Shomer Shalom Network for Jewish Nonviolence

My apartment in Gaza faces the sea, a panoramic view that’s always done wonders for my mood, often challenged by all the misery that a life under siege can bring. That is, before this morning, when all hell broke loose at my window. This morning in Gaza we woke up to the sound of dropping bombs, and many of them have fallen a few hundred metres from my home. Some of my friends fell under them. So far the death toll is at 210, but it’s bound to rise dramatically. It’s an unprecedented bloodshed. They’ve razed the port facing my home to the ground, and pulverized the police stations. I’m told that the Western media have assimilated and are repeating the press releases issued by the Israeli military off by heart, according to which the attacks targeted Hamas’s terrorist dens only, with surgical precision.
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Dear friends,

In honor of Hanukah and prayers for an end to the violence against Gaza. Please forgive the length. If you feel moved, please pass this on to those who might benefit from these reflections.

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Voted by TV Guide magazine the “Worst TV Show Ever,” not many people know that The Jerry Springer Show is still on the air, soldiering on into its eighteenth season. Depending on your viewing habits, you may be familiar with the format. Two or more enraged guests – usually related – play out outrageous personal crises for an audience of rabid onlookers.
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The peace delegation to Iran included 10 Jews and 4 Christians.  Thanks to the great recruiting work of Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, it was (we think) the largest delegation of Jewish people from the U.S. to visit Iran since the revolution.

For a view of the trip from the religious majority, If you haven’t already done so I again recommend checking out Rabbi Brant Rosen’s blog.

For a view of the trip from the religious minority see http://www.brclarkberge.blogspot.com/ the blog of Brother Clark Berge, an Episcopal priest and Minister General of the Society of St. Francis, a religious order of men in the Anglican communion.

If you are looking for a blog written from a perspective of nonviolent Judaism, there is no better place to go than Rabbi Brant Rosen’s blog http://rabbibrant.com.  Rabbi Brant is a member of the Shomer Shalom Elder’s council.  He is currently blogging from Iran.

Shomer Shalom is cosponsoring its second peace pilgrimage to Iran with the Fellowship of Reconciliation. The orientation for the trip begins today in Nyak, New York.  Below is a reflection piece and orientation schedule written by pilgrimage leader Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb that compares Shomer Shalom to a religious order.

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From the Mennonite Central Committee press release:

September 26, 2008

NEW YORK — About 300 international religious and political figures, including Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, attended a dialogue at a Manhattan hotel on the evening of Sept. 25 to discuss the role of religion in responding to global challenges and building peace and understanding between societies.

Updated Nov 21, 2008: Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb’s speech at this forum is now on the Shomer Shalom website here.  An article In Jewish Week about the event is available here.

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Welcome to Shomer Shalom.  For more information about us click to the links at the right.  Stay tuned for information about our next delegation to Iran and other Shomer Shalom events.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb leading a Jewish Nonviolence training at the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, Illinois in May 2008.  Photo taken by Doug Hostetter.

 

 

Rabbi Everett Gendler discussing his work training Tibetan exiles in nonviolence.  Photo by Doug Hostetter.

Celebrating and Exploring Jewish Nonviolence in a Time of Conflict and War

with Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, Rabbi Everett Gendler, Rabbi Chava Bahle, Rabbi Brant Rosen,  and Jewish hip hop artist EPrhyme

Chicago, May 15-18, 2008

People of all faiths are welcome to any and all events.

Thursday May 15, 2008, A Rabbi’s Journey to Islam with Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb 5:00pm-7:00pm, DePaul University Art Museum, inside the DePaul University Library, 2350 N. Kenmore Ave, Chicago, IL. Sponsored by The DePaul University Center for Interreligious Engagement.

Friday May 16, 2008 Evening Shabbat Service, 8:00pm-11:00pm with Rabbi Chava Bahle, Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, and Rabbi Everett Gendler, at Makom Shalom, 2008 W. Bradley Place, Chicago IL, in the Fellowship Hall of Epiphany UCC.

Saturday May 17, 2008 Retreat on Jewish Nonviolence at The Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation 303 Dodge Ave., Evanston, IL with Rabbi Brant Rosen, Rabbi Everett Gendler, Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, and Eprhyme.

Torah study with Rabbi Brant Rosen 9:00am-10am

Morning Shabbat Service with Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb and the JRC Minyan 10:00am-12:00pm.

Lunch and conversation with Rabbi Everett Gendler, 12:30pm-1:30pm.

Nonviolence Workshop 1:30pm-3:30pm

Tour of JRC’s new Green Building 3:30pm-4:00pm.

All Ages Evening Performance: Peace Tales with Rabbi Lynn 7:30pm.

Sunday May 18, 2008 Shomer Shalom Ceremony 11:30pm-12:30pm, Scoville Park, Oak Park, IL.  Shomer Shalom peace walkers are welcome to participate in the Walk for a Just Peace, organized by the Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine at 1:00pm. Shomer Shalom peace walkers wear white.

Sponsors: Makom Shalom Jewish Renewal Congregation, Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation Peace Dialog Group, Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation Tikkun Olam Fund, AFSC, and the newly formed Shomer Shalom Institute for Jewish Nonviolence

Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb is a ‘spellbinding’ performance artist, peace activist, and one of the first women rabbis in Jewish history and has been a practitioner of Jewish nonviolence for 34 years.

Rabbi Everett Gendler is one of the contemporary grandfathers of Jewish nonviolence and at the invitation of the Dali Lama, has led eleven workshops on nonviolence with the Tibetan community in India.

EPrhyme is a Jewish hip hop artist who blends and juxtaposes diverse sounds and ideas into a swirling and seamless whole which is a powerful and poetic plea for justice and peace.

For more information or to RSVP write to shomershalom {at} gmail(.)com

If you require a homestay, please RSVP with your name, and contact information.  Let us know if you require home hospitality (be sure to include animal or other alergies), dietary restrictons, and travel itinerary so that we can arrange rides to and from Chicago airports.