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Fun Purim Videos!
We’ve done sock puppet Purim videos, we’ve done Purim videos for adults, and a few others, but this year we wanted something different. So, Rabbi Barr and I have spent weeks (or at least a few hours!) creating a full retelling of the Purim story. I play Haman and Esther (pretty opposite characters, I know) and he plays Mordechai and King Ahashverosh. We’ll release our movie tonight during our weekly streaming Shabbat service, and it will also be on our YouTube page. You can learn more about Purim here.
Perhaps even more fun than creating the movie was creating four Purim movie trailers. They’re below – to whet your palette for the complete showing tonight.
Enjoy and Happy Purim!
Reflections on TribeFest and 21st century Judaism
A guest blog from Rabbi Robert Barr.
It was an enormous structure that rose from the desert. Bathed in the harsh light of the sun, it spoke of epic tales and hard labor. Up close, the Egyptian Hieroglyphics etched upon it reflected times long ago. The pyramid dominated the view from where I was staying and inspired me to write. Centered as it was in the middle of the window of my hotel, the pyramid (even at night) was an extraordinary site. With lights racing up and down its spine and the tip a cone of light, the pyramid will be one of my lasting impressions – of Las Vegas.
Yes, Las Vegas. For out of my hotel windows, I was staring at the Luxor Hotel. Designed to look like an ancient Egyptian Pyramid, it even has a Sphinx like structure on the premises. Like most of the hotels in Vegas, the Luxor was over done, larger than life, and contrived. It was a fake, it wasn’t really an ancient pyramid, and it wasn’t set in Egypt any more than the canals in the Venetian were in Venice, Italy. Las Vegas, set in the desert, is much like the proverbial mirage; what you think you are seeing isn’t real – it is an illusion. It is intended to give the impression of other times and other places, like New York with its towering Statue of Liberty or Paris with its Eiffel Tower.
To be clear, my visit to Las Vegas was neither an architectural exploration nor a gambling adventure. Rabbi Laura Baum and I were invited to speak at a conference there organized by the Jewish Federation of North America called TribeFest. The conference, designed for young adults (22-45), drew about 1,500 individuals from across North America. TribeFest was to provide participants the opportunity to “connect, explore, and celebrate the richness of Jewish music, food, art, and culture.” We gave two presentations at TribeFest – one about Judaism online and the other entitled “what does it mean to be Jewish in the 21st Century?” Our presentation about Judaism in the 21st century drew about 150 individuals – a mixture of Jewish professional and active lay leaders. Given that we are known for pushing the envelope and raising challenging issues, we were prepared an “energetic” response to our presentation. We assumed that we were going to ruffle a few feathers.
The response however was not what we anticipated; save a handful of individuals our presentation was well received. Those in attendance nodded their heads and asked questions that supported our position that the Judaism of the 21st century needs change. Those in attendance embraced the fact that it is time to rethink old models and develop new paradigms that speak to a changing world and Jewish community. The notion that antiquated Jewish thinking that no longer speaks to modern Jews will fade away as more contemporary approaches are embraced didn’t frighten those hearing our words, but rather met with approval. It was exciting to see a large group of Jewish leaders who valued innovation and understood that that change isn’t to be feared but rather is necessary if Judaism is going to speak to future generations.
Of course, it goes without saying that we talked about how technology is redefining everything including our understanding of community. While there are times I have grown frustrated with the organized Jewish community for its reluctance to embrace change, this conference was different – or at least those who attended our session were.
While we didn’t win at the gaming table (which was never our goal) we did win in the lecture hall.
Should we care about Judaism?
I just spent the past couple of days in Las Vegas at Tribefest – a gathering of 1,500 Jews between the ages of 25-45. Rabbi Barr and I presented two sessions there. One was called “What does it mean to be Jewish in the 21st century?” and the other was about building Jewish community online.
During the first session, a great question came up from a participant. She asked “why be Jewish?” And I was able to share my answer, from this year’s Rosh Hashanah service.
Check it out and see what you think.
To Unplug or Not to Unplug on Shabbat
This Shabbat has been declared the second annual National Day of Unplugging. It’s an initiative of Reboot and their website says people “will recharge themselves by not using computers, cell phones, or any technology for 24 hours.”
While I appreciate the need to sometimes step away from our screens, I’m not a fan of unplugging for 24 hours because it’s Shabbat. It may work for some people, but it wouldn’t work for me.
If I were to unplug, I wouldn’t get to spend Shabbat with hundreds of Jews who participate in our streaming services from countries around the world. If I were to unplug, I wouldn’t be able to speak on the phone or Skype with my family members. If I were to unplug, I wouldn’t be able to get in the car and visit a friend. If I were to unplug, I wouldn’t be able to drive somewhere to participate in a community service project. I think you get the gist. Technology allows for meaningful connections.
Like anything, technology just needs to be used responsibly. I’m not a fan of pulling out my cell phone when I’m out to dinner with a friend. And I’m not a fan of sitting in front of a TV screen for hours on end. But I am a great fan of technology’s power and potential.
Last week, Rabbi Barr and I discussed the National Day of Unplugging in its larger context of the Sabbath Manifesto. You can check out our conversation by watching the archived Shabbat from 2/25/11.
The Sabbath Manifesto lists ten things we should or should not do on Shabbat. Some are excellent points – like we should take care of our health. But, I’m pretty sure we should do that every day and not just on Shabbat.
Jewish Camp Strengthens Jewish Identity… Sort of
Several of my Facebook friends posted an article a few days ago rejoicing that a new study had found that Jewish camps strengthen Jewish identity. I want to say at the outset that I spent a very fulfilling summer working at a Jewish camp and think there are many wonderful things about camp. I am absolutely not opposed to Jewish camps.
But what disturbs me is the particular measures in this study; the complete results can be found here. It found that camp attendance was associated with an increased likelihood of adult participation and identification in every one of the 13 areas probed.
Those areas are (listed in decreasing level of impact):
- feel very emotionally attached to Israel
- attend synagogue monthly or more
- always/usually lights Shabbat candles
- donated to a Jewish Federation in the past year
- member of a synagogue
- most/all closest friends are Jewish
- donated to a Jewish charity in the past year
- used a Jewish website in the past year
- feel being Jewish is very important
- did not have a Christmas tree
- currently in-married
- always/usually participate in a (Passover) Seder
- always/usually light Hanukkah candles
These strike me as very bizarre measures of Jewish identity. In fact, that the Jewish community would measure Jewish identity by whether or not someone gives to a Jewish Federation really doesn’t sit well with me.
The only measure on this list that speaks to me is the one that considers whether they feel Jewish identity is very important.
If I were to measure Jewish identity, the things I would care about are: is the person engaged in tzedakah (acts of righteousness) and tikkun olam (repair of the world)? Does the individual embrace the rich history of Jewish text and tradition and seek to make meaning from it? Does the person approach his or her Judaism with intellectual honesty and does s/he approach the world with thoughtful questions?
In a world where synagogue attendance and affiliation are rapidly decreasing – and where a new generation of people approach their Judaism in ways that don’t require buildings or denominations, I fail to see the relevance of those 13 measures. And frankly, I don’t really care if people light Shabbat candles or if they have a Christmas tree. I know some very strongly identified Jews for whom lighting Shabbat candles would be meaningless, and I know some very strongly identified Jews who have a Christmas tree for a variety of personal reasons.
Another measure in the study asked about whether most or all of the person’s friends are Jewish. Who cares? We live in a global and mobile world. I think life would be pretty boring if all of my friends were similar. I embrace diversity. It doesn’t make me less Jewish that my friends come from diverse backgrounds.
So, this is not about debating camp. I think camp is a very powerful experience for a lot of people. What this blog is about is the fact that I would like to see a different approach to celebrating Jewish identity. If Judaism is only about lighting Shabbat candles or donating to certain charities, then I’m not very interested in being Jewish. My Judaism is about personal responsibility, connection, humanity, questioning, and learning. Those are things with which I can identify.
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- — Watch Video-Streamed Holocaust Panel about bystanders
- — Our Holocaust page is up - including an online panel discussion event on January 27th
- — Baum's Blog on Lisa's Adoption of Judaism
- — Baum's Blog on Coco the Clown, Conversion, and Online Community
- — Barr's Banter on Hypocrisy
- — Join us for streaming Shabbat every Friday at 6 PM Eastern Time