Resolution in Support of Hekhsher Tzedek

Earlier this evening, at our Board of Trustees meeting, the SJCC Board passed the resolution below which will link us to other congregations across the country in supporting the Hekhsher Tzedek program which I discussed on Yom Kippur.  Hopefully, if enough congregations join us, our movement will be able to have a real impact on the conduct of kosher food producers.

RAF.

 

Update 12/11/09: See today’s New York Times for an interesting article on this topic.

 

SJCC Resolution Supporting Hekhsher Tzedek

Whereas, the Summit Jewish Community Center is committed to encouraging members to perform Mitzvot encompassing ethical and ritual observance; and

Whereas, Kashrut is a core value of our institution and of the Conservative Movement; and

Whereas, we understand that Kashrut teaches reverence for life and humane treatment of animals (See James M. Lebeau, Jewish Dietary Laws: Sanctify Life, New York, NY: United Synagogue of America, Department of Youth Activities, 1983, inter alia); and

Whereas, our institution continues to express its commitment to social justice; and

Whereas, Torah teaches us concerning the rights of workers, as in “The wages of a laborer shall not remain with you until morning (Lev. 19:13) and “You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow countryman or a stranger…You must pay him his wages on the same day…for he is needy and sets his life on it; else he will cry to God against you and you will incur guilt.” (Deut. 24:14-15) and “Whoever keeps the salary from a worker is as if taking his/her life, and transgresses five negative commandments and one positive command.” (Shulhan Arukh, Hoshen Mishpat 339:2); and

Whereas, Torah teaches us the importance of business ethics as in “You shall not falsify measures of length, weight or capacity. You shall have an honest balance, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin.” (Lev. 19:35); and

Whereas, our congregation continues to express its commitment to environmental protection; and

Whereas, reports of worker abuse, animal cruelty and corrupt business practices in a segment of the kosher meat industry have caused a tremendous desecration of God’s name.

Therefore, be it resolved that we stand fully behind the development of a Hekhsher Tzedek to be applied to the kosher food industry; and

Be it further resolved that the congregation supports the work of the Joint Hekhsher Tzedek Commission comprised of representatives of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Rabbinical Assembly; and

Be it further resolved that the congregation supports the development of the Hekhsher Tzedek that will evaluate Kosher food manufacturers in the areas of

•             Employee welfare, including fair wages, benefits, health safety;
•             Employee training;
•             Quality control and animal welfare;
•             Corporate accountability and integrity; and
•             Environmental impact.

Organ Donation

A couple of weeks ago, we were fortunate to have a “guest” speaker discuss organ donation with us on Shabbat morning.  The “guest” was Yael Coppleson who grew up in our congregation (daughter of Linda & Victor), but has gone on to become an expert in this area.

Here are a few of the relevant sources on organ donation:

 Leviticus 19:16: “You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor.”

 Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki (Rashi), Commentary on Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 73a: “‘You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor’ means ‘You shall not rely on yourself alone.’   Rather, your must turn to all available resources so that your neighbor’s blood will not be lost.”

 Moses Maimonides, Laws of Murder & Guarding Life 1:14: “Anyone who is able to save a life, but fails to do so, violates ‘You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor.’”

 Babylonian Talmud Yoma 82a: “Preservation of life overrides all other considerations.”

 Rabbi Theodore Friedman, CJLS Responsum, 1953: “Greater is saving a life than the dignity of the dead – k’vod ha-met.”

 Rabbi Isaac Klein, A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice, 1979:  ”There is no greater k’vod ha-met than to bring healing to the living.”

 Rabbi Moshe Tendler, on behalf of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, 1994:  ”All rabbinic authorities agree that the classic definition of death in Judaism is the absence of spontaneous respiration in a patient with no other signs of life….  Brain death is a criterion for confirming death in a patient who already has irreversible absence of spontaneous respiration.”

 Rabbi David Golinkin, Responsa of the Va’ad ha-Halachah of the Israeli RA, 1994:  “It is not merely permissible for a Jew to bequeath his organs for transplantation following his death, it is a mitzvah for him to do so, in order to save one life or several lives.”

 The Conservative Movement’s Rabbinical Assembly Resolution of 1990:  “The Rabbinical Assembly affirms the life-giving benefits of organ and tissue donation, and thereby encourages all Conservative Jews to become enrolled as organ and tissue donors.”  (See also: United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism )

Union for Reform Judaism statement of 1997: “The Union of American Hebrew Congregations (since renamed: Union for Reform Judaism) is committed to the concept of Organ Donation and Transplantation as a positive example of the traditional Jewish value of saving a life.”

The Orthodox Rabbinical Council of America statement of 1991:  “Since organs that can be life-saving may be donated, the family is urged to do so.  When human life can be saved, it must be saved.  The halachah (Jewish Law) therefore looks with great favor on those who facilitate the procurement of life-saving organ donations.”

Another important organizaiton that anyone concerned about this issue should be aware of is the Halachic Organ Donor Society .

RAF

The Ethics of Kashrut

Yesterday’s New York Times magazine is devoted to food.  Among the many articles is one called “The Kosher Wars” which discusses many of the issues I raised in my sermon on Yom Kippur Day.  I am just glad that this did not come out last Sunday or I might have felt compelled to find a different topic.  (Perhaps, the NYT knew that 90% of Conservative rabbis were going to speak about this topic during the course of the High Holidays and graciously waited until after Yom Kippur to run this article.)  In any event, the Heksher Tzedek program is mentioned is this article as well.  

As an aside, the Festival of Sukkot (which begins at sundown this evening) is one more way for us to re-connect with the agricultural rhythms by which our ancestors lived.  Through the lulav, etrog and sukkah, we connect with the harvest in the Land of Israel.  Hope to see you at services during the course of the festival.

RAF.

The Year of Living Kosher

On Yom Kippur day, I once again found myself talking about food.  I can’t seem to help it.  In the course of my sermon about the Conservative Movement’s Hekhsher Tzedek program, I mentioned a program called “The Year of Living Kosher” by Rabbi Jack Moline.  As promised, here is his one-year plan for transforming your kitchen into a kosher one .  I would be thrilled to help anyone who would like to try. (Please note that Rabbi Moline uses the Hebrew months for his plan; we are currently in the month of Tishrei.)

 

Tishrei – Separate dairy and meat products

 

Heshvan – Wait 3 hours between meat and dairy

 

Kislev – Eliminate shellfish and non-kosher animals

 

Tevet – Purchase only kosher packaged products

 

Shvat – Purchase only kosher meat

 

Adar – Eat no shellfish or meat in restaurants

 

Nisan – Pesach, experimental full-kosher run

 

Iyar – Purchase necessary replacement items

 

Sivan – Kasher the kitchen

 

Tammuz – Get comfortable with it

 

Av – Celebratory BBQ (after Tisha B’Av)

 

Elul – Invite families not currently keeping kosher over to dinner

 RAF.

Notable Deaths 5768

Each year, during the Yizkor Service on Yippur, I present a list of notable deaths from the previous here.  Here is this year’s edition.  What do you think?  Did I leave out someone whom you would have included?  Let me know.

 

1)      Marcel Marceau (mime) — Died September 22, 2007. Born March 22, 1923. French mime, had the only spoken line in Silent Movie, member of the French Resistance, helped hide Jewish children from the Nazis and later served as a translator for US troops.

 

2)      Joey Bishop (comedian) –  Died October 17, 2007. Born February 3, 1918. Last surviving Rat Packer, had a late night talk show for two years that succumbed to The Tonight Show.

 

3)      Robert Goulet (singer/actor) — Pulmonary fibrosis (died awaiting a lung transplant). Died October 30, 2007. Born November 26, 1933. His magnificent voice led to being cast as Lancelot in the original Broadway Camelot; married to Carol Lawrence during the ’60s and ’70s, did some funny commercials for Emerald Nuts in the months before he died.

 

4)      Paul Tibbets (pilot) — Died November 1, 2007. Born February 23, 1915. Served as a pilot throughout World War II, best-known for piloting the Enola Gay which dropped the first A-bomb on Hiroshima.

 

5)      Norman Mailer (writer) –  Kidney failure. Died November 10, 2007. Born January 31, 1923. Controversial, pugnacious writer, acclaimed for his first novel The Naked and the Dead, he was considered counter-cultural in the ’50s and helped found The Village Voice.

 

6)      Ira Levin (writer) –  Heart attack. Died November 13, 2007. Born August 27, 1929. Wrote Rosemary’s Baby, The Stepford Wives. and Deathtrap.

 

7)      Dick Wilson (actor) –  Died November 18, 2007. Born July 30, 1916. Lots of bit parts on TV, most-seen as Mr. Whipple in the Charmin commercials.

 

      Evel Knievel (Daredevil) — Diabetes, pulmonary fibrosis. Died November 30, 2007. Born October 17, 1938. Famous for spectacular motorcycle stunts in the ’70s.  

 

9)      Ike Turner (singer/songwriter) –  Cocaine overdose. Died December 12, 2007. Born November 5, 1931. Wasted a potentially great career, Proud Mary.

 

10)  Benazir Bhutto (politician) –  Assassination. Died December 27, 2007. Born June 21, 1953. Western-educated, former prime minister of Pakistan forced out on corruption charges.

 

11)  Sir Edmund Hillary (mountain climber) –  Heart attack. Died January 11, 2008. Born July 20, 1919. In the ’50s, first white man to reach the summit of Mt. Everest.

 

12)  Johnny Podres – baseball pitcher.Died: January 13, 2008 (Queensbury, New York). Winning pitcher of Game 7 and Series MVP as the Brooklyn Dodgers won their one and only World Series Championship in 1955 (against the Yankees).

 

13)  Richard Knerr – toy inventor and entrepreneur; Died: January 14, 2008 (Arcadia, California) – Best Known as: co-creator of the Hoola Hoop, the Superball, and the Frisbee.

 

14)  Bobby Fischer (chess genius) –  Died January 17, 2008. Born March 9, 1943. Reclusive chess champion, famously beat Boris Spasky during the ’70s and emmigrated to Iceland.

 

15)  Suzanne Pleshette (actress) — . Lung cancer. Died January 19, 2008. Born January 31, 1937. Lots of Disney and made-for-TV movies, memorable as Emily on The Bob Newhart Show.

 

16)  Heath Ledger (actor) — . Died January 22, 2008. Born April 4, 1979. Astonishing in Brokeback Mountain, died before The Dark Knight was released and while The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was being filmed.

 

17)  Tom Lantos – congressman; Died: February 11, 2008 (Bethesda, Maryland). Best Known as: the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress; Tom Lantos was a long time democratic representative of California, who was the only Holocaust survivor to ever serve in Congress. He represented a district that included his hometown of San Mateo and the southwest region of San Fransisco.

 

18)  William F. Buckley, Jr. (writer) — Emphysema. Died February 27, 2008. Born November 24, 1925. Conservative commentator and publisher of the National Review, wrote God and Man at Yale just after his college graduation.

 

19)  Howard Metzenbaum (US Senator) Died March 12 at age 90.  Influential US Senator from Ohio 1974-1995.

 

20)  Sir Arthur C. Clarke (author) –  Respiratory problems. Died March 19, 2008. Born December 16, 1917. Not only did he write science fiction (2001, Childhood’s End), he developed the concept of the geosynchronous communications satellite.

 

21)  Charlton Heston (Actor/NRA activist) — Alzheimer’s. Died April 5, 2008. Born October 4, 1923. Ben Hur, Planet of the Apes, Touch of Evil, president of the NRA for several years.  

 

22)  Albert Hofmann – Swiss chemist. Died: April 29, 2008. Best Known as: Swiss Chemist who created LSD in 1938.

 

23)  Sydney Pollack (director/actor) –  Cancer. Died May 26, 2008. Born July 1, 1934. Out of Africa, Tootsie and many more.

 

24)  Harvey Korman (comedian) –  Died May 29, 2008. Born February 15, 1927. The Carol Burnett Show, Blazing Saddles.

 

25)  Yves Saint-Laurent (designer) — Died June 1, 2008. Born August 1, 1936. Worked for Dior and popularized suits for women and haute couture.  

 

26)  Bo Diddley (guitarist) — Heart failure. Died June 2, 2008. Born December 30, 1928. “I Am a Man”, professional musician for over 50 years.

 

27)  Jim McKay (sportscaster) –  Died June 7, 2008. Born September 24, 1921. “Spanned the globe…” — Wide World of Sports.

 

28)  Tim Russert (political analyst) –  Heart attack. Died June 13, 2008. Born May 7, 1950. Hosted Meet the Press for many years.

 

29)  Cyd Charisse (actress) — Heart attack. Died June 17, 2008. Born March 8, 1921. Dancer in many movies, including Singing in the Rain.

 

30)  George Carlin (comedian) — Heart attack. Died June 22, 2008. Born May 12, 1937.

 

31)  Jesse Helms U.S. Senator Born: 18 October 1921 Died: 4 July 2008 Birthplace: Monroe, North Carolina Best known as: Conservative senator from North Carolina, 1973-2003

 

32)  Dr. Michael DeBakey (heart surgeon) –  Died July 11, 2008. Born September 7, 1908. Pioneering surgeon who helped to develop MASH units while in the Army in WWII, various kinds of heart surgeries and multi-organ transplants.

 

33)  Prof. Randy Pausch (professor) – July 25, 2008.  Author/deliverer of “The Last Lecture.”

 

34)  Bruce Adler – the son of two Yiddish theater stars (Bruce Adler & Henrietta Jacobson) he was a two-time Tony-nominated actor who transitioned from the Yiddish theater to the Broadway stage, died Friday, July 25, in Davie, Fla., near Fort Lauderdale.

 

 

35)  Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (writer) — Died August 3, 2008. Born December 11, 1918. Wrote the controversial One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, won the Nobel Prize, expelled from the Soviet Union and lived in Vermont from the mid-70s until he returned to Russia in the ’90s.

 

36)  Isaac Hayes (actor, songwriter) — Stroke. Died August 10, 2008. Born August 20, 1942. Wrote the theme for Shaft, “reborn” as Chef on South Park.

 

37)  Paul Newman (actor, race-car driver, philanthropist) Died September 26

RAF.