When you live in a small town and work as a rabbi, you get to do some really unique things. Amongst them, I spoke last night at the First Ron Raglin Scholarship Dinner. I am grateful to his wife, Tena, for her friendship and this opportunity,

During the appetizers, I had the opportunity to see people I hadn’t seen  since before the pandemic. One person asked me if I am still doing and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work. (DEI). I realized the answer is yes. Yes, when I work with ADL to reduce anti-semitism and racism in a neighboring school district. Yes, when I sit on the Chief’s Advisory Council. Yes, when I attend the Mayor’s Community and Fair and Impartial Training. Yes, as part of the Coalition of Elgin Religious Leaders. Yes, when I teach a course in Comparative Religion. Much of what I do I realize is about DEI. The work most certainly continues.

It comes out of my believe that we are all created b’tzelem elohiim, in the image of the Divine, a belief that Ron and I most certainly shared.

Here is what I said about Ron and the his “Foundation fo Faith:”

Tonight I am supposed to talk about “The Foundation of Faith.” Ron’s faith. Our faith. All of our faiths—whatever they may be. This is the time period where Jews count up from Passover to Shavuot, the feast of Weeks or Pentecost. Each of the 50 days has a special spiritual meaning. This week we actually counted Yesod shel Chesed, The foundation of Lovingkindness. That was Ron, Everything he did was grounded in faith and lovingkindness. Now foundation is an interesting word. One of my teachers, Rabbi Zlotowitz, of blessed memory, my thesis advisor, told the story of one of his teachers (we rabbis are really good at footnoting sources!), who would say, “Boychiks (back in the day only men studied to be rabbis). Boychicks, today we are going to study the basement of Judaism.” He had gotten the word basement and foundation confused. And I can understand that.  

A foundation is the lowest load-bearing part of a building, typically below ground level. (I might add, the place you are supposed to go during a tornado warning. I recently led a service during one!) And a foundation is an underlying basis or principle. Ron’s foundation was faith.  

 The first phone call I got when I came to Congregation Kneseth Israel and Elgin, not from someone who is affiliated with CKI was from this guy at U46, He was the assistant superintendent with this very cool title about equity and justice and it turned out that it was his first week on his new job too. His office wasn’t far from mine, in fact we could see our buildings from our windows. We were the same age. We had the same love of education. Yes, that person turned out to be Ron Raglin.  

We both worked hard, probably too hard, and we cared passionately about kids. So that meant that I didn’t ever get to see him often enough. But he was a presence. I knew he was there and we could walk and meet half way between our offices, or meet at Blue Box for coffee. Make no mistake, his smile could light up a room. 

What you may not know is that Ron was a man of deep faith-it was his foundation. His rock. -It was part of what drove him to excel. (that and Arnie Duncan’s mother! Every one needs a Jewish mother!) We had many conversations about faith and scripture. Boy, did he know his Bible! I appreciated that he would include me, the local rabbi, in his thinking and I always had a seat at the table in his U-46 Faith Leaders Council. 

There is one morning that is seared in my brain. One Shabbat morning, a Saturday, not unlike today, I happened to be up preparing to lead services when the phone rang at 4:30AM. It was Ron. I was afraid someone died, Why else would the Assistant Superintendent be calling at that hour on a Sat? No, thank G-d, Ron was just working on something for the board and he wanted to get it right. Remember that quest for excellence? He was working on a policy about bathrooms and he heard that maybe Judaism had a different understanding of gender. What could I send him to help him understand. After Shabbat I sent him many things. If anyone needs it, I have an article about the Talmud outlining 8 potentional genders, outlined 2000 years ago. I just sent it to a Catholic priest this week. 

Another time, there was a quiet, non-official meeting at Arabica, I can say this now, to talk about how and when and if one teaches religion at all in a public school setting. You can’t talk about the emergence of writing without talking about religion. Or the emergence of cities. You can’t talk about the printing press, or the Reformation or the Pilgrims or Northern Ireland or the Holocaust without talking about religion. You can’t teach Shakespeare without Biblical allusions. There has to be some context. All of these things I learned about in my public school. 

Then there were all those times when there would be some big public speaking joh and I would be nervous. Ron would be right there at my side. He would remind me that I could do it. We would pray–a black evangelical and a Jew. Together. And the speech would be fine and I never actually threw up, I promise not to tonight. More than once I think those prayers helped. Tonight, I am sure he is present and so very proud of all that you, Tena, Marissa and Mattew have done, how the work continues.  

A rabbi is a teacher. So tonight .I want to teach you just a little bit of Talmud. In Pirke Avot, the Wisdom of the Ancestors we learn:  

There are four types of students. Those who are quick to understand but quick to forget; their gain is cancelled by their loss. Those who understand with difficulty but forget with difficulty; their loss is cancelled by their gain. Those who are quick to understand and forget with difficulty; they are wise. Those who understand with difficulty and are quick to forget; they have a bad portion (i.e., bad fortune). — Pirkei Avot 5:14  

That was Ron. making sure that all students could learn. All means all. And you better have the data to prove that all the students  were succeeding. You better pray that you got an email back. Checkmate. 

And we all better never forget that all of Ron: his commitment to excellence, his commitment to all, his commitment to data and even his use of educational jargon that I would tease him about unmercifully was all driven by his deep abiding faith, his foundation of faith. 

If Ron were here, it would seem appropriate that we now pray: The first is an old Girl Scout grace that gives thanks for the food and reminds us of the gratitude for those who prepared the meal, served the meal, the people who decorated and schlepped and God. We have certainly enjoyed this meal and all the work that went into it. 

“Back of the bread is the farmer, and back of the farmer is the mill, and back of the mill is the wind and the rain and the Father’s will.” 

The second is the short version of Birkat haMazon, the Grace After Meal:s  

Brich rachamana malka d’alma, malchi d’hi pita. You are the source of life for all that is and Your blessing flows through me. 

May that blessing from above and the blessing that was Ron continue as we keep his memory alive. His name will always be for a blessing.