Rabbi Arthur Weiner

  Dear JCCP/CBT family,  This Shabbat , as we enter the final days before the elections, I want to share a statement by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA).   The JCPA is a national network of 90 major Jewish organizations including the Conservative, Orthodox and Reform movements, as well as 76 local Jewish community relations councils and Federations, including our own Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey.  The organized Jewish community in the United States demands free and fair elections, and calls upon our elected officials at all levels of government to protect the integrity of the process against all threats.   A Jewish Statement on Elections and Democratic Principles The bedrock of American liberty is a strong, thriving democracy and an engaged citizenry. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered almost every aspect of the way we live, including how we vote in elections. It’s a longstanding tradition that nonpart...

  Dear JCCP/CBT family,   Just over two months ago, I wrote to the congregation about the surprise and unexpected announcement that Israel and the United Arab Emirates had reached an historic agreement to establish full diplomatic relations. At the time, I explained to the congregation how many observers remarked that this was Israel’s biggest diplomatic achievement in 25 years. What has taken place in these past two months? Has the establishment of diplomatic relations lived up to the hype? The answer is an unqualified yes! In the past two months, the establishment of diplomatic relations with the UAE was quickly followed by establishment of similar relations with the nation of Bahrain. And there have been reports from both Jerusalem as well as Washington that other nations may soon announce establishment of relations with Israel. In fact, just this afternoon (Thursday), a leading Israeli newspaper confirmed that Israeli and Sudanese officials were co...

  Dear JCCP/CBT Family, For the first several months of the pandemic, the question that I was asked most frequently was to help our members understand the poor response of many members of the ultra-orthodox and Hasidic community in both our own area, and in Israel. Our members, who were taking the precautions recommended by our elected officials and public health experts, wanted to understand the actions and decisions of many members of those communities.   I’m not an ultra-orthodox or Hasidic Jew. So, I could not give them all the answers.  I too was and remain confused and frustrated by their indifference, and often lackadaisical response. Last week, attention to the response of these communities to the pandemic was in the news again. In video that was widely seen throughout the nation, a demonstration in Borough Park protesting new policies enacted to stop the spread of the virus within certain NYC zip codes soon turned violent. Durin...

  Dear JCCP/CBT Family, This Shabbat , which is also the last day of Sukkot and Shimini Atzeret, is one of the four times of the year we recite the series of prayers called the Yizkor service.  Yizkor  (Hebrew, literally "remember") is a mourning service recited by those who have lost a parent or a loved one.  Yizkor  is recited on Yom Kippur, on the eighth day of Sukkot (Shimini Atzeret), on the last day of Passover, and on the second day of Shavuot.   The earliest source for  Yizkor  is in the  Midrash Tanchuma,  which cites the custom of remembering the departed and pledging charity on their behalf on Yom Kippur. The Ashkenazi custom of reciting  Yizkor  on the festivals began during the Crusades when massacres wiped out many Jewish communities.   The central part of  Yizkor  is the paragraph beginning with the words  Yizkor Elohim  (may God remember). Our prayer books have indiv...

  Dear JCCP/CBT Family, This Shabbat , which is also the last day of Sukkot and Shimini Atzeret, is one of the four times of the year we recite the series of prayers called the Yizkor service.  Yizkor  (Hebrew, literally "remember") is a mourning service recited by those who have lost a parent or a loved one.  Yizkor  is recited on Yom Kippur, on the eighth day of Sukkot (Shimini Atzeret), on the last day of Passover, and on the second day of Shavuot.   The earliest source for  Yizkor  is in the  Midrash Tanchuma,  which cites the custom of remembering the departed and pledging charity on their behalf on Yom Kippur. The Ashkenazi custom of reciting  Yizkor  on the festivals began during the Crusades when massacres wiped out many Jewish communities.   The central part of  Yizkor  is the paragraph beginning with the words  Yizkor Elohim  (may God remember). Our prayer books have indiv...

  Dear JCCP/CBT family This evening, we begin the holiday of Sukkot. It’s one of the three major pilgrimage festivals of the Jewish people, along with Passover and Shavuot.  Each of these three holidays have unique names. Passover is also known as the holiday of spring, or the feast of matzah. Shavuot is known as the holiday of first fruits, and the time of the giving of the Torah. But Sukkot’s other name in Hebrew is simply “The holiday.”  If Passover symbolizes freedom, and Shavuot, the spring harvest, Sukkot is about joy. In fact, the liturgy for Sukkot reminds us that it is “ Z’man Simchatenu ” literally, the season of our happiness.   These are difficult times.  The pandemic continues with renewed vigor.  Tuesday night’s debate confirmed the ugliness in American political life today. President Trump once again failed to forcefully repudiate and condemn white supremacy in general, and a particularly anti-Semit...