Joan Burstyn opened our program with a meditation inviting us to explore our memories and imagination as we visualized a familiar house; to recognize which of our senses became engaged; and to be aware of connections that come to us. She then asked us to share our experiences with another person. She also provided a handout that expanded on the meditation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Background\nInformation on Our Guest Speakers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our moderator, Rabbi Rachel\nAin<\/strong>, received her rabbinic ordination and her master in Jewish\neducation degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. In her\ncurrent position as rabbi of Congregation Beth Sholom\u2013Chevra Shas, Rabbi Ain\nworks hard to infuse her congregants with a love of Jewish learning and Jewish\nliving, teaching a variety of courses to adults and high-school students and\nserving as a consultant to the synagogue\u2019s religious school. Within her\nsynagogue and in the greater community, Rabbi Ain encourages collaboration, lay\ninvolvement, and a sense of commitment to the Jewish values of education and\nsocial justice. Since moving to Syracuse in 2004, Rabbi Ain has immersed\nherself in a variety of local and national endeavors: She is a trustee of\nSyracuse Jewish Family Service and of the Jewish Outreach Institute\u2019s Board of\nProfessional Advisors; a member of the Resolutions Committee of the Rabbinical\nAssembly; a member of the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education; a\nmember of the Rabbinic Advisory Committee for Masorti Olami (the World Council\nof Conservative\/Masorti Synagogues); and a participant in a leadership training\ninitiative for a selected group of rabbis in North America. Rabbi Ain is\nmarried to Rabbi David Levy, who is the Jewish chaplain at Colgate University\nand Hamilton College, and with whom she has one son, Jared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gwen Kay<\/strong>\nwas born and raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She received her BA from\nBowdoin College and her PhD in the history of science and medicine from Yale\nUniversity. Gwen teaches American history, women\u2019s history, and the history of\nmedicine at State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego; she also teaches the\nhistory of medicine in a LeMoyne College\u2013Syracuse University\u2013SUNY Upstate\nConsortium. Gwen is the author of Dying to be Beautiful: The\nFight for Safe Cosmetics <\/em>(2004). She is a member of Congregation\nBeth Sholom\u2013Chevra Shas, where she currently serves as executive vice\npresident. Gwen resides in Syracuse with her husband, Jef.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barbara Applebaum <\/strong>received\nher doctorate in the philosophy of education, in 1994, from the University of\nToronto. She is associate professor in Cultural Foundations of Education at\nSyracuse University. Barbara\u2019s academic research focuses on diversity issues as\nthey pertain to education, and she teaches courses that examine race, gender\nand sexuality from a philosophical perspective. Barbara has lived in Syracuse\nfor about four and a half years and is an active member of the Young Israel\nShaarei Torah synagogue and community. She is a mother of four and a\ngrandmother of three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During her 21 years in Syracuse, Joan Burstyn<\/strong> has been active in the Syracuse Jewish\nFederation in various capacities: as a member of its board, as chair of its\ntask force on Jewish education, and as chair of its former Jewish education\ncommittee. Joan is a member of Congregation Beth Sholom\u2013Chevra Shas, where she\nrecently served as vice president for adult programming. A former dean of the\nSchool of Education at Syracuse University, Joan is now professor emerita of\neducation and history, as well as research professor of education. She has\npublished two articles on Jewish education and given presentations at annual\nnational conferences of Jewish educators. Joan currently produces radio\nprograms for Women\u2019s Voices Radio on WAER FM 88.3. Joan taps into her\nexperiences as a former member of the Reconstructionist Congregation Dor Hadash\nin Pittsburgh and as the mother of Rabbi Gail Diamond, who trained at the\nReconstructionist Rabbinical College. Joan has two other children and five\ngrandchildren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Francine Berg<\/strong>\nis the cantor of Temple Society of Concord. She is a music teacher at H.W.\nSmith Elementary School, where she serves as director of the Rainbow Kids, an\ninternational chorus of H.W. Smith children that participates in many community\nprograms throughout the year. Fran is vice president of leadership for the\nSyracuse Jewish Federation; vice president of Syracuse Jewish Family Service\nand of the local chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women; and president\nof the Signature Band and Music Camp in Syracuse. Fran also volunteers as the\nmusic director for Camp Healing Hearts and as the Jewish clergy at Hospice\nMemorial Services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Introduction and Overview\u2014Rabbi Rachel Ain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rabbi Ain began by setting a general\ncontext for the speakers who would follow. She explained that Judaism is a\ncommunity united through time and space. Thus, the experiences and writings of\npast generations are reinterpreted in the present context, and Jews worldwide\nare connected through rites and prayers performed at the same time. Judaism is\nmonotheistic, believing in one God; doubt is human, however, and even committed\nJews may question the role of God in everyday experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a saying in the Rabbinic\ntradition that \u201cthe world stands on three tenets\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Torah\u2014Jews are required to study the Torah\nand the Law and the narratives written by past generations, and they are\nresponsible for acting on the principles found there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Prayer\u2014 Jews must be committed to Jewish\nworship and prayer life and to conversation with God, self, and the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Social justice\u2014Jews must be involved in\nsocial justice and perform acts of loving kindness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, Jews must be engaged in Jewish\nlearning, Jewish worship, and Jewish living. Rabbi Ain said that incorporating\nthese into one\u2019s life is fun\u2014but also work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rabbi Ain explained that Judaism was\nnever monolithic. Even 2000 years ago there were Sadducees, Pharisees and\nEssenes. Later, various communities, such as Sephardic and Ashkenazi, had differing\nbeliefs and practices. Until modern times, Jews lived in fairly closed\ncommunities. During the Enlightenment they had to determine how to interact in\nthe larger world. The Reform movement, the first significant offshoot, began in\nGermany in the 1800s and was brought to America by immigrants. The Conservative\nmovement arose in response to the perceived liberalism of the Reformists. The\nOrthodox organized when they felt that the Conservatives were not conservative\nenough. In the 1950s the Reconstructionist movement arose out of the\nConservative movement. There is fluidity to these divisions, with changes\noccurring over time, and with individuals moving from one community to another.\nThere are differences in the groups\u2019 prayer life, in their understanding of\nJewish law (as vote or veto), and in their concept of the roles of God (as commander\nor convener), the clergy, and the laity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rabbi Ain turned to the panelists and asked each to explain why she belongs to her particular community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conservative\u2014Gwen Kay<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Gwen was raised Conservative by\nparents who themselves were brought up in Conservative households. Even as a\nchild, Gwen became aware that a woman could be a rabbi and participate fully in\nthe spiritual life of her community. Thus, Gwen knew that she need not be\nlimited by her gender. Her challenge has always been to integrate her religion\nwith her secular life. In college she taught Hebrew school. She continues to\ntry out new things: by reading, by becoming more thoughtful and prayerful, by\nstriving to do more. There is always room to grow, and for her, Conservative\nJudaism feels both comfortable and challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Orthodox\u2014Barbara Applebaum<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Barbara declared that she is an\nunorthodox Orthodox Jewish woman. She stringently adheres to the Sabbath, keeps\na kosher home, covers her hair as a symbol that she is married, and strives to\nraise mundane acts to acts of holiness. Her adherence to traditional rites\nmakes the Sabbath different from other days, giving it meaning beyond the\nordinary; it becomes peaceful and intensely spiritual and provides a connection\nto God. In Jerusalem this difference in days is instantly noticeable, as all\ncommerce and travel cease at dusk of the Sabbath, ushering in a period of intense\nspirituality. Barbara is aware that God is always with her, and she is\nperpetually thankful for blessings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reconstructionist\u2014Joan Burstyn<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Sabbath, Joan said, picking up on\nBarbara\u2019s description, becomes something out of time, providing an opportunity\nto forget the pressures of everyday life and to reflect. Joan explained that in\nher life, she has been a member of synagogues of all four branches of Judaism.\nAs a young child, she was raised in an Orthodox home; as she became older, her\nfamily moved away from Orthodox Judaism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joan felt that the Reconstructionist\nmovement frees individuals to experience Judaism through their emotions as well\nas their intellect. As a Reconstructionist, she could make a difference in the\nway her community interpreted practices that define being a Jew. The community\ncould incorporate contemporary life into their services. Whereas all Orthodox\nand many Conservative congregations prohibit the use of musical instruments in their\nreligious services, Reconstructionists include a variety of musical instruments\nin their worship, and they encourage the community to include contemporary\npoetry and art and even to act out stories of the prophets using their own personal\nexperiences. The past guides, but does not rule, current practice. Still, the\nconnection with the past is strong, and the feeling that Reconstructionist Jews\nhave for Jerusalem and the foundations of the religion is very important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reform\u2014Francine Berg<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Francine explained that she grew up\nin Geneva, New York, in a Conservative synagogue with an excellent cantor who\nreally involved the children. Francine\u2019s parents were nonobservant, even\nchanging their last name to a non-Jewish one. Despite this, they sent her and\nher brother to Hebrew school, and the two children introduced religious\npractices into their home. Francine sang constantly with her mother (who had\nbeen a professional singer) and at her synagogue on Friday evenings and at the Saturday\nmorning teen services. When her family moved to Syracuse, she continued her\ninvolvement in religious music, but her Conservative temple would not permit\nher to be a cantor. Colgate University, however, needed a cantor for the High\nHoly Days, and when none was available, Francine was hired. Her first service\nas a cantor was an overwhelming spiritual experience that moved Francine to\ntears in the retelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1980, Syracuse\u2019s Reform temple had\nan opening for a cantor, and after interviews and an audition, Francine was\nhired. She had some difficulty adjusting to the Reform service, which at the\ntime used no Hebrew and discouraged head coverings during worship services. Since\nthen, some of the old rites have been reintroduced, and Reform congregations\nare being afforded more choices for designing worship services to meet the\nneeds of their diverse members. Although the traditional Reform movement still\nincludes no Hebrew in worship services, her temple now uses Hebrew for some of\nthe traditional prayers, and head coverings are optional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Francine expressed gratitude to Rabbi\nTheodore Levy of Temple Society of Concord for giving a woman the opportunity\nto lead the worship services. Rabbi Levy was noted for his social activism: He started\nthe Syracuse Interreligious Council (now InterFaith Works of Central New York)\nand provided office space for it at the temple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rabbi Ain summarized the presentations\nby pointing out to us that all four strands of Judaism are attempting to\nconnect to something larger than the self. She then asked each panelist to\nexplain how she connects spiritually, in what way she personally lives her\nJudaism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gwen<\/strong>\nexplained a tradition that she has practiced since her childhood in Tennessee.\nEvery Friday, at the Sabbath dinner, each family member would reflect upon and\nrelate the highlight of his or her week. This was a nice way to think about the\nbest thing that had happened and to share it with people who cared about and were\nhappy for each other. She continued this tradition with a non-Jewish roommate\nand continues it still with her husband. This reflection provides a way to\nreconnect, think of the week, and appreciate the good things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joan<\/strong>\nrelated an event from her daughter\u2019s wedding. The end of the Sabbath is\ntraditionally marked by Havdalah, a ceremony in which a braided candle is lit.\nThe day before the wedding, her daughter\u2019s guests assembled outdoors, waiting\nfor the three stars that announce the Sabbath\u2019s end. At that point, they lit their\ncandles and joined together in the Havdalah service. Then all of them, at the\nsame time, snuffed out their candles\u2014a moving celebration of the end of the\nholy Sabbath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Francine<\/strong>\nsaid that she lives out her Judaism by being involved in her community: being a\ncantor, teaching, participating in Meals on Wheels, and serving on a variety of\ncommittees. These activities are her way of making a difference and giving back\nto her community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barbara<\/strong>\nacknowledged that she is not without conflicts with her Orthodox community. She\nis not in agreement, for instance, with the negative treatment of gay and\nlesbian individuals. Because she has her feet in two different worlds, she can\ninterpret one to the other, explaining and respecting differences. She added\nthat doubts or conflicts are not bad; they give her the opportunity to foster\nrespect for differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sharing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In response to questions from the\naudience, Rabbi Ain<\/strong> explained that an \u201cobservant\nJew\u201d is any Jew who follows the practices ordained by the governing body of the\ndenomination with which she or he is affiliated. Each movement has its tenets\nof practice, and each has members who are nonobservant. Joan<\/strong>\nadded that being observant is a choice, so Judaism is her own, not just\ninherited from her parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barbara<\/strong>\nwas asked how she deals with gender separation, such as men and women not\npraying together or women not being allowed to hold religious offices. She explained\nthat she was raised Orthodox and has no aspirations to pray together with men or\nto hold an office. There are some issues with which she struggles, however,\nsuch as her feeling that women should be permitted to be cantors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In response to a question, Joan<\/strong> explained that the local Reconstructionist community is\nsmall but organized. The congregants meet at St. David\u2019s Church, with which\nthey have a good relationship. They \u201crent a rabbi\u201d when one is needed. Lynda Fuchs\nadded that this group has been organized for three or four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rabbi Ain<\/strong>\nexplained that every synagogue has a different feel, and she wants people to\naffiliate where they are comfortable. There are a number of issues that people consider:\nDoes the congregation have an organ and include music in the service? Does the\ncongregation have a full- or part-time cantor? How much lay leadership is permitted?\nHow much Hebrew is used? How much Torah reading is included in the service? Rabbi\nAin\u2019s main concern is that people affiliate and be connected to a community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joan<\/strong>\npointed out that some of the distinctions between the four movements discussed\nby today\u2019s panelists are American constructs and are not the same in some other\ncountries, such as Britain (with which she is most familiar). Some of these\ndistinctions are based on local issues, such as whether to use Hebrew or the\nvernacular in the worship service. In Israel, where Hebrew is the vernacular,\nlanguage is not an issue, although other points of Jewish law are important and\ncan be divisive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rabbi Ain<\/strong> cautioned\nthat we should not take the distinctions that have been discussed as black and\nwhite. She urged us to remember that the practice is fluid although the\nprinciples are nonnegotiable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Danya Wellmon thanked the panel for\nsharing so personally. Then she asked about the unity of the Jewish community.\nDo temples come together to celebrate rituals or community events?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rabbi Ain<\/strong>\nexplained that there are some limitations to celebrating High Holy Days\ntogether; for instance, traditional Jewish Law has prohibitions against driving\nor carrying. The community does come together to commemorate the Holocaust and\ncelebrate Israel, and nearby congregations take part in Purim festivities with\neach other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joan<\/strong> added\nthat the Syracuse Jewish Federation is an umbrella organization that organizes community\nactivities. Francine<\/strong> said that her temple is\ntrying to create joint projects and is having a Mitzvah (an act of human\nkindness) Day, when everyone goes out into the community to do good deeds. Joan<\/strong> also mentioned the Jewish Music and Cultural Festival\nheld every June at Clinton Square.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sherry Chayat asked the panelists to\nspeak of moving moments when they realized their spiritual gifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barbara<\/strong>\nrevealed that she had not always been observant. She remembered eating a sandwich\nduring the Yom Kippur fast\u2014but shaking as she did so. She recalled ordering a\nMcDonald\u2019s burger and milkshake (it is forbidden to consume meat and milk\ntogether)\u2014but eating them separately. Her spiritual moment came when her mother\nwas near death. Barbara was unable to travel to be with her mother until her\nteaching duties were finished for the semester. Finally she was able to fly home\nand spend a day and a half with her mother before her mother died. That time\nwas precious to both of them, and Barbara felt that a higher power helped her\nmother hold on until Barbara could reach her. That spiritual realization was\nprofound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joan<\/strong> spoke\nof having had several spiritual experiences. She related one in particular: the\ndeath of her mother when Joan was 23. Joan had been in revolt against religion;\nshe did not like the division into separate groups and preferred to think of\nshared humanity. Joan grew up in England during the Holocaust and knew that if\nGermany invaded England she would be sent to a concentration camp. She felt\nthat if we could get rid of religion, we would not be divided and could find a\nway to have a conversation among us all. After her mother\u2019s death she needed a\nway to express not only her grief but also her connection to something beyond\nherself, a way to affirm that life had some purpose beyond herself. Because her\nfamily was Jewish and expressed themselves in the context of their religion,\nshe found herself pulled toward Judaism. She could not reach out to others\nunless she knew where she was herself. Then, when she met those of other\nreligions, she could listen without feeling that they should share her way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An audience member said that her son attends\nSyracuse Hebrew Day School, along with children of many ethnicities, and has\nreceived an excellent education. She said that when he gets to be a rebellious\nteenager, she wants him to know what he is rebelling against!<\/p>\n\n\n\n In response to a question about\nMessianic Judaism, Rabbi Ain<\/strong>\ndeclared that a belief in the divinity of Jesus is outside the boundaries of\nJudaism. That is absolute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another audience member asked if the\nJewish community reaches out to mosques and churches. Francine<\/strong>\nsaid that her Rainbow Kids chorus, with children from all over the world, is\nher personal interfaith effort. Gwen<\/strong> said that\nthe food pantry at Temple Society of Concord is open to all. Others spoke of various\npartnerships with churches: Congregation Beth Sholom\u2013Cheva Shas has an annual\nThanksgiving celebration with Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church; the confirmation\nclasses at Dewitt Community Church visit Friday evening services at Temple\nSociety of Concord; six neighborhood congregations in Syracuse, including churches,\nsynagogues and the mosque, combine for religious services at a Baptist church,\nsharing prayers and music. Ann Eppinger Port mentioned the National Council of\nJewish Women, which promotes social action projects around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rabbi Ain<\/strong>\nsaid that her congregation is holding a Mitzvah Mall, where the children will\nhave booths explaining and promoting organizations (such as Vera House, the ASPCA,\nand the Israeli Ambulance Service) that are involved in social justice and\ndoing good deeds. Adults will view these presentations and choose where to direct\ntheir charitable donations. Rabbi Ain said that because doing mitzvot (good\ndeeds) is one of the principles of Judaism, Jews do it well!<\/p>\n\n\n\n In response to a question about Kabbalah, Joan<\/strong> said that Reform, Reconstructionist and Conservative women can now study Kabbalah if they wish to do so. Mysticism is coming back into focus, with the Chasidic movement being most involved. Traditionally, Kabbalah study was open only to men\u2014and then only after they reached the age of 40 so that the man, before dealing with the transcendent Oneness, would have a clear view of his own self<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Moderated by Rachel Ain, rabbi of Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas, a Conservative synagogue, women from Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism talked about their life, beliefs, and spiritual practices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7998,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[17,43],"class_list":["post-7645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-programs","tag-judaism","tag-pluralism",""],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7645"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8879,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7645\/revisions\/8879"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wtb.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}