This past weekend I attended my first NFTY-MAR event in the year 5768. Oh what an event.
Friday night we all got there on the buses, had some mixers and dressed our best for Shabbat. As a songleader, I had the honor of helping out in services Friday night in the Washington DC shul. I got to stand up there with my guitar side by side with fellow Rabbis, songleaders, and others who were on that stage. Whoops, I mean beema...or is it really that?
Instead of a sermon we had a special presentation. None of us had any idea what was going to happen, but there was a huge projector in the middle of this area, or rather I mean synangogue. [Keep in mind there was probably around 600 people here on this very Shabbat] During the time of this all the sudden the lights dimmed down and a huge HUGE projector came from the sky, or rather top of the synagogue coming down.
The Rabbi held a remote and pressed play. We started to watch a newscast from ABC about a young woman who was a high school teacher teaching 150 students in an inner city in Long Beach California. She had to deal with kids in gangs as parts of the bloods and crips and whatnot. Yes we saw the newstory of "Freedom Writers" the incredible story of the one woman who changed lives of many teenagers by having them read books and learn about the Holocaust and teaching them in such styles that they would actually go to school. Truely, an extremely touching and fantastic story.
After the [at least] 20 mintue news story, the actual teacher got to speak to us. All 600 of us. She had an amazing speech, extremely moving in that black microphone. No notes or nothing.
It may seem as though I'm getting off track, but I'm not.
My parents attended the service and couldnt believe what they just saw. A projector RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of a service!? RIGHT BEFORE the aleniu!? WHAT!?
I was at shock also. I feel they could of presented this a lot better. What do you think? A projector in the middle of services...?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Jewish Ethics
I am currently enrolled in a philosphy course they offer at my high school with a teacher who loves to jab away at whatever is on his mind. Don't get me wrong, he's a great guy, a nice teacher, and knows his stuff, I just find some ways of what he teaches entertaining.
On the third day of class we started talking about ethics and how philosphy plays a big part in ethics. That reminded me of one of the electives I took this past summer at the URJ Kutz Campus for Reform Jewish Teen Life. Jewish Ethics with Rabbi Elisa Koppel (one of my FAVORTIE Rabbi's) where we talked about different dilemma's and problems we had to work out. I remember the first day I was in her class we played board games. I was playing Monopoly with some of my peers. Rabbi Koppel told us not to cheat, but on the side she told me to cheat. She said to do it secretly. Of course I cheated, I took some of the money from the banker when he wasn't looking. My partner was very amused and confused as to why I was cheating. It wasn't even like we were behind.
After the games, we talked about our "ethical descions" that we made throughout the games. How some people weren't lucky enough or didn't really know how to win at their games. I told everyone that I cheated, and one girl was in such shock. She didn't understand why. When Rabbi Koppel explained why, she was still confused and telling us that I didn't have to cheat. It's true. I could of gone agaisnt what Rabbi Koppel wanted, but I did what she told me to do.
What if I was in real life and had to make an ethical descion, let alone a Jewish one?
I just had one of the bigger moments in my life tonight. The Reform Judaism magazine e-mailed me. They sent me a message asking if they could use some of my published writing for their next issue about the way Reform Jews pratice their Judaism and how they struggle at home and whatnot. They wanted to use a part of my old iTorah about how I wear a tallit katan. But the problem is I use to wear a tallit katan.
Having no idea what to do I ran downstairs to my parents as they were talking to my older sister about her day at school. I told them my dilemma. My mother looked at me with her motherly like looks and said, "What are you going to do?" I looked at her and said, "I don't know!" And became even more flustered. That's when she pulled it out. The E word. She said, "Well Rachel, it looks like you've got an ethical problem on your hand."
Right in that moment, it was like my high school class came to me and my Jewish Ethics elective came back to me too. I have to make the right ethical choice.
As I went back upstairs to my laptop, I was thinking why couldn't they ask me about Mark Bloom or something!?
I sent Reform Judaism magazine an e-mail explaining how I don't wear a tallit katan anymore, and how I was extremely honored they would want my writing in their magazine. And if they still wanted to use it, I would be more then happy to let them use it.
I guess we will have to wait and see Reform Judaism Magazine, but here's a question for you.
What would you have done in my situation?
On the third day of class we started talking about ethics and how philosphy plays a big part in ethics. That reminded me of one of the electives I took this past summer at the URJ Kutz Campus for Reform Jewish Teen Life. Jewish Ethics with Rabbi Elisa Koppel (one of my FAVORTIE Rabbi's) where we talked about different dilemma's and problems we had to work out. I remember the first day I was in her class we played board games. I was playing Monopoly with some of my peers. Rabbi Koppel told us not to cheat, but on the side she told me to cheat. She said to do it secretly. Of course I cheated, I took some of the money from the banker when he wasn't looking. My partner was very amused and confused as to why I was cheating. It wasn't even like we were behind.
After the games, we talked about our "ethical descions" that we made throughout the games. How some people weren't lucky enough or didn't really know how to win at their games. I told everyone that I cheated, and one girl was in such shock. She didn't understand why. When Rabbi Koppel explained why, she was still confused and telling us that I didn't have to cheat. It's true. I could of gone agaisnt what Rabbi Koppel wanted, but I did what she told me to do.
What if I was in real life and had to make an ethical descion, let alone a Jewish one?
I just had one of the bigger moments in my life tonight. The Reform Judaism magazine e-mailed me. They sent me a message asking if they could use some of my published writing for their next issue about the way Reform Jews pratice their Judaism and how they struggle at home and whatnot. They wanted to use a part of my old iTorah about how I wear a tallit katan. But the problem is I use to wear a tallit katan.
Having no idea what to do I ran downstairs to my parents as they were talking to my older sister about her day at school. I told them my dilemma. My mother looked at me with her motherly like looks and said, "What are you going to do?" I looked at her and said, "I don't know!" And became even more flustered. That's when she pulled it out. The E word. She said, "Well Rachel, it looks like you've got an ethical problem on your hand."
Right in that moment, it was like my high school class came to me and my Jewish Ethics elective came back to me too. I have to make the right ethical choice.
As I went back upstairs to my laptop, I was thinking why couldn't they ask me about Mark Bloom or something!?
I sent Reform Judaism magazine an e-mail explaining how I don't wear a tallit katan anymore, and how I was extremely honored they would want my writing in their magazine. And if they still wanted to use it, I would be more then happy to let them use it.
I guess we will have to wait and see Reform Judaism Magazine, but here's a question for you.
What would you have done in my situation?
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