O pinion
Clergy Stress Levels Are Soaring.

Rabbis Need a Break.

BY RABBI ELYSE WECHTERMAN
AND RABBI ILANA GARBER
IN THESE LAST six months,
Jewish clergy all over the world
have worked more hours, in
more ways, and with more
demands than ever before. And
they need a break.

In March, when the pan-
demic became a reality, rabbis
and cantors pivoted in every
way: They conducted online
services, streamed Passover
seders and began officiating at
remote and socially distanced
funerals. They counseled
families who either postponed
or drastically reimagined the
shape of the simchas — the
b’nai mitzvah, weddings and
other events — that had been
in the works for months (if not
years). parents of school-age children
barely holding it together
while they worked, parented,
managed their households and
watched the world falling apart
around them, all demanded
our clergy’s attention. And
rabbis and cantors, as they are
trained and so desperately want
to do, responded. They made
calls, arranged porch visits
and stepped up, sometimes
putting themselves in harm’s
way by gathering with people
who needed them. Against
the backdrop of increasing
civil-unrest and their own
passion for justice, clergy also
participated — be-masked —
in BLM protests and rallies,
supported immigrants and
asylum seekers at detention
centers, and protested against
the ongoing degradation of civil
with an outpouring of creativity
and energy, creating websites,
Facebook groups and resources,
holding conference calls and
practicum sessions, all on top
of their regular work. While
summer vacations were put
on hold, many used the time
to write or rewrite scripts,
service outlines and sermons.

Synagogue clergy produced and
edited video and audio produc-
tions, crafted resources for use
at home and reinvented liturgy
designed for shorter and online
services. Those working at
schools reimagined everything
from curriculum to instruc-
tion, while our clergy on college
campuses prepared to welcome
students back to a very different
community. The explosion of
creativity and response has
been enormous.

KVETCH ’N’ KVELL
Biden Recalls Examples of Befarek
RABBI JOSHUA RUNYAN’S ASSUMPTION that Joe Biden is
a capable, good man and supporter of Israel is not evidenced by
Biden’s history (“Why Trump’s Not Getting This Orthodox Vote:
He’s Neither Good for the Jews, Nor for Judaism,” Sept. 10).

This reminds me of our Passover story, which tells how
Pharaoh seduced the Jews with befarek, or gentle speech.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was beloved by our people, an eloquent
practitioner of befarek. Yet, in our hour of deepest peril, he was
nowhere to be found. He limited Jewish immigration to the
U.S. to 300,000 souls during WWII and famously refused to
bomb railroad tracks leading to Auschwitz, costing more than
a million lives.

During Biden’s service under [President Barack] Obama
(another practitioner of befarek), what, if anything, did he do
to mitigate the clear anti-Israel bias in that administration? The
answer is nothing, he furthered the appeasing of Iran by Obama.

Biden is an old-school careerist politician, dedicated only to
his own interests and those of his corrupt inner circle. Trump’s
actions have proven friendship for Israel and have struck a
serious blow against rising campus anti-Semitism, denying
government funding to universities who allow this danger to
flourish on campus. He is not a practitioner of befarek, but he has
demonstrated real support towards our community.

Trump has his flaws, but his policies are good for America,
good for Israel and good for our community. This committed
Jew, former professor of political science, and American patriot,
will be voting for Donald J. Trump on Nov. 3.

Louis B. Rappaport | Fort Washington
Clergy stress levels have been soaring, according to experts on ministry
and clergy nationally. Articles on clergy burnout during COVID-19 and civil
unrest abound on the internet.

Without prior experience in
production, they adjusted to this
new virtual reality by working
together to invent best-prac-
tices for community building
and inclusion in a digital world.

They learned terms like “mute
all” and “original sound,”
and they practiced defending
their communities against
“Zoom-bombing” — none of
which was covered in rabbinical
or cantorial school.

At the same time, the
pastoral demands, often the
most meaningful part of a
clergyperson’s work, multi-
plied dramatically. Isolated
individuals (especially elders)
experiencing loneliness and
loss, mourners unable to
attend in-person funerals or be
comforted by visitors for shiva,
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM discourse and human rights in
this country in particular.

All of this while managing
their own losses, their own
displacements and their own
family situations — children
needing to be home-schooled or
monitored online, aging parents
far away and fearful of their risk
for illness, marriages needing
attention, and congregations,
day schools and organiza-
tions weighing the constantly
changing CDC guidelines,
unsure on a day-to-day basis
how to proceed.

And this was all before we
started worrying about the
High Holidays.

Sometime in May, questions
about High Holidays began
circulating, and clergy and
their organizations responded
And all of this has taken a toll.

Clergy stress levels have been
soaring, according to experts
on ministry and clergy nation-
ally. Articles on clergy burnout
during COVID-19 and civil
unrest abound on the internet.

Barna Research, a Christian-
based think tank on faith and
public life, reports in a recent
study that 31% of pastors are
struggling with their mental
and physical well-being and
25% are concerned about their
marriage and family lives. A
Duke university Clergy Health
Initiative study found that 11%
of pastors report symptoms of
depression normally. Numbers
have skyrocketed during the
pandemic and shut down.

See Clergy, Page 16
JEWISH EXPONENT
Trump Is Not for Family Values
My wife and I want to applaud Rabbi Joshua Runyan for his
un-Orthodox courage in writing his opinion piece (“Why
Trump’s Not Getting This Orthodox Vote: He’s Neither Good for
the Jews, Nor for Judaism,” Sept. 10).

It is a sad time in America that so many believe the lies
emanating from the White House. Runyan lays out his argument
clearly, factually. I, too, feel that this country is more dangerous
for Jews at any time in my lifetime and the source lies at the
doorstep of a president who has stoked the fires of racism
and abetted the pandemic through his lack of leadership and
thoughtless comments.

When it comes to family values, the opposing writer Binyamin
Rose (“Many Orthodox Support President Trump. I’m One of
Them — Here’s Why,” Sept. 10) suggested that the Orthodox
community sees the Republican Party in line with theirs.

And their standard bearer? His values were heard on the tape
recorded on the infamous bus ride that is naturally totally
discounted by hypocrites. l
Nathan Farbman | Philadelphia
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published. OCTOBER 1, 2020
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