Divrei Derech

Doin' Jewish in FresYes

Each year, at some point in the summer, we get a flyer from a particular organization selling the necessary ritual items for our Sukkot festival. 

It’s called the lulav and it’s made up of leaves from the Palm, Myrtle and Willow trees as well as the fruit of the citron, which we know in Hebrew as the etrog.

(Images Through Time, Rebecca Kowalsky, Photographer)

So, we get this flyer and then get to choose what type of set we want… standard sets up through deluxe and, of course, we pay more for the ‘better’ sets.  I’ve watched the ultra-Orthodox in Jerusalem scrutinizing the different species and a quick internet search yielded lulav/etrog sets selling for up to $175.

Then my family and I move to Fresno.

Doug walks into my office during Sukkot with a bag of the biggest etrogim I’ve ever seen*… grapefruit, footballs… these are enormous.

 

Apparently there are quite a few etrog/citron trees here in the Central Valley.  Some are Kosher, some are not.  That’s important to some in the Jewish community, while others may not be that particular.  You see… a tree isn’t kosher if it’s been grafted and most etrog/citron trees here in California are grafted onto lemon stalk which survive better locally.  This would be one of those questions to check with your rabbi to make sure you get the etrog that’s proper for you.

Regardless, these are very impressive etrogim and, yes, you can eat them.  They’re not just for ritual shaking.  I googled recipes and came up with several fascinating suggestions including the classic etrog jam as well as several alcoholic beverages… and these were found on Orthodox websites.

I’ll let you know if we come up with anything particularly interesting.

 

*okay… complete accuracy… I saw a tree full of etrogim in Tzfat (Safed) in northern Israel a year ago.  They were huge too, but I don’t remember if they were actually bigger than these.

...thanks Doug... awesome etrogim!

Central Valley Girls?!

Yes, my wife is a valley girl.  I wouldn’t have imagined marrying a girl from the San Fernando Valley, Encino no less...

...but, this past weekend, Rabbi Laura became another kind of Valley Girl.  Along with a bunch of other Temple Beth Israel cyclists, the TBI women joined approximately 350 women cycling around the region and raising money for worthy causes.

(Rabbi Laura and the Temple Beth Israel ladies at the finish line...Terry and Dan provided the red carpet to welcome all the riders back... nice touch.)

The ride is named for Marsha Sorensen who passed away after having helped establish the race and I know our own Frankie and Terry Fox are instrumental in the development of this inspiring event.

Take a look at what the Central Valley Cycling Charitable Association is up to: Valley Girls Ride

Over the years, their fundraising efforts include the purchase of a bloodmobile for the Central California Blood Center… quite an accomplishment.  

Turns out, the Valley Girls Ride was inspired by another charitable women’s bike ride in my old stomping grounds, the Cinderella Classic which rides through Livermore, Dublin and Pleasanton.

This year, the Valley Girls Ride raised money for three beneficiaries:

Exceptional Parents Unlimited whose mission is “to strengthen and empower children and families facing extraordinary medical, developmental, and parenting challenges.”

Camp Sunshine Dreams, “a non-profit camp for children with cancer and their siblings.”

The Spirit of Woman, “works with women and their children in specialized programs that are holistic, comprehensive, and multidimensional.”

I’m still new to the area and don’t know much about each of these organizations.  I’m learning, and if you want to learn more, you can click on the names of any one of these charities and it will take you to their websites.

The Valley Girls Ride is just one of many great ways members of our community are getting involved and participating in the sacred work of Tikkun Olam, the repair of our world.

I’m eager to learn how else members of our temple community are involved in helping out with the world around us. 

Let me know what you’re up to.

 

 (Rabbi Laura and Nurse Roberta getting ready for the ride with their helmets topped with tiaras.)

 

 

 

 

Meeting with the Mayor

I was surprised to receive an email last week from the Mayor’s office.  Mayor Ashley Swearengin invited a small group of us to talk about prayer in the community and the apparent conflict that has arisen regarding this issue in the past.

The Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno hosted our meeting, so I appreciated my first opportunity to see the facility and was treated to a tour by Imam Ghazvini, whom I’ve previously had the pleasure of meeting.  The director of the center, Kamal Abu-Shamsieh, shared the hosting and the other attendee was Dr. Sudarshan Kapoor, a Hindu representative from the Interfaith Alliance.

I’ve already discovered and written a bit about Temple Beth Israel’s history in local interfaith work, especially the work of Rabbi David Greenberg.  (See A Significant Little Statue)

I’m eager to get involved in local interfaith activities and grateful these activities are already happening.

Mayor Swearengin gave a clear message that she respects and appreciates the religious diversity here in Fresno as she maintains her own active Christian involvement.  She believes strongly in prayer and maintains her own practice.

It’s clear she and her office understand the sensitivity, legal issues and requirements regarding religion in the public sphere and, from her description, insure that public funds do not go into these activities.

Our group appreciated her attention to the local minority, religious issues and eagerness to help nurture an atmosphere of mutual respect.

One of the things I most value in interfaith gathering is the good we're able to accomplish as we partner together. 

Prayer accomplishes many things and, as I spoke about at Rosh Hashanah, our tradition uses prayer as a catalyst to move us to act, to act positively in the world around us.

I’ve always maintained that it doesn’t matter so much why your particular faith tradition tells you to engage in making the world a better place, as long as you do… and I’m looking forward to doing so with the many interfaith leaders I’ve already begun to meet here in Fresno.

Keep an eye out for upcoming interfaith activities…

Sunday, November 20^th, the Interfaith Alliance Service

February 10-11, the Interfaith Scholar Weekend

 

Sukkot... it's not just a male thing

I admit it.  I have a few stereotypical male characteristics.  I like power tools and, when building things, there are times when I believe bigger is better.

Enter Sukkot.

We observe our fall harvest festival by building temporary shelters called sukkot in which we traditionally eat our meals and some sleep.  Unfortunately, several of the congregational sukkot I’ve encountered cannot adequately seat enough people for the community to fulfill the tradition.

For some of us Jewish men, it may be the one time of year we allow those latent male tendencies to surface.  Some of us actually possess the skills to create our festive edifices, while the rest of us our wise to follow instructions.

I am grateful to our volunteers for creating a truly amazing sukkah.  It will house many people this coming week as we celebrate together our festival of Sukkot.

Thanks guys… you’re awesome!

(prepping the wood)

(laying out the lumber and attaching the hardware)

(support staff)

(It's starting to take shape.)

(raising the roof)

  

(almost there...)

 

(I couldn't get the whole sukkah in the picture.  It should fit a hundred or so for a meal.)