Dear Friends,
There are two important events at the synagogue this coming Shabbat that I want you to know about.
Human Rights Shabbat
Friday, December 14, 6pm
At our Friday evening service, we will be marking “Human Rights Shabbat.” Seventy years ago, on December 10, 1948 the United Nations ratified the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the committee that drafted the document. This milestone event marked the first time in human history that a global body agreed that all human beings are deserving of basic dignity and protections.
The preamble of this document, adopted just three years after the end of World War II and the horrifying revelations of the extent of the Nazi Holocaust, begins:
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people…
The Declaration then lays out 30 articles articulating the principles and goals to be attained to establish basic human rights for all of humanity. You can read the entire text by clicking here.
December 10 is marked every year as International Human Rights Day. Many synagogues celebrate that event, as do we, with a Shabbat service dedicated to learning about and endorsing the Declaration. Since the Torah unequivocally declares that all human beings are created in the image of God, it should go without saying that the modern pursuit of universal human rights is also a fundamentally Jewish issue. Our student rabbi Lily Solochek will speak on that topic during our Friday evening service.
Rabbi Lily is a dedicated human rights activist. I am proud that the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, where Rabbi Lily studies and where I was ordained, has a “Social Justice Organizing” track run by my dear friend Rabbi Mordechai Liebling. Rabbi Lily is an active participant in this program, which trains students in both the Jewish underpinnings and the practical organizing skills of human rights activism.
I have also invited Anula Courtis, the chair of the newly established Woodstock Human Rights Commission, to introduce herself and to explain the Commission’s mission to us. The volunteers on the Commission, including our own Laura Kaplan, are eager to get the word out about this new initiative.
All of Us: Becoming a Completely Welcoming Community – A Shabbat “Lunch & Learn”
Student Rabbi Lily Solochek on Non-Binary and Gender-Fluid Identities
Saturday, December 15, 12-2pm
Last year our Men’s Group initiated a series of “Lunch & Learn” gatherings, which we are excited to resume now. As our website explains,
“We know that all of us at the Woodstock Jewish Congregation are committed to being welcoming and warm, but what if we meet someone who is different from us, and we feel awkward or uncomfortable, and are not sure how to engage with this person? What if this human being in front of us is blind, or in a wheelchair, or has some other physical difference? What if they are from a different background than ourselves? What if they are very old, or very young? What if they do not conform to society's accepted gender definitions? And what about our fellow members who have differences or health struggles that are not externally apparent, issues that would be helpful for the rest of us to know about, so that we can offer thoughtful support?
To help us, the WJC Men’s Group resumes our series of Shabbat “Lunch and Learns.” At each "Lunch and Learn," a member of our congregation will share with us about their particular differences and challenges, and entertain ALL questions, even the awkward ones. Our hope is that by breaking the ice in this way, we will be that much more ready to move in closer to one another, laughing and hugging and crying along the way, and that our new-found comfort will extend to all our other relationships as well.”
I have drafted Rabbi Lily into double duty this Shabbat (we only have Lily twice a month!) As we explained earlier this fall, Rabbi Lily is gender-queer, and uses the pronouns "they," "them" and "theirs" to describe themselves. Gender-queer, or gender-fluid, people are those that do not fit into our binary gender categories of “male” and “female.” You are likely aware that we are experiencing a moment of profound cultural shift in which gender is coming to be understood as much more fluid than our previous societal categories allowed for. This shift can be initially discomfiting for many of us, but in turn also liberating and enlightening as we embrace this emerging and broader paradigm of possible identities.
At our Lunch & Learn Rabbi Lily will speak with us about being gender-queer. Bring your questions! Rabbi Lily is ready and eager to engage with all of our questions.
Following Shabbat morning services from 10am-noon, from noon-1pm we will share a festive dairy/vegetarian pot luck lunch. Then our presentation and conversation will take place from 1-2pm. You are welcome to participate in any or all of our Shabbat activities. Show up anytime!
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