REFLECTIONS ON 2020 - HOPES FOR 2021 - December 21, 2020

I asked these questions of Facebook friends a couple of days ago. 

This is my distillation of their meaningful crowdsourced responses that can apply to all of us.  

In 2020, we are grateful for: 

*Making celebrations and milestones special within our family and homes 

*Completing new projects and presenting them to the world 

*Medical procedures that offered healing and a new lease on life 

*Finding renewed partnership at home 

*Seeing family members know security and grow in significant ways

*Effective support for personal care

*Landmark events celebrated and developing new creativity using modern technology

*Participating in enriching personal and group study. 

*Relearning how to teach students in effective ways and finding strength in that progress

*Connecting across state lines and shorter commute times

*Entering a new fulfilling position that opens so many new doors and opportunities 

*Making new friends in the midst of this challenging time 

*Discovering new sources of internal resilience

*New turns in careers, necessitated by the pandemic, that resulted in positive changes 

In 2021, we are hoping for:

*More small gatherings as the vaccine becomes more readily available.

*Progress on many levels that are the result of new national leadership

*Seeing children and grandchildren in person 

*Hugging the grandchildren 

*A stable and improving economy

*Substantial improvement in personal health and going out into the community again

*Health and spending time with family and friends in person 

*More connection and more travel 

*Never taking anything for granted again

*Being with community in synagogue/houses of worship and going out to dinner with friends and family

*Working and worshipping in person and seeing family again

*An ability to sustain hope 

*Ever-increasing resilience 

On my completion of six months of retirement,  I am grateful for: 

*Peaceful time at home with Rhonda! 

*A chance to review (and downsize) accumulated files and mementos (we are not done!) 

*FaceTime conversations with family and friends (including singing to the grandchildren!)

*Maintaining connections via email and social media with family members, friends and colleagues. 

*Temple Beth-El study groups which I lead and in which we engage in poignant discussions 

*An Interfaith Study Group that meets every Friday, featuring conversation on timely subjects based on the books we read. 

*The West Coast Sing-Along group, that presents Havdalah and songs based on a chosen theme on Zoom on the fourth Saturday of each month (join us)!

*NewCAJE in July and early August, and co-organizing the weekly Kumsitz for the conference! 

*Study sessions under the auspices the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis, the National Association of Retired Reform Rabbis, Central Conference of American Rabbis, American Jewish University, Hava Nashira, Shabbat Shira, The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center (NYC), Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and other groups.  

*Working with my Bat Mitzvah students. 

*Sharing music and continued songwriting. 

*The opportunity to write a monthly column for the Las Cruces Bulletin, which enables me to reflect on our current challenges and hopes.   

*Photographing sunsets on my own schedule! 

Hopes for 2021 include a continuation of all of the above, receiving doses of the vaccine, being able to enjoy in-person time with family members, rejoining community in a common space, and being able to make our move to the midwest once the pandemic subsides.  

Sending prayers for all families who are mourning loved ones who died of COVID-19, and for marshaling our combined strength to move forward in 2021 with strength, positivity and optimism!

December 31, 2020 Sunset in Las Cruces 

“As the Stars Align, So Also Can Humanity” - Column - Las Cruces Bulletin - January 1, 2021.

 The great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn was a wondrous event.   This celestial phenomenon was visible to anyone who was willing to gaze, even if just for a moment, towards the western sky.

     On December 21, when the two planets appeared to be “touching” in the sky, I recited a blessing from my tradition, praising “the One who makes the works of creation.”

    As I posted my Jupiter-Saturn photos on Facebook over the course of several days, some of my friends living in cities with cloudy skies were very grateful to see images of this amazing sight.

    This marvel offered a brief diversion from the earthly concerns that have arisen in 2020 and will continue into the new year.  We still face uncertainties about the coronavirus, as we hope that COVID-19 vaccines will bring us greater protection and widespread healing.  

   Our commemoration of incredible events in the sky should remind us to join together mark the lives of the victims of COVID-19 in a meaningful way.  We should thank front-line workers of all types and show appreciation to medical personnel, who have risked, at least, their health, if not their lives, to fulfill their tasks at a challenging time.

   The worldwide cooperation among scientists/medical experts that created the coronavirus vaccines in record time demonstrates what we human beings can accomplish when we share a common mission and purpose.  

   We do, most certainly, have it in us to overcome even profound ideological differences enough to engage in coordinated action to sustain our mutual well-being.

   There is a parable that has found its way into a number of cultures that offers a poignant perspective on consideration and cooperation.  

     One version was told by Rabbi Haim of Romshishok.  

     He dreamed that he was taken to a room with a large banquet table with the best foods imaginable.  The people sitting at the table each held a two-foot long spoon, but no one was eating.  Their arms were attached to wooden splints so that they could not bend their elbows, and, even then, the spoons were too long for them to be able to place food in their own mouths.  

     He was then taken to another room with a large banquet table, filled with similar delicacies. Each person held a two-foot long spoon. Their arms were attached to wooden splints so that they could not bend their elbows. Yet, in this room. the people were eating their fill. They had figured out that they could enjoy all that food if they fed the person across the table.  

     Rabbi Haim saw their solution. He ran back to the other room and told one of the still-hungry people sitting at the large table what they should do. The person replied, “It would better for me to see and crave the food on the table than to see these other people sitting with me, whom I despise, end their hunger because I helped them.”  

    Upon hearing that response, Rabbi Haim screamed.  Then, he woke up from his dream.  

   This chilling tale teaches us that the best way to live with others is to empathize with them, and to help, without bias or limitations, whenever our assistance is needed.

    After all, we are, in truth, from one year to another, sitting at the same table.

A Reflection - December 26, 2020

We see

Desolation

Not only from sudden terrorist acts 

In our midst

But from the demolition 

Of governmental processes 

However flawed

Based on the whim of one

Who refuses to participate and lead.

We have witnessed

Lies become incontrovertible truth

In the minds of some 

Who accuse those 

Who hold onto an old-fashioned

And tried and true approach to facts

As simply being brainwashed...

Some who decry those who would take precautions

Due to a raging pandemic

As perpetrating a negative campaign

Against their chosen leader

Rather than expressing 

Compassion and empathy

In an ongoing way 

to the family members

Of those who have tragically died

And those individuals facing long-term effects

Of unexpected infection. 

One prophet said:

Speak the truth, one to another 

Make your judgments in your communities

based on peace and honesty

For those whom you know

And those whom you do not know. 

Where is our truth?  Where is our justice? 

Where is our peace? 

Where is our support and concern

For those affected by loss of work and income

Loss of in-person family connection 

Loss of the possibility of providing

Food, clothing and shelter

For their families

As we live in a country that has not discovered

How to allow for governmental processes 

To offer assistance with a sense

Equal consideration for every person

No matter what his or her station in life might be? 

It is time to build up 

Not to break down. 

It is time to stand up 

For one another.

The prophet said that God can be with us

But only if we pursue

Truth 

Love

Justice

And peace.   

May we journey together 

To enliven those principles once again

And find godliness among us.

A Late December 2020 Prayer

We pray for peace

Compassion 

Connection 

Healing 

Help 

Resilience

Remembrance 

Support

Trust

And 

Hope 

To light up the darkness.

Holding on to common sense - December 23, 2020

More lies from the incumbent about the election.  Conspiracy theorists that he has encouraged and energized are all around him. Hatred is spewed forth against his long-time allies.   Common sense is out the door.  A call for more relief for people may be appropriate, but one can only look at his motives with suspicion.   This is December, 2020.  How did we get here?  

   Some of us did question his election, but not the voting machines or the voting results. We questioned the pervasive presence of obvious trolls keeping people away from the polls in 2016, with some sources likely foreign.   We questioned the character of this individual, who, now, as the lame duck incumbent, is doing exactly what we expected.  That is why faithless electors in 2016 would have been welcome.  We knew, however, that hope was vain.   

    Now, REPUBLICAN election officials swearing up and down and sideways that there was NO FRAUD is not even good for...Republicans.  The incumbent with an adolescent mindset is leading his followers in mass wishful thinking rather than facing reality.  

   You all can say that those who didn’t support the incumbent were fraudulent because they didn’t vote for the incumbent.   That is what some of you seem to be saying.  If that’s the only reason, then it’s no reason.   It’s a claim of fraud that is a wisp in the wind.  

    And for people to say that the election results must be overturned because, otherwise, there will be widespread violence...well, that’s blackmail.   At the very least.  

    My controlled rant is now over.  

   I will stop typing now, and put forth my silent scream.

Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction and our current national moment - December 19, 2020

To anyone who feels that they are more powerful than anyone else: 

Here are Jupiter and Saturn.   They are much bigger and older than you are.   They embody some of the secrets of creation and how we came to be here.   Their presence reminds us of our smallness, but also of our greatness, in that we, as humans beings, can look up at them, know what they are (that they are planets and not stars, and which planets they are), gaze at them for a few moments, take photographs of them, look through telescopes at them, and say “Wow.”  

   For those who are thinking only about power, when seeing this sight, the word “wow” may not come across their lips. 

   As for me, as I see other people posting photos of this scene, I am grateful for my partners in the mode of “wow.”

Letter to Editor - Topeka Capital-Journal - December 21, 2020 - In response to a column by Pastor Adrienne Greene

Members (former and current) of Temple Beth Sholom in Topeka alerted one another, and me, of a column by Adrienne Greene about the difference between Christmas and Chanukah.   I posted the link below.  It’s pretty horrible. HER COLUMN is below my response. 

    Rabbi Moti Rieber, current rabbi of Temple Beth Sholom, created an op-ed that specifically and thoroughly covered the issues raised (and inaccuracies contained) in her column.   

 I wrote this letter to the editor on December 12, and it appeared in the paper, I believe, today.    I decided not to address everything in the article as a former rabbi of the community.   I focused on her supposed intentions and the resulting tone.   Comments to the Capital Journal from community members have led the paper to stop carrying Greene’s column.  

*******************

HERE IS MY LETTER

Pastor's Greene got much wrong about Hanukkah

By Rabbi Larry Karol

Pastor Adrienne Greene states on her website that, “I am a CEO in a global organization that assists people in finding their spiritual alignment. ... I am a Christian, not a religious person. ... I put no limits on the Holy Spirit: His miracles. His signs. His wonders.”

It is obvious that Pastor Greene’s idea of spiritual alignment is following her specific approach to Christianity.

The “Holy Spirit” concept originates in Judaism, denoting an enduring divine presence.. The Hebrew word for spirit, “ruach,” is a feminine noun.

One might expect that someone promoting spirituality and unlimited holiness would positively approach the beliefs and practices of many faiths.

Pastor Greene’s Dec. 12 column in the Topeka Capital-Journal on the differences between Christmas and Hanukkah offered a condescending and negative view of Jews and Judaism.

She revealed such an attitude with the phrase, “sadly, our Jewish brothers and sisters ...,” when speaking about the observances of a joyous Jewish holiday.

Her claim about the branches on “commercial menorahs” numbering nine instead of seven is inaccurate. It misses the point that a helper candle in the middle branch of a Hanukkiah, a Hanukkah menorah, is used to light other candles, which increase on each successive night from one to eight, marking the eight days of the holiday.

Members and rabbis of Topeka’s Temple Beth Sholom have tirelessly worked to promote interfaith understanding over the years.

Nothing, especially words from a columnist from outside the community, should ever undo those efforts towards education and partnership.

Rabbi Larry Karol, Las Cruces, N.M. (formerly of Topeka)

*****************************

HERE WAS THE ARTICLE TO WHICH I RESPONDED. 

Ask Pastor Adrienne: Christmas or Hanukkah: What's the difference?

Adrienne GreeneMore Content Now

Pastor Adrienne Greene

Dear Pastor,

My Jewish friends celebrate Hanukkah while we're celebrating Christmas each year. What's the difference?

A: The difference is vast: Hanukkah is a lesser Jewish holiday regarding Jerusalem's Jewish Temple rededication, and Christmas is the high-holiday of the Christian Church which marks the birth of the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. Hanukkah festivities spread over eight consecutive days; Christmas is one glorious day.

Sadly, our Jewish brothers and sisters, whose religious root system we share, are not believers in Christ as the Son of God. They honor his Jewish heritage and acknowledge his prophetic gifting ... considering him a remarkable Rabbi and teacher ... but stop short of calling him "savior." Thankfully not all Jews today maintain the ancient separation. Many have received Christ's free gift of salvation as Christians do. These special people are labeled "Messianic Jews."

The moment in history when Jews diverted their religious beliefs from those of the Christ-followers was well documented by the disciple Matthew. Here is the discussion that ensued among the Jewish leaders when it was reported to them that the tomb of Christ was found empty: "And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, and said, 'You are to say, 'His disciples came at night and stole Him while we were asleep.' And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and keep you out of trouble.' And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews and is to this day" (Matthew 28:12-15, NASB).

    Lies were instantly circulated by the Rabbis and their hired rumor-mills that Jesus did not rise from the dead as he prophesied, but instead, his corpse was stolen and never recovered. Great pains were then taken by the Jewish rulers, I'm sure, to prevent their temple congregants from spotting Christ as he traveled among the living for forty days after his resurrection (Acts 1:3).

    Christmas is about the light of the world (Jesus). Hanukkah is about light. Specifically, it is about the Jewish lampstand whose blueprint, design and operation were dictated by God to Moses, beginning in Exodus chapter 25. We call this special lamp the "menorah," made up of three unified branches on each side of a taller, central candle. Today, the commercial menorahs sold in stores include nine candlesticks due to strict religious laws that prohibit the seven-armed lampstand from being seen or burned outside the confines of a synagogue.

   In addition to Hanukkah marking the rededication of the Jerusalem temple around the second century B.C., the holiday also commemorates a miracle that took place, according to the Talmud: Rome had unlawfully turned Jerusalem's holy place into a pagan temple, so the Maccabees (Jewish warriors) fought and won back their sacred building. But during the siege, there was lamp oil enough to sustain the menorah for only one day - but it lasted for eight. Hanukkah feasts and gift-giving now commence and sustain for eight candle-lit days in homage to the miracle.

    I love the fact that Hanukkah and Christmas coincide each year; that Jews and Gentiles worship in parallel. We do, after all, share the most important part of both festivities: The Jewish heritage of Jesus Christ.

A December 2020/Kislev 5781 Prayer of Resolve

Eternal One, 

Wellspring of wisdom, 

Spirit that enables us to shape our words into speech

Inscriber on tablets as we emboss our deeds

In the book of our lives, 

Lead us to express ourselves in heartfelt tones

As we face these challenging days. 

Turn our conversations to sharing the meaning of our lives 

Convert our sadness and empathy into declarations of comfort

And touching remembrance. 

Support us in our striving to bridge the gaps that separate us

Bring us close, though we may be far away

Bind us together, though our we may feel distant from each other

Though we may speak different languages 

May we discover ways to arrive at a common destination 

Our souls united in caring and hope 

Our hands reaching out in love

Our hearts expanding to engulf one another 

As a single human family

Dedicated to the salvation of our brothers and sisters

Through consideration, honesty and respect

So that healing will pervade our world 

And we will emerge

From this time 

Knowing that we need one another

To make possible our very survival

More 

Than ever before.

Facebook thoughts on the post-election saga - November/December 2020

November 17, 2020

In case people who see themselves as Bible believers support this firing, I have a few verses for them to read from their scripture (it’s mine, too - bet they can’t chant it in Hebrew - from Parashat Mishpatim).   

  They probably think this applies to people who agree with me.  Well, just trying to beat them to the punch in quoting chapter and verse(s). 

    I applaud this responsible person, yet another one who has been fired, who tried to stem the tide of rumors coming from the administration. 

Exodus Chapter 23 

1 You must not carry false rumors; you shall not join hands with the guilty to act as a malicious witness: 2 You shall neither side with the mighty to do wrong—you shall not give perverse testimony in a dispute so as to pervert it in favor of the mighty....

7 Keep far from a false charge; do not bring death on those who are innocent and in the right, for I will not acquit the wrongdoer. 8 Do not take bribes, for bribes blind the clear-sighted and upset the pleas of those who are in the right. 9 You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt.

https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-politics-elections-2481250f4e823dfb2a63d80569495c5c?fbclid=IwAR2qb4Ej2H8FhfpaYmoNKDTQDU6wglmoDDkmcFi1_i7I0KLqfqwXCa48_l8

November 18, 2020

438 new cases of COVID-19 in Dona Ana County, NM.  Wow.  We are wearing our masks, staying home, and, if we do go out for essentials, it will be a very quick trip! 

   It ENRAGES me to hear about health officials and health care workers who are receiving death threats for doing their jobs and trying to keep people safe, patients in ICUs who are dying of COVID-19 who don’t believe it because “it is a hoax” (so sorry to hear of their illness and deaths), and the adminsitration’s press secretary saying that some measures intended to keep case numbers down are Orwellian.   

   If you believe in God, what would you do if God told you to follow these measures?

   Well, God already did that.   

   “Choose Life.”  

   Let’s do our best.  

   Condolences to the families of the 250,000-plus Americans who have died during this pandemic. 

    Wishing strength and wisdom for our health care workers. 

    Hoping for insight on the part of legislators to be able to provide people with the proper financial support and assistance to get through this challenge.

November 19, 2020

All of you lawyers, along with most of one party, trying to undermine one of the most secure elections ever (which is so because everyone was watching and being extra careful): go ahead, do your thing, and if you/your party win based on your alternate reality constructed for the benefit of your leader, REAL REALITY is going to come back and hit you right in the face - and, maybe, a few other places, too.   I am concerned for what will happen to the citizens of our country, but, you don’t seem to care about that.  Just know we haven’t believed you much before —not for lack of trying — but we most certainly will never believe you again.  You may think you don’t need the affirmation of someone like me and people who believe like me.  You are mistaken.  We will make sure that your history of falling in line in this campaign of sabotage will be recorded for decades to come, and beyond.

November 24, 2020

As some people are trying to build up, attempting to find a variety of partners in their efforts, others, following a force that has overtaken their perspective, seem to want want to try to burn down at least part of the house, hoping to shake faith in our participation in choosing our leaders, so that we will never take part again, or, at least, we will think twice before we do.  

    I, for one, won’t let them do it. 

    I have faced lies on picket signs on a daily basis, some with my name (or the name of my congregation) on them. 

    The lies are no longer on picket signs.   Do I liken the messages on the picket signs I saw in my past to the current posts bearing untruths that are driving people to continue believe in and spread conspiracies and baseless accusations?  

    Yes.   I do. 

    As I have said recently, I come from a people who has had to endure prejudice, discrimination and murder as a result of baseless accusations and unfounded claims that have persisted not only for years, but for centuries. 

    My people’s history is instructive for our current situation.  

   Let’s find a way back to truths and facts that more and more people will accept together.

   PS - See Thomas Friedman’s column now linked to my post.   

   I add my gratitude to people with integrity.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/opinion/trump-election-democracy.html?referringSource=articleShare&fbclid=IwAR0H_b6WYVyst46gPy0IrO2mYy2V9SooDz-zqNh5OJ8J8qv_zFJ19kWFuKU

November 26, 2020

I would like to ignore the tidal wave of disrespect I just heard coming from an incumbent lame duck leader....

The disrespect was aimed at...

Voters and their competence. 

Poll workers and vote counters. 

Secretaries of State. 

Early, in-person voting. 

Mail-in voting (yes, still). 

The incumbent’s opponent, who “couldn’t have received that many votes.” 

Mathematics.

Voting methods that Secretaries of State, state election officials, and intelligence officials have said worked like a charm, because of good preparation.  

The truth. 

Honest dealings between people. 

Moral and biblical standards that decry bearing false witness, spreading rumors, 

Rules about evidence, whether in personal statements or in a court of law. 

Sadly, I was unable to ignore it, as I heard it in its entirety.  

Just another day in November 2020 America.  

Yet, on this Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful for 

Poll workers and vote counters. 

Voters who voted. 

Government officials who have worked hard to count votes with timeliness and accuracy, despite harassment of all kinds. 

Honesty among all of the above and among public office holders. 

Truth-tellers.  

People who see that the greater national good goes well beyond one person. 

May we remain steadfast in what America means to us.

November 28, 2020

Watching a program on television that is recounting the Birther movement with regards to President Obama, where businessman Donald Trump perpetrated a conspiracy theory that was only that, and NOT TRUE, it is obvious to me that, with the tweet today from the incumbent that “BIDEN NEEDS TO PROVE HE GOT 80 MILLION VOTES” — because, says the incumbent, WITHOUT PROOF, that the election was rife with fraud — that businessman IS PERPETRATING YET ANOTHER CONSPIRACY THEORY similar to the birth certificate claim, where he says, over and over, something that is NOT TRUE without proving it and claims that the burden of proof rests on the his target. 

   Well that run-on sentence/paragraph, in the style of author Frank McCourt, was certainly a challenge.   Wish I didn’t have to write it.  

   I am thankful for people who dismiss conspiracy theories, and those who once accepted them and realize, before it is too late, that someone totally ideologically hoodwinked them.

December 2, 2020

We need leaders who treat poll workers and public officials as dedicated public servants to the country, not as lackeys in a diabolical plan to bypass election result so that the resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue can remain out of reach from the REAL law and order people.  

Democrats are standing up to support these election officials, WHO DID THEIR JOB. 

Many Republicans are not standing up, implying that people who did their job that led to a result that the Republican Party did not desire must have been part of some conspiracy.    No, that’s not the problem.  It’s you who have no backbone, no moral center, to really stand up for democracy, because you fear that the people who don’t honor honest election officials will, ultimately, not honor or respect you. 

  I pray that this was not our last free Democratic election.  

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/georgia-elections-official-gabriel-sterling-rebukes-trump-after-threats-to-workers/#app

Let’s Be Good to One Another This Season - Column - Las Cruces Bulletin - December 4, 2020

          At this writing (November 25), we are engaged in different types of counting. 

       For example: it is one day until Thanksgiving, 15 days until the first night of Hanukkah (for those who celebrate), 29 days until Christmas Eve (for those who celebrate), and 36 days until the eve of 2020’s conclusion.  

       Vote counts in the 2020 Presidential election are still being certified. 

      Sadly, we note the increasing number of people who have been infected with COVID-19.  We remember people the world over who have died during this pandemic, offering our condolences and support to their family members. 

       In recent months, many holiday celebrations, meetings with family and friends, and gatherings for remembrance have been virtual. They have also been very meaningful. 

      We appreciate the commitment of health care workers, and the worldwide cooperation among medical experts that has led to the creation of not just one vaccine, but several vaccines, that will, hopefully, diminish the deleterious effects of COVID-19 on our lives.  

      As the days grow shorter leading up to winter, our light can still shine more brightly. That is likely why, long ago, light became a central aspect of various holiday observances at this time of year, along with their associated stories that lift up values such as hope, unity and dedication. 

      Hanukkah means dedication, recalling the reconsecration of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem as a sacred site of Jewish worship in 165 B.C., three years to the day after the Syrian Greek rulers of Judea had temporarily appropriated that holy place for their own purposes.    

    The Maccabees, the Jewish forces marshaled to regain the Temple, focused on the restoration of their religious freedom and on gaining independence from their tyrannical rulers.  

    Hanukkah was, at first, a celebration of that independence.  Eventually, once Jews were ruled by the Romans, the festival’s most prominent ritual was the kindling of special lights for eight nights to commemorate a victory grounded in faith.    

     Jews recite a section of the biblical book of Zechariah on the Sabbath during Hanukkah.  Sages of Jewish tradition highlighted the message of one declaration in that passage:  “Not by might, not by power, but by My spirit, says the Eternal One of all creation.”  

    That verse teaches the universal lesson that there are intangible and priceless aspects of our lives that must supersede any selfish designs people might have on gaining positions of power and control. 

     We have learned in 2020 that generous acts of kindness matter.  The support we offer one another in times of need and in the face of loss matter.  Our work towards fostering justice, equality, respect, and human decency matters.    All of these efforts belong in the realm of spirit, where power is merely a means to make them happen. 

       A teaching attributed to the Sufi mystic Rumi has been “making the rounds” lately on social media.   Sometimes those platforms, often filled with vociferous discourse, can provide us with gentle pearls of wisdom that can truly guide our lives.   Here is the quote:

      “I asked a wise man, ‘Tell me sir, in which field could I make a great career?’ He said, with a smile, ‘Be a good human being. There is a huge opportunity in this area.  And very little competition.’”

       More than ever, we need to be good human beings for ourselves, and for each other, so that we can engender optimism, safety and a cooperative spirit.   That is how we can sustain our community and our world. 

      

Lift Us - November 16, 2020

LIFT US - NOVEMBER 16, 2020

Eternal God,

Creator, Sustainer, Protector, Guide

Lift our eyes to the heights of the mountaintops

So that we can gain a broader perspective 

On the current moment. 

Lift our minds above the rhetoric 

That depicts some of us as Satan

In the opinion of accusers who designate themselves as righteous. 

Lift our spirits so that our souls can rise

Towards hope,

So that our aspirations can bend toward justice, 

So that our actions can enter into the realm of kindness,

So that our hearts will reach out in compassion

To people who are mired in fear

And to those affected by a pandemic 

That spreads without knowing rage,

That creates obstacles to our lives 

With no sense of remorse.

Lift our hands to our fellow human beings

So that we will be overcome by a desire to give and to share

So that we will fashion an imaginary circle of humanity

That may, at times, seem unachievable 

But is still imaginable among those who would begin to show

Even a small measure of Your divine, loving care. 

Remind us that we are all connected within You

And that those bonds that bring us together 

Are always accessible, there for the taking 

If only we would lift

Our eyes, 

Our minds,

Our spirits, 

And our hands.  

Be with us as we find our way back

To where we need to be:

United

Optimistic

Faithful and honest with ourselves, 

With others, 

And with You.

A message to “stop the steal”

Dear “Stop the Steal” movement....

Stop the Steal that YOU are now trying to perpetrate based on lies and rumors.  Your efforts are not patriotic.   

Patriotism is casting a vote. 

Patriotism is supporting your fellow citizens who have cast their votes. 

Patriotism is counting votes and allowing vote counts by diligent citizen volunteers to proceed. 

Patriotism is accepting election results. 

Patriotism is making your voice heard (some of us might actually understand how you feel, but from a very different place.  Your opponents are human beings, just like you, who want to subsist and, hopefully, thrive).  

Just do all that. 

Don’t listen to baseless claims about the election and try to act on them. 

That’s against the Bible (read Leviticus Chapter 19 please).   

Don’t listen even if your leader, or leaders, 

tell you to try to overturn the election result.  

We don’t need your chaos anymore.  

If you want to peacefully protest, that’s patriotic. 

Remember what it means to be an American.  

So, stop YOUR steal that you are trying to perpetrate for an election that has been, is being, decided with the counting of votes cast by the end of Election Day.

Say NO to the Big Lie - November 5, 2020 (Facebook Post)

     When I was involved in a city-wide program in Topeka, Kansas in January of 1994 called “Love Thy Neighbor,” which was intended to counter the appearance of the KKK at the Capitol that day, I walked into White Concert Hall of Washburn University through the gauntlet of the Westboro Baptist Church picketers.   I heard them shouting at people walking by, “Don’t go in there!  There are f*gs in there!  And Jews, too!”  

    The WBC perpetrated a steady stream of ridicule, intimidation, lawsuits, taking liens out on the homes of people they opposed.   They spread a big lie, over and over, about the “homosexual agenda” taking over every minute corner of our national life.  

     Now, I listen to our national leader making baseless claims about voter fraud, which he has been doing for months, dividing between legal and illegal ballots. 

     People voted.  LEGALLY.  They sent in ballots.  LEGALLY.  They voted early, LEGALLY. 

     When he says, “Stop the fraud,” I think what he is doing is giving a battle cry to people who see right through him and his subterfuge and deceit and spreading of a new “Big Lie” about the elections.  He might as well say that people like me did it.   It would fit right into the mood that he is generating for his followers.    In the 1930s, Father Charles Coughlin, in his radio addresses, talked about “Good Jews” and “Bad Jews,” with the “bad Jews” being the ones not following his line if prejudice and isolationism.   This is like a new McCarthyism related to voting, which goes along with accusations, during recent rallies, of people being “communists” when they are most certainly not.   Father Coughlin, McCarthy and our current leader were using fear all too effectively.  We can’t buy into to anything like that anymore.

     And for the followers of this leader, I am not going to call you names.  I am only going to say that I am disappointed in you, including those of you who might be in the web of my relationships.    Maybe some of you don’t buy these falsehoods.  Some of you, I know, do go along with exactly what I just heard on television from this man. 

    If you do accept what he said, you have insulted me and my vote, and insulted an entire country.  

   

Our Shared Humanity - Column for Las Cruces Bulletin - November 6, 2020

         The members of my family - locally and in a major city on the eastern seaboard - voted in person.   It is our duty as American citizens. 

      It is, moreover, our responsibility as community members who care about the welfare of other community members, where community can mean our neighborhood, organizations (including religious congregations) to which we belong, our state, our nation and the entire human family. 

     I have served as a rabbi in six states.  I have voted in all of them.   I am still a student of the political scenes in every one of those states.  I have had the opportunity to meet and, in some cases, to get to know congressional representatives, senators, governors and presidential candidates from both major political parties.  Whether we agreed or not, those ties created connections that I valued.   

     I served on the Kansas State Holocaust Commission for 19 years (most of those years as Commission chair).   Leaders of both major political parties shared a concern about educating people of all ages about the tragic events of the Holocaust, so that such cruelty would not happen again.  Some values should, in fact, transcend our differences.    

      One of the most impactful books I have read in recent years was written by Ariel Burger, who served as a teaching assistant at Boston University to Elie Wiesel, a renowned author, humanitarian, Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor.  In his book, Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom, Burger offered readers an opportunity to enter into the presence of Wiesel as a moral guide and spiritual mentor.   

   In one of my favorite passages in the book, Wiesel explained to his students how we can approach each other with respect and empathy: “To be human is to share a common origin. And if we share a common origin, our destinies are entwined. What happens to me will eventually happen to you; what happened to my people is a foreshadowing of what will threaten the world....Therefore the most important biblical commandment is ‘Thou shall not stand idly by the shedding of the blood of thy fellow human being.’  ‘Fellow human being’ is universal. Anyone who is suffering, anyone who is threatened becomes your responsibility. If you can feel this and act with even a little bit more humanity, more sensitivity, as a result, that is the beginning. It is not the end—I do not know how to end hatred, I truly wish I did—but recognizing our shared humanity is a good beginning.”

      Hatred, dehumanization, demonization, blaming, bullying, and abuse of power have not disappeared from the human family. The beliefs that one’s view is necessarily better than any other perspective, and that there is no room for other opinions, are still with us.   

      In contrast, the Talmud, the Jewish compendium of stories and legal discussions of rabbis who lived 1500-2000 years ago, preserved both majority and minority views expressed in their discussions and deliberations.  The United States Supreme Court does the same with majority and minority opinions, so as not to lose the insights or wisdom coming from either side 

     I heard Ariel Burger speak about his book at a conference last December.   One of his statements, based on Wiesel’s teachings, stuck with me: “Tragedy does not define us.  Our response to tragedy defines us.”

     We can properly respond to tragedy and other challenges when we come together based on empathy and a shared sense of responsibility.   

     That is a lesson for our time. 

What God asks of us - on the eve of the 2020 election

Did God ask you to follow the desires only of the rich and powerful? 

Did God ask you to ignore the needs of the middle class and those who are destitute? 

Did God ask you to create a tax cut that only lasted for several years for those who are not rich, creating immediate gains but hiding the coming increase in taxes for most Americans? 

Did God ask you to focus only on your views, establishing laws that codify your religious beliefs, refusing to see that your freedom is intact only when the freedom of others is also guaranteed? 

Did God ask you to allow those who are supposed to preserve justice to protect from scrutiny any leaders who believe that law and order is for everyone but themselves? 

Did God ask you to endlessly attempt to disenfranchise thousands - even millions - of honest voters as a way to try to win, rather than doing so with persuasion based on policies? 

Did God ask you to look at the history of election ridicule, which has, sadly, been an American tradition, and to take it to a dangerous extreme? 

Did God ask you to support people who would put a state leader in their sights for kidnapping and possible execution?

Did God ask you to misrepresent moderate viewpoints, recasting them as extreme, when they are not, in any way, extreme? 

Did God ask you to see lovers of our nation, who would seek a good life here, as invaders who deserve no human consideration? 

Did God ask you to ignore the counsel of scientific experts and measure the value of life based on a fictional number of those who did not die, rather than offering empathy and comfort to those who family members did die from a pandemic that could have been more carefully controlled? 

Did God ask you to submit to the will of a speaker whom you find entertaining, but whose statements often stray far from facts and the truth?

I think not.   I am not sure who “you” is, specifically, but I know you are out there. 

I believe that God asks something different from us. 

To listen. 

To offer support to those with whom we agree or disagree. 

To state our views and engage in respectful discourse. 

To recognize the divine image in every person in our communities and all across the world. 

To offer concern and support for people facing all sorts of challenges and needs. 

To meet despair with hope. 

To respond to fear with courage. 

To build everyone up, not just a select few. 

To provide healing for those struggling to survive. 

My wording is always cautious, so that I can write again. 

The feelings inside are strong

As I look to a time when there will be room for people with different perspectives to find a way to work with each other. 

Based on the words of Psalm 85: 

May faithfulness and truth meet

May justice and well-being kiss. 

May truth spring up from the earth; 

May justice look down from heaven.

A prayer for momentous decisions in our national live - November 1, 2020

Eternal God, 

Compassionate Judge,

Concerned Creator,

Spirit of Oneness 

Infused into our very existence,

As we exercise our responsibility 

As citizens

To decide who will lead us

In the coming years,

Help us to emulate your essential attributes:

Mercy

Grace

Patience

Outrage that leads to productive action

A pursuit and sharing of the truth

Kindness

Forgiveness 

and the awareness that what we do in any moment 

Can have long lasting consequences. 

May the gifts of insight and wisdom 

Which you have made available to us

Enable us to combat, in all forms

Cruelty

Violence

Prejudice

Hatred

Discrimination 

The misuse of systems of justice

The spreading of misinformation

Intimidation of opponents due to seeing them as less than human. 

We know that You have provided us with the tools and the capacity 

To love ourselves, our family, our friends, our neighbors, 

and people whom we do not yet know. 

When we see love, consideration, and decency disappearing 

From our communities, our nation and our world, 

May we find a way to take a stand 

And to join with others

To preserve love - and peace - within our souls

Within our relationships 

And within the unseen but powerful ties 

That bind together all human beings with all of Your creation. 

COVID-19 - Ending or Maintaining Caring and Compassion - It depends - October 22, 2020

172 new cases of COVID-19 in Dona Ana County.   

Meanwhile, the President holds rallies in other parts of the country with masks worn by attendees that show up for the camera but not worn by most  of the other attendees, and with no social distancing.  The Conronavirus can spread even outside, folks, if you are close enough to each other.  This behavior encourages people not to behave in a way that can limit the spread. 

  And meanwhile, a fundraiser held in a private local space for a congressional candidate who supports the current administration was supported by the business leaders who do give generous charitable donations but who also flatly opposed an increase in the minimum wage for the longest time in 2014.  I know.  I was there and I heard them. 

   And meanwhile, a member of the Pandemic response team still goes on the news and spouts unprofessional advice because his expertise is not in dealing with pandemics.   

   And meanwhile, President Obama spoke at a socially distanced drive-in rally in Philadelphia. 

   And...meanwhile, go vote in any way you want to vote that, you think,  will give the best chance for your vote to be counted.

On Separations...and Cruelty - October 21, 2020

So, what if, 100 years ago, the immigration authorities at Ellis Island routinely separated parents from children (they didn’t) as they entered, and assumed that anyone who was trying to enter the US was from the worst part of humanity and needed to be kept out?   And parents were put in distant jails or camps while children were detained in facilities in the area.   And then, a year or two later, someone charged with reuniting families discovers that they had records of the children but no records of the parents who were sent away.   Even with the beginning of restrictions being placed on immigration 100 years ago by lawmakers with anti-immigrant and isolationist attitudes back then (much like some leaders today),  it seems that they did a good job of keeping records.    The fact that 545 children cannot be reunited with their parents reveals a breakdown in such record keeping.  It may also reflect a disdain for asylum seekers as unworthy of human consideration.    This is certainly where some people are now in our country.   One of my FB friends had recently posted something about how one party wants “open” illegal immigration (NOT TRUE) and the other party wants legal immigration.  For the party in power, it’s not about legal immigration only.  It’s about LITTLE TO NO immigration, as far as I can tell from executive orders and other suggested rules and legislation.   We have been enriched as a nation by immigrants.    Vote in a way that such historical enrichment will not come to an abrupt end. 

   And pray for the reunion of these children with their parents.

48 years of voting - a personal history - October 19, 2020

I am the grandson of naturalized citizens, who, I am sure, relished the freedom to exercise their right to vote. 

 I think I have a memory of joining my dad at the polls at least once.   

  My elementary school was a polling station.  In November, 1964, I remember a few of us on the playground asking a man, who had just emerged from the station, whom he voted for. 

  “GOLDWATER!”  He exclaimed. 

  “Not Johnson?”   We asked. 

   “GOLDWATER” he repeated. 

  I remember my Junior High School holding an assembly at which representatives of the Humphrey and Nixon Campaigns spoke.   Speaking for Humphrey was Richard Bolling, the Congressional Representative from our district.  We were about to hold a school-wide “election” for president a few days later.  Nixon won, by the way.  

   I remember waiting at the Urbana, Illinois town hall to register to vote in the 1972 election.   I believe I had to go back there to vote on Election Day.  My candidate lost.   Oh, and, by the way, my draft number at 105, at a time when there were no college deferments.   The peace talks in January of 1973 led to the end of the draft.  

     Four years later, I completed my absentee ballot (as a registered voter in Missouri) for the 1976 election at the United States Consulate in East Jerusalem.   

     Since then, I have voted in Ohio, Kansas, New Hampshire and New Mexico.    

    It’s not only about whom we support.   It IS about making sure that everyone has the right to register their choice, which is, unfortunately, contrary to the views of some who would term certain modes of voting as “rigged,” “illegal” and “fraudulent, or who would be surprised if their opponent wins because they think that person is a “loser” or the “worst candidate ever.”  

    Of course, if you have heard those words, and agree with them, then vote, and, please, speak your mind respectfully without the vitriol.  

   If you have heard other expressions that elevate respect and bi-partisanship over ridicule, then vote.   

   Just, simply, because you are a registered voter, vote.    Don’t ever sit it out.  And don’t believe anyone who says your vote won’t count or that it won’t be counted.    It will.  Or, at least, vote as if it will count, because it SHOULD count.   

   Many of us have voted already, so please join the club.    

   It is probably the most American thing you can do...ever.

Fighting for our lives - still

As soon as I heard of the plot against Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, I thought of the videos I saw in a documentary a couple of years ago of Netanyahu speaking at rallies against the Oslo Accords that featured extreme rhetoric against Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, portraying him as Hitler and calling him a traitor, all of which created an atmosphere in which someone could think of assassinating Rabin. 

    Setting rules to keep citizens safe, while trying to be sure that there would be aid for people unable to work during a lockdown, is not treason.  It’s wisdom.  The same person who tweeted “Liberate Michigan” (the real DJT) and STILL criticized Governor Whitmer after the plot was revealed.  I doubt that he will stop those statements.   While he has offered condemnations of militia groups and other similar organizations, he has done so only after an incident when he did  NOT make a condemnation. 

    With every attempt to keep citizens of New Mexico safe, and with cases rising in many places in the state, we have business owners who still keep ramping up the rhetoric, providing echoes of what has been seen and heard in Michigan, at least in some measure.  The new restriction on High School sports produced even more criticism.   Their calls for freedom are not about freedom.  They are about power.  I doubt they would say anything if a Governor they favored was in office. 

    

  

Do not let Gretchen Whitmer become the next Rabin - From The Forward

Oblivion can wait - October 10, 2020

As a citizen, I have never had a President that wanted to me to disappear into oblivion because of my views (just heard that from his “rally” at the White House, an inappropriate use of the people’s house).  

   I have had just that since January, 2017. 

   I am not alone.  

   And if his supporters also want me to disappear, so be it on their part. 

   For my part,  I just want to see the power of respectful dialogue across the ideological spectrum that doesn’t demonize, bully, or dehumanize anyone.  

    I also see that Senator Lindsey Graham said last night that young black people and immigrants can “go anywhere” in South Carolina, adding, “you just need to be conservative, not liberal.”

     Think about how “Liberate Michigan” in a tweet likely influenced the creation of a plot to kidnap and execute a governor, and then the source of the tweet told her, like a monarch, that she needed to thank him for “his Law enforcement” helping her and that she brought on herself the plot because of her politics.

     Don’t you love the empathy?  

     And...The Law enforcement is NOT HIS.   IT’S OURS.  

    They are working for US.  ALL OF US. 

    If some of you stop saying SOCIALISM and COMMUNISM, maybe I will consider pulling back from the term FASCISM. 

     The former keeps happening, though. 

    We should not be like elementary school or middle school students on a playground, paying obeisance or running scared from, or trying to combat, the bullies of the moment.   

    It’s always the bullies who should stop being bullies.   

    Shabbat Shalom and Chag Samayach, everyone.   As we end and begin the Torah today in the Jewish world, let’s remember that “love your neighbor as yourself” is near the exact center of a Torah scroll. 

    It should be our center as well.

Reminders of the virus of hatred - October 8, 2020

The juxtaposition of criticism (by the resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue) of Michigan Governor Whitmer this morning in a television interview with the announcement of arrests related to a plot to kidnap and execute Governor Whitmer by members of a Militia, likely connected to the armed protests at the Michigan State Capitol earlier this year, is uncanny.   This is not a coincidence.  

   I am reminded that there were people like this in Kansas when I served as rabbi there, which may have been connected to the phone message that came to Temple after the beginning of Desert Storm, “I’m gonna kill me a rabbi.”  

    I am reminded that it was a militia network in the mid 1990s that broadcast one of Pastor Fred Phelps’ sermons around the Jewish High Holy Days, “warning” me, by name, and my congregation that our sins would not be forgiven by God because we did not have the blood of Jesus’ crucifixion cleansing our souls.   

   I am reminded that there are people in my current state of residence who are using militia tactics.    I am reminded that there are people in this state, including business owners, who have portrayed our governor as a fascist dictator, trying to take away their freedom, when the rules for dealing with the pandemic were meant to PROTECT everyone’s lives. 

  And I am reminded of the words of the “resident” of 1600 PA Ave this morning, calling the law enforcement response (directed by the NY Governor and NYC mayor) to sometimes violent protests (which were also in favor of the “resident”) by Chassidic community members as fascist.  Sorry, it’s too hard to use the real word. 

   Of course, to this “resident,” protests in HIS favor are all right, whereas protests that oppose him and his policies are not.  

    WE ARE WATCHING, WE HEAR EVERY WORD YOU SAY.

Cautious, not afraid - current thoughts on COVID-19

I choose to continue to be cautious because of COVID-19.  

   I choose to view any response to COVID-19 that would belittle or ignore the deaths of over 200,000 people in the United States as lacking in awareness and empathy.   

   I choose to look with astonishment and disdain at a leader who, in order to look busy, apparently staged two photos in two different rooms in a hospital, with some claiming that one of those photos showed the signing of a blank piece of paper. 

    I choose to acknowledge that most any administration would not give the full story about a president’s illness if it was serious.  

   I choose to describe the eschewing of masks, accompanied by a reliance only on testing, as unwise and dangerous when dealing with COVID-19.  

    I choose to hold all people who have COVID-19 in my prayers for healing, to pray for strength and comfort for the family members of those who have died of COVID-19, and to pray that people will, somehow, realize that science and knowledge are God-givens gifts on which we MUST rely during a serious and widespread pandemic.   

    I choose to oppose abuse and bullying that are firmly based in vindictiveness, selfishness, narcissism, and hatred

Sukkot NOT Deferred- Introduction to Sukkot Video Retrospective for Temple Beth-El Las Cruces - October 2, 2020

It was one of those dreams one doesn’t forget. 

At least not now.  

The rabbi had retired, but he was preparing to lead a service for Sukkot. 

He knew that the Lulav, with its palm, willow and myrtle branches, and the etrog were waiting patiently in the Temple refrigerator. 

There would be no physical Sukkah, but there would be familiar prayers, the same ones recited during past Sukkot celebrations. 

The night before the service, the rabbi was having a restless night.  He finally fell back asleep.     

Suddenly,  he found himself in the Temple playground. 

Two figures materialized - a man and a woman. 

They were dressed in clothing that looked like....branches, leaves, artistic decorations, and fruit.  

They were covered from head to toe in these strange and unique garments.

To the rabbi’s delight - and even slight horror, they spoke, but with gentle, reassuring voices.   

The man said, “Rabbi, I am ARAV,”

The woman introduced herself, “I am HADAS.”

The Rabbi said, “Mr. Willow and Ms. Myrtle.   Wonderful names! Which is why you both look like... 

“A Sukkah.   Yes, Rabbi!” Exclaimed Hadas. 

“Why are you here?” Asked the rabbi.  The Temple did not build a Sukkah this year because...

“Yes, we know all about the pandemic,” ARAV said.  “We know that more people than ever before are building a Sukkot at their homes, if they are able.  We know that fewer congregations are building Sukkot outside their buildings.  We just came to tell you what you might do to remember what it’s like to be together in a community Sukkah .”   

The rabbi said, “What can we do?  ARAV, HADAS, tell me!”

HADAS spoke first.  “Rabbi we know you have quite a collection of photos of past Sukkot celebrations.  Making and hanging decorations, building the Sukkah, and then images of people gathered in the Sukkah for that really cool service.  We love the way you play ‘Turn, Turn, Turn,’ by the way.”   

  ARAV continued, “Rabbi, take some of those photos and add them to a song about Sukkot on — what is it called? - a computer.”  

  HADAS chimed in, “ARAV, don’t you know about iMOVIE?  Rabbi, you know what to do.   All of those memories will come flooding back when you see those photos: they will carry you through this year’s Sukkot until you can be together in the Temple Sukkah again next year.”  

     ARAV added, “All true, HADAS, but you know that they can still take a photo in their Sukkot worship space - just like before....all right, almost like before.   Their faces will all be together in their virtual Zoom Sukkah.  Aren’t you amazed, HADAS, that they have figured out how to join together to celebrate the holiday?  They could have thought of themselves as lost in the desert.  They are not lost at all! They are joyful!  And they are hopeful!”  

    HADAS said, “YES ARAV - you are so right.   Rabbi, make that video from the pictures from the past.  Next year, you can include photos from this year to remind you of how you all overcame obstacles to celebrate as a community.” 

   The rabbi thought for a moment.  “ARAV, HADAS, what great ideas and thoughts.  I will start looking through my photos.  I have just the song, too, as the soundtrack.   I promise I will get to work....” 

   Before the rabbi could say, “as soon as I can,” he was awake.  He got out of bed in the middle of the night and created a retrospective:  a reminder of Sukkot celebrations past, and of those yet to come.  

Do justly, love kindness and walk humbly with God - Column for Las Cruces Bulletin - October 2, 2020

        Recently, a Temple Beth-El study group which I lead read Chapter 6, verse 8 from the book of the prophet Micah.  These words may be familiar to you:  “It has been told you, O mortal, what is good, and what the Eternal One requires of you: only to do justly, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.”

  Six years ago, that verse served as the centerpiece of a discussion I facilitated for Temple Beth-El congregants. 

    Participants first had the opportunity to comment on each of the three parts of Micah’s statement.  

     They explained that “to do justly” expresses the societal principle of equality of opportunity,  along with the elimination of obstacles to equality.  There was an acknowledgment that not everyone sees justice from the same perspective, but it is through justice (in the legal, personal, cultural and social realms) and fairness that we survive as a community.   

  We discussed how Jewish commentators explained that “love kindness” actually means that people should perform acts of kindness with a whole heart and a generous spirit. This can refer to charitable giving or to helping people in all sorts of significant ways.   

    Participants in that conversation noted that we “walk humbly/modestly with God” when we listen to other people and see the divine spark in everyone, recognizing our common humanity.  One person commented, “Practicing justice, love, kindness and mercy ensures that you will walk humbly, modestly and wisely.” 

     I believe that we are doing justly, practicing kindness, and walking humbly as we respond to the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Many of us, in some way, have answered the call to provide support and comfort for those who are ill and for their family members, to donate supplies to people in need, and to hold up, as much as we are able, individuals who need financial help due to loss of or reduction in their income.  

   Micah’s proclamation has the power to bring us close together, encouraging us to overcome our differences so that we can discover what we hold in common. Some people may believe that the divisiveness and polarization which, too often, rule the day, precludes such a possibility. 

   The recent death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (may her memory be for blessing, we say in the Jewish tradition after a person has died) offered a reminder of how two people, who were usually vociferous opponents in their judicial approaches and opinions, could forge common ground.   

     Justice Ginsburg’s friendship with the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was based on their shared love of opera, and, just as much, on the judicial expertise, which they each possessed, that made them worthy adversaries.   

      In her eulogy for Justice Scalia in 2016, Justice Ginsburg said, “Once asked how we could be friends, given our disagreement on lots of things, Justice Scalia answered: ‘I attack ideas. I don't attack people.’”   

     Justice Ginsburg concluded:  “I will miss the challenges and the laughter he provoked, his pungent, eminently quotable opinions, the roses he brought me on my birthday, the chance to appear with him once more as supernumeraries at the opera.”  

       Perhaps they were friends, also, because the late Justice Ginsburg believed that “We the People” means “all the people.” 

     Are we capable of such a friendship?  I believe so, especially when we seek fairness, act with kindness, and remember that, because we are walking, side-by-side, along the same road, we can be, for each other, beacons of hope.