It’s been a week. It’s been quite a week. Just last Sunday we began marking the Three Weeks, that period that begins on the 17^th of Tammuz when the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans in 70CE and that culminates with Tisha B’Av when the Temple was destroyed. We are taught in the Talmud, in a text we will examine shortly, that the Temple was destroyed because of Sinat Chinam, senseless, baseless hatred. Jew of Jew.

So here are three news stories coming out of Israel this week. Right at the beginning of this period of mourning. And I mourn today, both for the historical injustices and the all too current ones. I mourn. I reflect. I act. Yes, you do have a rabbi that is an activist.

Some rabbis have stopped talking about Israel from the bimah. It has become too politically charged. Some say that as Jews we cannot say anything negative about Israel. That we can’t air our dirty linen in public. Some say that our biggest threats are not the external ones, that they are the internal ones. Quite simply I love Israel and I cannot remain silent.

On Sunday last week, the Israeli cabinet, under pressure from the ultra-Orthodox, reversed a decision on the Conversion Law, making it more difficult for the 330,000 people in Israel not considered Jewish by the Chief Rabbinate in Israel. These people are mostly Jews from the former Soviet Union and their Israeli born children.

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Liberman-Haredi-parties-control-government-Israeli-society-captive-to-extremist-elements-408032

The Jewish Agency has expressed “deep regrets” over the cabinet decision and explains that the establishment of local courts would have made conversion more accessible to immigrants and their children, who “desire to join the Jewish people in a more complete and recognized manner,” Jewish Agency Chairman, Natan Sharansky.

What this means for me as a Diaspora rabbi, as a woman rabbi, as a rabbi representing a non-Orthodox congregation, that my conversions will not be recognized. This is not really a new story. And when I meet with conversion candidates I always explain that while I will work with them, if they are thinking of making aliyah, they might want to consider an Orthodox conversion.

This story alone would have gotten my Irish ire up. But the news did not stop there. You see, this is partly my story.

I guess I always knew my mother was right. This is good because the next story came out on what would have been her birthday. According the Minister of Religious Affairs in Israel, I am not really a Jew. Shocking, yes?

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Religious-Services-Minister-Reform-Jews-arent-Jews-408224

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Religious-Services-Minister-Reform-Jews-arent-Jews-408224

So how does it feel to have a rabbi that isn’t Jewish? As one of our members said immediately. “The haredim, they’re crazy.” And if were just me and my mother and by extension my daughter, I wouldn’t care as much. But allow me to tell her story:

My grandmother, was born in Ireland and sent to a Jewish orphanage in Milwaukee. In the late 1890s. So she could have a better life. She was adopted by the L. Fish family in Chicago (a famous furniture company family) and raised as Jewish. My mother was raised as Jewish (excuse me, as a classical Reform Jew), was confirmed in 1938 at Sherith Israel in Saint Louis, a founder of Temple Emanuel Saint Louis, married by a rabbi in Saint Louis (a Reform rabbi but still), raised her children as Jews. I was a Bat Mitzvah and a Confirmand at Temple Emanuel Grand Rapids (Reform) and then went on a NFTY summer program. I fell in love. I went to college. I went to Israel. I resumed the relationship with my high school sweetheart. We thought we would get married but the State of Israel decided I wasn’t a Jew and would have to convert. I did not. Instead I proved that my grandmother had been born Jewish in Ireland and sent to that orphanage precisely because it was Jewish. Then I did what any angry 20 year old does. I threw the research out.

As you know I worked for Jewish educational organizations, became a rabbi, worked at a mikveh (no real doubt I am Jewish by now, can’t count the number of times I have immersed!) and still work for a Jewish organization. But really, these kinds of stories, these ongoing stories still hurt.

Now we have congregants whose conversions I helped facilitate who wonder, “Am I really a Jew” and sadly I have to explain again–as I do in the conversion process, that for me you are Jewish, for this congregation you are considered Jewish. However, in Israel you may not be considered Jewish. Or should that language be Jewish enough?

Don’t worry, most of you here are not Jewish either. No Reform Jews. No Jews who are not ultra-Orthodox—and as Saul said—they didn’t even fight to make the State of Israel a State, they are still waiting for the Messiah. Here is the shocking quote from the Minister of Religious Affairs, Shas MK David Azoulay: “Let’s just say there’s a problem,” he said in an interview with Israel’s Army Radio, before adding “I cannot allow myself to call such a person a Jew.”

Of course, these comments raised international criticism immediately. Predictably, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, head of the Reform Movement. But also the head of American Jewish Committee, “The American Rabbinate is charged with mustering pro-Israel support among constituents. Repeated humiliation of so many within the Rabbinate, and failure to revise the laws governing personal-status issues, risks alienating the bulk of American Jewry and will make it more difficult to secure that support.” See more at: http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nl/newsletter3.asp?c=7oJILSPwFfJSG&b=8478375#sthash.L503tELw.dpuf

Even Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, that Azoulay’s views, “do not reflect the position of the government” and clarifying that Israel “is home to all Jews.” And he did apologize, sort of, claiming that Reform Jews are still “sinners” and the ones to blame for assimilation.

The best line, came from my colleague and friend, Conservative Rabbi Menachem Creditor who is in Israel as part of the Hartman Institute. He wrote to Netanyahu to express his dismay and it was carried in the Times of Israel: “To put it as painfully and as simply as is possible: I’m too busy protecting Israel from delegitimization to protect myself, as a Conservative rabbi, from Israel’s delegitimization. On this day, the 17th of Tammuz, over 2,000 years ago, the walls of Jerusalem were breached. On this day, the 17th of Tammuz of this year, again a great harm has been done to the People Israel. But, as opposed to the mythic re-understanding of the Romans destruction of Jerusalem, this time it’s painfully clear: we’re destroying ourselves from the inside out.”

But those two stories were not enough. Also this week, a woman studying at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem went to the Kotel. The last remaining place of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The focus of many of our prayers for 2000 years. And she wore a kippah. Just as she does in Colorado. Just like she does at the Conservative Yeshiva. Just as I do here this morning. Most mornings and at the Kotel. She was not allowed access to the Kotel Plaza. The security guards demanded to know “who authorized you to wear a kippah.” They attempted to arrest her and was escorted off property. Let me be clear. She was there as an individual, wanting to daven as she sees fit—as many of our members do here. This was not, as some suspected, an organized Woman of the Wall event. I remain a proud member of the Women of the Wall, precisely because of these kinds of provocations. The Rabbi of the Western Wall, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, eventually apologized, first saying he knew nothing about the incident. His apology is similar to that of Azoulay’s. “If such an incident did take place, the Kotel ushers were wrong to prevent Linda from entering… the Western Wall is open to every man and woman. I would like to send my sincere apology and the ushers’ apology to Linda, and I hope she will come back and visit the Kotel soon,” “Unfortunately, there has been a difficult atmosphere of suspicion and lack of faith in the Western Wall recently as a result of the Women of the Wall’s loud struggle,” the rabbi explained. “It’s an atmosphere which affects many worshippers, and Linda was affected too.”

Does anyone else see the problem here? A woman can wear a kippah in Colorado or Elgin without fear of arrest and cannot in Israel? The woman is being blamed for what she is wearing? This is a blame the victim apology. Now here is the irony. This very same rabbi wrote this week’s d’var Torah for Jerusalem Post, where he praises the daughters of Zelophehad for speaking out and continuing their father’s name by being granted a share in his inheritance. He calls them courageous women.

http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Parshat-Pinhas-Woman-and-hope-408543

This, the very week, where there are three sections that show how inclusive the tradition is for women. We are given the rules for Rosh Hodesh, the new month, the half holiday for women. We are told, as Rabinovitch explains in his own D’var Torah, how the daughters of Zelophehad are courageous in demanding to inherit their father’s land. All five of them. Their names are preserved. Malah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. And we are told that Yocheved gave birth to Aaron, Moses and Miriam. All three siblings. In the very same verse.

These women are our inheritance. We have to care about these outrageous stories from Israel to protect their very legacy. Our legacy. We have to care about these stories because we cannot give into sinat chinam, we must embrace what Rav Kook called sinat ahavat.

These are the Three Weeks. I would urge you to do Three Things:

1. Study the texts below:
2. Speak out. Don’t hide these stories. Don’t hide your story. Find your voice. Explain how they affect you personally. Write to Benjamin Netanyahu. Take a photo of you with your kippah or your tallit and send it to Women of the Wall for their campaign, My Tallit, My Perogative. http://womenofthewall.org.il/campaigns/my-prerogative/
3. Give generously to JUF. Taking our support away from Israel at this critical time will only make it easier for the ultra-Orthodox. My former boss used to say, “Follow the money.” If we continue to give, Israel will have to listen. Our own Harry Seigle, brother of Mark and Michael is chairing this year’s JUF annual campaign. I am sure we will hear more of this in later months. Or give to New Israel Fund.

Talmud Bavli Yoma 9b:

Why was the First Temple destroyed? Because of three evils in it: idolatry, sexual immorality and bloodshed . . . But why was the Second Temple destroyed, seeing that during the time it stood people occupied themselves with Torah, with observance of precepts, and with the practice of charity? Because during the time it stood, hatred without rightful cause prevailed. This is to teach you that hatred without rightful cause is deemed as grave as all the three sins of idolatry, sexual immorality and bloodshed together.
[AJWS translation]

Avot De Rabbi Natan:
Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai once was walking with his disciple Rabbi Joshua near Jerusalem after the destruction of the Temple. Rabbi Joshua looked at the Temple ruins and said: “Alas for us! The place which atoned for the sins of the people Israel through the ritual of animal sacrifice lies in ruins!” Then Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai spoke to him these words of comfort: “Be not grieved, my son. There is another way of gaining atonement even though the Temple is destroyed. We must now gain atonement through deeds of lovingkindness.” For it is written, “Lovingkindness I desire, not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6).  Siddur Sim Shalom, (Avot DeRabbi Natan)  Jules Harlow, ed. (New York: United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism)

Rav Abraham Kook, First Chief Rabbi in Israel:
“If we were destroyed, and the world with us, due to baseless hatred, then we shall rebuild ourselves, and the world with us, with baseless love — ahavat chinam. (Orot HaKodesh vol. III, p. 324)

It would seem the current Israeli rabbinate has forgotten these fundamental texts. It is our job to remind them, to teach the texts and make them our own. To that point, on Tisha B’av itself, we will gather here at CKI to study more of Rav Kook’s work. Please join us.