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Parashat Mishpatim: The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia

Federation Shabbat, February 22, 2020 / 27 Shvat5780 Rabbi Neil S. CooperI.

1. The Shtetl

Beginning in 1881, waves of Eastern European Jews began flooding America’s shores. Leaving Europe to escape the precipitous rise in the incidence and brutality of the pogroms, the time had come to leave.Their gazes were now fixed on a new world, America, where they would seek prosperity, freedom and the opportunities offered by a more open, less hateful, and less dangerous society. Indeed, in this country they would not be required to endure pogroms. But as happens so often, what was printed in the “Welcome to America” brochure, did not prepare Eastern European Jewry for the reality of the challenges, obstacles and the opportunities they would encounter.

Jews from Eastern European left more than their homes. Most shtetls were broken down, impoverished and difficult places to live. Yet, leaving the shtetl was not easy. Life in the shtetl was supported and enriched by tight-knitcommunitieswhich cared for families in every way imaginable.

The romanticized image of the shtetl was certainly an exaggeration. Every shtetl, however,was able to provide communal support for those who lived there. There was a financial safety net created by the tamchu’i / the Community Chest. Strangers, travelers and people who would otherwise be without shelter, would make their way to the community’s beit midrash, receive a meal. In addition, there were rabbis who would teach, midwives to assist with babies and the Holy Burial Society/ the Hevre Kaddisha, which insured that if, God forbid, a person died, the body would be properly tended to, with the utmost respect and care. Those who came to the US, missed more than a sense of care and familiarity. They had lost the place where they could find warmth, security and support.

II.The Kehilla

As hundreds of immigrants migrated to the US each and every day, the situation of Jewish immigrants continued to deteriorate. Often crowding into the tenements and squeezing into an uncle’s or a cousin’s one-bedroom apartment, they lacked resources, employment and that sense of community which had been so important to them.

These Jewish refugees arrived, dressed in tattered clothes, with hair matted and little or no English. But, as their numbers swelled, they became a source of embarrassment to the established Jewish Community. That segment of the Jewish Community had arrived years before, mostly from western Europe, and had assimilated into American society. These Jews, the “Uptown Jews” did not want to be associated with these “Downtown Jews”.Still, they realized they needed to do something, as anti-Semitism and“anti-Refugee-ism, began to take hold. The new Eastern European Jews had become in America a drain on society and an embarrassment to the UptownWarbergs, Schiffs and their circle of the established Jewish Community. Yet, at the same time, the “Uptown” Jews could no longer ignorethe struggles and plight of their newly arrived brethren.

Deeply ingrained in those wealthy,Western European Jews, no less than those Eastern European Jews, was the notion of Kehillah. It was the care of each other, as they had come to know it in the shtetl, which was missing in the American/New York Jewish Community at the turn of the 20th century. Without a mechanism for donating to places where it was most sorely needed,money sometimes went where it was needed, but other times, not. Money to help these impoverished Jews was neither sufficient to meet the need nor was there an efficient way to distribute the funds.

In response to the growing crisis, one of the most famous and powerful figures in the Jewish Community, Judah Magnes, established a new organization in New York, for the purpose of supporting the “Downtown “(Lower East Side) Jews. Ratherthan each donor identifying the cause they preferred, Magnes realized that there was a need for a new model of giving. A new model needed to provide the mechanisms which would enable the community to, once again, take care of its own.

That new organization, called the Kehilla,would care for elderly and the infirmed, teach children, provide food and clothing when needed, and much more. This new organization would not last long. But, as Magnes worked to get this off the ground, he worked with a sense of mission and confidence. He knew that the motivation for giving, came from a shared sense of commitment and connection among Jews toward each other. And he conveyed this message as clearly and succinctly as he could in words similar to these:We hear the voices, he said, of our brethren calling to us. We need to listen. We need to respond. And,we need to do it now! It is here that the Jewish Federation begins. But I turn first to Parashat Mishpatim.

III.Parashat Mishpatim

Parahat Mishpatim is a wonderful parasha. It speaks of the moral and ethical laws which we must follow in order to create a strong and just society. Some of the laws are expected. But one in particular resonates most deeply with me (Ex. 22:22). It is a strange verse, unlike any other. In this verse, you see, there are there are three verbs, each repeated:

If you oppress, oppress(the widow or orphan) and the cry out, cry out in their anguish, I will hear, hear their cries.

In addressing the doubling of these verbs (three times in one verse), Nehama Leibowitz provides two ways to understand the doubling. One commentary suggests that the doubling means that one needs to afflict the vulnerable twice before God hears their voices. Another commentary suggests, the exact opposite,that the doubling intensifies the verbs so that it means: even the smallest bit of oppression/affliction is enough to incur God’s wrath.

I’d like to suggest a third option. The first verb in each doubling is the obvious one:

If you afflict and they call out, I will hear them.

But the second verb speaks to that which is hidden: the oppression or pain is there but we don’t want to, or cannot, see it. The oppression is hidden from sight, the cry is silent. And it is that silent cry that God hears, even if we do not. It is this hidden/silent oppression, and silent cry that makes the case for the Jewish Federation. As Jews we can’t turn our backs on anyone. But we must hear and respond first to those who cry out in the Jewish Community. Other programs may be great. Bur first, we must respond to other Jews. I say that not because the cries of others do not bring us pain.

I say this not because others do not need our help. I say it because, no one in this world can be counted on to care of Jews other than Jews. Our mandate and responsibility as Jews include that we address first those Jews in need because in this world no one will care for Jews other than Jews. That is what we do. And that is why we have a Jewish Federation.

This was the point that Judah Magnes made in 1908 when he solicited funds for the Kehillah.He advocated for those who had no voice, those who were ignored by others, saying,

We must listen and hear the voices of our brethren calling to us.
We cannot, we must not ignore.
We need to do more, and we need to do it now!

The Jewish Federation

The notion of a centralized organization whose purpose is to raise money,primarily for the Jewish Community, began with the New York Kehillah at the turn of the 20th. And,although a Jewish Federation could not recreate the feeling of the shtetls of old, our Jewish Federation is our modern day “Kehilla” organization. It is Federation’s ongoing mission to care for Jews locally, in Israel and around the world. Our Federation does this in some wonderful and well-known ways. But our Federation helps, as well, in ways that are quiet and discreet as well.

Today, Federation’s role begins when a cry goes out from the Jewish Community. Federation hears that cry and responds.1.When there is acry from the elderlyfor safe and beautiful residential assistance, Federation builtthe Abramson Center, our residential skilled nursing home and life-care center. 2.We care for the elderly at the Klein center in the Northeast, providing services, activities and guidance. 3.When a person suffers with mental illness, there are numerous places where, whether fully or partially, Federation assures that things are in place: JF&CS, Tikvah cares for this segment of the Jewish Community. 4.Federation makes sure that our community has funding for our Jewish Schools, subsidies for tuition and help to enable children to go to Jewish Summer Camps. 5.Federationisthere for Israel. Working directly with Israeli organization or in partnership with other groups, Federation serves as our helping hands, our way tosupport and sustain dozens of projects in Israel. 6.When someone remarks: “Someone should do something about that”, it is often the case that “someone” is doing something about that. That “someone” is, mostFederation. Federation1partners with JDC on numerous Israel programs, in this country, Israel and around the world, in ways that are public and in ways which receive no or little coverage.7.And in an emergency, when larger needs must be set aside to deal with an immediate and urgent crisis, Federation’s Emergency Funds are there to respond to humanitarian needs around the world.I asked that we put this Shabbat aside in order to speak about Federation on the Shabbat immediately before Super Sunday. On Super Sunday, volunteers go down a list calling and soliciting donations. I wanted to have this time to focus on Federation this Shabbat because I wanted to remind us all that1.We, Jews,have a responsibility to take care of Jews. There is no one else, other than Jews, who can be counted on to take care of Jews. 2.Federation is the conduit which we have available to take care of those around us, those in Israel and those around the world.I want to ask you to think about the support which Federation needs and be as generous as you can.

 

5Over the decades, for over a hundred years, the situation in the world has changed. The situation of Jews has evolved. Priorities have shifted and needs today are different from those of 100 years ago. But some things do not change.1.Only Jewscan be counted on to take care of Jews. That is a reality we must internalized and a responsibility that cannot be ignored.2.We must learn to hear the silent cries around us and respond to those whose cries have been ignored, neglected and dismissed. As Jews we cannot pretend not to knowof the problems and not to hear the cries. 3.And there is no better time, no time more appropriate than today to respond generously when asked.When you entered the sanctuary, you received a brochure prepared for this morning about Federation. I would ask you to look at it. There are table-tents, on each table at our Kiddush Lunch, with facts and figures about Federation’s support of various programs here, in Philadelphia. In the lobby, you’ll find brochures and flyers which advertise other Federation programs. And there are members of our congregation here this morning who would be happy to speak with you personally. Some of their names are in the brochure (Introduce Amanda, Hillel,Melissaetc.). Take a moment to find out how and why they are so involved with Federation. Federation is the name of our Kehillah. I urge you to familiarize yourself with it, learn the many places where Philadelphia acts on our behalf. Learn what Federationcan do for you. Learn what you can do for Federat

 

 

 

Tue, March 19 2024 9 Adar II 5784