WEBVTT 00:00:05.069 --> 00:00:08.230 All right, Rabbi Aklepi, thank you so much for 00:00:08.230 --> 00:00:10.970 being on the podcast. We are so honored to have 00:00:10.970 --> 00:00:13.910 you as one of the major faith leaders of South 00:00:13.910 --> 00:00:18.989 Florida. Of course, Rabbi at Temple Beth Am and 00:00:18.989 --> 00:00:22.429 one of our trusted dialogue partners for Jewish 00:00:22.429 --> 00:00:26.519 Muslim Dialogue. You have so many leadership 00:00:26.519 --> 00:00:28.940 roles that you play, I think, within the community. 00:00:29.219 --> 00:00:32.799 We wanted to learn a little bit more about you, 00:00:32.840 --> 00:00:35.140 your background, and kind of what brought you 00:00:35.140 --> 00:00:39.619 to this position of leadership eventually here 00:00:39.619 --> 00:00:44.899 in the Jewish community. Wow, that's a many years 00:00:44.899 --> 00:00:50.920 question. But to make it brief, I would say... 00:00:51.630 --> 00:00:54.030 Well, I'm a rabbi, part of the Reform Movement, 00:00:54.210 --> 00:00:57.789 part of the liberal denominations within Judaism. 00:00:58.270 --> 00:01:02.630 I was raised in a synagogue that was similar 00:01:02.630 --> 00:01:07.750 to where I am now, and it was very, somewhat 00:01:07.750 --> 00:01:10.189 different than today because it was more, it 00:01:10.189 --> 00:01:13.650 was open politically, and it was just a place 00:01:13.650 --> 00:01:17.590 where people could learn about their Judaism 00:01:17.590 --> 00:01:23.659 and become more involved. And different from 00:01:23.659 --> 00:01:27.620 what maybe the older generation then had experienced, 00:01:27.959 --> 00:01:29.719 because most many people had come from a more 00:01:29.719 --> 00:01:34.000 traditional aspect, and this was a more interpretive 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:39.019 understanding of observance and practice, and 00:01:39.019 --> 00:01:46.879 even some of ideals. And then I did the kinds 00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:50.939 of things which build Jewish leaders. I went 00:01:50.939 --> 00:01:55.219 to a Jewish overnight summer camp, which is created 00:01:55.219 --> 00:01:58.120 really just for those, somewhat for those purposes. 00:01:58.379 --> 00:02:01.260 And when I went to university, I went to Brandeis 00:02:01.260 --> 00:02:03.079 University, which at that time had a majority 00:02:03.079 --> 00:02:06.379 of Jewish population. And it was created because 00:02:06.379 --> 00:02:10.219 Jews were excluded from other universities. And 00:02:10.219 --> 00:02:13.439 so this university was created in 1948. And so 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:17.020 I was also surrounded there by an environment 00:02:17.020 --> 00:02:20.159 which made... like in camp, like at home, about 00:02:20.159 --> 00:02:23.919 being Jewish as being something that was really 00:02:23.919 --> 00:02:28.500 positive, life -affirming, community -affirming, 00:02:28.560 --> 00:02:34.879 and the ideas of we become better people by following 00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:38.039 the tenets and the laws and serving God and serving 00:02:38.039 --> 00:02:42.400 others. It just fit with who I was and I really 00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:44.939 liked it. I'm one of four kids. I'm the only 00:02:44.939 --> 00:02:48.039 one who's a rabbi. My parents weren't religious 00:02:48.039 --> 00:02:50.300 per se and they weren't really even observant. 00:02:50.300 --> 00:02:52.479 I became the most observant of the family. Now 00:02:52.479 --> 00:02:55.879 my siblings have really come back more. And so 00:02:55.879 --> 00:03:00.020 that's, and then I went to, after undergrad too, 00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:02.860 then I decided to become a rabbi and went through 00:03:02.860 --> 00:03:06.360 a five -year rabbinic program and ended up in 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:10.340 my first. full -time rabbi job, the director 00:03:10.340 --> 00:03:12.460 of the Hillel Jewish Student Center at the University 00:03:12.460 --> 00:03:15.240 of Miami. And that's what brought me down to 00:03:15.240 --> 00:03:18.259 South Florida and I was able to stay in South 00:03:18.259 --> 00:03:20.759 Florida and move to a number of different positions 00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:24.759 now, one of the rabbis at Temple Beth Am. So 00:03:24.759 --> 00:03:28.919 I think that Judaism did and does afford me an 00:03:28.919 --> 00:03:35.300 opportunity to grow spiritually, grow as a person 00:03:35.300 --> 00:03:38.900 who's social -minded. grow as somebody who's 00:03:38.900 --> 00:03:43.340 connected to the divine, connected to God, and 00:03:43.340 --> 00:03:46.740 to think about how God wants me to live. And 00:03:46.740 --> 00:03:50.939 it makes me be better and do better. So that's 00:03:50.939 --> 00:03:55.639 my sort of religious component. As an undergrad, 00:03:55.759 --> 00:03:58.219 I studied Near Eastern and Judaic studies. So 00:03:58.219 --> 00:04:02.960 that was the Near East and Jewish life as well. 00:04:03.080 --> 00:04:07.530 So that's what brought me, I think. to this position 00:04:07.530 --> 00:04:11.490 and to this life that I've been living for 62 00:04:11.490 --> 00:04:15.289 years now, I can say. And raising my children 00:04:15.289 --> 00:04:19.310 the same way. What are the core values of Judaism 00:04:19.310 --> 00:04:24.629 for you? The core values of Judaism would be 00:04:24.629 --> 00:04:33.649 to love God, to love your neighbor, to do mitzvot, 00:04:33.649 --> 00:04:37.060 which are Jewish obligations. Some are positive, 00:04:37.160 --> 00:04:39.980 and some are to do things, and some are the not 00:04:39.980 --> 00:04:44.779 to do, or other words, commandments. To recognize 00:04:44.779 --> 00:04:50.120 that the world is a very big world, and that 00:04:50.120 --> 00:04:54.620 we are part of it, and that there's a mission 00:04:54.620 --> 00:04:57.060 involved in Judaism to make the world a better 00:04:57.060 --> 00:05:02.459 place. And I would say... Also, I would say for 00:05:02.459 --> 00:05:05.920 most Jews, a connection to the ancient homeland 00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:12.879 in Israel and the state of Israel. Okay. Before 00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:16.800 we get to Israel, I mean, one of the aspects 00:05:16.800 --> 00:05:21.300 of Jewish theology that's important is this idea 00:05:21.300 --> 00:05:24.040 of tikkun olam. Can you talk to us a little bit 00:05:24.040 --> 00:05:26.139 about that? Sure. That's what I meant by social 00:05:26.139 --> 00:05:30.310 justice. So tikkun olam... is a Hebrew phrase 00:05:30.310 --> 00:05:33.810 which means to repair the world. And if we look 00:05:33.810 --> 00:05:36.490 at many of the mitzvot and the commandments of 00:05:36.490 --> 00:05:39.389 the Torah, they are all about repairing the world. 00:05:40.029 --> 00:05:46.170 So last week we read, be holy because I, the 00:05:46.170 --> 00:05:52.610 Lord your God, am holy. Simple things like, don't 00:05:52.610 --> 00:05:57.170 hold a laborer's wages until the next day. I 00:05:57.170 --> 00:05:59.430 always joke that when my kids were little, I 00:05:59.430 --> 00:06:01.769 would have a babysitter. And in those days, we 00:06:01.769 --> 00:06:03.750 didn't demo people. You had to use cash. If I 00:06:03.750 --> 00:06:04.990 didn't have cash, I'm like, oh, I'm going to 00:06:04.990 --> 00:06:07.129 give you the money tomorrow. It's totally against 00:06:07.129 --> 00:06:10.550 the law. You can't do that. Leave the corners 00:06:10.550 --> 00:06:14.769 of your field for those who are hungry. And so 00:06:14.769 --> 00:06:18.069 that means feed people who are hungry. Don't 00:06:18.069 --> 00:06:21.259 play stumbling blocks. before the blind and don't 00:06:21.259 --> 00:06:23.680 curse the deaf. Don't take advantage of people 00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:27.980 who are vulnerable in society. So those are really 00:06:27.980 --> 00:06:32.540 some of the ideas of Tikkun Olam. It's a social 00:06:32.540 --> 00:06:35.420 justice idea, how to protect those who are weaker. 00:06:35.620 --> 00:06:40.959 And if we look at the whole reason for a Torah, 00:06:41.120 --> 00:06:43.540 it makes individual better, but how do you do 00:06:43.540 --> 00:06:45.980 that? The whole role of Torah is really to protect 00:06:45.980 --> 00:06:52.899 the powerless. And so the idea of marriage, which 00:06:52.899 --> 00:06:55.079 is for us today, we would look like, oh, that 00:06:55.079 --> 00:06:58.060 doesn't make sense. But it protected women who 00:06:58.060 --> 00:07:02.379 are powerless. Don't oppress the stranger or 00:07:02.379 --> 00:07:04.459 the widow or the child. We read approximately 00:07:04.459 --> 00:07:07.779 36 times. They are the ones who didn't have any 00:07:07.779 --> 00:07:11.209 power. And so, so many of the laws of Torah and 00:07:11.209 --> 00:07:13.709 so much of Tikkun Olam is how do you protect 00:07:13.709 --> 00:07:16.970 those who are powerless? And as an extension 00:07:16.970 --> 00:07:18.670 of that, how do you make sure that people have 00:07:18.670 --> 00:07:23.689 their own individual power and voice? Okay. Wow, 00:07:23.810 --> 00:07:25.329 that's wonderful. I mean, it's a very beautiful 00:07:25.329 --> 00:07:29.009 way of thinking about sort of your mission in 00:07:29.009 --> 00:07:31.870 the world and kind of what you're trying to accomplish. 00:07:34.509 --> 00:07:39.920 I think... So you were saying that you are the 00:07:39.920 --> 00:07:42.800 first person in your family, or you were the 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:45.980 only person in your family to become a rabbi, 00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:49.360 and it seems like you were the most observant 00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:53.139 out of a lot of your family. Was there a moment 00:07:53.139 --> 00:07:57.519 that changed you as you look back to say, okay, 00:07:57.579 --> 00:08:00.180 well, this was something that happened that really 00:08:00.180 --> 00:08:04.480 got me much more interested? I really need to 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:10.709 say that... My path was really an evolution helped, 00:08:11.730 --> 00:08:15.569 shaped by my community. Okay. So there wasn't 00:08:15.569 --> 00:08:21.750 really one point, except that as a child, I didn't 00:08:21.750 --> 00:08:24.029 know any women rabbis. Right. Because they didn't 00:08:24.029 --> 00:08:26.269 exist. Right. So I didn't know a woman rabbi, 00:08:26.269 --> 00:08:28.709 probably personally, until I was in high school. 00:08:28.889 --> 00:08:31.430 Okay. So before that... it would never occur 00:08:31.430 --> 00:08:34.169 to me. Although I do know some women who always 00:08:34.169 --> 00:08:35.909 thought they wanted to be rabbis, even though 00:08:35.909 --> 00:08:37.830 they knew women weren't allowed to be rabbis. 00:08:37.850 --> 00:08:40.029 That didn't occur to me, and I just didn't think 00:08:40.029 --> 00:08:47.269 about it. And as I was in college, and I was 00:08:47.269 --> 00:08:52.490 involved in Jewish movements on campus and religious 00:08:52.490 --> 00:08:56.649 things and Zionist things, and I had a conversation 00:08:56.649 --> 00:08:59.919 with... the rabbi who I grew up with, and he 00:08:59.919 --> 00:09:01.340 was like, well, what are you going to do when 00:09:01.340 --> 00:09:03.740 you graduate? It's a typical conversation. I 00:09:03.740 --> 00:09:06.399 have that conversation all the time. You probably 00:09:06.399 --> 00:09:09.059 have that here on campus all the time. And I 00:09:09.059 --> 00:09:11.059 said, well, I don't know, graduate school, maybe 00:09:11.059 --> 00:09:13.879 I'll do, there was a degree in New York that 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:17.899 was a Jewish education degree and social work 00:09:17.899 --> 00:09:20.500 degree. And he was like, well, you know, as long 00:09:20.500 --> 00:09:21.879 as you're going to do that, why don't you think 00:09:21.879 --> 00:09:23.559 about going to rabbinic school? Because you have 00:09:23.559 --> 00:09:27.389 aspects of that work. And it may be a better 00:09:27.389 --> 00:09:30.990 lifestyle. So I was like, oh, that's an interesting 00:09:30.990 --> 00:09:32.649 idea. So that could have been like the point 00:09:32.649 --> 00:09:35.009 where I first initially started to think about 00:09:35.009 --> 00:09:37.269 it. And then I actually read the letters I would 00:09:37.269 --> 00:09:40.509 get from this reform movement. Recruitment letters 00:09:40.509 --> 00:09:43.049 come to a weekend and learn about the graduate 00:09:43.049 --> 00:09:45.529 programs we have. And then I was like, oh, okay, 00:09:45.590 --> 00:09:49.230 these two make sense. I'll do it. And so that's 00:09:49.230 --> 00:09:51.070 really what happened. But it wasn't sort of like 00:09:51.070 --> 00:09:54.629 any divine thing that happened. It was more of 00:09:54.629 --> 00:09:58.259 a... Okay, so thinking about my future career, 00:09:58.460 --> 00:10:01.440 what's the best way I can be true to how I want 00:10:01.440 --> 00:10:07.100 to live and what I enjoy doing? Yeah, so being 00:10:07.100 --> 00:10:13.720 a female rabbi is something that exists in the 00:10:13.720 --> 00:10:16.059 Reformed tradition. and the conservative and 00:10:16.059 --> 00:10:19.720 now what we call the reconstructionist tradition 00:10:19.720 --> 00:10:22.500 and so and sometimes the movements are a little 00:10:22.500 --> 00:10:25.539 bit more fluid so there are others but yes okay 00:10:25.539 --> 00:10:28.700 non -orthodoxy non -traditional non -traditional 00:10:28.700 --> 00:10:34.440 okay so but from my understanding um your um 00:10:34.440 --> 00:10:37.100 rabbinic credentials would not be accepted in 00:10:37.100 --> 00:10:41.019 israel then is that right so this is how it works 00:10:41.019 --> 00:10:46.860 okay there is a progressive what we call reform. 00:10:47.080 --> 00:10:49.000 Other parts of the world will use the word progressive 00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:54.259 movement in Israel. And there are reform women 00:10:54.259 --> 00:10:59.799 rabbis in Israel. And, like in many parts of 00:10:59.799 --> 00:11:04.080 the world, like in Europe, religion is state 00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:06.519 -funded. Unlike the United States, religion is 00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:10.720 state -funded. So, in terms of getting funding 00:11:10.720 --> 00:11:14.340 or recognized by the state, Not so much. For 00:11:14.340 --> 00:11:20.440 example, officiating at a wedding, which is a 00:11:20.440 --> 00:11:24.899 legal document, the same as a traditional rabbi, 00:11:25.039 --> 00:11:31.820 not really. That would not happen. So it is different, 00:11:31.899 --> 00:11:37.700 and you don't have the same, I would say, availability. 00:11:37.919 --> 00:11:42.720 You don't have the same privileges as... as traditional 00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:46.600 rabbis. That is an ongoing struggle that the 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:50.919 liberal and progressive movement has in Israel. 00:11:51.080 --> 00:11:52.840 In Israel, yeah. No, it's very interesting because 00:11:52.840 --> 00:11:56.700 I think that it echoes kind of also within Christianity 00:11:56.700 --> 00:12:00.879 as well, that there were these questions. mid 00:12:00.879 --> 00:12:03.139 -20th century in terms of women sort of, you 00:12:03.139 --> 00:12:04.779 know, being ordained and you see that in the 00:12:04.779 --> 00:12:07.639 Episcopal tradition and other traditions. You 00:12:07.639 --> 00:12:09.000 definitely don't have it in the Islamic tradition 00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:11.679 at this point. Right. So, like, the way I understand 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:16.000 it, so, or the way that I envision it, like, 00:12:16.139 --> 00:12:21.519 I do care and it's important. Right. But there 00:12:21.519 --> 00:12:23.580 are certain things, like, there are certain legal 00:12:23.580 --> 00:12:25.399 things that could change, right? And it's real 00:12:25.399 --> 00:12:28.039 that there could be, and there are many rulings 00:12:28.039 --> 00:12:30.720 for the Supreme Court that ruled in in favor 00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:33.480 of a case fought by the progressive or reform 00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:36.980 movement. So, right, so state can do that. But 00:12:36.980 --> 00:12:39.799 in terms of someone's own religious thinking, 00:12:40.019 --> 00:12:42.259 of what someone who's traditional will think, 00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:44.799 and even among tradition, it's a spectrum. So 00:12:44.799 --> 00:12:46.580 not everybody along tradition. There are plenty 00:12:46.580 --> 00:12:49.360 of people who will claim themselves as observant 00:12:49.360 --> 00:12:52.860 or orthodox who totally accept reform as a different 00:12:52.860 --> 00:12:56.460 way of doing things. I don't really get involved 00:12:56.460 --> 00:12:59.240 so much as people I know who observe a certain 00:12:59.240 --> 00:13:02.419 way and I know that the way they observe doesn't 00:13:02.419 --> 00:13:06.240 really have a place for me as a Jewish officiant, 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:09.460 as a rabbi. I don't care. Because I'm not really 00:13:09.460 --> 00:13:11.340 going in that world. When I go into that world, 00:13:11.399 --> 00:13:14.740 I'm a visitor. I'm a Jewish person. I'm not going 00:13:14.740 --> 00:13:17.399 to have that fight because it doesn't matter. 00:13:17.539 --> 00:13:19.840 I operate in a different world. Right, sure, 00:13:19.899 --> 00:13:24.090 sure. So, yeah, that's... And again, when I explain 00:13:24.090 --> 00:13:26.490 Judaism, Judaism is really almost Judaism. There's 00:13:26.490 --> 00:13:32.049 a big spectrum of belief and practice and what 00:13:32.049 --> 00:13:35.049 one person says. Even among the Orthodox, if 00:13:35.049 --> 00:13:38.190 somebody has a specific question, the question 00:13:38.190 --> 00:13:41.830 is, ask your rabbi. There's not a central authority 00:13:41.830 --> 00:13:45.009 like the Catholic Church. So once there isn't 00:13:45.009 --> 00:13:48.149 a central authority, there is interpretation, 00:13:48.490 --> 00:13:51.580 no matter what stream of the faith. No matter 00:13:51.580 --> 00:13:53.919 how observant or traditional you are, if there 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:56.179 isn't a central authority, there is interpretation. 00:13:56.899 --> 00:14:01.299 So the majority of American Jews are Reform. 00:14:01.779 --> 00:14:06.299 Is that right? The majority of the largest number 00:14:06.299 --> 00:14:08.559 of affiliated Jews in the United States would 00:14:08.559 --> 00:14:12.019 affiliate with Reform Judaism. There are plenty 00:14:12.019 --> 00:14:17.379 of people who just call themselves Jews. So the 00:14:17.379 --> 00:14:19.960 Pew Research Center does some studies on this. 00:14:20.920 --> 00:14:26.220 And it is, so yes, but then there are the people 00:14:26.220 --> 00:14:32.179 who don't answer. Okay. Okay. I mean, one of 00:14:32.179 --> 00:14:33.960 the advantages I think you have as kind of a, 00:14:33.960 --> 00:14:36.659 as a Jewish leader, and then, you know, connected 00:14:36.659 --> 00:14:39.720 kind of to not just the larger reform movement, 00:14:39.820 --> 00:14:42.320 but then, you know, the Jewish community worldwide, 00:14:42.480 --> 00:14:46.279 is you kind of, you can have a different perspective. 00:14:46.340 --> 00:14:48.240 You can kind of, kind of zoom in and zoom out 00:14:48.240 --> 00:14:52.820 a little bit. Where is the American Jewish community 00:14:52.820 --> 00:14:57.940 today? In terms of what? Just in terms of their 00:14:57.940 --> 00:15:03.759 vitality, their perspective on sort of, you know, 00:15:03.779 --> 00:15:05.940 the religious life that is here, the political 00:15:05.940 --> 00:15:09.659 life of being American. Where do you see American 00:15:09.659 --> 00:15:12.279 Jews? Yeah, so I can't even answer. I wouldn't 00:15:12.279 --> 00:15:14.659 even be able to answer because there isn't one. 00:15:14.919 --> 00:15:18.720 I can't say the American Jewish community. believes 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:22.299 X or believes Y. In terms of American politics, 00:15:22.539 --> 00:15:28.019 in terms of the future of Jews in America, I 00:15:28.019 --> 00:15:31.220 think that the only thing I may say is people 00:15:31.220 --> 00:15:34.259 are worried about anti -Semitism today where 00:15:34.259 --> 00:15:38.120 I never had that growing up and my children didn't 00:15:38.120 --> 00:15:40.139 have that and they've just experienced it recently. 00:15:41.340 --> 00:15:47.000 So except for that, I can't speak like the American 00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:49.840 Jewish community believes X or believes Y. Right, 00:15:49.840 --> 00:15:53.720 right. Okay. So what about you personally? How 00:15:53.720 --> 00:15:58.460 do I think? Yeah, what do you think? Well, I 00:15:58.460 --> 00:16:04.259 think that America is a great place to be Jewish. 00:16:05.039 --> 00:16:08.279 If I could pick any other place in the world, 00:16:08.360 --> 00:16:12.750 it would be... next to Israel, but for different 00:16:12.750 --> 00:16:15.269 reasons than I would pick America. So it's not 00:16:15.269 --> 00:16:20.049 the same witness test. America gives us the most 00:16:20.049 --> 00:16:25.029 freedoms, the most protections, the most broad 00:16:25.029 --> 00:16:29.750 way of living as a Jew. And so that's all great. 00:16:30.250 --> 00:16:34.629 And I think that the community, you know, there 00:16:34.629 --> 00:16:38.919 are a number of articles written that the golden 00:16:38.919 --> 00:16:43.019 age of American jewelry seems to be ending, where 00:16:43.019 --> 00:16:50.620 there was real access and growth. And I don't 00:16:50.620 --> 00:16:52.539 necessarily believe that's true, because I still 00:16:52.539 --> 00:16:59.679 believe that we have the mobility needed, and 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:03.379 I think we have the education still available 00:17:03.379 --> 00:17:09.849 to us. Yes, there is anti -Semitism. There's 00:17:09.849 --> 00:17:13.329 a very funny sort of joke, and I don't have the 00:17:13.329 --> 00:17:16.029 whole thing, but can you imagine telling somebody 00:17:16.029 --> 00:17:20.009 100 years ago or 150 years ago that there were 00:17:20.009 --> 00:17:23.029 protests against Jews on college campuses, and 00:17:23.029 --> 00:17:24.809 the person you're speaking to from Poland would 00:17:24.809 --> 00:17:27.309 say, you mean Jews are allowed to go to college? 00:17:27.630 --> 00:17:32.089 Right. So in those cases, in that instance, we 00:17:32.089 --> 00:17:34.769 don't want it bad, we want it better. So I am 00:17:34.769 --> 00:17:39.599 still... a believer that America is still a wonderful 00:17:39.599 --> 00:17:42.839 place to be Jewish. Nothing's perfect and we 00:17:42.839 --> 00:17:47.339 still need to make sure that we do have safety 00:17:47.339 --> 00:17:52.420 and we do have a community to be a part of and 00:17:52.420 --> 00:17:55.920 not to be, not to feel like isolated, but to 00:17:55.920 --> 00:17:59.960 feel like we have done in the last 20, 30, I'd 00:17:59.960 --> 00:18:03.579 say 20, 30, 40, even 50 years, a part of a community 00:18:03.579 --> 00:18:06.599 not separate from the American community. Okay. 00:18:06.900 --> 00:18:10.660 There is a feeling now of being more isolated 00:18:10.660 --> 00:18:13.579 and on the outside. I mean, we took the first 00:18:13.579 --> 00:18:18.000 150 years of 200 years of this country to try 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:21.759 to feel a part of. And I think we did for a long 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:25.700 time. And now there is a feeling of maybe not 00:18:25.700 --> 00:18:30.839 being a part of it. Okay. So talk to me about 00:18:30.839 --> 00:18:38.319 what does Israel mean to you? Okay. So Israel, 00:18:38.660 --> 00:18:46.640 going back to biblical times, has been the origin 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:52.259 story of the Jewish people. And when I visit 00:18:52.259 --> 00:18:59.799 Israel and you see something that was built in 00:18:59.799 --> 00:19:02.980 King David's time, right? And you see... all 00:19:02.980 --> 00:19:06.220 of these places that have gone back to biblical 00:19:06.220 --> 00:19:08.599 times and you feel the stones and you see it 00:19:08.599 --> 00:19:12.079 and you and um so historically and religiously 00:19:12.079 --> 00:19:14.779 we've always had from our prayers and the destruction 00:19:14.779 --> 00:19:19.279 of of Jerusalem in the year 586 before the common 00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:23.180 era there's always been a constant returning 00:19:23.180 --> 00:19:25.519 and people always being in Israel so Israel's 00:19:25.519 --> 00:19:30.509 always a spiritual homeland And since the beginning 00:19:30.509 --> 00:19:34.809 of Zionism in the 1800s, when other national 00:19:34.809 --> 00:19:40.569 movements began to create a feeling of nationality, 00:19:40.609 --> 00:19:44.970 then I also believe it's a political place, too. 00:19:45.109 --> 00:19:48.869 So those two things are very much intertwined. 00:19:49.190 --> 00:19:52.089 I would say, too, if I gave something else about 00:19:52.089 --> 00:19:53.849 the American Jewish community, to most American 00:19:53.849 --> 00:19:57.809 Jews, there is this... commitment and feeling 00:19:57.809 --> 00:20:01.789 that it's not a separate part. It may not be 00:20:01.789 --> 00:20:05.950 a primary residence or even a place that you 00:20:05.950 --> 00:20:09.509 maybe have only visited once, but it's not completely 00:20:09.509 --> 00:20:14.970 separate either. And what's interesting is in 00:20:14.970 --> 00:20:17.750 our Jewish -Muslim dialogue and other interfaith 00:20:17.750 --> 00:20:22.049 dialogue, I think that's the hardest idea that 00:20:22.049 --> 00:20:25.890 I have to express to people. It's something that 00:20:25.890 --> 00:20:31.089 I was first surprised that people didn't get, 00:20:31.190 --> 00:20:33.809 especially people who are immigrants from other 00:20:33.809 --> 00:20:39.789 countries. So, for example, there's a large Jewish 00:20:39.789 --> 00:20:42.029 population that came from Arab countries, from 00:20:42.029 --> 00:20:45.869 Morocco, Tunisia, Iran, Iraq. And that was the 00:20:45.869 --> 00:20:52.529 Yemen, even. And that was their... the place 00:20:52.529 --> 00:20:56.890 where they lived for hundreds of years. And yet 00:20:56.890 --> 00:21:01.430 they had another soul that was in Israel. And 00:21:01.430 --> 00:21:05.690 so that they were able to be a part of both societies. 00:21:07.470 --> 00:21:14.569 So the idea of this kinship, and I think that's 00:21:14.569 --> 00:21:17.609 really a good way to describe it because it's 00:21:17.609 --> 00:21:20.250 not only historical and it's not something that 00:21:20.250 --> 00:21:22.660 was only post - Holocaust, that it's a place 00:21:22.660 --> 00:21:25.279 that came post -Holocaust for the safety of the 00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:27.160 Jews, although that's when it ended up to be, 00:21:27.339 --> 00:21:31.720 it's always been a part of Jewish life. And I 00:21:31.720 --> 00:21:36.279 would say it feels more like a kinship than anything 00:21:36.279 --> 00:21:39.980 else. And it really is still hard to express. 00:21:40.299 --> 00:21:42.779 And I think for many years, we didn't have to 00:21:42.779 --> 00:21:47.920 explain it. And maybe now more people are asking 00:21:47.920 --> 00:21:59.759 about that. Maybe it's a feeling also. It doesn't 00:21:59.759 --> 00:22:01.700 work for all Jews because not all Jews have gone 00:22:01.700 --> 00:22:04.960 to Israel, but Miami is one of the cities with 00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:06.900 the largest proportion of Jews who have visited 00:22:06.900 --> 00:22:11.000 Israel in the country. There is a difference 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:15.180 in feeling like you're among the majority and 00:22:15.180 --> 00:22:17.359 you don't have to explain who you are. Instead 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:22.430 of being 2%. And you have to explain to most 00:22:22.430 --> 00:22:26.029 people you meet who you are, what you feel like, 00:22:26.029 --> 00:22:28.910 what you eat, what you believe, how you dress. 00:22:30.170 --> 00:22:34.509 And so I think that feeling is a feeling of family 00:22:34.509 --> 00:22:39.650 and closeness. And it's good to feel sometimes 00:22:39.650 --> 00:22:42.890 you're in the majority. Okay. Yeah, I can definitely 00:22:42.890 --> 00:22:45.730 understand that. I think it's very different. 00:22:47.069 --> 00:22:52.210 because you have a lot more Muslims in the world 00:22:52.210 --> 00:22:58.190 as a whole. And as much as Mecca and Medina are 00:22:58.190 --> 00:23:04.130 sacred and the society is important, it's a spiritual 00:23:04.130 --> 00:23:09.349 center rather than the constitutive of all of 00:23:09.349 --> 00:23:12.170 Islam. And so I think it's a very different sort 00:23:12.170 --> 00:23:14.730 of relationship, I think, that Muslims have towards. 00:23:15.549 --> 00:23:17.769 Mecca and Medina and sort of the land of Saudi 00:23:17.769 --> 00:23:21.029 Arabia. But we can definitely understand, you 00:23:21.029 --> 00:23:23.150 know, sort of the spiritual significance within 00:23:23.150 --> 00:23:27.390 Judaism. The interfaith work that you do, why 00:23:27.390 --> 00:23:32.029 is it important? It's important because we all 00:23:32.029 --> 00:23:36.450 live together. Sure. And it's better to understand 00:23:36.450 --> 00:23:39.609 people and be close to them than not understand 00:23:39.609 --> 00:23:44.430 them. And I think our world is better. for when 00:23:44.430 --> 00:23:48.589 we are able to understand people or able to hear 00:23:48.589 --> 00:23:52.890 sometimes their perspectives or even what's important 00:23:52.890 --> 00:23:55.789 to them. And different faiths hold different 00:23:55.789 --> 00:23:58.250 beliefs and different things are important and 00:23:58.250 --> 00:23:59.930 different practices are important and different 00:23:59.930 --> 00:24:03.730 ways of seeing the world. So, you know, I do 00:24:03.730 --> 00:24:08.670 work with people who are converting into Judaism. 00:24:08.890 --> 00:24:12.630 And when I speak to them, and they're first trying 00:24:12.630 --> 00:24:15.490 to explore, some people come from a religious 00:24:15.490 --> 00:24:17.730 faith, some people don't. I'm like, well, religion 00:24:17.730 --> 00:24:22.569 is really different ways to articulate a relationship 00:24:22.569 --> 00:24:27.710 with God. So Judaism is one way to articulate 00:24:27.710 --> 00:24:32.150 a relationship with God. And I think, and I believe 00:24:32.150 --> 00:24:34.569 that's true. Now that's on a religious level, 00:24:34.650 --> 00:24:37.430 but Judaism is also a kind of peoplehood, which 00:24:37.430 --> 00:24:40.269 I think is a little different than Islam, because 00:24:40.269 --> 00:24:44.039 Islam has, different ethno -religious groups 00:24:44.039 --> 00:24:48.400 within it. You know, there are Africans and Southeast 00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:53.099 Asians and Arabs, and Persians. And Jews, even 00:24:53.099 --> 00:24:55.019 though they have different somewhat ethno -religious 00:24:55.019 --> 00:24:59.339 groups, it's so much smaller. That is a closer 00:24:59.339 --> 00:25:02.799 connection to a people, though. Jews from Morocco 00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:05.559 are very different from Jews from Poland in their 00:25:05.559 --> 00:25:11.779 origins. now that's blended together so so religion 00:25:11.779 --> 00:25:14.759 is a way to articulate a relationship with God 00:25:14.759 --> 00:25:16.700 and that's a little bit different than peoplehood 00:25:16.700 --> 00:25:21.119 and you know from the day I got I got to Miami 00:25:21.119 --> 00:25:24.839 I've loved living in Miami okay I just love it 00:25:24.839 --> 00:25:26.720 and even though I lived in the Northeast which 00:25:26.720 --> 00:25:31.460 is pretty diverse the cult maybe because it's 00:25:31.460 --> 00:25:33.599 the warm weather I don't know the cultural diversity 00:25:33.599 --> 00:25:39.829 in Miami brings a warmth and a flavor and a way 00:25:39.829 --> 00:25:44.569 of, I think, more trying to have people participate 00:25:44.569 --> 00:25:48.670 in somebody else's cultural, religious life than 00:25:48.670 --> 00:25:52.450 in other places. And that's completely anecdotal. 00:25:52.549 --> 00:25:54.269 It may have nothing to do with anything, but 00:25:54.269 --> 00:25:58.349 I feel like in Miami, there's more of an invitation 00:25:58.349 --> 00:26:01.849 to participate in how somebody else lives. Oh, 00:26:01.910 --> 00:26:03.849 I definitely agree with that, yeah. And I think 00:26:03.849 --> 00:26:08.230 that's... makes this town better. It makes it 00:26:08.230 --> 00:26:11.509 more understanding. It makes it closer to each 00:26:11.509 --> 00:26:13.930 other. It makes kids go to school better together. 00:26:14.170 --> 00:26:16.849 Again, you know, not perfect. I am speaking somewhat 00:26:16.849 --> 00:26:23.369 ideally. So I think that those are like the practical 00:26:23.369 --> 00:26:27.470 reasons why I do interfaith work. And of course, 00:26:27.490 --> 00:26:31.029 Judaism was never a proselytizing religion. So 00:26:31.029 --> 00:26:35.740 Jews were always forced to convert to other religions 00:26:35.740 --> 00:26:38.539 but never looked to have people join them. And 00:26:38.539 --> 00:26:41.180 so in that way, traditionally we were somewhat 00:26:41.180 --> 00:26:44.319 afraid of mixing with others because others wanted 00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:48.440 you to believe like they believe. But I think 00:26:48.440 --> 00:26:51.440 we've reached a point where we don't have to 00:26:51.440 --> 00:26:54.259 be so worried about that. We can say no if we 00:26:54.259 --> 00:26:58.359 don't want to and we can embrace other people's 00:26:58.359 --> 00:27:00.779 differences and ways of doing things and see 00:27:00.779 --> 00:27:05.220 how it adds to the richness of the mosaic, tapestry, 00:27:05.599 --> 00:27:08.839 whatever you want to call this city that we live 00:27:08.839 --> 00:27:10.940 in. Yeah, no, I agree. I mean, I think that's 00:27:10.940 --> 00:27:14.619 something that's been, even for me, I think that 00:27:14.619 --> 00:27:18.880 working with Temple Beth Am and kind of the Jewish 00:27:18.880 --> 00:27:24.140 community, you don't have that, the challenge, 00:27:25.319 --> 00:27:30.240 I mean, of wanting to be, feeling that someone 00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:32.950 is trying to convert you either. And I think 00:27:32.950 --> 00:27:36.690 that that's a big challenge, particularly for 00:27:36.690 --> 00:27:39.849 when you do interfaith work, especially with 00:27:39.849 --> 00:27:42.190 the evangelical community and stuff like that, 00:27:42.269 --> 00:27:46.069 the Christian community. There is this, not necessarily 00:27:46.069 --> 00:27:51.390 explicit, but there is this implicit desire to 00:27:51.390 --> 00:28:02.819 see Christ as a savior. But I think overall it's 00:28:02.819 --> 00:28:05.980 been, I mean, I'm very excited about, you know, 00:28:05.980 --> 00:28:09.140 where we're headed in terms of, you know, as 00:28:09.140 --> 00:28:12.779 the discussions get deeper and sort of more theologically 00:28:12.779 --> 00:28:16.519 sort of nuanced and also we're able to talk about 00:28:16.519 --> 00:28:20.099 the political, you know, sort of challenges of 00:28:20.099 --> 00:28:23.859 Palestine and Israel and how the conflict hopefully 00:28:23.859 --> 00:28:28.339 is. gearing towards a more peaceful resolution, 00:28:28.579 --> 00:28:31.599 or at least as much as... Well, I think theology 00:28:31.599 --> 00:28:36.420 is a lot easier to discuss than the real world. 00:28:38.519 --> 00:28:42.160 Again, Jews have always lived among others and 00:28:42.160 --> 00:28:45.680 always lived among Muslims. And there were times 00:28:45.680 --> 00:28:49.400 that were better and times that were less good 00:28:49.400 --> 00:28:52.420 in traditionally Muslim countries. So I don't 00:28:52.420 --> 00:28:56.359 think that... that that is so much of initially 00:28:56.359 --> 00:28:58.579 the way one sees how God wants them to live. 00:28:58.779 --> 00:29:03.480 But I think if one sees that, if one's faith 00:29:03.480 --> 00:29:06.240 wants another faith, again, to live differently 00:29:06.240 --> 00:29:09.519 or believe differently or live in a certain place 00:29:09.519 --> 00:29:12.299 and not another place, I think that's where the 00:29:12.299 --> 00:29:16.440 discrepancies and the difficulties come in. But 00:29:16.440 --> 00:29:18.680 how one believes, and certainly for Jews, how 00:29:18.680 --> 00:29:21.390 somebody else believes, it's okay. Live and let 00:29:21.390 --> 00:29:24.150 live according to that. And I think also the 00:29:24.150 --> 00:29:26.430 experience I have in the times that I've lived 00:29:26.430 --> 00:29:29.529 in Israel and the university where I studied 00:29:29.529 --> 00:29:33.349 in Israel, where it was a real mixing of cultures. 00:29:33.730 --> 00:29:37.170 And yes, neighborhoods were mostly different, 00:29:37.210 --> 00:29:42.230 but not completely. That there was more Miami 00:29:42.230 --> 00:29:45.230 life, that people were able to live together. 00:29:46.569 --> 00:29:49.509 Not always. not believe necessarily the same 00:29:49.509 --> 00:29:53.809 things but in the big picture of what do people 00:29:53.809 --> 00:29:56.750 want from their life they want to be they want 00:29:56.750 --> 00:29:59.230 to be safe they want to be productive they want 00:29:59.230 --> 00:30:03.750 to raise families I mean those very basic instincts 00:30:03.750 --> 00:30:07.630 of of humanity that that people have I think 00:30:07.630 --> 00:30:11.930 that is that is shared that is shared among many 00:30:11.930 --> 00:30:15.670 people I recently we haven't seen that but I 00:30:15.670 --> 00:30:19.539 believe that For many people, it is shared. And 00:30:19.539 --> 00:30:22.980 I think that's what I feel like is good to build 00:30:22.980 --> 00:30:26.660 on. That's why we always eat when we have. Agreed. 00:30:26.660 --> 00:30:29.259 Absolutely. We always eat when we come together. 00:30:29.319 --> 00:30:32.640 Exactly correct. Any final message that you want 00:30:32.640 --> 00:30:38.539 to give to our listeners? Okay. I would say that 00:30:38.539 --> 00:30:41.680 if you're a person of faith, no matter what faith, 00:30:41.920 --> 00:30:45.319 it's good to get out there and see how other 00:30:45.319 --> 00:30:49.900 people live. It may not resonate with you at 00:30:49.900 --> 00:30:53.339 all. It may even say, oh, I don't care for that. 00:30:53.420 --> 00:30:56.740 I really like what I do better. But it does let 00:30:56.740 --> 00:30:59.839 you see that there's more than one way to go 00:30:59.839 --> 00:31:02.579 through this life. It's almost like the way that 00:31:02.579 --> 00:31:05.359 people choose different careers. And you would 00:31:05.359 --> 00:31:08.240 say, oh, my parents only wanted me to be an engineer. 00:31:08.539 --> 00:31:11.619 And if I'm not an engineer, I certainly can't 00:31:11.619 --> 00:31:13.359 be an artist. But then you see, oh, my goodness, 00:31:13.500 --> 00:31:15.599 there are paths for people, so many different 00:31:15.599 --> 00:31:18.559 paths. And I think that if we can acknowledge 00:31:18.559 --> 00:31:22.720 other people's paths and find what is good in 00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:26.799 them and what's honest and built with integrity, 00:31:27.119 --> 00:31:29.619 then we can help make this world a better place. 00:31:29.980 --> 00:31:31.619 All right. Well, thank you so much, Rabbi. I 00:31:31.619 --> 00:31:34.599 really appreciate your time. your leadership, 00:31:34.819 --> 00:31:37.200 you know, not just your interfaith work and for 00:31:37.200 --> 00:31:39.180 the Jewish community, but particularly engaging 00:31:39.180 --> 00:31:41.180 in this sort of dialogue. So we really appreciate 00:31:41.180 --> 00:31:43.000 it. My pleasure. Thanks.