The Chief Rabbi and the OU National Convention

A little over two weeks ago, the Orthodox Union (OU) held its annual National Convention in the Ramada hotel in Jerusalem, which happens to be a few minute walk from where I am studying. On the Thursday during the convention, I walked over to hear Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the British Commonweath, give a keynote address at the convention. Rabbi Sacks was asked to articulate a “mission statement for the 21st century” for the Orthodox Union – and by extension, the “centrist” or “modern” Orthodox community overall.

Rabbi Sacks set up his proposed “mission statement” by quoting a Biblical verse (Bamidbar/Numbers 13:19). When Moshe instructs the spies that are sent into the Land of Israel, one of the attributes they are told to look for is whether the people live in open or fortified (walled) cities. Rabbi Sacks explained that if the Canaanites lived in fortified cities, it would indicate that they feel weak and feel in need of the protection of the city walls. By contrast, if they lived in open cities, it would indicate that they feel strong and do not feel in need of the protection that walls would afford. Rabbi Sacks concluded that, in his estimation, it is preferable to live in open cities (perhaps, only if one feels that it is relatively safe to do so), and he compared living in open cities to the ideological position of “centrist” or “modern” Orthodoxy, which takes on the challenge of interacting with the non-Jewish world, within the boundaries of Jewish law and belief.

Rabbi Sacks then formulated a three faceted mission statement based around the Mishniac dictum that states that “…the world stands on three things: on Torah, on Divine worship, and on acts of loving-kindness. ” (Avot 1:2).  He spoke of an ideal contemporary Jewish community that is strong in its learning of and adherence to Torah so that its members are able to live in open cities. He also emphasized the tremendous importance of dedicating a significant portion of one’s time or resources toward acts of Tzedakah and Chesed (kindness) to others in need. I am afraid I do not recall as much about this part of the address (the actual “mission statement” ironically) as compared to the prefatory material (which touched upon my fascination with the sociology of contemporary Judaism), and for fear of misquoting Rabbi Sacks more than I may already have, I will not venture to further elaborate.

The next morning I again returned to the Ramada to hear Chief Rabbi Sacks speak as part of a Yeshiva University sponsored event. The audience consisted largely of recent high school graduates who were studying in Israel during their “gap year” before continuing on to university (much as I am doing prior to the next stage of my life). Thus Rabbi Sacks mostly dealt with the challenges that Jewishly-commited students will face when confronted for the first time with the intellectual and, even more so, the social pressures of university life. Sacks gave a passionate appeal that students take on a Jewish leadership role both on campuses and in their lives in general, in order to help address the monumental threat that intermarriage and assimilation poses to Jewish “continuity”.

I returned to the OU conference that evening during Shabbat after dinner and had the good fortune to find myself talking with a member of the staff of the OU’s Jewish Leadership Initiative on Campus, an organization that partners with Hillels to address the needs of observant students on campuses across North America. Such an organization on campus at UBC would have been incredible during my undergraduate degree. Later, the convention had a very uplifting Oneg Shabbat with singing and food. It was also great to see some of the people I used to work with as part of NCSY, which is a program of the OU.

Tragedy in Mumbai

Two Tuesdays ago, in the afternoon, I experienced a powerful and emotional event. We walked across Jerusalem to attend a part of the funeral for the Chabad  couple who were killed in the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg worked as Chabad emissaries in Mumbai, serving three Kosher meals a day, providing Shabbat hospitality and Jewish education, and a myriad of other services to Jewish travelers. At the funeral one of the speakers spoke of how the Holtzberg’s entire lives were dedicated to serving the Jewish people, sacrificing their own time to provide kosher food and an open non-judgemental Jewish connection for all different kinds of Jews who found themselves in Mumbai.  The funeral began in Kfar Chabad, between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, then proceeded to the Chabad Yeshiva in Jerusalem (where we attended), and after that proceeded to the Mount of Olives cemetery to bury the couple. I am not sure how to conclude this paragraph in an adequate manner to properly convey the right sort of emotion so I will leave it as such.

Some assorted updates:

The Shabbat before last, I travelled to Efrat – about an hour bus ride from Yerushalayim – to spend Shabbat with my cousins who are Olim (=”one who makes Aliyah”) from England. It was really nice to spend Shabbat with family here. I didn’t get to really see Efrat, but I will most definitely be there again and will attempt to get a greater feel for it then. Last Wednesday, we participated in a guided Tiyul of Ir David (”The City of David”) and the Kotel Tunnels. While I have seen both sites several times before, the particular tour guide we had was highly knowledgeable and provided some fascinating insights into the history of Yerushalayim vis-à-vis the various biblical periods. This last Shabbat, I spent Shabbat in Yerushalayim. As I looked out the window from the 7th floor apartment of the family I was staying with, I could see a magnificent view of the city. It was an awe-inspiring feeling to know that I am looking over the Jewish city, where myriads of people are also partaking in a Shabbat dinner with family and friends.

That’s all for now. As Hanukah is coming up, I figure I will have much more to write about in the coming weeks.

This website/blog is intended to be a sort of photo-journal of my experiences in the coming year in Israel and a way of keeping in touch with and sharing my experiences with family and friends back in Vancouver and elsewhere… I am not entirely sure what form this will take at the moment, but please check back here in a few days…

- Daniel