Spotlight on CLAL

CLAL Report

Spring, 2003

Dear Friends, 

Simple Wisdom With Irwin Kula, a new 13-week, half-hour public television series, will launch in April 2003 (see enclosed information).  Hailed by American Public Television as one of its recommended shows, the series addresses the topics that affect us in daily life such as work, family, money, sex, relationships, and forgiveness.  It draws on Judaism as an ancient resource for all, providing insights and wisdom to help people build richer and more meaningful lives.  Produced by the Jewish Television Network, Simple Wisdom will soon be available to viewers in most major U.S. cities.   

The series is now on the desks of your local public television programmers who will decide whether it will air in your locality (decisions are made autonomously by the local affiliates). 

We’ve received excellent feedback and are optimistic that, with the support of friends from across the country, we can ensure that Simple Wisdom is available to everyone who wants to see it. 

But in order for that to happen, we need your help. 

• Call your local public television station and ask for either the programming department or community outreach.  Tell them that you’ve heard of this compelling series coming to public television and want to be sure that it is available in your community.

• Let them know that Irwin Kula is an inspiring and thought-provoking teacher and speaker and that the audience will resonate to the powerful message of Simple Wisdom.

• But most importantly, let the station know how eager you are to see the series. 

Of course, any feedback you get we’d love to hear.  Please email us at ikula@clal.org or drosenthal@clal.org and let us know what you’ve heard.  

Simple Wisdom is one of the first endeavors to bring Jewish wisdom to the American marketplace of ideas.  It presents Jewish wisdom in a way that can enhance everyone’s life.  We think that when you see the show, you will feel proud as an American Jew. 

Thank you very much for your help in making this a reality. 

B’Shalom, 

Thomas O. Katz, Chairman         
Irwin Kula, President          
Donna M. Rosenthal, Executive Vice Chairman                 
Brad Hirschfield, Vice President

SIMPLE WISDOM WITH IRWIN KULA:  A Groundbreaking New TV Series Addresses the Challenges of Daily Life 

Why in this age when there is so much choice does it feel harder to live?  How is it that in America today we are members of more communities, yet feel so much more alone?

Simple Wisdom, a new public television series with CLAL President Rabbi Irwin Kula, brings an ancient wisdom to the challenges of daily living.  Informed by Jewish thought, this 13-part weekly, half-hour TV show, nationally distributed and airing in early April, addresses the broad issues of life such as work, love, money, sex, family, community, the body, forgiveness, connection, conversation, identity, spirituality, and death.  Taped in front of a live audience, the series will cover the broad issues of life that speak to everyone. 

“In the American marketplace of ideas, we can’t have enough wisdom,” said Rabbi Kula.  “Jewish tradition offers us a perspective on finding answers to life’s problems, but ultimately it leaves it up to the individual to make his or her own choice.”  Each episode presents the tensions created by the issues and offers a few practical exercises for daily living.  Excerpts include: 

• Family—Family is central to who we are.  You can’t escape your family even if you want to, you can’t run away.  There are four central truths about life that can be learned through family:  you learn forgiveness, how to love and let go, that love is not scarce, and that it is okay to need people.  Family teaches that life is about interdependence.  

• Forgiveness—The premise in America is: You can’t forgive others until you forgive yourself. In fact, the opposite is true. You can’t forgive yourself until you forgive others. Forgiveness has to be done in relationship. It is a process between people.

• Spirituality—The word spirit in Hebrew is ruach—the wind.  It comes from the second verse in the bible—when God created, there was a wind flowing across the world.  That life force is what spirit is.  All you have to do is be present with an open heart and you’re spiritual.  The one rule for spirituality—take a deep breath and give it some time.  Maybe that’s the biggest challenge in America. 

• Who Am I?—Imagine if we lived as if everybody had infinite value—what would it mean to live from that place? What kinds of choices would we make? And though daily life undermines the credibility of that intuition, we always know deep down what the right choice is.  Here’s a hint on how to make the right choice:  When you’re wrestling with big decisions, there are always two voices. The fainter voice always needs to be heard.

“For years, through the power of television, Americans have been able to draw from many traditions—Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity,” said Rabbi Kula.  “Jewish wisdom has rarely been brought to the marketplace.  It was something to protect, to use to ensure Jewish identity.  But today, because of the pluralism and freedom of America, Jewish wisdom can now be offered as a resource for all.”       

CLAL AROUND THE COUNTRY 

In recent months, CLAL faculty have been traveling around the country teaching, lecturing, and working with Jewish communities to re-invigorate leadership development, programming, volunteer participation, and Jewish thought and practice for American life.   

Connections and Commitments: The Next Generation 

San Diego, California

Drawing on our work in San Francisco, which was supported by the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, CLAL is entering a new strategic partnership with the United Jewish Federation of San Diego to reach out to a large and significantly underserved population of younger, highly educated and very successful people working in such fields as technology, media, finance, and academia.  This multi-year project is designed to build trust with people who do not have any real relationship with the organized Jewish community and are thought to be “lost,” though we have found them to be very open to exploring their Jewish identity. 

CLAL faculty will now meet individually with members of this group to explore their sense of their own Jewish identity.  The project can be best understood as research and development.  And though we cannot anticipate specific outcomes, we can foresee the development of a growing trust between the organized Jewish community and this population.  From past experience, it is likely that many from this group will ultimately organize their own peer groups for further discussion.  

Intellectual Property—Who Owns it?

New York, New York

When information is the most important commodity in a culture, what sources or values determine ownership?  What are the guiding concerns of intellectual property and how do you make the decisions?   

These and other questions were addressed at a daylong seminar entitled “Ownership, Stewardship and Property in a Digital Age.” Funded by the Ford Foundation, the program, facilitated by Steve Weber, Ph. D., an early and active participant in the Jewish Public Forum at CLAL, looked at how religious communities—particularly Judaism, with its ancient and continuous tradition of information-sharing and learning—have wrestled with the questions of intellectual property outside of traditional market or government settings. Participants included CLAL faculty members, as well as many experts from the JPF representing such diverse fields as academia, law, community activism, political science, and media. 

“Rabbinic Judaism created an ‘open source’ culture 2,000 years before anyone ever used the term,” said CLAL Vice President Rabbi Brad Hirschfield. “When you are a people whose livelihood is not from the land, and ideas are at the center of your culture, don’t be surprised if you develop a sophisticated ethic for creating and sharing information.”   

Leadership Development on Campus with AIPAC

Washington, D.C.

In late December, Rabbi Kula was invited as the keynote speaker to AIPAC’s Schusterman Advocacy Institute Winter Saban National Political Leadership Training Seminar. Representatives from 60 colleges, 250 young people from across the United States, attended the Washington, D.C. training.   

The program focused on Israeli advocacy on campus, in light of the growing challenges students feel on campus today. Topics addressed the need for an ethics of power, and how to form coalitions on campus that include bridge building between left and right factions in support of Israel.   

In his presentation, Rabbi Kula discussed the importance of many voices on the issues. “A diversity of opinion does not imply a disloyalty or lack of support. We need to move from a reactive mode to a proactive one. A healthy society must have room for critique, as long as it is responsibly delivered.” 

CLAL, as part of its longstanding relationship with AIPAC, is now working with a new generation of young leaders to provide tools for effective advocacy on campus.

Strengthening Relationships

New York, New York

In February, Rabbi Tsvi Blanchard, Ph.D., CLAL’s Director of Organizational Development, spoke at the Edah Conference in New York, one of modern Orthodoxy’s central conferences. The event, entitled “Relationships in the Era of Democracy & Terror,” brought together over a thousand American and Israeli lay leaders and professionals, and looked at how the times we live in affect our relationships and views of each other. Guest speakers included Nachum Baruchi, Director of the religious kibbutz movement in Israel, and Rabbi Michael Melchoir, Deputy Foreign Minister of Israel, as well as many of America’s leading academics, writers, psychotherapists, business leaders and community leaders.

In his session on dealing with abusive parents, Rabbi Blanchard discussed what the tradition teaches children about their responsibility to themselves and how to follow the mitzvah of honoring their parents. “There is support from within the tradition for setting limits,” said Rabbi Blanchard. “It is not about unbounded service to parents who have transgressed their roles. Sometimes creating boundaries is a greater way of showing respect.” Rabbi Blanchard’s presentation fearlessly expressed CLAL’s commitment to looking at the issues of today without abandoning the resources of the past.

Palliative Care 

New York, New York

One of CLAL’s most recent and exciting projects, supported by the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, is the publication of a new guidebook for palliative care. Entitled Embracing Life and Facing Death: A Jewish Guide to Palliative Care, this insightful new resource will soon be in the hands of patients, care givers and professionals across North America.  This will include rabbis, chaplains, psychologists, physicians, social workers, community leaders, and countless others.  A spiritually rich and practically oriented resource, the book will be an unparalleled source of medical guidance and spiritual comfort for thousands.  

Hailed by Senator Joseph Lieberman as a “transcendent contribution” for patients with serious illness, their family members, and care givers, the guide offers a spiritually rich and practically oriented response to confronting life and death issues in a supportive, sometime humorous, always thoughtful way. Written by CLAL Rabbis Daniel Brenner, Tsvi Blanchard and Brad Hirschfield, and by Joseph J. Fins, M.D., Director of Medical Ethics at the New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, the book looks at many of the key concerns patients face when dealing with life threatening disease, including planning ahead, living with illness, managing pain, and making peace. 

“Palliative care is finding its way into the nation’s most prestigious hospitals, with its unique and holistic approach to life threatening illness,” said Rabbi Brenner, director of the initiative. “Jewish tradition has a lot to say in addressing the spiritual needs, ethical dilemmas, and emotional challenges of patients and families considering palliative care. This guide is an attempt to bring an ancient wisdom to the wider world.”

Building Community 

Sarasota, Florida

Drawing on our work in Philadelphia using a cluster group approach, CLAL faculty designed and implemented a program for enhancing leadership development and building trust. Organizing participants by their social or peer circle, faculty worked with three groups in exploring Jewish identity. The first engaged senior leaders to deepen their sense of pride and hope for the future. The second worked with existing leaders, providing tools that integrate their personal spiritual journeys and community efforts with their desire for more Jewish knowledge. The third joined people who felt disconnected from the organized Jewish community to create new networks, form relationships, and examine their own entry points for Jewish life on their terms. The Sarasota program, sponsored by the Sarasota-Manatee Jewish Federation, is another example of CLAL’s mission to help build vital Jewish community life by tailoring the techniques to match with the unique needs of the individuals and institutions.  

Scholar-in-Residence 

Miami, Florida

In late January, Rabbi Irwin Kula, President of CLAL, was invited to participate as a scholar-in-residence at Congregation Bet Breira and to lead a Shabbaton while there. More than 700 people attended the weekend events. Rabbi Kula’s presentations included such themes as looking at the challenge of power when you have freedom and affluence, pluralism and how to make our stories more inclusive, and the issues for parents in transmitting values to children in a pluralist world. In one workshop attended by over 50 local teachers from both day schools and Hebrew schools across the denominations, participants explored pluralist approaches to Jewish education and new ways to use texts to address contemporary issues. 

“The program showed how we can use the tradition as a vehicle for helping to understand the complicated issues of life,” said Rabbi Kula. “It was another example of CLAL’s strategic mission—to assist communities in re-imagining a vibrant Jewish life for today.”

Rabbinic Retreat: Examining Personal Meaning and Spiritual Life 

Bergen County, New Jersey

An innovative retreat was conducted for Bergen County rabbis this past February.  Known as the Synagogue Leadership Initiative, it brought an interdenominational body of rabbis together to explore their own spiritual searches as a way of helping them to deal more effectively with the pressures of work in their communities and with the rabbinate. Rabbi Tsvi Blanchard was recruited and selected to facilitate the program. 

Using a process which alternated between an interactive study of Jewish texts and a sincere reflection on personal experience, Rabbi Blanchard challenged the rabbis to examine their own notions of spirituality and encouraged a more honest, open, and shared dialogue. By building a deeper mutual trust, the group formed an intense bond for passionate learning and authentic connection, encouraging both a more profound understanding of Jewish sources and a greater support in their professional roles. The result of the retreat was a heightened awareness of the limits and differences of human life, and the importance of spirituality in bringing people together. Members of the group said that they would like to adapt this program for their lay leadership.

Leaving a Legacy 

Boca Raton, Florida

In February, Rabbi Steven Greenberg, Senior Teaching Fellow, led a Jewish learning session on charity and women’s involvement for Jewish women philanthropists. Sponsored by the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, Rabbi Greenberg illustrated, through the use of Jewish stories and texts, the age-old precedent of leaving a legacy for the next generation. The program provided a substantive approach to the role of giving.    

“Endowment gifts not only help support current programs, but provide for future needs. They exemplify a trust in the Jewish community that goes beyond today’s priorities by providing for a flexibility in uncertain times,” said Rabbi Greenberg.  

Sh’ma: Rabbinic Education

In the January-February issue of Sh’ma magazine, many of the articles focus on innovative approaches to rabbinic education and were written by alumni of CLAL’s internship, yearlong fellowship, and weeklong rabbinic retreats. Authors Hayim Herring, Benay Lappe, and Mordecai Finley all participated in CLAL’s pluralist programs, and we are very proud that each reflects a bold new vision for the rabbinate in the 21st century. Sh’ma, a CLAL publication, was given to Jewish Family & Life in the late 1990s.  

Best of the Web 

CLAL’s online magazine, eCLAL: An Online Journal of Religion, Public Life and Culture, continues to expand in new ways. Edited and produced by Michael Gottsegen, Ph.D., Director of Internet Programs, the magazine provides in-depth coverage of leading issues of the day. Current stories include the Israeli election, the death of Ilan Ramon, and President Bush’s faith-based initiative.  

One new feature is the audio link, connecting readers to timely interviews on the Web. Recent highlights include interviews with Neil Baldwin, author of Henry Ford and the Jews: The Mass Production of Hate (from NPR), and Daniel Goldhagen, author of  Hitler’s Willing Executioners (from KQED). 

To receive CLAL’s weekly email update, please send your email address to update@clal.org.

CLAL In the News

In the past few months, CLAL has received substantial visibility in the Jewish and mainstream press. In addition to speaking to a wide variety of reporters, both Rabbis Kula and Hirschfield appeared in leading national and local media, bringing CLAL’s unique perspectives to the critical issues of the day. Recent highlights include:  

• “Nightline UpClose” ABC-TV

Rabbi Hirschfield discussed the role of religion post-9/11, and his earlier life as a settler in Hebron.

• “Noon News,” WWSB-TV (ABC-TV affiliate, Sarasota, FL)

Rabbi Hirschfield spoke about his work in Sarasota with the Jewish Federation.

• “A.M. Northwest,” KATU-TV (ABC-TV affiliate, Portland, OR)

Rabbi Hirschfield talked about religion, fundamentalism, and the great need for pluralism. 

•  “Eight Forty Eight,” WBEZ-FM (Chicago Public Radio)

Rabbi Kula talked about his upcoming television series, Simple Wisdom, and the public’s search for spiritual meaning at this time.

•  “AM Colorado,” KFKA-AM (Denver, CO)

Rabbi Kula addressed why spiritual meaning has become so hard to find for so many.

• “Too Jewish,” KTKT-AM (Tucson, AZ)

Rabbi Kula talked about pluralism and Jewish life.

• The Washington Post

Rabbi Kula spoke about the groundbreaking impact of Adam Sandler’s movie, “Eight Crazy Nights,” on the American cultural scene. 

• Christian Science Monitor

Rabbi Kula talked about Israel and the importance of the American Jewish community to encourage a diversity of opinion on the issues.

• The Denver Post

Rabbi Kula talked about religion in America today and his upcoming series. 

• The Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel

Rabbi Kula spoke about Simple Wisdom, and the need for a new approach to spiritual living. 

• The Forward

Rabbis Kula and Hirschfield wrote an opinion piece on the need for spiritual activism in honor of Martin Luther King Day.

• New York Jewish Week

Rabbi Hirschfield discussed the nature of evil, and was profiled.

Editor: Judy Epstein 

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