Spiritually Speaking with Laura Weakley

• Shining the light

  Hanukkah means dedication. The holiday is a celebration of the miracles leading to and including the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. There were numerous miracles, starting with a very common theme - which is miraculous in and of itself - of the courage of the few standing up for what they believe in and accomplishing their goals for the greater good. By doing so, their inner light shone through and left an indelible example of the importance of fighting for the rights of their society. Judah Maccabee, along with the small force - in comparison to the multitude of the Syrian army - essentially fought for (where my purpose is concerned here) freedom of religion. While it is true they were specifically fighting for the freedom of the Jewish religion, their goal was not the imposition of Judaism on the rest of the world, nor on the non-Jews they were fighting against. Since they were fighting for their own rights, and those of the Jewish people to keep their own religion, Temple, and property, and not to take what wasn’t theirs, one may say the general theme of freedom of religion is deduced from this story. The U.S.A. also fought for freedom of religion, amongst other things, in our war of independence from England. I say this because I come from both a long Jewish history of fighting for justice, freedom, and the protection of people’s rights, and America’s history of the same. These ideals were and always will be worth fighting for. And there always have been and always will be people willing to stand up to society for justice and their rights, along with the rights of those they represent, despite the very real danger to themselves and their families for doing so. The light of Adonai shines from these people due to the unselfishness of their cause. Unfortunately, and very sadly, it is also true that after all of the fighting is done, and if freedom and justice for all wins, society in general then starts on a slow decline when the majority of citizens act either complacently, or selfishly and immorally; as a result, the few citizens who are of high moral and ethical character then have to again work to help society back to moral high ground, and the cycle repeats itself. Just look at history. From the metro Atlanta area, I applaud Dr. Mitzi Shepps* for shining her own light once again for the betterment of society. Further, I thank Laura Armstrong for shining more light upon a system gone terribly wrong. I know Mitzi and Ed Shepps personally, and would like to take a moment to inform those who don’t that I have felt, since I have known them, Mitzi and Ed are the kind of people the world needs more of as admirable individuals. Their lives are a model of integrity, honesty, altruism, kindness, generosity of spirit, helpfulness above and beyond others’ expectations, and thankfully, intelligence too! I always appreciate all of these characteristics, and Judaism teaches us to act and be the kind of people they represent. The kind of people whose accomplishments for the good of society go largely unnoticed, though I am certainly not alone in taking notice of their beautiful light, but as they are humble too (referencing Moses here, whose humbleness has been lauded) they don’t “toot their own horns,” figuratively speaking. Rather, they no sooner finish helping others in some way, then they are right back out there finding another way to be of service. While obviously I like and admire them greatly, I want to be clear that by no means does this mean that they are - as some would say - saints. No one is perfect. However, I can’t recall a cause they have rallied for where I personally thought they were wrong. There might have been an occasion or so, I just don’t recall one at the moment. I do know this: if I disagreed with their point of view, based upon their obvious motivation and intention to do good for others, I would have given their position a lot of thought. Why? Because right or wrong, which rarely is as simple as black and white, knowing from their characters and upright natures, they are people truly deserving of respect and consideration, and their ideas always have merit and come from a pure place of G-dliness and love. By the way, if you follow the links I have to Mitzi’s name, as well as Laura Armstrong’s, I do believe Mitzi’s opinion and actions are absolutely on target and support her cause as I hope others do too. It is my sincere hope that the Cobb County School Board’s policies of complacency, evasiveness, and downright ignorance, which encompasses everything they have reign over, should be exposed and changed. That is to say, the Cobb County School Board in general, as there are some intelligent and good people serving on it. I didn’t go into details about the above issue, since for the purpose of this blog, and the spirit of Hanukkah, the candles we light each night and the light they represent is not just about a moment in history. The spirit of courage, justice, and the betterment of society is alive and well, I am proud to report! - 3 weeks ago

• The question was "Is Judaism dying?"

  I thought I’d share with my readers my answer to a Beliefnet blog’s question of “Is Judaism Dying?” This subject has come up so often in my life, I thought you might be interested in my view on the subject. The question was "Is Judaism dying?".  It seems to me the answers I have read are more about fixing Judaism, which means the people who wrote answers on how to fix it assume it is dying.  I differ on this point. More people are becoming "spiritual".  This, of course, includes many Jewish people.  From my own observations and reading, Judaism is actually becoming more important to quite a lot of Jewish people.  I grew up in Pikesville, MD, which, for those of you who are familiar with the Pikesville of - ok, I must give away part of my age, suffice to say my parents moved us to Florida - 30 years ago.  I have been back to see family almost every year until around 3 years ago.  So I am familiar with our migration patterns.  Be that as it may, it was a "Jewish ghetto" of sorts.   When my father told me I couldn't date anyone who wasn't Jewish, I laughed and told him I didn't know anyone who wasn't!  That may be hard to believe, but when I brought my ex, who I was married to at the time, to my 10-year high school reunion, the theme song was Havah N'gilla!  I may have spelled it wrong, but you get the idea.  He turned to me and said, "You weren't kidding, you really did live in a Jewish ghetto!"  He is Jewish, albeit a self-loathing one. I now live in the Atlanta, GA, area.  I’ve given you some background so you’re aware of two things:  one, I have some years of experience about societal changes; and two, my experiences are rather varied.  I moved a lot.   I also have the experience of studying this subject matter in my master's program, and I belonged to the group who conducted a survey/census of the greater Atlanta Jewish Community around 1990.    I should also state I am  zealous  about my Judaism.  My shuls have been my second homes!  My involvement in the Jewish communities where I’ve lived has been vast, and I am proud to say I am Jewish.  My grandparents were Orthodox, my parents Conservative, and I joined the Reform Movement.  But when asked, I answer that I am Jewish...period.  I have studied and continue to interact with Rabbis of all of our movements.  My orthodox rabbis have told me I'm orthodox and don't know it.  My point is that I have contact with a multitude of Jewish people from different places and beliefs. My opinion is that Judaism is thriving.  How can I say this?  You may think, “She must be ignorant of the fact synagogues all over are losing members,” and of course, “people are so secularly involved, and there have been numerous intermarriages.”  I hear you. Yes, all of these things are true; interestingly, I've heard different Jewish communities panic over intermarriage throughout my whole life. We were never meant to be the multitude.  We were meant to be a light unto the nations, which we have been and are.  Judaism isn't an easy religion, due to the fact we don't use (sorry to offend, but it's true) any idolatrous icons.  We pray to a G-d we can't see, and our religion is - on a simplistic level - one which is all about faith.  What I have seen is many more Jewish people learning.  Learning, and I can't emphasize this enough, learning about Judaism.  For those of you who aren't Jewish, and are - to quote the new show coming out, "of a certain age", and I must let a not-so-hidden secret out, most American Jewish people  (as I can't speak for the rest of the world) - and I believe this is true all over, don't understand, nor know much about Judaism.  Being as I have always been “the inquiring mind who wants to know” . . . basically. . . everything, I bugged my Hebrew school teachers ad infinitem with the question, "What does it mean to be Jewish?”  Yes, we learned Hebrew, some Torah, and of course, the holidays, but I never felt that information came close to answering my question.  Subsequently, I have spent my life trying to answer and teach the answers.  We never have only one answer!  I tell my husband - when he thinks I'm too probing of things and he tries to tell me some things exist just as they are - “Kevin, Judaism is all about the multitude of levels of meaning about everything,” and not for nothing, but there is the joke, “ask 10 Rabbis and get 11 opinions!” This is what I have seen change over the last 20 years or so: many Jewish adults who observed rituals, prayers, and practice. . . are now interested in learning what it all means.  Quite a lot of them regret not learning these things while growing up. The Holocaust survivors are dying out.  They leave in their wake the people whose lives they have touched.  This generation of Jewish people, who grew up pained by their stories, are also extremely attuned to the importance of passing our faith and beliefs on so we will "Never Forget".  We feel the full force of the importance of truly trying to understand our religion in order to pass it along.  L'dor v'dor!  You can't teach what you don't know, and to say we do this because our parents and grandparents “did it this way” just doesn't cut it with us.  We've never stopped being people of the book! Look at how many sites there are on the Internet alone, not to mention chavarot, which are study groups on Torah and Talmud.   Growing up I was always my Jewish friends’ "token Jewish friend”, and when they had questions about Judaism, their parents always told them, “Ask Laura, she knows!”  Now I am proud to say that although people of all religions still seek me out, it's more for deeper meaning than for basic information, which is how people approached me when I was younger. We are not dying out.  We are being rejuvenated.  Due to the economy, and because of time constraints, yes, a lot of “Members of the Tribe” are leaving - or choosing not to affiliate with synagogues - but that doesn't mean they don't practice at home, or with small groups of friends, and/or with family members.  This creates the public illusion we are shrinking in numbers.  I've heard this same panic my entire life.  I believe I am correct in stating it's been a worry of every generation, yet we're still here!!!  We'll never be the majority, but our collective love for our Judaism, traditions, memories, and Israel will never die.  I truly believe this. I’d love to know what you think! Spiritually Yours, Laura Weakley - 2 months ago

• The Georgia Literary Book Festival

  I’d like to start by thanking all of the organizers and volunteers! Despite the cold weather, it was a fun day! I would also like to thank my husband Kevin for giving up a football day with his friends! I noticed that vendor-wise, books on spirituality appeared to be an overriding theme. It is a good “sign of the times” because vendors tend to sell what they believe the public wants. When there is an air of negativity and violence in the news, I am glad that many people are more interested in, reading about, talking about, and buying books on spirituality. Violence and evil unfortunately spread easily and are detrimental not only to those directly involved, but also to society as a whole. These negative vibes, if you will, also affect the earth itself. Think about it. A proliferation of violence and hatred in countries all over the world corresponds directly with all of the flooding, earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes, etc. If you don’t believe me, look at history. There are many positive signs appearing in people’s reaching for spirituality, community, and kindness. I hope the positive efforts being made around the world are effective enough to calm our planet down. For those of you spreading joy, hope, and love, I thank you and urge you to please keep it up! If I’m correct, our future really depends on it. I was interviewed at the festival yesterday by a Rome-area reporter. Here’s the link to the article: http://rn-t.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Rome+gets+kudos+for+Georgia+Literary+Festival-+event+showcased+more+than+30+authors-+several+local+experts%20&id=4040845-Rome+gets+kudos+for+Georgia+Literary+Festival-+event+showcased+more+than+30+authors-+several+local+experts I’d love to know what you think! - 3 months ago