February 26, 2014

I grew up in a liberal home in which politics, social issues and, most importantly, social responsibility were often discussed. I recall organizational meetings to support various Democratic candidates taking place in my den and vividly remember hours spent putting political placards on doors throughout my town.

My parents’ lessons on social values of inclusion, equality, and fairness have stuck with me. They shaped the adult I have become, guide my vote each November, and influenced the type of community I wanted to serve. It was the open, liberal, progressive approach long taken by my congregation that initially drew me to it. Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel is a congregation that looks for every opportunity to say “yes” and be inclusive. It is why we gutted our main worship space a few years ago and made sure it was accessible through ramps and movable chairs. It is why, as long as I am the only officiant, I will perform an interfaith marriage (with the hope that, by doing so, I will be helping to create a new Jewish home.) It is why, in February of 2012, I was in Trenton testifying before the State Assembly on behalf of marriage equality, and joined in celebration with friends whose wedding I performed when their marriage was finally recognized by the state this past fall.

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AUGUST 14, 2014, 9:45 PM

One of the great privileges of the rabbinate is the opportunity to teach the Jewish leaders of tomorrow and play some small role in their learning and growth.

One of the great gifts of the rabbinate is seeing those young people grow into amazing young adults whose understanding, commitment and passion is boundless.

Numerous young people from my congregation were in Israel this summer when the missiles began flying. One of them shared her experience with me yesterday. Her words inspired me. She expressed the impact of her time in Israel beautifully. And as I read her piece I was struck that this summer’s conflict was only a small part of the overall experience she had. By relating her time in Israel this summer in this manner she helped remind me that we need to look past the missiles and the conflict. By so doing we can be reminded that Israel continues to be an inspiration for us and for the next generation.

I am grateful to Ashley Rose for permitting me to share her words in this space.

Read more: Israel still inspires | Daniel M. Cohen | The Blogs | The Times of Israel http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/israel-still-inspires/#ixzz3As5LAN48 
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AUGUST 13, 2014, 5:41 PM

One of my former students shared a post on Facebook the other day that reflected his feelings of intense sadness about what is going on between Israel and Iranian-backed Hamas, and especially about the suffering of the civilians in Gaza. In the post, I was struck by the tension he struggles with between his Jewish identity and his sense of compassion and humanity (which are at the core of Judaism).

Many of the reports of the current conflict have been distorted, and I believe they have impacted how many people view the situation. I want to share a few thoughts in response to some of the questions my student raised and the statements he made.

In his post my student refers to “The Occupation of Gaza.”

There is no Israeli occupation of Gaza, because Israel pulled out of Gaza nine years ago. They did so with one goal – that it would be a step toward peace.

Read more: Responding to a friend about Israel | Daniel M. Cohen | The Blogs | The Times of Israel http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/responding-to-a-friend-about-israel/#ixzz3As50s9E5 
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AUGUST 11, 2014, 8:09 AM

What does it say about you, your perspective, and your cause when you use lies, falsehoods, threats and slander to make your point?

That is the question I have been asking about social media images of Syrian wounded being use as “evidence of Israeli atrocities” in Gaza. One particularly disgraceful image showed an Israeli family of 5 that had been murdered in a terrorist attack, claiming they were Gaza residents slaughtered by Israel.

It is the question I have been asking myself when it finally came to light that the reason we were not seeing images of Hamas terrorists or the locations of missile sites in school, hospitals, and civilian population centers was because Hamas has been threatening and intimidating reporters.

Read more: Guns and Social Media; Two Things That Some People Shouldn’t Touch | Daniel M. Cohen | The Blogs | The Times of Israel http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/guns-and-social-media-two-things-that-some-people-shouldnt-touch/#ixzz3As4mFIlF 
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AUGUST 6, 2014, 5:20 AM

In recent weeks, comedian Bill Maher has emerged as far more supportive of Israel than I would have expected. Jon Stewart, on the other hand, has revealed himself to be a consistent detractor of the Jewish State.

Last week’s Real Time with Bill Maher however, had some difficult moments for someone like me, who is both a fan of Bill Maher and a proud Zionist. During the show, Maher made clear that while he supports Israel’s right to defend herself, he does not support US aid to Israel; one of his statements was, “Israel can take off its training wheels.”

I found his comments particularly stinging, as they came shortly after Congress had approved additional funding for Iron Dome.

One of Maher’s guests, Reza Aslan the author of the book Zealot, utilized even more extreme anti-Israel rhetoric. His opening comment was, “It’s not like we are giving them money to build schools and hospitals. We’re giving them money to buy weapons.”

Read more: Real Time… False Claims… | Daniel M. Cohen | The Blogs | The Times of Israel http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/real-time-false-claims/#ixzz3As4SJmwu 
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AUGUST 3, 2014, 5:40 AM

We are a people of memory and remembrance. Our celebratory holidays help make sure we know from whence we came. Our memorial observances insure we understand grief and allow ourselves to touch the pain of loss. That psychological and spiritual excursive is, however, just the first step. For memory and loss by themselves are, at best static and, at worst, internal forms of idolatry. Remembrance that allows us to sit in our anguish serves to simply lock us in the past. It does little to honor the memory of what we, our loved ones and our community endured. Remembrance that calls us to action however opens the door to a future of action.

This is, perhaps, best seen in our communal commemoration of Tisha B’av and its aftermath.

Read more: Remembrance Is Just the First Step | Daniel M. Cohen | The Blogs | The Times of Israel http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/remembrance-is-just-the-first-step/#ixzz3As4DLqXQ 
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