T ORAH P ORTION
Going Out to Find Holiness
CAN DL E L IGHTIN G
April 23
April 30
7:30 p.m.

7:37 p.m.

of COVID-19 is this new
phenomena that I can only call
“COVID re-entry anxiety.” Can
we go out with other people
and be unmasked if everyone is
vaccinated? Can we socialize at
a restaurant, go on a plane, take
a vacation and truly relax if we
are with other people?
I am one always to trust the
medical professionals but I am
seeing tremendous confusion,
confl icting messages and an
ever-growing fear about what
life is going to look like when we
leave our “bunker”-like homes.

Our Torah gives us a clue on
how to deal with this anxiety.

It is rooted in the order of the
Torah itself. In the previous
parshah, Achrei Mot, we learn
that Aaron, Moses’ brother,
suff ered a terrible loss. His two
sons, Nadav and Abihu were
killed in a calamitous act of
God. We learn in Leviticus 10:1,
“Th ey took, sons of Aaron,
Nadav and Avihu put in their
fi re pans a fi re; they placed on
it incense; they brought before
God a strange (fi re), that God
did not command of them. Th e
fi re went out from before God,
and consumed them; they died
before God.”
Following this tragedy, we
transition to our Torah portion
of this week, Kedoshim, which
means holiness. Kedoshim, of
course, gives us the blueprint
for living a life of sanctity. We
learn about reverence for our
parents and building a commu-
nity; we are to eat the sacrifi ce
only on the fi rst or second day,
necessitating a group of people
with whom to eat.

We are to share our abundance
with the less fortunate, refrain
from theft , deception and deceit.

“You shall not swear falsely by
My name, profaning the name
of God.” And of course, we
are called upon to “Love our
neighbor as ourselves.” Subtly,
our text is telling us how to rise
up from disaster and death.

Moses joined with Aaron
in our portion to support each
other and the people by off ering
a path out of the darkness. Work
to bring holiness into the world.

Endeavor to “look up,” even as
life sometimes forces us to peer
downward. By off ering a spiri-
tual path to holiness, Moses and
his brother taught us that we can
either live in the past and the
suff ering of it, or we can move
forward with a renewed purpose
and mission. We can either let
the past destroy our future, or
we can imagine a world where
our brighter future allows us to
move beyond the pain of the
past. Aaron and Moses moved
forward and found holiness even
aft er tragedy.

We must, following the
death of more than 500,000
Americans, mourn our loss,
but then “put one foot in front
of the other.” We must focus
on the tasks in front of us.

We might see going out for
dinner or speaking to another
person in the grocery store as
a common, or meaningless act,
but in light of the past year, it
is a holy act. It is a courageous
act. It propels us out of the pain
of yesterday, empowering us to
normalize our lives again.

All of the rituals and ethical
laws of Kedoshim can only be
fulfi lled in community. We
cannot fi nd holiness alone.

We must get out, live our lives
and embrace our time with
one another. We must keep
safety at the forefront, but let
us not be paralyzed by our
fears; rather, let us go forth and
fi nd Kedoshim, holiness. ●
the success of his companies
was dependent on the success
Continued from Page 14
and satisfaction of his workers.

This position strengthened
he championed the rights of his bottom line by creating a
workers to organize.

loyalty and devotion among his
It was evident to him that workforce that is rare today.

Air Florida employees — from
fl ight attendants to pilots to
receptionists — continue to
hold reunions where they speak
of him with love, and many
lit candles and came to his
memorial service when he died.

I’m now a rabbi, and I can quote
the Mishnah about our obliga-
tion to workers, but the truth is
that my father was my primary
teacher here. My dad taught me
that businesses thrive when the
dignity of every human being is
honored — workers, customers
and shareholders alike. He taught
me that there is no contradiction
between being pro-business and
pro-union. He taught me that our
economy and society can be both
prosperous and caring. He taught
me that standing for the rights of
workers is what it means to be a
proud Jew.

I thought about my father’s
lessons several times this
month, especially aft er labor
leader Randi Weingarten in a
JTA interview used language to
suggest that the modern Jewish
community was less likely to
support unions than it had in
generations past. In response
to criticism, Weingarten
conceded that she could have
expressed her point more
artfully, but her essential point
stands: that “historically, there
was much less equivocation
about whether to be pro-union
in the Jewish community.”
As we’ve just watched
Amazon spend huge sums to
defeat a union-organizing
eff ort in Alabama, and as we
debate the Jewish communi-
ty’s changing relationship with
labor organizing, let’s remember
the entire generation of Jewish
business leaders, like my father,
for whom unions were essen-
tial. We oft en tell the stories of
the immigrant generation who
were the labor leaders. Th eir
children, many of whom went
on to sit on the other side of the
negotiating table while valuing
labor rights, are also part of
the Jewish people’s legacy and
identity. Not just mine, but ours.

As I mourn my father, Eli
Timoner, “zichrono livracha,”
one way to honor his memory is
to champion labor organizing
eff orts as he did, and especially
to stand with all frontline
workers — everyone from
teachers to nurses to delivery
workers — all those who keep
the world moving, even in a
pandemic. Another is to hold
up his example and the promise
it contains — of businesses that
care for people, an economy
that values workers and a
society that works for all. ●
BY RABBI GREGORY S. MARX
Parshat Kedoshim
ANXIETY IS CREEPING
into the hearts of Americans.

In a recent conversation
I had with a member of my
congregation about going out
to a restaurant, having recently
received her second vaccine,
she commented, “I feel like I
am becoming agoraphobic.“
She lamented that as she was
standing outside the front of her
house and a UPS driver leaned
out of his truck to wave hello
and she jumped back in horror.

“I never would have done
that before COVID,” she said.

She recognized that she is
becoming increasingly anxious
about returning to life and
doing something as simple
and common as going out to a
restaurant. What can she do,
she asked me, now that the
plague seems to be subsiding, at
least to some degree?
One of the side eff ects
Timoner Be heard.

Email your letters
to the editor.

letters@jewishexponent.com 22
APRIL 22, 2021
JEWISH EXPONENT
Rabbi Gregory S. Marx serves as
the senior rabbi of Congregation
Beth Or in Maple Glen. The Board
of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia
is proud to provide diverse
perspectives on Torah commentary
for the Jewish Exponent. The
opinions expressed in this column
are the author’s own and do not
refl ect the view of the Board of
Rabbis. Rabbi Rachel Timoner is senior
rabbi at Congregation Beth Elohim,
a Reform congregation in Park
Slope, Brooklyn.

JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



COMMUNITY NEWS
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia mobilizes
financial and volunteer resources to address the
communities’ most critical priorities locally, in Israel and
around the world.

Touring Israel Virtually With Russian-Speaking Seniors
NEARLY 50 HOMEBOUND SENIORS traveled from Philadelphia to Israel last
month — virtually, of course.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Missions program, which takes
people on educational trips to Israel, Europe, Central America and more, has been
on hold since the start of the pandemic. But many in the local communities still feel
the travel bug and a desire to connect with Jewish communities around the world.

This gave the Jewish Federation’s Mission co-chairs, Susan Schwartz and Paul
Fires, an idea: Why not use the video technology that’s become a part of everyday life
to take isolated older adults on a virtual trip?
Together, with Missions and Travel Manager Arielle Shemesh, they organized a
virtual tour for seniors, many of whom are Holocaust survivors, who participate in
KleinLife’s programs for Russian speakers.

“The KleinLife community represents a significant portion of our elderly popula-
tion who are the most at risk. They’re homebound without any physical contact
or mental stimulation,” Schwartz said. “We felt this virtual mission would be a
wonderful way to bring Israel into their homes, and give them something to look
forward to each week.”
The Missions department worked with KleinLife, a Jewish Federation-supported
community resource center in Northeast Philadelphia, to identify participants.

Despite technological barriers for this age demographic, many were able to
join this travel experience through the use of Uniper, a video chat software that
connects virtual platforms to television screens and computers. With loneliness and
social isolation further heightened during the pandemic, funding from the Jewish
Federation helped bring this technology to seniors in the local community as a way
for them to stay connected from the comfort and safety of their homes.

“It is hard to think of a more deserving group than the people who enjoy
KleinLife’s wonderful services and programs,” Fires added. “Add to the mix that
many in the KleinLife community have limited mobility for a variety of reasons, it
seems natural to bring the Israel mission experience to their doorsteps.”
Each week, between 35 and 50 seniors joined the call. Led by an experienced
Russian-Israeli tour guide, the group visited different regions and landmarks during
the sessions. Virtual tour bus stops included Jerusalem’s Old City and Mahane Yehuda
market, Tel Aviv’s Jaffa Port, the beachside resort town of Eilat and the Dead Sea.

The tour group also met representatives from some of the Jewish Federation’s
supported Israeli nonprofits that serve seniors and Holocaust survivors. For example,
they visited Leket, the leading food rescue service in Israel, and Yad LaKashish,
which gives impoverished older adults a purpose and means of living through
teaching and using artistry skills.

Finally, the sightseers virtually visited the Jewish Federation’s partnership region
in Netivot, where they spoke with a young Russian immigrant, Kosta, about his
experiences making aliyah and raising a family on Israel’s Southern border, a
beautiful and diverse region where rocket fire is a constant reality.

Overall, the three-part virtual excursion received overwhelmingly positive
reviews. “I have not been to Israel for a long time,” said Leon Fleysh, a Holocaust survivor
from the former Soviet Union who participated in the mission. “Last time I was
there was 12 years ago. I pretty much felt like I was there through this trip, and the
experience made me want to be there in person. I would really like to travel to Israel,
to be in that atmosphere, and feel myself as part of the Israeli community.”
Other travelers, such as Mila Brayman, who is also a Holocaust survivor
originally from the former Soviet Union, agreed with Fleysh’s sentiment.

“I really love Israel and traveled there in the past,” Brayman explained. “I felt like
I was there again and got to know a lot of new things, because I hadn’t traveled to all
of the places our tour guide showed us during this virtual mission.”
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Russian-speaking older adults saw the virtual sights of Israel, including Jaffa in Tel Aviv.

KleinLife seniors, including many Holocaust survivors, experience a virtual mission to Israel.

Photos courtesy of Arielle Shemesh
The Jewish Federation’s Missions programs not only take people to Israel, but
also to visit Jewish communities and places of interest around the world. Prior to the
pandemic, the last in-person offering was a civil rights tour of the American South
that featured historic locations in Selma and Birmingham in Alabama and other
significant cities.

It will still be some time before group travel can return to non-virtual
experiences, but the Missions co-chairs are proud, albeit not surprised, of what they
have been able to accomplish and offer the community throughout the pandemic.

“The Missions’ success is not at all surprising,” Fires said. “The joy we take from
seeing this impact is why we do what we do.”
While these challenging times have limited programming and outreach in some
ways, they have also allowed for increased creativity, resourcefulness, and, in the case
of this latest KleinLife virtual mission, accessibility.

“This just reinforces to me the power of the collective, and the commitment of our
community,” Schwartz said. “It’s a very rewarding feeling to know that with a little
brainstorming — and our fabulous professional team — we can improve and enrich
lives, one day at a time.”
For more information about travel experiences with the Jewish Federation,
contact Shemesh at ashemesh@jewishphilly.org or 215-832-0629.

JEWISH EXPONENT
APRIL 22, 2021
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