What are Jews?

Just kidding we couldn’t possibly answer a question that big in one show. Or one lifetime. 

But, in this first episode of Jew-ish, Rabbi Susan Shankman, Senior Rabbi of Washington Hebrew Congregation, will take our hand, and walk us through some of the basics, just in time for the end of Jewish American Heritage Month! 
We’ll cover things like whatever the heck “identity and culture” is, to the formulaic structures of prayer, to things you’ve possibly never heard of (oh you’ve heard of keva and kavanah? Suuuuure..), and do some deeper dives into things you maybe thought you knew.  And, there's a glossary below of terms you may hear in the show.

We’ll cover some lighter fare, too of course, like what it really means to be “the Chosen People” (it’s probably not what you think) and how to repair all that is broken in the world. Ok but really, don’t worry, there will be giggles, and hopefully I didn’t say anything my mother is going to call me about.

GLOSSARY:

Beshert: a Yiddish word meaning “destiny.” It’s often used to talk about soulmates but works for anything that’s “fated.” 

Torah: The first five books of the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament (AKA Pentateuch) Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. A physical Torah is a two-handled scroll on kosher animal hide parchment, hand-lettered by a trained scribe, and kept in the ark of a synagogue. 

Bimah: also spelled bima, the raised platform from which services are led and the Torah is read.

Ark: also known as the Aron HaKodesh, the ark houses the Torah at the front of the synagogue and is usually ornately decorated and accompanied by an “eternal light,” or “ner tamid”  

Confirmation: a ceremony primarily in Reform Jewish tradition for high-school age kids, usually in 10th grade, age 16-17, marking the end of their “formal” Jewish education and reaffirming their commitment as “adults” to Jewish learning and living.

Bar/Bat/B’nai Mitzvah: the name for both the ceremony, and what a person becomes (“bar” for boys, meaning son, “bat” for girls, meaning daughter, “b’nai” is plural) when they have “come of age” in Judaism and lead a Torah service for the first time. 

Shul: a Yiddish word meaning “school” used interchangeably for “synagogue” and “temple” for the place of worship and learning in Judaism. 

Pirkei Avot: Translated at the “Ethics of the Fathers” or “Chapters of the Fathers”, this is a collection of writings on ethics and education from great rabbis in history. It is part of the “Mishnah,” the code of Jewish law compiled in the early third century C.E.

A note on Jewish American Heritage Month: The month was first designated in 2006 by President George W. Bush, after the efforts of the Jewish American Heritage Month Coalition, and passage of a 2005 resolution introduced by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of FL and Sen. Arlen Specter of PA. Since then, presidents have made annual proclamations recognizing the designation and contributions of American Jews. Read President Joe Biden’s 2023 proclamation here, and learn more at the official website here. 

A note on Washington Hebrew Congregation: Rabbi Shankman was unable to comment on events surrounding the Edlavitch-Tyser Early Childhood Center, but the congregation has a statement,

Transcript

Rabbi Shankman: 0:00

No one ever told me. I couldn't be a rabbi. Yeah. Which is really interesting to me considering I didn't know any female rabbis.

Hannah Gaber: 0:10

Hey, everyone, thank you so much for listening. This is the very first episode of Jew ish. We have a term in Judaism Bichette. It means destiny, that something is predestined that things have been arranged for the best, and that they worked out exactly as they should. I just can't help thinking about that. When I think about this episode, this show, even this timing, I started production on this podcast in November of 2022 after being laid off, the idea for the show, of course, was born much earlier, I guess in some form. I've been thinking about this for many, many years. My mother is a Jewish educator, I have a Judaic Studies graduate certificate. My brother is a Jewish educator in Israel. This type of asking questions and having conversations is just really, really deep in my family, and really, really deep in Judaism. One of the very first episodes I knew that I wanted to do was with Rabbi Susan Shankman of Washington Hebrew congregation. I had heard Rabbi Shankman giving a sermon over the High Holy Days about her journey to becoming a rabbi and how that was deep in her family. So I reached out and we scheduled an interview. And then we rescheduled the interview, and we rescheduled it again. Finally, in mid May of 2023, the stars aligned just in time for the very first Jewish American Heritage Month. It was also just before the official installation of Rabbi Shankman as the first female senior rabbi in Washington, Hebrews 170 year history. So yeah, she was a little busy. So here is the first episode of Jew ish with the wise the kind, and the pretty darn entertaining now senior rabbi Susan Shankman.

Rabbi Shankman: 2:09

We did it.

Hannah Gaber: 2:10

Hey, yay. So why don't you give me the brief introduction of who you are. And maybe a little recap some of the reasons maybe we had to try again, if sometimes, that's a big announcement.

Rabbi Shankman: 2:21

So I'm Rabbi Sue Shankman. Now, a Senior Rabbi of Washington Hebrew Congregation and came into that position officially in August. And it's been this year has been a wonderful and wild and crazy ride and just adjusting to this new position. Even though I've been at the Congregation for 22 years. It's been it's been really, really wonderful and exciting. And just a joyful time.

Hannah Gaber: 2:51

I mean, it's huge. It's not just huge for you personally. It's huge for Washington, Hebrew, because you're their very first female senior rabbi.

Rabbi Shankman: 2:59

Yes, I am. The seventh senior rabbi in our history, we were founded in 1852, by an act of Congress. So we've been around 170 771. Now, because we just celebrated our 170/8 year 171 years. So first woman in that time, and and only time.

Hannah Gaber: 3:23

I love it. But that's actually, that's actually what made me want to have this interview with you. And thank you so much for making time for me. This popped into my head, as I was sitting in high holiday services. And I've never, you know, don't tell don't tell the rabbi, but I've never officially become a member of Washington, Hebrew, because I'm like, you know, Jewish, that sort of thing, right? I come on high holy days, I do. And I sit, and I listen. And this past year, we weren't really officially out of COVID yet, we still kind of aren't--for a lot of people we really are not. But it was the first, really certainly the first gathering here, where people started to really feel comfortable. Washington Hebrew was always very careful to make sure that there was simulcast and that masks were requested longer than a lot of other places, so that people could feel comfortable here and feel safe. And I remember hearing your sermon, and I was so moved by it. And more than anything, obviously, I want you to tell the story. But I just remember that you knew from a young age that you wanted to be a rabbi. And especially in light of what you just said, I mean, these were not the days when women were, quote, unquote, allowed to be rabbis. How did you even know that that was a possibility that it was like a path. It wasn't even allowed? Right?

Rabbi Shankman: 4:50

That's a great question. And, and when I when I think about, or when I thought about what I was going to say to the congregation In knowing that I had just been named senior rabbi, and the timing of that was not that long before the High Holidays, although I had a sense of what the timeline was. But really thinking about what what do you say in that scenario, especially having been in a congregation where people have heard me speak for 21 years at that point, and I've shared a lot about about who I am, and, and my Jewish identity. And and I started down one path, as I was thinking about thinking about what I wanted to say. And then I spoke to a few colleagues and the sort of, who shared with me what they did in similar scenarios where they had been in a congregation for a long time, and became senior rabbi. And, and one of my colleagues said, why don't you tell them what you love about them? And it seems like a perfect place to start because clearly, I know them, they know me. And and we share lots of really wonderful and, and intimate and personal lifecycle events, and moments and moments is occurring ation and community. And, and so that was a the inspiration for where I started. And then I also thought, even though they know me, they're getting to know me in a new way. And some people may not have ever heard my origin story, so to speak...

Hannah Gaber: 6:29

Here, hi, hello. Yes.

Rabbi Shankman: 6:31

And and it's a story that is certainly even

Hannah Gaber: 6:31

Oh my gosh, though I've told it a few times over the years, and I share it in different in a variety of different ways. When people ask me why, why I became a rabbi, or how did I know when did I know

Rabbi Shankman: 6:47

And, um, and rabbis on both sides of his all of those questions. And, and for me, it really was, it's been a part of the fabric of my existence from a very young age. And part of that is because of my family. I actually come from a very long line of rabbis, we can trace the generations of rabbis back when my grandfather did a lot of gene genealogy and really traced it back to about the 14th century I--we have a book that my cousin published for all of us, that is my grandfather's telling of the family story, family, and my grandfather was my rabbi growing up. And when I was very young, and I don't know that I never knew it wasn't a possibility, even though I was three years old, when Sally Priesand became the first, the first female rabbi of this generation, there were a few earlier, a few earlier attempts over history, but not as long standing in terms of it didn't lead to other women at the time becoming rabbis. And, and I was very young at the time, I was also very involved in, in synagogue life, my grandfather was the rabbi. And we, the our family life revolved around the life of the synagogue and vice versa, as my dad always used to say to us, when we were growing up, and then certainly as I came into this role, and also being married to another rabbi, that, that family events and celebrations or community events and celebrations and vice versa, and, and that's truly how I was raised and live my life. And somewhere along the line when I was very young, and you heard me tell the story of at the age of three saying, in a very loud voice, I want to go where puppet is and pointing to the bimah The reality is, there was a little bit more behind that story. And I knew that there was a bathroom behind the bimah, which was a bathroom that I was used to using when I was exactly when it was where he was standing at the time. So that familiarity with with the synagogue and that that comfort, it was what did they say at the same time, it was home very much and, and at the same time, even though that certainly was a story that my parents told over the years, I actually have an image of it. And it is what I often think about as my earliest Jewish memory. And, and, and at the same time, I think it was it was also a in a way this this very visceral sense of connection to Judaism. And no one ever told me I couldn't be a rabbi. Yeah. Which is really interesting to me, considering I didn't know any female rabbis until I was probably later in high school or in high school maybe. And, and so it wouldn't have been something that I was

Hannah Gaber: 9:55

You weren't absorbing it from the atmosphere.

Rabbi Shankman: 9:57

Exactly, exactly. And and Did that I also give a lot of credit to my parents to my family who certainly were lived in a egalitarian lifestyle, and our family was really built on those values that that everyone's voice was, was, was heard everyone's voice was important. And, and so I just I was encouraged to embrace my Judaism in whatever ways I did growing up. And I think it was, I think it started when I was in probably I can remember in kindergarten that there were other kids in my Sunday school class who said that I you're going to be a rabbi one day, and it was just because that was a family business.

Hannah Gaber: 10:39

I love it.

Rabbi Shankman: 10:40

And somewhere along the line, I really started to think about the fact that really, that was, that was my calling, I always felt called to it and you were like, what else would I be? Right? And I even and not to say I didn't try some other things to see. I just want to make sure this is the right the right decision, the right choice. For me, I was certainly very familiar with the lifestyle of a congregational rabbi. And that's really that's importantly, what I wanted to be was a congregational rabbi. And so even with, with all of that, it was just it's in my DNA. It's part of the fabric of my being.

Hannah Gaber: 11:15

Yeah, quite, quite literally. Gosh, I'm just trying to think back my,

Rabbi Shankman: 11:20

and where did you grew up?

Hannah Gaber: 11:21

I grew up in Tucson, alright, I'm a pretty active Jewish community very involved. They're very present in the community. So like, for example, when I moved to Georgia, and the people I got to know there were like, Oh, you're the first Jewish person I've ever met. I was like, how is that possible? Which, which is interesting, because I mean, Tucson still sort of registers as like a small town on people's radars, even though it's like a million people in the Greater Metropolitan anyway, I remember vividly, it was Rabbi Stephanie Aaron. And she was our first female rabbi. And even then, I remember just having the distinct impression, she did not have an easy time of it. That whether it was the congregation or the board, quite likely, who knows? You know, my mom was the head of the religious school at Temple EmanuEl in Tucson, which is very sadly now defunct, which makes me really, really sad--But the building has been repurposed and renamed, I should say, I'm not even renamed. It's a new congregation, with the rabbi that I had as a child, and now my sister and her kids go there. And I like can't i can't take it, it's like "Oh Rabbi Locheim is back? He was my favorite!"

Rabbi Shankman: 12:30

And you can go back home.

Hannah Gaber: 12:31

Exactly. Oh, my God, I have goosebumps. And but Stephanie Aaron did my sister's wedding. And so like, we never once it came into our orbit, it didn't go away. And our mom was very obviously, my mom was a Jewish educator. She was the head of the religious school, you know, certainly, according to her everything was because of the board, you know. And, but yeah, I mean, when you say that, about you can go home, the image that you give of, but that was where pop up was, he was on the bimah and I could go there. I remember so distinctly, being little little. I mean, it was six when we moved to Tucson, so it wasn't like three right but I remember the sanctuary was so beautiful and it had the had these like towering not unlike here, these floor to ceiling like towering stained glass walls, the walls were all stained glass. And the ark was gorgeous way back, the beam of the beam was very wide. And the doors were always unlocked. They were always unlocked. And I remember in my head, I was sneaking in there. But of course, I wasn't sneaking because it was for all of us. And I know that now. But at the time, you know, maybe I was eight or nine and feeling like ooh, I'm being sneaky. Oh, no one's in here. Nobody knows I'm in here. And having that feeling of like, I felt like I should be quiet, yes. But I also felt like I could lay on these pews and smell these old books, and crawl around on the same floor that I used to sit on and color during High Holy Days when my mom would just like feed us, you know, lifesavers keep us quiet. And it never felt like I couldn't go up to the bimah it even there. And it wasn't home for me in the way it was for you. But like it is now, it really is and going with my sister to pick her kids up from Hebrew school at the same physical Hebrew school where I went to Hebrew school. I'm like, Oh my gosh, how did this happen!?

Rabbi Shankman: 14:38

So last night, I was with our confirmation class in the Sanctuary here and we were up on the bimah rehearsing and putting together their confirmation service. And these are kids I've known their entire lives. And one of them said, I remember and they were sitting in chairs we put a bunch of chairs up on beamer for them besides the chairs that are usually up there. And one of them said, I remember did we once to come up here and sit on the floor, and you unrolled the whole Torah for us. And I, you know, I didn't say to them, it wasn't the whole, if we sat them down in a long row with like feet to feet, and we unrolled the Torah in front of them. And we wanted them to feel connected to that place and have it be familiar. And for many of them, when they were in fifth grade, we do a sleepover, a Shabbat shown at the synagogue, and the kids come with their families to services. And then and then and then they stay over, they have dinner, they do programming. And among the things that we do overnight is we bring them into the sanctuary we have, we want them to get comfortable in there, there are some sacred moments we share with them. But they also do, they do a scavenger hunt around the building. They, they come in, and they're really engaging in connecting with one another, but in that space, so it feels like there's so that also when they get to the point of B'nai Mitzvah, they feel that sense of ownership. And it's really interesting, it's a big space, our sanctuaries is huge. It fits about close to 2300 feet, wow. And typically, when we have one student for a bar, or a bar, Bat Mitzvah will be in the chapel, it's a smaller space, it's a little bit more intimate,

Hannah Gaber: 16:31

Also beautiful.

Rabbi Shankman: 16:32

and also beautiful, a very, they're they're both beautiful spaces, and they're different. And the sanctuary can feel very big and intimidating, especially for a 13 year old, especially for

Hannah Gaber: 16:43

What if you don't fill the house?!

Rabbi Shankman: 16:46

And and it's intimidating for rabbis and cantors on the High Holidays when it's full.

Hannah Gaber: 16:50

It has a presence.

Rabbi Shankman: 16:51

Yeah, it really does. And you need to use a much louder voice in there to fill the space. And yet, what I've noticed of late is that we have a lot of students who choose even if it's, it's just going to be them on the bimah not and they don't have a partner for their for their B'nai Mitzvah, that there are a lot of students who choose to be in that space, because they feel really connected. There's just a real resonance for them that this sense of connection and history, especially for those who, whose parents grew up here, and who have, you know, multiple generations, we have families who are many, many generations. And it's pretty incredible to have that sort of sense of connection to a place. And you talked about it with your synagogue from your childhood, I I recently was back at my synagogue I grew up and not the same building that is different than that one. But even then I it was the same, the same sanctuary where I had my bat mitzvah. And I got up to speak and the first thing I said was, you know what they talk about when you go back to places you were when you were younger? Yeah, that often they seem smaller than they did? Well, the truth is in my home synagogue, they actually did lower the bimah it's a little bit closer to where everybody is, oh, not just you, because I haven't grown that much.

Hannah Gaber: 18:23

It's kind of like a Jewish woman thing. I'm the same hieght I was when I was thirteen. Oh, my gosh, you said something that is making something is happening in my brain now. That is, threading together, what you said about, yes, it's about connecting with each other. And of course, they're socializing. And that's really what they'll carry with them forever and ever. But also in the context of this space. Almost like in my head, it's almost like a like a gossamer overhanging...you can see through it, but it's tangible, this sense of space, of this place. It's, you know, in the way that I can still smell the old books, and I know what that carpet feels like. And I know that the I know that you have to put the prayer books back quietly because the bottom of these creek, you know?

Rabbi Shankman: 19:14

We always tell them the name is for kids, when they after they tell people what page they're going to be on when they're reading. They're going to read from the Torah, but people can follow along. I always tell them, we always tell them take take a moment because all the books are going to start banging. They put these books back in and they're going to take the yeah...

Hannah Gaber: 19:33

That's the old shuffle, the old shuffle. I love it. And what that's making me reflect on is like, what am I trying to accomplish? I think that I started this podcast. I think I started this show, to get it that analogous sort of sense of like this webI not confining but tangible, but not definable sense. of what it means to be Jewish. In, especially in the United States, where we, you know, jokingly often describe ourselves as Yeah, Jewish, right. And I describe myself that way, even though as I just told you, you know, my mother was a, she was the head of the religious school she was That was her career for 20 years. She's a para rabbinic fellow, I was consecrated confirmed about Mitzvah and I did a Judaic Studies graduate degree in grad school. And yet, when people ask me, if I'm Jewish, I usually say "I was raised Jewish. But you know, I'm Jew-ish," but I think a lot of American Jews describe themselves that way. But there is something that is different, there is something that unites us, that, you know, maybe it has nothing to do--we don't keep Shabbat. You know, we don't keep kosher whatever, we maybe do show up at shul three times, twice a year, three times a year, maybe. But there is something even if you never come, about being raised Jewish, your lens is different. Just everything is different. It looks the same on the outside, we go to the same school, sometimes we don't. But you know, for the most part, you know, we go to the same schools, we eat the same lunches, we go to the same movies. But everything is different somehow, in ways that aren't necessarily visible, externally, or tangible or describable. I mean, I don't know, I wouldn't I don't know. Do we call it culture? Do we? What do you make of that?

Rabbi Shankman: 21:29

That's a really interesting question. And I sat with a student a little earlier today, who is really looking at and trying to, to really discover that for himself in the context of family and trying to get a sense of well, what do we believe I, you know, we might not do we'll come to certain things. We certainly are connected to the synagogue, we have a sense of connection to the community. But what about what we believe? What do we what do we believe and I joked with him about the old joke that, that you probably heard the saying that if you have two Jews, you have three opinions. So there's, there's a diversity of opinions out there, even even the idea of Judaism as a monotheistic religion, that we believe in one God. And there are different ways that people both express that belief and understand that relationship and connection. And even to the extent that if somebody doesn't believe in God, then they're they're still part of the Jewish community.

Hannah Gaber: 22:30

That's so huge. My mom always raised me that that you can be an atheist and still be a good Jew.

Rabbi Shankman: 22:35

Yeah. And the idea about being about Jew-ish and I think, I think that there has come to be, we could look at historically what those reasons are society, societal trends, etc. There are people who describe themselves as culturally Jewish.

Hannah Gaber: 22:55

Absolutely, yeah.

Rabbi Shankman: 22:56

And that may, that that doesn't, none of us isn't in place to judge or decide who is, what is the right way to be Jewish. There are so many ways to express our Judaism and to connect to our Judaism and relate to our Judaism. And, and for some people, the cultural aspects are the meaningful, yeah, pieces. And for others, it's about doing social justice being involved in the world. For others, it's about study and others, it's worship and, and observing holidays, and there are so many different combinations, it's sort of that there are two Jews there are three opinions, however many Jews there are in the world, whatever that actual number is, there are that many ways to be Jewish. Because we all find our own, we find meaning in different ways. And, and who's to say? What is what's most meaningful to me or what is meaningful to me, may not be meaningful to you in the same way. And there are going to be things that are in common, but we all we create our own paths. And and I think about that a lot, especially when I'm working with young adults with whether B'nai Mitzvah age students or confirmation class who are in 10th grade or, or people who are choosing Judaism, or people who are reclaiming their Judaism or deciding late in life, that they were raised Jewish, but they really didn't observe or wanted to want to reconnect. There's so many different ways to do that. And that I think, is some of the richness of, of Jewish heritage, of Jewish tradition. There's a there's a saying that there's a teaching that appears in a number of different ways in our sacred texts, and then in certainly in Pirkei Avot, and in some other places as well. When one particular version--so there are all these we have it at Passover, we just sat around our Passover tables and we talked about the Four Children, and, and we we don't, no one is rated as any better than another. But they each have a role, they each have a place at the table. And the same thing is true we have it for at at Sukkot, when we talk about the symbols that we use the lulav, and the etrog, there are a number of different versions of how those relate to us, or how we relate to them that there there are four species that are that are contained within the lulav and etrog. And there's some versions that connect to different parts of the body. But there's a really wonderful teaching that talks about the four different types of Jews that there are those who, who, who study, there are those who do good deeds, there are those who study and do good deeds, and there are those who don't study don't do good deeds, and that all of those are part of who we are. All of those are part of the community. And we need every perspective. And I think it's recognizing that, that there are many, many ways to to be Jewish.

Hannah Gaber: 26:03

Yeah.

Rabbi Shankman: 26:03

And you can add the emphasis on the ish. But the the reality is the same for all of us. We're all Jewish, in our own way.

Hannah Gaber: 26:13

That's so interesting, and wonderful, and just as intangible and tangible as what I'm grasping for here. You know, I love that. And I think there is a Jewish way of moving through the world. And it's so difficult to describe-all we can do is describe it, we can't define it, right? And you've done such a nice job of explaining what I think to me is one of the ways one of the things that makes the way of moving through the world as a Jew, which is, I need all of these perspectives. We need them all. It's not just like, oh, that's valuable, that's valuable. No, no, it's we need them. We are not whole without you, whoever you are, right, whatever you do.

Rabbi Shankman: 26:58

And there's a place for you.

Hannah Gaber: 26:59

And there's a place for you.

Rabbi Shankman: 27:00

Even if you're just on the journey to discovering what that place is, and you're not fully there, and There's an another idea and concept that I love that it you're not sure what that path is. speaks to it in a little bit of a different way. But it's this idea that that we have a balance between what we call the kava and the kava, and that speaks specifically usually, that's usually applied to prayer in particular, that there's the keva, which is the fixed liturgy, the words that we say the words that are recited by the community that are that are in a fixed order. And then there's a kavanah which is our, our spiritual intention, what we bring to it. So I like to think of it as there's, there's always the head and the heart, there's the the balance between the, the, whether we say, as the intellectual and the emotional, but that but that there's a balance between it and for, for some people, and we know there are different types of learners, there are different ways, again, that we relate. But we do have a rhythm. And we do have a an order that things happen throughout the year, or whether it's we have various levels, there, there are the holidays and the structure of that, that always happens in the same way so that we can grasp on to it. And it gives us a sense of security the same way, whether we talk about the 10 commandments, or the 613 commandments, or rules--if you go to camp and there are you know, we set we set up structures that allow us to, to not only to feel safe, but to be able to manage expectations as a community, and the whether it's the holidays, and in certain aspects of what we do on a weekly basis on a yearly basis. And then whether lifecycle events and other pieces of daily practice, those are all things that that that are part of that Jewish way of interaction, interacting in the world that they give us that sort of model or at least framework.

Hannah Gaber: 29:07

Yeah.

Rabbi Shankman: 29:07

And then and then we each bring to it a little bit of of ourselves. And that's why you have certain traditions that that you'll experience is certain in certain homes, whether for Shabbat or for Passover or any other time. And, and it might vary a little bit. And part of that is is just that personal expression, which is an important piece as well.

Hannah Gaber: 29:27

And what we absorbed from our mom or our PopPop

Rabbi Shankman: 29:30

And those recipes and and the items that are on the table that then we we just-

Hannah Gaber: 29:36

You just do it

Rabbi Shankman: 29:37

Relate to you know, this reminds me of childhood and or this reminds me to a time when I was together with my community and those things that we take with us.

Hannah Gaber: 30:01

It's so I don't know why it's such a difficult thing to do. I mean, it's identity, right? Identity is a squishy. It's just like culture, right? The thing that not everyone knows what it is, but no one can define it. It's and like when I said, there's a Jewish way of moving through the world you like you like, close your eyes, and you nodded slowly, and we exchanged a knowledge of something, like we know what we're talking about, I think, I mean, inclusivity is a big part of it, I think, in a very basic way, in the way not just like, we need all the four children we need, all the four elements are all of the indefinite elements. But I also want to stress like, you also don't have to be Jewish, right? Like, even the concept of the without going, we don't have to go too far down the road of like the righteous Gentile, but like, it was in there from the beginning with Boaz, and with Moses, his wife

Rabbi Shankman: 30:51

Tziporah

Hannah Gaber: 30:51

Thank you with Tziporah, I mean, from the very establishment of you are the chosen people, you are the ones who will go out of Egypt and be chosen by your god from the very establishing of that Tziporah was not Jewish.

Rabbi Shankman: 31:04

Well, and, and I think that that's, I don't want to call it the challenge of today, but but a reality that, that has also been absorbed, and is part of, of how we relate to the world and how, how that intersection between Judaism and, and other communities of faith, and is that the balance between the particular and the universal and that that is a really important concept in Judaism to that we struggle with to make sure that we are both retaining those elements that that are unique to Judaism, and also that we're inclusive and welcoming and connected to our neighbors, and are part of that larger world community. And we see a lot of different ways that the Jewish community has chosen to connect and engage or not with the wider world with the with the interfaith community and and to be true partners. And and I think that that's also the challenges is both having and holding on to those elements that that are really at the heart of Judaism, that are unique to Judaism that make Judaism Judaism. Yeah. And like the formulaic strikers Yeah, exactly. And then and then being able to share with our with those of other faiths and backgrounds, and I think that that is

Hannah Gaber: 32:26

that's the covenant of being Jewish directly. Yeah. Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off. You know, I didn't mean to interrupt, but you know, we're Jews.

Rabbi Shankman: 32:37

And this, too, is Jewish.

Hannah Gaber: 32:39

Yeah, exactly. This is an important element, and being short. Yeah, this is so fascinating. And I think, you know, one of the things I think about a lot, you know, my brother is now a Jewish educator, too. He lives in Israel. But he's coming back, he's coming home to Philadelphia mom is going to be over the moon. Oh, my God, is, you know, also the structure like you were talking about what makes us feel safe, right? It's never really been safe to be Jewish. Not really. And when you think about that, the culture of assimilation ism, right, that we that especially a lot of Jews that are from Ashkenazi backgrounds, that we absorbed in Western Europe, you know, that did not work out for us the way that we sort of maybe thought it would or hoped it would. And still that kind of, you know, feeling of like, I'm not going to be the one to, quote unquote, speak out against anti-Semitism, because all it does is trigger more anti-Semitism. It literally is like, Oh, you would say that you control the media anyway. And remember, there's so many lived experiences that come down to us, not just through the telling of the stories of how we are supposed to feel that we were at the foot of Mount Sinai as well, not just that, but you know, this other thing, right of it's that it's that generational trauma, but it's also that generational learning. I mean, how do you define where are we at now? Five, 5000 years, 5200 years?

Rabbi Shankman: 34:06

5783

Hannah Gaber: 34:08

I'm so sorry, I should have remembered, oh, my god, Mom, don't yell at me. But it's like, you know, all of that is in there. That fear, that passion, that love that wanting to be a part of the community of which you are a part, or that, you know, that painful absorption of the rejection of the community of which you are a part that causes you to live apart, or the not being given the choice about living apart and living in the mellah or in the ghetto, you know, and absorbing that into your real circumstances as well. And you know, and yet somehow that all comes together, at least in the United States in our own specific and interesting blend. At least in, you know, I grew up calling Reform Judaism which Rabbi Fischel I believe calls progressive Judaism. We just you know, I don't know it's like and yet we are all the same even though we are so different. We share so much. It's really hard to...I don't know if there's a question in there.

Rabbi Shankman: 35:02

Well, I know you touched on on the question of not really question of but but anti-Semitism and how we, I think the idea that that's been a part of our history for centuries. Yeah. And, and recognizing that we, we have a role to play because of what we've experienced to ensure that, that others feel safe to Yeah. And I think we certainly have seen what it means and learn what it means to be an ally. And yeah, also recognizing how important it is to have allies and others who, who also stand up for what we believe is right. And that's certainly when we talk about Reform Judaism at its heart was and and its origin was often called prophetic Judaism, because the, the idea being for the early reformers, that in the 19th century, that there was meaning in, in the books of the prophets and in what the prophets taught and really about, about our social responsibility to our to our neighbors. And I think there is that sense of the shared experience, even even though my experience growing up in New York, living in now in DC, and living a few other places, is very different from somebody who might have grown up in France and made Alia and the stories are different, the experiences are different. And there are also certain strands that that we can relate to, because they've been part of that history. And part of the same way that we, we sit around our Seder tables every year, we tell the same story. Yeah, we tell the same story. Because, a) we want it to be remembered,

Hannah Gaber: 36:59

Yeah.

Rabbi Shankman: 36:59

But b) it also reminds us that we we know what it means to be stranger, or in some periods in history, and even currently, in some places, and by some people to be hated, and, and to know, fear, and recognizing that we, we have an obligation, certainly to our own community, but also outside that to you to ensure that that is not the experience. That that's not the world that...we that we have a responsibility towards that, that we have a responsibility to create a world that really is one of a peace in the truest sense of the word, and. And we catch glimpses of it. And I do think we experience those moments of wholeness in our worlds, we certainly feel it at moments, together as a Jewish community, but also in partnership. And when we, when we are engaged in some of that holy work, with others and with with everything from even even at the base level of what the Torah tells us about feeding the hungry and, and clothing, the naked and ensuring that that people have a place to live and that those who are on the outskirts of society are brought in or are cared for and provided for and that that we can do that. And and those are some of the things the everyday things that can give us those opportunities to experience holiness and, and together with our neighbors to, to really be God's partners as well.

Hannah Gaber: 38:41

What you just described is a huge part of the tikkun olam, which is the obligation to repair the world that that is explicitly laid upon us. And I always thought it was fascinating. My mom's explanation of being quote, unquote, the chosen people was not that we were chosen for exceptional treatment. It was the opposite it was that you are the ones who are saddled with the exceptional responsibility of bringing holiness to this Earth, which means you have to strive to be holy, not in the way of you know, it doesn't mean not necessarily in dogmatic ways or whatever. But what you're saying these meaningful things, of protecting and respecting the humanity of everyone, which is why we don't do charity. We do justice. We did tzedakah.

Rabbi Shankman: 39:30

well, we just read the Holiness Code in we just finished reading that part of the Torah and the Book of Leviticus that

Hannah Gaber: 39:37

How about that for timing?

Rabbi Shankman: 39:39

Exactly. And in the in the very middle of the Torah. So the five books is the torah, the middle book, Viagra or Leviticus, the middle portion Kedoshim in the heart of that, and I like to think of it as the very center, central verse middle of, of all of it, the source of the middle book, we read "v'ahavta l'reacha kamocha," that you should love your neighbor as yourself. And the Holiness Code, as well as the Torah itself is, is described as a, it's a guide, it's, we should live by it, because it it it describes and sort of outlines for us how we should treat our fellow human beings and why? Because we should strive to be holy, like God. And we can do that when we do these things. And so the Holiness Code talks about a number of different areas, but but the passage that follows after v'ahavta l'reacha kamocha, you should love your neighbor as yourself, talks about things like, like leaving the corners of the fields, right during harvest for gleaning so that not only that people have food to eat those in need have food to eat, but also that they have the dignity to be able to do that work themselves that it's not just given to them, but that there's a sense of, of ownership and empowerment as well. And and a number of the other pieces that are in there too speak to that. And I think that that's a really powerful concept that that idea of tikkun olam,

Hannah Gaber: 41:17

Yeah.

Rabbi Shankman: 41:19

Is...it's just a little piece at a time. Yeah. And we're, you know, if you've ever dropped and broken anything, just to the imagery of what tikkun olam and it's at its heart and origin really is about if you've ever had anything that's shattered and the pieces everywhere or any any similar analogy, it's impossible, it's so hard to find every piece and put it back together. And in thinking about how we repair everything that is broken, we can't do it all at once. Yeah, and we have to do just a little bit at a time and we can't do it by ourselves. We have to be partners with each other, and with others who have the experience in different areas. And really, that there's there's a lot of good we can do and that that I think, you know when we when we say those words, which we we talk about tikkun olam and every service there's a prayer that reminds us that this is our obligation. This is what whether and the language of that prayer is challenging and difficult for us today. There are a few different versions of it. But really at its at its core, I think of it as a reminder to us that we can't just sit back and accept things as they are.

Hannah Gaber: 42:35

You really just made it easy for me not just to understand but to explain the concept of tikkun olam, which a lot of my friends, Jewish and non Jewish have asked me, you know, "what does that mean to you?" Or "can you explain that concept to me?" before and my mom always said, in addition to yes, we have to repair the world. But tikkun olam begins at home is the teaching and you are obligated first to be sure that your home the thing you can touch, the thing most immediate and close to you is full of love, people are happy, they are safe, they are respected, they are well the things you can fix that are in your immediate power. That's where you have to start. And that...that seems fine. And yes, you can always extrapolate that out to be like, yeah, because if everybody did that, then all the homes would be happy. And we wouldn't have all that meh meh meh fine, great. But what you just said about the shattered piece is that's the important part is like, whatever it is that you're doing, if things are fine for you at home today, and in a month, you may need to turn your attention back to it, then yes, now you can turn your attention to these other two pieces that you can try to fix and put together that are within your grasp. I love that it's a how do we not get overwhelmed by the responsibility and this is how.

Rabbi Shankman: 43:52

And when we have this line in our siddur, in our prayer book, that says that we should pray as if everything depends upon God and act as if everything depends upon us.

Hannah Gaber: 44:01

Yeah.

Rabbi Shankman: 44:02

And prayers are wonderful, but they they can't make the difference. They can inspire us to then go out and act to to make the world whole.

Hannah Gaber: 44:21

So we are sitting here and am I right in that this was just named Jewish American Heritage Month? Yes, it was. And I've been bombarded by emails from a number of different organizations. And I got her! haha!

Rabbi Shankman: 44:38

And and with lots of resources about how we can observe it and mark it and yeah, so yeah, I'm reading

Hannah Gaber: 44:45

the White House proclamation from April 28 which did not give me enough time to get this podcast out, by the way for Jewish but okay, so that I don't have to read the whole

thing to you. But basically: 44:57

"This month we celebrate the enduring heritage of Jewish Americans. Whose values culture and contributions have shaped our character as a nation. For generations, the story of Jewish people one of resilience, faith and hope, in the face of adversity, prejudice and persecution has been woven into the fabric of our nation's story. It has driven us forward in our ongoing march for justice, equality and freedom. As we recommit to upholding the principles of our nation's founding and realizing the promise of America for all Americans." Does it mean anything to you to see this recognition in this formal way of Jewish American Heritage Month in the US?

Rabbi Shankman: 45:34

I think the fact that in this moment in our history, and in what we've experienced as a Jewish community, both in America and worldwide, in terms of the rise of anti-Semitism, the the affirmation of, and recognition of our place in American society as, as one that is worthy of recognition, along with, by the way, many other cultures and, and populations and demographics that needs to be, to it's a wonderful reminder of the magical reality of what the United States of America could be. And I think is, is really important in strengthening a sense of Jewish pride. Yeah, at a time, when, as you talked about just a little bit ago, at a time when there's there's fear. There are people who might be might hide their Judaism, because they don't want to call attention and to then have attention on a national level to recognize in contributions. And it's not saying that yes, there are people who say Jews control this or that it's not saying that Jews are better than it's recognizing our place as part of American society as a productive group that contributes Yeah, that is an equal partner, along with many other equal partners. And I think that that's really important. And certainly to the American Jewish psyche in this moment, it also allows us to feel seen and supported by, you know, by, by our government, by people in positions of power, who also have the the power and the ability to impact on a national level, that conversation about anti-Semitism, which we also see happening. Yeah, and it's really, really important.

Hannah Gaber: 47:42

Yeah. I didn't really ever think, I don't know why I didn't think this. But I didn't really ever think that in my lifetime, there would be a time that I felt afraid to be Jewish in the United States. And I'm lucky I live in DC. I don't feel that here. But I know. So often the Jewish population of any country, maybe because we're such a tiny, tiny minority, and because we can often blend in in a lot of ways, but we're just different enough in some ways. Often, when a society is in trouble, the Jews are the canary in the coal mine. And when we started seeing really overt terrible vandalism again, remember the Jewish cemetery was smashed headstones, and then Pittsburgh, and then and obviously, the last year, six months especially has been not great. It fills me with I don't want to say dread, but trepidation. And it is nice to have some kind of a beacon of yes, we see it too. We see it

Rabbi Shankman: 48:53

And I think it empowers others, to also be able too. to stand up. And I think that's something that we've we've also seen happen and that it's not just the Jewish community calling out just as, as a Jewish community, we would not allow other communities to be the only ones

Hannah Gaber: 49:12

Yeah.

Rabbi Shankman: 49:13

Speaking out against racism against bigotry of any kind. Yeah. You have toma phobia and against any, again, any hatred or intolerance. And I think it also at a time when there is a little bit more trepidation, that that we also have this source of pride.

Hannah Gaber: 49:36

Yeah.

Rabbi Shankman: 49:37

And a reminder that that we can be proud and we should be proud of our Judaism and of our contributions and who we are.

Hannah Gaber: 49:49

You know, I think it's also important to note it doesn't fix anything, right? It doesn't fix things just to have someone say something in a microphone or in a proclamation, but at least it provides us a platform that we can build off of.

Rabbi Shankman: 49:59

Yeah, well, the traditional idea being, you know, the scapegoat, which we have in Jewish tradition actually being in the High Holidays, connected to the High Holidays and whether it was the, not gonna get into all the, the textual background, but the code designated for Azazel, where we would we would cast our sins or the idea that we have for right before Yom Kippur War of copper of waving a, the of, of transferring our sins to some sacrificial animal or yeah,

Hannah Gaber: 50:40

Oh, my God, you finally explained the chicken to me.

Rabbi Shankman: 50:43

And then we also have this with with Tashlich with the bread.

Hannah Gaber: 50:48

Yeah. But that's so you know, and that's a conversation I had when I worked at a newspaper many years ago of like, Hey, guys, can we not use every time that we talk about Yom Kippur war? Can we not every time a Jew is mentioned in the newspaper use a picture of an old man waving a chicken around? I've never seen that in my life. That is not what American Jews look like. And it's not a great, I'm not saying that people don't do it. Obviously they do. But it's kind of perpetuating a stereotype about Jews being foreign and strange and they all are old bearded men with black hats and pious and it's just not. It's not who we are, right? It's part of some of us. It's not who we are. It's not what we do. It's just we are many things. We are all the things just like everybody else.

Rabbi Shankman: 51:35

So true. It's beautiful.

Hannah Gaber: 51:37

Aw thanks. And now, for an awkward segue...Maybe it's actually not awkward. It struck me when you opened your sermon with your "I am from" poem. And it was very beautiful. And we only have a few minutes left. Do you? Is it easy? Could you pull it up? Do you think you could read it for me? I would love to hear it. nd you know, really, I said awkward segue. But honestly, it's probably a perfect segue, right? Because how did we even get here? Right? How did we even get here.

Rabbi Shankman: 52:11

So this is so I use this poem in, in my Rosh Hashanah sermon. And it is based on the I am from Poetry Project, which was inspired by the author and teacher George Ella Lyon, which it's been used by teachers around the country and and is often used by teachers to give students an opportunity to share who they are tell a little bit of their background insights, images that that illustrate their core essence. And I'd heard it before because each of my kids has done something along these lines. At some point in an English class, and my youngest child, my youngest is a freshman in high school. And it was part of a way that they were introducing themselves to their English teachers. And it it was just a couple of weeks before Rosh Hashanah, and it ended up being that I had this the spark of an idea that, wow, that could be a really great way when I think about what it is I want to share with the corrugation. Yeah. And what they mean to me after 22 years here, to to really be able to express that. Yeah, so it's there's a construct to the a framework for this poem, which is what I use as a basis for what I'm about to share. And a lot of this is really connected to Washington Hebrew and images that were, my hope was to to focus on or to bring in shared images that people could connect to over their history, however long or"I am from the processional statues in Krieger lobby, from short. the congressional charter and the menorah in front of Macomb Street. I am from confirmation photos in history that line the walls and sunlight filtering through stained glass windows on Rosh Hashana morning. I am from the dogwood tree outside my office window, whose white flowers always bloom the week leading up to confirmation and from the maple trees along the driveway at the Julia Bindeman Suburban Center, who's golden and red leaves herald autumn's arrival."I am from Cami Lauren Nathanson kiddish cups and candles in the sand tables. From a long line of WHC senior rabbis: Stern Simon, Gerstenfeld, Haberman, Weinberg and Lustig, from all the dedicated staff who care for each one of us and our buildings. I am from Macomb Street Shabbat and Falls Road Shabbat, from brisket and kugel, bake off and Blanca brownies at oneg."From Mitzvah Day, Sunday stuffings and MLK Work Day, from Dancing with the Torah, dreidel spinning competitions and edible dreidels, Purim spiels and Purim carnivals."From standing under the portico and Macomb and Benjamin on rainy mornings during religious school drop off, and from singing clapping and dancing at Shabbat sings, Tot Shabbats, funfairs playground playdates and more."I am from the sacred moments we share moments of joy and sadness, moments of learning and discovery, moments of engagement and connection, ordinary moments when we experience holiness, and a sense of belonging. I am from each one of you, for we together are Washington Hebrew Congregation."

Hannah Gaber: 55:43

Thank you so much.

Rabbi Shankman: 55:44

Thank you.

Hannah Gaber: 55:47

Jew-ish is produced, edited, recorded and hosted by me Hannah Gaber Special thanks to Washington Hebrew Congregation of course, and to Rabbi Eliana Fischel, without whom this would almost certainly not have happened. Keep your ears peeled for her. She'll be on later in the season too. If you like what you're hearing, please subscribe. And don't forget to recommend us to someone else who could use a Jewish friend. Jew-ish is a Say More production.