Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 8 January 2003 — Page 18

NAT 14 January 8. 2003

Podet Continued from page 5 Catholics and ought not to be done. Indeed, one hears honest and painful discussion of antiSemitic hate-passages in the Gospels, passages thrown up in the heat of religious competition, that reflect the hostility of the times when they were written. And there are daring proposals as to what should be done about such passages. The Church remains still a powerhouse of an organization, appealing as it does to a range of personalities, from the liberal to the orthodox, from the philosophically sophisticated to the person of simple faith. This present assault will not prevail, although it will do lasting damage. The Church will survive, but it will have to become more accountable to its people, as indeed the Jewish and Protestant institutions have done long ago. Let us hope that the very positive steps of recent years, especially those relating to recognition for Judaism an equal path to God and respect for believing Jews as people of knowledge and integrity, will not be lost along the way. Rabbi Podet welcome*; reader comment* at: apodetdDi/alioo.com.

Gertel Continued from page 6 says that he is "nowhere near legally insane." The female prosecutor then feels free to describe Landen/Salim as a "garden variety fanatic fundamentalist." The psychologist continues: "If this had been about politics, he probably would have become an anarchist. If it was about music, he could have gotten into grunge and heavy metal. He picked religion, specifically Islam, for a specific reason....People who become fundamentalists do so because there is a part of the dogma that resonates with them; there's something in their psyche that draws them to a distorted interpretation of an otherwise legitimate religion." She speculates that the indicator here is that Landen chose to shoot the woman and let his friend kill the husband. Greg is "terrified of women." When his mother walks out on him in court, he goes off like a homicide bomber because he is rendered all the more unable to

confront his "castrator." And when the female prosecutor takes over and challenges him in court, he blurts out more information that ties him to the murdered couple and that exposes his "performance anxiety." While it's nice that Freud has returned to TV pop psychology after a long absence, I would caution against reducing fanaticism to adolescent anxieties. Sure, they can feed it to a significant degree. But I fear that our country will be illequipped to face the threat of such fanaticism if it is wrapped in such a neat post-therapeu-tic, or pre-therapeutic, package. We can't afford to reduce terrorism and religious vehemence to adolescent growth pains, though these may be factors at some level. To so oversimplify terrorism is akin to assuming that anti-American and anti-Israel rhetoric don't warrant any response.

Resurrection Continued from page 9 ship and criticizes it; that relies on more, much more, than "someone I met at a conference." What a casual basis for the misrepresentation of a religious tradition of 3500 years! Jacob Neusner /s Research Professor of Religion and Theology and Senior Fellow, Institute of Advanced Theology at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.

Barnard Continued from page 6 all the needed measures, and so each school has to find its own funds for security. The Tali schools naturally turn to the Masorti Conservative Movement. We also heard about the Special Needs Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program which the Tali schools conduct. This program serves children from all segments of Israeli society, not only those who attend Tali schools. Specially qualified teachers prepare students for appropriate bat/bar mitzvah ceremonies. We were deeply moved by the account of the accomplishments of the children in this program. We learned that it started, in the face of great skepticism and resistance, with 13 children and that, this year,

there have been 25 group bar/ bat mitzvah celebrations. There could be more - except for lack of money. The following day we visited the Masorti congregation in Kiryat Bialik, near Haifa. The congregation has specialized in encouraging aliyah from Argentina and absorbing the immigrants when they come. There are about 50 Masorti Conservative congregations in Israel, and their thousands of members include not only "Anglo-Saxonim" (English-speaking immigrants), but also former Russians, Argentines, and Ethiopians, and sabras. However, few, if any, of those congregations are self-supporting; they are subsidized by the Masorti Movement, which, in turn, gets most of its money from the Masorti Foundation in the United States. This year the Masorti Foundation has been able to allocate only a small fraction (10 percent sticks in my mind) of the money which it had planned to send to Israeli institutions. The annual appeal for the Jewish Theological Seminary, which goes to Conservative rabbis, includes a line for a contribution to the Masorti Movement, and I always make such a contribution. Also, for the past two years, we have had low-key appeals for the Masorti Movement at High Holiday services. But we need to do more. Supporting the Masorti Movement means not only supporting its many important programs and institutions, some of which 1 have described above. It also means supporting a voice for a humane and sensible form of traditional Judaism in Israel. A disturbing current phenomenon in Israel is the disruption of the Arab olive harvest by (a few) Jewish settlers. These settlers harass the Arabs who are trying to pick their olives, steal the olives, burn down the trees, and, in at least one case they have killed someone. A former chief rabbi of Israel has said publicly that what those extremists are doing is all right because everything in the land of Israel really belongs to Jews. Another former chief rabbi, the mentor of the third largest political party in Israel, has compared Arabs to snakes and vermin, and has stated that a man should not pass between two dogs or two women. Certainly, not all Orthodox Jews in Israel hold such extreme opinions, but the rabbis in question are quite prominent, and there

has been virtually no public dissent from them from Orthodox circles. The Masorti Movement is a clear alternative to that kind of "Judaism." It is difficult to ask you to support yet another Jewish cause at this time. Our own congregation needs our financial support as do the Jewish community of Cincinnati and other vehicles for supporting Israel, such as the Israel Emergency Fund. However, along with all of those, the Masorti Movement needs our support. You may send your contributions to Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism in Israel, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115-0122. Rabbi Barnard serves Northern Hills Synagogue in Cincinnati.

Peck Continued from page 7 to a certain point. Achieving women don't fit into the "helpless" mold that goes along with that. Strong Jewish men usually want women they can change into what they think they want in a person. However, once they achieve that goal, they find that what they want and what they need are two different things. Fortunately, Jewish women always know what they want...and need. Or, maybe it's just that women are finding out that it's nice to have a man in one's life, just not in one's house. Arlene Peck welcomes reader comments at: [email protected], www.arlenepeck.com.

Israel Continued from page U 15, Avi, age 12, and Micha, age 8. As one who made aliyah and who lived in Israel, as well as one who has written a book about my experience, I found the book bringing back memories of being an immigrant and adjusting to living in Israel. For those who go to visit or on sabbatical, there is a marked difference when one is actually living there, especially in 1999. One particularly poignant comment almost sums up the entire experience when he and his family visit Israelis who have lost loved ones and talk openly of death. "In the States, he [Avi] never heard anyone talk about someone dying, and

here, he's looking for a family that hasn't had to deal with it. This sort of life makes no sense to him." The essays cover a wide variety of ideas, such as the matzav (situation), ideologies, politics, holidays, and the adjustment of the kids. In one particularly poignant essay he writes: "There are probably few, if any, Jewish parents who relish the fact that their kids will have to go into the army; but there's also something about the fact that Jews have their own army in their own country, and defend their own state on their own terms, that is critically important after the history of the 20th century." Gordis is very honest and sincere in his writing, the subjects are contemporary, and the discussions are readable for anyone who cares about what it is really like to live in Jerusalem and not what is reported in the news. Sybil Kaplan is a book reviewer, journalist, lecturer, synagogue librarian, and author from Overland Park, Kansas. .

Gold Continued from page 12 how many trite phony Hassidic-type tunes or politically and gender correct phrases we hear, the latter expression still rings loud and clear. After all, we would not want to offend "Our Mother, Our Queen!" It would not be far from the truth for me to conclude with the phrase "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more." And let us say, and let us say, and let us say, Amen! Dr. Gold may best be reached by writing to him at: 12 Avenue B, Rutland, Vermont 05701-4503 or eventually by e-mail at: [email protected].

Hofmann Continued from page 11 ourselves, along with the profound and humbling knowledge of how puny and insignificant we are in the Scheme of Things. This is felt in various ways — through nature, through silence, through imagery and meditation, through quiet achievement, in moments of intense contemplation — or prayer. Becoming one with that feeling IS strengthening and reinforcing. Continued on next page