Tuesday, August 10, 2010

SPARKS

Occasionally, an otherwise irrelevant story carries on its back an element of significance. The discussions following Chelsea Clinton’s wedding to Marc Mezvinsky in of itself is newsworthy only because the bride is the daughter of a former President and the present Secretary of State. However in the Jewish world there is a strange dual image.

On the one hand the notion that the American version of royalty accepts a Jew in its midst represents a piercing of a glass ceiling. Especially as the groom came under the wedding canopy clad with a Kipa and Talit draped over his designer suit.

On the other hand a Jewish boy was marrying outside the faith. Not only was this an intermarriage, all the groom’s expressions of Jewish identity were made on Shabbat itself. Strictly speaking from the perspective of Jewish Law once one decides not to marry Jewish the Jewish elements employed in the ceremony including the participation of Jewish clergy is an affront before G-D, which is only magnified by the event occurring on Shabbat.

Others see amid the unarguably negative aspects of Clinton Mezvinsky nuptials there is a dim but bright light of the groom unabashed assertion of Jewish Identity.

Recently, two Orthodox Rabbis one a Black Hatter the other a Modern Orthodox Rav each essentially argued the positions outlined above. As the reader [thank you for stopping by] might have guessed there is another dimension under which this event can be analyzed.

The Jewish experience in the modern era especially in America is represented in microcosm by Marc Mezvinsky’s wedding. Many times the theme plays itself out in historically and in popular culture Jews wish to assimilate, participate, succeed and be accepted by the general society while believing one can remain fully engaged as Jews.

No matter what learned discourse emerges from Hebrew Union College or the Jewish Theological Seminary and the myriad University Jewish/Judaic Studies departments defending a variety of observance streams that depart from an allegiance to the centrality of the belief in G-D’s authority is revealed through the oral and written Torah. In all candor the acceptance by many Jews of contortions of Judaism rather than abandon all identity has nothing to do any learned treatise. Rather there is something in the Jewish psyche that resist complete assimilation. The cantor’s son in the Jazz Singer can no longer identify with his old world parents and their outmoded traditions is yet pulled back by both family and history to the synagogue to lead services on Yom Kippur.

Hollywood during WWII wanted to let everyone know Jews were doing their part, watch any number of era movies and see how often a couple lines of Yiddish are thrown in to convey the message Jews serve as well. Jewish identity by Hank Greenberg and Sandy Kofax not playing on High Holidays inspired pride An observation made during the 2000 American Presidential race that Democratic Vice –Presidential candidate Sen. Joseph Lieberman being an observant Jew was a non-issue underscored how well Jew were accepted in American society.. [Unlike President Kennedy’s Catholicism in 1960 or more recently Mitt Romney’s Mormonism or Mike Huckabee’s credentials as a minister]

The point is Jews are reluctant to completely estrange themselves from their identity and heritage. Unfortunately the expressions of Jewish Identity like Mr. Mezvinsky’s take a contradictory effect. Mr. Mezvinsky effort to identify with Jewish tradition and identity ignore the more far-reaching effect of precluding from his children a Jewish continuity and future. The conundrum’s absurdity is so stark that it drifts past parody to the pathetic.

However not to recognize a spark no matter how small that wishes to remain steadfastly part of the Jewish nation is even sadder. Failing to recognize a spark no matter how small that wishes to remain steadfastly part of the Jewish nation means to fail to recognize that the little spark can be fanned in to a full flame.

As the High Holidays Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur approach maybe the lesson for every Jew especially those who live and breathe the axiom that Torah is “ . . .our life and the measure of our days .. . .” is to not hesitate to speak honestly about Judaism and Jewish law and values and still finding the positive no matter how slight .