News from Middle Tennessee's Jewish Community |
Monday, Jan. 27, 2025
In the beginning of January 2023, America experienced her greatest travel hiccup since 9-11 when tens of thousands of people were stranded as flights were canceled due to a computer glitch. Like those who were forced to sleep in airports, many of us find ourselves stuck in low-energy relationships, lackluster jobs, or living in places we’re not excited about, and we wonder why it needs to be this way. Our lives are often stressed, and we're stretched from frustration through to outright suffering, and we’re all bewildered—why does G-d allow us to suffer?
The Plot: The Secret Story of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion by Will Eisner
One Saturday evening last month, when we put on our phones right after Shabbat, we saw the shocking news of what happened in Colleyville Texas. Four Jews had been taken hostage within their Temple, during Shabbat services. It was irrelevant what community the Rabbi represented, or what style service he led. A Jew was in trouble, and that was all that mattered. We all sprang into action, first praying ourselves, and encouraging others to pray as well.
On Erev Rosh Hashana, we opened our pulpit to listen to the emerging Jewish voices of the next generation. As they spoke, we listened, and we learned. We learned of the continued importance of inclusion and embrace of newcomers within the Jewish tent. We were reminded of the need not only for inclusion within our synagogue, but also, of the care and concern for those in need already within the walls of our congregation. And we were encouraged to remember the centrality and the significance of the security and survival of the Jewish homeland, the State of Israel, despite its conflicts and complications.
The recent results of the Pew Study of American Jewish Community shared the astounding conclusion that the number of, “Nones,” those Jews who claim no religious affiliation or identity, is increasing in number, particularly among the younger demographic slice of our Jewish communities.
