Orthodox, Jewish Center of Teaneck

Land countless others were shocked by the untimely passing of Tim Russert, the veteran broadcast journalist and respected host of NBC’s "Meet the Press." Tim and I shared a few things in common, most notably that we were both alumni of Cleveland’s John Carroll University, where he received his undergraduate education and I earned a master’s degree in clinical counseling. We also had the opportunity to be together at the Yeshiva University commencement exercises a year ago, when he delivered the commencement address and received an honorary doctorate, at the time his 48th such honor, all of which I’m told he proudly hung and displayed in his home; I was privileged to march in the academic procession and sit on the dais in celebration of the 25th anniversary of my Yeshiva College graduation. Behind stage at the Radio City Music Hall Tim and I compared notes on our Jesuit educations and talked about John Carroll’s proud football traditions. Don Shula was also an early JCU graduate. But what impressed me most was his modesty and approachability, coupled with what we all came to see and respect in his professional achievements. He was known to prepare vigorously for each interview. He was a fair but demanding interviewer. All of these attributes were the fruits of a hard-earned education that included a law degree from Cleveland’s John Marshall Law School but most importantly lessons mastered from his early education in Buffalo’s Catholic schools and the care and encouragement that he received from demanding nuns and priests who recognized his abilities and pushed him to realize his potential. Tim Russert was the only member of his family to go to college. He grew up in South Buffalo and his father kept two full-time jobs to support his family, driving a sanitation truck by day and a delivery truck for the Buffalo News at night.

Jewish Center of Teaneck

If the ability to share and chronicle the story of Jewish life in Hudson and Bergen counties began 75 years ago with the establishment of The Jewish Standard as our area’s principal Jewish paper, then the beginnings of Jewish organizational life in Teaneck, perhaps its leading community, also then began with the establishment of the Jewish Center of Teaneck as the community’s first Jewish house of worship.

Joy Zacharia Appelbaum notes in "The History of the Jews of Teaneck" (1977) that the center began with High Holy Day services in 1933. Its wandering but uninterrupted development took a path of progress with the congregation’s first home in Israel Doskow’s art studio on Elm Street, then in a store across from the municipal green, onward to the Masonic Hall (the former residence of Bernard and Minna Lippman) on Monterey Avenue, and after that to the state troopers house on Queen Anne Road.

Jewish Center of Teaneck, Independent/Traditional

We live in interesting times, especially around the issue of self-empowerment. Autonomy is an essential right in many realms, especially that of medical decision-making. People are interested in "being involved" and not simply surrendering power or authority to a surrogate unless absolutely necessary. Consider how the world of philanthropy has radically changed; increasing numbers of people are not content to simply write a check to a charity but expect some level of stewardship and personal involvement in their donor causes. Technology and mass media have created a culture of knowledge and an age of unbridled access to information. While these are new realities in society, the concept of intimate involvement in the experiences of community has long been a staple of Jewish life as mandated in the system of halacha/Jewish law.

Many are the character traits of our Jewish people, some less flattering than others. Stiff-necked, ever-dying, and contentious are but a few of the constitutive elements that have sustained us through thick and thin. But less common in this celebration of our collective personality are those more upbeat qualities such as joy, song, and appreciation. While our established spiritual traditions clearly demand and direct the responses of hallel and hoda’ah (praise and thanksgiving) for situations of salvation and bounty, spontaneous celebration remains a difficult, if not also elusive, goal across the expanse of Jewish history. Instead we find more instances of murmuring and complaint that dot our biblical landscape and narrative than we do song and celebration. It therefore comes as welcome relief in this week’s portion to find that great moment of shirah/song that erupted after the miraculous crossing of the Sea of Reeds. "Az yashir Moshe U’vnai Yisrael et ha-shirah hazot l’Hashem — Then did Moses and the Children of Israel chose to sing this song to the Almighty." (Exodus 15:1)