Rabbi's Message

Rabbi Elyse Wechterman
Read about the Rabbi
March 2004

What do Mel Gibson, the Israeli/Palestinian Crises, and gay marriage all have in common?

No, this isn’t a strange joke. These are the topics occupying the minds of many of us these days and have afforded me the opportunity to enter discussions with colleagues and friends in both the Jewish and non-Jewish world.

I, like many of you, have been reading the news reports and opinion pieces relating to Mel Gibson’s new movie The Passion of the Christ on a seemingly daily basis. While I am not going to comment on a movie I have not seen, I have been greatly impressed by the level of thoughtfulness, concern, care and curiosity many of the Christian clergy in the Attleboro area have expressed in conversations with me about it. When I invited a group of women clergy to view the movie with me, followed by discussion, they heartily agreed. We are planning such an event early in March.

I have included a column written by a friend and colleague elsewhere on this web site and have additional information in the office about the movie itself. Accusations about anti-Semitism and historical inaccuracies aside, I am delighted to be entering into conversations with our neighbors about the things we really care about – both what unites and divides us.

This brings me to the second topic – the crises in the Middle East. I was asked by several Christian clergy to help them formulate a program of study in the Middle East for their congregants through their season of Lent. (Beginning Feb. 25 with Ash Wednesday. For Christians, this time of year, leading up to Easter, is an opportunity for study and reflection, similar to the month of Elul leading up to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for us Jews.)

The clergy brought myself and a local leader of the Islamic community together to plan five sessions of study on the history and background of the Middle East Conflict. Even in our short meeting – we learned much about each other’s traditions.

For five Wednesday evenings in March, the larger community – Jews included – are invited to come and learn about each of the three great faiths born in that part of the world, their relationship to the land and our perspectives on the current crises. I will be teaching the session on Judaism. Please consider coming to one or all of the sessions found described elsewhere in this newsletter.

And finally, as you already know, I have been interviewed in the press several times about the Reconstructionist position on gay marriage. This has resulted in several more conversations with area clergy interested in emphasizing tolerance and diversity in the teachings of their communities.

All in all, the issues of the day are often difficult and painful; the disagreements between peoples and communities profound. Our country is struggling to come to grips with the implications of diversity and freedom in ways our forefathers never imagined and events on the world stage seem to make any hope for lasting peace between people and universal human dignity pretty bleak.

And yet, here in the Attleboros and South Eastern Massachusetts, we have friends and neighbors who sincerely want to hear what we have to say, see us as integral members of the community and care deeply about making God’s presence – no matter how we each name it – manifest in the world.

This year happens to mark the 350th anniversary of Jews in North America – it’s 350 years for which we should celebrate and be thankful.

B'Shalom
Rabbi Elyse

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