The Power of a Spiritual Foundation in Our Quest for Wholeness

by Rabbi Jill Maderer

Last week, at my annual physical, I brought the health forms my doctor is required to complete, so that I may serve on faculty for two weeks this summer at our Reform Movement’s Jewish camp, Harlam.  The camp does not provide a different version of the health form for faculty, so it can be humorously confusing for the doctor to complete questions that were clearly created for an adolescent.  You can imagine.  As the doctor continues to read down the list of possible ailments, there’s this: does the camper have a problem with eating disorders?  With cutting? The doctor looks up at me.  “What kind of camp is this?!  A place for troubled teens?”  “No,” I reply, “it’s just Jewish camp.  We worry a lot.”

And truth– there is a lot to worry about.   When I think of what it means to raise children and adolescents or to exist as adults in our world, the challenges to a healthy and whole life are overwhelming.  Yet there are real resources in our quest for wholeness.Continue reading

#rsgrows: A Building Expansion Fueled by Purpose

It has been so exciting to see the expansion go up here at Rodeph Shalom.  And now here we are, almost complete, with the May 17 Dedication happening this month!  In last weekend’s Sunday seminar, our expansion chairperson Michael Hauptman taught that the master planning for the space began in 1992!

The meaning of our new addition is certainly not limited to bricks and mortar.  The power of the renovation and expansion has been that, every step of the way, our leadership’s decisions have been mission-driven, fueled by our vision of the people and purpose who will fill its space.  Not once has this congregation set out to create a museum; this is a center for living Judaism, where we honor the past, celebrate the present, and shape the future of Jewish life in Philadelphia.

And so it made sense when, about a year ago, a congregant suggested we consider a Jewish text, that might appear on the external Broad Street wall.  Continue reading

On Public Shaming, a Compassion Deficit and Monica Lewinsky

by Rabbi Jill Maderer

This week’s Torah portion, Shmini, describes what can serve as a korban–a sacrifice.  And when the wrong thing is used as a korban, tragedy results.

Recently, Monica Lewinsky has made the news, because she has begun to speak publicly about the media storm that consumed her identity.  Now at the age of 41, the former Whitehouse intern reflects back when she was 22, and made serious and foolish mistakes, when she began a relationship with her older and exceedingly more powerful boss, the then president of the United States.  Lewinsky’s boss abused his power and her friend violated her trust.  Still, the most painful part of the experience for Lewinsky was the public humiliation she endured.

In 1998, our society allowed the wrong thing to be used as a korban–a sacrifice– when Monica Lewinsky became the first person to be publicly shamed in the age of the internet.  Everyone knew her mistakes, many seemed to derive joy from degrading her, ostracizing her, reducing her to her faults, and exaggerating them beyond recognition. Continue reading

“Once We Were Slaves:” The Modern Slavery of Human Trafficking*

At this week’s seder, Jews recited “Once we were slaves.” Who, today, is still vulnerable to the shackles of injustice?  I recently learned about a sex trafficking awareness initiative of the Women of Vision, a part of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. I am grateful to the Federation for shining a light on women’s inequality, vulnerability and grave injustices involved in modern slavery.

It is common to assume human trafficking is a far-off problem.  Such distance can make it easier to ignore.  But that’s just not the case.  The more survivor stories I read, the more I can imagine these victims living right in my city.  According to statistics, chances are, they do.

This fall, the Bucks County Courier Times reported on a woman named Jennifer Spry.  Spry grew up in suburban, middle-class Montgomery County and as an 8-year old, was allowed to walk to the Church playground just down the road, playing so close to her home that she could hear her mother call her for dinner.  While playing in what was practically an extension of her own yard, Spry was manipulated by a neighbor offering toys.  Once she was in his home, she was forced to allow his “clients” to perform sexual acts while he took photographs.  The neighbor told Spry that if she ever told, he would kidnap her sister and murder her mother.Continue reading

Anti-Muslim or Anti-Jew, It’s All Bigotry

I recently coordinated a panel on global anti-Semitism. Participants learned about the efforts of the U.S. State Department and the American Jewish Committee in their work urging foreign governments to crack down on the perpetrators of anti-Semitic attacks.   I was struck by a comment from US Department of State Team Leader of Anti-Semitism and Europe in the Office of International Religious Freedom, Stacy Bernard Davis: “What used to be fringe is now voted into Parliament.”

Sadly, I believe Davis’ message can be extended.  What used to be fringe is now… published in the mainstream press… used for votes… sponsored as bus advertisements.Continue reading

Reminder Days: LGBT Movement’s 50th Anniversary

This month, the National Constitution Center and the William Way LGBT Community Center announced a partnership for an exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first LGBT protests in the nation. In 1965, and for the next 4 years, gay rights activists gathered outside Independence Hall carrying picket signs and demanding legislation that would secure the rights of LGBT Americans. Thirty-nine people attended the first picket.  These early annual protests, called “Reminder Days” did just that– they reminded our nation that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness were not yet accessible to all Americans.

This week, as we begin the book of Leviticus, we learn about animal sacrifice from parashat Vayikra: “Make the offering a male without blemish.”   Zachar tamim.  The word for male, zachar, shares the same Hebrew root for the word, memory.  A creative translation might read: Make the offering a memory without blemish.  Or, Remember, and make no mistake.  Continue reading

Haggadah Recommendations

I hope your Pesach preparations are going well!  If you’re ready to pull out the post-it’s and prepare to lead your own seder, here’s a list of Haggadah suggestions, from most in-depth to most simple…Continue reading

Taking Down the Fence

This week, we have witnessed the chain-link fence around the congregation come down!  We are not simply taking it down because it’s old or ugly.  We are taking the fence down as we build up our relationships and partnerships within the community and throughout Philadelphia!

Jewish law teaches the one stipulation for a sanctuary design is the inclusion of windows.  Our prayers ought to be informed by what happens in the streets, and how we behave in the street ought to be inspired by our words of prayer.  Our parking lot, our entire property, too, ought to be open to the sidewalks and streets of our neighborhood.  May the fences of our property and the fences in our lives continue to come down.

Mourning a Suicide and Seeking Resources

Our hearts go out to our neighbors in the Shipley School community who mourn the tragic death of Cayman Naib.  Jewish wisdom teaches us that we are all created in God’s image, that every life has inherent value and the highest mitzvah–obligation–is to save a life. We are taught compassion for all of those of suffer and struggle with depression and for their families.  And we are taught that if ever we can save a life, it is as if we save the entire world.

For some, the loss of this young man may become a time to deepen understanding and seek support around suicide.   Here are some general resources as well as an article below from a Jewish author:Continue reading

How’s Your Consciousness?: Explore Jewish Meditation at RS

Check out this video of Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg who will speak at RS this Wed. at 7 pm.
     I recently heard an NPR reporter speak about the fact that most New Year’s resolutions don’t stick.  Why not?  My guess is that our priorities get buried under other expectations we have for ourselves, or others have for us.  Then, without being entirely conscious of it, we lose sight of what, on January 1, seemed to be so important.  So many of us fail to be our best selves because we simply lose track of where the day, or week or year is taking us.  I popped that baked good into my mouth without even thinking of it.  I cut off the intersecting grocery cart in the produce section, barely even realizing it.  I made a dismissive and insensitive remark without noticing.  I don’t help out with the house and children as much as I think I do, because I’m not really paying attention.
     Jewish tradition offers us a transformative way to rediscover our consciousness: mindfulness.  Through spiritual practice such as meditation, tradition teaches us to take notice of the world, even of our breath, and pay attention.  Other traditions offer powerful mindfulness wisdom and many of you have benefitted from them.  But I would never want us to miss out on what is right under our noses, right here in our tradition.

Continue reading

Can Jewish Texts Expand Our Thinking?

“Can Jewish Texts Expand Our Thinking,” the latest article from “Rabbis Uncensored,” the Philadelphia Board of Rabbis’ blog, includes a response by Rabbi Jill Maderer.  Do you find yourself in conversation with others who already share your opinion?  In what kinds of interactions do you find your thinking expands?  Comments welcome!