September 12, 2008 (12 Elul 5768)
CLAL
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Shabbat shalom!
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CLAL Across
America: Where CLAL Faculty will be this Month
Keep abreast of where the CLAL faculty are this month across
America and around the world.
MORE
FROM CLAL
Spotlight: Compassionate Leadership:
Cultivating the Leaders of Tomorrow -- A Groundbreaking Dialogue
with Queen Noor, Renowned Author and Spiritual Teacher Rabbi
Irwin Kula, and The Sakyong of Tibet
New
"...In a groundbreaking
dialogue, three influential leaders, Her Majesty Queen Noor of
Jordan; Rabbi Irwin Kula, author of the award winning book,
Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life, and President
of CLAL - The National Jewish Center for Learning and
Leadership; and the Sakyong, Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, a prominent
Tibetan Buddhist lama, will address the challenge [of the
escalating crises in the world today] in a public talk on the
power and practice of compassionate leadership at New York
University on Sept. 24, and Tufts University on Sept. 25. " Read
more...
By
Judy Epstein from
CLAL
September 10, 2008
"God is not a political trump card"
New
Irwin Kula responds
to
"On
Faith’s" Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham’s question:
"Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin recently suggested
that a gas pipeline is 'God's will' and the Iraq war is 'a task
that is from God.' Are you concerned about these or any other
candidate's religious views?" -- "I am not interested in a
candidate’s religious views … I am interested in whether a
candidate’s religious belief dictates his or her public policy.
I am concerned when a candidate uses God as some sort of trump
card that makes moot ongoing debate, discussion, and attempts to
persuade with facts and reason - understanding that there are
many ways facts can be organized and many ways reason can be
used. I am concerned when God is used as a way to terminate all
disagreement and argument and to demonize those with whom one
disagrees….”
More...
By
Irwin Kula from Newsweek/Washington Post “On Faith” Blog
September 10, 2008
"Sarah Palin: Prophet or Politician?"
New
Brad Hirschfield responds
to "On
Faith’s" Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham’s question: "Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin recently suggested
that a gas pipeline is 'God's will' and the Iraq war is 'a task
that is from God.' Are you concerned about these or any other
candidate's religious views?" -- "Does Sarah Palin
want to be a prophet or a politician? That's the really
important question. Hoping that one's actions are in line with
God's desires is not surprising, if one believes in God and in a
God who possesses a will about how humans should behave. But
proclaiming to know that will with such clarity and certainty
regarding issues about which so many people can properly
disagree, is more than a little problematic....”
More...
By
Brad Hirschfield from
Newsweek/Washington Post
“On Faith” Blog
September 10, 2008
Hirschfield & Kula: Intelligent Talk Radio
-
Has the political right now united behind a "maverick" or has
John McCain sold himself out to energize the base? Also, V.P.
Pick Sarah Palin Shocks the World with Her Convention Speech: Is
a self described "pit bull with lipstick" best for this country?
New
Listen to Brad Hirschfield and Irwin Kula on KXL’s
Hirschfield and Kula: Intelligent Talk Radio broadcast in
Portland, OR.
From Hirschfield & Kula: Intelligent Talk Radio.com
September 7, 2008
"Is your God big enough?"
New
Rabbi Brad Hirschfield is
interviewed by Reverend Peter W. Marty about finding faith
without fanaticism.
Hear....
(AUDIO)
From "Grace
Matters" the radio ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America
Aired
September 7, 2008
 Windows & Doors daily blog on
Beliefnet.com - "Evangelical
Push To Convert Europe's Jews"
New
“…[An] article about the World Evangelical Alliance, a
European evangelical organization, renewing their push to
"proselytize European Jewry", typifies how foolish we can all
be, even as we pursue the very best of goals. Once again
arrogance and posturing pass themselves off as substitutes for
respectful spiritual encounter and true interfaith relations.
And that applies to both the Jews and the Christians who are
party to this dust up…." Read
more...
By
Brad Hirschfield from Beliefnet.com's Windows & Doors Daily Blog
September 9, 2008
" Sin
Boldly: A Conversation about Religion, Grace, and Yearnings"
with Irwin Kula and Cathleen Falsani
New
Ms. Falsani is the author
of
Sin Boldly
and religion columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. The event will
be held from 7-9 p.m. on Sat., 10/25/08, at the Manhattan Jewish
Community Center, 76th and Amsterdam, New York City.
From
CLAL
September 12, 2008
Limestone 2008
publishes CLAL's Janet Kirchheimer's work
New
The Journal's "Crumbling
Borders" issue features Ms. Kirchheimer's "Tiller of the Soil"
poem which begins with: "You listen to the thump the dirt
makes...." For more...
From
CLAL
September 12, 2008
"Pastors’
Web Electioneering Attracts U.S. Reviews of Tax Exemptions"
“… 'What we are learning is that you can preach to
the choir and say anything you want to people who think just
like you do,' said Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, an author and blogger
who frequently explores the intersection of religion and new
media, 'or you can preach to the world and accept certain
limits.'..."
By Paul Vitello
from The New York Times
September 3, 2008
Spotlight: CLAL in Rwanda
"In July, at the invitation
of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield joined
a group of prominent religious leaders for an unparalleled
interfaith dialogue in Madrid, Spain...King Abdullah called on
attendees to join him in this unprecedented effort at
reconciliation, rejecting the forces of religious extremism and
espousing moderation and tolerance instead...[Describing the
event as historic, Brad Hirschfield said] 'I simply believe that
the more we know each other, the more effective we will be when
we either create the genuine relationships for which so many of
us long, or have to actually fight those who turn out to be
enemies of decency and openness'... " Read
more...
Photos...
By
Judy Epstein from
CLAL
September 4, 2008
PBS TV: The
Jewish People: A Story of Survival
"...an original one-hour
[documentary] film explores ... themes of resilience, fortitude
and achievement of the Jewish people, moving chronologically
over four millennia, and the numerous civilizations – the
Babylonians, the Romans, the Muslims, the Spanish, the Soviets
and others – that have ruled over the Jewish people..."
Featuring Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, hosted by Martha Teichner,
executive produced and directed by Andrew Goldberg, the film
aired on some PBS stations in May, on Rhode Island PBS on 9/3/08
where Brad Hirschfield appeared during a fundraising drive, and
was broadcast on:
●
WNET, Ch. 13, 9/9/08, 8-10 pm.
From
CLAL
September 4, 2008
"Shticks and Stones :A New Look at Jewish Comedy"
“…“The dream was to
be integrated and a blessing,” said [Rabbi Kula] … For him, the
Jewishness of America’s overall humor was abundantly evident
during a trip a few years ago to Hollywood. He spoke on the
power of Jewish wisdom to some 300 people at the Creative
Artists Agency, illustrating the point by dissecting the 1995
“Label Maker” episode of “Seinfeld,” which centered on “regifting.”
(As the character George Costanza asked, “Well, if he can regift,
why can’t you degift?”) “I joked that Seinfeld was a talmudic
sugyah or discussion, and if you are an outsider to Talmud
it’s so picayune,” Rabbi Kula said. “I said, ‘Look, we have a
whole Gemarah [talmudic discussion] on the nature of a
matanah, a present. All that Seinfeld did was ask a current
question in people’s lives and he did it very funny”…."
More...
By Neil Rubin from The
Baltimore Jewish Times
August 22, 2008
"Religious Hypocrisy and Women as
Leaders"
Irwin Kula reacts to On
Faith’s Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham’s question: “Women are
not allowed to become clergy in many conservative religious
groups. Is it hypocritical to think that a woman can lead a
nation and not a congregation?” “Hypocrisy is one of those
critiques that is truly in the eye of the beholder. So, we
always need to ask when we hear the charge of hypocrisy,
hypocritical according to whom?...”
More...
By
Irwin Kula from Newsweek/Washington Post “On Faith”
Blog
September 8, 2008
"Hypocritical? Perhaps, Literally"
Brad Hirschfield reacts to On
Faith’s Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham’s question: “Women are
not allowed to become clergy in many conservative religious
groups. Is it hypocritical to think that a woman can lead a
nation and not a congregation?” "Initially, it does seem odd
that someone could support a woman as leader of our nation, but
not of their own congregation...until one appreciates that not
all forms of leadership are the same, and not all leaders draw
their authority from the same sources. If one believes that
congregational leadership must reflect a certain interpretation
of biblical verses or communal history, then it may not be
possible for such people to admit women to such traditionally
male roles....”
More...
By
Brad Hirschfield from Newsweek/Washington Post “On Faith”
Blog
September 4, 2008
"After
Saddleback Forum, Some Questions Still Unanswered"
(AUDIO)
Rabbi Brad Hirschfield interviewed on "Faith Matters,” “Tell Me
More,” National Public Radio
August 22, 2008
"The Jewish 'game of being a tribe is over,' says CLAL rabbi"
“...In this era,
‘all boundaries will be crossed,’ and ‘the only way any religion
and spiritual tradition will survive [and] deserves to survive
is because it can add value to human lives.’…"
By Leon Cohen from
The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle
August 22, 2008
Spotlight: Dispatches from Madrid
"In July, at the invitation
of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield joined
a group of prominent religious leaders for an unparalleled
interfaith dialogue in Madrid, Spain...King Abdullah called on
attendees to join him in this unprecedented effort at
reconciliation, rejecting the forces of religious extremism and
espousing moderation and tolerance instead...[Describing the
event as historic, Brad Hirschfield said] 'I simply believe that
the more we know each other, the more effective we will be when
we either create the genuine relationships for which so many of
us long, or have to actually fight those who turn out to be
enemies of decency and openness'... " Read
more...
By
Judy Epstein from
CLAL
June 22, 2008
Irwin
Kula on the Radio
●
Hear
Milwaukee Public Radio's "Lake Effect," broadcast 8/11/08,
when Irwin
Kula spoke about "Transitioning Religion."
(AUDIO)
●
Listen to
Wisconsin Public Radio's
"At Issue with Ben Merens," broadcast 8/5/08, to hear Irwin
Kula interviewed about using Jewish wisdom as a resource for a
better life.
(AUDIO)
● Hear "The Louie Free Show -
The Intelligent Alternative Brain Food from the heartland"
about Irwin Kula's his recent visit to Rwanda. Broadcast 8/5/08.
Listen to the show as soon
as audio is available.
● Listen
to
The
Jeff Farias Show on Nova M Radio Network (Phoenix),
broadcast 8/7/08, featuring an interview with Irwin Kula about
his Rwanda visit.
(AUDIO)
From
CLAL
August 8, 2008
Jewish Spiritual Practice at Kripalu,
August 29-31, 2008
"Within the Jewish mystical
tradition of kabbalah, teshuvah is a process that leads
us back to our souls and connection with the sacred. It is
practiced not only to overcome sins, but to realign ourselves
with our full human potential. Most commonly observed during the
high holidays, teshuvah offers a way to seek forgiveness
and move on in life.
Kabbalah of Turning and Returning, an innovative
workshop led by Rabbi Sigal Brier, CLAL Director of Rabbis
Without Borders, will be held from August 29-31, at the Kripalu
Center in Stockbridge, Massachusetts - one of the largest yoga,
health and wellness, and retreat centers in the U.S...."
More...
By
Judy Epstein from
CLAL
July 31, 2008
Poetica Magazine selects Janet Kirchheimer as poet of the
month
How to Spot One of Us is featured in the ADL's Hidden
Child Foundation's Newsletter and
Janet Kirchheimer participates in the Foundation's Yom
Hashoah program
[Ms. Kirchheimer]
"...evokes powerful images of the Holocaust's impact on her
family through subtle yet heart-rending poetry that we,
survivors and children of survivors, recognize instantly.
A gifted poet..." more...
Reading from her poetry collection in How to Spot One of Us,
Ms. Kirchheimer contributed to the moving Hidden Child
Foundation's annual Yom Hashoah commemoration.
More...
From
CLAL
August 6, 2008
"Rabbi to re-imagine religion in speech"
"identity really is a choice, what resources I use, what
wisdom and practices I use to actually create greater meaning
and purpose in my life ... And when they [religions] work to
help us develop our own deeper humanness, our compassion, our
self-awareness, our sense of truthfulness about our place in the
world, then they are doing what they are supposed to be
doing....."
More...
By Tom Heinen from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal
August 1, 2008
"Raising a Mensch: Parents as Life
Coaches"
"...Great parents are like
coaches who teach drills and raise the skill level of their
players, but know that when it comes to playing the game the
players must take the field for themselves...."
More...
By
Rabbi Brad Hirschfield from
The Philadelphia Jewish Voice
August 2008
"This
week, a global bid to connect Muslims and Christians"
"…When the king says publicly that diversity
is a sacred notion in Islam ... that's a big deal," says Rabbi
Brad Hirschfield, president of the National Center for Jewish
Learning and Leadership in New York, who attended the
conference. "It's world-changing…."
By Jane Lampman from
The Christian Science Monitor
July 29, 2008
"Saudis
Host a Global Interfaith Conference in Madrid: A 'First Step'"
"…For Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, of the National
Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership in New York, the
conference was like a baby taking its first steps. ‘On the one
hand, it's the most ordinary moment in the world,’ he says.
‘"And on the other, it's the most important. But what matters is
what the baby does next….’"
By Lisa Abend from
The Christian Science Monitor
July 28, 2008
Brad Hirschfield on Radio Air America's "State of Belief"
Hear an interview with Rabbi Hirschfield about his trip
to Madrid for the Saudi sponsored World Conference on Dialogue,
and the new Bridges TV
Series - American Pilgrimage. The show aired on
Air America's
"State of Belief" on 7/26/08 (total run
time:9:36.)
Listen.
(REAL AUDIO)
From
CLAL
July 28, 2008
Spotlight -
"Theologies of Suffering: How Judaism
Can Help You Cope"
Anyone who is trying to find meaning
in their suffering, or who has questions about God and is
seeking support or help from the Jewish tradition will find this
booklet to be an accessible and helpful introductory resource.
All of us struggle with how to create meaning and this booklet
offers a glimpse of some of the many resources within Judaism.
Included are highlights of three different theologies of
suffering, a series of exercises to help clarify notions of God
and some tools for how to cope with suffering. This resource, "Theologies
of Suffering: How Judaism Can Help You Cope," composed by
Rabbi Rebecca W. Sirbu, CLAL's Director of Rabbis Without
Borders, is available on the National Jewish Healing Website at:
http://www.jewishhealing.org/downloads/seraf-theologies.pdf.
From
CLAL
July 24, 2008
Spotlight -
American Pilgrimage:
New Weekly TV Series
Hosted by Rabbi Visits Leading Imams to Build Bridges
"Beginning
July 21
at 8 pm EST, American Pilgrimage, a groundbreaking new TV
series conceived by and featuring Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, will
take viewers into the homes, mosques, and sites of leading imams
and Muslim religious thinkers from across North America. Airing
on Bridges TV (American Muslim TV Network), the series takes
Rabbi Brad Hirschfield on the road, providing an in-depth look
at the issues dividing people of faith, the teachings and texts
which shape their beliefs, and the big questions we grapple with
as Americans and as human beings. The series will repeat on
Sundays at 8:30 pm EST..." Read more... To
view the series through a special free link online Mondays and
Sundays from 8-9 pm EST, go to
http://www.bridgestv.com/freelink_new.asp, or click
here.
By
Judy Epstein from
CLAL
July 18, 2008
Psychoanalytic
Perspectives publishes moving roundtable discussion
featuring Shoah child survivors who are now
psychoanalysts
"The enthusiastically received
and innovative journal, Psychoanalytic Perspectives, has
published a deeply moving roundtable discussion, featuring four
child survivors who are now psychoanalysts. In 2007 CLAL
co-sponsored another provocative roundtable, entitled
'Spirituality vs. Psychoanalysis: Can They
Co-Exist,' which brought together a group of esteemed
psychoanalysts with a strong religious commitment...The new
publication, 'Last Witnesses: Child Survivors of the Holocaust
Roundtable' available in DVD form with accompanying journal
articles and discussions, centers around the child
survivor/analysts’ personal narratives..."
More...
By
Aliza Kaplan from CLAL
July 18, 2008
"Saudi King Denounces Extremism,
Touts Islam's 'Moderation and Tolerance' - 'Just Another Event
of No Consequence'?"
"…‘The
bottom line is he stood up and said that we Muslims are going to
have to take more seriously those parts of our religion that
hallow difference and diversity as expressions of a divine
plan,’ a rabbi in attendance [at the Saudi sponsored World
Conference on Dialogue in Madrid, Spain,] Bradley Hirschfield,
said of the Saudi monarch. He added that Abdullah ‘stepped out
of his comfort zone.’…”
More...
By
Joseph Goldstein from The New York Sun
July 18, 2008
Advocating dialogue instead of warfare
"...In a
world that has experienced wars and terrorist attacks on a
gigantic scale in the name of religion, a book like this is
timely and important. Rabbi Hirschfield advocates dialogue
instead of warfare, conflict resolution through debate and
discussion, faith without fanaticism...."
More...
By Susanne M. Batzdorff from the May/June 2008 American Jewish
Libraries Newsletter
“If
you think life's messy - a wise rabbi says that's great!"
"I love the way Kula extends an interfaith perspective about
rituals…Rituals across the religious spectrum –the Jewish
practice of blowing the shofar on the New Year, the Catholic
Eucharist, the Islamic Henna marriage ritual, the Buddhist
mandala, or the masked dance of the Hopi - all invite us to
enter an ‘alternative universe.’...”
More...
By Gail
Katz from Readthespirit.com
Spotlight: CLAL President Brad Hirschfield
Joins Beliefnet.com with Daily Blog -- WINDOWS & DOORS:
New Online Site Where Politics and Pop Culture Meet 3,000 Years
of Jewish Wisdom
On
"June
25, Brad Hirschfield started a new daily blog on
Beliefnet.com, the net’s largest online site for spirituality
and inspiration... Described as a living laboratory where ideas
and practices that can better our lives will be explored and
tested against the daily chaos of modern life, WINDOWS & DOORS
will examine how faith can overcome fear and lead to genuine
spiritual openness. Informed by Jewish wisdom but accessible to
anyone, the blog will re-frame the issues, delivering new
insights for thoughtful debate...." Read
more...
By
Judy Epstein from
CLAL
June 18, 2008
American
Profile - Irwin Kula on Voice of America
Author, Lecturer, Peace
Activist Rabbi Irwin Kula Offers Jewish Wisdom for All. "...an
eighth-generation rabbi ...[He] is now a leading voice for
religious pluralism, and a Jewish ambassador to the world's
other religions.…”
Read
more...
To hear the interview, click
here.
By
Adam Phillips from Voice of America Radio
June 11, 2008
You Don't Have to Be Wrong for Me to Be Right: Finding Faith
Without Fanaticism
How can we create a world with
less violence and division? Rabbi Hirschfield's new book
explores this and other questions, offering hope and anew
perspective to the American spiritual, social and political
landscape. For more, click here
or go to
www.bradhirschfield.com. Book tour media coverage includes:
● CNN Radio, “The Paula Gordon Show,” 6/21/08
● WASN (Cleveland), “Louis B. Free Show,” 5/22/08
● KPBS (San Diego), “These Days,” 5/22/08
● WORT-FM (Madison), “A Public Affair,” 5/8/08
●
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs April 2008
● WRPI-FM (Albany), “In the Spirit,” 4/24/08
●
The Morning Show (Wisconsin Public Radio), 4/15/08
●
The Jewish News (New Orleans), 4/11/08
●
The Norman Transcript (Oklahoma), 4/4/08
● KREF AM (Norman, OK), “Religious
Talk,” 4/6/08
June 18, 2008
Learn about the laws of God and people from the perspective of
the three Abrahamic faiths
Watch a Rabbi, an Imam, and a Christian Theologian talk about
issues of the day on Season I of Building Bridges: Abrahamic
Perspectives on the World Today with Rabbi Brad Hirschfield.
You can view "Hopes and Dreams" as well as other episodes on
the CLAL website by clicking
here. (REAL VIDEO)
May 7, 2008
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CLAL Update, Spring 2008
“Why
is it so difficult for us to forgive people?” WTTW/"30
Good Minutes"
(2-13-08)
Watch Irwin Kula on “30 Good Minutes” broadcast on WTTW/Channel
11 (PBS) in Chicago Feb. 10, 2008. Click
here to view.
(REAL VIDEO) |
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