In my February 20 column about why Temple Israel removed its bid to move to the Jewish Community Campus, I discussed why the decision was ultimately as much about potlucks as property. Temple Israel planned to have two kitchens in its new facility, one which would be under the supervision of the Vaad HaKashrut and which would be used for community-wide events, and another which would abide by a different set of dietary standards and would be dedicated to Temple events and private simchas.
I concluded by suggesting the dispute over dietary laws and standards merely scratched the surface of what is a broader conversation that needs to be had about the set of values that bind us as a community.
I often hear the term “Jewish values” mentioned, but I’m not always sure what that means. In the spirit of the goal behind this Values, Ethics, Community column that I was invited to launch some years ago, I’m going to try my hand at laying out a first-cut Values Declaration. These are both aspirational values as well as descriptive ones. Where we fall short in practice, we should strive to improve.
My hope is that this will be a draft which people will weigh in on, redraft, rework and wrestle with.
1. Jewish Literacy – This is a theme I’ve returned to, particularly around discussions of Jewish education and Jewish camp. I think it’s fair to say that a value of our community is ensuring our next generation is conversant in Jewish history, Hebrew (if not Yiddish) language, the cycle of the Jewish calendar, and Jewish prayer. This means we need to shore up the ability of our institutions to deliver the kind of Jewish knowledge that will sustain a content-rich Jewish identity. Having a Jewish identity with knowledge as its cornerstone is ultimately richer and less prone to clubbishness for its own sake.
2. Kehila (community) – Our many community events and fundraising efforts signal to each other, and to our children, that shoring up existing institutions and their enhancement of Jewish life in Ottawa is a priority. But, we should be cognizant of where we can strive to improve the various institutions that make up the landscape. I have written previously about my desire to work within my own shul to strengthen practices around inclusion, for example. In Exit, Voice and Loyalty, Albert Hirschman’s famous social science formulation, the ultimate question for some, for whom mute loyalty doesn’t feel right, may be how one can exercise one’s voice before one abdicates altogether?
3. Israel – In many of our community activities, we work to inculcate a connection to Israel. I think we could work to encourage a more nuanced understanding of Israeli culture, as well as the serious political situation in which Israel finds itself. Some people seem to view a connection to Israel as implying that Israeli actions should not be criticized. In my mind, there remains much more to be discussed around this, including the question of how we can be meaningfully engaged if we don’t wrestle loudly and visibly with the question of Israel in our lives, and with the impact of Israel’s actions on others.
4. Derekh Eretz (civility) – When someone acts unkindly, I sometimes hear the action criticized in terms of it not living up to Jewish values. Jewish tradition points to the imperative of derekh eretz, (literally “the way of the land,” but generally understood to mean, kindness, appropriateness, and civility). This, of course, should translate into awareness both of how we treat each other interpersonally within and across communities; how we manage pluralism, including different types of Judaic belief and practice; and how our community may occasionally deliver messages about other communities. This also means that we should continue to be aware of the kinds of messages our community-sponsored speakers deliver about others groups.
5. Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) – Are there wrongs out there that need to be righted? Who is hungry? Who is lonely? Who is excluded? Who is suffering? What is at risk? Working to build up a sense of community feels hollow to me if we don’t see our actions as being connected to a grander vision of repairing the rips in the fabric of the world, including on our planet itself. Though we are a strong and vibrant community, we should view our borders as permeable.
Let’s see how we can continue to hone the conversation on Jewish values in Ottawa. E-mail your thoughts to me at mira_sucharov@carleton.ca or, as always, write a letter to the editor at bulletin@ottawajewishbulletin.com. I will collect what I receive and get back to you in a future column.
**A version of this column is appearing in this week's Ottawa Jewish Bulletin**
No comments:
Post a Comment