Birthplace of Theodore Herzl, Franz Kafka and Sigmund Freud, this increasingly progressive country is trying to shed the specter of the Nazi and Soviet occupations and embrace its Jewish past and present to bolster tourism, an important part of its national economy.
It\’s in the nearby city of Terezin that one of the most unique, if bizarre stories of the period can be found. And it\’s all captured in the grainy film produced by the Nazis.
\”You hear so much from autism organizations about what a horrible disease this is and how the parents have been robbed of their children, yada, yada, yada, and I suppose on a certain level that is true,\” Jacob told me, typing the words on a special keyboard that allows him to fully express his ideas. \”But I refuse to live the rest of my life believing I am a defective human being. I have gifts and talents and challenges just like everyone else, and I have the same desire for connection and a need to be treated with dignity and respect.\”
A pastor who blessed Sarah Palin\’s run for Alaska governor said Christians should emulate \”Israelites\” and run the economy
\” . . .The separation of church and state is the foundation for religious freedom in our great country. Shame on you Rabbis for Obama . . .\”
The gospel choir sang \”God Bless America.\” If you weren\’t thinking of the Jewish immigrant Irving Berlin who wrote that song, you couldn\’t appreciate the beautiful irony of the moment.
\”Not eating is not suffering,\” he said, \”it\’s elevating ourselves to a state of transcendence. The fast, on Yom Kippur, reminds us how little material we really need; that we can do with less meat, with less bread, with less of everything.\”
We have more synagogues and more freedom to use them here in Los Angeles than we did in Iran, but that doesn\’t mean we\’re any closer to fulfilling the true purpose of gathering in a house of worship.
Parshat Vayeilech (Deuteronomy 31:1-31:30) Didn\’t we just finish Pesach? How is Rosh Hashanah already here again? Another year has slipped away.
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