A Prayer in the Aftermath of the Orlando Mass Shooting

I offered a prayer on behalf of the Denver Jewish Community at a solidarity vigil for the victims of the terrorist attack that took place last night in Orlando.  Joining me in prayer were Imam Ali of the Denver Islamic Center and Reverend Amanda Henderson of Interfaith colorado. Most of Denver and the State of Colorado's elected officials were in the program as well as representatives of the LGBTQ community. Here are my words:

A Prayer in the Aftermath of the Tragedy in Orlando

Rabbi Joseph R. Black – Temple Emanuel – Denver, CO

June 12, 2016

Our God and God of all people:

God of the rich and God of the poor,

God of the powerful and God of the powerless,

God of those who have no God.

This is a sacred time for the Jewish and Islamic communities.

Last night and today, Jews all around the world celebrated the festival of Shavuot, or Pentecost – where we gave thanks and celebrated the gift of Divine revelation through the Torah.

Our Muslim sisters and brothers are the midst of the sacred month of Ramadan.  They, too, are celebrating the gift of God’s revelation in the Koran.

This is a time when we are acutely aware of the potential for good in the world.  This is a time when Your children are open to the Universal messages of peace and love found in our sacred texts.

But as the horror in Orlando has once again shown us, and as we have seen all too often:  In France, in Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and in locales too numerous to mention, there are those who refuse to see the holiness of all of Your creation.

When fear and hatred become the filters through which Your hopes for humanity are received we all are diminished.

And so we come here tonight - numb with grief and disbelief.  Once again, violence and the carnage brought about by the deadly combinations of hatred, intolerance and easy access to weapons of destruction have transformed mothers, fathers, lovers, spouses, relatives and friends into mourners. 

Tonight, we are all mourners.  The categories which once defined us – who we love, how we love; where we pray and when we pray; the languages we speak and the music we sing have melted into the common parlance of our anger and our grief.

We are here tonight to show solidarity.

We are here tonight to proclaim the inherent goodness in all of your creation.

We are here because we have to be here – to see within each others’ eyes the determination to stand up to hatred, bigotry and inhumanity.  Tonight we grieve – tomorrow we work to tear down the walls of intolerance that too many want to build.

Baruch Ahtah Adonai, she bara et ha-adam b’tzalmo.  We praise You, Eternal – who has created all humanity in your image.  AMEN 

Scapegoats, Sacrifice and the Campaign Trail

Scapegoats and Sacrifice

Aharei Mot

Rabbi Joseph Black – Temple Emanuel, Denver

May 6, 2016

My Dear Friends,

Yesterday, I was at the State Capital to deliver the morning prayer – as I do every Thursday – when I noticed a group of people in front of the building who were holding a sign that stated:  “Today is the National Day of Prayer”

Coincidently, yesterday was also Yom HaShoah V’Ha-g’vurah -  the day of remembrance of the victims of the Shoah and the bravery of those who resisted their Nazi oppressors.  I was both surprised and somewhat gratified when I thought, at first, that the juxtaposition of these two days was deliberate. And then I paid more attention to the people who were gathered in front of the Capital in celebration of the national “Day of Prayer.”

The first thing I noticed was a sound that was very familiar.  Someone was blowing a shofar – and doing an impressive job, I must say.  And then the particpants started marching  - passing by me as I was parking my car.  I saw people wearing tallitot and kippot. I saw people wearing Tzitzit.  Israeli Flags were flying.  Then I saw a group of people carrying a mock-up of the Ark of the Covenant – where the 10 commandments were kept – replete with cherubin and angels.  They were dancing to what sounded like Israeli music – dancing the hora, as a matter of fact – but the words were in English.  Then I looked even closer.  Mixed in with the kippot, Shofarot, the Ark of the Covenant were a smattering of crosses and “Jesus Loves Me” t-shirts.  I felt like I was in a parallel Universe.  What was going on here?  Later on in the day, after searching the internet (thank you Rabbi Google), I discovered that I had stumbled upon what was being labelled a “Jericho March” by the fundamentalist Christian conveners of the Denver commemoration of the National Day of Prayer.  Like Joshua in the Bible, participants were marching 7 times around the State Capital.  If we were we to take the Joshua/Jericho theme to its logical conclusion, I guess that the goal of the march was to have the walls of the State Capital “Come tumbling down…”  I’m sure that would have upset the legislators inside –especially after we spent all of that money re-guilding the Capital’s dome…. But, thankfully, no one was harmed in the shofar-blowing and faux-hora dancing.

It’s a pretty fair assumption that the people wearing Tallit, kippah, tzitzit and dancing with the mock-up of the Ark of the Covenant probably had a different take on the meaning of those symbols than I did…..

While they may have appropriated Jewish symbols and ritual items –possibly even buying them from our own gift shop – they had no conception of what they meant to authentic Jews – and probably didn’t care either. 

I didn’t engage them.  They were gone before I was able to get out of my car, so I wasn’t able to ask anyone about what they were doing.  Even if I would have been able, I wasn’t sure what to ask:  “Excuse me – why are you appropriating my sacred symbols?” didn’t seem like a very polite thing to do early on a Thursday morning.  Besides, there were a lot of them and just one of me …. More on that later.

The act of appropriating and instilling a personal agenda into ancient texts and rituals actually brings us to this week’s parasha, Aharei Mot.

 The basic idea of the text is that Aaron, the High Priest, is commanded to choose two goats and, by drawing lots, mark one goat for sacrifice, and the other to be set free to roam in an area called “Azazeyl.”

The first goat is set aside to be sacrificed in order to purge the Israelites of their sins.  The second goat becomes symbolic repository of the sins of the people.  When it is sent into the wilderness of Azazeyl, the people see their sins literally walking away.   

It actually is a highly efficient process.  The community is rid of its sins through two public and highly symbolic acts – one of sacrifice, the other of communal banishment.

In many ways, these two goats and the way in which they are dispatched serve a powerful purpose in unifying the community.  Yom Kippur, as described in the torah, is a “do-over” day – when acts of sacrifice and contrition level the playing field between God and the Israelites.

Of course, this concept has evolved over the centuries. The only remnants of this practiced can be found in the obscure ritual of Kapparot, (or Kappores) that is practiced by a few ultra-orthodox communities.  (See hyperlinks for more information…) 

Today, the term scapegoat has another meaning entirely. As Jews, we understand all too well the power and ramifications of becoming identified as the scapegoat for all of society’s ills.

As I said earlier, yesterday was Yom HaShoah –Holocaust Memorial Day.  This sacred and somber 24 hours was established shortly after the creation of the State of Israel.  On Yom Ha-Shoah we honor the memory of the 6 million Jews and 5 million others who perished in Hitler’s machinery of death. 

Study of the Shoah has taught us that Anti-Semitism was not unique to Hitler.  The architects of the Final Solution were able to draw upon thousands of years of Jew-Hatred and scapegoating to convince the masses that mass murder was justifiable.  What was unique about the Shoah, however, was in its lethal combination of hatred and technology that paved the way for the systematic extermination of a people.  Without Auschwitz, Treblinka, Maidanek and the other death camps; without a seamless system of transportation, without masterful propaganda and the means to distribute it, an entire generation of Jews would not have been murdered by the Nazis and their willing partners.

So we need to ask ourselves, as we move beyond Yom HaShoah:  Has the world learned anything from the Holocaust?  It’s hard to tell.

Looking at Europe today we see an alarming rise in Anti-Semitism – some of it originating in radical Islamic propaganda and some that has been ignited by blowing on the glowing embers of latent, centuries-old Jew hatred – disguised all too often as anti-Zionism - that originated in the early Christian Church.  We also see a backlash against Muslims, immigrants and anyone who does not fit the “classical” Caucasian stereotype in the countries that make up the EU. We know all too well that when times are difficult – or when people are TOLD that times are difficult, scapegoating is rampant.

If we look into our own nation - focusing especially on the current Presidential primaries, it is now clear that rhetoric of personal vilification, bullying and fear-mongering has paved the way for a general election that will be unlike anything most of us have ever seen.  Scapegoating has become a powerful tool for ensuring votes and creating simple solutions to very complicated dilemmas.

In a nation that elevates personal responsibility into a touchstone for ethical behavior, it is becoming increasingly clear that this concept does not necessarily mean that we call ourselves into account for our actions – but rather, all too often we look for others to blame:  whether they be members of the opposite political party, or immigrants, Hispanics, Muslims, Transgendered men and women, or a myriad of other categories that are easily vilified and targeted for bullying.

As I think about the upcoming election in November, I am truly afraid.  Many pundits and observers are using the term “revolution” to describe what is taking place in both our electoral and governance systems.   It is quite clear that, come November, there will be casualties.  Some say that civil discourse and compromise will be the victims. Others posit that the two-party system is on its last legs.  Others say that such radical change is exactly what we, as a nation need to set ourselves on a pathway to prosperity.

I truly don’t know where we are headed – but, if we look at our torah portion we can see that the two options it contains - sacrifice and scapegoating – are both in play, and neither are attractive or sustainable.  We cannot allow civility, compromise and cooperation to be sacrificed on the altar of personal aggrandizement.  At the same time, we need to fight vocally against attempts to foist the blame for all of society’s problems on the back of the most vulnerable among us.

I wish I had had the time and the presence of mind to say something to those fundamentalist Christians who appropriated sacred Jewish symbols at the State Capital to fit into their own narrative of religious and political relevance.  My failure to do so remind me of the disconnect between words and deeds.  Our job today – in this ever-changing and ever-consistent world in which we live – is to be vigilant to call out hypocrisy, scapegoating and demagoguery whenever and wherever we see it. 

I for one will not remain silent.

Shabbat Shalom.

Opening Prayer for the CO State House On The Day Before Passover

Opening Prayer for the Colorado State House
April 21, 2016
Rabbi Joseph R. Black - Temple Emanuel - Denver, CO

Tomorrow night, Jews around the world will gather together around the table to celebrate the Seder as we welcome the  holiday of Passover.   During the course of the Passover Seder, we will eat special foods that remind us of our experience with both slavery and freedom.  We will tell the ancient story of the Exodus from Egypt.

We will be reading from a book called a Haggadah.  The word, "Haggadah" means "telling the story."  As we tell our story, we move from the degradation of oppressive slavery, to the promise  of freedom and redemption.

A key phrase in the Haggadah reads:  "Bchol dor vador, Chayav Adam Lerot et atzmo k'ilu HU yatzah mi Mitzrayim" -- "In every generation, each of us is obligated to see ourselves as though we, personally went forth out of Egypt."

We are required to experience both the bitterness of enslavement and the joy of liberation.
This is not symbolic.  Throughout the course of the Seder, we taste the bitterness of slavery in the bitter herbs that we eat.  We eat the bread of affliction - the matza, and we drink the salt water of our tears.  It is only after we recount the story of our deliverance that we rejoice.

The act of experiencing the pain of oppression forces us to be mindful of all who are oppressed - not matter who they are or where they are.  Those who are oppressed because of their faith, the gender, their social status, appearance, who they love or how they love are all created in the Divine image.  We see the oppressed in far away places and literally across the street from this sacred structure.


Let us pray:

Our God and God of all people:
God of the poor
God of the rich
God of the grounded and God of the refugee.
God of the parent and God of the child.
God of the Captain and God of Captive
God of the persecuted and God of the privileged
God of those who have no God.

Tomorrow night, when so many of your Children around the world will tell the story of deliverance that is both ancient and modern, help us to remember your promises of redemption - past and future.
Teach us that it is not enough to wait for Your hand of deliverance - our mission is to BE Your hands.
Use us, O Creator, to bring about the desperately needed change in Your world.
In our nation that values freedom, open our eyes to those enslaved around us.
We see enslavement in those trafficked for evil ends on our streets.
We see enslavement in those whose ideologies cannot allow themselves to see the humanity in those around them
We see enslavement in the crippling effects of economic oppression.
We see enslavement in those who are victimized by brutal governments.
We see enslavement in those who lives are ruined by substances designed to capture the souls of despair and hunger for meaning.
And once our eyes are opened, help us to work, together, to create a society that truly celebrates the freedom that You taught us to love, to fight for and to celebrate.

On this day of deliberation, guide these lawmakers as they work on our behalf and on Your behalf.  Help them to both feel the pain of oppression and the exquisite joy of liberation.  Free them from the bonds of partisanship.  Teach them to listen to the passion of their colleagues. Open doors of dialogue and tear down the altars of diatribe.

At the end of the Seder, we say the words:  "Next Year in Jerusalem" - next year may all be free.  We pray that the vision of the City of Peace may come to be - in our hearts, our homes, our beautiful state of Colorado - and every inch of Your Creation.
AMEN

My Remarks From the 2016 Annual Meeting

Annual Meeting – April 15, 2016

Rabbi Joseph R. Black

Dear Friends,

In the Jewish mystical tradition, numbers have important significance.  The ancient practice of Gematria involves taking the numerical value of words and phrases and finding hidden meaning in these numbers.  Since tonight is the 141^st  annual meeting of Temple Emanuel, I thought I would try to find some significance in the number 141.  Looking into the torah, I discovered that the Hebrew word, Malachim adds up to 141. 

Malachim are Angels.  On Friday night, we sing the song, “Shalom Aleychem” where we welcome God’s divine angels who descend to earth to bring us the peace of Shabbat.  But Malachim are not only angels, they also are messengers.  The Jewish concept of angels differs somewhat from the commonplace understanding of cherubic winged messengers that we find in many Renaissance paintings.  In Jewish tradition , Malachim serve the function of being God’s messengers.  I like to think that all of us, at some point in our lives, can serve the function of being an angel – making connections here on earth between God and humanity.

Jacob, in his dream at Beth El, saw Angels coming and going – ascending and descending – on a ladder to the heavens.  In many ways, this past year was filled with many comings and goings as our congregation went through many important transitions.

·         We have said goodbye to long-time and beloved members of our community and professional staff and welcomed new members. 

·         We initiated a major overhaul of our internal workings – shifting responsibilities and creating new positions – preparing for next year which will continue these transitions.

·         We have had the sad task of burying beloved members of our community and comforting bereaved families

·         We have welcomed babies into the world and celebrated new life

·         We welcomed scholars and artists including: 

o   April – 2015 – Nashir Songleader workshop

o   Jonah Pesner – Scholar in residence

o   Ellen Allard

o   Rabbi Daniel Freelander – Scholar in Residence

o   Four Telling:  Julie Silver, Beth Schafer, Miuchelle Citrin and Peri Smilow

o   Noah Aronson

o   EJ Cohen

o   Rabbi Angela Buchdahl – Sr. Rabbi of Central Synagogue – taught, sand and helped to install Cantor Sacks

We instituted a new format for professional working teams at Temple

·         The Clergy Team – Led by me.

·         The Learning and Engagement Team – Led by our new Director of Learning and Engagement, Zach Rolf

·         The Operations Team  - Led by my co-CEO and Executive Director, Steve Stark

·          

We created new Task Forces to explore important aspects of our community.  These included:

·         B’nai Mitzvah

·         Building

·         Education/search committee

·         Preparing for New Machzorim (High Holiday Prayerbooks)

·         ECC BUILD Campaign – working with the Rose Foundation and other Early Childhood Centers in our community to enhance our ability to meet the needs of this vital population.

We instituted multiple listening campaigns to find ways to increase our ability to achieve excellence and instill best practices in the following areas:

·         Education

·         Engagement

·         Operations and Budget

Sue and I led Congregational Trips to:

·         Cuba

·         Israel

I travelled to Israel with a select rabbinic delegation from AIPAC geared towards engaging progressive rabbis from around the country. AIPAC – Havdalah

I was involved in the community in the following areas:

·         RMRC (Rocky Mountain Rabbinical Council) Presidency

·         House Chaplain – I continue to serve in the Colorado State House of Representatives – delivering a prayer every Thursday morning during the legislative session.

·         Faith Spokesperson – I work with the Colorado Interfaith Alliance as a spokesperson for social justice.

·         I serve on the Board of Jewish Colorado

·         I serve on Governor Hickenlooper’s Clergy Advisory Council

·         I serve on the ADL Board

·         I continue to Teach for RMRC’s community-wide Introduction to Judaism program.

Life Cycle

As your Rabbi – I, along with my clergy colleagues am privileged and sometimes burdened with the task of helping facilitate these transitions in the life of our congregation.

If malachim are both Angels and messengers, we are so fortunate to have dedicated lay leadership who support our congregation with their time, their resources and their passion.

Our President, Ellen Abrams, had a very busy 2^nd year.  She is a dedicated and hard-working, visionary leader who shares our dream of helping Temple Emanuel enter into a new world of cutting edge leadership and innovation.  She truly is a blessing. 

Ellen has been actively involved in every aspect of Temple life:  From our Shwayder Campaign to leadership development, staff transition, every form of fundraising,

Our trustees and officers have worked tirelessly to ensure that our vision is in line with our deeds and that we will have the resources and resilience to continue to grow.

Staff Partners

Our staff team looks very different now than it did 6 years ago, when I first came to Temple.  We have had many transitions – many coming and goings.

We said goodbye to Janet Bronitsky and welcomed Steve Stark as my co-CEO – Executive Director of Temple Emanuel.  I want to say how fortunate I am to be able to partner with Steve on a daily basis.  He is a deeply committed Jew. He is a student of torah and a consummate professional.  He shares our vision for a congregation that is not satisfied with being “ordinary” – he wants us all to rise up and find new avenues of excellence.  He makes sure that all of us have the tools we need to serve our community while also ensuring that we are fiscally responsible.  Steve’s warmth and mentshlichkeit are genuine and a wonderful reflection of our congregation’s values.  He is “Audacious Hospitality” personified.

We celebrated Cantor Heit’s retirement in grand style and recognized her many years of dedicated service to our congregation and the Jewish People.

Our newly-installed Sr. Cantor, Elizabeth Sacks, brings a tremendous wealth of talent, commitment and energy.  Over the past 4 years that she has been a part of Temple Emanuel, she has continued to bless us with her leadership, organizational skills, calm presence and exemplary work ethic.  She has developed caring and deep relationships with her students – whether studying Talmud, Weekly torah study, b’nai mitzvah – Cantor Sacks is a gift to our community and the Jewish people.  She is a born leader – not only here at Temple, but nationally - something about which we should be justifiably proud.

Rabbi Immerman continues to grow in his role as Associate Rabbi.  This has been a momentous year for him as he and his bride, Jenny celebrated their marriage over Superbowl weekend.  Brian’s caring, compassion, vision and commitment to social justice have all served to enhance our congregation.  His work with the Hineyni project is a vitally important part of our outreach to younger adults and families in our community.

Ron Leff, our outgoing Director of Education has created a legacy of educational excellence at Temple Emanuel for which we are eternally grateful.  Ron’s continued commitment to our youth, our religious school, and his legacy of outstanding programming – from Shwayder camp, to youth programming, alternative methodologies for Confirmation, religious school and so many other areas will be missed.  We wish Ron the best in his future endeavors and we will be celebrating him in two weekends during Shabbat services on Friday night and Religious school on Sunday morning.

Steve Brodsky – our director of Engagement and Artist in Residence is a gift.  Steve is yet another reason that I feel so blessed to be able to be a part of this wonderful congregation.  His spiritual depth, attention to detail, genuine warmth and good humor, and passion for worship make him not only a wonderful teammate, but a dear friend as well.

Jodie Abrams – our Director of Shwayder Camp – continues to impress everyone she meets.  This has not been an easy year.  We are in the midst of our capital campaign and Jodie has had to add to her busy schedule of hiring staff, designing the programming for the summer, facilitating recruitment while at the same time, dealing with a major capital campaign – looking at blueprints for new buildings, fundraising, and exploring options for camp during a time when we are both building and opening camp.  She is yet another Malach – messenger from on high.

Susan Wartchow – our ECC Director continues to weave her magic.  The ECC is an incredible place – full of energy and caring, learning and development.  Her absolute dedication to the healthy growth of every child – along with parents and siblings – while earning the respect and devotion of her staff, families and the greater Denver ECC community is a blessing.

Patricia Lackner, my administrative assistant has the unenviable task of managing my crazy schedule and keeping me organized.  Her patience, persistence, professionalism and sense of humor mean the world to me.

Francie Miran

This has been a powerful year for Francie.  Her unparalleled success in coordinating our annual fundraising concert, while juggling the intricacies of the Shwayder Capital Campaign, Live On and the multiple other projects with which she is involved has been fantastic.  She is a loyal and long-time member of our congregation who give of her time to lead our 5:30 service and so many other areas.  We also express our condolences to her on the recent loss of her beloved mother, Belle.

To Rayna, Sura, Rita, Julie, Simi, Robyn,  Cairo and all of the other team members I have not mentioned by name, I appreciate the many hours you invest in our congregation.  Your commitment to and love of Temple mean the world to me.

Our congregation is blessed by Malachim – messengers on High.  May all of us continue to find opportunities to be God’s messengers – here at Temple and every day of our lives.

The Day After the Storm: Opening Prayer for the CO State House

The world is filled with lessons, isn’t it?  We think that we know where we are going; we make plans; we are strategic in our thinking and our actions, and then, all of a sudden, something happens that reminds us just how silly our hubris can be.  There’s an old Yiddish proverb that states:

“Der mentsh trakht un Got lakht. – People plan and God laughs”

When we looked out of our windows yesterday morning and saw the snow piling up, many of realized that, no matter how important we thought we were – no matter what vital business lay on our desks, the simple facts that 2 inches of snow was falling every hour and that the howling winds were blowing meant that we weren’t going anywhere.  All we could do was bow our heads and accept our fate.  We were not and are not in control. 

What a vital perspective we can gain when we are put in our places!

Let us pray:

God who causes winds to blow and snow to fall;

God of the storm and God of the quiet;

All too often it is sometimes hard to believe that there is something greater than ourselves.  We live in a society that places supreme importance on the works of our hands and the words of our mouths.  We love to celebrate our own accomplishments and cherish the accolades that come with achievement.

But we also know that our creativity is only a pale reflection of Your Creation.  Our very nature is a result of Your nurturing.

While we often are frustrated when we face obstacles that emerge unexpectedly, we need to learn that control is an illusion and that order is the exception not the rule.

Help us O God to live with patience, so that we can see our limitations as opportunities to learn and  teach others. We thank You for the gift of perspective helps us to see beyond ourselves.

While we are sheltered from the storm, let us remember that there are all too many men, women and children who are caught in its icy grip; for whom every day is a challenge:

• not to create but to survive;
•  not to achieve but to keep from being deceived.

As You teach us our limitations, let us also see our strengths and the power that we have – especially those in this sacred chamber – to provide  hope for those who face obstacles every day.

We thank you for the warmth of the sun that melts away the ice of yesterday.

We thank you for the warmth of human kindness and compassion that can help us to combat the uncertainties of life.

You are our shelter. You are our teacher.

AMEN

Amalek And AIPAC

Amalek and AIPAC

March 18, 2016

Rabbi Joseph R. Black

Temple Emanuel – Denver, CO

In my former congregation in Albuquerque, one of the ways that we celebrated our community's 100th anniversary was by commissioning a sofer (scribe) to write a new Torah scroll.
When a sofer prepares to write, there is a special ritual that she or he goes through to check the quality of the quill and ink – to make sure that it will work properly. The scribe spells out the name AMALEK in Hebrew and then crosses it out.
This custom actually comes from a special section read on this Shabbat before Purim – Shabbat Zachor - Deuteronomy 25:17-19. The text reads as follows:
17 “Remember what Amalek did to you son the way as you came out of Egypt, 18 how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off the weak ones who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. 19 Therefore when Adonai your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that Adonai your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.”
The reason that we read this particular passage  on the Shabbat before Purim is that our tradition teaches that Haman was a descendant of the Amelekites – the arch-enemy of the Israelites.  The commandment to blot out the memory of Amalek is tied into the sounding of the Grogger when Haman’s name is mentioned.
This is a puzzling piece of Torah.  It tells us, at one and the same to remember what Amalek did AND to blot out his memory.
It’s almost as though we are receiving two contradictory messages at the same time – we’re told to both  remember and forget; to blot out Amalek's name while preserving his actions for eternity. How can we do both?  The Torah seems to be deliberately manipulating us. It just doesn't make sense.
I’m sure that many of you, like me, have been watching the rhetoric around the presidential primaries and feeling that, like the extra passages in this week’s parasha -  perhaps we all have fallen down a rabbit hole.  In particular, the circus atmosphere around the Trump campaign has brought political action to new depths of absurdity.
I am not here tonight to promote or denigrate any political candidates.  That is not my role as a rabbi.  I do feel, however, that when Jewish values are being trampled upon, it is my responsibility to point out when and where these abuses are taking place.
When a campaign appears to publicly  attack and denigrate immigrants and Muslims, when humiliation and accusations of opponents’ weaknesses become major talking points, when self-aggrandizement becomes the basis for domestic, economic and foreign policy, when violence against opponents is encouraged and incited from the dais, there are many who feel that a line has been crossed between legitimate political discourse and Lashon Harah – or hateful speech.
Tomorrow night, I have been given the honor of leading Havdalah at this year’s AIPAC policy conference in Washington, DC.  I will be joining with over 15,000 other pro-Israel activists who come together in our nation’s capital each year to study, dialogue and lobby on behalf of the State of Israel.  As always, AIPAC extends invitations to all of the candidates running for the highest office in our nation and most of the candidates have accepted – including Donald Trump.  Unfortunately, I will not be in Washington when he speaks on Monday night – I am returning to Denver that evening.
Nonetheless, if you’ve been following the news, you probably know that there are over 1,000 rabbis, cantors Jewish communal leaders and lay people who have agreed in principle – not to protest when Trump speaks, but to leave the arena before he speaks  - where they will gather together and study sacred texts on sinat chinam  - baseless hatred - and Lashon Harah – hateful speech.  I support this movement and, if I were to be in the arena on Monday night, I would join with my colleagues in their silent protest
Here are the guiding principles of this movement entitled “Come Together Against Hate”:
We come to AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, DC to support the strong and unbreakable bond between America and Israel. However, upon hearing that Donald Trump, along with other presidential candidates, will be speaking at AIPAC Policy Conference, we come together as Rabbis, Cantors, Jewish Professionals, and members of the Jewish community to repudiate the ugliness that Mr. Trump espouses.

We appreciate AIPAC’s commitment to bipartisanship and do not stand up to Donald Trump because of his party affiliation. We stand up because, as Jews, we must take a stand against hate. We denounce in the strongest possible terms the the bigotry, racism, xenophobia, and misogyny expressed by Mr. Trump, and violence promoted by him, at various points throughout his campaign.  We refuse to stand idly by and let his hateful message become a part of the AIPAC Policy Conference.

AIPAC’s theme for Policy Conference is “Come Together.” Our grassroots effort spans many denominations, ages and political affiliations. We are committed to coming together against hate. We are committed to saying that Donald Trump does not speak for us or represent us, and his values are not AIPAC’s values. They are not the values of the Jewish community. They are not the values of our founders’ vision of an America where all citizens are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” (http://www.cometogetheragainsthate.com/#!about/c4nz)

On this Shabbat we read about how Amalek attacked the weakest and most vulnerable among the Israelites.  We are told to do all that we can to stop this type of behavior.  I believe in the political process and I also believe that everyone should participate and vote for whichever candidates represent their values.  I also believe that we have a right and a responsibility to speak out when our Jewish values are being trampled upon.  History has shown again and again that when specific ethnicities, religions and ideologies are singled out for attack, others soon follow.  This week’s parasha, in reminding us to both blot out the memory of Amalek and never to forget his tactics of attacking those who are weakest rings as true today as it did 4,000 years ago.

I look forward to sharing my experiences at AIPAC with you from the pulpit and online.

Shabbat Shalom.

My Remarks at Today's Press Conference in Opposition to Two "Personhood" Bills in the Colorado State Legislature

I am here today, as a faith leader in our community, to state that our God is a loving and caring God – who feels our pain and whose teachings cause us to believe that a woman has the right to make her own choices about her body. 

We are all here today because we have struggled, prayed and debated with one another, with ourselves and our souls and come to the conclusion that we believe that this proposed legislation that effectively outlaws safe and legal abortion would do more harm than good and that access to safe and legal birth control and abortion services are a reflection of a just and moral society.

Despite rhetoric which labels anyone who supports Choice as anti-God, anti religion and anti humanity,  we know that our support of a woman’s right to choose is based on our faith in God and the ability of human beings, created in the image of God, to make important decisions about health, safety and wholeness.

Despite the attempts of those who disagree with us to paint us as evil, we are not “pro-abortion.” 

The decision to terminate a pregnancy is very difficult and painful.  It should never be taken lightly.  And yet, we also feel, passionately that such a decision should be made by individual women – in consultation with family (whenever possible), or with clergy, or counselors and, ultimately with God.  We do not believe that Government, Church, synagogue or mosque should be placed in the position of legislating or interfering in the most intimate aspects of our lives.

There are those who have struggled with the issue of abortion and, after deliberate and careful analysis – after much prayer and reflection – have come to the conclusion that they cannot support a woman’s right to choose.   While I, personally, do not agree with their conclusions, I respect their deliberation and I feel that the process of dialogue and discussion is vitally important.  We can agree to disagree- honoring the process that has brought us to our own particular conclusions.   But for too many – the fact that we disagree on an important issue means that the other must be demonized and marginalized.  This, my friends, is unforgivable.

We are here today because we are disgusted by the hypocrisy that we witness on a daily basis that justifies the creation of laws that, on the one hand, prohibit a woman from terminating an unwanted pregnancy, and on the other hand, make it difficult for that same woman to receive proper healthcare, nutrition or childcare once that unwanted pregnancy comes to term.

Throughout history, demagogues have always looked for easy targets– creating demons that represent the evils of society.  Recently, we have seen how women   - especially poor women - have once again become a favored target.  We have seen how Fundamentalist, conservative legislators have tried to undo decades of progress in women’s health and bring us back to a much darker time.

This legislation will only serve to increase the divisions within our society.  Our task today is to find ways to build bridges – not demonize honest citizens faced with difficult choices that should not be legislated by our government.