Role of rabbis, boards
The online headline had it right on Dan Pine’s story on the new spiritual leaders at Chochmat HaLev (“To fill spiritual leader role, Berkeley congregation takes a two-for-one deal,” Dec. 12). However, he perpetuates a serious misconception about the role of the rabbi in the article: “Both will take on responsibilities normally assumed by rabbis, including making sure the institution remains fiscally healthy.”
The role of keeping the synagogue fiscally healthy is the role of the board of directors. The rabbi helps make that possible by doing the duties that we expect from our spiritual leaders.
The role of the rabbi is to teach, counsel, guide people through the life cycle, challenge and comfort, and ensure that the synagogue offers substantive Jewish programming. The role of the rabbi is to help make sure that synagogues are inclusive, welcoming and supportive centers of Jewish life. The role of the rabbi is to inspire and empower people to find ways of living meaningful Jewish lives. The role of the rabbi is that of communicating the insightful and timeless teachings of our tradition in dynamic and creative ways that connect to people living in the challenging world of the 21st century.
The more the board takes its fiduciary role seriously, the more the rabbi can serve as the spiritual and ethical leader of the synagogue. It is time for clarity of these roles. It is time we let our rabbis focus on their areas of strength and for boards to focus on their responsibilities.
A synagogue functions best when roles are clear, people take responsibility for their duties and the sacred task of keeping a synagogue vibrant is a collaborative effort. We are doing a disservice to the Jewish community when we ask our rabbis to take on the role of keeping the synagogue fiscally healthy. Perhaps it is time to engage in a serious community discussion about this.
Rabbi Lee Bycel | Napa
Congregation Beth Shalom
A second voice on olive oil
Regarding “Olive oil expert pours cold water on frying myth” (Dec. 12), Alix Wall writes that Maia Hirschbein “recommends always having two bottles on hand, a cheaper, ‘everyday’ one for cooking, and a more expensive bottle for finishing.” Actually, it could be said that the more important olive oil is the one for cooking, and that it should be a high phenol olive oil because of the value of phenols in preserving the nutritional content of the foods being cooked.
According to Hirschbein, one should look for three major qualities in tasting olive oil. The first is fruitiness. “You want it to smell like bananas or fresh cut grass, some characteristic of a fruit or freshness on the nose,” she said. However, a banana smell indicates very ripe to over-ripe olives, closer to rancidity. She adds, “The second is when you slurp it, you should taste some bitterness, which is a sign of freshness.” But bitterness and pungency are flavor characteristics of the specific phenols that relate to inflammatory and cardiovascular health benefits. Relative freshness is a factor of harvest time and olive oil stability, most often considering oleic free fatty acid measurement (“acidity”). She continues: “The third is pungency, which shows itself with ‘a tactile sensation in the back of the throat, like a burning. … That’s a sign that there are antioxidants, which is good, since we want there to be health benefits from the fat we consume.’”
There can be immense variation in health benefits and shelf life of olive oils, as well as true food value. Some olive varieties are very low in antioxidant value (polyphenols) and shelf life. And the difference between industrial and traditional agriculture is the basis of the food you eat: It can be artificial (and potentially toxic) or it can be naturally sourced.
Darro Grieco | Oroville
Fallout from Ferguson protests
Some students at Harvard, Columbia, and Georgetown law schools want to postpone exams because they were “traumatized” by recent grand jury decisions in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York. According to Bloomberg BusinessWeek, students stated “the decisions and subsequent outrage have kept them awake at night, distracted them, and made them question the integrity of the very legal system they are preparing to enter. They also complain of time constraints: Taking part in local protests has limited the time they have to prepare for exams.”
This led David Bernstein, a professor at the George Mason University School of Law, to wonder if law schools have “chosen to infantilize them (students), suggesting that adult law students can’t handle hearing about perceived injustices in the world.”
During this time, Columbia and Harvard medical students managed to attend to the needs of their patients; interns and residents put in full days and in addition, when on call, they cared for patients at night as well. In this imperfect world, they manage to hold it together, probably because they understand that all lives matter. This is part of what defines them as professionals and as people of integrity.
Julia Lutch | Davis
‘Embrace Christmas’ is bad advice
Generally, I am impressed with the journalism in J. However, I was disappointed to read two articles published in the Dec. 12 issue by Nina Badzin of kveller.com, where she is clearly pushing her values onto others. How offensive, especially in a community like ours, where we allegedly promote tolerance and inclusivity, which Badzin is not advocating.
One of her articles, “Lose that chip on your shoulder during Christmas season,” advises Jews to “embrace Christmas.” It is offensive to tell others how to be Jewish. I would like to remind J. and your readership that being progressive does not mean subscribing to only one way of thinking. There are all types of Jewish people and some feel ecstatic about Christmas, and others do not. That being said, do not push your values onto others with articles like Badzin’s. Maybe you should offer another perspective going into the fact that assimilation has accomplished what the Spanish Inquisition, the Shoah and similar events failed to accomplish.
Clearly, Badzin was writing to get a reaction. Why would you publish her? It is only fair to address this when you push an agenda like this with not one but two articles. As for celebrating Hanukkah, I doubt I need Badzin’s advice. Can J. promote viewpoints where someone is not telling others what we should do this time of year? Happy Hanukkah.
Mordechai Pelta | San Francisco
Homey answer to homework plague
In response to the query from “School Mom in El Cerrito” in Rachel Biale’s column, (“Too Much Homework? The Great Homework Debate Continues,” Oct. 10), consider home schooling your daughter for her well-being and the well-being of your family. Many East Bay Jewish families have done so and continue to do so successfully. We used to meet Jewish families to sing, play and celebrate holidays together. There are local and state support groups to help you explore this option.
Diane Schoenfeld | Berkeley
Saddened by BDS vote
As a University of California alumnus (U.C. Davis ’92) and the son of a U.C. Berkeley alumnus, I was saddened to learn that the U.C. graduate student workers union, UAW 2865, had voted to join the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. This will encourage anti-Semitism on U.C. campuses and it threatens U.C.’s fundamental principle of academic freedom.
Make no mistake: BDS promotes hate, not peace. Lara Kiswani, a BDS activist who spoke at U.C. Berkeley in support of joining the boycott, was blunt: “Bringing down Israel will really benefit everyone in the world,” she told the students. As for supporters of Israel, she vowed: “I’m going to continue to hate you.” BDS co-founder Omar Barghouti has been equally clear about the movement’s goals: “We oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine,” including pre-1967 Israel.
The fact is that Israel wants peace: In 2000, 2001 and 2008, Israel offered the Palestinians a state on virtually all of the land in dispute. Each time, the Palestinians rejected peace, and in 2000 the Palestinians responded with terrorism — bombing Israeli children in schools, buses, discos, malls and pizzerias — killing 1,000 Israeli civilians.
Shame on those who voted for hate!
Stephen A. Silver | San Francisco