Temple Beth Elohim - News From the Board of Directors Archive 2004

Chosen to Serve

I wanted to share some thoughts with you about choice. A couple of months ago, the Great Debate Society topic we shared was entitled “Chosen for What?”. The topic provoked a spirited discussion among the 20 or so Temple members who came out that Wednesday night. We talked about being the “chosen people”, we discussed the choices our ancestors made generations ago to choose worship of a God who would not be seen, or be idolized. We brought the Torah to the people after Moses was chosen to receive these gifts. Were we chosen, or did we choose? Both sides of the topic were discussed in depth.

The more I thought about the topic of “Chosen for What?”, I started to think about our individual choices in our lives. What is it that we choose to do, and how does it impact those around us. Our forefathers had the same challenge.

In my own life, I started to change the topic thesis into ‘Chosen to Serve'. I have a confession. I like to help out. Someone asks a favor, or if I could help out on a project, and for some reason, I say yes. If there is a job to do, they say, ask a busy person. I volunteer for a professional industry board. I volunteer with my Scout council and my Scout unit. I volunteer to help my Temple as a member of the Board, and actively participate in the Men's Club. I'm even trying to help bring a YMCA to the county. Somewhere in there, I have my family and my job to do.

Why would we put all this energy into these ‘labors of love'? We do this to make a better community, state, and world. If we all do a little to help out, we make a better place for our children. Helping others helps ourselves. One of the prime missions of our Temple is “Tikun Olam”, helping to heal the world. If we would all do a bit more than is expected of us, and help our Temple in some way, we can grow stronger than we are.

Volunteering is the best job in the world. The pay is fantastic. You don't get a paycheck. What you do get is satisfaction of a job well done, and the thanks of a grateful person or group. What can you do to help us to grow our Temple? What group at the Temple can you join and actively participate in to make a stronger community at Beth Elohim? What event can you help run at the Temple, or commit to attend with your family?

I have an excuse. It's my father's fault. Matter of fact, it was my grandfather's fault. I come from a long line of ‘mensch's' who would always do anything to help another person or cause. Somewhere along the way, it has helped shape me as an individual, and as a Jew. With a little luck, it will rub off on my daughter. I only hope her spouse will be as forgiving as my wife, my mother, and my grandmother were of our faults.

B'Shalom
David

November 2004
Ava Saperstein, Financial Secretary and Ritual Committee Chairperson

We Come Together

We came together several weeks ago as a congregation to pray together on the High Holy days. We came together on Sukkot and celebrated in the Sukkah with song. We came together on Simhat Torah and celebrated with dance. Saturday night, October 9, we came together in celebration of the future of our Temple family. We laughed, we dance, we ate and we raised over $13,000 for our future home. On Sunday, October 10, 2004 we buried a member of our Temple family, Marshall D. Glen; that same evening we rejoiced in the marriage of two members of our Temple family, Barbara Brown and Alan Tepp. We have truly seen the circle of life in the last few weeks.

I looked around at the Raise the Roof dinner dance and felt truly blessed to be a part of this vibrant Temple family. For those of you who were not there we were 160 strong. We spanned several generations of Temple members. Some who attended have been members for over 30 years, some have been members for only a few months. Being a member for over twenty years I have thought about the future of the Temple ~ who will lead, in what direction will we go. I'm not sure who our future leaders will be, but I am sure that the future is secure.

I don't know you all by name. I wish I could personally thank all of you. You have given me faith in the future of our Temple family.

B'Shalom
Ava

September 2004
Ava Saperstein, Financial Secretary and Ritual Committee Chairperson

Another year is ending and we again approach the Days of Awe. This is a time of reflection, a time to look back at the past year and examine what we have done. What could have been done better? What do we regret? What do we need to make amends for?

This past year has been a very special one for me. Along with five other women I was called to the Torah as a Bat Mitzvah on July 10, 2004. This day was the culmination of two years of preparation. The six of us met weekly with the Rabbi. We studied, we discussed, we laughed a lot.

It's difficult for me to express my feelings regarding the entire experience. I feel very blessed to have been able to study with Rabbi Acrish. He is a wonderful teacher and a very patient man. I feel very fortunate that I could share this day with Paula Elfont, Audrey Grifel, Ruth Rosenberg, Fabiana Felice, and Sandy Gold.

Although I have attended services for many years and was very familiar with the liturgy, after my Bat Mitzvah something is changed. Now as I sit at services on Friday night I have a different feeling. Maybe it's a better understanding, maybe it's the recognition of passages that I have studied many times. In any case I feel that the service belongs to me. I feel as if I'm with an old friend, comfortable and at ease.

Learning is a continuum. We begin the day we are born and with each new experience we gain more knowledge. Learning never ends and I hope to pursue my Jewish learning at the Temple for many years to come. Please take advantage of the many learning experiences available to you at the Temple: discussion groups, the new Rosh Hodesh group, Hebrew classes. I encourage those of you who have not become B'nei Mitzvah to do so. If you need a little encouragement, speak to the Rabbi or one of the six women who have just gone through the process. It was a very powerful and moving experience for us. It has changed our lives forever.

L'Shana Tova from my family to yours,
Ava

These are the emotions that I see on the faces of our children, when I attend B'nei Mitzvah, a school concert, or a sporting event. I am sure just reading those five words paints a picture on our minds' canvas of how the world ought to be. I believe it is our responsibility as parents and adult members of our community to keep that picture painted on our children's canvasses for as long as we can. Lately, I have wondered how the words Exhilaration, Enthusiasm, Pride, Hope, and Passion can turn into:

At some point in their youth were any of the adults involved with these atrocities up on stage singing in a chorus, playing soccer, or part of a religious ceremony, radiating positive uplifting emotions? If they were, what happened? If they were not, then perhaps my curiosity is satisfied knowing that all of the adults involved with these malevolent acts were mean spirited kids at one time. Somehow I do not think that is the case.

I pray for the sake of our children that we, as pavers of the road, find a way to recreate a world that allows exhilaration, enthusiasm, pride, hope, and passion to flourish, so that the dreams of our young adults do not decay into diabolical antisocial thoughts or actions.

Monotheistic institutions that teach Tikkun Olam (healing the world) seem like a good start. Certainly my personal allegiances are with Temple Beth Elohim. I hope yours are too. With all the effort we put in to raising our children, I believe we cannot over-emphasize the importance of what goes on at our synagogue. Each on of us has the power to make an impact on our children by working with them on various programs and activities. One of the more important actions our children see us engaged in is the support of our growing Jewish community. Living an exemplary lifestyle will remain a constant in the eyes of our youth and should keep that “good” picture on their canvas forever.

If you are asked to support Temple Beth Elohim, be it financial or through the giving of your time, give it willingly and generously, it may be the easiest and best start at a renewed world for our youth.

Yes, quite some time ago we outgrew our current building. And yes, a much larger space is on the horizon. However right now I'm making an appeal to our Temple membership to find space for Temple Beth Elohim in your homes, and also in your hearts, as I have.

My family's experience with Temple Beth Elohim began about seven years back when my children were of the age to start religious school. My wife, Faith, and I had looked for a temple where we could feel “comfortable” and where our children could be exposed to fellow Jewish children, religion, and knowledge of our culture. While Faith and I are both Jewish by birth, we came from different religious backgrounds. My family belonged to a Conservative temple in the Bronx, where I grew up. Though I attended many years of what I called “Hebrew” school, going three times a week and culminating with my Bar Mitzvah, frankly I have few fond memories. I also regret that as a teenager there were no programs for me to participate in at my temple. I actually enjoyed attending services back then, and occasionally went without any prodding by my parents. I remember the temple of my youth as a place ruled by the elders and for the elders – a place where the children were second class citizens. Rabbis came and went every few years and were not very approachable by the children. Young children were not welcome. Faith's family belonged to a temple on Long Island; however she had no formal Jewish education and did not have a Bat Mitzvah, as was common for girls until very recently.

Temple Beth Elohim contrasts sharply with the temple of my childhood. Yes, we do have organ music at our services, which was unheard of in my Conservative temple and did in fact take some time for me to grow accustomed to. I now accept and appreciate the added life the music brings to our services. I have faint childhood memories of attending services with my friends. It seemed it was seldom that entire families attended together. I can't recall the exact reason for this. Perhaps it had more to do with it being a different time and place when a car was not needed and children could be safely out at night without adult supervision. We were required to attend but there was very little participation in the service on the part of the children. And the weekly kiddush or what we now refer to as the Oneg consisted simply of challah, sponge cake, and little cups of wine. No provision was made for juice for the kids.

I must tell you how proud I am of the opportunities afforded our children to take part in our services. The children are the life-blood of our Temple and community. I enjoy watching all the children stand on the bimah to recite the Kiddush. This weekly occurrence is a defining event for our Temple. It has left indelible memories for those children who regularly attend Friday night services with their family. The Kiddush at Temple Beth Elohim has become part of their Jewish religious identity and heritage. Children represent a special part of our Temple and this is always apparent given Rabbi Acrish's fondness for them and responsive attitude toward them. On the contrary, the temple of my youth no longer exists.

When I look back to my childhood I now realize that my family didn't fit well into either of the traditional Reform or Conservative Jewish molds or “classifications”. We never maintained a kosher home, and it was the rare occasion that we formally recognized Shabbat by lighting the candles in our home and attending services as a family. My familiarity with Jewish customs and beliefs is derived more from many years of going to and working at a kosher Jewish summer camp and from tidbits assimilated from childhood friends more religious than myself. A summer stint in Israel with a teen tour/work group also contributed to my sense of pride in our culture and its religious base.

Now that we are all familiar with my background, I feel that I must emphasize that I have never had a greater awareness of my Jewish identity than I do now. Though I learned to read Hebrew as a child, I failed to retain much of that ability. Since joining Temple Beth Elohim, I have essentially re-taught myself to read Hebrew by reviewing my kid's Hebrew School books and by practice while attending Friday night services. When my family joined the Temple we knew few of the members in the congregation. I work in the city and get home late most nights and have very little free time. Because of my hectic work schedule I found few opportunities to meet friends up here in Putnam County. However I got involved with the Men's Club and have formed friendships with a great group of guys. The activities we sponsor are always fun and rewarding to be involved with. And last year somehow my arm was twisted hard enough that I accepted the Treasurer position on the Temple Board of Directors. My duties have proven to be both rewarding and a pleasant distraction from everyday life. I highly recommend for all to get involved with the operations of our Temple.

As I have discovered, there is a place for everyone in our day-to-day Temple life. Our congregation welcomes all who consider Judaism to be an important facet of their lives to join with us to build a stronger Temple together. With construction of our new building recently commenced, the need has never been greater for participation by our membership in our daily activities. We would like to increase our program availability to our children, teens and adults, however participation and ideas from our membership is needed. Please create space in your hectic schedules to volunteer your time and bring forth your ideas. Together we can build a stronger Temple that will exist for our children in their future, and will also be a place they can identify with.

On a final note, funds are lacking and in order for construction to continue on our new building we need all our members to make their first-time pledges or increase their existing pledges, if possible, at this time. We need the membership to stretch their budgets, perhaps scale down a vacation or an auto lease, and make the new Temple building a priority in their lives. In case you have been overlooked please don't wait for someone to contact you but contact Nan in the Temple office, and she will have someone get in touch with you. Let's insure that our children will have a synagogue to celebrate their “life events”, for their children to attend religious school, and for all to worship in together.

This month I'd like to let you know about a few of the more quiet (but busy) committees at Temple Beth Elohim.

College Committee: Denise Tredwell, Chairperson
This is a relatively new committee at the Temple, in existence for the last three years. The purpose of this committee is to maintain a tie with our students who are away at college. Five times a year our kids get packages from ‘home' along with a note from Rabbi Acrish letting them know that we are thinking of them. We send them goodies at the High Holy Days, Hanukkah, Purim (homemade hamantachen from our marathon baking session!), Pesach and at finals time. This year we are sending out 60 packages at a time!

We have received some very gratifying feedback that lets us know that the students appreciate our efforts. One memorable call came from a freshman who had had one of those awful, terrible weeks. Then she got a note in her mailbox stating that a package was waiting for her, and it turned out to be ours! She phoned the Temple to let us know that our effort really turned her week around. We've also heard from parents who tell us that their children often feel isolated from the Jewish community while at college and that the package from Temple reminds them that they have a Jewish connection to people who care. It is very touching when we hear from a student whom we haven't seen much since their Bat or Bat Mitzvah who tells us how happy he or she is to hear from the congregation and Rabbi Acrish and then makes an effort to come to services when they are home.

As we are come to the close of another school year, the College Committee will begin preparing for next year. We will be asking our current students to keep us up-to-date on their school addresses and the parents of this year's High School seniors can expect to be contacted this summer as we look to expand our ever-growing list of college kids!

The Helping Hands Committee: Chairperson: Vacant
The Helping Hands Committee is a vital committee of the Temple, providing care to our own members when needed. There have been times that a member may need temporary assistance when they are recovering from an illness, injury or other emergency situation. This is when the Helping Hands Committee springs into action. The kinds of assistance this committee provides varies dependent on need. Sometimes it is as simple as sending in a few meals or baby-sitting so that someone might be able to deal with a medical appointment. Other assistance might be to take care of simple household chores, shopping, driving someone to medical appointments or visiting someone in the hospital. The variety of ways this committee can help is limited only by the number of people who volunteer. The need does not arise often, but when it does, what a wonderful mitzvah it is to help someone.

Right now we are seeking someone to coordinate this vital committee as well as a list of people willing to be called on for help. The responsibilities of the chairperson include updating the list of volunteers and sending them where they are needed. If this sounds like your kind of job, please call Larry Hepner or Nan Coulter.

Social Action Committee: Chairperson: Vacant
In keeping with our Mission Statement, “...to be mindful of our Jewish heritage, develop a congregational responsibility to the extended community we serve, and create an atmosphere of extended family for all our members”, the Social Action Committee is our link to our extended community. In the past we have worked closely with the Danbury Regional Commission on Child Abuse Prevention, Women's Shelters in Putnam and Westchester Counties and other area agencies to help fill their needs. Sometimes this has been in the form of a very specific request for a family in direct need (i.e., clothing of a specific size, a highchair, a fan or wheel chair); at other times we have filled general needs such as for their food pantries or coat drives.

This is another one of our committees that is in need of a chairperson (or co-chairpersons) as well as volunteers. The chairperson receives requests from social service agencies, publicizes these needs via the weekly announcements, Menorah and website and coordinates delivery of the donations. Volunteers with time, and those with vans or trucks are needed to assist with these tasks.

The extent that the Social Action Committee can help in our communities is limited only by imagination and energy. We can offer help by request or we can hold Mitzvah Days and mobilize the entire Temple Beth Elohim family to action ... Social Action. If this sounds like your kind of job, please call Larry Hepner or Nan Coulter.

How does it work? Who's in charge of what? What really keeps Temple Beth Elohim running smoothly? Teamwork, that's what.

First of all our paid professionals, Rabbi Acrish, Nan Coulter, Roberta Mandel, Patti Bedrosian, David Furash, Robin Sills and Richard Sills, all work together to see that the day-to-day spiritual, educational and administrative functions of the Temple are successfully carried out.

In addition, countless other people volunteer many hours on numerous committees that set policy, maintain responsibility for our fiscal well being and take care of our home and hearts. These committees come under the guidance of the Board of Directors.

How are committees formed? Who makes up a committee? Who has oversight of committees?
According to our Standing Rules, it is the President of the congregation who appoints a committee's Chairperson and designates individuals to serve on a committee. The President (or his or her designee) is an ex-officio member of all committees. The Rabbi and the Temple Administrator are ex-officio members of all committees as well. All of the Standing Committees have their make-up spelled out specifically in the Standing Rules and additional members may also be appointed. The Standing Committees are: Budget and Finance, Dues, House and Grounds, Membership, Publicity, Ritual, Board of Education, Ways and Means, Cemetery, Youth, Historian and Human Resources. In addition to the Standing Committees there are several other committees that are appointed as needed. Some of these include the: Building, College, Long Range Planning and Mitzvah Committees. Further, the 1st and 2nd Vice President and Ritual Chairperson act as liaisons with the committee chairpersons to keep them informed of Board of Directors' actions in addition to providing additional oversight to committee functions.

So how does this all work?
When a decision needs to be made on a given item or concern that requires study and time, the Board of Directors will refer the issue to the Committee Chairperson. The Chairperson will then call a meeting (or series of meetings) at which time the committee members will review all aspects of the issue and how a decision might impact the Temple membership. The Chairperson will then bring to the Board a synopsis of the work the committee has done on the issue at hand and a recommendation for action. It is then up to the Board of Directors to ask questions, consider the recommendation and then vote to either adopt the recommendation or send the issue back to the committee.

No decision that the Board makes is ever made in a vacuum. Time and effort by many individuals goes on behind the scenes to be sure that our Temple works efficiently and smoothly in order to be your Bet Kenesset (place of gathering), Bet Midrash (place of study), and Bet Tefillah (place of prayer). If you are interested in more details, ask Larry Hepner or Nan Coulter for a current copy of the Temple By-Laws and Standing Rules. If you are interested in volunteering to chair or serve on a committee, we welcome you to contact Larry as well.

My grandfather William Heymann, his wife Johanna and their children Erica and Walter left Germany in 1938. Their 5 year old son Walter grew up and had three sons; the oldest of which is your storyteller today.

My grandfather was one of 5 brothers in the town of Rheydt-Odenkirchen, (Old Church) near Düsseldorf. My grandfather was the head of the family business, running the kosher slaughterhouse that his grandfather had founded. As children, my brothers and I loved the stories of my grandfather and his brother Karl fighting for Germany in WWI, and the tale of their escape; my grandfather's arrest on Krystal Nacht, grandmother's premonition which led her to bury money and guns in the backyard, the bribe they paid to the local SS to get him released and their subsequent good fortune to obtain safe passage (remarkably on a German cruise ship) first to Brazil and then a year later to the USA. Sadly, we also learned the stories of other family members, those who were not as fortunate.

Their experiences were transferred to me and my brothers as obligation. We were expected to honor our faith and heritage by endeavoring to always “do the right thing”. When I acted up I would be told by my grandfather in a stern voice, “Be a Mensch”. This was Jewish guilt the German way!

Six years ago, an Israeli business acquaintance and friend Schmuel Friedman, invited my wife Betsy and me to join him in Germany to visit an architectural metal and window company that he had recently partnered with. This company was in a town only 30 miles from my ancestral home. Sam was almost as excited as I was when it was decided we would visit Odenkirchen before traveling to Amsterdam for the weekend. My aunt and Mother had visited in 1988 and all that was left of the Jewish population in this small town was a recently restored cemetery.

When we arrived in the village, Sam suggested we go to a pub at the railroad station to ask for directions. We walked in and all eyes were upon us. I was so self-conscious I couldn't speak; it was as if it was 60 years earlier and I was wearing a yellow armband with the Star of David. Finally Sam asked for and received directions to the Judische Fruehauf, (literal translation - “Jewish free house”). We drove back and parked but could not locate it. We asked an older woman on the street and as her eyes filled with tears, she directed us a 100 meters back.

Moments later we found the modest gate and stepped inside the small, reasonably well-kept grounds. Now I'm known to cry fairly easy especially in times of great pride and happiness, but this time I openly sobbed as I was confronted with the ghosts of my family and the enormity of loss for an entire segment of a town's history. There were grave markers bearing the names of Heymann, Levin, Meyer and others dating back as early as 1813 only to come to an abrupt stop in 1938. The only stone dated later was that of my grandfather's brother Amiel who had survived by hiding through the war. I choked out a prayer at the grave of my great grandparents and after the tears finally subsided, was fairly sure that my grandfather would have approved.

My grandparents and father have been dead for over 20 years. On occasion, (Betsy would say often), I still act up and have to remind myself to be a Mensch. I constantly ask if I am doing the right thing. Part of the answer to my question is our involvement in Temple Beth Elohim and my participation on the Board of Directors and the Building Committee.

We stand poised to build a wonderful facility that will celebrate our Temple family's lifecycle events, provide for our children's education and serve the community at large. I also believe the new building will stand as a testimony to the fortitude of our local Jewish Community and to the people that have helped establish and grow our congregation through its first 50 years.

Just imagine how proud we can all be to say that we honored our faith, our heritage, our local roots and our congregation's enduring strength. With everyone's support, we can be in a new building as early as next spring. I'm asking all of you take on this obligation, look into your heart and do the right thing.

February 2004
Do We Need a Temple Youth Group?
Joe Greenfield, Building Committee Chairman

Our Temple had an active and vibrant Youth Group program three years ago. My two older children participated in activities with other Temple members' children once every month or every other month. They went on camping retreats, bowling, and chaperoned sleepovers at Temple. Without adult guidance, they performed acts of Tikkun Olam. They spent quality time together.

Unfortunately the group wasn't able to sustain that enthusiasm with the Temple's younger teenagers in the past few years. Teenagers cannot attend Youth Group functions if their parents don't want to drive them, if their parents don't show them that it is an important and worthwhile endeavor. Is that a problem? Is that a problem worth doing something about? Is that a problem that is even worth your time reading the rest of this article? I believe it is worth your time to read, to think about and hopefully to act.

When we (here I use the all-encompassing, entire child-rearing congregation - we) were teenagers, a majority of us grew up in NYC, or other large city on the East Coast, or surrounding suburbs for the most part. There were lots of Jewish children living in or on our block / development / neighborhood / community. The kids we knew at Temple and Hebrew school were also in public school with us, went to summer camp with us, played on sports teams in town with us, and were in the same clubs or scout troops with us. Sure, we had non-Jewish friends, but we also had many Jewish friends with whom to share experiences outside of Temple. Although Temple Beth Elohim has about 250 families, we don't all live in one community - we are spread out over two States and five counties. The number of Jewish children in each community is small. The number in each of my children's classes / clubs / teams is so small they can be counted on one hand - usually on one finger if that many. Lately, the only time my children have spent any quality time with other Jewish teens is hanging around in the Temple kitchen between classes on Sunday morning. My daughter told me that she and her sister were the only ones in the theater to laugh at parts of Adam Sandler's “Eight Crazy Nights”. There were no other Jews in the audience with which to share the joy.

To ensure a lasting love for and continuance of our faith, our children need to be able to look back on these years with fond remembrances of Temple life. Temple life needs to be more than Friday night services and Religious school. In the future, our children need to be able to reminisce about good times spent other Jewish teens. How will they get these memories unless we provide them now? Good memories have to be more than time spent in a Temple kitchen.

I have reached my limit on taking on another committee chairpersonship. I will be happy to serve on a Youth Group committee, to chauffeur kids to an event, to chaperone a camping trip or overnight. But I can't chair the Youth Group committee. I'm pleading with you all. For the sake of our children's future as Jewish adults, please consider teaming up with other congregants and spending a small bit of time coordinating one trip, one event, one outing for our Temple family's children.

One of my earliest memories growing up is of my father davening. I can still see him putting the small cap upon his head, winding leather straps around his arm, opening up the mysterious book with the black cover, taking the familiar position in the living-room, and launching into a quiet stream of mysterious, rhythmic phrases. From the first, I sensed that this was something very important to him: serious, but not necessarily somber. At the beginning, I had no idea what he was doing, but even then I could perceive his dedication to it. And in my young mind and heart, the roots of respect were already starting to take hold for a man who would teach me so much about making choices and commitments.

As I grew older, I eventually learned that my father was indeed praying during these moments, following the rituals carried down from his – and my – ancestors for thousands of years. But what became even more striking to me was that he was continuing to practice his faith even after marrying a non-Jewish woman. Once living with my mom, he could have easily abandoned his strict adherence to the rites of traditional Judaism. At home, he would have suffered absolutely no consequences for slowly starting to neglect the rules of keeping kosher or for deciding not to fast every Yom Kippur. He, however, would never forsake his religion. Even as he lay in his hospital bed being ravaged by cancer, he would still summon up the strength and wherewithal to regularly place the yarmulke on his head and start to chant from the familiar black book. This snapshot, in some ways so similar to the first one, is one of my final memories of him.

The term “Jews by choice” is generally accepted to mean people who were not born Jewish, but who have decided to learn about and practice Judaism. Often, although not always, this transformation is made by means of a formal conversion process in conjunction with a rabbi. Technically speaking, I am a Jew by choice. Although my father was a very religious Orthodox Jew, my mother is not Jewish. According to the ancient laws, albeit perhaps outdated at this point, being Jewish is established by matriarchal lineage only; thus I am considered by birth to be not Jewish. So according to the definition, I am choosing Judaism, embracing it through study and practice, including a Reaffirmation (what I call my “conversion”) Ceremony and a Bat Mitzvah planned for next year.

But I would argue that in truth all practicing Jews are Jews by choice. Today American Jews (as well as those from many other countries) have the option to either obey Jewish law and custom or else to live completely secular lives. How many people do each of us know who were definitely born into a Jewish family but have not stepped into a synagogue in decades, do not observe – or even acknowledge – Shabbat, or may not even believe in God at all? In the U.S., Jews are not required to wear identifying hats as in 14 Century Germany, banished to live in ghettos as in 17th Century Poland, or have their arms branded with numbers as was done in Nazi Death Camps. Here, we come and go as we please, either continuing in the rich traditions of Judaism or else assimilating into the general population at-large.

It is in this sense that I see even my father as a Jew by choice. He was not forced to practice; he chose to, despite some of the challenges over the years from being married to a non-Jew. And I am extremely proud, and thankful, that he chose to continue observing Judaism throughout his entire life. Whether he realized the magnitude of his choice or not, on a daily basis he kept alive ancient words and beliefs affirming goodness, charity, and peace. In other words, he passed on Torah.

Despite never-ending physical assault, exile, and vicious anti-Semitism for about as long as Judaism has existed, Jews have persevered and, with great courage and purpose, have managed to preserve their faith. The Marranos (or “swine”) under the Spanish Inquisition defied horrific consequences by choosing to secretly practice Judaism after being forced to convert to Christianity. Choosing to continue Judaism has cost so many their homes, their families, their lives. Not choosing to continue it now would only serve to further deepen the senselessness of these tragedies.

When it comes to Jews, the word choice has so much significance. We have been called the Chosen People, and some believe this means God chose to bestow Torah on us. Some midrash, however, put forth other interpretations, namely that although Jews were not God's first choice, we were the only group approached who were willing and able to fulfill the covenant. What rings true for me is that like all contracts, this covenant represents God and Jews choosing to engage with each other, in this case for complete honor and love. Thus, according to this explanation, Judaism is at its very foundation defined by choice.

If you are reading this, chances are you are a member of Temple Beth Elohim, attend services there, and follow at least some of the practices and beliefs of Judaism. To me, this means you too are a Jew by choice, especially since our inclusive Temple accepts all the different ways each of us chooses to follow our faith.

Since this article is scheduled to be posted on our Temple website as well, there may be others of you who just happened upon it via cyberspace. Perhaps you are looking to join a synagogue and so you are doing research. But maybe you are not sure at all how you feel about Judaism but something brought you here. It is to you that I wish to express a deep hope of mine: that you can appreciate the extraordinary decision before you. Whether you are Jewish or not, born so or not, know that you have a choice before you of not only spiritual, but also historical significance. As biased on this issue as I clearly am, I cannot tell you how to choose, nor would I ever want to tell anyone how to make any decision in his or her life; that is a completely personal matter. But I would encourage you to think about it thoroughly and to understand its ramifications to you and to others. I am hoping you are not passive with regards to this choice, but recognize it as the important one that it is. And when you do choose, choose well.