Teamwork and Knishes
At Touro Synagogue
January 25, 2020
Thank you to Dr. Irene Glasser and Rabbi Marc Mandel
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| Taking the census Harpers Weekly 1870 after asketch by Thomas Worth. |
On Friday before services at Touro Synagogue in Newport, RI, congregant Dr. Irene Glasser spoke about her work for the Center for Survey Measurement which is a part of the Research and Methodology Directorate of the US Census. Rabbi Marc Mandel introduced her, “This week's parsha, Parashat Vaera, has a census of its own, as they listed the names of the leaders of the tribes.”
”Certain populations,” Irene told us, “are chronically undercounted including people experiencing homelessness, people living in very rural areas, people who are Hispanic, African American, Asian, and American Indian. In 1989 and in 2009 I conducted research in homeless shelters, soup kitchens, out of doors, and with individuals and families who were ‘doubled up’ with another individual or family because they had nowhere else to go. I recommended strategies to try to better include people experiencing homelessness and evaluated how thorough I thought that the homeless count would be.
“The United States census figures are the basis for the number of Congressmen from each state in the US House of Representatives and the basis for much of the federal funding sent to the states. This year the census will be especially challenging in terms of complete coverage because, among other reasons, the census is not as well funded as it has been in the past and the citizenship question, although ultimately not asked, is thought to have scared US communities.”
Census employees are expected to respect the privacy of the public. Irene took an oath at the Census Bureau to hold as confidential for life any personal information she learned by working on the census. Confidentiality is a major reason people will answer the US census.
Many people work together as a team to make the census work.
In his brief words of Torah on Shabbat morning, Rabbi Mandel spoke about another team. “Moses and Aaron worked together in Egypt to help bring the redemption of the Jews. This is charting new territory, as in earlier Torah readings there was very little brotherly love.
“Cain and Abel were not friends, nor were Isaac and Ishmael, nor were Jacob and Esau, and not Joseph and his brothers. Suddenly we see two brothers, Moses and Aaron, working side-by-side, seamlessly, without mutual envy, towards the goal of Jewish redemption.
“Rashi tells us that in last week's parsha, “Moshe was concerned that Aaron would be envious of him since Aaron was the older brother, but it was quite the contrary. Aaron was very happy for his brother and was later awarded the title of the Kohen, because of this unselfishness.”
Moshe expressed his concern to God, who replied, “Don’t worry about it. Aaron will be happy to speak for you.” And so it was.
Rabbi Mandel pointed out, “Today things are different and families don't usually live so close together and don't work so closely together. It might not be so central anymore because the family unit is able to be more self-sufficient than in the past. But the kernel of the idea is still very important, that in order to be successful, teamwork is essential.”
At kiddush, Rabbi Mandel introduced the initiative to have Touro Synagogue participate in Daf Yomi (page of the day). “Thousands of people all over the world are studying the same page of Talmud each day. This unites all Jews and brings a sense of community to the global Jewish world.”
The Babylonian Talmud has 2,711 pages (each page consists of two sides). A cycle takes seven and a half years. The idea came to fruition when Rabbi Meir Shaprio proposed it at the first World Conference of Agudath Israel in Vienna in August 1923. The first cycle began on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, 1923.
The cycle concludes with a celebration, Siyum HaShas, the completion of the six Orders of the Talmud. On January 1, 2020 over 90,000 people gathered at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, including Touro member Jay Shottenstein, who recited the kaddish. Jay’s family underwrote the Schottenstein Talmud, published by Artscroll.
When ArtScroll was founded in the 1970s, David Nathanson told us that he helped to print its first books. The best part was when the founder of Artscroll, Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz, arrived from New York City with fresh knishes for all.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Knishes from Jewish Newport!
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