Whose ‘filthy feet’?
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas claims that Jews contaminate the Temple Mount with their “filthy feet.” A courageous Muslim writer disagrees.
Bassam Tawil, a Middle East-based scholar, writes, “It is young Muslim men — often with their shoes on — who are desecrating our Islamic holy sites with their ‘filthy feet’ by bringing explosives, stones and firearms into Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
Tawil says Abbas and other Palestinian leaders incite children and young men (never their own children) to violence — throwing rocks the size of boulders (not just stones) at Jews.
To Mr. Abbas, “heroes” are how he describes the latest Palestinians shot dead by Israeli soldiers after stabbing to death several Jews in Jerusalem.
June Brott | Walnut Creek
Wasted potential of ‘Jew in the Pew’
Having the opportunity to be in a region with such a wide variety of Jewish worship and cultural communities is one of the special pleasures of living in the Bay Area. That so many of these communities actually communicate with each other and sponsor events together makes the region that much more special.
We can add shul-hopping to that uniqueness. It’s unusual to be able to move during one Shabbos, for instance, from Modern Orthodox to Renewal to traditional Reform to Karaite. The richness of Judaism in its great variety becomes so readily apparent and felt when experienced in this way.
So I was saddened by the recent two-part series “Jew in the Pew” (Sept. 25, Oct. 2). It had such potential for helping educate the community about the many ways in which we can each experience Jewish religious and cultural life. What a shame we weren’t able to learn such things about each community visited as: What is the guiding spiritual theme for the coming year; how does a synagogue choose to chant in either traditional melody (nusah) or in contemporary melodies; what is it like as a davener (prayer service participant) to recite the same prayer in these different modalities; why have the rabbi, educator and ritual committee of a synagogue decided upon including some prayers and not others, including Torah parashah readings that many congregants and rabbis find, at best, deeply troubling; what are the various ways children are introduced to these holidays; what are some of the traditions in each community?
When I am privileged to introduce people to Jewish life, I often do this in part by visiting congregations and communities with them. Being able to directly experience different styles of spiritual and communal life leads to the most fascinating conversations and explorations about how one can engage in a meaningful Jewish life. Often it is only by trying on different approaches accompanied by meaningful discussion that the explorer is able to identify their personal entry point.
Rabbi D’vorah Rose | San Mateo