jpost: "Religious Zionism and non-Orthodoxy"

Guest columnist: Religious Zionism and non-Orthodoxy

Oct. 8, 2009
Ari Ackerman , THE JERUSALEM POST
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1254861902696&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter

In recent months religious Zionism has been witness to another of the internecine quarrels that testify to the deep splits within its ranks. The latest episode concerns the appointment of Prof. Shmuel Glick as the dean of the Lifshitz Teacher's College in Jerusalem, one of the leading teaching seminaries for Religious Zionist educators. Glick heads the Schocken Institute for Jewish Research of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and teaches at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies Graduate School, which used to be a branch of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. (It is now an accredited Israeli academic institution).

As a result of his appointment, despite Glick's denial of any identification with the Conservative Movement, a group of religious Zionist rabbis threatened to boycott the institute. The threat forced the board at Lifshitz College to rescind its appointment. This move was generally interpreted as a capitulation of more moderate forces within religious Zionism to haredi elements within the religious Zionist rabbinic establishment.

This interpretation of the latest squabble, however, is mistaken in its link between the opposition to Glick's appointment and the appearance of religious radicalization within certain segments of religious Zionism. It actually derives from the traditionally antagonistic attitude of religious Zionism toward the liberal Jewish streams.

The group of rabbis who vociferously opposed the appointment of a professor with supposed affiliations to Conservative Judaism acted no differently than other religious Zionist rabbis, even those associated with the more liberal wing of religious Zionism. Indeed, one can argue that Lifshitz College was acting more liberally than other religious Zionist teaching seminaries.

Glick has previously taught and acted in an administrative capacity in the college without any objection. And only his appointment to head the institution generated opposition. In contrast, most other religious Zionist teaching seminaries disallow any lecturer associated (even in a tenuous manner) with the Conservative or Reform movements.

As a result, the Lifshitz College incident does not testify to the ascendancy of hard-line forces within religious Zionism. Rather, it bears witness to the categorical delegitimization of the non-Orthodox religious streams by religious Zionism as a whole. Thus, if Glick's dismissal is seen as problematic by religious Zionism, it should compel them to reexamine their attitude toward the Conservative and Reform movements.

THE QUESTION of the relationship between religious Zionism and the Conservative and Reform movements entails at the least two distinct issues. First, it involves the question of whether Orthodox students should be exposed to ideas, rabbinic figures and thinkers associated with these non-Orthodox streams of Judaism. Second, it involves the question of the attitude of religious Zionism toward the efforts of Conservative and Reform Judaism vis-à-vis secular Jews in Israel and non-Orthodox Jews in America.

The opposition of religious Zionism to the efforts of the liberal streams vis-à-vis secular Jews derives primarily from a deeply misguided assumption: It is better that a secular Jew practice no Judaism than the "distorted" Judaism of the Conservative and Reform movements. Here Orthodoxy displays a woefully inadequate understanding of secular Jews.

In the previous two decades many institutions and programs have been directed toward bringing about a cultural-spiritual renaissance among certain segments of secular Judaism. These efforts are pitted against a dominant individualistic post-Zionist culture, which has corroded the collective ethos of secular Jews and their ties to their cultural heritage.

In order to successfully combat these powerful assimilatory forces, all groups must work together toward strengthening the attachments of Israeli Jews to their culture and tradition. And Conservative and Reform Judaism (as well as Orthodoxy and various forms of secular Judaism) have something to contribute in this area. Indeed, one cannot exaggerate the importance of Bnei Jeshurun, an innovative liberal New York synagogue, in the current spiritual renaissance among secular Jews. Other homegrown efforts of the Conservative and Reform movements, such as the TALI network of schools and the Beit Daniel synagogue, have also provided important contributions in returning the secular Jew to his or her cultural roots.

Religious Zionism must, therefore, rid itself of the instinctive Orthodox opposition to other denominations. Indeed, one can detect a shift among certain religious Zionist scholars and leaders on this issue. Rabbi Israel Rosen, the head of the Tzomet Institute and an influential religious Zionist rabbi, has called for a reevaluation of the attitude of religious Zionism toward the Reform Movement. And religious Zionist politicians generally supported the bill for pluralistic Jewish education in the previous Knesset.

Nevertheless this shift must be expanded and deepened. In short, in the face of the existential threat of post-Zionist forces, religious Zionism must unequivocally recognize the positive contribution of the Conservative and Reform movements toward strengthening the cultural-spiritual mooring of Israeli Jews. •

The writer is a lecturer in Jewish thought and education at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, and an academic adviser to the TALI leadership program.

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Rabbi Michael Siegel's Response to Nathan Popper Article in the Forward

Mr. Popper's Misplaced Pen

As we conclude the holiday period, and its focus on Teshuvah and the one true judge, I was saddened to read Nathaniel Popper's rush to judgment in his article: "Pushing for Better Wages, Not Necessarily Giving Them".  Clearly, Mr. Popper had a story that he wanted to write: one that is more expose then news story, more scandal than actual journalism!  While such a disingenuous approach may sell newspapers, it certainly does not bring honor to such a storied periodical as the Forward or the Jewish community at large.

In fact, Mr. Popper diverted attention away from the important social justice issue the paper sought to cover in the first place. Had Mr. Popper wanted to tell the story objectively he would have noted that Magen Tzedek has inspired a renewed interest in setting an ethical standard for synagogues.

I take great pride as the Senior Rabbi at the Anshe Emet Synagogue that over the years our lay leadership has taken these ideas so seriously and are presently working toward implementing them on every level.   

Of course, this was not the story that he wanted to write.

Had Mr. Popper wanted to tell the story objectively he might have shown interest in the fact that members of Anshe Emet have been so inspired by the ethical ideals of Magen Tzedek that they have gotten involved in this national Conservative Movement effort on every level.  One member has arranged for Pro Bono legal counsel, another, a past President of a major Kosher meat company now advises the Magen Tzedek Board.  There is the strategic planner who has offered her expertise to us on every level.  Finally, there is the young business woman who left the banking world so that she could be the Project Manager of Magen Tzedek. 

Of course, this was not the story that he wanted to write.

Had Mr. Popper wanted to tell the story objectively he might have noted just how difficult these issues have become in a changing economy when more and more synagogues are struggling just to keep their doors open.  As National Co-Chair of the Hekhsher Tzedek Commission, I am proud that Magen Tzedek is turning its attention to institutional employment standards in the Conservative Movement. Is there any other stream of Judaism that is attempting to apply Jewish ethical standards in the marketplace, and in our institutions with the same courage and transparency as the Conservative Movement?   Is there any other stream of Judaism that has shown the same commitment to giving voice to both Jewish ethics and Jewish law?  This is why an international expert like Joe Regenstein has devoted thousands of hours creating standards.  This is why organizations like the Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism have lent their full support from the beginning. 

Of course, this was not the story that he wanted to write.

Instead, Mr. Popper took the Conservative Movement to task for not implementing the Magen Tzedek standards in synagogues before the seal has even found its way to one Kosher product! Clearly, the author had another objective in mind: one that continues this newspaper's recent tradition of defaming the Conservative Movement and playing the role of gadfly on the American Jewish scene.   

Mr. Popper, please know that in the year to come we will take Magen Tzedek to market, and we will continue our work to ensure that our congregations adhere to the best in our Jewish ethical tradition. Our people are fully aware that such a process takes time, requires painful choices and comes with real costs. 

We do this for only one reason: because it is our obligation as Jews to bring the ethical light of Torah to the world in which we live. 

Rabbi Michael S. Siegel

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Rabbi David Lerner in the Jewish Week: "Making A ‘Right Turn’ On Intermarriage"

Making A 'Right Turn' On Intermarriage

by Rabbi David Lerner
Special To The Jewish Week

http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c55_a16893/Editorial__Opinion/Opinion.html

Growing up in a thoroughly Jewish home and schools, I internalized the need to avoid intermarriage at all costs. The liberal Orthodox yeshiva I attended predicted that rampant intermarriage would sound the death knell of the Jewish people. My parents, a Conservative rabbi and a professor at Jewish Theological Seminary, spoke in hushed tones about family members and friends who had intermarried.
The solution was two-fold: Jews needed to be thoroughly immersed in Judaism and for those who, despite this advice, found themselves involved with someone who was not Jewish, the non-Jewish partner needed to convert before they married.

Jews-by-choice became my father's focus when he opened the Center for Conversion to Judaism in Manhattan almost 30 years ago, and many converts became part
of my father's small synagogue in northern New Jersey. Often they were more committed than those who were born Jewish.

But there was no special concern indicated for those who were not interested in converting. Much of the Jewish world and certainly the Conservative movement maintained this status quo.

Five years ago, I moved to Boston to lead Temple Emunah in Lexington, Mass. This synagogue had started a program of kiruv (outreach) to intermarried couples and families in the early '90s — a trailblazer in the Conservative movement.

While I appreciated their outreach efforts, I was wary of how far they had gone. Early on, I participated in a meeting of the outreach committee that included converts and intermarried Jews. One Jewish woman described how her non-Jewish husband so supported her desire to raise their children as Jews that he would lead Kiddush every Friday night. I was impressed by his dedication, but wondered how a non-Jew could recite: "ki vanu vacharta — because You (God) chose us."

Over time, I have come to appreciate more and more the devotion of the dozens of intermarried couples among our 535 families.  Those couples with children often work hard to provide their children with a strong Jewish identity and education. Giving of their time, resources and energy, they donate to the community on many levels — serving on committees and making the choice to raise their children as Jews. My experience with these families has convinced me to reconsider my own approach to intermarriage.

Why should we push away those who want to be a part of a Conservative synagogue? Rather, given the shrinking numbers of American Jews in general and Conservative Jews in particular, should we not find ways to accommodate those who want to share in our vibrant Jewish communities?

Over the last five years, our congregation has developed ways to include non-Jewish parents in baby-naming and bar and bat-mitzvah celebrations, while remaining faithful to halacha (Jewish law). Our community's inclusivity has led to many conversions. Many of these newer Jews are quite active and committed.

This is a new paradigm. In this model, the non-Jewish partner does not always convert before the wedding, but commits to being a part of a Jewish home and, if blessed with children, to raising them as Jews. Ideally, over time, they become so immersed in Jewish culture and practice that they evolve organically into identifying as Jews.

Intermarried families are vital members of my community and of many other Conservative shuls. We would do well to embrace them more fully.

Thankfully, the Rabbinical Assembly and other Conservative institutions have moved to declare our openness to non-Jews in our midst. We must continue to respond in this area, even changing current norms when doing so does not violate halacha. We need to link actions to our words.

An example: I was taught that a non-Jew should not wear a tallit in shul, since he or she is not obligated in this mitzvah. But after watching a member of my congregation embarrass a non-Jewish man by asking him to remove his tallit during services, I had to rethink it. Why can't a non-Jew wear a tallit? There is no halachic reason to forbid this.

Instead of building walls, we should find more opportunities for bridges.

That does not mean there are no standards. There are: when the mother is not Jewish, her children must go to mikveh in order to be halachically Jewish. But perhaps we don't have to do this immediately, and wait for a family to be more integrated in the community.

One suggestion is that as every student reaches the age of bar or bat mitzvah, he or she be immersed in the mikveh to celebrate this milestone, ensuring that all are halachically Jewish. Not only would this resolve their status as Jews, but it would also open everyone up to this beautiful religious practice.
Our tradition mandates that kiddushin (Jewish marriage) take place only between two Jews. But can we create some ceremony to recognize an intermarried couple who commit to raising their children as Jews?

Today, the policy of Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movements requires families to choose Judaism exclusively in order to be members of our communities. What about a family where the parents are unsure about how to raise their children or are still trying to figure it out  — how can we encourage them to choose Judaism?

Even as we reach out to these families, we need to unabashedly say that marriage between two Jews is the ideal. The challenge becomes how to talk about that when some of our students have parents are not Jewish?

Don't get me wrong: I would love to create a Judaism so vibrant that our young people would all choose Jews as their partners. But since intermarriage is a reality, we need to find ways within Jewish law to embrace those families who wish to journey with us. And we need to explore these questions and challenges and others that are sure to arise as intermarried couples find themselves a home within our synagogues.

If Conservative Judaism is to remain a relevant and dynamic mainstream movement, it must confront these issues more openly and forthrightly.

I have changed my approach in a significant manner. It may not be 180 degrees, but it's the right turn.

Rabbi David Lerner is the spiritual leader of Temple Emunah in Lexington, Mass.

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Jewish Week: "Judge: Orthodox Protect Abusers, Not Victims"

Judge: Orthodox Protect Abusers, Not Victims

Judge Gustin Reichbach: Stinging words at sentencing of sex offender.

by Hella Winston
Special To The Jewish Week
http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c36_a16922/News/New_York.html

At the sentencing last week of a bar mitzvah tutor and social worker convicted of sexually molesting two boys in Brooklyn, a New York State Supreme Court judge lashed out at the offender's Orthodox community for "a communal attitude that seems to impose greater opprobrium on the victims than the perpetrator."

With his stinging critique, Judge Gustin Reichbach placed himself at the center of a fierce debate in the Orthodox community over how best to police the problem of pedophilia.

Speaking from the bench the day after Yom Kippur at the sentencing of Yona Weinberg, who received a 13-month jail term, Reichbach said he found it "troubling" that the community "seeks to blame, indeed punish victims who seek justice from the ... civil
society," according to a court transcript. He went on to add that the Orthodox community's religious courts are "inappropriate" and "incapable" of dealing with criminal matters.

Making his comments before a courtroom packed with supporters of the 31-year-old Weinberg — among them, according to his defense attorney, school principals, two rabbis and civic leaders — the judge spoke of receiving more than 90 letters attesting to Weinberg's character and innocence. None of the letters, the judge noted, "displays any concern or any sympathy or even any acknowledgement for these young victims which, frankly, I find shameful."

Reichbach referred to one letter in particular, written by a Mrs. Mandel and expressing sadness "that Weinberg's love of humankind has turned against him," as being "the height of chutzpah."
Judge Reichbach's comments come as the Orthodox community struggles to come to grips with the problem of child sexual abuse. Two days before the judge's statements, in what was described as a groundbreaking occurrence, an Orthodox synagogue in Passaic, N.J., drew more than 300 people to an event where several victims of sexual abuse, including a 16-year-old girl who said she had been raped, told their vivid and shocking stories. Other events about the pedophilia problem have taken place in the Orthodox world, but this one was unique for having attracted such a large audience to a synagogue in Passaic, known for its strong, fervently religious community.

And in the spring the Brooklyn District Attorney's office, partnering with various agencies, including Ohel Children's Home and Family Services, launched a hotline designed to get victims of sexual abuse to come forward and press their cases in the courts. Pressure has been mounting in recent years to combat rabbis' and community leaders' tendencies to handle such cases inside the community rather than going to law enforcement.

Indeed, in his statements at Weinberg's sentencing, Reichbach praised the victims and their families for the having the courage to come forward despite communal pressures. And he made a point of indicating that precisely because of the community's "'circle the wagons attitude' there is going to be a jail sentence in this case because anything less, I believe, would offend not only the appropriate sense of justice but would also further, in some way, if not penalize [and] ... indicate to the victims here who have ... suffered the opprobrium of the community that somehow what happened to them was not important, was not significant."

Weinberg was convicted of nine separate crimes — seven counts of sexual abuse in the second degree and two of endangering the welfare of a child. Reichbach made the point that had Weinberg expressed any remorse at the sentencing — he remained "mute," according to the judge — Weinberg might have been entitled to some consideration with respect to the duration of his sentence. In fact, throughout the proceedings Reichbach seemed dismayed by Weinberg's failure to express contrition.

Kevin O'Donnell, the assistant district attorney prosecuting the case, also argued for jail time as opposed to therapy, which the defense was seeking, emphasizing that the absence of jail time would send "just a very bad message ... [not only] to the community but to the family that is in court and the two young victims in the case."

Reichbach declined a request for an interview, saying he couldn't speak because Weinberg is planning an appeal of the sentence.

Both Reichbach's and O'Donnell's words were greeted with strong praise from survivors of sexual abuse and their advocates in the Orthodox community, many of whom have, in the past, expressed concerns about the Brooklyn District Attorney's handling of such cases. One highly publicized example was the plea bargain the DA struck with alleged child molester Yehuda Kolko last year, which allowed Kolko to avoid jail time, sex offender registration and counseling by copping to two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

Ben Hirsch, president of Survivors for Justice, an advocacy group for survivors of sexual abuse in the Orthodox community, told The Jewish Week that "Reichbach's compassion and admiration for the courage of these victims have resonated through our community, as has his rebuke to those within our community who would protect pedophiles.

"Not only will his just sentencing save children from this predator," Hirsch continued, "it also sends a message that these crimes will not go unpunished, which will go a long way towards reducing the prevalence of abuse in our community."
Hirsch went on to commend Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes and his staff "for their effective prosecution of this case. We hope this will encourage members of the Orthodox community to bring all cases of abuse directly to the sex crimes division of their police departments so that the justice system can do its job."

According to Marci Hamilton, professor of public law at Yeshiva University's Cardozo School of Law and author of "Justice Denied: What America Must Do To Protect Its Children," there is a need for "more judges like Judge Reichbach who have the courage and moral compass to protect child victims from their perpetrators and the communities that increase the likelihood that abuse will persist.

"His comments were most valuable at a time when two other communities have taken sides against the victims of childhood sexual abuse — the Hollywood community defending the rapist Roman Polanski and the Catholic Church hierarchy litigating up to the Supreme Court its desire to keep the secrets of clergy abuse.

"The law," Hamilton continued, "is the only means of stemming the tide of abuse."

Hirsch's and Hamilton's sentiments about the judge's statements were echoed by Daniel Sosnowik, a member of the Flatbush Orthodox community and a captain in the New York Police Department.

"The judge made a kiddush Hashem [sanctification of God's name] where a chilul Hashem [desecration of God's name] was being made again, by over 90 people in the community, as well as a packed courtroom [with rabbis] and other leaders," Sosnowik told The Jewish Week.

"People don't realize the enormity of the chilul Hashem," he continued. "[If someone] is convicted in a court of law, this is a system that we all abide by in this country. [Weinberg] was convicted and [people are] still out there in support of him rather than [the] victims."

Sosnowik acknowledged the possibility that people might be publicly supporting Weinberg in a misguided attempt to protect the image of the community, but strongly condemned that practice.
"I think of the Torah's admonitions on many occasions to dispose of the evil in your midst. And maybe it's [repeated so often] because it's absolutely critical to deal with it, rather than [say] 'well, we know there's evil, and privately I support [the victims] but publicly I can't possibly. ... No. Dispose of the evil in your midst. My hope is that words like the judge's, especially coming after Yom Kippur, will [make a light] go off in people's heads that you need to be on the side of victims and not on the side of people who are doing the victimizing."

While the reaction to Judge Reichbach's statements, along with the event in Passaic, strike some observers as evidence of a shift in the community's thinking about and approach to this issue, many feel that there is still much work to be done, particularly on the part of the leadership, to effect meaningful and lasting change.

"[The] Passaic event [organized by Passaic Rabbi Ron Eisenman] marked a historic change in the haredi community," said Asher Lipner, a Flatbush psychologist who has dealt widely with the sexual abuse problem in the Orthodox community. "Unfortunately, Rabbi Eisenman's courage," Lipner continued, "is in sharp contradistinction to the more mainstream Orthodox rabbinic leadership who have never reached out to survivors of abuse, to give them a forum to publicly tell their stories. All efforts of victims to meet face to face as a group with the gedolim [rabbinic leadership] have been rejected. For survivors of abuse this is the ultimate betrayal, more painful in some ways than the actual sexual abuse they experienced as children."

Even the DA's efforts to encourage reporting of abuse are "useless as a source of change," Lipner noted, "as long as leading rabbis refuse to do the right thing and publicly encourage victims who suffer in silence to report their abuse to the authorities."

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AP: "U.S. slams Honduran radioman's anti-Semitic remarks"

AP: "U.S. slams Honduran radioman's anti-Semitic remarks"
By The Associated Press
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1119394.html

The U.S. Ambassador in Honduras has condemned anti-Semitic remarks by a local radio news director who has been an outspoken opponent of the coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya. Ambassador Hugo Llorens sent a letter to Radio Globo owner Alejandro Villatoro expressing "astonishment and incomprehension" over the Sept. 25 remarks by station director David Romero.

Commenting on the rumors alleging Israeli involvement in the crisis, Romero referred to the "famous Holocaust" and added that "I believe it should have been fair and valid to let Hitler finish his historic vision."

"Hitler's concentration camps and Holocaust constitute one of the most shameful acts of human history. How can it be that your station employs as its news director a man who does not understand this?" Llorens said in the letter sent Monday. "Mr. Romero's commentary makes a mockery of any pretense he may have of solidarity with people who struggle against injustice."

Romero later apologized for the remarks, saying that they were "stupid" statements made in the heat of the moment and that don't reflect his real views. He said his grandfather was a Jewish immigrant from Czechoslovakia who came to Honduras to escape persecution in Europe.

Radio Globo was shut down and its equipment confiscated by security forces last week after interim President Roberto Micheletti issued an emergency decree banning large-scale demonstrations and limiting civil liberties. Although Micheletti has lifted the decree, he said the Radio Globo and a television station that was also closed would have to go the courts to "recover their right to be on the air."

"I cannot help but note the irony that you and Romero came to visit me last week to seek support after your station was closed by the de facto authorities," Llorens said in his letter. "Radio Globo deserves to be on the air. The right of free speech must not be abridged, but with it goes the responsibility to speak truthfully and soberly."

Villatoro said Tuesday he had received the letter but had no plans to take action against Romero.

"I give no importance to this," Villatoro told AP. "I am not going to take any action or any measure against Romero because there is no law that punishes these situations."

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very interesting article from Alban: "Expeditions into What is Possible"

Alban: "Expeditions into What is Possible"

by Lawrence Peers
http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=8546

Where Moses stood, "the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed" (Ex. 3:2). In that holy encounter, he was being summoned into an experience of leadership that he would rather not pursue. After all, he was tending his father-in-law's flock of sheep, minding the task at hand, he didn't need anything else to do. But suddenly, out of nowhere, the Holy Presence calls him to move from the placidity of sheep herding to the seemingly unfathomable task of leading a captive people through an exodus and onto a circuitous journey of liberation. Going from herding sheep to herding people is a tremendous personal shift. Everything in Moses's bones told him he would rather just stay with what he already knew how to do: herding sheep... and hiding out!

As religious leaders—clergy and lay alike—we often find ourselves in circumstances not too different from Moses. How often do we prefer the familiar and the safe? How much do we prefer to remain with what is, with no inclination to move toward what is possible? How often as leaders of faith communities do we stay on the edge of our own Red Sea waiting for some miracle to occur before we even budge?

Like Moses, only when we take the plunge of leading do we discover new capacities of self and of faith that were otherwise dormant or underutilized.

Leading change is not just doing something different. It is entering into a new way of being—and from this new way of being can emerge a distinctly new way of leading. That is what Moses's encounter with the blazing bush was all about; it was the beginning of a shift from being a dutiful sheep herder to an empowered leader of a people. Although I doubt that any burning bushes will be appearing on our daily commute from home to office, we too know moments when in order to lead we need to feel called into some qualitatively different ways of being, beyond what is often safe and familiar.

Moving from what is known into a vast uncertainty (the wilderness) with only the slim promise of a new possibility to go toward is all too familiar terrain to any of us attempting to lead change in a congregation. Concurrent with that congregational change is our own journey of change as leaders, which can too often feel like exploring a new territory without a map to guide us.

To lead narratively, we leaders must be mindful of the relationship that we choose to have with the congregation's story. How one embodies a story is distinct from how one's words relate a story. For in embodying a story, we become that which we tell; we give a glimpse of what is possible. Such an effort requires us to be mindful of the dynamic tension we then initiate between what is and what can be. Howard Gardner tells us, in Leading Minds, that "the stories of the leaders—be they traditional or novel—must compete with many other extant stories and if the new stories are to succeed, they must transplant, suppress, supplement, or in some measure outweigh the earlier stories, as well as contemporary oppositional counter-stories."

Moses not only led the Israelites out of Egypt but also led them to a new understanding of who they were and of what was possible. Along the way Moses too was authoring a new understanding of himself and his role in this pilgrimage of leading a throng of captives into becoming the people of a covenant.

We always have a choice about the relationship we have with the congregation's dominant story about itself. In order to lead, we must be able to honor the story as well as shape the story of the congregation. To lead we must point—in our interactions and in our embodiment of our leadership—to some alternate ways of acting and ways of being that hold promise and possibility.

Michael White, a founder of narrative therapy, in his last book, Maps of Narrative Practice, writes of "expeditions into what is possible for people to know about their lives." We need practical directions as we embark on our own expeditions into what is possible, not just for the congregations we lead but also for ourselves as leaders. In fact, for us to effect deep change—that is, change that is not just episodic and on the surface but change that is generative and transformative—we need to re-author our own leadership. In so doing, we are not merely agents of change but, like Moses, we are changed.

As part of my work in narrative leadership, I often ask leaders of faith communities to acknowledge that they are already swimming in a narrative they have about the congregation. I ask these leaders to imagine this inner chatter, this narrative, as a constant stream of words and sentences that flows through them and around them. Then I instruct them to reach out into this imaginary stream with their hand and randomly snatch a "line" from that inner story that they have about the congregation. As they hold that imaginary line from the story in one hand, I ask them to observe that line. What is that line? What is the mood of that line? How does that line fit into a larger story that they or members have about the congregation? Who else tends to tell this story about the congregation? How does this line typically lead to what comes next in their story? Such a simple (and perhaps ridiculous) exercise makes us aware that even the most random sentences from our inner conversations are fragments of a larger story that a congregation has composed about itself, or that we have participated in composing and sometimes enshrining.

Taking this exercise one step further, I then ask clergy as they are imaginatively holding the particular line from their story of the congregation, "What is the story about the story you are telling?" Here we recognize that our hermeneutics, our interpretation of the story, usually fits into some larger story that we inherit or embrace. As leaders, we do hold our congregational stories in particular ways. The ways we hold or interpret those stories affect not only what we do but also who we are as characters in that story.

In a recent gathering of clergy, a pastor realized that she tended to look at all the ways laypeople in her congregation fell short of their commitments. She became what she called a micromanager, creating a great deal of stress in her life and reinforcing her story that "you can't trust lay leaders to follow up." When encouraged to look at the big picture outside her own story, she realized that the story was just as much about her as it was about them. When the lay members didn't follow through, it confirmed her suspicions about laypeople not taking their responsibilities or their faith seriously. Her tendency to be the rescuer and save the day when others didn't follow through made her the hero in her story about them—and about her. When she recognized that her role was part of her story, she realized she was part of the problem. Desiring to be in a relationship of trust with them, she was open to being coached into a new role that she called "an equipper," as in equipping the saints (Eph. 4:12). From this new narrative, she shifted her perspective of lay leaders and of her own role. She began to see all the ways she could encourage them and pass on skills. She imagined the lay leaders gradually owning their particular way of doing things and of leading.

As she shifted her narrative, her shoulders dropped, her jaw relaxed, her gaze softened. She was embodying her leadership in a new way, right before our eyes. From this new embodiment of her role, she gradually began to realize that there were already exceptions to the story she tended to tell about the laypeople in the congregation. She began to recognize that there were a myriad of ways in which they already did take on responsibilities and do things in their own way, even if it was not her way. These actual, real-life exceptions did not fit into the familiar story she told about them and about herself. Releasing herself from her old role, she stepped into another story that started a new "expedition into what was possible" for her own leadership. I suspect that something new is happening in the congregation as well.

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Rabbi Menachem Creditor
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