8 July 25 • 2019 jn views W 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.