Good afternoon to all...
In the comments section of my last blog entry, someone asked if I intended to condemn the shooting in New Zealand, or if my compassion extended only as far as the Jewish community.
With respect, here is my answer.
The shooting in New Zealand happened very close to Shabbat. The result of that is that I spoke about it from the bimah without notes. If there is concern about my lack of words here in the blog, please check with my congregants who were there last Shabbat morning. Unlike Pittsburgh, when there was a week to prepare a sermon, this was very short notice. That there is nothing written does not mean there is nothing said.
Furthermore, I imagine that the prayer rugs in the mosques were damaged. With that concern in mind, Rav Jen and I ordered two prayer rugs to be sent to one of the mosques in New Zealand. At my urging, my congregation sent two more to the other mosque that was attacked. This was a three-day endeavour that involved late hours due to the time differences.
On Friday, I will be part of a group of people standing outside a mosque up Jane St near King City. Sadly, we have all come to learn about what is called a Ring of Peace. The Muslim community in Oslo formed one outside the main synagogue back in 2015 after a synagogue shooting in Copenhagen. Since then, the Jewish community did the same after the Quebec City shooting (and I took part). The Muslim community did the same for us after Pittsburgh. We do this to make the statement that the right to pray in peace is also a community obligation to make sure that we can in fact all do that. Please contact me at my office e-mail if you would like to join in.
The above two paragraphs are not in my blog simply because it feels like bragging.
So to the person who asked the question, no, my compassion is not limited. As well, and with great respect, we have also seen entirely too many times over the last couple of years in which newspapers have had to retract stories for failure to check all of the relevant facts. I am not perfect. No one is. Please ask first what I have done or failed to do before it becomes necessary to walk back comments.
Wishing everyone a Simchat Purim.
R/SCG
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Monday, March 4, 2019
"Because it's 2015!"
Good evening everyone.
I have mentioned several times in this blog that my medium child once asked me if our senses grow dull as we age. I said that they do, with the exception of my sense of irony, which seems to grow more acute every day.
Speaking of irony, we are witness this week to a great deal of it. In November 2015, newly-minted PM Justin Trudeau introduced his cabinet. He made a point of noting that the cabinet was 50/50 men and women. When asked about it, his response was "because it's 2015."
It is a worthwhile debate as to whether a cabinet should be an equal split. One can make the case that it is the right way to do it, as women should be equally represented in government. One can make the case that gender is irrelevant. The most qualified people should be in government. They are responsible for the lives of millions. One can make the case that to be truly representative, there should be more women, as there is a slightly larger proportion of women in society.
Mr. Trudeau has brandished his feminist leanings and ideology on more than one occasion. This stance makes the spectacle taking place on Parliament Hill sadly ironic to watch. His government is in the middle of a major scandal right now. This scandal is connected to some questionable behaviour on the part of a large company with its headquarters in Quebec. The questionable behaviour became a legal case. The Justice Minister/Attorney General refused to yield to the Prime Minister's pressure on it. She resigned from the cabinet. The former AG testified on Parliament Hill last week, she was devastatingly brilliant and articulate.
Today, another woman resigned from his cabinet.
Irony....the ardently feminist PM is in charge of a government very much in turmoil due to two of the women in his cabinet calling his behaviour into question.
It is sad, but gosh the irony is rich.
Have a good evening.
R/SCG
I have mentioned several times in this blog that my medium child once asked me if our senses grow dull as we age. I said that they do, with the exception of my sense of irony, which seems to grow more acute every day.
Speaking of irony, we are witness this week to a great deal of it. In November 2015, newly-minted PM Justin Trudeau introduced his cabinet. He made a point of noting that the cabinet was 50/50 men and women. When asked about it, his response was "because it's 2015."
It is a worthwhile debate as to whether a cabinet should be an equal split. One can make the case that it is the right way to do it, as women should be equally represented in government. One can make the case that gender is irrelevant. The most qualified people should be in government. They are responsible for the lives of millions. One can make the case that to be truly representative, there should be more women, as there is a slightly larger proportion of women in society.
Mr. Trudeau has brandished his feminist leanings and ideology on more than one occasion. This stance makes the spectacle taking place on Parliament Hill sadly ironic to watch. His government is in the middle of a major scandal right now. This scandal is connected to some questionable behaviour on the part of a large company with its headquarters in Quebec. The questionable behaviour became a legal case. The Justice Minister/Attorney General refused to yield to the Prime Minister's pressure on it. She resigned from the cabinet. The former AG testified on Parliament Hill last week, she was devastatingly brilliant and articulate.
Today, another woman resigned from his cabinet.
Irony....the ardently feminist PM is in charge of a government very much in turmoil due to two of the women in his cabinet calling his behaviour into question.
It is sad, but gosh the irony is rich.
Have a good evening.
R/SCG
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