Rabbi Arthur Weiner

  What is Judaism? What is something that, theoretically, all Jews share? What connects two otherwise unconnected Jews, in the way that all Americans are bound by nationality or Buddhists by the teaching of Buddha. Is it a religion, an ethnicity, a philosophy, a lifestyle? When someone says they are Jewish, what does that imply? That they have a Jewish mother? A Jewish parent? That they converted? That they go to synagogue? Keep kosher? Eat bagels cream cheese and lox? Are involved in social justice movements? The 2020 Pew Survey on Jewish identity in America asked American Jews to pick from among 10 options to select what an essential part of being Jewish is to them. The 10 options might say more about the survey-makers than Jews, but included remembering the Holocaust, leading a moral life, working for justice and equality in society, carrying on family traditions, caring about Israel, eating Jewish foods, and observing Jewish law. The vast majority of Jews-76%-identified r...

I titled my Shabbat message this week Lessons from a Hostage Crisis deliberately.   That was the name of a special session for Rabbis and Jewish communal leaders arranged and sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) that took place yesterday afternoon.   Hundreds of leaders gathered on Zoom for a meeting that featured Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, the leader of Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville Texas whose heroic actions helped save the lives of his congregants and has been rightly lauded by law enforcement and political leaders throughout the country for his outstanding leadership and level headed thinking during the crisis.   The meeting also featured FBI Director Christopher Wray. So, what are the lessons learned from this crisis, especially for synagogues like ours.   There are many possible lessons, and I suspect that we will debate them within our synagogues, Jewish Centers and Day Schools, camps and organizations for a long time. But some are appare...

  On Monday, our nation will pause and honor Martin Luther King Jr.   A Federal holiday in honor of an individual is a rare honor.   We have had many great Americans who have played a role in elevating our national discourse and policies.   But MLK may have been the most influential.   I am not a professional historian, so I am not the one to provide a full assessment of his achievements.   Having read all sorts of books about his life and work, I cannot help but be inspired and impressed by his humanity, his humility and courage.   He was larger than life, and changed the direction of American history.   He was revered by just about everyone, including those whose grandparents probably despised him.   Perhaps given different circumstances, he might have chosen a different path.   MLK was a significant religious scholar and theologian in his own right.   He was natural born leader and charismatic speaker, and a successful pastor o...

Yesterday, our nation observed a bitter anniversary, marking the riots and attacks at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called the attack on Pearl Harbor "a day of infamy." I wonder what future generations will call this terrible moment in our nation's history? President Biden may have said it best yesterday when in an address to the nation, he said about the people who took part in the riots "they weren't looking to uphold the will of the people, they were looking to deny the will of the people". That should frighten us. The events of January 6, 2021 were a direct assault on our great American democratic institutions. Everyone who cares about the them needs to understand the threats that challenge them, and our responsibility to defend them. Future generations will not forgive us if we fail. This Shabbat, I do not want to repeat what others may have said yesterday. There are many voices superior to mine that wi...