semitism.net

Old friends and new. I had the privilege of eating lunch a couple of weeks ago with Rachel Barenblat, the author of one of my favorite blogs, Velveteen Rabbi (subtitle: "When can I run and play with the real rabbis?"). I’d been reading it for a while. Rachel is a wonderful source of information on Jewish rituals and traditions. She doesn’t spell out the halakic details of how to observe, say Sukkot. Instead she writes beautifully about the palm leaves used in the service - where they come from, different interpretations of their meaning, and the tastes and scents of canning them afterward…

I’ve got four jars of lemon-etrog-ginger fruit sauce, instead. It tastes lovely, and I imagine the flavors will intensify and marry as it sits on the shelf. It’ll be excellent on vanilla ice cream, or waffles, or bread pudding, or potato latkes at Chanukah. And I like to imagine how golden-autumnal these "fruits of goodly trees" will taste at Tu BiShvat, when the world around us is covered with snow and the trees are still sound asleep, dreaming of the time when the earth will thaw and the sap will begin to rise.

I loved her blog - but what I didn’t realize, until I’d been reading it a while, is that she lives here in the Berkshires. Now, I have to admit that I was a little nervous about contacting her. She is a rabbi after all - or a rabbinic student, which, to me, is the same thing. I didn’t know her politics. I half feared she would email me back telling me to stop churning out this anti-Zionist trash; or else quiz me on how well my kids have learned the Sabbath prayers.

No such thing. Rachel is the nicest soul you can imagine. And I found out that she, too, feels somewhat marginialized from mainstream Judaism. She is getting her rabbinic degree from Elat Chayyim, a center for Jewish renewal, which turns out to be a very liberal, mystical and wonderful place hidden away in the Catskill mountains in New York (Rebecca and I went there for a weekend - an adventure I’ll write about another time).

Rachel is also a writer (thus, the delightful language on her weblog). She runs Inkberry, which is part of the very happening arts scene in North Adams.

We had a wonderful conversation about blogging, religion, Israel, the Jewish community local and national, and how we both ended up in the Berkshires (I’m from here, more or less; she migrated from Texas via Williams College). Rachel is as warm, enthusiastic and mindful in person as she is in her writing. I came away feeling that it’s alright to embrace Judaism unconventionally, to observe and rethink the rituals, to mix in radical politics, culture studies, feminism and whatnot. It’s not heresy - it’s renewal.

It’s funny that we both feel outsiders. My blog, in all honesty, the Jews could do without. But Rachel? She’s as articulate and passionate about Judaism as any writer I can think of. Our religion needs voices like this. What a wonderful rabbi she will be when she finishes her training.

In any case, I feel lucky to have met her, and I’m sure we will be friends. To connect with her online and then connect in person was an unexpected treat. Every day I think, "I’m too busy, I should give up this blog". And then something like this happens, and I think I won’t. Between Rachel, Brad, Richard, Umkahlil and Mary - there’s a little community of people out there who I care about. I’m not the only one who has this crazy perspective on Judaism, the Palestinians and Israel.

Not that we all have the same opinions. But, you know, somehow, the same sentiment. I think we’re all on the cutting edge of something. I’m not sure what, exactly, but something. Maybe we’ll know in time.