Yom Kippur Morning
October 2, 2006
Rabbi Eric S. Gurvis

We've Got to Get Organized!

It was one of the hottest days this summer. Armed with directions from Mapquest, I set off for one of the most inspiring meetings I have ever attended. Trust me, I attend a lot of meetings. I often think of the words of philosopher Martin Buber in his landmark work "I and Thou" in which he says, "All real life is meeting." We rabbis often joke that in Jewish life that means meeting after meeting after meeting. My heart told me that this meeting on this mid-July morning would be different. So, one eye on the directions in my hand, and one eye on the unfamiliar streets I found my way to the Roxbury Presbyterian Church. I had been invited to join a group of leaders from the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, or GBIO, as it is more often known, for the first of a series of meetings with the Gubernatorial candidates in order to dialogue with them about issues of importance to GBIO and its constituent groups. Among the many issues on the agenda was the Universal Healthcare Initiative which GBIO had played so pivotal a role in passing last year. The GBIO leaders wanted to know where each candidate stood on funding the Healthcare initiative and making it real for the people of the Commonwealth. There were other questions on their minds as well, including violence in the streets, elder care, and more. I was excited see this diverse group of religious leaders in action, some of whom I had met in passing or observed from afar. I was also looking forward to meeting and hearing from the candidate, Deval Patrick. Don't worry, my comments this morning are not about his candidacy, nor are they an endorsement.

I expected there to be a crowd of people to be present for this sit-down with Deval Patrick. I had heard about GBIO's ability to turn out a good crowd for its "actions." I figured there would be dozens of clergy and I'd sit in the back and be a student of the process. I was eager to learn more about the process of what is known as Faith-Based Community Organizing. As I was ushered into the meeting room I noted it was quite small. I was stunned to find myself in a rather intimate group. Maybe there were six or seven of us present. Then a door opened and "The Rev," as they call him entered the room. You could feel how his presence both energized and focused the group. Rev. Hurmon Hamilton, the "Rev," is an impressive leader. I'd learned this when he spoke at last spring's JCRC Annual Meeting. I learned in July that he also knows how to make a newcomer feel instantly a part of the group. For about 90 minutes we strategized the approach the group would take in these meetings with the candidates. Roles were laid out for each person to play once the candidate entered the room. I learned rather quickly that there was no sitting back and being a student of the process. I, too, was assigned a part to play in the conversation with the candidate. An opening presentation and questions were prepared. So were strategies for following up depending on the candidate's responses to the group's concerns. This group knew what they wanted, and they were prepared to push respectfully, to challenge not only Deval Patrick, but each of the candidates with whom they would meet over the course of the summer. The meeting itself was impressive. I left inspired and energized by what I had been a part of that morning and sorry that my summer schedule would preclude my being a part of any of the other meetings. Just two weeks ago I attended another, larger GBIO event, the September 17th Candidates' Forum which was attended by over 1,000 people from over sixty congregations and organizations, including a few of us from Temple Shalom. Once again, I came away inspired and in awe of the power of the community built by GBIO and the leaders who are at the heart of its organizing.

Let's face it. We live in a broken world. Brokeness is all around us. There are hungry people B men, women and children. Hunger is a problem we should have eradicated long ago. But we haven't. There are increasing numbers of homeless. There are far too many people who do not have adequate, affordable access to health care. There is violence on our streets B maybe not so much on the streets of Newton, but we need not look too far. Our leaders both on Beacon Hill, and in Washington, DC, are all-too-often caught up in a game of blame and name-calling while the critical issues which face us as a country, and issues which impact real people, including some of us, go unaddressed. To be sure, there is power in Washington, DC. And there is power on Beacon Hill. But all-too-often the power is tangled up in knots, and leadership is lacking.

There is also power within the community. It is this power which all-too-often goes untapped. Yet, when the members of a community come together, get to know one another, and each other's concerns; when they join hearts, hands, minds and souls, the power resident in the members of a community can make incredible things happen. That is the story of an organization like GBIO. Likewise it is the story of organizations like Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries, and Jewish Funds for Justice. And it is the story of Social Action and Social Justice committees in synagogues, churches and mosques throughout our communities including ours.

I came to this congregation a little over seven years ago, shortly after the adoption of the statement of Vision and Values. One of the five principles we hold at the core of our identity as a congregation, and which is at the very core of Jewish tradition, is Tikkun Olam. Our tradition calls upon us l'taken ha-olam, to repair the world. As a congregation we have so much we can and should be proud of as we play our part in that task, from our food collections during these Holy Days as we collect some 9,000-10,000 pounds of food for the Newton Food Pantry, to our on-going efforts to provide food for Family Table; from our annual Mitzvah Mall to our ten years of Mitzvah Days; from the countless numbers of our members who have served at Sunday's Bread to the many members, young and old who have been a part of our work with Sandra's Lodge. And there is so much more. Our Temple Shalom Cares Hurricane Relief efforts last year were inspiring as we helped load a trailer for the Gulf Coast, provided nearly 100 backpacks filled with school supplies for students who had been displaced; helped fill another tractor trailer which was loaded with food and supplies at a Costco in Atlanta; helped families re-settle in our area; and supported our sister congregations in the south. Even now, another group of devoted members are leading our Temple Shalom Cares -- Save Darfur efforts and another group is working to support communities in the former Soviet Union. In the past month we have launched yet another Temple Shalom Cares effort, About Our Brothers and Sisters in Israel effort as we seek to bring comfort and support to our friends in Haifa and others in the northern part of Israel following this summer's events. We are doing good work. We understand that Tikkun Olam is important and we live that value. Leonard Fein teaches, "The most important reason for Judaism to survive is Tikkun Olam." Our efforts as a congregation, and those that each of us undertake in other venues of our lives, are important. They must continue. However, this morning, I want to challenge us to lift ourselves as individuals, and as a congregation, to the next level of the sacred work of Tikkun Olam, the level of Community Based Organizing.

Since last spring I have been part of a group of rabbis representing six Reform and Conservative congregations who have been meeting under the guidance of Larry Gordon, a community organizer who has recently joined the staffs of both the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston and GBIO. Our rabbis' group has been learning about this process of Community Organizing. And it is not just Rabbi Pearlman and me, nor the other rabbis, who have been a part of this learning process. Here at Temple Shalom, some dozen or more of our lay leaders have also been engaged, either in one-on-one conversations with Larry Gordon, or in larger meetings with rabbis and lay leaders from each of the other congregations.

Within this congregation we have the wisdom, talent, and the energy to play an even greater role in the work of Tikkun Olam. I want us to step up to that role by embarking on our own journey into community organizing. Community organizing draws on core themes from religious traditions that inspire people to work together for the betterment of their communities and for social justice. Key to community organizing is the idea that relationships, not issues, come first. Hence, no agenda has been set. In organizing, the first step is to train leaders who will learn about the process of building individual relationships between members of our community. Our action agenda will develop out of the issues that arise in our conversations as we share our values and concerns as members of one community. Everyone will be welcome to take part. Beginning later this month, in conjunction with the five other congregations, we will begin a series of training sessions, led by Larry Gordon. The goal is to train a group of people who will lead us as we embark as a congregation on this exciting, and I believe, life changing process of organizing. When I say life changing, I believe it will change the lives of those who are a part of it, at all levels. And it will change us as a congregation as we build ever-deeper relationships. Through one-on-one conversations and later, through house meetings, we will share our values and concerns. We will strengthen our sense of community. Out of this process will emerge that resident power which will enable us to speak to those in positions of obvious power, community leaders, politicians, and the like, as we seek l'taken olameynu, to repair our world. To begin I need people who are willing to step forward and join Temple Shalom's team for this training process. We need a group of people who are ready to step up to the challenge of organizing our congregation as we prepare to deepen our role in fixing this broken world of ours. If you are ready to be one of these people, or if you want to know more, let Rabbi Pearlman know, let me know. (Here e-mail works.)

My teacher, Rabbi Larry Kushner says, "Hermits and monasteries are noticeably absent from Jewish history; we are a hopelessly communal people." We have been working hard as a congregation to strengthen our sense of community. Kehillah, community, is another of our core congregational values. Through our Kehillah Task Force, Minyan, Sisterhood, Brotherhood, Bonim, Family Connection, our new group for Empty Nesters, committees and more, we strive to create opportunities for each of us to build and deepen relationships within the larger context of our congregational family. Community Organizing offers us the possibility of integrating our values-- we can engage in social justice work, even as we build a stronger sense of community, learn more about ourselves and our tradition.

There is also a place for our youth in this. Our newly reconfigured high school program includes a track entitled TELEM, "a major, new initiative to promote social justice among Jewish youth in Boston." Sponsored by JCRC, "TELEM integrates community service with learning, reflection, and opportunities to effect real change. The goal of this initiative is to make participation in meaningful community service and Jewish service learning a transformational rite of passage for Jewish youth in Boston." If you are a high school student, whether you are enrolled in our high school program or not, I invite you to become a part of this exciting new venture. To learn more, please be in touch with our Youth Educator, Drew Cohen.

On this day we gather to reflect on the meaning and direction of our lives. We examine our words, our deeds, our hearts and our souls as we dream of the year ahead of us. We gather in a world which is fractured, and sorely in need of redemption. In Hebrew we call redemption geulah. Along with creation and revelation, geulah, redemption, forms our tradition's view of the paradigm for human history. Rabbi Tzvi Blanchard teaches that "[Geulah] takes [the] possibilities inherent in creation and makes them real. In Judaism, redemption is primarily a social transformation. [It is] not the saving of individual souls. The redeemed world ...includes all nations. [In Judaism] Redemption is a world-transforming event." That transformation has to begin somewhere. We cannot simply wait for our elected leaders. We must act. At the start of this new year, let us seize this time to branch out in this new direction and expand our work for the redemption of the world and tikkun olam. In the words of Anne Frank, "How wonderful it is that no one need wait a single moment to start to improve the world."

Sitting in that conference room at the Roxbury Presbyterian Church, I felt a spirit, and a bond that had been created by a group of very diverse and very committed people. I challenge us, as a community to build such bonds, not only within our own congregation, but also with our sister congregations as we embark on this process in the training sessions that are coming up in a few weeks. I know that many in our midst want to feel a connection and a spirit-- maybe it's "religious," and maybe it comes from some other place-- but it can drive us and give our lives a sense of meaning. Is that not a part of what we are seeking this very day?

In his book, Principles of Spiritual Activism, Rabbi Avi Weiss writes: "The last word of the creation story is la'asot, "to do." In effect, God tells us, "I've created the world incompletely, imperfectly, and I leave it to you to finish that which I have started. In partnership we will redeem the world." Some of us feel we are partners with God in completing and perfecting creation. Others focus on the partnership we create amongst ourselves. The bottom line is that it is our mutual task and responsibility to work at perfecting this world. As Rabbi Weiss adds, "Most important, the goal of the spiritual activist is to do his or her share to redeem the world."

My friends, we stand at the threshold of a New Year. Let us enter it by committing ourselves, as individuals and as a congregation, to walk down this path of community organizing together. We will certainly change our relationships and ourselves. We will, I believe, through our efforts make some change somewhere in our larger community. I believe we can also change the world.