JUST MERCY

JUST MERCY

A Reflection from Sabbatical

“I am a member of a racial minority. Often, a person I do not know will take pains to bring a matter to my attention (a news article, movie or lecture) that features the subject of my race. I don’t pretend that people are color blind. But I am put off when a person I have just met tells me that I should read a book on my group’s experience with the American justice system. How should I respond?”

This question came to the NY Times advice columnist, Philip Galanes. In his February 25 column, Galanes suggested several thoughtful ways to respond, including asking them “Why, exactly, do you suppose that book will interest me?” Then the columnist added “(And if the book is “Just Mercy,” everyone should read it.)”

Everyone should read this book. I’m grateful to Alice Levine for recommending it to me a year ago. When I finally picked it up last month, I could not put it down.

Lawyer Bryan Stevenson is a marvel. He is obviously a skilled and talented attorney, who has freed hundreds from unjust prison sentences. He has argued to change incarceration laws for juveniles successfully before the U.S. Supreme Court. Twice. His organization, the Equal Justice Initiative continues to work successfully on behalf of those “who have been denied fair and just treatment in the legal system.”

Stevenson is also an engaging writer as he unfurls the tale of Walter McMillian, a death row inmate who was arrested, imprisoned, tried, and committed to death row based on flimsy evidence (at best) and corruption and racial bias (at worst). In alternating chapters, he also describes how women, children, mentally handicapped, and poor people fall victim to our broken criminal justice system. Nearly every chapter broke my heart.

Surprisingly, this book also offers redemption and hope. Just as he depicts the system as unbearably out of whack, Stevenson’s honesty and personal commitment provide a stirring model for making real change.

The title of the book encapsulates Stevenson’s inspiring approach to his life and work. “Justice” and “mercy” are usually opposing goals. On Yom Kippur, we ask God to set aside justice and become merciful with us. Others in our culture embrace punitive justice without regard for mercy. (Angry reactions to the recent sentencing of Philip Chism are just one example.) “Just mercy” implies that these two truths can (and ought to) coexist.

The prophet Micah implores us to find a balance between justice and mercy in our everyday relationships. “Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with…” (Micah 6:8) Micah lived through a time of upheaval, moral degradation, dislocation, and fear. He witnessed the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 721 BCE and the exile of its leaders. He surely knew the suffering of the people of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, who endured the Assyrian siege of the fortified city protecting the capital, Jerusalem. Micah was one of the first to have foreseen the ultimate fall of Judah, which finally occurred more than a century after his death. Despite the terrors of war and destruction, Micah continued to preach a message of hope: “Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with…”

In our own day, we are also witness to upheaval, moral degradation, dislocation and fear. We may be filled with despair. Like a prophet, Stevenson offers us a path out of our fear and anguish. At the end of the book, he tells us that he’s learned that “fear and anger are a threat to justice; they can infect a community, a state, or a nation and make us blind, irrational, and dangerous.” Then he turns around and instructs us that “mercy is just when it is rooted in hopefulness and freely given.” That is, through love we can find the way to overcome injustice and to embrace hope.

One of the many gifts of having sabbatical time is having time. Period. Time to read. Time to write. Time to think. Time to cook healthy meals and enjoy being with loved ones. Time to do one thing at a time.

Coming back from these nine weeks “away,” I felt reinvigorated. It feels good to do the work that I love. I’m delighted every time I see someone who has been out of my line of sight for two months. I’m particularly grateful to learn that, while people are happy to have me back, the temple and its programs ran very smoothly during my absence.

One teaching I hold onto from this sabbatical time is not to wait until the next one. My book project has a long way to go. You are a part of that project, as I continue to think about Micah’s teaching of justice, mercy, and humility. From time to time I will share these thoughts with you, to continue to learn how these prophetic words can make a difference in our lives.

THE TOMATO OF JUSTICE

THE TOMATO OF JUSTICE

Did slaves pick your tomatoes?

If you buy Florida tomatoes from Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, or Stop n Shop, the workers who picked your tomatoes are protected from slavery, exploitation, and sexual harassment by the Fair Food program. If you eat tomatoes at most fast-food restaurants, they were also picked by workers who are getting a living wage from the growers. But if you’ve eaten at Wendy’s, those pickers are not protected, because Wendy’s refuses to sign on to the Fair Food agreement.

Since 2011, HBT has supported the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) to inform consumers about the plight of migrant tomato workers. Our visits to managers at Trader Joe’s contributed to the CIW’s successful effort to get Trader Joe’s to sign on.

This week, our partner, T'ruah (The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights) is taking part in the CIW's 2016 Workers' Voice Tour. Migrant workers and their supporters will march to Wendy’s headquarters in New York City on March 3 to deliver a message of justice.

Rabbi Penzner will be traveling to New York City to participate in the action at Wendy’s headquarters. YOU and your family can join the effort. All you need to do is download the tomato of justice, write a letter on it to Wendy's major shareholder, Jewish businessman Nelson Peltz, decorate it with messages of justice, and bring it to the temple office this week. We will send all the letters to Peltz in a special Purim package.

Click here to access everything you need to know about the CIW, Wendy’s and the tomato of justice.

Double your joy - be happy AND be generous

Double your joy—be happy AND be generous.

It’s Adar, the month of Purim. This is a holiday we take very (wink) seriously at HBT. We put a lot of effort into fulfilling the rabbinic statement “when Adar begins, joy increases.”

This year is extra special, because it’s a Leap Year. You know that we add an extra day in February this year. That day compensates for the fact that a solar year isn’t 365 days long. It takes the earth precisely 365¼ days to circle the sun. Every four years we add that extra day.

We also add an extra month to the Jewish calendar this year. That month compensates for the loss of time resulting from our lunar calendar, which is only 354 days long. The Jewish year doesn’t keep in sync with the secular year, but the rabbis created software centuries ago to ensure that our calendar is in tune with the seasons.

Pesach has to take place in the springtime (sometime between late March and late April). Sukkot has to arrive before Israel’s rainy season (late September to late October). To make that happen, the rabbinic calendar software inserts a leap month seven times within a 19-year cycle. The leap month is always Adar II (Hebrew: Adar sheni)

Our joy increased with Rosh Hodesh (the New Moon) Adar I, which happened on February 10. Adar II will begin on March 11, and Purim will arrive on the evening of March 23.

This gives us a double-dose of joy

What do we do when we have more than we need? We share! Two of the mitzvot of Purim are about giving. We give shalach manot, hamantashen & sweets, to our friends. We also give matanot l’evyonim, gifts to the poor. While we are having fun playing at the carnival (March 20), hearing the megillah (March 23) dressing up in costumes, raucously singing, stamping, and drowning out Haman’s name, we can also share our joy with others. Just as we break a glass at the most joyous moment of a wedding to remind us that our world is still broken, we give to others at this time of great celebration.

HBT makes it easy for you to do all of these things. This year, we’d like the entire congregation to Be Happy and Be Generous. From February 26 through March 23, every dollar that goes into the tsedaka boxes at the temple—whether in classrooms or the chapel or the office—will be designated for Yad Chessed. Yad Chessed, the “hand of loving-kindness,” supports Jewish individuals and families by alleviating economic distress and helping them reach financial stability.

On Purim, Yad Chessed collects from every synagogue and gives gifts to their clients, to ensure that they have a joyous Purim too.

Last year, HBT members raised $200 for Yad Chessed’s Purim Mitzvah Program. Our goal this year is $360. Adults and children are urged to bring a gift for Yad Chessed next time you’re in the building. (On Shabbat, you can leave an envelope marked “Yad Chessed” in the mailbox by the office.)

Be Happy and Be Generous! Share your double-dose of joy!

It Is Up To Us

It is up to us

“Today I am a Muslim. This country sent away my people, the Jews, and they were slaughtered in concentration camps. Stop the hate! Remember the SS St. Louis.

Unite children of Abraham!”

My brother posted this cry on his FB page early Tuesday morning. When my own clock radio roused me with the news of Donald Trump’s so-called proposal to ban all Muslims, I felt a similar outrage.

As I listened all day to denunciations of the candidate, analysis of the impact on the presidential campaign, and Gov. Baker’s characterization of the proposal “ridiculous,” I appreciated the swift condemnations. But my brother’s post brought home a reality that goes beyond any one candidate, beyond decrying hatred and beyond flimsy dismissals.

Trump is no longer a joke. He is not ridiculous. He inflames the basest tendencies of humanity: anger and hatred. His unreflective, unrepentant rhetoric validates evil. His words encourage white supremacy, extremism and violence.

Even if he is defeated in the polls, Trump has given voice to a dangerous element in American society. With his words, he has unleashed a destructive force that even he cannot stop.  Even if he never explicitly encourages violence, his words condone it. Innocent Muslims and immigrants have already been attacked. Who will be next?

More disturbing is that we cannot pin responsibility on one candidate alone. Trump’s ideas would have no impact without the fertile ground of divisiveness cultivated by others. Irresponsible pundits and candidates have polluted political discourse with toxic statements of their own. While they attempt to distance themselves from his inflammatory speech, their own docile espousal of similar sentiments have made Trump’s words acceptable.

Tonight is the fifth night of Hanukkah, and today is also International Human Rights Day. Today is the day for us to remember the best of what is means to be human and to work to overcome the worst evil in the human heart.

It is up to us to work to implement the ideals espoused in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. When we light our candles, we must dedicate ourselves to bring more light into a world that seems darker every day. It is up to us—Aleinu—to stand up, to speak out, and to act with love in order to overcome the power of evil.

Today I am a Muslim. Today I am an immigrant. Today I am a refugee. Today I am also an advocate for truth, compassion, repentance, equity, and justice. 

I can’t do this alone. Join me. It is up to us.

I was proud of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Boston (JCRC) to issue this statement condemning incendiary language against Muslims.

If I Am Not For Myself.....

MESSAGE FROM THE RABBI

If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I’m only for myself, what am I?
And if not now, when?

Hillel

We live in a time of terrifying events and outrageous political rhetoric. As the quantity of news sources expands, the perspectives on the news narrows. It is a confusing, maddening and frightening time, as we wonder what direction our country is taking, and where in the world people are safe.

Before we take a break for gratitude, gatherings and graciousness, it’s important that our temple acknowledge some of the pain that is in our midst.

If I am not for myself, who will be for me?

We extend our condolences to the grieving family of Ezra Schwartz z”l. Ezra’s death impacted many lives in the greater Boston Jewish community, including many members of our synagogue. Ezra was a well-known camper and beloved leader at Camp Yavne, where he became friends with Jews from across the religious spectrum.

Ezra’s death in a terrorist attack reminded me of the death, 13 years ago, of our own Janis Coulter.

Janis, who grew up as an Episcopalian in West Roxbury and had chosen to become Jewish, was killed by a bomb in the cafeteria of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as she was leading a group of American students to study at the university. At her funeral, HBT became the beating heart of a grieving Jewish community, including people who had not even known her.

Though we may not all be familiar with Ezra Schwartz or his family, our hearts go out to his bereaved parents and family. There is no balm for the loss of a child. As a Jewish community, we extend our condolences to the family, as we would to anyone in our temple community.

Among the many expressions of sympathy from synagogues, Jewish schools and other Jewish organizations, the words offered in a note from Imam Abdul Rahman Ahmad, the imam of the Islamic Center of Sharon, were particularly poignant. The imam chose to use the customary Jewish expression of condolence (in Hebrew), repeated here with our love and compassion:

Hamakom yenachem etchem betoch shear avlei Tziyon v’Yerushalayim.

May you find comfort among all who mourn among the people of Zion and Jerusalem.

If I am only for myself, what am I?

Our fifth grade families gathered for a class Shabbat dinner on Friday night and the conversation turned to the Syrian refugees. The discussion was deep and wide, sharing fears and a strong desire to reach out to a Syrian refugee family.

As Jews, we are committed to the mitzvah of welcoming the stranger. We know the heart of the stranger.

We were strangers in the land of Egypt. And we know what it means to flee from terror and death and to find the borders closed.

We also know the fear of attacks that grips our hearts. Even in our synagogue building, which we believe is a safe haven, there are times when we feel uneasy and unsure. Knowing the dangers, not only of the Paris attacks but the Charleston murders as well, we wonder when someone with unclear intentions walks into the building. And yet, we desire to be welcoming to all.

As each of us struggles to balance caution and welcome, it is important to honestly acknowledge our fears and at the same time remain open-hearted.

In this past week, the growing calls to ban Syrian refugees have been appalling. We are horrified by the rampant anti-Muslim sentiment, so frighteningly reminiscent of Nazi targeting of Jews.  Many are asking, what can our temple community do to help the refugees?

While we as a temple are not able to respond to events 24/7, many Jewish organizations have published statements supporting the Syrian refugees. The Boston Globe published a letter to the editor from our own Susannah Sirkin chastising Governor Baker’s initial refusal to accept refugees in Massachusetts. (Today, Monday; Baker declared that he will not halt refugees from coming to Massachusetts.)

Locally, JCRC (I’m a representative to the JCRC governing Council) and JVS issued a statement on November 19, following Gov. Baker’s initial refusal, and following the vote in the U.S. House.

Several commentators have called on people to stop treating Donald Trump’s comments as humorous, and to speak out against his outrageous suggestions of registering Muslims or surveilling mosques. I urge you to read this column by Dove Kent, Executive Director of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ).

You may want to sign a “registry” being sponsored by Bend the Arc, the progressive Jewish voice for social justice, as a way for American Jews to respond to Donald Trump’s call for a national database of Muslim-Americans. More information here.

If not now when?

What can we do? First, we can each take individual action.

When I learned that Stephen Lynch, my Congressional Representative whose district includes our temple, had voted in favor of restricting Syrian refugees, Brian and I each sent letters in protest. I urge you to do so as well, and send a message to Charles Keating if you are in his South Shore district.  In my letter, I told Rep. Lynch,

Your vote sends the wrong message to your constituents, to the country, to all refugees everywhere, to the extremists in ISIL, and to the extremists who want to drag our country down into a pit of fear and hatred.

I am the product of a country who welcomed my grandparents in when they fled war and oppression. I grew up believing that America stands for principles of freedom and justice for all. I still believe that we have the capacity to send a message of hope while protecting our own citizens.

This vote adds too many more layers to an already well-functioning system, leaving refugees vulnerable to further attack, to impoverishment and to homelessness for even longer than our system already demands.

Now, it’s time for us to send messages to our senators, urging them to oppose this bill. Several Jewish organizations offer petitions and urge us to contact our senators. One effort has been led by HIAS:

http://www.hias.org/sites/default/files/sign-on_letter_protecting_refugees_-_november_17_2015.pdf

The pro-Israel, pro-peace group J Street also is collecting signatures on a message to senators:

http://act.jstreet.org/sign/we-were-strangers/?akid=4322.201627.cfOSYL&nosig=1&rd=1&t=3

The Shalom Center, headed by Rabbi Arthur Waskow, offers some suggestions for tying the plight of the refugees to Hanukkah observances that you might consider bringing into your home.

https://theshalomcenter.org/content/lady-liberty-lifts-high-lamp-hanukkah

Donate to support refugees across Europe and around the world.

These Jewish organizations represent us and work on the ground to give aid to the refugees:

HIAS 

American Jewish World Service  

 Joint Distribution Committee

Combined Jewish Philanthropies 

As a synagogue community, our greatest strength is when we join together.

The Tikkun Olam Committee will be considering ways for our congregation to take action on these issues. Our upcoming Human Rights Shabbat (December 4-5) will be an occasion for us to consider our Jewish commitment to human rights. Lew Finfer, our speaker, will focus on economic justice, and we will make mention of the refugee issues as well.

As we sit down to Thanksgiving meals, wherever we are, let us be grateful for all the gifts that we have, and let us commit to sharing our bounty with others.

Rabbi Barbara Penzner

Rabbi's Message October 15, 2015 Responding with Hope: Resources for Repairing the World and Supporting the Needy Among Us (that may mean YOU)

I would be remiss if I did not begin by acknowledging that many of us have our hearts turned to events in Israel and Palestine today. The violence grows closer to us as we hear from family members and friends who are living with the terror. Though members of our community many have different responses to the violence, its causes and solutions, we all share a heartfelt prayer for an end to the bloodshed and fear.

I pray for those who are working toward a resolution of this conflict, toward reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, and toward peace and security for all who dwell there, Jews, Muslims and Christians, Israelis and Palestinians alike.

While events in Israel tear us apart with anguish for all the victims, it is essential that we not lose hope. As Rebbe Nachman of Bratzlav implored, upon hearing of destruction of Jewish communities during the Russian pogroms, “Gevalt, Yidden! Jews, for heaven’s sake, do not despair. Gevalt, Yidden, do not despair.”

We still have hope as long as we don’t feel helpless. Each of us can do something. Each of us has a strength, resources, mind and heart that we bring to whatever cause moves us. Rather than focus on what we cannot do—and that is a list that we can add to without end—there are ways that each one of us can make a difference. And we should not give up trying.

This coming Sunday, October 18 from 4 to 5:30, members and friends are invited to take part in the HBT Tikkun Olam Networking Event. Come and learn how HBT invests our volunteer time and energy to make a difference in our neighborhoods, our city, our Commonwealth and our world. You will learn about meaningful opportunities for you to bring your unique energy and passion to the holy work of repairing the world.

I also want to share an important new anti-poverty initiative from Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), the Jewish federation that raises money from the Jewish community and allocates funds for community needs. Despite the recovery from the 2008 recession many Jews remain in dire economic straits. In the past three years, 3879 individuals desperately turned to CJP and its agencies for help, without any community outreach. Of those who asked for help 75% had Bachelor’s degrees, and 37% had graduate degrees. They were all ages and family configurations. While we might think of Jews as affluent and comfortable, the truth is that regardless of outward appearances, many Jewish individuals and families in greater Boston are struggling.

We know this in our own synagogue community. For many years, we have tried to send a message that no one should be left out of our congregation because of financial difficulty. This past year, our leadership has worked to craft a message of openness and welcome and is considering the meaning of “dues” and the expectations that come with dues. Sustaining our community is our primary goal. We are not interested in reviewing people’s financial statements or asking for justification for people’s support. We want to be a spiritual home, not a private club.

And yet, for some individuals and families this is not enough. CJP’s new initiative increases support for families who are struggling financially. These resources are available to help YOU, whether you are living in dire straits or seeking to avoid a looming financial crisis.

CJP has devoted significant resources, both to invest in caseworkers and to increase available funding. With a combined action plan and integrated approach, those in need only have to fill out one “common application” for all the agencies. Among them, Jewish Family & Children’s Services assigns a caring caseworker and can help with food assistance, housing issues and accessing public benefits, Jewish Vocational Service offers career counseling and training, and Yad Chessed provides emergency funds.

To bring your need to a compassionate provider, contact http://raiseyourhand.cjp.org/ or call the warmline at 1-800-CJP-9500.

In addition, I want you to know that I am available to offer confidential support and a modest amount of emergency funds from the Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund. We are blessed to have members and friends who contribute to this fund to ensure that people can access funds in a confidential and compassionate manner.

Our work to repair the world, Tikkun Olam, starts with healing ourselves. If you are in need, step up. If you can lend a hand, step up. If you can donate funds, step up. This is what makes a holy community, joining together through the give and take of life, keeping the flame of hope burning in our hearts.