That's the only conclusion I can come to after our Rabbi, leader of one of the largest congregations in New Jersey gave a rousing High Holy Day sermon calling for rehabilitation and treatment for non-violent drug ofenders, universal health care, zero tolerance for public corruption, and an end to the revolving door between the halls of government and K Street.
Our temple has a long history of social action and progressive values. Our Rabbi from 1939 to 1976 was Dr. Joachim Prinz. In 1963, he marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Washington DC where he was priveleged to speak:
America must not become a nation of onlookers. America must not remain silent. Not merely black America , but all of America . It must speak up and act,. from the President down to the humblest of us, and not for the sake of the Negro, not for the sake of the black community but for the sake of the image, the idea and the aspiration of America itself.
Our synagogue has grown and prospered since then and many of our congregants are very wealthy. They have also grown more conservative politically. One of those chosen for an aliyah, chosen to say the blessings before the Torah reading on one of our holiest days, was the current Ambassador to Brazil, the former Ambassador to The Netherlands and a Bush Pioneer.
So our Rabbi's call to action, like the clear battle call teruah of the Shofar, was heard by those who needed to hear his message.
When it comes to political corruption, healthcare and social justice, we Jews should know better. As far back as the 13th century, a Talmudic scholar, Maimonides, listed health care as the most important service a community must provide to its members.
And yet many of my family members and friends who heard our Rabbi speak have argued with me in the past over these very issues. They proclaim that the USA has the best medical care available. What remains unspoken, and which I truly wish our Rabbi had addressed, is the selfishness of lauding a system simply because we are part of the 10% that can afford the best. They complain that they don't want to wait for months for surgery, while acccepting a system in which milions of fellow Americans will never be able to afford that same surgery.
Our Rabbi spoke truth to power and wealth today. I hope everyone heard him.