James Edward Johnson

A mezuzah, which is affixed to the door posts of Jewish homes, contains a scroll with the Hebrew words of the Shema.

This is part one of a three part series. - Read Part 1 – The Torah portion - Va-ethannan Part 2 – Getting a minyan and Part 3 – The importance of egalitarianism in the Jewish hinterland.

On every Shabbat morning, Jews read a part of the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, at morning services.  On the Jewish calendar, we read a section of the Torah each week such that we read the entire Torah every year.  This week, we read Va-ethannan, which is the second portion of Deuteronomy, or in transliterated Hebrew, Devarim.

This portion is unusually significant.  It contains two passages that are of major importance.  The first, which is recognizable to Jews and Christians alike, is that the portion contains one of the recitations of the Ten Commandments.

While Jews have 613 commandments in the Torah, there is no doubt that these ten are of elevated importance.  They appear in Jewish iconography and, as tablets, were the material representation of the entire Torah covenant between God and the Jewish people.    While today synagogues have arks to hold their Torah scrolls, the original ark in the Tabernacle and later in the First Temple contained these tablets.

Hearing the Ten Commandments read aloud in the synagogue in Hebrew is an important experience that happens only twice a year.  They are read first in Exodus, or in transliterated Hebrew, Shemot.  This week was their second reading.

The other passage of tremendous importance this week was the recitation of the Shema.  In English it reads, “Hear, O Israel, Adonai is our God, Adonai is One.”  In transliterated Hebrew, it reads, “Shema, Yisrael, Adonai eloheinu, Adonai echad.”  This is the only time it is recited in the Torah and if there is a single passage of Hebrew that a Jew knows, it is this one.  Observant Jews recite it every morning and every night and at every service.  According to the command following this verse, they bind the words in little boxes on their arms and forehead each morning, and affix them in little containers to their door posts.  If able, Jews should try to make these their last words.  Even very non-observant Jews do some of these.  There is no other verse that receives even remotely this level of attention.

In short, if one is compelled to come to services based on the content of the portion, this week was uniquely compelling.  It is interesting, therefore, that in Iowa City, there was a risk that we would be unable to read it.  And, indeed, in many Iowa towns, they probably did not read it.  That will be the subject of the next part.

I have always thought Tisha B’Av (which commemorates various calamities experienced by the Jews), was the worst Jewish holiday.  You are not supposed to enjoy things on this day, which ended at sundown on Tuesday.  I slept on the floor without a pillow, abstained from caloric food and drink, did not wear leather shoes at work, avoided greeting people …

However, my fasting was not all it ought to be and was considerably less (except the sleeping on the floor part) than what I do for Yom Kippur (the Jewish day of atonement).  I went to work, drank non-caloric liquids, wore antiperspirant, showered, biked to work, worked, and probably a few other things I ought not have done.

While I feel some guilt, I don’t feel much.  Tisha B’Av is, in some ways, an un-Jewish Jewish  holiday.  The Jewish spirit is not defined by lamenting our suffering, but by overcoming it.  It is not about wallowing in death and pain, but in celebrating life.  So, my failure is, in some ways, an expression of my Jewish spirit.

However, this year, I had two friends recount good memories of past experiences during Tisha B’Av.  We read Eicha (Lamentations) by candlelight in a beautiful service.  The melody of Eicha captures the mood in a stirring way.  I am not sure I will believe it is not the worst holiday, but these friends deserve credit for giving it new light.

Today’s Iowa City Press-Citizen has a very interesting piece on environmentally sensitive approaches to burial.  The article notes:

The Green Burial Council is a nonprofit North American organization that works to promote environmentally sustainable death care. A green burial, the group says, is one that does not involve embalming with hazardous chemicals, or the use of metal caskets or concrete burial vaults.

Via Green to the Grave – Iowa City Press-Citizen

Jews will, of course recognize these practices as being normal.  For religious reasons, we do not embalm or use metal caskets.  Certainly, the burials performed at Iowa City’s Agudas Achim Cemetery are performed in this manner.

Impressively, the local reporter picked up on this fact.  Iowa City is Jewishly a very small place and the lack of exposure here to Jews creates a great deal of ordinary ignorance about Jewish practices.  People mean well, but they often just don’t know about Jews and Judaism.

In a few very helpful grafs, the Press-Citizen tells us:

Although the labeling of such practices as green is a modern trend, Jewish burials traditionally have met those criteria.

Rabbi Jeff Portman of Agudas Achim Congregation in Iowa City said nearly all funerals within the faith require a quick burial in a wooden coffin using no embalming fluid.

“I guess the Jewish tradition is about the closest you can get” to green, Portman said.

Reporting like this is a great contribution to local Iowa media.  It introduces what are often seen as strange Jewish practices in a way that is approachable and even praiseworthy.  Josh O’Leary deserves thanks for his excellent reporting in this piece.

B'nai Jacob in Ottumwa, Iowa

Iowa is Jewishly a very small place.  Only about 6,000 Jews live in the entire state.  Iowa City, where I live currently, has only one synagogue.  Des Moines, the largest city and where I grew up, has only three.  Only one in 500 people in the state is Jewish.

Iowa City is small with its one synagogue, but there are smaller places still.  Ottumwa is one such place.  It once had a larger Jewish population, but today it could not assemble a minyan if every Jew in town showed up.  It is a pity because it has a beautifully restored synagogue, Bnai Jacob.

And so, several times a year, Jews from Iowa City make a pilgrimage to Ottumwa and bring a minyan.  This morning was one such time.  The hospitality shown to us is always amazing and if Jews from Des Moines or other Iowa communities want to be informed of such pilgrimages, just let me know in the comments.  You can also usually stay informed with Bnai Jacob’s webpage.

I began wrapping tefillin on Monday. It takes some effort to awaken oneself in order to properly daven first thing in the morning. However, it is worth it.

Usually, I might wake up, hit snooze a few times, take a shower, … until finally I had regained my consciousness. Davening in the morning compels me to be awake just moments after I arise from my slumber. It starts my day right and allows me to be directed as I begin my day. Hopefully, I’ll keep it up.

There is much irony in the status of American Jews. We are arguably better off than any sizable population of Jews anywhere in the world throughout history. American Jews are nonetheless justifiably defensive. We are defensive because we need not look far to see the fragility of our privilege.

Last week’s news alone illuminated this fragility. On one hand, classical anti-Semitism is alive and well in the world. In Russia, the birthplace of many anti-Semitic tropes, the blood libel reared it ugly head again. In Russia’s third largest city, Novosibirsk, Haaretz reported that dozens of homes were plastered with posters warning, among other things that, “These vermin are still performing rituals, stealing small children and draining their blood to make their sacred bread.” For a long time, such lies served as the basis for waves of anti-Jewish pogroms. For those who are unfamiliar, not only is cannibalism clearly unacceptable in Jewish law, but consuming blood of even kosher animals is prohibited. Most anti-Semitism relies on mixing a small amount of truth into the lies, but this total lie persists even today in places, like Russia, where it is hardly novel.

On the other hand, a newer anti-Semitism is on the rise in Western Europe – largely re-imported by Muslim immigrants. I use the term “re-imported” because classical anti-Semitism was brought to the Arab and Islamic world from Europe in 1840. The blood libel appeared in Damascus in that year and was blended with certainpre -existing anti-Jewish sentiments to form this new anti-Semitism. It was strengthened by the Nazi influence in the region leading up to and during WWII. Today, this new anti-Semitism is coming home to Europe.

This second news story is not about Jews per se. It is about the consequences that have been felt by those involved in the Muhammad cartoon controversy. I connect the two because I have a friend who lives in Denmark, and I know a family that lived in the Netherlands. My friend in Denmark cannot wear a Star of David around her neck because of fear of Islamic violence. The family from the Netherlands came here, in part, out of fear of anti-Semitic violence. The violence stirred by the controversy and the violence felt by those I know is the same thing. It is also the violence that has chasedSalman Rushdie into years of hiding.

The New York Times reports that the cartoonist who made the cartoon with a bomb in Muhammad’s turban, Kurt Westergaard, has been through five safehouses and that a plot to kill him was revealed last month. A man with the same name as the editor who published the cartoons, Flemming Rose, has had to change his name. Ironically,Westergaard has produced cartoons that are arguably far more disrespectful towards Jews and Christians. Even Westergaard admits regret at creating a cartoon that depicted a Palestinian Arab wearing a yellow star – a reference to the yellow stars worn by Jews during the Holocaust. The New York Times details multiple incidents of censorship in Western Europe prompted largely by fear of Islamic violence.

I have no doubt that the European majority hates Arabs and Turks and Muslims far more than they hate Jews. The hatred of Muslims in Europe is unequivocally wrong and indefensible. But, it is the Jews who are leaving out of fear of racist violence – not the Arabs or Turks or Muslims. We may be less hated by the European majority, but we are more at risk of violence because of the hatred that exists against us.

This is why American Jews raise the issue of anti-Semitism in America, sometimes at the risk of appearing overly defensive. We want to raise awareness of the problem before we, like our European (and South American – but that is for another time) family, feel the pressure to leave our homes. It is also why many of us are not sympathetic to those who feel that we allege anti-Semitism unfairly. When I know Jews who cannot wear symbols of their faith because of fear of violence, it is hard for me to take seriously that I am censoring people when I merely raise the possibility that they are encouraging anti-Semitism. Read the New York Times article on the real censorship taking place violently in Europe, and then we can talk about what censorship is and whether Jews are being too defensive.

I listen to both NPR and 1040 WHO. NPR is generally to my left and WHO is generally to my right. On my way home, I usually listen to NPR. But, occasionally, I turn to WHO. When I do, Steve Deace is commonly on the air. Such was the case this evening.

Almost every time I tune in to his show, Deace is railing against homosexuality. His language is overwrought with heavy-handed appeals to sectarian Christian values. He reminds me of those Christians who would confront me growing up. Back then, my understanding of God was simplistic and I affirmatively rejected God and Christianity. I was attacked as a non-believer by the Christians at school and so I responded with similar hostility.

One particularly unpleasant run-in happened when I was a sophomore at Urbandale High School in 1993. I gave a speech on tolerance towards homosexuals. The first question I got, in front of the teacher and the entire class was, “Are you a faggot?” The teacher tried to intervene in my defense, but I would have none of it. The last thing you want as a kid is to rely on a teacher to protect you. It makes you a mark for bullies. Instead I used my presence at the front of the class to humiliate the student who questioned me. I said something along the lines of, “Well, even if I were, you would have nothing to worry about. You aren’t that attractive, and it would be very easy to do better.”

My animus against Christians motivated me to study Catholicism (all my attackers were Protestant) and Judaism. I made sure I knew more about the history of Christianity than my Christian attackers. When I was confronted, I wouldn’t defend myself as much as I would humiliate them with their ignorance. Given that kids don’t learn much in confirmation and many of my attackers hadn’t even completed confirmation, humiliating them was easy. And when it came down to it, I was quick to call them hurtful names, usually in combination with a profanity or two, that insulted their inelligence.

Every time I hear Steve Deace, I am reminded of that punk kid in my speech class. I am a better person now, but he always reminds me of the spiteful person I once was. His homophobic rants remind me of the worst kind of Christian-based hatred I experienced growing up. I know better now, and most Christians are not hateful. But as a child growing up, it was much harder to distinguish between decent Christians and hateful ones. In another post, I will discuss more at length why Steve Deace is horribly wrong about homosexuality and gay marriage. For now, I want to share what I wrote to him:

Steve,

Listening to your show today, you reminded me why I am not a Christian. Your sectarian intolerance is downright appalling. Fortunately, I have met many decent Christians who have rehabilitated the borderline hateful view of Christianity and God I developed growing up. I was once a hard-core atheist. I am now a believing Jew in spite of Christians like you. It is only by learning that God is greater than what is offered by your narrow and hateful view, that my rehabilitation has been possible.

I was wondering, what do you think of Jews like me? I believe Jesus was at worst a myth and at best a Pharisee and a Rabbi who learned the teachings of the Rabbi Hillel and spread many of them to his followers. In any event, it is my belief that Adonai alone is God and that Adonai is One. Jesus is not God and nothing on earth can be God. I don’t think Christians are against God, I just think Christians are wrong about God. Most Christians are good people who have an equal share in the world to come.

I know that this is against your view of your bible. Based on what you have said on your show, I can only imagine that you see my faith as being “evil” because it is against your god, just as you see homosexuality as “evil” because it is against your god. I would be interested in your comments in this regard.

Sincerely,
James Eaves-Johnson