political beliefs or how they express 
those beliefs justify their exclusion 
from our lives? For many in our area 
and around the country, the answer is a 
resounding “yes.” 
In addition, at what point is one jus-
tified or unjustified in calling another 
“traitorous,” “unwelcome” or “apostate” 
— whether with regard to that person’
s 
religious beliefs or political beliefs? We 
believe there are moments when exclu-
sion is justified, but that the lines are 
being drawn way too often and way too 
narrowly so that our society is quite lit-
erally breaking down before our eyes.
There is no question that our Tanach 

guest column
The Beginning of a Leadership Journey

Rabbis Ariana Silverman and Aaron Starr at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem

COURTESY OF AARON STARR

continued from page 5

Those of us from Michigan who 
have been part of the inSIGHT 
fundraising process in Florida 
were gratified when our state 
mandated instruction about the 
Armenian genocide along with 
the Holocaust. Clearly it has 
never been more important to 
teach that such horrific events 
happened, considering the huge 
number of Americans who have 
never heard of Auschwitz or even 
know the unimagined horrors 
of the Jewish people’
s mass 
extermination.
The Florida principal was 
removed from the school and 
reassigned, which brought 
some satisfaction. Members 
of the community had stated 
his remarks were offensive and 
incomprehensible in view of his 
administrative position, and the 
survivors, many of whom we 
know, expressed anguish and 
disbelief.
In response to this obvious 
need for more attention to 
Holocaust education, inSIGHT 
has joined with Federation, 
the JCRC and numerous other 
organizations. Along with its 
purpose to teach about the 
Holocaust, it recognizes the 
importance of opposing hatred 
and bigotry and encouraging 
tolerance and respect.
As two of the original founders 
of inSIGHT, we believe it offers 
a model for Michigan and other 
states to follow. Educators need 
tools and training if we expect 
them to teach the lessons of the 
Holocaust. The dramatic event 
in Florida verifies ignorance that 
must be addressed. 

Edith Broida

Anita Naftaly

InSIGHT Through Education 

Co-presidents

continued on page 10

RABBI ARIANA SILVERMAN 
RABBI AARON STARR

Correction: 
In the story “Shutterbugs” 
 (July 
4, page 23), Jonah Rifkin was 
misidentified. Aaron Rudman is 
going to be attending Michigan 
State University, not U-M as 
published.

