1 week Ago
By Rabbi Fred N. Reiner and Rabbi Marc Kline At a time of fear and uncertainty over the domestic direction of the nation, a growing number of clergy around the country are speaking up about the importance of articulating and incorporating religious beliefs in shaping the current national dialogue. What began in February as privately expressed concerns within the confines of a group of Washington D.
C. area rabbis who meet weekly, the effort is now growing as more than 500 individual rabbis and cantors from across the country have signed a statement outlining a core set of beliefs, grounded in biblical and rabbinic texts, that they believe are missing in the current domestic political situation. Many of us have felt deep anguish over the past few months.
As we prepare for Passover, our holiday celebrating freedom, we are reminded of its messages: empathy for strangers, caring for those seeking freedom, creating communities of compassion. Today, in the administration’s policies that are unfolding, we feel an absence of so many central religious beliefs that we teach and espouse. We hope that other religious leaders will also come forward with the beliefs and values that their denominations and communities hold and teach.
In this growing myopic focus on a nationalistic sense of everything devolving down to “Us vs Them,” we have lost sight of what it means to be human. The story of the Biblical Exodus speaks to all Western faith traditions, reminding us that no Pharaoh has the right to oppress another human being. For Jews, the Passover holiday serves as a reminder that we must engage with one another in the tenets of faith, recognizing our shared humanity, rather than our insecure need to wield power.
What is happening in our country is rooted in fear and not faith. We believe all people are the children of God, endowed with holiness, all equal in value. We believe in welcoming the stranger in our midst.
And we believe in honesty as well as in listening respectfully and valuing the ideas of those who disagree. We support the values of justice, compassion, respect and the diversity of practices in our country. And we deeply value the American constitutional guarantees separating religion and state that have made possible the flourishing of all religions in our country.
Rabbi Fred N. Reiner is Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Sinai, Washington D.C.
Rabbi Marc Kline is Interim Senior Rabbi at Temple Ohev Sholom..
