by Rabbi Peter S. Knobel
Kol Nidre 5762 - September 26, 2001

Even though smoke continues to rise over New York City, President Bush has made a plea to us that we return to our normal lives. This is a difficult task. Even though the flags are no longer at half-mast we know that September 11th is a boundary line in the sand of time. There was a "before" and now there is an "after." But like all mourners, we are required to rebuild our lives in a world in which loved ones have become absent. Like all who have been the victims of cataclysmic events, we are required to move forward without the same sense of security that we had before. Life is more precious in the wake of September 11th and we are examining our priorities and evaluating the values upon which we live our lives. At this moment, what sustains me is a faith in God and a faith in the human capacity to overcome evil. This faith is the cornerstone of my Judaism. My optimism about human nature is tempered by reality. Our capacity for goodness is matched by our capacity for evil.

This past weekend Rabbi Ben Hollander our Shabbat Shuvah scholar-in-residence reminded us that Amalek and Pharaoh are two Biblical figures that represent an evil, which is not subject to repentance. The Amalekites attacked the Israelites as they emerged from slavery as a free people. We were exhausted and confused and Amalek struck at us in our weakness as he tried to destroy hope and send the world back into the darkness of Egyptian slavery. Pharaoh of his own free will enslaved our ancestors and then decreed the death of the male babies. No one forced him to commit such atrocities. The Torah tells us that three times Moses approached Pharaoh to let our people go and three times Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused. Only then does the text tell us that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. The text teaches us that Pharaoh crossed a line for which repentance was not possible. Throughout history the spiritual descendants of Pharaoh and Amalek have wreaked havoc on our world.

Rabbi Hollander also spoke about the book of Jonah which is the haftarah for tomorrow afternoon. It is a wonderful fictional tale in which the prophet Jonah is a figure for the Jewish people. Rabbi Hollander reminded us that the essence of this story is that we Jews have a great influence on others, often in spite of ourselves. Jonah tries to run away from his responsibilities but ultimately even though he does not want to, he delivers God's message of repentance to Nineveh a place that is understood as hostile to Jews and Judaism. Miraculously all the people from the king to the poorest menial laborers respond instantly and change their ways. It is a message of hope. It is a reminder that no matter how impossible the task seems we can and must be agents for change. In a world darkened by terrorism, hatred, xenophobia, poverty, hunger, homelessness, illness, we Jews have sought to be beacons of light. We seek to remind the world that justice, compassion and love can overcome injustice, selfishness and hatred. That is why our Torah reminds us no less than thirty-six times that we may not oppress the stranger. The pain of the lash of the ancient taskmaster is indelibly inscribed on our Jewish collective conscience.

As a Reform Jew, I know that there is no single path to the Divine. No one text, no one religion, contains the totality of truth. Pluralism is the answer to the idolatrous dogma of absolute certainty. In the old Union Prayer Book with which I grew up with, we used to pray "O Lord, open our eyes that we may see and welcome all truth, whether shining from the annals of ancient revelations or reaching us from the seers of our own time." It is this progressive faith that I believe is important to the future of the Jewish world and to our planet as a whole. Therefore a primary task of this congregation must be the strengthening of progressive Judaism here and abroad.

This is the tale of three congregations in three cities in three different parts of the world: Beth Emet The House of Truth in Evanston Illinois the United States of America, Ner Tamid The Constantly Burning Light in Simferopol Republic of Crimea Ukraine and Tzur Hadassah Hadassah's Rock Jerusalem Israel. We are linked to each other by threads of history, fibers of progressive doctrine, and chains of destiny. Eighteen members of Beth Emet created a flying Torah processional to bring a sacred scroll to Simferopol. Two young people who grew up at Beth Emet founded Tzur Hadassah.

Persecution and suppression of Judaism deprived the Jews of the Crimea the knowledge and skills of being Jewish. The same oppression left them with an identity first marked in their identity cards and now in their hearts. In spite of the successful penetration of Habad, some seek a new, modern and progressive path. In Jerusalem a city that is increasingly dominated by Orthodoxy and an Israeli population suspicious of religion, Progressive Judaism lifts the voice of Torah in a pluralistic, democratic, modern melody. In Evanston, we are a privileged, prosperous, progressive community, which believes that progressive Judaism can help create a better society and a more significant way of life for all of humankind. It is time for us to extend the hand of friendship and filial love to Jerusalem and Simferopol to make a circle of care, concern and mutual support.

Our era is unique for we have gone from being a subject people to a sovereign people during the lifetime of many of us. The collapse of the Soviet Union has transformed the landscape of the Jewish future.

In June I journeyed to Jerusalem to represent the Reform movement on the Zionist General Council to promote a democratic pluralistic vision of a Jewish State. In August, eighteen Beth Emet members spent five days in Simferopol in the Crimea. My trips to Jerusalem and to Simferopol had the same purpose to help build progressive Judaism first, in the "Old Country", the Ukraine, a place from which many of our grandparents fled because of anti-Semitism and second, to help build progressive Judaism in the Alt Neu Land of Israel in the city of Jerusalem, the capital of a reborn sovereign Israel, in which we have invested so much hope. These twin excursions were deeply moving, disturbing and spiritually rich. They each present us with tremendous challenges.

Tonight my heart is divided; a part of me is in Jerusalem and a part of me longs to be in Simferopol. What a thrill it would be to worship with this group of progressive pioneers who with enthusiasm and few resources respond to the ancient words and the dreams of a better world. Imagine the struggle of this fledgling community as it tries to grasp what it means to be Jewish and especially progressive Jews in a land where Judaism almost died. But I am grateful that I can be here with family and friends at this crucial moment. Your love and strength mean so much to me at this moment.

As you know, I am a frequent visitor to Israel. I have made more than twenty trips -some as short as 72 hours and others that lasted six weeks or more. I wrote the following words before September 11th. "My journey to Jerusalem was among the most difficult of my life. I did not come back with my spirit buoyed and my soul focused on the messianic possibilities of the lion and lamb as bedmates. I did not walk through the shuk nor did I go to the Wall. My hotel was devoid of guests until the beginning of our meetings and in most of the restaurants we were nearly the only customers. Leaders of our Israeli movement spoke of trying to prevent their children from wandering around downtown and they spoke of the fear of people living in Tel Aviv about traveling to Jerusalem. My fervent wish is that today I could hear the shofar sounded in Tzur Hadassah on the outskirts of Jerusalem very close to the Green Line (1967 Border). I long to stand with our people whose lives are threatened on a daily basis and to perform the mitzvah lishoma kol shofar to hearken to the sound of the shofar with progressive Jews who still face an uphill battle to fully establish themselves as the recognized equals of Orthodox Judaism." Today I feel even closer to our brothers and sisters in Israel than ever before. We now in some ways share a perspective on the world that we did not before September 11th. My commitment to help transform Israeli society is not diminished. The terrorism which struck us here and which strikes them there is fraught with the same material and spiritual dangers.

I also have not given up on my dreams of peace in the Middle East. I remain critical of acts of injustice and intolerance committed by Jews. But I am outraged at every death of every Israeli. I grieve over the death of every victim of violence. I am also deeply distressed by the blatant anti-Semitism, which was expressed at the Durban Conference on racism. While the final language removed the worst abuses, there was a clear attempt to equate Judaism and Zionism with racism. We must be grateful to our own government as well as those of Canada and much of Western Europe in their refusal to countenance such a vicious calumny. But we must also remember that Israel was founded on the ashes of Auschwitz in a world that had been silent to our destruction, deaf to our pleas for salvation and hostile to our existence. So far the ugly voice of anti-Semitism has been largely quiet in the current crisis in the United States. However, we must remain vigilant. Solidarity with Israel is extremely important. The fear and the growing dismay were visible on the streets, in the restaurants and in my conversations with Israelis in June. The situation has deteriorated since then. Those who strive for understanding and reconciliation, for peace and justice must be supported. In spite of all the terror, the polls in Israel still show that Israelis still believe in a two state solution and we all know that peace will come only through negotiations which will mean painful sacrifices on both sides. We pray the meeting of Peres and Arafat will be a first step toward peace.

Our commitment to Israel must be lived out in a variety of ways. One through acts of Tzedakah - Jewish United Fund and the New Israel Fund are important vehicles for both specific and general support but the World Reform Appeal has become more important than ever. To create an Israel which reflects our values is essential to building up the Israeli Movement for Progressive Judaism whose slogan is, "there is more than one way to be Jewish". The World Reform Appeal not only supports our efforts in Israel but also our efforts to build Progressive Judaism in the rest of the world, especially in the Former Soviet Union. Tzedakah in the form of a check is important because there is no substitute for providing the resources that are necessary to strengthen and re-enforce our work. However, tzedakah in the form of a check is not enough. Therefore, I am proposing three things: 1) we establish a serious and ongoing relationship with Tzur Hadassah in Jerusalem, 2) we establish a serious and ongoing relationship with Ner Tamid in Simferopol and, 3) that each of you register and vote in the election for delegates to the World Zionist Congress.

1. The Beth Emet Israel Committee ARZA World Union Committee has begun to define a relationship with Tzur Hadassa in Jerusalem. This must be a dynamic partnership. I want us to relate to progressive Judaism not merely as a philosophy of Judaism but as a part of a relationship to people who we know and care about in a personal way. I want us to see their struggles as our struggles and their successes as our successes. Since this congregation is near but within the Green Line, the 1967 Israel Border, between Israel and Jordan. They have asked us to help them build a security fence. More information will be forthcoming after the Beth Emet board meeting next week. I look forward to returning to Israel early next year and invite you to join me. In Israel there are barriers to building Progressive Judaism. We lack sufficient Rabbis to serve our community needs. But I am pleased to tell you that the Israeli rabbinic program of Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem has the largest class it has every recruited. Reform Judaism is catching on. It is becoming not just a Diaspora import but also a genuine Israeli spiritual movement. It is not a pale copy of Orthodoxy but a uniquely open approach that interacts with the tradition utilizing it in new and creative ways in a place where Jews are the majority. It like its Diaspora cousin is lead equally by women and men. It speaks against the oppression of the stranger and demands that Israel live up to the prophet ideals that we cherish. It is an antidote to a sterile secularism and to a narrow fundamentalism. It strives to be what we hope to be in the United States, a voice of reason, compassion, inclusion, and justice.
      
2. The Progressive Movement has a significant presence in both the Zionist General Council and the Assembly of the Jewish Agency thanks to our success in the last elections for the World Zionist Congress. A new congress will be convened in June 2002 and it is crucial that you register to vote and vote. Our success in the last election took others by surprise and now other groups are working hard to lessen our influence. There are two reasons that it is important for you to register and to vote. First, any diminution in our success will be understood as a weakening of our commitment to Israel and second, any diminution in our success will weaken our ability to extend the influence of Progressive Judaism in Israel. Please take the following steps. Complete and sign the registration form which you find on your chairs or outside the sanctuary and return it with a check for $4 to the American Zionist Movement or deposit it in the box in the foyer (the fee covers the cost of the election) you can also register online at www.VoteReformJudaism.com. In February you will receive a World Zionist Congress ballot. You can vote for the delegate slate that shares your values - ARZA/WORLD UNION - representing the Reform movement. As we learned in the last Presidential election in the United States even a single vote can make the difference.
      
3. Our five-day journey to Simferopol, which was physically exhausting, was spiritually energizing and enriching beyond words. Our Beth Emet traveling companions were wonderful. This is a special place with special people who rise to every occasion and add meaning, depth and value to every endeavor. They deserve our gratitude. All of this was coordinated and organized by Susan Melczer and a wonderful committee that she established. Thanks to all of you who helped us write a new Torah for Beth Emet's fiftieth anniversary, we were able to give a gift of Torah scroll to a progressive congregation somewhere in the world which would not be able to acquire one on their own. One of the most diligent Beth Emet committees that I have ever had the pleasure to work with after much analysis and much agonizing, decided that Ner Tamid in Simferopol met our twin criteria of viability and need. The Torah that we took to Simferopol first traveled with me west in a gym bag to Los Angeles for the Rabbi Shemuel Miller, the scribe who wrote our new Torah, to examine and repair. Then it flew again in the same gym bag, back to Evanston and then on with us first to Istanbul and next to Simferopol. The etz chaim, the rollers, were wrapped in bubble wrap and put in a duffel bag. Women from Beth Emet created a magnificent new Torah cover and we purchased a silver yad to go with the scroll. Our suitcases were filled with prayer books in Russian and Hebrew, tallitot, mezzuzot, children's books, shofrot and an array of education materials. In addition we brought simple gifts to our hosts and hostesses.

The details of our arrival in the VIP lounge at well past midnight, to our checking into the finest hotel (if you call it that) at three in the morning, to our various journeys to sightsee and experience surrounding Jewish communities must wait until another time. We do have some marvelous stories. The highlight of our trip came at three moments. First, when three members of Beth Emet and three members of Ner Tamid using special thread sewed the parchment of the Torah to the etz chaim and we lifted the Torah for all to see. They and we were personally, deeply moved. The second came on Friday night when we formally presented the Torah to the congregation and seven members of Beth Emet and two members of Ner Tamid read from the Torah. It was electrifying, empowering. It was a moment of profound holiness and solidarity. The worship service itself was conducted by young people from the Ner Tamid community using the Avodah She BaLev, the Siddur, the Prayer book of the Israel Progressive that has been augmented with a Russian translation and transliteration. It was exhilarating and joyous. It was wonderful to note that we shared many melodies with them including some written by Jeff Klepper. We felt at home and deeply connected to one another. The third came on Sunday morning when Hyma Levin our educator unveiled a Rosh Hashanah study program with a variety of learning stations, a program that we normally use for our religious school. The adults jumped into the program with enthusiasm. Many have been so long deprived of Jewish education and Jewish experiences that the simplest activities were of great meaning.

From a study session that I conducted it was clear that this is a group of people who with all of their enthusiasm are looking for support to help them build a community, understand what it takes to be a synagogue and to acquire the knowledge and skills to integrate Judaism into their lives.

It is hard to imagine that after all the energy we devoted to rescuing Soviet Jewry and now in what has become the Former Soviet Union we are working to recreate and re-establish Jewish life. The obstacles are many. The Ukraine has a corrupt government and a decimated economy. Few Jews know about Judaism and they know less about progressive Judaism. Progressive Judaism was born in Germany and took root in the United States and spread to Western Europe but was until recently unknown in Eastern Europe and in the Former Soviet Union. There are few rabbis, few trained educators, and few trained youth workers. The leadership of the Progressive Jewish Community of Simferopol is deeply committed. Among the most exciting people we met were young people who were enthusiastic and striving to gain the knowledge and skills that they need to build a real community. Susan Melczer hears almost daily from Serge, one of Simferopol's youth leaders, about the number of young people he is recruiting for numerous programs. It is exciting.

A real relationship with this community will require that we find ways to help them gain the knowledge and skills that they lack. A real relationship will mean helping them with basic financial needs. A real relationship will mean that we will have to be physically present on a regular basis. Our leadership, our clergy, our educated Jews adults and youth will have to spend time in Simferopol. We will need to bring some of their representatives here to visit us. Distance and language are significant barriers but nothing is insurmountable if we commit ourselves. Here is a place that we can make a difference. We can create a partnership. Being with them gives us a perspective on our own Judaism and reminds us how much we take for granted. In the weeks and month ahead, those of us who went on this journey, will gather again with our Beth Emet Israel ARZA World Union committee and present a plan to our Board of Trustees. Within two years I expect us to return to Simferopol and I invite you to join us.

Evanston, Simferopol and Jerusalem are a triangle. We are connected to one another by faith and fate. On September 11th our world became much smaller. My travels have always brought me home to the United States with a profound appreciation for what a privilege and responsibility it is be an American. My Judaism is a faith that good will triumph over evil. This week I have been heartened by the goodness and compassion that this tragedy has engendered. It is a crucial moment for our nation and our people. In the world that is emerging which I believe will be a better world. We can be instruments of light and of change. Our brand of Judaism has much to offer. Now more than ever religion matters. Now more than ever Judaism matters. Now more than ever Reform Judaism matters. Let us be bearers of light, compassion and justice. In the words of the prophet Isaiah which we will read tomorrow our mission is nothing less than

To unlock fetters of wickedness,
And untie the cords of the yoke
To let the oppressed go free;
To break off every yoke.
It is to share your bread with the hungry,
And to take the wretched poor into your home;
When you see the naked, to clothe him,
And not to ignore your own kin.

This is the mission of Reform Judaism here in Evanston, in Jerusalem and in Simferopol. May we be up to the task.