Shomer Shalom

Ode to Iran by Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb

ross — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:06:40 +0000

Hookah smoke is sweet

like tea

seeped in saffron sugar

and rock candy.

I sit under

gently curved domes

abundant with roses

paisley leaf and pink desert swirl

bathing in a sea of blue heaven.

Gathering mountains

ride the earth like thunder

outside the city gate.

I am at your service

he smiles with his whole face

and displays a tray of

walnut-pomegranate

stew, lamb kabob and thick noodle soup.

Sahar’s dark eyes

take on intensity as

she and her business partner

show us their graphic art.

This is the Persian gulf.

Sa’di’s verses crest

like curls on

the statesmen of Persepolis

bringing their tribute

through the gate of all nations.

We combine ancient and modern elements

in our work

resolve the tension

between tradition

and modernity.

Yes

we have to wear the hijab,

but it is only a hijab.

We live with it

like the story

about the one who longs for what exists

behind the veil

as if it is an object

to be conquered

and won.

What is longed for

can only be attained

by entering the stream

swimming to the island

that floats in the middle of the river

diving deep where mud and water

yield a hidden threshold

breath

in an empty bowl.

It is said

Esfahan is half the world.

On the female bridge Khaju

that spans the Zayandeh river

light gleams from the lion’s eye

if you stand in the right place.

Young men sing choral harmonies

in the hollow of the stone arches.

Couples holding hands and families with children

stroll back and forth and gaze at shooting fountains

on the distant shore.

An old man who comes the bridge every evening

shows us a secret.

One can whisper into a particular place in the arch

and hear what is said

on the opposite side.

We climb

and hear

one after the other

a chain of listeners.

Stand here

the furthest jetty on the bridge

over the river

instructs Sahar’s sister.

Stretch out your arms

and imagine you are on a boat

moving across the waters.

Night wind blows my hijab like sails

and I learn another measure of hospitality.

O Iran

Revelation bursts forth from your soil

draped in ten thousand shades

of illumination.

You returned my people to Jerusalem

restored the Temple

provided my relatives with a Persian home for thirty centuries

and I did not know.

Now I jump over fires on Norouz

go to the garden of roses

the first Sabbath after Passover

recite poetry

at Hafez’s tomb

touch my forehead to the clay earth of Jamkaran

where the Mahdi is hidden

but everywhere present.

May 15-18, 2008 Founders Gathering in Chicago

ross — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:15:20 +0000

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 or call 805-415-5388.

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.

Report from Iran #1

ross — Sun, 04 May 2008 23:25:51 +0000

Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb is currently leading a Fellowship of Reconciliation delegation in Iran. This is her first blog post.

—

Dear friends,

I arrived in Iran three days ago. We have met with many people from formal meetings to people on the streets and everyone expresses the same message: please urge our government to negotiate with their government.

The most moving experience for me personally has been to meet and pray with the Jewish community of Teheran. I was able to meet the current and future Jewish member of Parliment. Ciamak Morsathegh, who begins to serve his community as a member of parliment in 20 days also hosted me and several delegation members to a wonderful Sabbath meal. While at synagogue on Friday evening, I was called to address the congregation. It was a very moving experience and people were extremely warm and clapped profusely, even when I expressed a hope that I would like to someday return to Iran and meet the first ordained woman rabbi in Iran. The Iranian community appears to be doing well, worships freely, and sponsors six day schools with a population of five hundred chilren attending. The youth were very evident at services.

There is among many people a desire for more freedom and it has been difficult to wear hijab, and at the same time, I am finding Iran a very vibrant and sophisticated society composed of people who want to be seen as human beings able to determine their own future. When I am not rushed(!) I will speak at length about my experience. Of course, the food is bountious and delicious! Rabbi Lynn

By the way, the Jewish community knows of Shomer Shalom and is anxious to take part. I have invited Mr. Morsathegh to join the Elders Council, and he has accepted. We are forming a chapter in Teheran!

Welcome to Shomer Shalom!

ross — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 04:07:11 +0000

This is an invitation to those of you who cherish the path of nonviolence in Jewish life or are interested in further deepening your relationship to nonviolence within the framework of Judaism. You can find out about Shomer Shalom by clicking the pages to the right. Don’t miss our Founders Conference May 16-18, 2008 in Chicago.

If the sword then not the book.

If the book, then not the sword.