After a BYS-free Rosh Hashanah, plenty on Yom Kippur: the synagogue president, in the fundraising shpiel, attempted to raise the final $1 million of the shul's still-uncompleted $9 million re-construction project, arguing that such a project not only strengthens our community, but also Jewish communities in "New York, London, Hong Kong, and Moscow" [Huh???? How does it affect the lives of Jews halfway across the world if we have a nicer building?]
First runner-up is the guy in front of us at services this afternoon, who was wearing the full kippah and prayer shawl, but spent the entire Yom Kippur service visibly chewing gum, while the rest of us fasted in silence. Easy fast, my ass.
And finally, the following paragraph appears in the reform (yes, reform) prayer book, and was read at shul today:
We pray for all who hold positions of leadership and responsibility in our national life. Let Your blessing rest upon them, and make them responsive to Your will, so that our nation may be to the world an example of justice and compassion.Huh? It's the reform movement's position that our leaders should be responsive to God's will? What about separation of church and state? Isn't that the sort of thing that these guys would appear to be into?
But on the bright side, the rabbi (in an entertaining sermon) did delve into the issue that Jews just love to complain. He did it lovingly and jokingly, but regardless- that is one of those elephants in the room that rabbis never seem to acknowledge, but this rabbi did.
Posted by Stephen Silver at October 13, 2005 11:47 PMFYI--the Conservative movement's prayer books has a similar wording in it's "Prayer for the Gov't"
Posted by: jaws at October 14, 2005 07:22 PMThe Conservative one is much much worse. "We ask your blessing for our country, for its government, for its leader and advisors..." We're asking for blessing for Karl Rove???
Posted by: BZ at October 17, 2005 12:25 AM