An unnecessary flap

 

An article in the Dallas Morning News notes that the US Justice Department is filing suit for religious discrimination on behalf of a Moslem teacher.

The immediate reaction is, depending on your point of view, either distain or joy.

As I read the article, my response was: How stupid.

According to the article, a Moslem who is a math teacher in a public school system requested a 3-week unpaid leave-of-absence to travel to Mecca to make hajj, a once-in-a-lifetime requirement for all observant Muslims.

The article continued that "The district denied (the teacher's) request twice because it did not meet the requirements specified by the union contract."

The teacher complained to the EEOC; the EEOC declined to act on the complaint.

The teacher resigned.

Somewhere along the way the Justice Department involved itself and filed a civil rights suit on the teacher's behalf against the school district.

My wife is a school teacher. She recently took a six-week unpaid leave of absence from her job. The school actually saved some money since substitutes are paid less than full-time teachers.

Question: Why are the feds attacking the school district? The problem seems to lie with the union; remember: "requirements specified by the union contract."

I am assuming the hajj must be performed during a specific time frame, one that falls within the normal (American) school year, so the event could not be postponed until summer vacation.

On the other hand, the once-in-a-lifetime event can be performed during any year, so the teacher might have (a) taken a year-long leave-of-absence or (b) deferred the trip until after retirement. I can fully understand not wanting to defer a trip since no one knows how long they will live, and I can sympathize not wanting to take a year-long sabbatical since the job may not be there on the teacher's return. (How long had the teacher been in the system; what was the teacher's record; what are the union rules, and more all play into the de4cision.)

The teacher elected to resign rather than forego the trip. Just as an observant Jew would resign if an employer insisted the Jew work on Yom Kippor. There are other employers and other school districts . . . both public and private.

There is no reason for the feds to get involved in this, certainly not against the school district that abided by a union contract. This is not a matter of "religious discrimination" as much as union short-sightedness or an unwillingness on both the district and the union to be flexible.

If the teacher was a good teacher, it is unfortunate the teacher resigned.

But to make a federal case of this seems a waste of taxpayer dollars while opening a huge Pandora's box.

Re Jews and Dec. 25th

 

On The View today, (Dec. 24, 2010) Barbara Walters seems to have said she can't understand why Jews would object to "Christmas" trees, "Santa Claus," stockings, and other symbols of the season in their homes. She contends that these trappings of the holiday are "not religious" and should be not just "not offensive" to Jews but should be adopted by Jews along with the pretty songs associated with the season (many of which, alas, were written and are performed by Jews).

I was going to send the following to Ms. Walters, but she is not easily reached - I can understand that given her fame (notoriety?)

The "Christmas" tree indeed DOES have a religious connection, albeit a pagan one (also the yule log, mistletoe, and many other associated "Christmas" traditions).

From http://www.religioustolerance.org/xmas_tree.htm

Jeremiah 10:2-4: "Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not." (King James Version).

and

In Europe, Pagans in the past did not cut down evergreen trees, bring them into their homes and decorate them. That would have been far too destructive of nature. But during the Roman celebration of the feast of Saturnalia, Pagans did decorate their houses with clippings of evergreen shrubs. They also decorated living trees with bits of metal and replicas of their God, Bacchus.

Tertullian (circa 160 - 230), an early Christian leader and a prolific writer, complained that too many fellow-Christians had copied the Pagan practice of adorning their houses with lamps and with wreathes of laurel at Christmas time.

The fact that many "believers" fail to observe the holiday in a religious sense in no way disassociates the "Christmas" tree and other "Christmas" traditions from "Christmas."

"Santa Claus" allegedly is modeled on a Christian saint (Nicolas) who is supposed to have given presents to people. While there is nothing inherently "Christian" about given aid to the less fortunate - indeed, it is a Jewish commandment, Claus/Nicolas followed the Jew Jesus' teaching; unfortunately, this is ignored and Claus/Nicolas is closely associated with the holiday; a "Christina" religious connection might be the gifts brought to the baby Jesus by the "wise men."

From http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=38: Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God,

Bottom line: Claus/Nicolas _is_ closely associated with the holiday.

The "stocking hung by the chimmy with care" is associated with Claus/Nicolas according to http://www.allthingschristmas.com/traditions.html

The tradition of the Christmas stockings began by a story told since ancient time about a kind noble man who had three daughters. The wife of the nobleman expired and the daughters and their father were left in a state of sorrow. The daughters had to do all the work in the house. When the daughters became young and eligible for marriage, the poor father could not afford to give the huge dowries to their husbands.

One evening the daughters, after washing their stockings hung them near the fire place to be dried. Santa Claus being moved by the plight of the daughters came in and put in three bags of gold one in each of the stocking hanging by the chimney. The next morning the family noticed the gold bags and the nobleman had enough for his daughter’s marriage. The daughters got married and they lived happily ever after. Since then children have been hanging Christmas stockings.

Mistletoe, according to http://www.worldofchristmas.net/christmas-mistletoe/history.html, can be traced back to the ancient Scandinavian custom as well as to the Norse myth. The Scandinavian people believed mistletoe to be a plant of peace. Even if enemies happened to pass beneath the plant, they had to lay down their arms and call truce at least until the next day. Slowly and gradually, this custom gave rise to the kissing tradition that is still in vogue. However, Christmas mistletoe is also very much associated with one of the Norse myths, known as the myth of Baldur.

From http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/11/health/11real.html: Studies show that mistletoe is not quite as hazardous as it is made out to be. The plant does in fact contain harmful chemicals like viscotoxins, which can cause gastrointestinal distress, a slowed heartbeat and other reactions. But in studies of hundreds of cases of accidental ingestion over the years, there were no fatalities and only a handful of severe reactions.

And then there's Oh little town of Bet Lehem" - house of bread in Hebrew house of meat in Arabic - where believers can take their life in their hands - and put it into the hands of Islamists who have proven than while they love Christian money, they can do without those believers.

For a Jew to decorate his/her home with "Christian" or pagan ritual objects is an insult to the person's professed belief and shows the person's ignorance of his history, both distant (back to Year 1 of the Current Era) and recent (expulsions, pogroms, Inquisition (until the 19th Century in the New World), holocaust, and anti-Semitism.

I _will_ wish my non-Jewish acquaintenance a happy holiday, but the word "Christmas" - Christ's mass - would suggest that I believe the messiah has come, and based on the world around us, it's obvious we still are waiting for the messiah.

Teaching our children

 

According to the A Torah Minute (http://www.atorahminute.com/ for 19 December 2010 by Rabbi Ya'aqob Menashe of Midrash Ben Ish Hai, "It says in the Gemara of Qiddushin (29a) that one of the obligations upon a father is to teach his son Torah, as it says, "And you shall teach your sons" (Debarim 11:19)."

The rabbi states that "A father must fulfill this commandment by teaching his son himself at night. And if this is not possible, then at the very least he must do so on Shabbath and Yamim Tobim (Holy Days)."

This is not an "Ashkenazi" or "Sefardi/Mizrachi" thing, nor is it an "Orthodox," "Conservative," "Reform," or anything else thing; it is a Jewish obligation.

While I agree with the rabbi, I think he missed the proverbial boat, or perhaps he is addressing a different audience.

I can remember going to a synagogue on Sunday morning and watching as fathers dumped their children off at "Jewish school" and then went on their way to the golf course or wherever. Parking the car and "making minyan" was not on their agenda.

Likewise, I see youngsters today running around the "shul" while their fathers chat with other men and their mothers, upstairs, hold social hour with other wives, all during the time for prayer.

In both cases, we are teaching our children.

Unfortunately, we are teaching them disrespect for the religion and, by extension, everything "Jewish."

It's no wonder that so many Jews are Jews in name only; "accidents of birth" who were it not for a Jewish mother would have no connection at all to any form of Judaism.

It is not enough to send our children to an afternoon "Jewish" school or even to a Jewish day school.

It is not enough to send our children to a "professional Jew" - a hazan, rabbi, or other "paid-to-be- Jewish" person to learn a haftarah by rote. It is not enough to sit our child down in front of TropeTrainer or other software that teaches ta'amim (trope), and it is not enough to insist that our children learn Hebrew if it's never used - never read or spoken in the home.

Yes, I know not every Jewish adult can read or speak Hebrew, but every Jewish adult with a child or grandchild SHOULD try to learn with the children. Moreover we, parents and grandparents, need to inculcate into the children a love of learning and a pride in our heritage, something beyond bagel and Memunah Judaism.

OK - so you don't know Hebrew and you don't make it to synagogue on Shabat, but mothers can AT LEAST light Shabat candles and fathers can AT LEAST recite the kiddish - and maybe bless the children as well.

Can't find time to make a minyan on Shabat? Perhaps there is time to sit with the children and at least recite the Shema (and when everyone is "up to speed" on the Shema maybe add the Amedah).

We can hire all the teachers available, but until fathers and mothers become involved in Judaism - something more than social hour and Sunday bagels - we fail to teach our children Torah, for before we can teach Torah, we must learn, understand, and practice what the Torah teaches.

Two faces of Islam

 

While Israel firefighters receive help from "Palestinian" Authority firefighters - as it did from numerous nations including some (Turkey and Greece) that normally avoid each other, other "Palestinians" continue to shell Israeli settlements from Aza (Gaza).

From the Jerusalem Post headlined 'We're being shelled from Gaza on a daily basis' (http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=198573): Southern regional councils situated near the border with the Gaza Strip released a joint statement on Wednesday following yet more mortar and rocket attacks on the area from Gaza.

This prompted after a home in a kibbutz located in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council was damaged by a Palestinian mortar shell fired from Gaza on Wednesday.

The same newspaper reported (http://tinyurl.com/26eg2u5) on some Israel-related WikiLeaks that showed leaders of Saudia and some Gulf states privately told the US that they feared Iran and wanted the US to do something about it. Publically, the same Moslem leaders told their people via censored media that the problem was because Israel existed. American "thought leaders" were quick to jump on the Moslem "blame everything on Israel" bandwagon.

Israel's government hardly is perfect, but at least - for better or for worse - what it generally says privately it also says publically.

Two thoughts - Hallel and Atheists

 

Hallel

It's a funny thing.

During the intermediate days of Pesach and Sukkot we recite an abridged Hallel, commonly known as "hetzi Hallel."

During the 8 days of Hanukah we recite the full Hallel every day.

Pesach and Sukkot are Torah-ordained holidays.

Hanukah is strictly rabbinical.

Both Pesach and Hanukah are "freedom" holidays. Pesach recalls our freedom from Egyptian slavery and Hanukah our freedom from Syrian-Greek rule.

So why full Hallel for all eight days of Hanukah?

I'm not a rabbi and I don't play one on tv, but I would guess that we say the full Hallel on all days of Hanukah because there are no "intermediate" days.

Pesach and Sukkot have first and last days - how many "first and last days" depends upon your residence address or level of observance - Israeli's temporarily outside of Israel celebrate the holidays "as if" they were in Israel.

Hanukah runs from Day 1 to Day 8 as a single event - no intermediate days.

Since there are no "intermediate" days, we recite the full Hallel as we do on Pesach's and Sukkot's first and last days.

Atheists

I saw on the tv this morning a blurb about atheists waging a sign-board war on religion, taking some swipes at religion in general during a time when one fragmented religion is in its holiday season.

I have nothing against atheists; I think they are mistaken and I'm concerned that there are not moral guideposts for them, but then I think about all the folks with religious guideposts who burn people - usually Jews - at the stake or send them to gas chambers or otherwise maim and murder people who believe differently so who's to say a "moral guidepost" has any value anyway.

What got me thinking was the reaction of some of the folks whose religious outlook was targeted by the atheists.

Many reacted as if they were afraid that the atheists' advertising campaign would impact THEIR belief.

If the "religious" are so concerned, it suggests to me that their confidence in their brand of religion may be a little shaky; do they really have faith in their faith?

The atheists claim they just are trying to (a) make people think and (b) encourage like-minded people to "come out of the closet." There even was a hint that atheists will band together to seek anti-discrimination legislation.

An aside: This scrivener is against all special-group discrimination laws. It should be sufficient to have a law that states - and is enforced - "Discrimination is illegal." Period.

Frankly, the atheists don't bother me. Whether we have "In God We Trust" on our currency or "Under God" in the pledge of allegiance - both of relatively recent vintage - fails to concern me. Prayer in schools and other public places DOES concern me since usually the people most vocal about prayer in such places are willing only to allow prayers to their deity.

I know who I am.

I know what I believe.

I don't discuss religion or politics since such discussions often lead to irresolvable arguments.

The atheists are proclaiming that this is "the season for reason." I agree.

I don't see how any reasonable person can deny the presence of a superior/supreme being, but the absence of such a "force" is the atheists' main point.

Still, I'm amused by the people who feel threatened by the atheists' billboards. Maybe they are not as strong in their religion as they would like their neighbors to think.