It seems we have reached a new understanding of normal. Terrorist attacks are happening daily and we only know about the ones that are carried out. There are may more attempts, I am sure.
We are saddened and shocked (but perhaps not as much as before) by the news of yet another terrorist attack in France. On July 14th, at least 84 people were killed and more than 100 injured when terrorists drove a motor vehicle into a crowd in Nice, France, that was celebrating Bastille Day.
We have a responsibility to speak out against this evil, and to stand against the hateful ideology that fuels it. As we move into Shabbat, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the people of France and all of those around the world who are victims of terror.
Let's start by being kind to one another and to the other. Let this not simply be thoughts in our minds or words we utter. Kindness is possible. We can all be kind - IF we choose. Let's choose to intentionally and actively show kindness throughout our day. Who knows what is possible?
Makor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, may we commit to action that helps ensure safety and dignity to everyone.
7.8.16 A little Israel
Hello from Israel. I hope everyone is well and able to enjoy a little R&R during these summer months.
I am writing from Israel where I am attending a 10 day study seminar at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. Close to 200 rabbis from North America and Israel, are exploring the topic of Jewish identity. We are blessed to learn from a wide array of great scholars. I am looking forward to sharing my learning with all of you.
My first trip to Israel was with my family in 1978. I was ten years old. My father was a volunteer dentist on Kibbutz Nachshonim for two months. It was an incredible summer. Coming from life in suburbia, I tasted my first layer of independence. I was sleeping in the "10 yr old house", taking buses into the city of Petach Tikveh with my friends (and without any adults) and speaking Hebrew. It was heaven. I have returned over 25 times and am grateful for all of the incredible opportunities I have experienced.
I have often said that my soul was born in Israel and my body in America. I love America and I love living in New York (Go Harlem!). But, there is a part of me that feels I breathe more fully when I am here. How can it be that the place I love so deeply can also break my heart?
This past week I learned about the extensive work of "Leket Israel", Israel's largest food bank providing surplus food to hundreds of thousands of people and visited Palestinian villages in the southernmost West Bank, where most residents are poor, living in temporary structures and subsisting on farming and grazing of flocks.
To say Israel is a complex country is insufficient and simplistic. Israel experiences tremendous successes and challenges, overcomes many hardships and makes decisions that do not always demonstrate respect for all people. Successes include the invention of INTEL, Natafim - drip irrigation enabling millions to have food through developing a way to have agriculture in desert areas, and the PillCam (aka capsule endoscopy). The religious, economic and political challenges are vast and permeate all facets of society. There are many who wonder if they can ever be resolved.
My hope is that we will each find ways to be engaged and involved in Israel. My prayer is that Israel will be a place where equality and justice are available to everyone. Our commitment to be involved plays a critical role in bringing the prayer to fruition. I look forward to exploring possibilities together..
Shabbat Shalom,
Laurie
I am writing from Israel where I am attending a 10 day study seminar at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. Close to 200 rabbis from North America and Israel, are exploring the topic of Jewish identity. We are blessed to learn from a wide array of great scholars. I am looking forward to sharing my learning with all of you.
My first trip to Israel was with my family in 1978. I was ten years old. My father was a volunteer dentist on Kibbutz Nachshonim for two months. It was an incredible summer. Coming from life in suburbia, I tasted my first layer of independence. I was sleeping in the "10 yr old house", taking buses into the city of Petach Tikveh with my friends (and without any adults) and speaking Hebrew. It was heaven. I have returned over 25 times and am grateful for all of the incredible opportunities I have experienced.
I have often said that my soul was born in Israel and my body in America. I love America and I love living in New York (Go Harlem!). But, there is a part of me that feels I breathe more fully when I am here. How can it be that the place I love so deeply can also break my heart?
This past week I learned about the extensive work of "Leket Israel", Israel's largest food bank providing surplus food to hundreds of thousands of people and visited Palestinian villages in the southernmost West Bank, where most residents are poor, living in temporary structures and subsisting on farming and grazing of flocks.
To say Israel is a complex country is insufficient and simplistic. Israel experiences tremendous successes and challenges, overcomes many hardships and makes decisions that do not always demonstrate respect for all people. Successes include the invention of INTEL, Natafim - drip irrigation enabling millions to have food through developing a way to have agriculture in desert areas, and the PillCam (aka capsule endoscopy). The religious, economic and political challenges are vast and permeate all facets of society. There are many who wonder if they can ever be resolved.
My hope is that we will each find ways to be engaged and involved in Israel. My prayer is that Israel will be a place where equality and justice are available to everyone. Our commitment to be involved plays a critical role in bringing the prayer to fruition. I look forward to exploring possibilities together..
Shabbat Shalom,
Laurie
7.1.16 Perception and Perspective
Hello from Israel. This is the most complex and compelling place and for me, it is where I feel most alive and most present. I look forward to unpacking and experiencing all of the layers with all of you, back in NYC and hopefully one day in the land itself.
STEPHEN WISE FREE SYNAGOGUE - EMERGENCY FOOD PROGRAM is in need of volunteers this Saturday. Being a holiday weekend it is very difficult to find volunteers. It's early so you have the rest of the day to celebrate being an American and it's good for people of (almost) all ages. If you are available, please contact Scott directly and immediately at scott.disavino@thomsonreuters.com.
This week's teaching is from my dear friend, Debbie Mukamal, Executive Director of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center. Our tradition teaches "Tzaddik k'tamar yifrach," the righteous shall blossom like a date palm. Debbie has taught and inspired many, myself included, the importance of choosing our perception and perspective with care, respect and integrity for ourselves and the other. It is because of her and life's work, that I took on the mitzvah of visiting Jen in prison each month. We should not be defined by our worst action or moment. We should be seen as a whole, created in the image of the Divine.
May her words provide meaning and guidance.
Shabbat Shalom u'mevorach, may Shabbat be filled with fullness and blessing,
Laurie
STEPHEN WISE FREE SYNAGOGUE - EMERGENCY FOOD PROGRAM is in need of volunteers this Saturday. Being a holiday weekend it is very difficult to find volunteers. It's early so you have the rest of the day to celebrate being an American and it's good for people of (almost) all ages. If you are available, please contact Scott directly and immediately at scott.disavino@thomsonreuters.com.
This week's teaching is from my dear friend, Debbie Mukamal, Executive Director of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center. Our tradition teaches "Tzaddik k'tamar yifrach," the righteous shall blossom like a date palm. Debbie has taught and inspired many, myself included, the importance of choosing our perception and perspective with care, respect and integrity for ourselves and the other. It is because of her and life's work, that I took on the mitzvah of visiting Jen in prison each month. We should not be defined by our worst action or moment. We should be seen as a whole, created in the image of the Divine.
May her words provide meaning and guidance.
Shabbat Shalom u'mevorach, may Shabbat be filled with fullness and blessing,
Laurie
D'var Torah presented by Debbie Mukamal
Congregation Beth Am, Palo Alto, CA
Congregation Beth Am, Palo Alto, CA
July 1, 2016
Shabbat Shalom. Thank you to Rabbi Marder for the opportunity
to share some words this beautiful Kabbalat Shabbat.
My friend Willard grew up in Menlo Park. In true Silicon
Valley fashion, entrepreneurship surrounded him from his youth. His dad owned
the shoe shine business on the Stanford campus, and he has fond memories of selling
hot dogs and ice cream on University Avenue, long before it was populated with
start-ups. These days, Willard is the proud owner of Magic Hands, a thriving eco-friendly
mobile auto detailing business. He’ll come to your home or your office and
detail your car with one bucket of water, rather than the 40 gallons a
traditional car wash uses. A brilliant idea that he conceived of and cultivated
in a Stanford program. His only daughter, Angela, recently graduated with a doctorate
in Education and works to promote diversity in educational environments. Willard
takes great pride in helping his community; each Christmas he participates in a
bike giveaway for kids in East Palo Alto. He is also a man of deep faith in
Islam, praying five times a day. Mostly a quiet, soft-spoken man, he enjoys a
good barbeque with loved ones. He suffers from bipolar disorder, which he
controls with counseling and medication, like so many others.
Three years ago, Willard was sitting in a prison cell having
already served 18 years of a 25 years to life sentence. Because it was his third
offense, under California sentencing laws at the time, he was automatically
sentenced to serve 25 years to life, despite the nature of his crime being
non-violent. When he went to prison his daughter was 9 years old. They shared
letters and photos on a regular basis but he didn’t see her until she was
enrolled at the Stanford Graduate School of Education for a Master’s degree,
and someone volunteered to drive her to the prison and visit her dad for the
first time. Willard still has the box full of letters and postcards he received,
as they became his lifeline to the outside and his only way to share in his
daughter’s childhood.
Proposition 36 was passed in 2014, making those serving a
non-violent third strike offense eligible to have their sentences recalculated.
Willard faced the prison doors being open, but his future felt uncertain. He
hadn’t prepared for release, and his years spent in prison didn’t give him the
employment training or education he needed to succeed on the outside. He was
fortunate enough to land himself in transitional housing, a home for recovering
addicts, where he lived for 9 months. He didn’t receive mental health treatment
for his bi-polar disorder. Having earned wages of $.09 an hour for the work he
did inside, his sense of self-value had plummeted.
Willard is not alone. Tonight, more than 2
million people are incarcerated in prisons and jails in the United States,
almost half of whom committed non-violent offenses. While we house 5% of the
world’s population, we incarcerate 25% of the world’s prisoners. Some 12
million alone will cycle in and out of local jail this year, and only two-thirds
of them will be there as punishment for crimes committed. Most will be there awaiting
trial or because they are too poor to post bail. In the last 50 years, we have
seen a four-fold increase in the number of people we incarcerate. Mass
incarceration doesn’t affect our communities evenly. Communities of color and
poor neighborhoods are most devastated; blacks are incarcerated in state prison at a
rate that is 5.1 times that of whites. Put another way, while they comprise
5.7% of the state population, Blacks make up nearly 30% of the state prison
population. Willard’s daughter is not alone: some 2.7 million children have a parent behind bars.
In this week’s Torah portion, Shelach (Numbers 13:1-15:41),
G-d instructs Moses to send scouts into the Land of Canaan. Moses sends 12 men
- one from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. After 40 days, the men return
loaded with grapes, pomegranates and figs. The men report that the land “flows
with milk and honey.” But they also share their concerns that the land is full
of strong, formidable people, including giants. “There we saw the nefilim, the giants,
descendants of the fallen ones. We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and
so we were in their sight.” After hearing this dire assessment, the Israelites
panic, crying to Moses and Aaron that they wish they had died in the
land of Egypt or in the desert, rather than have to face the challenges ahead
in Canaan.
Only two of the scouts – Caleb and Joshua – are optimistic
about their abilities, and beseech their brethren to trust in G-d to bring them
safely and successfully into Canaan. But the people refuse to listen. Understandably,
G-d is disappointed in the majority’s despair, “How long will this people
provoke me? How long will they not believe in Me, for all the signs which I
have performed among them?” Ultimately Moses convinces G-d to have pity on the
people, which he does, but as punishment, the 10 scouts and their progeny
cannot enter Canaan; instead they must wander in the desert for 40 years. Only
Caleb’s and Joshua’s descendants get to enter the Promised Land.
The rabbis suggest that this week’s parsha teaches us about the
importance of self-esteem, of maintaining faith in times of adversity, and of believing
in ourselves, the strength of our community, and our capabilities in the wake
of the unknown. Perhaps Caleb and Joshua feel empowered because they knew they
had the support and strength of their community waiting for them. Had the scouts
returned and believed they could and would survive, rather than falling victim
to their fears, they would have been granted access to the Promised Land.
I believe that how we perceive or approach a challenge can
influence whether and how we overcome it. If we channel feelings of strength
and optimism, even in the wake of something unknown and difficult, we often can
move through a difficult experience knowing that we’ve done something similarly
challenging before, and our community is supporting us.
Like the scouts heading from the desert into the unknown and
fear-inducing Land of Canaan, formerly incarcerated individuals like Willard need
faith and courage, in spite of tremendous odds against them. Of the more than
600,000 people who will leave federal or state prison this year, more than
two-thirds will return to prison within three years. The likelihood of their
succeeding is slim. They face many barriers, including challenges in finding
employment, safe and affordable housing, and effective substance abuse and
mental health treatment. They also face the uncertainty of how their loved
ones, their neighbors, their fellow congregants will – or won’t - accept them. And
being stripped of all decision-making during their confinement can make simple
acts like choosing cereal at the supermarket or selecting an entrée from a menu
very overwhelming. For those like Willard, who have been incarcerated for a
long time, the reliance on technology in our everyday lives is nothing short of
overwhelming. They remember using rotary phones, not iWatches.
Like the spies heading into the Land of Canaan, formerly
incarcerated people need opportunities to feel empowered and to feel the
strength of their community waiting for them. They need opportunities to
restore the dignity lost during their confinement. They need opportunities to
find a job that pays a living wage so they can be self-sufficient. They need healing
opportunities to reunify with their family members and to mourn those who have
passed while they were away. They need restorative justice opportunities that
allow them to take responsibility – not just punishment – for the crimes they
have committed. In short, they need opportunities to become whole again.
As Executive Director of the Stanford Criminal Justice
Center at Stanford Law School, I oversee two initiatives, one very local and
one statewide, whose missions are to provide critical self esteem and dignity
to those returning home from prison and jail. Project ReMADE is a 4-month
entrepreneurship program that teaches 50 hours of business planning classes to
budding entrepreneurs. Born on the premise that individuals who have been to
prison or jail are the same as those who have not: they are dreamers, they have
goals and aspirations, they are capable of achieving those goals and they
deserve the dignity of earning a living wage and having a real opportunity of
becoming a productive member of society. It also recognizes that the path to
traditional employment is often blocked to people with criminal records and
self-employment – for some - might be more viable. Each Project ReMADE
entrepreneur is paired with a Stanford Law School student, a Stanford Graduate
School of Business student, and a Silicon Valley business executive who work
with him or her to develop out a business plan. Those relationships propel the
entrepreneur’s business, but also help re-build his or her self-esteem and
expand his or her social capital. Coming to the Stanford campus each week helps
our entrepreneurs begin the process of shedding their identities of “felon” and
“ex-con” and assuming more positive labels like “business owner” and
“graduate.” By graduation – which gives each entrepreneur the chance to pitch
his or her business to microenterprise development organizations, most of our
entrepreneurs are donning Stanford garb, and have formed relationships with
their mentors and teachers of Project ReMADE that will survive beyond the
duration of the program. Our graduates share that the knowledge, networking,
and confidence they acquire is invaluable. As one said, “When I began thinking
of my business plan, I was locked down in administrative segregation. Project
ReMADE helped me bring that idea from the back of a San Quentin prison cell to
the classrooms of Stanford University, and eventually on paper, as a formal
business.” It is through Project ReMADE that I met Willard, and many other
deserving people.
Similarly, though a collaborative initiative with colleagues
at The Opportunity Institute and with the support of several foundations, we
are working to increase access to college opportunities for currently and
formerly incarcerated Californians. I don’t know about you, but college was the
time in my life when my mind was blown open with new ideas and perspective and
when I gained the tools to think more critically. Prisoners and formerly
incarcerated people are no different. A college education can open up new and
better employment opportunities, it can provide the tools to be a community
leader and role model, and it it can neutralize the stigma of a criminal
record. Having a college education also significantly lowers the likelihood of
someone recidivating and returning to prison. But up until a year or two ago,
California only had one in-person college program across all 35 of our state
prisons. That is finally changing. We are piloting programs throughout the
state, aimed at creating and strengthening partnerships between our 113
community colleges and 33 public four-year colleges and universities and our
jails, prisons, and probation and parole departments. Our goal is that any
prisoner who has earned a GED or high school diploma who wants to enroll in
college should be able to do so, and that formerly incarcerated people can find
support on college campuses if they seek to become students [Consider adding
direct quote from student about power of education here].
What can our community do to help prisoners returning home? In
their process of reclaiming their dignity? Of becoming whole again? How can we
make sure prisoners know they have a community waiting to embrace them,
believing in their capacity to change and be so much more than the worst
mistake they have ever made?
What if we sent our gently used books to prison libraries or
brought our no-longer needed business clothes to the Santa Clara Reentry
Resource Center in San Jose? And what if we volunteered as a mentor or tutor in
an education program at San Quentin prison or the San Mateo jail or at a
community-based organization like Rubicon and Goodwill working to teach
formerly incarcerated people how to use Microsoft Word or apply for a job
online? How about supporting a piece of state legislation that increases
funding for community resources to help formerly incarcerated people access
substance abuse and mental health treatment? What if we helped children like
Willard’s daughter be able to visit their parents in prison or jail by helping
them get to the corners of the state where those prisons are located? Or asking
your pro bono legal department to take on the cases of applicants who have been
denied occupational solely because of decades old convictions? And think about
what it would mean if our help was more spiritual: we could bench gomeil, just
as we do for those who have survived other catastrophic events, for those who
have returned from captivity so they know they are being welcomed home in the
embrace of their community. The opportunities are vast.
Each of us has the power to decide how we are going to
perceive the other, how we’re going to address the unknown. We can do it from a
place of hope and optimism, as Caleb and Joshua did. Or we can be paralyzed by
fear, as the other 10 scouts did. But where does that leave us? Let us as a
community consider ways we can help those returning home from incarceration embrace
their freedom with faith, humanity and dignity, and let us see how the Promised
Land can lead us to greater possibility, greater justice,
greater good.
Shabbat Shalom.
6.24.16 A little Reminder - A little Check-in
Let's begin with a portion of last week's "Little Torah":
["...We live through times when hate and fear seem stronger
We rise and fall and light from dying embers
Remembrances that hope and love lasts long
And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love
Cannot be killed or swept aside,
I sing Vanessa’s symphony, Eliza tells her storyNow fill the world with music love and pride"(excerpt from Lin-Manuel Miranda's acceptance speech at the Tony Awards)
["...We live through times when hate and fear seem stronger
We rise and fall and light from dying embers
Remembrances that hope and love lasts long
And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love
Cannot be killed or swept aside,
I sing Vanessa’s symphony, Eliza tells her storyNow fill the world with music love and pride"(excerpt from Lin-Manuel Miranda's acceptance speech at the Tony Awards)
We cannot remain heartbroken because then we will be paralyzed and that would not be helpful to anyone. We must soften our heartbreak by choosing to love the other. We can choose to respond to this hatred and to this violence with love, love for every one. That is all that matters.
Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, Source of Breath, as we enter into Shabbat we are more aware of the fact that we are blessed to have breath. We are more aware of our gratitude to be in life. Let us use this awareness to strengthen our commitment to choose to love every one. Let us see the presence of something holy in the face of every other. Let us leave judgement aside. Let us lead with love.]
This week is time for a little check-in. How did we do? Did we lead with love? Did we put judgment aside? For one week? For even one day? Or did we just return to life/business as usual? It's hard to change. It sometimes feels impossible to do things differently than we have done for so many year, perhaps even for our entire lives. But this is what we are asked to do in the face of tragedy.
On June 12, 2016, 49 innocent people were murdered. We felt sadness, rage, shock and a ton of other emotions. These are all natural responses to such a horrific tragedy. But, what actions did we take this past week? Did we lead with love? Did we leave judgement aside?
In the very first story in Bible, we learn that the distinction between the creation of humanity and everything else is that human being was created in the image of God with Godlike abilities. Human being was given free will. This gift, this privilege, this responsibility is ours forever. It is our call to action. It is the symbol for all of our power. Every breath is an opportunity for us to activate this power. What will our intention be? This is something each of us chooses.
Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, Source of Breath, as we enter into Shabbat, let us continue to honor the memory of the 49 innocent souls who were murdered. Let us choose to engage our free will with intentionality towards leading with love and leaving judgement aside.
Shabbat shalom u'mevorach,
Laurie
6.17.16 And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love
"...We live through times when hate and fear seem stronger
We rise and fall and light from dying embers
Remembrances that hope and love lasts long
And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love
Cannot be killed or swept aside,
I sing Vanessa’s symphony, Eliza tells her storyNow fill the world with music love and pride"(excerpt from Lin-Manuel Miranda's acceptance speech at the Tony Awards)
We rise and fall and light from dying embers
Remembrances that hope and love lasts long
And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love
Cannot be killed or swept aside,
I sing Vanessa’s symphony, Eliza tells her storyNow fill the world with music love and pride"(excerpt from Lin-Manuel Miranda's acceptance speech at the Tony Awards)
The tragedy that happened in Orlando shook us and left us heartbroken. Normally, I speak only for myself, but in this case, I feel confident that thousands, hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions of people are feeling the same way.
It feels so strange, because I (naively and foolishly) thought that "this issue" was in the past. We had moved on from hating gay people, at least in our country. We had entered a new era of truly accepting people for who they are and not judging them because they are different. The tragic murder of 49 innocent human beings proved to me how wrong I was.
My heart is broken and I have been catapulted into a truth that I do not want to accept, and yet I must. There is hatred. There is deep hatred. Bothers and sisters are not safe. What does it take to bring the world to a time when EVERY ONE lives with dignity and safety, care and respect? What has to happen in order for hatred and violence to become part of history and remain there? What can we do? What must we do to honor the memory of the 49 innocent human beings who were murdered?
On Rosh Hashanah, nearly 10 months ago, I prayed the words of Rabbi Akiva; "Rabbi Akiva said; love your other the way you (should) love yourself. That's all that matters." This became my teaching, my prayer for this entire year. It has never felt more important than it does now.
We cannot remain heartbroken because then we will be paralyzed and that would not be helpful to anyone. We must soften our heartbreak by choosing to love the other. We can choose to respond to this hatred and to this violence with love, love for every one. That is all that matters.
Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, Source of Breath, as we enter into Shabbat we are more aware of the fact that we are blessed to have breath. We are more aware of our gratitude to be in life. Let us use this awareness to strengthen our commitment to choose to love every one. Let us see the presence of something holy in the face of every other. Let us leave judgement aside. Let us lead with love.
May the memory of those who were murdered be a reminder that as long as we have breath, as long as we have life, we can choose love. We will choose love.
"...And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love..."
Shabbat shalom u'mevorach,
Laurie
Laurie
May their memory be forever a blessing through the lives we live.
Stanley Almodovar III, 23 years old
Amanda Alvear, 25 years old
Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26 years old
Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33 years old
Antonio Davon Brown, 29 years old
Darryl Roman Burt II, 29 years old
Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28 years old
Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25 years old
Luis Daniel Conde, 39 years old
Cory James Connell, 21 years old
Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25 years old
Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32 years old
Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31 years old
Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25 years old
Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26 years old
Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22 years old
Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22 years old
Paul Terrell Henry, 41 years old
Frank Hernandez, 27 years old
Miguel Angel Honorato, 30 years old
Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40 years old
Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 years old
Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 years old
Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, 25 years old
Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32 years old
Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 years old
Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49 years old
Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25 years old
Kimberly Morris, 37 years old
Akyra Monet Murray, 18 years old
Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20 years old
Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25 years old
Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36 years old
Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 years old
Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 years old
Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25 years old
Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27 years old
Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35 years old
Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 years old
Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24 years old
Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 years old
Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 years old
Martin Benitez Torres, 33 years old
Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24 years old
Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37 years old
Luis S. Vielma, 22 years old
Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50 years old
Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 years old
Jerald Arthur Wright, 31 years old
6.10.16 Torah. Torah. Torah. (Almost)
It's here (well almost). It's almost Shavuot, the holiday that marks the harvest and the giving of Torah. We have (almost) finished counting 49 days, 7 weeks from Passover bringing us (almost) to the day when we have the privilege and opportunity to receive Torah anew.
Rosh Hashanah starts the evening of October 2nd - over 3 and 1/2 months away. But, our tradition is one of planning. We don't want that day to come without proper preparation. The Rabbis give us the gift of the month of Elul, the month leading into Rosh Hashanah but a month of preparation isn't enough. We are to begin that preparation now.
Tonight we will count the 49th day of Omer and finish our reflection on "Malchut" - nobility - that which is noble, elegant and powerful about us. How do we use these precious gifts to strengthen our relationship with ourselves, with others and with THE ULTIMATE OTHER? How do we harness our power to create meaning in our lives and in the lives of others? How do we use our power to challenge power? "Malchut" is probably the most difficult of the seven attributes because it is not always easy or comfortable to accept the fact that we actually have power. Once we accept this as fact, we must act on our power to create change and bring the world closer to our understanding of "paradise" - like it was during the time of the Garden of Eden. Once we accept that we have power, we can no longer stand idle while corruption and injustice continue to permeate the lives of too many people, people who live next door, down the street, one neighborhood over.
Shavuot is the holiday where we need to actively claim our power and make a decision to execute our power to bring about real change. Where will we make an impact? Where will we get involved? What will we do between this Shavuot and next to elevate the lives of others restoring dignity and holiness? How will we live our Torah? Which teaching will lead us into Rosh Hashanah forcing us to reflect on our flaws and limitations? What part of Torah will we hold up as a mirror accepting the responsibility that we are partners with something much larger than ourselves and this partnership demands that we act?
Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, as we move into Shabbat, into the final day of the counting of the Omer, leading us to Shavuot, enabling us to receive Torah anew, may we not take this precious gift for granted. May we decide to demonstrate that we are worthy of this gift (again) by choosing the change we will bring. It's also customary to eat dairy/dairy substitute. Choose your pleasure!
Shabbat shalom u'mevorach - a blessed and restful Shabbat,
Laurie
Rosh Hashanah starts the evening of October 2nd - over 3 and 1/2 months away. But, our tradition is one of planning. We don't want that day to come without proper preparation. The Rabbis give us the gift of the month of Elul, the month leading into Rosh Hashanah but a month of preparation isn't enough. We are to begin that preparation now.
Tonight we will count the 49th day of Omer and finish our reflection on "Malchut" - nobility - that which is noble, elegant and powerful about us. How do we use these precious gifts to strengthen our relationship with ourselves, with others and with THE ULTIMATE OTHER? How do we harness our power to create meaning in our lives and in the lives of others? How do we use our power to challenge power? "Malchut" is probably the most difficult of the seven attributes because it is not always easy or comfortable to accept the fact that we actually have power. Once we accept this as fact, we must act on our power to create change and bring the world closer to our understanding of "paradise" - like it was during the time of the Garden of Eden. Once we accept that we have power, we can no longer stand idle while corruption and injustice continue to permeate the lives of too many people, people who live next door, down the street, one neighborhood over.
Shavuot is the holiday where we need to actively claim our power and make a decision to execute our power to bring about real change. Where will we make an impact? Where will we get involved? What will we do between this Shavuot and next to elevate the lives of others restoring dignity and holiness? How will we live our Torah? Which teaching will lead us into Rosh Hashanah forcing us to reflect on our flaws and limitations? What part of Torah will we hold up as a mirror accepting the responsibility that we are partners with something much larger than ourselves and this partnership demands that we act?
Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, as we move into Shabbat, into the final day of the counting of the Omer, leading us to Shavuot, enabling us to receive Torah anew, may we not take this precious gift for granted. May we decide to demonstrate that we are worthy of this gift (again) by choosing the change we will bring. It's also customary to eat dairy/dairy substitute. Choose your pleasure!
Shabbat shalom u'mevorach - a blessed and restful Shabbat,
Laurie
6.3.16 A little Jen a lot of Bonding
LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYONE WHO HAS ALREADY REGISTERED FOR SHABBAT BEINEINU
IF YOU HAVEN'T
IT'S NOT TOO LATE
REGISTER NOW.
AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO REGISTER IN ADVANCE
JUST SHOW UP
THAT'S HOW MUCH WE WANT TO CELEBRATE SHABBAT WITH YOU
(The pretty colors and the bold font are designed to entice you to come. Is it working?)
It's been a while since we talked a little Torah about Jen. Remember Jen? She's the friend I introduced on Yom Kippur. A little reminder; Jen is a relatively new friend. We met a year ago, March. We were strangers and now we are friends. She is 36 and a mother of two beautiful and smart daughters ages 19 and 17. Jen is also a daughter, a sister, an aunt and a friend. She is in college and one class away from obtaining her Associates Degree.
Jen is smart, spiritual, has a good sense of humor, kind, open hearted, a little stubborn, searching for a connection to something larger than herself, thoughtful, cares about the world, is bothered by injustice and works hard. We are actually quite similar. Jen loves watermelon, meditation, scrabble and it doesn't bother her to play without keeping score. We are actually quite similar.
Except...Jen doesn't have a cell phone. She is always hungry. She wears the same green pants every day (alternating between two pair). Jen is not allowed to use a computer. She hasn't gone to the movies or on vacation in a very very very long time. Jen can only wear certain colored shirts and they can't have any writing or logos on them.
Jen lives in prison. She has been incarcerated for 15 years at Bedford Hills, a women's maximum security facility. She is there because she committed a terrible act. Just in case there is any misunderstanding, I am not condoning or excusing her actions. And just in case there is any additional misunderstanding, I believe that each person is lucky or unlucky regarding the family we are born into. I was incredibly lucky in every respect. Jen wasn't.
Jen doesn't have a first name inside prison. She has a "DIN" number ("D" Inmate Number, I forgot what the "D" stands for.), which I have intentionally refused to learn. CO's (Corrections Officers) usually call her by her last name or her number.
I visit Jen once a month. People are quite surprised and intrigued by this and I am often asked; "Why?" "What do you do during the visits?" "Is it hard?" "Is it scary?"
I made this commitment for a variety of reasons. First, because I believe everyone has the capacity to change (if they want to). Second, if they have made a commitment to change, they deserve support. Third, in order to maintain a desire and commitment to change, they need love. Fourth, it's the least that I can do.
My last visit was this past Tuesday. The check in process is ridiculous and often very time consuming. But this time, I only waited 30 minutes for Jen to enter the visitors' room. We hugged like we always do. I hug Jen longer than I usually hug probably because it only happens once a month. We spent a good chunk of time catching up on school/work, family, and kids. Jen's oldest daughter is graduating high-school and starting Fordham this summer. She opened up even more about her background and the different members of her family. We talked about the Omer and the quality of "Bonding" - our ability to connect with others and establish meaningful and lasting relationships. We discovered, we have similar outlooks, strengths and challenges.
For the first time Jen raised the topic of parole. Her first opportunity to go before a parole board will be in 2019. Jen rarely references actual time. She says it's difficult and a little painful to keep track "inside". She thought it was Monday. Even though it's three years away, Jen knows she has to start preparing. Parol boards want you demonstrate remorse and they don't particularly find a strong (aka stubborn) woman appealing. A big piece of their decision will depend on Jen's ability to give them what they want. This will be incredibly challenging for her. She knows she has to begin preparing now.
We played scrabble (didn't keep score) while we drank diet coke and shared a bag of chips. Jen ate yogurt, "homemade" fish and Spanish rice, a fruit pop, and an ice cream bar. The vending machines were out of fruit and one of the machines all of the food was spoiled.
It felt pretty normal.
Jen lives in prison. She has been incarcerated for 15 years at Bedford Hills, a women's maximum security facility. She is there because she committed a terrible act. Jen is smart, spiritual, has a good sense of humor, kind, open hearted, a little stubborn, searching for a connection to something larger than herself, thoughtful, cares about the world, is bothered by injustice and works hard. We are actually quite similar. Jen loves watermelon, meditation, scrabble and it doesn't bother her to play without keeping score. We are actually quite similar. (This duplication is intentional.)
We were strangers and now we are friends. We bonded and we are bound.
Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, as we move into Shabbat let us be mindful of our relationship to "Bonding" - our ability to connect with others and establish meaningful and lasting relationships.
Shabbat Shalom u'mevorach -
Wishing everyone a Shabbat filled with rest and blessing.
Laurie
IF YOU HAVEN'T
IT'S NOT TOO LATE
REGISTER NOW.
AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO REGISTER IN ADVANCE
JUST SHOW UP
THAT'S HOW MUCH WE WANT TO CELEBRATE SHABBAT WITH YOU
(The pretty colors and the bold font are designed to entice you to come. Is it working?)
It's been a while since we talked a little Torah about Jen. Remember Jen? She's the friend I introduced on Yom Kippur. A little reminder; Jen is a relatively new friend. We met a year ago, March. We were strangers and now we are friends. She is 36 and a mother of two beautiful and smart daughters ages 19 and 17. Jen is also a daughter, a sister, an aunt and a friend. She is in college and one class away from obtaining her Associates Degree.
Jen is smart, spiritual, has a good sense of humor, kind, open hearted, a little stubborn, searching for a connection to something larger than herself, thoughtful, cares about the world, is bothered by injustice and works hard. We are actually quite similar. Jen loves watermelon, meditation, scrabble and it doesn't bother her to play without keeping score. We are actually quite similar.
Except...Jen doesn't have a cell phone. She is always hungry. She wears the same green pants every day (alternating between two pair). Jen is not allowed to use a computer. She hasn't gone to the movies or on vacation in a very very very long time. Jen can only wear certain colored shirts and they can't have any writing or logos on them.
Jen lives in prison. She has been incarcerated for 15 years at Bedford Hills, a women's maximum security facility. She is there because she committed a terrible act. Just in case there is any misunderstanding, I am not condoning or excusing her actions. And just in case there is any additional misunderstanding, I believe that each person is lucky or unlucky regarding the family we are born into. I was incredibly lucky in every respect. Jen wasn't.
Jen doesn't have a first name inside prison. She has a "DIN" number ("D" Inmate Number, I forgot what the "D" stands for.), which I have intentionally refused to learn. CO's (Corrections Officers) usually call her by her last name or her number.
I visit Jen once a month. People are quite surprised and intrigued by this and I am often asked; "Why?" "What do you do during the visits?" "Is it hard?" "Is it scary?"
I made this commitment for a variety of reasons. First, because I believe everyone has the capacity to change (if they want to). Second, if they have made a commitment to change, they deserve support. Third, in order to maintain a desire and commitment to change, they need love. Fourth, it's the least that I can do.
My last visit was this past Tuesday. The check in process is ridiculous and often very time consuming. But this time, I only waited 30 minutes for Jen to enter the visitors' room. We hugged like we always do. I hug Jen longer than I usually hug probably because it only happens once a month. We spent a good chunk of time catching up on school/work, family, and kids. Jen's oldest daughter is graduating high-school and starting Fordham this summer. She opened up even more about her background and the different members of her family. We talked about the Omer and the quality of "Bonding" - our ability to connect with others and establish meaningful and lasting relationships. We discovered, we have similar outlooks, strengths and challenges.
For the first time Jen raised the topic of parole. Her first opportunity to go before a parole board will be in 2019. Jen rarely references actual time. She says it's difficult and a little painful to keep track "inside". She thought it was Monday. Even though it's three years away, Jen knows she has to start preparing. Parol boards want you demonstrate remorse and they don't particularly find a strong (aka stubborn) woman appealing. A big piece of their decision will depend on Jen's ability to give them what they want. This will be incredibly challenging for her. She knows she has to begin preparing now.
We played scrabble (didn't keep score) while we drank diet coke and shared a bag of chips. Jen ate yogurt, "homemade" fish and Spanish rice, a fruit pop, and an ice cream bar. The vending machines were out of fruit and one of the machines all of the food was spoiled.
It felt pretty normal.
Jen lives in prison. She has been incarcerated for 15 years at Bedford Hills, a women's maximum security facility. She is there because she committed a terrible act. Jen is smart, spiritual, has a good sense of humor, kind, open hearted, a little stubborn, searching for a connection to something larger than herself, thoughtful, cares about the world, is bothered by injustice and works hard. We are actually quite similar. Jen loves watermelon, meditation, scrabble and it doesn't bother her to play without keeping score. We are actually quite similar. (This duplication is intentional.)
We were strangers and now we are friends. We bonded and we are bound.
Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of Life, as we move into Shabbat let us be mindful of our relationship to "Bonding" - our ability to connect with others and establish meaningful and lasting relationships.
Shabbat Shalom u'mevorach -
Wishing everyone a Shabbat filled with rest and blessing.
Laurie
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