Other items in this column include:
*Another thought about Noah
*White House announces Sudan-Israel Accord
*University of Illinois students file complaint about anti-Semitism
SAN DIEGO — Not only humans gathered around computer screens, but animals too, for Internet Shabbat services Friday night conducted by Rabbi/ Cantor Cheri Weiss of the San Diego Outreach Synagogue. This Shabbat, Jews around the world read Parshat Noach — the story of Noah’s Ark — and the rabbi figured it would be the perfect occasion to recite a “Blessing of the Animals” composed by Rabbi Jonathan Aaron of Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, California.
Formatted as a responsive reading, the prayer goes like this:
CLERGY
Source of all creation, allow your blessings to rest upon all of the creatures that live upon the earth. All those who have breath, the beat of a heart, legs to walk upon, bellies to glide upon, fins to move and gills to breathe, give them peace and wholeness, let their lives be protected and their purpose fulfilled.
CONGREGATION
May we, who are entrusted to look after all the creatures on this planet, be inspired by love and mercy to care for and direct our hearts towards the welfare of our pets. May we continue to be aware of the bond between human beings and animal beings, and do what we can to keep nature’s harmony in balance.
CLERGY
As we celebrate all animals, we recall the ancient flood, and the ark that protected all of the creatures on earth. We recall the blessings that have been given to us by the furry (mostly) part of our family, and celebrate the feeling of love and spiritual connection we have for these marvelous animals.
CONGREGATION
God, may we, who have brought our pet here for a blessing, share in the connection between the divine and every single living creature. Envelop them with love and devotion, awaken us to join with them in connecting to others without condition, and let their energy fill us with our own devotion and appreciation for life.
CLERGY
Bless all of us here who have come to celebrate our furry and fluffy friends, and establish peace and harmony between all who share life on this planet.
This blessing has rich personal meaning for Rabbi Weiss and her husband Dan Weiss, who are the owners of two dogs rescued from an animal shelter eight years ago. They adopted Hope and Josie, who are of mixed breeds, after the puppies were weaned from their mother Wagging Dog Rescue shelter. The mother and three other puppies were adopted by other owners, the rabbi reports.
“‘They are truly a blessing to our family,” Rabbi Weiss said.
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Another thought about Noah
Rabbi Josh Dorsch of Tifereth Israel Synagogue compared Noah’s ordeal with what many families are going through with the coronavirus pandemic. He wrote: “I think we can all somewhat relate to how Noah must have felt trapped on the ark. Over the past sixth months, we have stayed inside, isolating ourselves from others and the world around us. Like Noah, we cannot wait for this to be over so that we can go back out there into the world. But like Noah, we must also remember that when this pandemic is finally behind us, the world we will return to will be very different from the world we left behind. But the biggest differences between Noah and us, is that we are not alone. As we eagerly await the moment when we can emerge from our arks, may we continue to be there to support one another, as we navigate the transformed world that awaits us. ”
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White House announces Sudan-Israel Accord
President Donald Trump has announced that Sudan and Israel will begin the process of normalizing relations, with Sudan following in the footsteps of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. As an incentive for Sudan entering into this agreement, President Trump agreed to remove that country from the U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.
The announcement was immediately applauded by former U.S. Senator Norm Coleman (R-Minnesota) who now heads the Republican Jewish Coalition. “This is very welcome news, and the Trump administration deserves tremendous credit for this diplomatic success,” he said. He noted that President Trump also helped broker the “Abraham Accords” with Israel on the one hand and Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on the other, and “also helped bring about positive relations between Serbia and Kosovo, and both of them with Israel.”
Josh Reinstein, director of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus, messaged that the Sudan-Israel Agreement means an end to the Arab boycott of Israel, noting that it was in Sudan’s capital of Khartoum that the Arab League adopted in 1967 it’s policy of “Three No’s”: “No peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with it…”
Jack Rosen, president of the American Jewish Congress, commented: “This is another triumph of dialogue and diplomacy. We congratulate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sudanese Chairman of the Sovereignty Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok for this decisive step towards peace. We thank President Donald Trump and the U.S. officials who worked tirelessly to shepherd and finalize the peace talks and build on the success of the Abraham Accords. Today’s announcement comes as a result of the positive democratic developments in Sudan following the overthrow of the brutal dictatorship of Iranian-backed Omar-al Bashir. As Sudan transitions from a fledgling democracy to a full-fledged participatory one both the United States and Israel have committed to integrating it into the international community. The commitment by Israel to look at investments in crucial sectors of Sudan’s economy such as agriculture and mining will shore up economic and social stability in the famine ravaged nation.”
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University of Illinois students file complaint about anti-Semitism
Students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have filed a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education accusing the university of fostering a hostile environment toward Jews. The complaint tells “how numerous swastikas have been found on UIUC’s campus, Jewish ritual items such as menorahs and mezuzahs have been vandalized, and windows of Jewish fraternity houses have been smashed by bricks. It also describes how members and supporters of Students for Justice in Palestine at UIUC publicly glorify members of U.S. government-designated terrorist organizations, harass UIUC Jewish and pro-Israel students with epithets like “Nazi” and “white supremacist,” advocate the expulsion of Zionists from campus, and have converted mandatory UIUC diversity training into anti-Israel indoctrination, ” according to the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law. Alyza D. Lewin, president of the Center, commented: “Jewish students at UIUC have been targeted for years. We gave UIUC seven months since the complaint was filed to address the ongoing harassment. In the face of continuous stall tactics and almost no action from the university, we decided to publicize our efforts. We hope the public awareness of this dire situation will prompt the university to finally acknowledge and address the egregious anti-Semitic harassment it has swept under the rug for far too long.”
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com
With regard to the Abraham Accords most of the credit belongs to Avi Berkowitz and two Israelis, Meir Ben Shabbat and Israel Katz, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes for years to make the UAE/Bahrain Abraham Accords a reality. Anyone else involved was strictly window dressing!