Communal Change

[debka_notion]

I was just thinking of some changes in the Brandeis Jewish community over the last 4ish years that I've been noticing lately, and finally remembered when I could write them down.

1. Freshman year there was a huge ruckus about the suggestion to include non-Orthodox books in the Beit Midrash. The suggestion was voted down, just barely. I have seen a copy of the Hertz Chumash, a Siddur Sim Shalom, and a Plaut Chumash on the regular Beit Midrash shelves of late. The Beit Midrash Co-ordinator has also been putting up "displays" of books (from the school library) by different important Jewish thinkers, usually putting them up for Shabbos and leaving them for a few days. One of them was Mordechai Kaplan. I'm fairly sure that there's more comfort inside the liberal community with using the Beit Midrash. In my mind, this is a positive shift.

2. The Egal community broke out into spontaneous singing and dancing after havdalah this week. It was rather surprising (they did this once before, but that was when Steve found a shofar in the rabbi's office and blew it and people decided to run with it for a bit), and remarkably high energy and just generally happy. Similarly, I don't think that Kiddush Levanah was even in the communal vocabulary freshman year. It's a larger community, with what seems like a much stronger tendency towards neo-hasidism.

Interestingly, the spontaneous dancing happened in gender-segregated cirlces. Steve remarked that the minyan has a tendency to have trouble maintaining its egalitarianism. It really is a matter of much debate: it's hard to work out a stance that works both for the folks who are egalitarian to the point of wanting to get rid of the kohen and levi aliyot and people who are egalitarian in their view of prayer obligations, but not necessarily in regards to other aspects of halakhic life. But this problem/issue is not at all new.

Comments

[shirei-shibolim.livejournal.com]

1. Glad to hear that. I thought it was silly of the BOO board not to allow those books in the stacks initially. What better way to bring heterodox Jews into the beit midrash?

2. Very cool. Kiddush Levanah was in our vocabulary to the extent that we suggested it when it was appropriate, but people always had other places to be right after Shabbat. Some of us just said it keyahid.

Interestingly, the spontaneous dancing happened in gender-segregated cirlces. Steve remarked that the minyan has a tendency to have trouble maintaining its egalitarianism.

I don't see any inherent contradiction between gender-separated dancing and halakhic egalitarianism. My willingness to count a woman in a minyan does not entitle me to conscious control of my hypothalamus.

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

Hypothalamus? I mean, I can read what you probably meant into that, but what I know of what-controls-what is sadly limitted.

But I think it was more the principle of the thing- that the separate by gender circles happened without careful orchestration: the social assumption behind the action does tend to lean away from egalitarianism, no matter how much it can be read as consistant in an idealized setting.

[shirei-shibolim.livejournal.com]

Hypothalamus? I mean, I can read what you probably meant into that, but what I know of what-controls-what is sadly limitted.

Sorry about that. Gland in the brain that deals with emotional responses, including sexual response.

But I think it was more the principle of the thing- that the separate by gender circles happened without careful orchestration: the social assumption behind the action does tend to lean away from egalitarianism, no matter how much it can be read as consistant in an idealized setting.

That depends on what you mean by "egalitarian." If you mean the entire culture that has grown up around the various egalitarian movements in Judaism, then I agree. Most of those movements eschew separation between the sexes.

If you mean halakhic egalitarianism as a concept then I still don't see a logical conflict. Americans tend to think of separation as an inherent sign of inequality, but I can't think of a good reason why. (I can think of a reason — we were all weaned on stories of buses in Alabama — but I don't think it necessarily applies here.)

[doodah.livejournal.com]

oh how i enjoy kiddush levanah, so delightful (and seemingly paganish but, upon examination of the moon and rituals associated therewith, arguably quite ecumenical in nature...)

I wonder if someone will raise the issue of the books again someday. As I recall, Rav B. said he ultimately based his decision upon the wishes of the donors of the Beis, who would have been upset about the books' inclusion? I don't remember there being a vote, though I am not the best for rememberings.

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

I thought it was a vote by the BOO board... I didn;t realize Rav Berman had any decision making power there...

[doodah.livejournal.com]

I saved the e.mail, but it's still kind of unclear. Too long to post, but:

"Over the past month, the BOO Board spent an enormous amount of time grappling and struggling with the decision. We have regarded and continue to consider this issue with the utmost seriousness and respect for the variety of opinions."

So...probably a vote?

[orawnzva.livejournal.com]

Who's doing kiddush levanah and where can I find them?

This month's is next week, right?

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

Egal often does, right after havdalah- it's never guaranteed, but it happens most months.

And next week ought to be the date, yeah.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

The changes sound lovely.

I miss Brandeis Egal.