Average Joe and Ultimate Modern Orthodox Jew

I’m proud to have had a connection with Joe Lieberman, who passed away this week at the age of 82.

We were not on a first-name basis, but each time we met we would reminisce about shared friends and experiences as neighbors in the close-knit Jewish community of New Haven, CT. There are so many who fondly and proudly recount their “Joe and Hadassah” experiences or run in the same circles as their children.

Joe Lieberman served as one of the greatest exemplars of Modern Judaism. Observant Jew, Senator, almost Vice President, approachable, pious, knowledgeable, down to earth, principled, Zionist, bipartisan, centrist, a mensch. These are just some of the words being used in numerous tributes to a great American.

Joe Lieberman personified both the “average Joe” and the Ultimate Modern Orthodox Jew.

“He was a senator, but at the same time, he sat in seats like everybody else, he enjoyed the kiddush like everybody else,” noted my friend Rabbi Daniel Cohen of Agudath Sholom in Stamford, CT. He recalled Lieberman’s fondness for cholent and whiskey. “When he walked home from shul, he got soaked on rainy days. He was one of us. People visiting Stamford would be like, ‘He’s davening mincha like me?'"

So many people have average Joe stories – of davening with him, with being in shul when Joe led services and said Kaddish, with encountering him and Hadassah at a shiva home. There are myriad stories of congressmen or staffers having a Shabbat meal with or joining him as he walked to or from the Capitol on Shabbat for a critical vote.

At the same time, Joe Lieberman lived a celebrated life of public service and accomplishment as a proud, Modern Orthodox Jew. I remember the excitement of the 2000 presidential election. We were so close to an Orthodox Jew in the White House! Whatever one’s politics, Joe Lieberman embodied the best of Modern Orthodoxy and shone a light on faith, in general, and Judaism, in particular, that will impact the American Jewish community long into the future.

It is not easy to define Modern Orthodoxy. I believe it means to take Jewish observance and the teachings of Judaism and integrate them into and elevate the modern world. Some Jews focus exclusively on the Orthodoxy, while others leave behind the tradition and embrace only the Modernity. True Modern Orthodoxy is able to bridge the gap and span the spectrum to positively impact all Jews and humanity.

Joe Lieberman did this. In both Judaism and politics, he built bridges and was a passionate centrist. After his passing, Jewish organizations across the religious and political spectrums offered tributes. I can’t think of many other Orthodox Jews who could garner such praise.

Agudath Israel of America’s Rabbi Abba Cohen said, “I regularly was asked by Jewish students if I knew ‘Senator Lieberman, the Sabbath observant Jew.’ It was clear that he was a source of pride and inspiration to young people. He was an exemplar of Orthodox Judaism to the world. The senator and his Torah observance made an impression on people and intrigued them. People were influenced by, and attracted to, him and his values.”

From a different part of the community, the National Council of Jewish Women noted, “He championed abortion access, LGBTQ+ equality and gun safety. Our communities are safer because of his leadership. May his memory be for a blessing.”

Joe Lieberman made a broad, deep, and meaningful Modern Orthodox impact. Throughout his career, many compared him to the Biblical Joseph, a Jew who remained faithful to his roots even as he rose to prominence in a foreign land and literally saved Egypt. The comparisons grew even stronger when Joe Lieberman ran for Vice President and nearly achieved the equivalent of Joseph’s Viceroy role.

Last night, I reread Lieberman’s book about Shabbat, The Gift of Rest. It is a deeply personal journey of how the Senator observed Shabbat, insights into Judaism and faith, and quite a number of entertaining stories. The book is a wonderful guide for how to celebrate Shabbat and a testament to the relevance of faith in the modern world. It also provides insight into Joe Lieberman’s religious philosophy and inspiration.

While in college and law school, Lieberman writes, his religious observance lapsed somewhat. (There’s a humorous story about Lobster Newburgh.) His grandmother’s passing in 1967, though, sparked a return to more serious observance. Why?

“Uppermost in my mind was the worry that Baba was my link with the Judaism of my ancestors. If I let go of the link in the chain, it would be broken and lost to me and my children after me. And so I slowly began my return to regular synagogue attendance and Sabbath religious observance.” (p.17)

Joe Lieberman lived his life to ensure that the past would link to the future. He knew that the future would be brighter only if it allowed the past to live on.

Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of OU Kosher and longtime friend of Joe Lieberman, includes a Dvar Torah he heard from Joe Liberman in his book on Chumash. Why in Judaism does the day begin at night? It’s dark at night. One can truly only recognize a new day with the light of the day. It would make more sense for the Jewish day to begin in the morning!

Joe Lieberman answered that daytime is bright and warm, a time for growth and hope. Nighttime, on the other hand, is a time of darkness, despair, and fear. Judaism teaches that the day “begins” at a time of need since our purpose is to fill that need. We can only appreciate the need for light when we encounter darkness. The Jewish day begins at night as a constant message for us to fill the void and add light to the darkness.

Joe Lieberman, the average Joe and Ultimate Modern Orthodox Jew, lived a life of bringing light to the darkness, of bringing Torah Judaism to bear on a world sorely in need of its warmth and illumination. It’s a light and the kind of life we all must strive for to brighten up the darkness today.

May his memory always be a blessing and an inspiration. 

Be the Hero!

The first Purim costume I remember was dressing up as “Super Mordechai.” I was five years old and went all out – all in blue, red cape, red rain boots, a big Mem for Mordechai on my chest, black hat (since that’s what Super Jews wear of course), and blue tights. (I remember being teased for wearing tights!) It seemed only normal that the characters in the Megillah were superheroes.

Why do we love superheroes? They represent how a single person has the capacity to make the world a better place if they put their powers to good use. We are drawn to the heroic – whether in the comics or in reality - since, deep down, we each want to make that kind of difference.

It’s natural to feel this way.

A 2017 study from Kyoto University in Japan found humans are drawn to heroes from early stages of development. In a series of experiments, infants as young as six months were shown short animations in which one figure chased and bumped into a second. Meanwhile, a third figure watched from afar. In one version, the third figure steps in and prevents the collision, and in the other, it runs away without intervening. After watching the clips, the infants were presented with replicas of the intervening and non-intervening third figures, and they consistently preferred the one who saved the day.

These findings suggest that our sense of justice - and likewise, adoration for heroes - is innate and explains why kids and adults alike have a love affair with superhero stories in popular culture. 

We admire heroes. At the same time, we should see ourselves as heroes.

Ben Rogers, a behavioral economist, wanted to know what would happen if ordinary people told their life stories in the arc of the hero’s journey. In a series of 14 studies, he and his colleagues found that the more people thought of their own life as a hero’s journey, the more meaning they experienced in life.

Each of us is a superhero character in our own story. We’re not just individuals living ordinary lives. What we do has an impact way beyond our immediate environment. We may not always know exactly how, but small decisions and actions can be heroic.

I know many of us are thinking about Israelis and their strength and resilience. They’re all heroes. At the same time, they think Americans who visit them or who send them support are heroes. There are plenty of ordinary heroes we can look towards as models of what It means to live an ordinary heroic life.

Ron Hassner is a Political Science professor at the University of California, Berkely. The campus has been a hotbed of rising anti-Israel and antisemitic activity since October 7. He has never been an activist or one who attends protests. (He attended his first one ever a few weeks ago at a San Francisco march against antisemitism.) But Ron had seen too much hatred and violence directed against Jewish students and decided to act. He staged a “sleep in” and would remain in his office. He would sleep on the mattress on the floor and teach his 100-person “War in the Middle East” class over Zoom. (In case you’re wondering, he would use the bathroom down the hall, and his family brings him food.) Ron wanted to make sure his students – and all Jewish students – know there’s a light on for them and a safe place to gather, and he would stay until his requests were met.

“My first request…find a permanent way to keep Sather Gate open. My second request to the university is that if a speaker is shouted out, and has to leave campus without giving their talk, no matter if they’re Palestinian or Israeli, no matter if they are right wing or left wing, that they receive an apology from the university and that they be invited back. And my third request…the university provide Islamophobia and antisemitism training to staff. These are my requests, and they strike me as reasonable.”

Yesterday, after two weeks, Ron left his office after receiving assurances his requests were met. Ron Hassner is a hero. He stood up for his students, and he succeeded. It’s not always the loudest protests which are effective.

Michael Tuchin is the President of AIPAC. After October 7, anti-Israel protestors gathered at his home and vandalized his property. Their activities went viral and social media, and someone posted, “Give us the address and we’ll finish the job.” Here is a lay leader. He is a very active pro-Israel supporter, but he’s not a professional or a soldier on the front lines. And he is being legitimately threatened. Michael’s response is to "stand taller, fight stronger and do more."

Michael Tuchin’s resolve in the face of threats is admirable. He demonstrates how ordinary people – each of us – can be a hero by remaining steadfast in our beliefs and love for Israel.

Purim is the holiday for ordinary heroes. Mordechai and Esther were just characters in a terrible drama unfolding against the Jews of Persia. What was their superpower? Believing that redemption was possible. They didn’t sit back and let events unfold. They acted. Mordechai encouraged Esther to take a risk and appear before the King and realize that this could actually make a difference. Esther requested that Jews everywhere fast and pray in solidarity with her, to also put spiritual skin in the game and stand up as Jews. Add a few parties with only Haman invited to raise suspicions and people standing at the right place at the right time, and voila, the tables turn. Even the offhand comment by Charvona to hang Haman is credited as significant enough to “remember him for good.”

Be a hero! What kind of hero? Each of us is the superhero of our story. The decisions we make and actions we take will make a difference. We need to feel empowered. We should see ourselves as the one upon whom it is incumbent to get things done and not rely on others to do so.

We love heroes – comic book, spiritual, and real.  Most importantly, let’s become heroes.  Let’s take on the roles – large and small – that only we can accomplish.

Don’t look up in the sky.  Look in the mirror.  It’s a superhero.

You've Got to Have Friends!

This week, I was in Washington, D.C. attending the AIPAC Congressional Summit along with over 1,500 political activists. On Monday evening, many members of Congress attended the event, and, on Tuesday, we all went to Capitol Hill to lobby. It is clear that October 7 has shifted the discourse about Israel in Washington. Many friends of Israel are even more passionate about the justness of strong US support for Israel. There are other, thankfully fewer, voices that just don’t get that Hamas is responsible for everything they criticize Israel for.

On my way to visit Congressman Dan Goldman, I passed the offices of other representatives. The walls in front of many offices were plastered signs and notes. Some were expressions of district or state pride, and others mentioned issues important to them. I noticed an “I Stand with Israel” sign outside the office Congressman Robert Aderholt of Alabama. Since representatives also have a sign that says, “Please come in,” that’s what I did. I walked inside. The congressman was busy, but his chief of staff welcomed me and asked what I wanted. I explained that I am a Rabbi from New York. I saw the sign supporting Israel and wanted to say thank you. He replied, “Of course. It’s the right thing to do.”

There aren’t many Jews in Alabama, but Congressman Aderholt feels the issue is important enough to make the visible statement. There are plenty more such signs – and plenty of other friends without signs.

We have friends. We need to keep and cultivate these friends.

Someone asked whether my visit to Washington left me feeling optimistic or pessimistic. This was part of a conversation discussing the recent pro-Palestinian protests outside synagogues hosting Israel real estate fairs. He figured I’d be pessimistic, but I am feeling optimistic. It’s aggravating and dispiriting when the protests are so loud. It is discouraging when friends turn against us. At the same time, we have plenty of friends. We shouldn’t focus on our opponents; we’re not going to change their minds. Instead, we should focus on those who support us and those whose view can be shaped. And there are many of them.

New data from the Harvard-Harris’ February poll show that a majority of Americans across the political spectrum continue to support Israel and its war against Hamas. Here are six notable findings: 

-          63% of Americans support Israel continuing its ground campaign in southern Gaza to root out Hamas.

-          67% of Americans support a ceasefire only after all hostages are released and Hamas is removed from power.

-          82% of Americans stand firmly with Israel and support our ally over Hamas.

-          66% of Americans recognize Israel’s significant efforts to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza.

-          55% of Americans support the president’s $14.3 billion emergency aid package for Israel.

-          78% of Americans oppose continued Hamas rule of Gaza.

Naama just returned from a JNF Volunteer for Israel Mission. In addition to all of the meaningful experiences, she was blown away by the diversity of participants, some of whom had never been to Israel before.

We have friends. We have support out there. We need to concentrate on our friends and pay less attention to those who wish us ill. Don’t let critical headlines and noisy detractors spoil the solid support we do enjoy.

We’re just over a week from Purim. It is a holiday that brings people together. We come together to hear Megillah and recount the story of salvation. We gather around the table together for a festive meal. We extend our hands to those in need, and we send gifts of food to each other, mishloach manot.

The source of the mitzvah of mishloach manot is Esther 9:19:

וּמִשְׁלוֹחַ מָנוֹת אִישׁ לְרֵעֵהוּ

Send portions of food from one friend to another.

The rabbis debate whether focus should be on the food or the friends. What difference does it make? It can make quite a bit.

If the mishloach manot is all about the food, then the recipient must actually eat the food that is delivered from the sender to fulfill the mitzvah. If it’s about friendship, maybe a gift card or nice note will suffice.  Which is more important?

I like a nice Purim treat as much as the next person, but, today, we need much more focus on friends. This is true in a Shul or a neighborhood, and it’s true when it comes to Israel. We must stand up for Israel and the hostages and push back against our enemies. At the same time, we should encourage those who are allied with our cause to bring them even closer. In these complicated times, we should remain focused and united. Hamas is evil and can end this way very simply by surrendering and freeing the hostages. All the rest is commentary and headlines and noise.

We need more mishloach manot, more friends, and more friendship. This will, please God, lead to the outcome described in Megillat Esther (8:16) “La’Yehudim hayta orah v’simcha v’sasone vi’kar – For the Jews, there will be light, joy, celebration, and honor.”  

Kein tihyeh lanu – So may it be for us!

More Zionism of the Heart

I present to you Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Kalischer and Asher Zvi Hirsch Ginsberg.

Rabbi Kalischer (1795-1874) was an Orthodox German rabbi who expressed views, from a religious perspective, in favor of the Jewish re-settlement of the Land of Israel. His views were a forerunner for what developed into Religious Zionism which sees positive religious significance to the State of Israel. Ginsberg (1856-1927) is better known by his pen name Ahad Ha’am. A journalist and essayist, he was one of the foremost pre-state Zionist thinkers. He is known as the founder of Cultural or Spiritual Zionism which believed in the establishment of a national spiritual center that would radiate to all Diaspora communities. Ahad Ha'am described this as "a Jewish state and not merely a state of Jews."

Zionism is complicated. There are so many figures and strains of Zionism to explore. What we have today is a pastiche of ideologies which can sometimes be inconsistent or even contradictory. Historian Gil Troy, in The Zionist Ideas: Visions for the Jewish Homeland — Then, Now, Tomorrow, presents six schools of Zionist thought: Political, Labor, Revisionist, Religious, Cultural and Diaspora Zionism.

I think it’s time to replace Zionism with “Loving Israel.”

Let me explain.

This week, I participated in a conference entitled “Zionism: A New Conversation.” It was a gathering of 110 rabbis from across the country convened by The Lisa and Michael Leffell Foundation, Maimonides Fund, and Paul E. Singer Foundation. The gathering had been in the works since January 2023. With proposed judicial reforms in Israel ripping apart the country, conversations in the US were growing more divisive as well. As Michael Lefell noted, “We heard about some rabbis who declined to say the prayer for the State of Israel or for the government of Israel…People were losing sight of the centrality of Israel to the Jewish people.”

It was a busy couple of days of lectures and conversations featuring presenters and guests from across the political, religious, and ideological spectrum. Topics included reengaging youth when discussing Israel, creating allies, understanding social media, answering the hard questions and reclaiming Zionism. The organizers deserve a lot of credit for creating a forum to educate and encourage leaders to restore Israel to the Jewish communal discussion.

In many ways, I feel blessed. My community – like most of the Orthodox community – does not have “an Israel problem.” As complicated as Israel is and as many views about Israel as there may be, love and support for Israel are strong. I do not feel that complexity endangers love for Israel as it does among many parts of the less affiliated Jewish world. At the same time, knowledge is power, and we all benefit from the efforts and insights of the “experts in the field” to best explain Zionism – especially to the younger generation.

As much as better understanding Zionism is critical today, I feel we need more Rabbi Kalischer and Ahad Ha’am. We need more Zionism of the Heart.

As powerful as words and theories are to the battle against Israel’s detractors, the greatest weapons we have as a community are the loyalty and love of those who support Israel regardless of the history or the ideology. I was sitting in a session with Ken Stein, a historian and founder of the Center for Israel Education, presenting amazing historical documents and arguments for how the Jews were able to establish a state while the Arabs refused. I thought to myself, “This is great! Young people need to learn this stuff.” At the same time, I was thinking that the facts aren’t enough. We need to engage hearts.

I had epiphany during a session given by Dr. Rachel Fish, Co-Founder and President of Boundless Israel which works to revitalize Israel education. She explained that she prefers to use the term “Jew Hatred” rather than antisemitism. Antisemitism has a lot of “baggage;” Jew Hatred is more straightforward. It makes sense. I suggest we focus less on “Zionism” and more on “Loving Israel” or “Supporting Israel.” We can spend our whole lives studying Zionism and never finish. Loving Israel can be inculcated through visiting Israel and bringing Israel into our Judaism, through Zionism of the Heart.

Bret Stephens is a strong friend of Israel and some people’s only reason to still read the New York Times. Bret writes extensively on Zionism, and, at the conference, he made the case that Zionism is a key foundation of Judaism and one can’t be a serious Jew without understanding our relationship to the land of Israel. He noted that he’s pretty far from being religious, but he feels religion when visiting the Kotel. That’s Zionism of the Heart.

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) closed the conference. He is an amazing supporter of Israel while being a proud progressive. In fact, he says it’s his progressive values that inform his Zionism. He bemoans the zeitgeist on college campuses today which attacks Zionism and leads to antisemitism. He likes to joke that the reason he can progressive and pro-Israel is that he dropped out of college and wasn’t negatively influenced there. That’s Zionism of the Heart.

We need to better understand the complexities of Zionism. At the same time, we need more love, pride and passion when it comes to Israel and Judaism. Without a deeply felt emotional connection, Judaism can lose out to American, Western, or progressive values. 

Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald, a pioneer of Jewish outreach, once spoke about the need to be passionately Jewish.  He said: “If you want moderate children, be passionate.  If you take a moderate approach to Judaism, your kids will be causal.  If you are casual about Judaism, your grandchildren will be Episcopalian.”

Just like casual Jews are not living the kind of Jewish life that will likely inspire the next generation of passionate Jews, an intellectual Zionism, as important as it is, will not inspire the next generation of passionate Lovers of Israel. Let’s add more Rabbi Kalischer and Ahad Ha’am. Let’s have more Zionism of the Heart.

Everyone Must Serve

I admire Yoav Gallant, Israel’s current Defense Minister and former IDF general.

Last March, during the heat of the conflict over changes to Israel’s judiciary system, Gallant called for a halt to the process, going against his own coalition. He said, “The security of the State of Israel is my life’s mission. Clothed in the IDF’s uniform, I have risked my life dozens of times for the State of Israel, and at this time, for the sake of our country, I am willing to take any risk and pay any price.”

The next day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired him.

Then things got interesting. Mass protests erupted across Israel supporting Gallant. In the following days, the Prime Minister announced that the formal decision to fire the defense minister was being delayed “in light of the ongoing security situation.” Two weeks later, Gallant was formally reinstated, and he was a voice of reason and stability in the hyper-politicized environment of the Israeli government over the months leading up to October 7.

Since October 7, Gallant has been part of Israel’s War Cabinet together with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, a member of the opposition who joined to create a more unified front to lead the country through the war effort. They are joined by two observers, Ron Dermer, from the ruling Likud party, and Gadi Eizenkot, from Gantz’s National Union party. (Eizenkot, who lost a son and a nephew in Gaza, has also had a very high profile for speaking his mind during the conflict.)

This week, Gallant did it again.

On Wednesday, the defense minister called for an end to military draft exemptions for members of the ultra-Orthodox community and said he would only back legislation settling the matter if it is endorsed by centrist ministers Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot. “Any draft law agreed to by all parties of the emergency coalition will be acceptable to me,” he said. “But without the agreement of all parts of the coalition, the defense system under my leadership will not present the law.”

As the Times of Israel reported: “His position, along with growing pressure on the government to reach a resolution on the long-deferred political hot potato, could set up a do-or-die clash with Haredi parties key to the survival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition…Gallant’s insistence on a law supported by…Gantz and Eisenkot…is likely to put to bed any chance of the coalition being able to pass a Haredi-friendly bill without reaching across the aisle to those opposed to large-scale exemptions.”

This is a big deal! Many Israeli commentators are calling Gallant’s position “heroic.” Of course, those who disagree with him use other, far less flattering terms to describe his stance,

The issue of Charedim serving in the IDF has a long history. Since 1948, there have been religious voices encouraging military service and those opposing it at all costs. While the Religious Zionist community in Israel enthusiastically serves and sees the IDF in positive religious terms, the Charedim do not share this worldview.

The Charedi “exemption” began with the famous “arrangement” between David Ben-Gurion and Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz, known as the Chazon Ish. That initially affected a few thousand students, but the community grew and grew. In the past year, 66,000 young men from the ultra-Orthodox community received a deferral.

While IDF service for Charedim has been a recurring theme in Israeli life and politics, October 7 changed the equation. The war has increased the need for more soldiers, and it increased the attention on those who do not carry their fair share of the burden. “Therefore,” Yoav Gallant explained, “we are required to make agreements and decisions, which we haven’t made in 75 years.”

Some Charedim themselves realize this. In the days following October 7, thousands of Charedim volunteered for service, and several hundred have been inducted into the IDF. This may be a new trend and reflect a major shift in the worldviews of some in Charedi community who are expanding their roles in the Israeli workforce and broader society – even while remaining fully ensconced in the Charedi community.

Rabbi Yitzchak Adlerstein recently noted that the broader Charedi community must address this issue now. This was brought home to him when discussing the appropriate response to the question, “How are you?” If you answer too positively, you seem insensitive. If you are too negative, you can sound demoralizing. (See my thoughts on this issue HERE.) His interlocutor suggested replying “Kemo kulanu - Like all of us.” Adlerstein wrote, “That brilliantly sums up the pain, the concern, the uncertainty, and the resolve of the country. It works. For almost everyone but us Charedim.”

We believe in the role of “spiritual weapons” like mitzvot, prayer and Torah study, and it is gratifying when people strive to respond to the war in Israel with greater religious fervor. There is wide agreement that exceptional Torah scholars can be exempted from active military duty, and it is possible that the IDF won’t need or want every yeshiva bachur. There may be other pathways towards fulfilling one’s duty such as volunteering in national service organizations. Nevertheless, everyone must do their part and share the burden. That’s the Jewish way.

We read this week about the machatzit ha-shekel, the need for everyone to contribute a half shekel towards the Mishkan project. This requirement says a lot about the role of the individual and the individual’s role in the community. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch teaches that the half shekel contribution is a reminder that the individual - as talented as they might be – does not really “count” without contributing to the whole. Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein notes a communal lesson of the half shekel. It is inappropriate for a person to enjoy the benefits of a communal project without participating in the burden required to attain it.

The half shekel conveys an important truth that extends far beyond the Mishkan. If we benefit from the Jewish community – and want to be part of the community, then we should feel a sense of responsibility to contribute to the needs of the community.

I imagine the issue of Charedim serving in the IDF will remain an issue for the foreseeable future. At the same time, if we genuinely believe that “Yachad nenatzei’ach – We will only be victorious together,” then we need to directly address the issue. Yoav Gallant made a bold statement. The Charedim enlisting today are taking important first steps. Those like Rabbi Adlerstein who acknowledge that the issue must be addressed now will help move the conversation along. All of us should be raising this issue when we encounter fellow Jews from the Charedi community.

In my line of work, I encounter Charedim collecting tzedakah for needy individuals or institutions in Israel. I have begun asking each of them about Charedi service in the IDF. I don’t always get a satisfactory answer (and that petitioner may not get the response they hoped for). I don’t think any of us can change a community or solve an issue that has persisted for over 75 years. I do feel we have an obligation – especially since October 7 - to encourage everyone do their fair share to defend and protect Israel and reinforce the message of the half shekel that all who benefit have an obligation to share in the burden.