112 Years Ago, The Sun Was Also in the Same Place as Creation...

In case you hadn't heard, according to talmudic astronomical calculations, once every 28 years, the sun is in the same allignment that it was at the time of creation, and this year is that year, and the moment will occur at sunrise on the day before Pesach begins. No one knows for sure what will happen this year, but it sounds like some crazy things have gone down in the past (Exodus, Purim) and now, thanks to thanks To Vera Schwatz, Professor at Wesleyan, we know of another story of this event from 112 years. This article is from the New York Times Archive, April 8th, 1897. The story details a large group of Jews gathering in Central Park (without a permit) to celebrate and bless the sun, and the police arresting the leadings rabbis because they were illegally assembling.
The best Paragraph, in my opinion, reads as follows:
The Celebration is rather a complicated matter to explain to anyone. Rabbi Klein's knowledge of English is slight, while [park officer] Foley's faculties of comprehension of matters outside of park and police regulations and local events are not acute. The attempt of a foreign citizen to explain to an American Irishman an astronomical situation and a tradition of the Talmud was a dismal failure.

40th Anniversary of the Freedom Seder

On April 4, 1969, the first anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, the third night of Passover, hundreds of people of varied racial and religious communities gathered in a Black church in the heart of Washington DC to celebrate the original Freedom Seder. For the first time, it intertwined the ancient story of liberation from Pharaoh with the story of Black America's struggle for liberation, and the liberation of other peoples as well.

2 weeks from tomorrow evening will be the first night of Pesach and will mark the 40th anniversary of the Jews for Urban Justice and Arthur Waskow's "Freedom Seder" in Washington DC. If you want to learn more about this amazing and historical event, please learn more about it on the Shalom Center's Website, and if so inspired, participate in some way in the 40th anniversary seder's that will be taking place all across the country.
I received a link to this video of 10 minutes of footage of the original seder and had tears coursing down by face well before the last scene with everyone singing hand in hand "we shall overcome." I hope the video will mean as much to you as it did to me.



The traditional Passover Haggadah ("the telling") begins with the opening invocation and story:
"This is the bread of affliction which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry enter and eat, and all who are needy come and celebrate the Passover! This year we are here, next year in the land of Israel! This year we are slaves, next year free men.
It is related of Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Joshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Akiva, and Rabbi Tarphon that they once met in Bnei Brak and spoke about the Edoxus from Egypt all night long, until their disciples came and said to them: "Masters! The time has come to say the morning prayer!"
Today in my class on "Jewish and Christian Dialogue in the Middle Ages" we studies this text in the context of the dual creation of the Easter and Passover rituals, and how the two religions influenced each other. My professor's thesis, is based around the question, "why is the unleaed bread (matzah) that is associated with liberation from bondage, called the bread of affliction at the start of the seder instead of the bread of salvation and liberation?" His answer, of course, is that the Christians had adopted the same symbol of unleaven bread to represent salvation through communion of the body of Christ, and therefore, the Jews had to take an alternative interpretation (huge simplification). From there, we get the story of 5 very famous 2nd century rabbis staying up all night, talking torah, with the destruction of the temple still fresh in memory and no way to make a pascal sacrifice, and the christians emerging and reinterpreting traditional jewish symbols and rituals.

So this is one interpretation of this text. In the video, the meaning of the story is asked to the leaders of the Seder, and in a great alternative interpretation, Waskow jokes that the five rabbis were meeting under the Roman Empire to plan a resistance and rebellion against Rome, and that the students were instructed to come with the password "its time to read the morning prayers" if the fuzz showed up. Not an academic, or orthodox interpretation, but I (and the crowd) love it.

This year I have the incredible blessing to fulfill the annually repeated passover dream of לשנה הבאה בירושלים (next year in Jerusalem!) with my parents, and will be celebrating as a free man of so so much privilege. But as I look forward to this amazing occasion of celebrating freedom in Israel with my family, I hear Waskow's words from 40 years ago resonating just as strongly in our world today. "But just as if we, not are ancestors only, were once liberated in Egypt, so it is we, not our ancestors only who live in slavery. Our slavery is not over, our liberation is not complete. The task of liberation is long, and it is work we must do."

In this time of great joy and celebration of freedom, let us not forget that we still live in a world with Slavery. For those of us living the Jewish dream of passover in Israel, see the concrete apartheid sea through your windows that has not yet been parted for the liberation of the Palestinians. And while I believe that there are miracles in this world each and every day, it will be our hands, peoples of all faiths and backgrounds, that will bring the next much needed passover miracle to all the people of Palestine/Israel.

לשנה הבאה בירושלים
Liberation Now! Next Year in a World of Freedom!

Communication Breakdown

Hello Friends,
So I've been having some major bloggers block recently. I have a whole slew of tabs open with articles I want to share and comment on, and a notebook and head full of stories I'm trying to tell. I would normally just stress out a ton about this, and not end up telling you anything, but I think I'm going to change strategies. Communication is really important to me, but its hard when you're on the other side of the world. So I will do my best to continue posting about my life, but if you're not getting enough, contact me! you can skype me (micahweiss) call my Isreali cell (052-312-6276) email (mgweiss@wesleyan.edu) facebook (Micah Weiss).
My new goal is to write something every week; not necessarily an "update" but an essay of somekind; expressing some form of a unified series of thoughts. So stay tuned, stay awesome, and love life.
Peace be upon you,
Micah

Bethleham and the Dome of the Rock

I had an absolutely amazing weekend.
Photo hightlights include a trip to Bethleham and the Dome of the Rock the following morning. The only picture I took in Bethleham was one of the seperation wall; but I think it gives a small taste of life in the west bank. I'm working on an essay on what this weekend meant to me, so stay tuned. After the picture of the seperation wall are pictures from my tourist trip to the Dome of the Rock the following morning. Enjoy, and look for more soon!

Def Poetry Jewish Identity

Received the link to this video from a class on Jewish Identity.
My favorite part is towards the end, when she talks about being "all-people-loving"

In Search of the G-d Gene

I know this was hot news a couple of years ago, but my professor for "Contemporary Jewish Spirituality" just sent this article out to the class after a heated conversation on Jewish moral exceptionalism. That controversial topic aside, I think its a really interesting topic of conversation; the intersection of science and religion in this way. What if spirituality can, in one way, be reduced to a genetic predisposition? Does that make it any less powerful? Maybe not; maybe just confirms that there really is something deep down inside that all these people are feeling so powerfully. Thoughts?

Dr. Dean Hamer, a molecular geneticist, argues persuasively that genes predispose humans to believe that "spirituality is one of our basic human inheritances," and that, indeed, there is a specific individual gene associated with faith. "I propose," he writes, "that spirituality has a biological mechanism akin to birdsong, albeit a far more complex and nuanced one."

Genes, Dr. Hamer adds, do not tell the whole story. Humans' genetic predisposition for spiritual belief is expressed in response to personal experience and the cultural environment, and it is shaped by them.

But the genes, he says, "act by influencing the brain's capability for various types and forms of consciousness, which become the basis for spiritual experiences."
...
the fact that spirituality has a genetic component implies that it has evolved for a purpose. "There is now reasonable evidence that spirituality is in fact beneficial to our physical as well as mental health. Faith may not only make people feel better, it may actually make them better people."

-From The New York Times, November 2nd, 2004, recommended by Professor Eliezer Shore

Jewlicious feels Ethically Derelictious

While reading some hip Jewish blogs, I stumbled across the website "Jewlicious" which is selling a very odd, and very disturbing collection of T-shirts, dubbed "Jewlicious Apparel." Now, I get that they're supposed to be funny, ironic, playful, and any other number of words that can often be invoked to try and justify offensive statements, but these shirts just don't sit well for me, and I would be bothered to see a young person walking around in them. Maybe I just don't get the humor, maybe I'm taking things too seriously, but these shirts are over my personal line of what its ok to be selling on a jewish themed website, or any website at all. The link for the site is below, but the biggest problems I had off the bat were:
1. "Obama is my (Sex) Slave" ... WTF?
2."Che Herzl" Don't know how Mr. Guevara would feel about being photo-shopped to look like the father of Jewish ethnocentric nationalism
3."Challah hu Akbar" -Is this not just blatantly mocking Islam?
4. "Christ Killer" - why would you wear this? What on earth are you trying to say?
5. "Palestine is for Lovers" -Yes, sweet sentiment, but taken in the context of coming from a presumably zionist leaning Jewish website (offers fee trips to Israel) and Judaisms role in the death, destruction,imposed police-state, economic strangling, etc. over the past many many years...
6. "Rucking Fussians" Whats wrong with Russians?

Link to Jewlicious Apparel-Please consider looking and not buying...

I and Thou

This post will be added upon later...
for now, I'm using these pictures as a meditation on the relationship between 2 and 1, and 1 and 1

For those of you not on facebook...Pictures of me with new amazing friends

I don't know this guy, but it was a great hippie spiritual jam fest

Lapse in Blog Updates

Hello Friends,
I know its been a long time since I've written anything here. A lot has been going on in my life; most of it doesn't easily break down into categories of "Good" and "Bad."
I thought I'd make a quick list of things I'd really like to share about, when things calm down a little:
1. My trip to Tel Aviv many weekends ago for a Bob Marley Tribute band and weekend on the beach.
2. The passing of my grandmother, Dottie Bell Smith Geurin
3. One of the most wonderful and powerful days of my life; the day my grandmother died, which was also Tu Bishat. An amazing day of praying, mourning, friends, street festivals, tree plantings, hippie music jams, deep conversations, laughs, cheap plane tickets, and amazing family.
4. My week-and-a-half in the states consisting of an amazing funeral, time with all the family on my moms side, a moving shiva minion at our house, and then 3 days at Wesleyan with all my close friends, girlfriend, future advisement, and so much more.
5. My return to Jerusalem and all my wonderful, loving, supportive friends here
6. The amazing classes I'm just starting to take!
7. And hopefully tomorrow, my first time meeting my cousin Sarra Lev, who is on sabbatical for the year in Jerusalem!

So, maybe not full detail in everything, but now you at least have some idea what I've been up to in case you were worried : )

Amnesty International's findings in Gaza and the Rochel Imeinu 'Miracle"

Amnesty International, along with many other human rights watch organizations, are currently in Gaza, analyzing the aftermath of the Israeli offense over the past couple of months and gathering evidence for potential future war crimes trials of the IDF. The following preliminary findings are deeply disturbing in the scale of "devastation wrought f civilians in Gaza."
But I also wanted to add, for contrast, the story of a supposed miracle that occurred in Gaza that I have now heard multiple times from Israelis, that I think shows a bit how confusing it is to be living in Israel while these atrocities go on everyday just 100 km away from me.
The story is told from the perspective of non-religious IDF soldiers who reported an arab woman who ran out of three houses they were going to search in a row, yelling at them to stay away. The soldiers later found out that all three houses were booby-trapped, and the woman had repeatedly saved their lives. When they asked who she was, she replied, "Rochel Imeinu," or "Rachel, your mother." They only later understood after she had disappeared that she was describing herself as the Jewish matriarch Rachel. The link to a version of the full story is below.
Its really hard for me to describe how these two stories make me feel. On the one hand, I love miracle stories, and hearing about how people perceive Hashem's presence in their lives in different ways. So, its a deeply moving story that these soldiers found their lives saved by a deeply rooted, not entirely understood connection to the land of Israel. But when the miracle story is put in context of the rest of the war, it raises disturbing questions about what kind of G-d "performs" these miracles of salvation for some, and leaves others to be the victims of war crimes and atrocities.
The times that this miracle story have been told to me are in the context of celebration of "Am Israel Chai," Hashem's ever growing presence in Israel, and the movement toward the dawning of a new, potentially messianic age for the Jewish people. While this does not reflect my personal philosophy, I think it is good to rejoice in peoplehood, but not at the expense of the death and destruction of those outside one's "Am". And that it takes a war such as this one to come closer to uniting Israelis, is even more disturbing, especially given that there will be no Obama elected on Tuesday to excite and reinvigorate Israelis through the political process.
I had to go run an errand in the middle of this post, and was discussing what I'm writing with a friend who was challenging me about whether or not this miracle actually happened. I think my point it that it doesn't matter whether or not Rochel Imenu actually appeared to these soldiers, but that they believe they did, and Israeli Jews are drawing strength, validation, and nationalism from the account of these miracles, and this is what bothers me. The more that Israel defines itself against the perceived other of palestinians, arabs, muslims, non-jews, etc. the further away I think this country moves from a humanly based reconciliation and peace.
Well, I'm rambling now, but this is the first time I've really tried to publish some opinions. We'll see how it goes from here on out.
Shavuah Tov!

Chief Rabbi Confirms Gaza Miracle Story

Amnesty International Report:

Dear Friend,

Hours before Israel announced a ceasefire, an Amnesty International fact finding mission gained access to Gaza. Their initial reports are disturbing: the team found first hand evidence of war crimes, serious violations of international law and possible crimes against humanity by all parties to the conflict.

AI researchers continue investigating attacks against southern Israel and are currently documenting the true scale of devastation wrought on civilians in Gaza. The stories they report are harrowing.

In the early afternoon of January 4th, three young paramedics walked through a field on a rescue mission to save a group of wounded men in a nearby orchard. A 12-year-old boy, standing by his house, assisted the operation by pointing to where the men could be found. An Israeli air strike on the area killed all four.

The bodies of the four victims could not be retrieved for two days. Ambulance crews who tried to approach the site came under fire from Israeli forces.

Our researchers later traveled to the scene of the strike with the two ambulance drivers who witnessed the attack. They met with the boy’s distraught mother and found the remains of the missile. The label of the missile read, “guided missile, surface attack” and cited the United States as the country of origin.



US Weapons Used in Attacks
Take Action Now!

Label on the remains of a US-made missile that killed three paramedics and a child. The U.S. has to support investigations about misuse of US weapons in attacks against civilians. Tell Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Susan Rice to support an independent investigation. © AI

This is just one of many similar stories.

Under the Geneva Conventions, medical personnel searching, collecting, transporting or treating the wounded must be protected and respected in all circumstances. Clearly, this was not the case on Jan. 4th.

Since we last emailed you, more than 87,000 of you have written Congress and former administration officials. These emails, along with the massive outpouring of letters from around the world from other Amnesty sections, are making an impact. Just this week:

* the United Nations pledged $613 million in aid for Gaza
* 60 members of Congress signed a letter to Secretary of State Hillary of Clinton calling for humanitarian support for Gaza
* And hours ago, the US pledged $20 million in aid1-2

We have a small window of opportunity to build on this momentum: urge Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Susan Rice to push for a full-fledged independent investigation.

This investigation is critical for many reasons, not the least of which is the clear evidence of the use of white phosphorous, as well as the mounting evidence of the misuse of US arms3. As you read this, Amnesty researchers continue documenting the use of arms, and we expect an action specifically calling on Congress to investigate the misuse of US weapons in this conflict in the coming weeks.

Everyone is responsible for the protection of international law. The US government must not turn a blind eye to possible war crimes and crimes against humanity. It should support an independent international inquiry by the United Nations into allegations of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law - by all groups participating in the conflict.

The story of the paramedics and the young boy is not an anomaly. Write Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Rice today and urge accountability for abuses in Gaza and southern Israel now.

Thank you for your continuing support,

Zahir Janmohamed
Advocacy Director
Middle East and North Africa

P.S. For comprehensive information on the conflict, go to www.amnestyusa.org/gaza. For late breaking updates, visit our blog, Human Rights Now. For organizing resources on the conflict, visit the Gaza Resources page

President Barack Obama on Faith in America

President Obama and myself share many of the same hopes and prayers, and each day I spend in Israel, these prayers grow stronger.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Thanks to Aaliya for this video, and the link to this article in the Times.

"Obama Expands Faith-Based Programs"
(From the New York Times)

Great Feature Story in New York Times on Gaza War

In Shattered Gaza Town, Roots of Seething Split

By ETHAN BRONNER and SABRINA TAVERNISE
Published: February 4, 2009
The fighting in El Atatra tells the story of Israel’s offensive, with each side giving a very different version.

"Cease Fire" in Gaza looking shakier than ever

As sporadic rocket fire from Gaza into Israel continues, Israeli leadership continues to hold the party line of disproportionate retaliation, unapologetically accepting the consequences of vast civilian death and destruction in Gaza.

"JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday promised a "sharp Israeli response" if rocket attacks from Gaza continue. Palestinian militants fired four rockets into southern Israel on Sunday, police said.

Israel was holding to its position that "if firing continues against residents of the south, there would be a sharp Israeli response that would be disproportionate," Olmert vowed at the beginning of the weekly Cabinet meeting. "We will not go back to the rules of the game that the terrorist organizations tried to dictate in the past. ... We will act according to new rules that will ensure that we are not dragged into an unending shooting war on the southern border."

One of the mortars landed near a kindergarten in the western Negev, but there were no injuries in that attack or the others, police said.

The attacks were another breach in a tentative cease-fire which Israel and Hamas militants each declared unilaterally after a three-week Israeli military operation in Gaza which has left the territory still tense."

The View from the Old City

Last week on a cloudy Friday Jerusalem afternoon, I took a trip to the old city for lunch and some sightseeing in the Christian Quarter with my friend Mike who is hoping to become a Lutheran minister. We had a great time admiring the momentous city around us, and talking christian theology at the top of the bell tower at the Lutheran church of the Holy Redeemer, and a inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Its been so wonderful to be back in Jerusalem, walking these holy streets. I'm still spiritually preparing myself for a trip to the Kotel, but I know a return visit is just around the corner.
Following are some pictures from our afternoon.

Settlements

I've been thinking and reading a lot about the never-ending issue of Israeli/Jewish settlements in the occupied territories. As with everything in Israel, this is a really complicated issue with every party faithfully holding to their unerring positions. Right now I'm feeling faithfully in solidarity with those who are continually having their land and livelihood stolen from them and forced to live lives worse than second-class citizens under an occupying military regime, but I hope to keep learning and hearing from people from all perspectives while I'm in Israel.
In the meantime, I wanted to share two news media stories on the settlements. The first is a recent 60 minutes piece, which the source I received the link from (http://www.endtheoccupation.org) describes as "the first time that a mainstream U.S. media outlet has dared to accurately portray what Israeli occupation and settlement mean for Palestinians living in the West Bank and to explain to the American public why this system is apartheid."


Watch CBS Videos Online

Following is a recent investigative piece by Haaretz, one of the main Israeli newspapers, on a, until recent, secret government report and survey on the growth and construction of all Israeli settlements in the occupied territories.
Secret Israeli database reveals full extent of illegal settlement

Blog Update from Jerusalem

Hello Friends,
My apologies for the lack of activity on my blog. I've been having many exciting adventures and new learning experiences over the past couple of weeks in Jerusalem, but as usual, I've been procrastinating with condensing my life abroad into concise blog posts to share with you all. I think I'm going to deviate from posting in chronological order, and just try to get things up as they come to me. I hope all is well with you wherever you are.
Shabbat Shalom,
Micah

Photos from Shabbat at Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea

Arrived safe and sound in Jerusalem

well, I finally made it! I'm sitting in the lobby of my hostel for the night in downtown Jerusalem. I had a frantic plane change in Frankfurt where I only made it on time because they held the flight for a group of Pilgrims and got a special bus to get us to Tel Aviv. Because of them I made the flight, but the baggage didn't make it. I'm staying in the hostel that I stayed in last time I was in Jersualem, so its nice to have a little bit of familiarity; including the Buena Vista Social Club playing in the lobby, haha. Tomorrow I head to Hebrew University campus, register for the semester, and hopefully have my baggage delivered to me.
I'm excited to be here, but a pretty overwhelmed by the enormity of it all and how long I'm going to be in Israel. I think a good nights sleep will help put things in perspective, and I look forward to writing about my first reactions to being back in Israel with a fresh mind and optimistic attitude.

Leaving For Jerusalem Tomorrow

Hello Friends and loved ones. I board a plane for Israel tomorrow. More on my thoughts and feelings to come soon. I hope to use this blog to stay in touch over the coming 6 months and give you a taste of the new life I will be making for myself.
In Peace and With Love,
Micah