T orah P ortion
CAN DL E L IGHTIN G
Calling People In
BY RABBI GREGORY S. MARX
Parshat Vaera
WE ARE LIVING in a time of
tremendous polarization.

Political analyst Bill Bishop
observed that America is going
through a sorting of sorts.

Much as the incoming students
of Hogwarts stood before the
“sorting hat” to determine into
which house the students would
be assigned, we Americans
are being self-sorted by our
religion, ethnicity, race and,
most of all, our politics.

There are “blue states,” and
there are “red states.” Looking
at the map of our country, we
are divided not between the
North and South as we were
during the late 19th century,
but are now divided between
the coasts and the heartlands.

While this has benefits, as
we often feel more comfort-
able with like-minded people,
there are negative unintended
consequences. Like-minded
Dec. 31
Jan. 7
people tend to become more
extreme. We “feed off of each
other’s opinions” and, in turn,
become more radical when we
are not challenged by opposing
viewpoints. When there is no
one to challenge our positions,
we tend to become more
entrenched and too often turn
to violence when confronted by
an opposing viewpoint.

Too often, we see today
people screaming at each
other, unable to bridge the gap.

The news is full of violence
on our streets, in our Capitol
and, only recently, in multiple
school board meetings. It seems
we’re fighting over everything:
vaccines, mask mandates, voter
suppression, voter fraud, CRT,
antisemitism and women’s
reproductive rights.

As a child, I remember
being told about the bell curve,
where the majority of people
are in the middle with fewer
people on the extremes.

Now, our world has been
turned upside down. Now, it
seems like the fringes are the
loudest and the most violent, and
the middle is disappearing before
our very eyes. Those in the middle
are losing heart, steam and
conviction, ceding our country to
the radicals on both sides. We see
an inverted bell curve.

We read an interesting line
in Exodus 6:6, inspiring Moses
to free the Israelites: “Say, there-
fore, to the Israelite people: I am
the LORD. I will free you from
the labors of the Egyptians and
deliver you from their bondage.

I will redeem you with an
outstretched arm and through
extraordinary chastisements.”
This, too, was a world of
violence, slavery and oppres-
sion. The more the Israelites
bemoaned their plight and
Moses raised his voice in
protest, the more Pharaoh
hardened his heart.

Their world was a world
of polar opposites. You were
either in one court or another.

You were either for Egypt or
the Israelites — you had to take
sides. Neutrality was not an
option. Then God tells Moses
that the divine presence will free
them with an outstretched arm.

A medieval rabbi, Ibn Ezra,
comments that this arm was
actually an extended hand
stretching from heaven to
earth. The arm did not come
to smite but invite. In other
words, it was a hand not of
chastisement but of peace
and invitation.

Here is a possible solution
to our problems today. Rather
than extending an arm to
destroy, maybe we can extend a
hand to welcome. Rather than
“calling out” our opponents
and yelling at them, maybe we
might consider “calling them
in” for discussion. Rather than
demonize our opponents,
perhaps we should talk with
them and see them as human
beings. Maybe now is the
time to get out of our political
bubbles to talk less and listen
more. That is why we have two
ears and one mouth.

the students involved if he
discovered their identities.

He also said Marlton Middle
would be “collaborating with
community resources to help
with increasing understanding
and acceptance among all
students.” Smith concluded by calling
diversity “an incredible strength
of our community.” Other
leaders have also condemned
the antisemitic activity.

“As long as I’m breathing
and in elected office, I will
never stay quiet at antisemi-
tism,” said Mount Laurel Mayor
Stephen Steglik.

Mount Laurel is starting a
diversity and inclusion board
in 2022, and a Jewish resident is
going to be on it, Steglik added.

U.S. Rep. Andy Kim
(NJ-03), who represents
Mount Laurel and Evesham
in Congress, denounced hate
and antisemitism.

“It breaks my heart that
we’ve seen so much hate,
division and antisemitism in
our community this month,”
Kim said. “In our togetherness,
I hope we stand up to divisive
rhetoric and hate.”
On Dec. 21, New Jersey
Governor Phil Murphy made a
statement via Twitter.

Through a tweet criticizing
several antisemitic outbreaks
around the state, the governor
said he was “appalled that
swastikas were recently drawn”
at Marlton Middle.

“We will not let antisemi-
tism or hatred go unchallenged
here in New Jersey,” Murphy
added. Based on this response,
Steglik believes far more
residents condemn antisemi-
tism than those who support
it. But Coffina thinks that
antisemitism and hate are still
deep-rooted cultural issues.

The prosecutor argued
that institutions can only do
so much. Local police depart-
ments and his office, for
example, can respond only
when an incident rises to the
level of a crime.

“Parents have to be teaching
their kids just how harmful a
swastika is,” he said.

Like many synagogues in
the Philadelphia area, Adath
Emanu-El is not waiting
for that to happen. After
finding the swastika sticker
and notifying police, David
and his staff reviewed their
security protocols.

4:28 p.m.

4:34 p.m.

The more we demonize,
“call out” our opponents,
the more hate and polariza-
tion will result. But what if we
could “call them in” and listen
to each other, respect each
other and seek to understand
each other?
This takes so much more
work. It can be exhausting and
is terribly time-consuming.

Listening to each other, perhaps
over a meal, is a way to heal
the rifts that are destroying
our country. l
Rabbi Gregory S. Marx is senior
rabbi at Congregation Beth Or.

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 reflect the view of the
Board of Rabbis.

Swastika Continued from Page 6
On Dec. 5, the same day
that the student walked into
the synagogue office, David
sent a letter condemning
antisemitism and hate to his
congregation of about 400
families. Later that night,
Adath Emanu-El held its
preplanned Chanukah candle
lighting in the parking lot.

David made a Facebook
post, and about 200 people,
including non-Jews, showed up
to light candles on the holiday’s
last night.

“It was this beautiful
moment,” he said.

Like the rabbi, Smith
responded swiftly to the
incident at his institution. On
Dec. 17, a day after finding the
first swastika, Smith sent a
letter to his community.

He promised to discipline
16 DECEMBER 30, 2021
JEWISH EXPONENT
Later, Adath Emanu-El
brought in a representative
from Coffina’s office and a
security advisor from the
Jewish Federation of Southern
New Jersey to evaluate how
staff handled this incident.

Adath Emanu-El came away
from this experience confident
in its basic safety approach of
having a guard on duty during
services and school hours,
according to David.

The temple added that
protocol after the 2018 Tree
of Life synagogue complex
shooting in Pittsburgh, which
killed 11 Jews.

“All of us have experienced
antisemitism in recent years,”
said the rabbi. l
jsaffren@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0740
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



C ommunity
COMMUNITYCALENDAR FRIDAY, DEC. 31
Parsha for Life
Join Rabbi Alexander Coleman,
Jewish educator and psychotherapist
at the Institute for Jewish Ethics, at
9 a.m. for a weekly journey through
the Torah portion of the week with
eternal lessons on personal growth
and spirituality. Go to ijethics.org/
weekly-torah-portion.html to receive
the Zoom link and password.

Geography of Summer
What is the history of the summer
vacation? How does it apply to the
Jewish community? Why, where and
how do we travel? What is a Jewish
“staycation”? Reform Congregation
Keneseth Israel’s Temple Judea
Museum 2021 fall exhibition “The
Geography of Summer” is open.

Visit the gallery in person at 8339
Old York Road, Elkins Park, or follow
the exhibition on the Temple Judea
Museum Facebook page and
on YouTube.

SUNDAY, JAN. 2
Genealogy Lecture
Join the Jewish Genealogical
and Archival Society of Greater
Philadelphia at 1:30 p.m. for a lecture
by Gil Bardige, a genealogist for
more than 40 years with 14 years
of experience in DNA. This meeting
is for members only. Check the
website for complete membership
information: jgasgp.org. Contact
membership@jgasgp.org for
more information.

Writing Course
In the Briya Project’s Sh’ma – Hear
Your Inner Voice weekly course of
eight, two-hour class sessions from
6-8 p.m., we gather on Zoom for
moments of ritual and writing, to
harness our creative spirits, seek our
artistic voices and let them speak
out. The course continues until
Jan. 16. Contact talia@briyaproject.

com for more information.

MONDAY, JAN. 3
Mahjong Game
Melrose B’nai Israel Emanu-El
Sisterhood invites the community
to join our weekly friendly mahjong
game at 7 p.m. Cost is $36 per
year or free with MBIEE Sisterhood
membership. For more information,
call 215-635-1505 or email office@
mbiee.org. 8339 Old York Road,
Elkins Park.

TUESDAY, JAN. 4
Text Study
Join Beth Sholom Congregation
Rabbi David Glanzberg-Krainin at
8 p.m. for a close reading of Avivah
Gottlieb Zornberg’s work “Moses: A
Human Life,” which reveals Moses
as far from perfect — a very human
man, riddled with insecurities,
anxieties and uncertain of his faith.

8231 Old York Road, Elkins Park.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 5
Mahjong Class
Old York Road Temple-Beth Am
presents weekly beginner mahjong
classes until Jan. 19 from 6:45-9 p.m.

$80. Contact Gail Stein at
aplusteacherus@gmail.com or
215-947-2203 for registration.

971 Old York Road, Abington.

THURSDAY, JAN. 6
Book Talk
Har Zion Temple Sisterhood and
Department of Lifelong Learning
present the Open A Book … Open
Your Mind series via Zoom. Each
event will cost $18. At 7 p.m., author
Sam Apple will discuss “Ravenous.”
For more information and to
register, email openabook@
harziontemple.org l
What’s going on in Jewish Philadelphia?
Submit an event or browse our online calendar to find out what’s happening
at local synagogues, community organizations and venues!
Submit: listings@jewishexponent.com • Online: jewishexponent.com/events/
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM COMMUNITYBRIEFS
JNF-USA Names JNFuture Leader
JEWISH NATIONAL FUND-USA named Sean Siegel as its
new JNFuture Campaign Exec in Philadelphia.

While attending Pace University in New York, Siegel became
the founding president of Students Supporting Israel and served
on the national SSI committee for two years, eventually serving
on the SSI board of directors.

Siegel said his devotion to Israel started after a life-changing
Birthright trip.

“At that point, Israel became my life, my love, my passion.

I knew I wanted to dedicate every waking minute to supporting
our homeland,” he said.

JNF-USA is a philanthropic organization for Israel that
Sean Siegel
supports environmental and nation-building activities in Israel’s
Courtesy of Jewish National Fund-USA
north and south. The organization is developing new communi-
ties in the Galilee and Negev, connecting the next generation to Israel, and creating infrastructure
and programs that support ecology, individuals with special needs and heritage site preservation.

Maccabi Games to Return in 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic
caused the Maccabi Games to
be canceled in 2020 and 2021,
but the competition is slated to
resume from July 31 through
Aug. 5 at the Lawrence Family
JCC on the Jacobs Family
Campus in San Diego.

Team Philadelphia announced
it will be participating and
that tryout information will be
coming soon.

Available sports include
16U boys soccer, 16U girls
soccer, 16U boys basketball,
The 16U girls soccer team in 2018
Courtesy of Michael Keitz
16U girls basketball, 16U ice
hockey, boys and girls tennis,
swimming, golf and dance.

The cost will be $2,000, inclusive of airlines, uniforms and swag. Scholarships are available.

For more information, contact Barrie Mittica at bmittica@phillyjcc.com.

Red Cross Says Blood Donations at Critical Level
The American Red Cross said blood supply levels are at historic lows — at a time of year when
donations are typically lower than at other times of the year.

Potential donors are urged to schedule an appointment now by using the Red Cross Blood
Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

If there is not an immediate opportunity available, donors are asked to make an appointment
in the days and weeks ahead.

All who donate through Jan. 2 will receive a Red Cross long-sleeved T-shirt while supplies last.

Those who give blood, platelets or plasma in January will automatically be entered for a chance
to win a getaway to Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles. In addition, donors will be also be automati-
cally entered to win a home theater package and a $500 e-gift card.

Fencing Academy of Philadelphia Offers Classes at Kaiserman JCC
The Fencing Academy of Philadelphia will offer two winter beginner-level courses for children 8-17
at the Kaiserman JCC starting on Jan. 4.

Children 8-12 will have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30-5:30 p.m. and 9-10 a.m.

on Sundays.

Children 13-17 will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30-7:30 p.m. and Sundays from
11 a.m. to noon.

For details, visit fencefap.com. l
JEWISH EXPONENT
DECEMBER 30, 2021
17