Rabbi Gunther Plaut zt”l, one of the greatest and most scholarly rabbis of the twentieth century, died today. He was ninety nine years old. Among other things, Gunther will be remembered for his incredible commentary on the Torah, a commentary which is still used to this day by many liberal Jews.
I think that it was in 2003 that Gunther Plaut posted on Ravkav that he was aggravated that he had aged out of being asked his opinion about anything. I could really feel his pain. Here you had one of the most brilliant rabbis of his generation who had already outlived most of his peers and who felt he was being ignored!
So I wrote him an email. I told him that I was really short on money, but that our congregation would really like to learn from him. I made a proposal that he should come here. He would preach on Friday night, teach Torah study on Saturday morning and do a study session on Saturday afternoon. I mentioned to him that I would like for him to share his early biography with us and his service to our country in World War II. I offered him an absurd amount as an honorarium. I think it was only around $500 plus expenses. I was not trying to exploit him. We really did not have the money!
To my shock and delight, he accepted and asked me to call him. I called him. He sounded completely normal, but he asked me if it was acceptable that he be accompanied by a “lady companion.” Actually, I thought that it was cute. Gunther was forty years older than me. He was at that time over ninety years old.
I guess he told his son Jonathan about our deal. Shortly thereafter, I got a call from Jonathan. Jonathan asked me if I knew that his dad was suffering from the onset of dementia. I said that I did not and asked Jonathan if this was a good idea. Jonathan said that it was a good idea as long as I knew what we were getting into. I asked him for advice and he said that some of the time, his dad needs to be verbally nudged by a comment or a question. He felt that Gunther’s ability to do a straight lecture was not good.
Understanding these limitations, I accepted.
Gunther’s lady friend was none other than Janice (or Janine?) Rothschild who had been married to Jacob Mortimer Rothschild (1022-1973), the esteemed rabbi of The Temple in Atlanta. He had been a passionate advocate for Civil Rights and had been the rabbi at The Temple when it was bombed in 1958.
Janice took great care of Gunther and did so in a most loving way. It was clear to all that he absolutely adored her and loved being with her.
Gunther read something at services on Friday night and did fine.
On Saturday morning at Torah study, I immediately understood what Jonathan was trying to tell me. Gunther really could not teach this class. However, if I asked him a question or to interpret a particular verse, out from someplace in the depths of his mind came incredible pearls of wisdom! I became a “Barbara Walters” character, interviewing Gunther about the Torah portion.
The reaction of the lay students was wonderful. The Torah study session was a smashing success!
All of them came back in the afternoon for the Seudah Shelishit and Havdalah. I continued the interview style and we quickly began to learn all about his early life and his war experiences.
In April of 1945, he was part of the group which liberated Nordhausen. According to Gunther, he found numerous bodies which were in need of a Jewish burial. He went to his commanding officer and asked for permission to force the people of the town to bury the dead. The commanding officer said to Gunther that he had the full force of the US Army behind him in this task.
Later that afternoon according to Gunther, he went to the mayor of the town and told him what needed to be done. The mayor replied that such a task was “inhumane,” by which he meant “gross and disgusting” for the people who would be doing the burials. Many of these bodies were badly decayed and the stench was horrible.
Gunther then said to us something amazing. He told us that he pulled a pistol on the mayor, held it to his head and told him that if every able bodied man from the town was not at the town square at 8 am the next day, he (Gunther) would hunt him down like he dog that he (the mayor) was and he (Gunther) would put a bullet in his head.
People’s mouth dropped in shock! I remember feeling so much love and respect for him at that moment. I had never spent any time with him before that weekend and this could very well been the last time he was a visiting scholar. I am not sure.
Gunther went on to tell us of the incredible thirst that the survivors had for Jewish religious items. In his opinion, they seemed to want these items more than they wanted food!
Our congregation loved that weekend with Gunther. He brought to us even at his advanced age and slightly limited mental capacity a sense not of only of his brilliance, but also of his humanity. I realized that I could never be as brilliant as Gunther, but I hoped that in some way, I could strive to be as dedicated to the Jewish people as Gunther was. He was at that moment both an inspiration and a role model for me!
That seems like a long time ago. I once learned that when a soul leaves a body in which it has been severely limited, it recreates emotionally the joy that the Jewish people felt upon our liberation from Egypt. Gunther’s holy neshamah has now experienced its liberation!
This week at the end of Torah study, we will say Kaddish for Gunther. Many in that group still remember our time with him.
May his memory continue to be an inspiration and a blessing. Zecher Tzaddik levracha!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
THE WORLD’S HYPOCRISY
My friend Mickey Boyden wrote yesterday from Israel “Have you noticed the deafening silence of the human rights organizations and NGO's concerning what is happening in Syria today? Where is the BDS Movement? How is it that there hasn't been, at least to my knowledge, a single major demonstration in the West against the massacre of innocent civilians? Why is it that the Palestinians and Egyptians are not taking to the streets in massive demonstrations against what is being done to their "brothers and sisters?” And if we're asking questions, why is it that the UN Human Rights Council hasn't called for an equivalent of the Goldstone Commission to examine precisely what is happening in Syria today?
Now I know Israel isn't perfect - I live there. But human rights should be indivisible.” (I think he should has said “inviolable?” I think that in London there was a demonstration by Syrians living there. No matter – His points still stand FG)
Now I know Israel isn't perfect - I live there. But human rights should be indivisible.” (I think he should has said “inviolable?” I think that in London there was a demonstration by Syrians living there. No matter – His points still stand FG)
Friday, February 3, 2012
Is There a Jewish Angle to the Komen - Planned Parenthood Controversy?
Is there a Jewish angle to the Komen - Planned Parenthood Controversy? Unless you have been out of touch, you probably know that this past week, bowing to political pressure from anti-choice advocates, the Susan B Komen Foundation chose to defund Planned Parenthood. Last year the Komen Foundation, which is this nation’s largest breast cancer charity, gave $680,000 dollars to Planned Parenthood for breast exams. Planned Parenthood has estimated that, over the past five years, the Komen Foundation funds have paid for 170,000 breast examinations at Planned Parenthood.
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation was founded by Nancy Brinker some thirty years ago in memory of her sister Susan Komen who died of breast cancer. To date, the Foundation has raised some $1.9 billion dollars.
The Komen Foundation said that the cut off came because its policy is not to grant money to organizations that are under investigation. Florida Congressman Cliff Stearns, the Republican chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Investigative Subcommittee, an anti-choice advocate, has instigated an investigation into whether or not Planned Parenthood has used federal money to fund abortions.
This is where the two sides differ. Komen says it was forced to make the move by a new policy that prevents it from giving grant money to groups that are under investigation, bit it seems as though this policy was applied only to Planned Parenthood. Other than Representative Stern’s investigation, there is no other investigation of Planned Parenthood within the government nor the legal system. Ironically, if Komen was to adhere to this policy completely, it would not have agreed to grant $7,500,000 to Penn State University which is under civil and criminal investigation because of sexual abuse in its football program.
Planned Parenthood is a wonderful organization. I used to be on its Board of Trustees locally during the time when our congregant Sally Cone, Alan’s wife, was the local chair. It was founded ninety years ago and has more than eight hundred centers, including the facility in Greensboro.
A look at how Planned Parenthood spends its money is quite revealing. 35% of its patient care goes to the treatment and testing of sexually transmitted diseases. 16% is for cancer screening and prevention, 10% is for other woman’s health services. 35% is for contraception and only 3% of is patient care goes for abortions. Almost all of its care goes to people who are poor and uninsured.
There are several Jewish angles to this.
First of all, Susan Komen was, and Nancy Brinker, her sister, is Jewish. I happen to know that several rabbis contacted Ms Brinker.
Second, on December 15, 2011 at the Biennial convention, the Union for Reform Judaism presented the most prestigious Maurice N. Eisendrath “Bearer of Light Award” for Service to the World Community to the Foundation which was accepted by Nancy Brinker. Had the URJ known then that the Susan B. Komen for the Cure Foundation was even considering defunding Planned Parenthood, it is highly unlikely that Komen would have been given the award.
In a letter this week to Nancy Brinker, Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and Rabbi Marla Feldman, Executive Director of the Women of Reform Judaism, wrote: “Halting Komen grant money to PPFA is contrary to your organization's mission and interests, directly and unfairly threatening the health and safety of women.
“Upon accepting the Eisendrath Bearer of Light Award, you told the story of two women, one Palestinian and one Israeli, marching together to combat breast cancer in the first Race for the Cure in Israel. You explained with admiration that, in the course of the walk, they were able to forget the political climate that divided them and they bonded instead over the common cause of women's health. We now urge Komen to follow their example by rejecting efforts to sow division among women's health advocates and providers and refusing to sacrifice the lives of women on the altar of political ideology.”
The letter continues: “We understand that this funding decision comes from a new standard employed by Komen for the Cure that defunds organizations under government investigation. While we understand the desire to have an objective policy in place, this particular standard is misguided, threatening more than just grants to Planned Parenthood (PPFA). We believe there are less partisan ways to accomplish your goals. For example, a standard that is linked to investigations carried out by law enforcement is more likely to be free of partisanship. The standard that Komen has established allows Komen's funding decisions to be dictated by the political whims, partisanship and pet issues of individual members of Congress, who persuade their committees to launch an investigation. This new standard may appear to extricate Komen from politicization, yet in reality it leaves the group open to even greater politicization.”
A third Jewish angle is that there is a doctrine in Judaism called Pikuach Nefesh. Pikuach Nefesh is the belief that the saving of human life is the highest moral obligation in Judaism and is to be done in all cases [except that one cannot justify the saving of save one’s own life by the murder of another innocent person (Sanhedrin 74a asks “Whose blood is redder?")].
It was our hope and prayer that the leadership of the Susan B Komen Foundation would reverse this decision. We were overjoyed and grateful when they reversed the defunding and refunded Planned Parenthood.
In its statement the Foundation said: “We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women’s lives. The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen. We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood. They were not.
Our original desire was to fulfill our fiduciary duty to our donors by not funding grant applications made by organizations under investigation. We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair.
Our only goal for our granting process is to support women and families in the fight against breast cancer. Amending our criteria will ensure that politics has no place in our grant process. We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities. “
There is little doubt that the intense public outcry led to this decision by the Susan B. Komen Foundation to reverse itself.
The English playwright William Congreve in his play from 1697 entitled “The Mourning Bride” wrote: "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned."
What a fitting quotation in this case. It was clear that the trust and respect of so many for the Susan B Komen Foundation overnight turned to distrust and scorn. Many American women felt devalued by another overt politicization of their health issues, especially when the lives of many, especially poor women, were at stake.
I salute the Komen Foundation for changing its mind, but I urge it to examine well how it got into this mess in the first place. Those within the organization who advocated for this misguided policy should be held accountable. In my opinion, the rage over this was so very real that had the Foundation not changed course, it jeopardized its future viability.
That being said, I want you to know that I have made an online donation to Planned Parenthood and urge you to do likewise.
In addition to Planned Parenthood, I would also recommend an organization called Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test which is important because according to their website: “Most breast cancer is in the body five to eight years before it can be detected through current methods. Earlier detection may prevent invasive surgery, minimize treatment and dramatically increase survival chances.” This charity’s medical director is Dr. Ken Karb at Moses Cone Health System here is Greensboro. It was founded by Martha Kaley and several women in our congregation are active in it. Its expense ratio is very low and it grants money to various universities and research institutes working in this area.
Finally, I am going to present to the Ritual Committee next week that we consider holy a Sabbath service next year devoted to breast cancer awareness and women’s health.
Tonight, we conclude by praying for the health of the one in eight women who will be afflicted with breast cancer in their lifetime. May they be blessed with an early detection of their cancer. We ask God’s blessing upon all people are violated by breast cancer. We ask God’s mitigation of its anguish and pain. Bless and strengthen women and men who suffer from breast cancer with a refuah shelama, a complete recovery. May they be instilled with patience and fortitude, with sensitivity and understanding, and with courage and hope.
May others reach out to them with tenderness and lovingkindness and may they receive the blessings offered by our community and tradition.
Help them all to know how much we love them and how deeply we are devoted to their recovery.
Give them a long, full, peaceful, and happy life marked by a complete healing, a healing of spirit, and a healing of body.
Bless with continued health those who have overcome this disease.
Bless and strengthen the health care professionals and caregivers who seek to heal those who are suffering. Imbue them with courage, confidence, understanding, and compassion so they may join You in the work of healing.
May none of us, be we researchers, patients or caregivers, ever surrender to despair, uncertainty, or fatigue, but may we all engage in Your work with strength, wholeheartedness and devotion.
Help us all to sense Your presence in good times as well as difficult ones.
Grant us patience when the hours are heavy;
In hurt or disappointment give us courage.
Keep us trustful in Your love.
Give us strength for today, and hope for tomorrow.
To your loving hands we commit our spirits when asleep and when awake. You are with us and we shall not fear. Amen
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation was founded by Nancy Brinker some thirty years ago in memory of her sister Susan Komen who died of breast cancer. To date, the Foundation has raised some $1.9 billion dollars.
The Komen Foundation said that the cut off came because its policy is not to grant money to organizations that are under investigation. Florida Congressman Cliff Stearns, the Republican chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Investigative Subcommittee, an anti-choice advocate, has instigated an investigation into whether or not Planned Parenthood has used federal money to fund abortions.
This is where the two sides differ. Komen says it was forced to make the move by a new policy that prevents it from giving grant money to groups that are under investigation, bit it seems as though this policy was applied only to Planned Parenthood. Other than Representative Stern’s investigation, there is no other investigation of Planned Parenthood within the government nor the legal system. Ironically, if Komen was to adhere to this policy completely, it would not have agreed to grant $7,500,000 to Penn State University which is under civil and criminal investigation because of sexual abuse in its football program.
Planned Parenthood is a wonderful organization. I used to be on its Board of Trustees locally during the time when our congregant Sally Cone, Alan’s wife, was the local chair. It was founded ninety years ago and has more than eight hundred centers, including the facility in Greensboro.
A look at how Planned Parenthood spends its money is quite revealing. 35% of its patient care goes to the treatment and testing of sexually transmitted diseases. 16% is for cancer screening and prevention, 10% is for other woman’s health services. 35% is for contraception and only 3% of is patient care goes for abortions. Almost all of its care goes to people who are poor and uninsured.
There are several Jewish angles to this.
First of all, Susan Komen was, and Nancy Brinker, her sister, is Jewish. I happen to know that several rabbis contacted Ms Brinker.
Second, on December 15, 2011 at the Biennial convention, the Union for Reform Judaism presented the most prestigious Maurice N. Eisendrath “Bearer of Light Award” for Service to the World Community to the Foundation which was accepted by Nancy Brinker. Had the URJ known then that the Susan B. Komen for the Cure Foundation was even considering defunding Planned Parenthood, it is highly unlikely that Komen would have been given the award.
In a letter this week to Nancy Brinker, Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and Rabbi Marla Feldman, Executive Director of the Women of Reform Judaism, wrote: “Halting Komen grant money to PPFA is contrary to your organization's mission and interests, directly and unfairly threatening the health and safety of women.
“Upon accepting the Eisendrath Bearer of Light Award, you told the story of two women, one Palestinian and one Israeli, marching together to combat breast cancer in the first Race for the Cure in Israel. You explained with admiration that, in the course of the walk, they were able to forget the political climate that divided them and they bonded instead over the common cause of women's health. We now urge Komen to follow their example by rejecting efforts to sow division among women's health advocates and providers and refusing to sacrifice the lives of women on the altar of political ideology.”
The letter continues: “We understand that this funding decision comes from a new standard employed by Komen for the Cure that defunds organizations under government investigation. While we understand the desire to have an objective policy in place, this particular standard is misguided, threatening more than just grants to Planned Parenthood (PPFA). We believe there are less partisan ways to accomplish your goals. For example, a standard that is linked to investigations carried out by law enforcement is more likely to be free of partisanship. The standard that Komen has established allows Komen's funding decisions to be dictated by the political whims, partisanship and pet issues of individual members of Congress, who persuade their committees to launch an investigation. This new standard may appear to extricate Komen from politicization, yet in reality it leaves the group open to even greater politicization.”
A third Jewish angle is that there is a doctrine in Judaism called Pikuach Nefesh. Pikuach Nefesh is the belief that the saving of human life is the highest moral obligation in Judaism and is to be done in all cases [except that one cannot justify the saving of save one’s own life by the murder of another innocent person (Sanhedrin 74a asks “Whose blood is redder?")].
It was our hope and prayer that the leadership of the Susan B Komen Foundation would reverse this decision. We were overjoyed and grateful when they reversed the defunding and refunded Planned Parenthood.
In its statement the Foundation said: “We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women’s lives. The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen. We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood. They were not.
Our original desire was to fulfill our fiduciary duty to our donors by not funding grant applications made by organizations under investigation. We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair.
Our only goal for our granting process is to support women and families in the fight against breast cancer. Amending our criteria will ensure that politics has no place in our grant process. We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities. “
There is little doubt that the intense public outcry led to this decision by the Susan B. Komen Foundation to reverse itself.
The English playwright William Congreve in his play from 1697 entitled “The Mourning Bride” wrote: "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned."
What a fitting quotation in this case. It was clear that the trust and respect of so many for the Susan B Komen Foundation overnight turned to distrust and scorn. Many American women felt devalued by another overt politicization of their health issues, especially when the lives of many, especially poor women, were at stake.
I salute the Komen Foundation for changing its mind, but I urge it to examine well how it got into this mess in the first place. Those within the organization who advocated for this misguided policy should be held accountable. In my opinion, the rage over this was so very real that had the Foundation not changed course, it jeopardized its future viability.
That being said, I want you to know that I have made an online donation to Planned Parenthood and urge you to do likewise.
In addition to Planned Parenthood, I would also recommend an organization called Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test which is important because according to their website: “Most breast cancer is in the body five to eight years before it can be detected through current methods. Earlier detection may prevent invasive surgery, minimize treatment and dramatically increase survival chances.” This charity’s medical director is Dr. Ken Karb at Moses Cone Health System here is Greensboro. It was founded by Martha Kaley and several women in our congregation are active in it. Its expense ratio is very low and it grants money to various universities and research institutes working in this area.
Finally, I am going to present to the Ritual Committee next week that we consider holy a Sabbath service next year devoted to breast cancer awareness and women’s health.
Tonight, we conclude by praying for the health of the one in eight women who will be afflicted with breast cancer in their lifetime. May they be blessed with an early detection of their cancer. We ask God’s blessing upon all people are violated by breast cancer. We ask God’s mitigation of its anguish and pain. Bless and strengthen women and men who suffer from breast cancer with a refuah shelama, a complete recovery. May they be instilled with patience and fortitude, with sensitivity and understanding, and with courage and hope.
May others reach out to them with tenderness and lovingkindness and may they receive the blessings offered by our community and tradition.
Help them all to know how much we love them and how deeply we are devoted to their recovery.
Give them a long, full, peaceful, and happy life marked by a complete healing, a healing of spirit, and a healing of body.
Bless with continued health those who have overcome this disease.
Bless and strengthen the health care professionals and caregivers who seek to heal those who are suffering. Imbue them with courage, confidence, understanding, and compassion so they may join You in the work of healing.
May none of us, be we researchers, patients or caregivers, ever surrender to despair, uncertainty, or fatigue, but may we all engage in Your work with strength, wholeheartedness and devotion.
Help us all to sense Your presence in good times as well as difficult ones.
Grant us patience when the hours are heavy;
In hurt or disappointment give us courage.
Keep us trustful in Your love.
Give us strength for today, and hope for tomorrow.
To your loving hands we commit our spirits when asleep and when awake. You are with us and we shall not fear. Amen
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