June/July 2013 - Anshe Emet Synagogue

From OurPresidentHarold C. HirshmanJusticeWhen I was a kid I came across a phrasein the Torah which made very littlesense to me. It was: Justice, Justice thoushalt pursue. I immediately imaginedtwo guys named justice running downthe street with the cops after them.Somehow I did not think this was whatthe Torah had in mind. I ask someonelearned in Hebrew why there weretwo justices and he said as a matter ofHebrew grammar the second Justicewas simply there as an emphatic andthe King James version of the Bibletranslates the Hebrew Tzedek Tzedektirdof as: You shall surely pursue justice.But I remained unsatisfied.I was trying a case in Little Rock and Iheard the judge tell the jury, as they always do, there are two sides tothe story, keep an open mind until you have heard all the evidence.It occurred to me that maybe this is what the phrase was intendedto mean. I told the jury, “the Bible says Justice Justice though shaltpursue.” But don’t we all know what Justice is. We just hear a set offacts and we can easily determine who is right and who is wrong.Our gut or some other internal organ gives us an instant answer.But I told the jury I think it’s not that easy. It’s too easy to close ourears and our minds and cling to the first version of a set of facts thatwe hear. If we did that we wouldn’t be pursuing justice, we wouldbe ignoring the warning that justice is not so simple to obtain, thatit has a degree of elusiveness and that we should be careful of ourown preconceptions if we are trying to do justice. Telling this to ajury is one thing: they are being asked to come to a verdict in a courtof law – an obvious context to think about justice. And for me asan advocate my job is made a bit easier because I have a role. I ama paid story teller for one side. I cannot make up things but I canpresent them in the best light for my side. I have to be careful to putthe advocates role to the side in my every day life.I have come to believe that this pursuit of justice is central to beinga Jew, and is a sign post to guide us as we walk along, though life,every day. In my mind the pursuit of justice principle is inextricablybound up with two other maxims, one from Hillel and one fromSocrates. Hillel’s maxim is his famous answer that Judaism is simplytreating your neighbor as yourself; Socrates - the command hereceived from the Delphic oracle to know himself. It is easy to repeatthese two pithy phrases but when examined closely they are closerto riddles than to answers. From what vantage point can you knowyourself? The same mind that is doing the knowing is the only onewe have. And what exactly does it mean to treat someone likeyourself? So these principles are helpers or guideposts but wherethey point requires an application, for me, of the fundamentalinjunction to pursue justice.With our children and our life partners, we must do them justiceas well. What does that mean? I suppose it means that saying,“its my way or the highway,” is not an appropriate response whenyour child makes a proposal you consider to be beyond the pale. Itcertainly means hearing out your family members and holding backthe initial impulse, be it anger or impatience, to make sure that youare not simply a prisoner of your gut reaction. As I look at life, I amleft with the problem of what the just act, what the just response isand what happens when my conception of Justice is at odds withsomeone else’s. You may wonder by now, “why is he writing this inthe Bulletin?” The answer is simple. I am starting on my fourth andlast year as President. It’s remarkable how many issues arise whichrequire an exercise of restraint and an attempt to pursue a just result.All I can say to you is that I have tried as your president to followthe principle of Tzedek Tzedek tirdof. I am deeply appreciative of theopportunity to work to do justice for our community which you haveafforded me. Thank you.From OurExecutiveDirectorBarbara B. Haworthbhaworth@AnsheEmet.orgWinding down the fiscal year…with your help!As our fiscal year draws to a close, I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you for all you havedone for the synagogue this year. It is truly a privilege to watch so many of you engage in worship, study,chesed, and just “being part of the community”. Anshe Emet is a wonderfully complex institution full of manymoving parts to keep it going.This is the time of the year when we are winding down the synagogue fiscal year and simultaneously making plansfor the next year. It is also the time of year when it is imperative that we finish collecting all dues and fees owed byour members for the last fiscal year so that we can, literally, pay our bills through our year end on June 30.This year the High Holy Days coincide with Labor Day which means our work regarding membership renewalsand ticketing has to be done early. By the time you read this, your bill for the last fiscal year should be paidin full so that we can embark on your membership renewal in the most expedient fashion. Outstanding billswill delay the High Holy Day ticketing process for you and will cause the staff to spend additional time in analready challenging process.Your membership renewal packet should have been received by now and we anticipate beginning the ticketingprocess this month. Since we cannot send tickets out to anyone who has an outstanding balance, won’t youhelp us by paying your outstanding bills now? You can call Ade Ogbara at 773-868-5124 and arrange paymentover the phone with your credit card. If you need to discuss financial assistance, please call Amy Karp 773-868-5139. We really do need your help to get your financial arrangements for this year completed as soon as possible.It has been a joy to be here this year as your Executive Director and I want to thank you for making me part of the community. As always, I amavailable to you to discuss this or any aspect of your membership at Anshe Emet Synagogue.Barbara B. HaworthJune-July 2013 / Sivan-Tammuz-Av 5773 3