Blog

January 27, 2025

Dear Friends,

It was an inspiring afternoon for many of us at today’s Legislative Luncheon. We had a robust turnout both in person and on livestream, and were able to hear several of our legislators speak about many of the issues that are on many of our minds, including safety and rights for trans people, immigrant rights, climate justice, reparations, education funding, and antisemitism. We are so grateful to our legislators for their time, their persistence, and deep care for the wellbeing of all who live in Massachusetts.  

On this last topic, we are grateful in particular to Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, who opened her welcoming words with a message of care for the Jewish community and a clear stance against antisemitism.  

Her words, and the support of our elected officials meant so much more this week, as we recently learned that Cafe Balagan once again experienced an act of targeted vandalism. This is not the first time that Balagan has experienced actions like this over the past year. We want to be clear: Singling out an Israeli-owned business as accountable for the actions of the Israeli government is an act of antisemitism. It is not an appropriate or effective way to advocate for Palestinian freedom, which we believe is not mutually exclusive with Jewish safety, and also important to fight for. It is cruel to target a business and its owners because of their national and/or religious identities.  

As a Jewish community that contains political diversity, we can hold varied opinions about the Israeli government and its actions and also recognize when activism crosses a line and causes harm. As the leaders of CBI, we emphatically denounce these acts of antisemitism that are deeply harmful to us all.  

We appreciate the support of the City of Northampton in responding to the matter, and want to make it clear that Cafe Balagan is a beloved part of our Jewish community, as well as our city’s community.  

Relatedly, a small group of us, including the rabbis, presidents, and a few community members have a scheduled meeting to speak with Senator John Velis who is Chair of the Special Commission for Combatting Antisemitism in Massachusetts (and unfortunately was unable to attend today’s lunch). We look forward to sharing some of our thoughts with him, including our hope that we will see clarity around responding to antisemitism while also protecting legitimate protest and activism. We know that many other community members continue to be involved in local efforts around antisemitism as well. 

Today marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. As Rabbi Ariella shared earlier during the Legislative Lunch, this day is a reminder that we have had to face many Pharaohs in many generations, and we don’t ever want to have to do it alone again. May we continue to stand together in community, and continue to strengthen our ties with our neighbors so that we know we can truly work together to make this place a safe home for all. 

B’shalom, 

Rabbi Ariella Rosen, CBI Interim Lead Rabbi 

Rabbi Jacob Fine, CBI Assistant Rabbi 

Barbara Black, CBI Co-President 

Pamela Schwartz, CBI Co-President 

Dear Friends, 

Please read on below for a rather long note from me. I'm grateful that Rabbi Jacob and our co-presidents, Barbara Black and Pamela Schwartz, have signed on as well. I welcome further conversation with you. 

With blessings for a Shabbat Shalom,

Ariella

What We Stand For  
 
by Rabbi Ariella Rosen, co-signed by Rabbi Jacob Fine, with the support of CBI Co-Presidents Barbara Black and Pamela Schwartz 

What is this document? 

This document distills many months of thought and conversation, summarized into a few key points, explained and expanded upon below. The key points will be displayed in signage and other graphics as part of our decision to share more publicly our values and beliefs.  They are: 

Release the hostages 

End the war/ceasefire deal now 

Jewish and Palestinian safety and sovereignty are intertwined 

These statements, like all sound bites, can be misunderstood without context. This document clarifies what I/we mean when we use these words.  

Why/Why now?  

In full transparency, it has been hard to figure out how to lead this year, to respond to the depth of grief and anger in our community, including several among us with family members and friends who have been killed or taken hostage, or have had to flee their homes.  Serving somewhat unexpectedly as interim rabbi, there has been a lot of learning on the job. I have never worked in a community with such a wide range of perspectives, and we don’t have many models in the broader Jewish world. This diversity is a point of pride, and also brings with it deep challenges. I would not trade us for anyone else, and still the leadership path has not felt clear.  

In trying to understand the nature of our community, I have done a lot of listening, which has been invaluable in better understanding who we are, what our perspectives and needs are around having our Jewish identities and values seen and acted upon. I have also gotten the message loud and clear that listening alone is not enough. CBI also needs a clear stance and public message from leadership. I am prepared to provide that now, and I am grateful to be joined by Rabbi Jacob and our CBI Co-Presidents in doing so. 

My starting point: 

I hold deep love and care for everyone in this community, for all of you. And I have been absorbing your hurt and pain, confusion, and often competing asks and needs. So these words are shared in love as well, as an attempt to chart a course forward. It might not be the course you would have chosen, and it’s possible that this course will change. I hope this can be a foundation for further growth, learning, and action for us all.  

As I shared in my sermon on Rosh Hashanah, living through this time is to live in contradictions. There are many conflicting truths that I and many of us have been striving to hold over this past year (and truthfully, for much longer than that) with regards to Israel and Palestine. [When I say "Palestine," I refer to Gaza and the West Bank, territories that are called by that name by most Palestinians. My use of "Israel" refers to the State of Israel exclusive of those territories.]  

It is likely that you will find something you appreciate or agree with below. It is also likely that there is something here that does not align with your values. May this be an opening to further conversation, and an opportunity to arrive at clarity.  

So who are we and what do we stand for? This is how I would answer that question.  

Some personal background:  

I have not shared much of my own feelings and perspectives on Israel and what has transpired since October 7th. At times it did not feel like it mattered- our job has been to support our community, to hold the feelings and perspectives of others, and my pastoral training taught me to be aware of and push aside my own feelings to be present for others. And yet, we are in community together, in relationship with one another, which means I share myself with you, too 

This is just a snapshot of some of what informs and motivates me: 

My experiences with Israel started from a young age: I learned from Israeli teachers at Jewish day school, watched my father officiate at the funeral of a rabbinical student from our community who was killed in a bus bombing, I heard stories of my parents’ experiences living in Jerusalem in college. After several youth trips, I followed suit, spending a year of college at the Hebrew University and then a year in rabbinical school in Jerusalem as well. I felt like a sponge in those years, soaking up the language, music, poetry, food, and traveling as much as I could. Israel is still a place where some of my favorite restaurants, hiking trails, and people are located, and I am regularly awed by the beauty of the spoken Hebrew language, and the layers of meaning that come from the physical land’s place in Jewish history and spirituality. During that second year of study, I also had the opportunity to learn more about Palestinians and their lives, experiencing home hospitality, checkpoints, and the separation barrier in Bethlehem with Encounter, and touring Hebron with Breaking the Silence. I coached ultimate frisbee with Ultimate Peace. I began to better understand the Occupation and how unsustainable it is as a strategy to build long-term safety and stability for both Israelis and Palestinians.  

These days, I have found additional sources of guidance, learning, and hope in the incredible activism of people on the ground, on both sides of the ocean. I have been inspired by the work of Standing Together, who are steadfast in their work to shift the narrative inside Israel, calling for a ceasefire, return of hostages, and an end to the occupation. I’ve also found solace and alignment in the messages from T’ruah, and have signed onto several of their letters in the past year. I have found role models in colleagues such as Rabbi Sharon Brous and Rabbi Amy Eilberg, who speak courageously from a place of moral conviction and love for the Jewish people. And I have learned from so many of you, who advocate, push us, and live your values clearly and proudly.  

So after much thought, here are three statements that feel clear and true. I want to be clear that these are not recent realizations or sentiments for me. It is the direct articulation of them in this format that is new, something I know many of you have been waiting for. They cannot tell the whole story- there are not enough words for that- but they can ground us as we move forward.  

1. Release the hostages- Pidyon Shevuyim 

I have been living in anguish knowing that fellow Jews have been in captivity for over 400 days. Because of the interconnectedness of the Jewish world, there are several taken hostage with whom I have only a couple of degrees of separation. (Including Omer Neutra z"l, whose death on October 7th was confirmed this week.) I know that for some of you, that degree of separation is even smaller, and you have been suffering immensely as a result. 

Rambam (Maimonides), wrote that “there is no greater mitzvah than the redemption of captives.” (Gifts to the Poor, 8:10) This is echoed in prominent law codes such as the Shulchan Arukh, which continues on to say that “Every moment that one delays redeeming captives, where it is possible to do it sooner, it is as if one is spilling blood.” (Yoreh De’ah 252:3) 

While debating the specifics, Jewish law is clear that when fellow Jews are in captivity, it is our absolute priority to free them. We have a clear responsibility to work toward the safety of members of our own community.  

In this moment where all words can be understood in different ways, we need to be clear about what we mean when we use these words.  

In North America, the phrase “Bring Them Home” has often been used in contexts that do not differentiate between support for the hostages and support for the actions of the Israeli government. As such, the phrase has sometimes been rejected as not leaving room for acknowledging the tremendous loss of innocent life in Gaza that has been a consequence of this war. This humane and moral issue then becomes political, regardless of intent.  

Instead, when we call for the release of hostages, we use these words in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who take to the streets regularly, feel that the government has abandoned the hostages, and are demanding a deal that brings them home and ends the war. They saw the release of 80 of those hostages as a result of negotiation in November 2023, and believe strongly that the continued bombardment of Gaza is not the path toward their loved ones returning home.  

Quoting the Israel Prayer we have been reciting weekly for over a year, we raise our voices alongside all those who call to “return all those who are kidnapped safe and sound to their homes, without the spilling of more innocent blood, without any more souls being tarnished by horrific acts.” (by Hannah Ellenson) 

2. End the War/Ceasefire Deal Now 

October 7th was a horrific day, and Israelis are still living in its aftermath. Grieving the 1,200 lives lost that day, continued war, tens of thousands displaced from homes across the north and south, 101 hostages still in Gaza (only some confirmed still living), and fears of further harm from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, are among the challenges. There is plenty of reason to share in the suffering of fellow Jews. 

As Rabbi Sharon Brous writes in her book “The Amen Effect,” “validating someone else’s suffering does not diminish our own.” While still carrying the pain and trauma of these events, we have ample room in our hearts for Palestinian suffering as well.  

And life for Palestinians has been absolute hell. Gaza has been destroyed (a majority of buildings have been damaged or destroyed), over 40,000 people have been killed, most of them civilians, including 13,000 children. People are starving and have nowhere safe to go when issued evacuation orders. West Bank settlers have acted with even more impunity than before, causing harm to Palestinians, their homes, and their lands.  

I have read many arguments over the past several months blaming Hamas, blaming the Netanyahu government, pointing fingers at those who had the power to direct a different reality. As Jonathan Polin, father of Hersh Goldberg-Polin z”l who was killed in captivity said at the DNC, “in a competition of pain, there are no winners.” Rather than be distracted by arguments over cause and fault, my focus remains on the millions of people across the region who are deeply suffering right now, and have no power to change their circumstances. 

For their sake, and with concern about the stability of the current ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, we call for a ceasefire agreement that ends the fighting in Gaza, releases the hostages, and enables all people in Israel and Gaza the opportunity to rebuild their lives, and for so many, their literal homes.  

3. Jewish and Palestinian safety and sovereignty are intertwined 

I remember watching the handshake between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat on the White House lawn on TV as a second grader, watching my teachers cry tears of hope. That moment had a tremendous impact on me, and my subsequent experiences with Israel. I became a two-state solution advocate, having formative conversations with Israelis and Palestinians, volunteering with coexistence NGOs, traveling into the West Bank to better understand the Occupation in action, and learning from activists who love their homeland and were fighting for the future they believed in.  

A two-state solution and the end to the Occupation felt farther away than ever before October 7th, and all the more so now. The trauma of this moment will be with both peoples for generations. And yet, I hold firm, with millions of others, to this truth: Israeli and Palestinian safety and sovereignty are mutually dependent and inextricably connected. All people deserve to live in safety and without fear.  

I yearn to see in my lifetime an independent Palestine alongside a secure State of Israel that does not feel forced to operate from fear of harm.  

What’s next? 

For all of the reasons outlined above, as leaders at CBI, we are committed to displaying at CBI the following statements as a summary of our values: 

Release the hostages 

End the war/ceasefire deal now 

Jewish and Palestinian safety and sovereignty are intertwined 

Thank you for continuing in this journey with us. We are so grateful for our community. 

Written by Rabbi Ariella Rosen 

Co-signed by Rabbi Jacob Fine 

With the support of CBI Co-Presidents Barbara Black and Pamela Schwartz 

Dear Friends, 

In February, we shared that Rabbi Justin David will be moving on from CBI and starting a new journey as the Dean of the Rabbinical School at Hebrew College. At that time, we also shared that the CBI leadership team is here and working to support the community throughout the upcoming time of transition after Justin departs on June 30. In the meantime, Rabbi David shortened his sabbatical and has since returned to CBI to wrap up his tenure with care. 

Since February, we on the staff and board have established a transition committee, led by Joel Feldman and Ellen Gertzog. Joel and Ellen have already been working incredibly hard to lay out a plan for our community going forward. They enlisted community members Naomi Barnesky, Caryn Brause, Larry Hott, and Leah King Kaufman, and together, the six of them are working with our leadership to plan for the next steps, both short-term and long-term. 

The transition committee’s work includes creating ways for community input and keeping the community informed each step of the way, and you’ll hear much more from them in the weeks and months to come. 

We continue to be here to talk if you need anything at all. 

Emily Kieval, Executive Director

Rabbi Jacob Fine, Senior Director of Jewish Life and Abundance Farm

Rabbi Ariella Rosen, Director of Youth and Family Engagement and Education

Meredith Lewis and Stan Schapiro, Co-Presidents

Joel Feldman and Ellen Gertzog, Co-Chairs, Rabbinic Transition Committee

• Packages of diapers in all sizes & baby wipes
• Sanitary napkins (not tampons), soap, and deodorant for women and men 
• Warm clothes for babies (especially), children and adults, of all sizes (new or gently used, no rips or stains please)
• If possible, each clothing item/s should be put into a bag and marked with the type and size so that families can easily go through and see what they need.  

In partnership with Manna Soup Kitchen
Manna Soup Kitchen has also informed us of an urgent need for adult-sized winter coats, hats, gloves, and mittens for their guests. Please consider donating clean, warm coats in good condition. Our goal is to collect at least 20.

WHERE TO DONATE:
COLLECTION BOXES FOR BOTH DRIVES ARE NOW IN THE CBI ENTRANCE

WHEN TO DONATE: Now through November 20

If you would like to help sort/deliver items to Jewish Family Service for our new Haitian neighbors, please contact:
Henny Lewin (hennylewin@yahoo.com)

To help with the coat drive for MANNA, please contact:
Joan Schaffer (joanjrs@gmail.com)

Thank you for doing what you can, and above all, for being in a community together.

Best,
Pamela, Randi, Sara and Jen
for CBI's Tikkun Olam Committee

[Photo credit: Shana Surek]

We are excited to announce that renovations are underway at the newest addition to the CBI campus: 237 Prospect St., former home to the city water department and therefore known by some as the "Mayim Building" (Hebrew for water). CBI purchased the building last year, and it is the future home of new gathering spaces, offices, classrooms, and so much more. For an introduction to the building see here, and to learn more about our plans for this exciting addition to our space, see here.

Members of the CBI leadership team are currently engaged in a visioning process for the entire campus, including the new building, and there will be many opportunities for you to get involved in the process, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, the historic building continues to reveal its secrets. Thanks to our facilities and events coordinator Thomas Bradbury for sharing this WWII era gem that reemerged when a shelf was removed for painting: 

Hello! Wondering what's going with our new building at 237 Prospect Street? Read on!

Quick recap: Last year, CBI acquired what was once an administrative building for the city's water department, which is why you may hear it called “the water building” or “the mayim building.” If you haven't seen it, it's the big, brick one on the other side of Abundance Farm from the synagogue. Though maybe you were there for the big Chanukah party?               

[Photo credit: Shana Surek]                                                                                                                  

So, what’s in store for 237 Prospect St? Soon, renovations will begin to create new office and meeting spaces on the first floor. No promises, but it might look something like this…

[Image credit: David Whitehill]

Also, a big thanks to our Ad Hoc Building Committee members: David Whitehill, David Kaufman, and Ruthie Oland-Stuckey!  After the immediate refurbishments to make the building more usable, we'll continue working on the bigger vision along with our architect Maryann Thompson.

While nothing is set in stone, other uses for the new building may include a food justice center, more room for our Gan Keshet preschoolers to play, or a cafe-bakery. One thing we know for sure is that the building will help us focus on these three core values:

• Avodah lev (spiritual connections)
• Chokhmah (education)
• Tzedek (social justice)

If you want to learn more, here’s a copy of the Request for Proposal that we originally submitted to the city in our bid for the building. While all plans are subject to change, it will give you a sense of some possibilities!

CBI Community Benefits Statement:

A decade ago, Congregation B’nai Israel (CBI) acquired from the City a strip of land adjacent to the Water Department Building property. Over the last ten years we have transformed this land into Abundance Farm, a community asset that brings tremendous benefits to the City and its residents. Acquisition of the Water Department Building property would allow us to significantly expand these activities and the value they bring to the community as we develop the Farm into a leading center to promote (a) food security and community agriculture, (b) education and training in environmental sustainability and resilience at least until January 01, 2030.

Current role in the community
Abundance Farm, the focal point of much of our community programming, has expanded from a community garden to a small working farm open to anyone. In 2018, the Farm brought well over 5000 participants – most from outside the immediate CBI member community – to Farm-related programs, ranging from child and adult educational activities and communal cooking to food harvests and a street-side farm stand making free produce available to anyone in the community. (These numbers have grown in 2019.) The Farm has also provided a range of education and training programs for youth and professional staff of local community organizations.

Significantly, the Farm’s ten-year demonstrated track record of benefit to the community has been as the primary provider of these program and services, rather than as a participant in or supporter of other organizations’ programs and services. The range of current programs promoting the RFP’s required community benefits include:

• A seven-year collaboration with the Northampton Survival Center engaging Survival Center clients in the Farm. This partnership includes a bi-weekly pick-your-own program enabling Survival Center clients of all ages to regularly add free fresh produce to their meals. (There were over 700 client visits in 2019; over 1100 including client visits outside scheduled pick-your-own hours.) As a result, clients have become engaged in other aspects of the Farm, adding to the already diverse community – in age and background – brought together on this land. Of particular note, recent immigrants and refugees from agricultural communities in Africa, Central America, Asia and the Middle East, have reconnected or brought to the Farm plants from their native homes. The Farm has fostered broader community engagement with the Survival Center through formal internship, education and other programming as well as expanded exposure to new constituencies. The Survival Center has also benefited from regular professional staff development opportunities put on by the Farm. (For additional details, see the attached letter from the Executive Director of the Survival Center and the Abundance Farm’s Pick Your Own Community Harvest Program 2019 Report.)
• Collaboration with Grow Food Northampton (GFN) providing a free, weekly, community lunch over the summer for the last two years bringing together a diverse group of people of all generations from across the city and providing a unique context for meaningful community building. We have also collaborated with GFN to support the pick-your-own experience through farm food demonstrations and recipe sharing events. (See the attached letter from the Director of Programs of Grow Food Northampton for additional details.)
• The Farm has served as a placement for Federal Works Programs including placement for participants under the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act, and individuals who qualify for “The Abled Bodied Adult Without Dependents (ABAWD) Work Requirement and Time Limit in order to be eligible for SNAP benefits.
• Work with area colleges. The Farm runs college internships during the school year and summer, and hosts volunteers from area colleges. We have a particularly strong connection with Smith College; Smith students are eligible to receive work-study funding to serve as interns on the Farm, and the Farm serves as placement for summer “praxis” students. The Farm hosts visiting Smith classes each year with Farm staff serving as guest lecturers. In addition, the Farm director has taught classes on the Farm’s work at all five colleges.
• Young adult and teen leadership. For the last four years, we have operated the Shefa Teen Internship, a popular paid summer internship program open to the public, regardless of religious affiliation, that provides an immersive six-week experience in sustainable farming, community organizing and leadership training through food justice work for 12-15 high school students, most from Northampton High School. The Farm also offers an internship program hosting some ten teens during the school year. This past Fall, the Farm hosted Hartsbrook School teens for an eight consecutive week course at the Farm exploring food justice.
• Professional development workshops. The Farm hosts a number of professional development workshops on the subjects of food justice and farm-based education for campus educators and staff (including the Northampton Survival Center), as well as teachers from schools around the region.
• Other programming support and collaborations include work with the Pioneer Valley Workers’ Center over the last four years including staff participating in community organization training for interns, and providing volunteers for the PVWC’s own new farm; a recent joint program with the Karuna Center for Peace to host a lecture and workshop with Leah Penniman, food justice activist and farmer with 200+ attendees; and for the past three years the Farm has hosted the Rosenberg Fund For Justice’s annual fundraising event with the Neilds.
• Drawing a broader community to Northampton. The Farm has benefited the community by drawing visitors to Northampton from outside our area interested in learning from our successes in farm-based curriculum, training and community outreach including visits from schools, churches, camps and other non-profit organizations from around the country. The Farm has also been honored to pilot initiatives in community engagement and early childhood education before they are rolled out nationally by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

To ensure a vigorous engagement with the broader community, the Farm has an Advisory Board with community representation.

Continuing a history of serving the community
Maintaining this property in the hands of a faith-based organization driven by a mission grounded in social justice is congruent with the site’s role in Northampton’s history. The current Farm site is situated on land that served as Northampton’s “Poor Farm,” from roughly 1800-1950.  During this period, the Poor Farm and adjoining Alms (“Poor”) House served as a refuge for local residents in need of shelter, food and other services. The Alms House included a 15-acre farm operated by the Alms House residents. We have built on the site’s long history as the city’s Alms House and “Poor Farm” to advance more dignified ways to address food insecurity for Northampton residents. In 2019 the Farm was honored to receive from the City a Whiting Street Fund grant made to agencies that serve low income people residing in the community. We have also been honored to work with the Historic Northampton to bring this story to wider audiences in and beyond our community.

Water Department Building role in the future of Abundance Farm’s mission
Acquisition of the Water Department Building property will open up a range of short-, medium- and long-term opportunities to extend the reach and impact of Farm programs for the community, including collaborations with new external partners. In the more immediate term, the Water Building property would give us much needed space to support growing program staff, as well as administrative and community meeting space. Future opportunities include:

• Value-added businesses and workforce training, including an onsite bakery (further developing our onsite bakery), processed food production, a Farm Store and a commercial kitchen facility offering training and mentoring to local teens, Survival Center clients and others.
• An expanded teen/young adult training and education program drawing 75-100 diverse participants from the region for an 8-week immersive summer program and a smaller academic year program. Programs like these will develop the leaders who can help Northampton be a model for environmental justice and resiliency.
• Expansion of internship experiences that provide students academic credit in cooperation with local schools.
• We have begun discussions with Jackson Street School about supporting curriculum development and programs in relation to their farm initiative.
• An accredited gap year program integrating hands-on training in sustainable agriculture with study of food systems and resilient communities, as well as training in leadership and community organizing, drawing on educators and leaders in the community.
• A food processing center similar to Franklin County’s Food Processing Center in Greenfield.
• In the longer term, creation of a multi-generational residential community, housing students as well as seniors.

Promoting community access and environmental resilience
In keeping with the environmental mission of Abundance Farm, our stewardship of the land would support the city’s broader sustainability and resilience efforts. Our development of the property would include facilitating public access to the current bike path and the wetland preserves behind the Water Department Building property. More broadly, improving the ecological health of the site and, by extension, the surrounding woods and nearby conservation area (Barrett Street Marsh) would be a primary concern. For example, when making land use decisions, we would minimize the amount of impervious surfaces which reduce groundwater recharge to the marsh and contribute to the peak of stormwater flow into the marsh.  We would also focus on managing invasive species, such as Japanese Knotweed, which are rampant in the area.

We look forward to playing a continuing and expanded role serving this wonderful City.

Question, comments, or other thoughts on the building? Feel free to email office@cbinorthampton.org. 

Dear Chevre,

This Shabbat coincides with Juneteenth, which as you know has been signed into law by President Biden as a federal holiday, marking a collective commemoration and celebration for the end of slavery.   Be’chol Lashon, a national organization raising awareness of Jews of Color, is holding a virtual Juneteenth Kabbalat Shabbat today at 5 PM, EST, and we are encouraging people to join this service in lieu of our CBI Virtual Kabbalat Shabbat.  While I do not have more details about who is leading this Juneteenth Kabbalat Shabbat, last year it was led by two visionary African American rabbis, attracted thousands of people, and was a time of beautiful singing and joyous celebration.

In future years, I hope we can find meaningful ways to mark Juneteenth as a Shabbat to recommit ourselves to working for racial justice and celebrating the lives, voices and history of Black people. For now,  our Reparations Working Group has just issued a press release announcing our community’s effort to study how we may actively engage in the work of reparations following a year of intensive study and community conversations that I look forward to continuing well into the future.

Talmud Study Shabbat Morning

For Shabbat tomorrow, we are going to incorporate some of what we grew to appreciate during the pandemic as we meet together in person.  Building on the note that Rabbi Jacob and I sent out a couple of weeks ago about Talmud study, tomorrow I will lead Talmud study in person as part of our Shabbat morning service.  The order will be as follows: we will have Shacharit between 9:30 - 10:00, then begin Talmud study as usual at 10:00, continuing for about 45 minutes or so.  And then, between 10:45-11:00, we will have our Torah service, chant the Haftarah, and go straight into Musaf, ending at approximately 12:00, with an opportunity to stay and have a light kiddush afterwards.

Here is our Talmud text, a reflection on Moses’ very human failure that prevented his going into the land.  As you see, the Talmud’s take on this moment is that it is part of what is most human in all of us.  

Teshuvah Learning Next Thursday

Finally, this Thursday, June 24 at 7:00, please join me for some learning, “The Rhythm of Teshuva, First Steps.”  As we move closer to summer, our Sages have a deep, intuitive understanding of how the season, almost unconsciously, ushers in the spiritual process of return and connection with the High Holidays a little over 2 months away.  This will be at the synagogue, outdoors and in person.  I hope to see you there!

I am so looking forward to studying, singing and praying with you tomorrow, and I hope you find Juneteenth Kabbalat Shabbat sponsored by Be’chol Lashon as meaningful as I will!

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Justin David

Dear Friends,

As we prepare to greet Shavuot, I am thinking of the poetic expression of the Torah’s injunction to count 49 days before Shavuot as seven “complete” weeks.  The completeness, or wholeness conveyed by this verse is intentional, and is emphasized further as the Torah enjoins us to count 7 days each week for 7 weeks, evoking the creation of the universe, expressed in the weekly celebration of Shabbat, and carried over into the 7-year cycle of reaping while providing for those who are most vulnerable.  This rich symbolism ensures that our ongoing yearnings for justice, spiritual connection and peace are all joined together, and particularly this year, Shavuot strikes me as a necessary reminder of the true depths of the human spirit and our capacity to bring goodness and healing to the world.

I want to urge you to take part in our two Tikkunim (study sessions for Shavuot), as well as in-person Shavuot services and...a newly added in-person service for this Shabbat.

 For our first night, Sunday evening, I along with Rabbis Jacob Fine and Sara Luria will create study and conversation around the theme of Tikkun in a Post-Pandemic world.  We know we’re not there yet, and that parts of the world are truly suffering even as conditions are beginning to ease here.  After such a long period of isolation, how do we re-engage with each other?  What deeper connections are embedded in our simple, everyday greetings and interactions?  How do we face the world anew with our fears? Our hopes?

Second night, Monday evening, we will be online as we focus on our community’s responsibility to respond to the call to support the Black community in securing reparations for the injustices of slavery and ongoing systemic racism.  This conversation will be led by a variety of voices, including community members sharing their personal reflections on learning about reparations, as well as our CBI/Abundance Farm reparations working groups.

On both Monday and Tuesday, please join us for in-person services for Shavuot, which will include singing Hallel (both days), chanting the revelation at Sinai from the Torah (first day), the Book of Ruth (second day) and Yizkor (second day).  

And for all of our in-person gatherings, we expect cheesecake to be had.

Finally, join us this Shabbat for an in-person service that will have a unique educational twist.  We will begin at 10:00 with Shacharit and time for some Torah conversation.  Then, from 11:00 - noon, we will be joined by soon-to-be B’nei Mitzvah families for Torah reading and more study of the parashah and service as part of an ongoing series.  We should finish up with Musaf around 12:15.  

And, while this in-person service takes place, we will also have our regularly scheduled Shacharit online beginning at 9:30 with online Talmud study afterward.

As we prepare to greet Shavuot, I hope we look at this season not as only a retreat from the heartbreaking violence taking place in Israel and Gaza.  This year, I am thinking of the poetic manner of the Torah’s injunction to count 49 days before Shavuot as seven “whole” weeks.  The wholeness suggested by these verses is not incidental, but is also embodied by the count of 7 days each week for 7 weeks, evoking creation, the weekly cycle of labor and renewal, and the 7-year cycle of reaping, caring for those without, and ensuring our own just living as an expression of ongoing spiritual connection.  Bearing all of this rich symbolism, Shavuot strikes me this year a necessary reminder of the true depths of the human spirit and our capacity to bring goodness and healing to the world.

Looking forward to seeing you over these next days.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach,

Rabbi Justin David

Dear Friends, 

In the midst of Passover, we hope that the connections you were able to make and the discussions you were able to have at your seders turned your attention to how we bring healing to the world and make z'man cherutenu, the Season of our Freedom, a daily practice and living reality. 

Today we learned that after nearly three years since Irida Kakhtiranova sought and received sanctuary at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Northampton and Florence, her case has been reopened and she is free to rejoin her family! The family will be reunited without fear of Irida’s arrest as her lawyers continue working to resolve his case.

It is going to take considerable time for Irida to re-establish her family business after she returns home, and so we are asking for your help to provide them with one last provision of food assistance during the pandemic. The CBI community has been generous over the past nearly-three years, and we hope will continue to be a source of support this one last time.

Please consider continuing to provide food assistance to Irida and her family by:

 Writing a tax-deductible check to "USNF," with check's memo line reading "Sanctuary Fund/from CBI." The funds will be used exclusively for Irida's food support. You can send the check by regular mail to "USNF, 220 Main St. Northampton, MA, 01060." 

Thank you for taking this opportunity to consider this mitzvah.  

 Moadim l'Simchah,

 Wishing you a holiday of joy and connection,

 Rabbi Justin David & the Sanctuary Committee

If you prefer, you may go online to the USNF website ( https://www.uunorthampton.org/ ), click on the “donate” link, and fill in the amount you wish to contribute in the line that reads, “sanctuary.” These funds will be used exclusively for Irida’s needs. If you wish to, you may use the “donation is in honor of” box to indicate that your contribution is for Irida’s food needs and is from a CBI member.

Dear Friends,

Here we are, in the first week of Nisan, and so it’s time to take those first steps toward Z’man Cherutenu, the Season of Liberation.  I hope by now you have seen our set of programs for Passover, including pre-Seder workshops as well as a range of programming on and around the days of Passover.  This letter is more about preparing, with some resources to help you set the stage for this deeply meaningful time of year.

Ma’ot Chittin - Donations to those in need

The Haggadah invites us with the words,  “Let all who are hungry come and eat,” and fittingly, it is a historic custom to make donations to charities that provide food to those in need.  The Northampton Survival Center is our critical local partner in helping us work toward food justice in our community.  If it's not already your practice, investigate becoming a Bread and Butter member of the NSC with a monthly donation.  And if you already are, consider giving them some extra tzedakah in the spirit of Pesach.

Passover Guide

Getting rid of chametz (leaven), kashering the kitchen, figuring out what is or is not kosher for Passover becomes its own set of observances within the holiday.  Here is the Rabbinical Assembly’s Passover Guide, with its comprehensive and updated advice.  Some of us embrace the work, some of us avoid it, but this guide will likely both answer questions and raise others - this too is part of the holiday.

Selling Chametz 

It’s simple - appoint me as your agent with this declaration: “I appoint Rabbi Justin David as my agent in selling my Chametz during Passover, 5781.”  Just copy the declaration into email, sign your name, send it to office@cbinorthampton.org, and I’ll take care of things from there.  If you wish to make a donation to the Northampton Survival Center as a token appreciation of the service, please feel free.

A Bracha (Blessing) for Flowering Trees 

It’s probably still too early, but one never knows.  The Talmud provides us with a beautiful blessing over the scent of flowering trees in the month of Nisan: “Praised are You, Adonai our God, Creator of the Universe, who has created good creatures and good trees for the benefit of human beings.”  Before or after saying the blessing, feel free to take a moment to sing or meditate on the last verse from Psalms that serves as the textual foundation of this practice, “Kol ha-neshama t’halel Yah,” “Let everyone with the fullness of soul celebrate the Creator.”

I will follow up this note with others to prepare us for the holiday, steering us toward organizations working for justice and liberation as well as tips for your seders.  Until then, I hope you are staying safe and well, and I look forward to being in touch soon.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Justin David    

Dear Friends,

This morning, I was moved by a Facebook post by Sheryl Gay Stolberg, a longtime Washington correspondent for the Times, who spoke of yesterday’s violence as trampling on the “sacred space” of our Capitol.  Stolberg didn’t specify how or why the Capitol is sacred, but she enumerated her closeness to the grandeur of the building itself, the dramatic moments she has spent there, and perhaps most importantly, the people who work there - not only moral pioneers and future presidents, but the unrecognized janitors and cooks who keep the Capitol running, as well as the journalists who are so essential to a free society.  

In this compelling and loving litany, Stolberg implied what comes to mind for many of us when we think of what is sacred: the human yearning for equality, freedom and justice as well as the compelling examples of those who bring those ideals into reality.  As sacred ideals, perhaps she suggests that they originate beyond us, and yet can only come into existence through our devotion and commitment.  

In Jewish tradition, we have a vast reservoir of insights into what is sacred, beginning in the Torah and living on through weekly reflections in communities all across the globe.  Looking to the Temple of Jerusalem as one of our central motifs, we may say that holiness may be eclipsed by human destruction, but reconstituted through ongoing acts informed by justice, reverence for creation, and awe for the divine presence residing among humanity.  

In another sense, we can think about how the violence that threatens to drive justice and compassion from our world imposes an obligation upon us to renewed action. In the words of Abraham Joshua Heschel, who was echoing the biblical prophets, few may be guilty, but all are responsible.  

In truth, the guilt for yesterday’s violence in the Capitol runs far and deep. Our President and his enablers have incited and given cover to White nationalists, conspiracy theorists and other neo Nazis for years.  Racism as well likely played a role in the inadequate preparation of law enforcement, especially when we compare yesterday's light police presence around the Capitol to the heavily armed troops who confronted peaceful Black Lives Matter protests in June.  

While it is compelling and necessary to investigate the sources of yesterday’s events, I believe it may be more important to focus on a renewed call to action - that each of us can and should be part of the collective healing that follows.  In the words of the great Black civil rights activist Ella Baker, popularized in the stirring song by Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon as performed by Sweet Honey In the Rock, “We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.”

In that sense of responsibility, I believe, there is hope in the promise that justice and righteousness are too powerful to be suppressed when we choose to act.  Isaiah, in the first chapter of his prophecy, addresses a Jerusalem that has been debased and destroyed by its corrupt leaders: “Your rulers are rogues/And cronies of thieves;Every one avid for presents/And greedy for gifts;/They do not judge the case of the orphan/And the widow’s cause never reaches them.”  

But then, after a reckoning, God promises through Isaiah, “I will restore your magistrates as of old, And your counselors as of yore.  After that you shall be called City of Righteousness, Faithful City. (Isaiah 1: 23-26)”  Jewish tradition has since enshrined these words in the weekday Amidah, recited 3 times daily in prayer, to remind us of both the promise of justice and the imperative to act.

The abuse of power may be an inherent temptation of power itself.  Bad actors come and go, and our president has (at most) just a little over two weeks.  And even though he has unleashed forces of hate and despair that may not be so quickly and easily contained, I follow the promise of our tradition: that justice and righteousness will endure when we commit ourselves to the sacred and universal task of bringing healing to our world. 

Wishing everyone the ability to turn toward the light and to be renewed in our moral vision and capacity for action,

B’Shalom,

Rabbi Justin David