Category: Politics

Throwing Shoes

Post author By Rabbi Jason Miller
Post date December 16, 2008

By now everyone has seen the video footage of an Iraqi journalist throwing his shoes at President Bush. The public has treated it as an uproariously funny video clip perfect for YouTube. The president even laughed it off as something not unlike a heckler at a rally. However, the symbolism of the act is much deeper than that.

Enter my favorite Hebrew professor from my rabbinical school days at the Jewish Theological Seminary to bring some scholarly explanation to this act. Prof. Edna Nahshon (right), associate professor of Hebrew at the Seminary, is the author of a new book titled Jews and Shoes.

She is quoted in yesterday’s Chicago Tribune, in an article humorously titled: “If the shoe fits, duck.”

[Edna Nahshon] said what appeared to be an impulsive caper was really a symbolic act of defiance. “The insult is of such magnitude that Muslims understand and Americans don’t want to,” she said. “It looks more like a prank, like a stupid thing to have done … I think it was intended as a very serious humiliation. It is understood as such.”

After all, there’s a reason why Muslims remove their shoes when they enter a mosque to pray. It was not initially a Muslim tradition until the Angel Gabriel reportedly appeared before the Prophet Muhammad and instructed him to remove his shoes while communing with God. Not to mention, shoes are downright dirty.

“Shoes are considered [by Muslims] the truly filthy, defiling item,” said Nahshon, an associate professor of Hebrew at Jewish Theological Seminary. “Anyone who has looked at images of the war in Iraq, shoes come up again and again.”

Remember images of Iraqis pelting the toppled statue of Saddam Hussein with their shoes? And just a few weeks ago, an effigy of Bush was hung where the statue used to be. Iraqis didn’t stone it. They “shoed” it.

So, what appeared to be a funny prank (like Bill Gates getting a cake in the face) actually was a strong political message. Or perhaps the Iraqi journalist saw video of President Bush doing an African tribal dance without much rhythm and just wanted to provide him with some “sole”.

Politicians and Kippahs

Post author By Rabbi Jason Miller
Post date December 10, 2008

Using web applications like Google Analytics and sitemeter, I can track the web searches that have referred visitors to my blog.

Ever since the ’08 presidential election and President-Elect Obama’s nomination of Rahm Emanuel to be his chief of staff, there have been hundreds of searches for “Rahm Emanuel Kippah” that have landed web surfers to my blog. Apparently, a few mentions of the word kippah (or yarmulke) throughout my blog and a blog post about Rahm Emanuel are enough for search engines to put my blog in their search results listing. This tells me that there are many people out there interested in seeing a photo of Rahm Emanuel wearing a kippah. Well, sorry to disappoint but I haven’t seen one either!

However, I have seen many pictures on the Web of other politicians wearing kippahs (yarmulkes). There are photos of Jewish and non-Jewish politicians donning the Jewish headcovering — from Rudy Guiliani to Bill Clinton (left) and George Bush, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (left). But alas, no picture of a Rahm Emanuel under a kippah.

I asked my friend who attends Rahm Emanuel’s modern-Orthodox synagogue in Chicago who told me that when Emanuel shows up (not so often) he wears a black suede kippah.

But what’s interesting to me is not that so many people are jonesing for the pic of Emanuel wearing a kippah in the same skeptical way people reacted to Joe Lieberman’s claims of being an Orthodox Jew in the 2000 campaign, but rather that there’s an expectation to see politicians wearing Jewish religious attire.

I think politicians should wear a kippah if they are speaking in a synagogue, especially in the sanctuary. And maybe they should be expected to cover their head when they do the required photo op at the Kotel (Western Wall) in Jerusalem. However, the kippah photo op at Yad Vashem for politicians has always struck me as odd. I know I’m not the only one. In 2005, blogger Jonathan Rosenblum wrote:

I have always found something faintly ridiculous about the perennial photos of gentile politicians donning yarmulkes to wolf down lox and bagels in Jewish neighborhoods. And I would be hard-pressed not to vote for any gentile politician who refused a proferred yarmulke on the sensible grounds that he is not Jewish. Apparently my view is not universally shared, however. When the Turkish Prime Minister visited Israel last week, he was told Israel would take a dim view of his failure to wear a kippah on a visit to Yad Vashem. He didn’t anyway, apparently on the grounds that many of the voters of his Islamic party would take an even dimmer view of his being seen wearing a Jewish religious symbol.Isn’t this nutso? Some noted that Yad Vashem is not a synagogue, but even if [it] were what disrespect would he have been showing by not wearing a yarmulke? Is he expected to daven? Would a Jew be disrespectful if he declined to take communion in a Catholic Church? (Assuming he did not know it was asur (prohibited by Jewish law) to be there in the first place.)

Blogger Dov Bear essentially made the same argument earlier this year in a post about Barack Obama’s visit to Yad Vashem where he wore a white yarmulke (right). Adam Dickter, in a New York Jewish Week blog post in March, wrote about Republican nominee John McCain’s odd choice for a kippah during his visit to the Kotel. Rather than going for the cheap black kippah (favored by Bill Clinton), he sported an elaborately emroidered white kippah that cutely matched his traveling buddy Joe Lieberman’s kippah.

Perhaps one of President Obama’s first acts in office will be to set some clear rules on the kippah wearing expectations of politicians. Synagogues-yes. Holocaust memorial centers-no. Funerals-yes. Jewish or Israel organization fundraising events at hotels-no. Kotel-optional. Maybe congress could even pass legislation on a standard political kippah. Something like a navy leather yarmulke with a tactful embroidered American flag would be nice!

In the meantime, if anyone has found a picture of Rahm Emanuel in a kippah, please leave the link in the comments section. Emanuel wearing a tallit? Even better!

Jewish Politics

Obama Home was Yeshivah

Post author By Rabbi Jason Miller
Post date December 2, 2008

Many homes have interesting histories and connections. I recall meeting Jewish professional baseball player Ryan Braun, the Milwaukee Brewers All-Star, who told me that his grandfather’s house once belonged to Jewish Hall-of-Famer Hank Greenberg (Braun lived in that house for a time during his youth).

Now, the father of my former camper at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, Henry Bernstein, has co-written an article about the interesting history and Jewish connections of Barack Obama’s house in Chicago. Charles Bernstein, genealogist of the Chicago Jewish community and a founder of the Chicago Jewish Historical Society, writes in the Chicago Jewish News that the construction of the Obama home was financed by a prominent Chicago Jew, was once lived in by a Jewish family, and was home to both a Jewish day school and a yeshiva.

President-Elect Barack Obama’s house, located on the South Side of Chicago at 5046 South Greenwood Avenue, is located across the street from the Reform KAM-Isaiah Israel Congregation, Chicago’s oldest Jewish congregation. In fact, Secret Service agents who guard the Obama home enter the Reform temple to use the restrooms. The article adds that KAM-Isaiah Israel Congregation members must identify themselves to Secret Service agents who verify them as Temple members.

The Hebrew Theological College (HTC), now located in Skokie, Illinois, had a branch located at the Obama home.

“HTC, known colloquially as ‘the Yeshiva,’ wanted to establish a South Side base to service [the] Orthodox community. A Milwaukee philanthropist, Anna Sarah Katz, donated $50,000 to HTC, which enabled it to purchase the 5046 Greenwood property. It obtained title from the First National Bank of Chicago, which had acquired the property by taking over the Foreman bank when it went bankrupt during the Depression… Hyde Park’s Orthodox population began to dwindle in the early 1950s, and in 1954, the Yeshiva sold the property to the Hyde Park Lutheran Church by a deed signed May 21, 1954. The purchase price was $35,000, based on the revenue stamps of $38.50 affixed to the deed. The deed was signed by Rabbi Fasman, who was still president, and Samuel T. Cohen, secretary”

So, the Obama family will be moving from one home with a rich history to a new home with a very rich history.

Jewish Politics

Rahmbo Heads Back to White House

Post author By Rabbi Jason Miller
Post date November 7, 2008

Back in April I wrote how Rahm Emanuel was theorized by Newsweek Magazine to be the one to urge Hillary Clinton to drop out of the race on behalf of Barack Obama. That Newsweek article connected the dots from Rahm Emanuel (known as “Rahmbo”) to Barack Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod by mentioning that Axelrod was a witness for Rahm Emanuel’s wedding ketubah.

Now, Rahm Emanuel is back in the news as the first appointment President-Elect Obama has made. Yesterday morning, Rahm Emanuel accepted Obama’s offer to become the Chief of Staff for the Obama administration. Emanuel will resign his congressional seat for this new position.

Of course, the talk throughout the Jewish community has turned from uncertainty about the Obama administration to elation over having a trusted advisor like Rahm Emanuel in the West Wing. Emanuel was a senior advisor to President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1998 and was even the inspiration for the character Josh Lyman on television show The West Wing. (Not to be outdone, his brother Ari is the inspiration behind superagent Ari Gold on HBO’s Entourage)

Rahm Emanuel has a wonderful reputation in the Jewish community as a strong friend of Israel and a dedicated member of the community. Since President-Elect Obama tapped him for this post, I’ve heard several comments of pride from fellow rabbis and friends. His rabbi and former Torah study partner (in the White House!), Rabbi Jack Moline, praises him for his commitment to his family and his strong value system. In Chicago, he mainly attends Shabbat services at Anshei Sholom B’nai Israel Congregation in Lakeview. The rabbi there, Rabbi Asher Lopatin, has been an advisor to Emanuel along with other Chicago rabbis Michael Siegel and Debra Newman Kamin.

Michael Kotzin, executive vice president of the Jewish United Fund-Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago explained in the Jerusalem Post, “If [Rahm Emanuel] goes to the White House, he’ll be going to serve the president – but Israel will have a friend in the White House.”

Emanuel is actually not his family’s original last name. Rahm’s father replaced the family name “Auerbach” with his brother Emanuel’s name after Emanuel was killed in an Arab uprising in Palestine in 1936. This was done to keep Rahm Emanuel’s uncle’s memory alive.

Rahm Emanuel will be the third Jew to serve as White House chief of staff, but the first in a Democratic administration (Josh Bolten served under President George W. Bush and Ken Duberstein served under President Ronald Reagan).

Personally, I believe that having a Jewish chief of staff serve our nation’s first Black president will be a very positive contribution to Black-Jewish relations in our country. I wish Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel much luck as he serves our country and our new President.

Humor Politics Synagogues

Fake Synagogue Sign

Post author By Rabbi Jason Miller
Post date October 12, 2008

A congregant came up to me during a break in services on Yom Kippur to ask if I’d seen the picture being widely emailed of a synagogue marquee that instructed congregants to vote for Barack Obama. She explained that the sign said “Happy New Year! Please vote for the shvartzeh!”

I could sense that she was conflicted about this since she was an Obama supporter but also took offense to the Yiddish term used to denote black people which can be used derogatorily.

Well, it turns out that the sign is a hoax. It was made at the Church Sign Generator website. In fact, the owner of says-it.com which operates the Church Sign Generator website, posted an apology (and subsequent update) on the website which reads:

If you’re received a photo of a sign for “Beth Sholom Synagogue” and wondered where this synagogue is, the answer is: it isn’t.

The sign isn’t located anywhere in the real world. It’s a fake photo created with software on this website. There are blank church sign templates which allow people to enter whatever they like for the name of the church (or synagogue, or mosque, or what have you) and for the message on the sign board, and it creates a fairly realistic photo of a church sign with their input.

Someone used the site to create that sign and then they chose to e-mail it to a lot of Jewish people on Rosh Hashanah. I’m sorry you received it, but I’m afraid there’s not much I can do about it.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, but again, there’s little I can do. I can’t control what people type into the form on the site, and I can’t control what people e-mail to each other. It’s literally impossible to filter every offensive word or phrase that someone can enter, without restricting use of the site for people who use it legitimately.

Update: several people have written in saying that they weren’t offended and that they thought it was funny, and that I shouldn’t worry. I hope I haven’t given the impression that I’ve been deluged with complaints; most of the “complaints” were just people wondering where this Beth Sholom was and why they would put up a sign like that. A couple of people found the message demeaning or disrespectful, and I can certainly understand why they would feel that way. For what it’s worth, I personally wasn’t offended (it’s not impossible to offend me, but it is pretty difficult), but I do think that it was in poor taste and could easily be taken badly, especially given the timing.

Best regards,
Ryland Sanders
says-it.com

Jewish Politics

Politics Politics Politics

Post author By Rabbi Jason Miller
Post date September 18, 2008

It’s been almost two months since my last post due to a combination of being too busy and not really wanting to blog about politics. It seems that everything is being overly-politicized right now.

A simple rally to protest Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the United Nations has turned into a Democrat vs. Republican battle royal. According to the JTA, Hillary Clinton was confirmed to speak at the rally back in August. However, when Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin agreed to address the rally, Clinton announced she would withdraw because the rally had become “a partisan political event.” Barack Obama wasn’t even invited to speak. Bottom line is that Palin has been disinvited and Clinton has backed out. Fortunately no one will oppose Elie Weisel’s legitimacy to speak at the rally!

And isn’t it possible for a Jewish person to just wear a kippah (yarmulke) without making a political statement? The kippah color, size, material, and position on ones head is already making a religious statement, so why the need to endorse a candidate with a religious head covering? Even this has spun out of control.

The Gore-Lieberman kippahs were popular during the 2000 campaign and since then it’s been common to see the candidates names on suede kippahs. However, one company (VanityKippah.com) is now selling a Sarah Palin kippah that says “Sarah Barajewda: Eishet Chayil.” They also sell the McCippah, the Obamica, and one for Michelle Obama fans that reads “Michelle is my Rebbetzin.”

Oy, I can’t wait for this campaign to be over!

Conservative Judaism Jewish Politics Rabbi

Top Rabbis & Ketuba Witnesses

Post author By Rabbi Jason Miller
Post date April 16, 2008

Newsweek’s second annual ranking of the top rabbis in the country has been posted to the Newsweek website. This year, the list is called “Top fifty influential rabbis in America” and the creators (media execs Michael Lynton, Gary Ginsberg, and Jay Sanderson) explain their point system (20 points for being “known,” 10 points for communal leadership, and so on). They also have created a second listing of the top pulpit (congregational) rabbis in the country.

I was thrilled to see my extremely talented classmate, Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum, make that list. She is the founder and rabbi of Kavana in Seattle. It is also wonderful to see that my colleague, Rabbi Sharon Brous, made both lists. She is the founding rabbi of Ikar in Los Angeles.

Of course, Rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple in LA was ranked the #1 pulpit rabbi in the country and deservingly so. Rabbi Jack Moline, a Conservative rabbi in Alexandria, Virginia, was listed at #3. I’ve always admired Jack and am happy that he was recognized by being ranked so high on the list. I first met Jack in 1999 when I spoke at his congregation, Agudas Achim, for a Seminary Shabbat.

I recall a funny story Jack Moline told me about his first experience meeting President Bill Clinton. Jack visited the White House weekly to study Torah with his friend and congregant Rahm Emanuel (left), the Illinois Congressman. Emanuel, then senior advisor to President Clinton, had an office in the West Wing. Jack always went to the White House with Kosher corned beef sandwiches for Emanuel and him to enjoy. He was also always prepared to stand at a moment’s notice and greet the President with the traditional Jewish blessing one says upon meeting a head of state. One day during a Moline-Emanuel chavruta session, the President walked into Rahm Emanuel’s office to chat about a basketball game when Jack jumped up with a mouth full of corned beef trying to utter the blessing.

That story came to mind the other day when I read an article about Rep. Rahm Emanuel in Newsweek magazine. The article theorized that Emanuel (“Rahmbo”) might be the most likely Democratic Party leader to be the one to encourage Hillary Clinton to drop out of the race should Barack Obama continue to be the front runner. Why Emanuel? Because, the article explains, he is close to the Clintons from his years campaining for them and serving in the Clinton White House. And he is close to the Obama campaign as well based on his long standing friendship with Obama’s campaign strategist, David Axelrod.

How close is Emanuel with Axelrod? “So close,” Newsweek states, “that Axelrod signed the ketuba, a Jewish marriage contract, at Emanuel’s wedding, an honor that usually goes to a best friend.”

So there you have it: Newsweek magazine… ranking rabbis and outing politicos as ketuba witnesses!

Fashion Jewish Politics

Kippah Krazy

Post author By Rabbi Jason Miller
Post date April 2, 2008

Lisa Flam, an Associated Press Writer, has brought fashionable kippah wearing to the fore with her recent article “Yarmulkes for the Fashionable Faithful”.

In an article that could appear in a fashion magazine as much as it could in a religious publication, Flam explains that more stylish and offbeat options abound in addition to your grandfather’s black satin yarmulke.

The yarmulke as it’s known in Yiddish, or kippa in Hebrew, is a headcovering “worn as a sign of respect to remind one always that God’s presence is over us and as a sign of respect whenever we say a blessing,” says Rabbi Joel Meyers, a leader of the Rabbinical Assembly, which represents rabbis in the Conservative Jewish movement.

While the skullcap is among the most recognizable Jewish symbols, it is not sacred, which makes it acceptable to adorn it with sports logos or TV characters, says Meyers, who usually wears a knitted yarmulke.

“The important thing is the wearing of the kippa, not what’s on the kippa,” Meyers said, recalling one given to him with a propeller he thinks signifies “spiritual uplift.”

Proving that there has been a move to more stylish Jewish headcoverings, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain last week sported a knit kippah at the Kotel (Western Wall) in Jerusalem. Compared to President Bush’s choice of skullcaps, McCain’s choice seems more modern and stylish. Perhaps that is attibutable to his loyal advisor and supporter (and Vice Presidential hopeful?) Senator Joe Lieberman.

I have always enjoyed seeing celebrities don a yarmulke (especially non-Jewish celebrities like athletes and politicians). The first yarmulke I ever gave to a celebrity was in 1999 on the set of his movie “Little Nicky” when I presented Adam Sandler with a blue suede kippah with the Jewish Theological Seminary logo printed on it.

I know I’m not the only one who enjoys seeing celebrities wearing yarmulkes, since, on their BangItOut website, brothers Seth and Isaac Galena have created an entire category of photographs called “Celebrity Kippah”.

The AP article described kippot featuring Dora the Explorer, the Miami Heat logo, and guitars. It also reported about a Jewish man who “has a blue seersucker yarmulke to match a blazer he likes to wear to Friday services.” Of course, no matter how fun and creative yarmulkes get, there will always be those who prefer the “retro kippah” from a bygone era.

Jewish Politics

Spielberg and the Olympics

Post author By Rabbi Jason Miller
Post date February 27, 2008

Next Monday evening I am bringing my colleague Rabbi Or N. Rose (left) to Detroit to speak to Conservative Jewish teens about the important subjects of Tikkun Olam (social action) and Tzedek (justice). Rabbi Rose is the co-editor of “Righteous Indignation: A Jewish Call for Justice,” which was recently published by Jewish Lights. He is also the associate dean of the Hebrew College rabbinical school.

Rabbi Or Rose’s article published today at JTA.org about Steven Spielberg’s resignation as the artistic director of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games brings to light the necessity of persuading Summer Olympics host China to reconsider its support of Sudan.

Spielberg wrote: “I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue with business as usual… At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies, but on doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that continue to be committed in Darfur. Sudan’s government bears the bulk of the responsibility for these ongoing crimes but the international community, particularly China, should be doing more to end the continuing human suffering there.”

In his essay, Rabbi Rose opines:

Ironically, the theme for the Summer Games is “One World, One Dream.” Does this dream include the nightmares of the people of western Sudan? As an American citizen, I would like to see President Bush demonstrate some of the courage and resolve exemplified by the celebrity activists, using his power to try to persuade China to change its behavior. If China does not cooperate, the president should reconsider his plans to attend the Olympics.

In so doing, Bush could rededicate himself to the cause. His record on Darfur is inconsistent at best, and he has done nothing constructive since pledging, ever so briefly, to tackle the issue in his January State of the Union address. What better way for a president to spend his last months in office than to help bring an end to the first genocide of the 21st century? In a culture where celebrities often gain attention for their poor judgment and bad behavior, Spielberg, [Mia] Farrow and the other high-profile activists – they include Don Cheadle and George Clooney — should be applauded for their justice efforts. Now we must join them in the struggle to save Darfur and to create a permanent anti-genocide movement.

Kudos to Steven Spielberg for doing the right thing by resigning this post. Hopefully his public act will put added pressure on the White House to persuade the Olympic hosts to change their tune on Darfur. And thanks to Or Rose for bringing this issue to a larger audience. With his essay, he certainly does demand a Jewish call for justice.

Food Israel Politics

Israel’s Sushi Strike

Post author By Rabbi Jason Miller
Post date February 14, 2008

According to a Reuter’s article, Israel’s Asian restaurants went on a one-day spring roll strike Tuesday to protest the Knesset’s new plan to rid their kitchens of foreign chefs. “The restaurants are angry at government plans to purge Japanese, Chinese and Thai eateries of Asian cooks and replace them with Israelis as part of a broader program to cut the number of foreigners working in the Jewish state… Israel attracts virtually no immigrants from Asia since anyone seeking citizenship here must prove they have Jewish family or links to the country.”

The restaurant owners threatened that sushi and noodles would be the next items off the menu. I would think they would strike hard and “86” the sushi in the beginning since it has become so popular in Israel. But apparently they thought it was best to go with the egg rolls first.

Personally, I think they should have taken soup off the menu just so every Asian waiter throughout Israel could say “No soup for you!“

Hopefully, a deal will be struck before Israel becomes sushi-free. Jews and Asians should be able to co-exist peacefully. There might be hope because a restaurant once existed in suburban Detroit during the 1980’s called “Shanghai Shapiro’s,” which was half Chinese and half Jewish deli. But then of course, that restaurant did close its doors.