September—December 2014

Humanity is now well into the 21st century. We are 5000 years since Moses, over 2500 years since the Old Testament was created, over 2000 years since Jesus walked on earth, 1500 years since the prophet, Mu-­hammad spoke. We have experienced the Refor-­mation, the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution, the French Revolution, the American Revolution, the United Nations and the nuclear age. We have been exposed to 266 popes, Shakespeare, Spinoza, Luther, Mozart, Darwin, Einstein, Gandhi and King. We have seen the horror of war...fought for land, for power, for wealth, for glory, for God, for prejudice and hatred. You would think. You WOULD think that we would have reached a time in history when things would have changed. Somehow the message of thousands of years of cyclic hatred and death would have faded away. We would have learned something from this litany of world history. As stated so succinctly by Rodney King in 1992, Please, we can get along here. We all can get along. I mean, we’re all stuck here for a while. Let’s try to work it out.

And yet, the news today is as grim as ever. Rocket attacks, shelling of hospitals, mosques and homes (that’s where the rockets are coming from), is the tale of “the holy land.” Forced conversions, mass murders, rape, beheadings (is that a word??), exile, starvation, refugee camps, slavery, kidnapping and terrorist at-­tacks are as prevalent as any time in history. Unbeliev-­ably, religion is still at least at an international level, more a force for continuing these atrocities than end-­ing them. Or Emet’s first fall program, on Friday, September 5th will be a discussion of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict from a Humanistic Judaism standpoint. Initially we received a communication that this was “too contro-­versial,” I know we will have no solution, but in the spirit of Spinoza as cited above, our goal is not to laugh, or hate, or weep... but to understand. The stakes are so high. Solutions will not come, but understand-­ing will have to be the first step to any solution. (See Alan Miller’s article “Separating Judaism and Zionism” on page 4.)

Peace on Earth Harold Londer, Madrikh

I have striven not to laugh at human actions, not to weep at them, not to hate them, but to understand them

Baruch Spinoza Tractatus Politicus, 1676

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President’s Message: Richard Logan

Exciting Developments

Or Emet’s Annual Meeting was exceptionally productive, particularly in your decisions to look squarely at some large issues: i.e., to study our dues structure, to look into a non-member school fee, and to examine our Society for Humanistic Judaism membership. Kudos and thank you for voting to take these on. The motives behind these votes are clearly humanistic ones, which is a tribute to all of you. We are working on the task forces that will come up with recommendations. Also, due to productive conversations among the Leadership Team, we are making headway in defining our organization’s priorities and in sharpening our message as a congregational home for Cultural Jews: Jews who have no institutional affiliation but value ethics and social justice and still think of themselves as Jews. That said, we still face the challenge of how we reach this large number of cultural and secular Jews. We welcome all ideas! They need to know that Or Emet is out here! I strongly suggest a concerted effort to mount programs that address issues of interest to Cultural Jews. That means topical, communal, and even “political” of some sensitivity. Our conversation about Israel and Gaza on September 5 is an example (and a gutsy one) of an important topic of broad interest;; it raises powerful questions of identity, loyalty, ethics as well as concern with growing anti-Semitism. And certainly on this latter point, history shows that anti-Semitic forces make little distinction as far as whether Jews are secular or observant, or critical of Israel or not. I want to thank Harold Londer and Jane Katz for making this important event happen. Notice too that I used the term Cultural Jews above. I have settled on that because I find it the best term to briefly describe our potential core constituency – the term Secular Jews is both too general and too commonly used, and Humanistic Jews (though exactly the right term) is not especially clear to many and not a term yet in common use. Of course, our mission is to persuade Cultural Jews that they are indeed Humanistic Jews. (Several of you favored this term when I wrote publicity for Rabbi Jerris’ visit, and I wish I had made more use of it then).

Another big change is our decision to move the Jewish Cultural School and Sunday adult programs to Talmud Torah of St. Paul. I will leave it to School Director Eva Cohen to speak to this more fully (See the article on page 3), but the facility is marvelous for both school classes and for adult meetings, and occasionally for other events as needed. Barry Glaser, CEO of Talmud Torah, could not have been more accommodating, helpful or welcoming to us. In addition to making great sense as a facility, our move to the Talmud Torah site shows in a very concrete way our desire to be seen fully as members of the wider Jewish community, and we also see our presence as helping to build a Jewish Community School Center. I want to thank Margo Fox, Eva Cohen, Arty Dorman, Seth and Liza Finestack and Liz Greenbaum for their role in this move.

The Illuminator Or Emet’s newsletter is published quarterly. To submit an item for the

Illuminator, please contact Joan Barnett at joan@oremet.org

Madrikh

Harold Londer madrikh@oremet.org

Jewish Cultural School Eva Cohen, Director

Executive Committee

President, Richard Logan

president@oremet.org

Vice President, Liza Finestack

Treasurer, Sharon Miller

Members At-Large Lisa Gardner-Springer Natalie Rosinsky

Program Committee

Jane Katz Seth Finestack

Newsletter

Joan Barnett, Editor Lin Rockler, Publisher

www.oremet.org Or Emet is affiliated with the Society for Humanistic Judaism (SHJ) and the International Institute for

Secular Humanistic

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Jewish Cultural School — Update Submitted by Eva Cohen, JCS Director and Teacher

The upcoming year will be an exciting one for the Jewish Cultural School (JCS). Beginning at our first session, Sunday, September 14, 2014, our Sunday meetings will be happening at the Marjorie Smith Hofman Educational Building, otherwise known as the Talmud Torah of St. Paul building. I'm excited about this new space and the programming possibili-­ties it opens for us. The Littles class can finally meet in a real preschool classroom, while the Middles and Juniors will be gathering in classrooms on par with the Friends School's. We will also have storage space for the Purim carnival games that long-suffering parents have stored in their homes for years! We will have access to the school's big library of Jewish children's books, and the gym (which includes a stage) will al-­ways be open for student play or performance. The library, where the adult programs will be happening, is a beautiful, welcoming space. Because we will be able to serve bagels and coffee in the library, everyone can gather and chat there and then smoothly transition into programming time. The Friends School of Minnesota was a great host to us for years;; now that the Sunday program has grown, it's awesome that Talmud Torah, under the leadership of CEO Barry Glaser, is welcom-­ing us into their space. I will echo Richard Logan in thanking Margo Fox for bringing the building to my attention and encouraging the JCS to explore renting there. Thanks also to Richard Logan, the parents and congregation members mentioned by Richard, and others who helped us make the decision to move. Cheers to a new year in the new building! Everyone is welcome to arrive at the first Sunday program at 9:45 am to take a tour. While the building will be new, the same great staff and nearly all families will be returning to the JCS this school year. Based on projected class lists, we will be kicking off the year with 25 students, and several new families are scheduled to visit in September. I am ex-­cited to see the school continue to grow and thrive. Here are some other JCS news items and updates-- How did the 2013-14 school year close in May? All three classes joined together for a humanorah-making activity! Juniors students helped the younger kids sculpt their own visions of the humanorah out of clay. It was fun to hear students share their interpretations

of this important Humanistic Jewish symbol, and to see them represent it in many creative ways.

The Jewish Cultural School plans to host the annual Or Emet Family Shabbat program at the St. Paul JCC. I will deter-­mine a 2014-15 date soon and promote it to mem-­bership and visitors.

The curriculum committee will be meeting just after this issue goes to press, to complete review of the SHJ's topical curriculum and finalize decisions about which suggest-­ed topics should be part of Or Emet JCS's curriculum. The previously adopted curriculum's Jewish history cycle is beginning again this year in “year one,” mean-­ing that students in the Juniors class—and to a lesser extent the Middles—will spend this year learning about biblical/ancient Jewish history. This three-year history cycle structure is also under committee review. The new Or Emet Bar/Bat Mitzvah program had its kick-off meeting on August 13. Five students who will become Bat/Bar Mitzvah by next summer gathered together with their parents, our Madrikh Harold Lond-­er, and me to learn more about the Bar/Bat Mitzvah service and projects and to choose monthly program activities for the group. Selections ranged from attend-­ing the Twin Cities Jewish Film Festival to preparing a meal for children at the Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery to reading A Bottle in the Gaza Sea, a YA epistolary novel about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The group is going to have a meaningful year of learn-­ing, fun, and growth together! As always, feel free to contact me at evarosec-­ohen@gmail.com or 651-285-0406 to discuss the JCS or to arrange a free school visit. For a list of 2014-2015 JCS dates, refer to the school or events page on oremet.org. I'm looking forward to a great school year!

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Separating Judaism and Zionism Submitted by Alan Miller

It has never been easy being Jewish, whether that means being blamed for a crucifixion twenty centuries ago, or being assessed responsibility for the bombing of a school housing women and children refugees twenty minutes ago. With the passage of years and more rings around my trunk than a sequoia, I have experienced losing relatives in Europe in World War II whom I never met, enduring hazing, prejudice and physical abuse as a grade-schooler in Florida and on Long Island only because I was Jewish, and felt pride to see recognition of the State of Israel by the United Nations shortly after my bar mitzvah. My psychological ties to Israel have always been strong;; I voluntarily spent the Persian Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm) running from Saddam Hussein’s Scud missiles in Israel 23 years ago. That said, I do not blindly support the decisions of the Israeli government any more than I would con-­done errant behavior by a member of my family. I have grave misgivings about the intentions of Netan-­yahu’s militant right wing government. Which is not to say that Israel should not remain strong;; it is an oasis in a desert of enemies who far outnumber it. But recognition of the right of Palestinians to have their own nation and stopping the provocation of building new settlements in the West Bank, both of which concepts are supported by the vast majority of Israelis, would go a long way toward peace and improve Israel’s standing among the nations of the world. But that’s the West Bank. Gaza is another story entirely. Hamas, verging on bankruptcy, and losing some of its strongest benefactors, has desperately needed something to bolster its standing. So rather than feed its people and build its infrastructure, it built sophisticated tunnels into Israel and near settle-­ments, and began the current crisis by kidnapping – and killing – three Israeli teenagers, knowing that Israel would respond, and standing by with thousands of rockets to fire at Israeli citizenry. That they hid these rockets in inhabited areas, in schools, hospitals and mosques (all proven facts) knowing full well that the result would be civilian casualties did not deter them;; it reinforced them. They put a very low price on the lives of their people. This is not to say that the Israelis have not made some tragic mistakes in their response, while at the same time defending against over two thousand rockets. War, as history has shown, is ugly and the victims are generally the innocent. The very Palestinians who scream about Israeli inhumanity are the ones who elected Hamas to represent them three years ago, and who cheer from the rooftops at Israeli deaths, no different than they did 23 years ago. But Hamas’ calculation was right, and world opinion has turned, at least in Europe, against Israel. There is a latent anti-Semitism, which has permeated civilized societies for centuries;; it takes lit-­tle to turn it loose, which is why Israel must walk a fine line in its conduct, rather than present the antag-­onistic behavior of the Netanyahu government. Yet it cannot go unrecognized that no other responsible Arab nation has spoken out against Israel, or condemned its response to the current crisis. They fear Hamas and its credo of death and intransigence and stand by silently, leaving Israel to bear the burden, to do the dirty work.

The only solution, the only chance to return to any semblance of sanity, is a negotiated peace involv-­ing all parties without preconditions. That, howev-­er, necessitates willingness on both sides, and de-­spite all efforts, negotiations have been refused three times by Hamas. How many more innocents must die before a semblance of sanity prevails?

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High Holidays 2014/5775 Submitted by Arty Dorman, High Holiday Committee Chair

This year’s New Year comes a bit later in the fall, so we will be mindful of the changing of seasons as we gather to celebrate our collective passage into New Year. The High Holidays are a significant moment in Jewish life to contemplate all that transpired in the past year, and how we might affect things for the better in the year ahead. Rosh Hashanah will begin with an evening service on Wednesday, September 24 at 7:00 pm, at the Sabes Minneapolis Jewish Community Center. The Rosh Hashanah Tashlich service and pot luck lunch will be held the next morning, Thursday, September 25, at 10:30 am, at a member’s home in Eagan. As always, the service will include a brief sojourn to nearby Holland Lake for the tradition-­al casting off of the past year. Yom Kippur Kol Nidre service will be held on Friday, October 3 at 7:00 pm, and the Yom Kippur day service will begin at 4:00 pm on Saturday, October 4, both at Sabes Minneapolis Jewish Com-­munity Center. Because Yom Kippur will be on the traditional Sabbath this year, we will conclude with a brief Havdalah ceremony. A Break-the-Fast meal will follow the service. Several things make the Or Emet High Holiday services special and meaningful. These include maintaining a connection to Jewish tradition and identity through words and actions adapted to our humanist values;; reconnecting with Or Emet members we may not have seen during the summer;; meeting those who are newly discovering Or Emet;; and being part of a truly participa-­tory service with members of all ages taking part in reading, sharing personal commentaries and musical performances. E-mail notices of these programs with links to sign up for specific events will be sent to Or Emet’s members and friend listserv. Child care will be available at services held at Sabes Minneapolis Jew-­ish Community Center but we urge you to sign up in advance. Child care and all services are free of charge – we do not believe that community is built upon requiring tickets - but donations are appre-­ciated. Please join us for the opportunity to collectively usher out 5774 and greet 5775.

High Holiday Flowers

L’Shanah Tovah! And what is a New Year celebration without the beauty of fresh flowers? As she did last year, Faith Oremland will arrange for flowers to adorn our High Holiday ser-­vices. If you would like to contribute toward the cost of these flowers in honor of a loved one, a special occasion or just because … it will be much appreciated. All contributions will be appropriately recognized. To contribute, please send an e-mail to highholiday@oremet.org by Monday, September 15.

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Or Emet’s High Holiday 2014 Events

Rosh Hashanah Service Wednesday, September 24, 7:00 pm at Sabes Jewish Community Center

Oneg following the service

Rosh Hashanah Tashlich Service and Potluck Thursday, September 25, 10:30 am- location to be announced

Kol Nidre Service

Friday, October 3, 7:00 pm at Sabes Jewish Community Center

Yom Kippur Service Saturday, October 4, 4:00 pm at Sabes Jewish Community Center

Brief Havdalah service and Break-the-fast potluck Follow after conclusion of the service

More details along with sign-up links will be sent to Or Emet’s listserv

Or Emet Salon Submitted by Faith Oremland

Or Emet’s Salon will begin its new season on Sunday, September 14, 2014 at the home of Faith and Steve Oremland. Members completed viewing and discussing the Sherwin Wine DVD lecture series, Introduction To Judaism: A Humanist Perspective. We had lively dialogue and learned a great deal about Humanistic Judaism and its creator, Rabbi Wine. At a recent salon, members viewed the movie, The Life of Brian, for a different per-­spective on religion! We are in the process of deciding on our next book. Stay tuned to the Or Emet Facebook page for an announcement at the end of the month. Sessions are held at members’ homes. We begin at 7:00 pm for schmoozing and the program runs from 7:30 - 9:00 pm. If you are interested in attending or have questions about the Salon, please contact Faith Oremland at faitho711@aol.com. We’re always looking for more people who love to share their opinions

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From the Ground Up: Or Emet Social Justice/Social Action Committee

Submitted by Arty Dorman One of the core values of Or Emet is to support our members in practicing Tikkun Olam, or repairing the world. The charge to our Social Justice/Social Action Committee is to do this by:

Organizing direct actions for Or Emet as a community, Sharing information about opportunities to engage with other organizations such as Jewish Community Ac-­

tion to working on social justice issues, and Making recommendations to the Or Emet Executive Committee to take positions as a congregation on specif-­

ic initiatives and issues. Direct action will include continuing to collect care items for Listening House clients at all of our Friday Shabbat and Sunday Jewish Cultural School gatherings and providing dinners four times a year at the St. Stephen’s Com-­munity Service men’s shelter – our first dinner is set for Saturday, October 11. Be on the lookout for sign-up email appeals to provide food and/or volunteer to serve. We can expect to hear of opportunities to engage with community partners throughout the year. In the coming year, Jewish Community Action will focus on immigrant rights and economic justice. Other organizations, such as J Street and Jewish Voices for Peace, work on the search for peace between Israel and Palestine, while Organ-­izing for Action works on reducing gun violence. We will share information from these and other community groups whose work dovetails with our humanist principles. Congregational policy requires that positions taken on public issues meet three key criteria: the position must have the unanimous support of Executive Committee members, must be reflective of humanistic values and must be related to the experience of the Jewish community. Also, they may not involve endorsement of political candi-­dates or parties. Our Social Justice /Social Action Committee welcomes suggestions for projects to take on, information to share with the congregation or positions to adopt on key issues. The Committee meets following our monthly Sunday programs and any Or Emet member is welcome to join us. You can also provide input by contacting me (Arty Dorman) at broadwayturtle@yahoo.com or 651-487-3793.

Humanistic Humor Submitted by Alan Miller

I was getting a towel from the linen closet and about to turn off the light, when it suddenly went dark. I exclaimed, Where is my light? Sharon, who had turned the light off from the other end of the hall answered Y our light is within you. We both cracked up. Is there such a thing as too much humanism?

In honor of the graduations of Sam Wegner and Al Loper Janet Mayer and Paul Petzschke To honor Sarah Berman Young for earning her PhD Janet Mayer and Paul Petzschke

Contribution from Diane Weinerman

Donations and Contributions

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Caring Circle Joan Barnett and Faith Oremland

Or Emet’s spirit of caring extends Bikur Cholim by bringing practical assistance to members during stressful periods. Participating in our circle of compassion is both an honor and a privilege whether giving or receiving. Do not fear asking for help – help is available if we simply reach out to one another. Can you or another Or Emet member benefit from our community’s supportive services? We invite family, friends and persons in need to contact us. Communication is confidential except when a person wishes certain information to be shared.

Or Emet’s Hanukkah Party! Saturday, December 13th from 5:00 - 7:30 pm

Save the date!

Tasty potluck food with lotsa latkes! Hanukkah family fun! Entertainment by Jewish Cultural School children! Humanistic candle lighting! At The Wellstone Center 179 Robie St East, St Paul 55107 More information will be available later.

Or Emet's Annual Meeting and Picnic On June 8, a large group of members and guests gathered for the annual meeting and picnic at Lake Nokomis. See the President's message on page 2 for meeting highlights

Nominations and Election Janet Mayer, Chair of the Nominating Committee, presented the 2014-2015 slate of candidates. Nancy Schwartz presided at the election. The following were elected by unanimous vote: President: Richard Logan Vice President: Liza Finestack Treasurer/Secretary: Sharon Miller At-Large: Lisa Gardner-Springer

At-Large: Natalie Rosinsky (will complete Liza’s term) After the meeting, fun was had by all at the rainless annual potluck picnic.

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PROGRAMS Friday, September 5, 2014, 7:30 pm at Mpls Sabes Jewish Community Center, St. Louis Park A brief Humanistic Shabbat Service precedes the program. Program: Humanistic Judaism and the Israeli/Palestinian Crisis Presenters: A panel including Dr. Harold Londer, Or Emet co-founder, Avi Meshar, an Israeli native who served in the Israel Defense Forces, and Dr. Michal Moskow, Metro State University, who will speak about joint Israeli/Palestinian culture projects. (See articles on pages 1 and 4) Discussion will follow. Sunday, September 14, 2014, 10 am – 12:30 at Talmud Torah of St. Paul, 768 Hamline Ave S, St. Paul The Jewish Cultural School meets concurrently with the adult program. Adult Program: The Story of Or Emet Presenter: Dr. Harold Londer, Or Emet’s Madrikh and co-founder and other founding members. Sunday, October 12, 2014, 10 am – 12:30 at Talmud Torah of St. Paul, St. Paul The Jewish Cultural School meets concurrently with the adult program. Adult Program: TBA Presenter: TBA Friday, October, 24, 2014, 7:30 pm at Mpls Sabes Jewish Community Center, St. Louis Park A brief Humanistic Shabbat Service precedes the program. Program: Immigration: A Humanitarian Crisis Presenter: Lesley Guyton, Immigration Attorney and board member of The Advocates for Human Rights. Discussion will follow. Sunday, November 9, 2014, 10 am – 12:30 at Talmud Torah of St. Paul, St. Paul The Jewish Cultural School meets concurrently with the adult program. Adult Program: Cohn to Coens--What's “Jewish” about American Movies?

Presenter: Don Larsson is currently teaching film history and international cinema at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Friday, November 21, 2014, 7:30 pm at Mpls Sabes Jewish Community Center, St. Louis Park A brief Humanistic Shabbat Service precedes the program. Program: Contemporary Israeli and Palestinians Films Presenters: Alan Miller, faculty, MCTC Cinema Di-­vision and Dr. Hafed Bouassida, faculty, MCTC Cin-­ema Division and President of Screen Writer’s Workshop. Program will include illustrative film clips. Sunday, December 7, 2014, 10 am – 12:30 at Talmud Torah of St. Paul, 768 Hamline Ave S, St. Paul The Jewish Cultural School meets concurrently with the adult program. Adult Program: (pre Hanukkah) Navigating Hanuk-­kah Moderator: TBD Friday, December 19, 2014 7:30 pm at Mpls Sabes Jewish Community Center, St. Louis Park A brief Humanistic Shabbat Service precedes the program. Program: Holiday Program Presenters: Dr. Harold Londer, and others. SPECIAL EVENTS Saturday, October 11, 2014, 7:00 - 8:30 pm at St Stephens Human Services Emergency Shelter In the spirit of Tikkun Olam, Or Emet volunteers provide and serve dinner for shelter guests. (See ar-­ticle on page 7.)

Saturday, December 13, 2014, 5:00 pm—7:00 pm at The Wellstone Center, St. Paul Or Emet Hannukah Party. Join us for traditional fun, food and games. (See article on page 8)

Or Emet Programs and Events September 2014—December 2014

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Or Emet 1711 Rhode Island Ave. N. Golden Valley, MN 55427

New Site Jewish Cultural School and Sunday Adult Programs

768 Hamline Ave S., St. Paul

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