Shmuely Boteach, who bills himself as “America’s Rabbi,” is not a candidate for Congress in the newly formed 9th district. That does not mean, however, that he will not be on the ballot come November.

The website http://www.politickernj.com and other sites have reported that Boteach is seeking the Republican nomination to run against either Rep. Steve Rothman or Rep. Bill Pascrell, who will face each other for the Democratic nomination in June. The report was based on the fact that Boteach sent a letter to the offices of the Bergen County Republican Organization informing it that he is considering running.

To be considered by the Republicans for the nomination, Boteach told The Jewish Standard, meant sending a letter of intent no later than Jan. 31. Boteach said he did so at the last minute, but has yet to decide whether to actually enter the race.

From left, JFNNJ CEO Jason Shames; federation board member and campaign chairman Carol Silberstein; JCRC Director Joy Kurland; Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli; JCRC board member Leslie Billet, who serves as the lay chairman for the trip; David Hyman, an Israeli tour guide; and Neal Borovitz, the JCRC chairman and rabbi of Temple Avodat Shalom in River Edge. photo by Jeanette Friedman

MADISON – The bishop of the archdiocese of Paterson hosted an unusual gathering at St. Paul in the Walls here on Monday to persuade members of his diocese to take a unique joint trip to Israel/the Holy Land with members of the Jewish community.

The Rev. Arthur J. Serratelli was joined by Rabbi Neal Borovitz, rabbi at Temple Avodat Shalom in River Edge and chairman of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey’s Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), who is leading the Jewish contingent on the trip, which is planned for next October. Also present were Jason Shames, the federation’s CEO, and the JCRC’s director, Joy Kurland. Almost 75 professionals, lay leaders, and guests from both faith communities were present to hear Serratelli lay the groundwork for the interfaith trip.

St. Paul in the Walls is in an extraordinary 1920s-era mansion, and the program opened with a short history of the recently renovated building. The bishop was then introduced by Anne Breslin, a Catholic lay person, who originated the idea for the trip.

Serratelli began with a few stories from Mark Twain’s “Innocents Abroad,” to show how a trip to the Holy Land is transformative. No Christian comes back unchanged, he said, not even Mark Twain, because when they are in those places with a Bible in their hands and walk where the ancients walked, they are walking where Christianity’s founders walked. He called the Land of Israel the Fifth Gospel, because it opens up the Gospels to Christians in a way merely reading the text cannot do.

“Pilgrims come back enriched in four areas: topography, history, archeology, and the people,” he said. “These things help Christians better understand their own faith and develop an appreciation of Jesus’ own religion,” meaning Judaism.

The remainder of the bishop’s talk focused on how the four subjects connect to biblical texts, and how one could then understand why things took place the way they did. Taking his audience from the Sea of Galilee to Jerusalem and its surroundings, he explained how the land, the history, the people, and the archeology linked the land to Christian texts.

“Traveling is fatal to prejudice, to bigotry...” Serratelli said, as he concluded his presentation. “You cannot stay in one little corner of yourself. When you go to a place like Meah Shearim, or to the Western Wall… you rub shoulders with pious Jews keeping the tradition of Abraham, David, Solomon… where justice still burns brightly in Isaiah, Jeremiah….We see them as they wait for the Messianic Age, for mashiach, and use the direct line [to God].… That’s when we can begin to see that others of strong faith can hear these same scriptures. The Holy Land is the best commentary on the Bible.”

Borovitz, a natural storyteller, told a joke about the first and second comings of the Messiah, and later noted that there is an important message there, regardless of which coming it is. “Whatever will happen,” he said, “It won’t be magic. It will only happen if each of us does his or her part to make the world a better place.”

The rabbi also linked the Bible to the land and stressed that Israel is a very modern country. As an example of topography, he described what the Green Line was like in 1967, and how one could see barren desert on what was then called “the Jordanian side,” while everything on the Israeli side was lush and green. He then related the observation to biblical texts.

He concluded by paraphrasing the talmudic sage Rabbi Tarfon: “Even if the task is large and we cannot finish it in our own lifetimes, we are obligated to continue working on Tikkun Olam, to repair the world.”

In an interview after the event, Borovitz said that this trip will be a unique opportunity “to see Israel through each other’s eyes, to look at our common roots and different approaches to the one God.”

He said that most Jews go on Jewish tours of Israel, and Christians go on Christian tours, so he is excited about being able to show Christians the real, modern Israel, to dispel the idea that the country is an armed camp. He also is excited about the chance to argue differences and appreciate common cause in Capernaum, where the ruins of a synagogue and a church face each other, and to share Jewish knowledge of our history and traditions.

The trip will take place from Oct. 18 to 28. Participants will spend time in the areas around Jerusalem, and in the Galilee. One night will be spent at Kfar Blum, a working kibbutz, to show Christians how modern Zionism works.

“We want to encourage people to come. This is not your normal UJA Mission or a synagogue tour,” Borovitz said. “It’s a trip that will overlap both cultures, and give people a chance to interact with Israeli Palestinians and others. Yes, we will visit classic sites, but we will be looking at them through a new lens, from a different perspective. If it is a mission, it’s a mission to build bridges between American Catholic leaders and Israel, American Jews and Catholics and to continue to work together on issues of common concern, both within our own community and as it applies to America Israel relations.”

For more information, contact Joy Kurland at the JCRC, (201) 820-3900 x228, or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

A group of Yeshiva University students landed at Ben-Gurion Airport in mid-January and went to prison, then went on to a halfway house for former convicts. Clearly, this was not the usual college semester-break trip.

The 15 men and 15 women were on an eight-day experiential program in Israel, “Tzedek and Tzedaka,” offered by the university’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF) to explore the concepts of justice and social justice in a modern democratic Jewish state.

A second YU group of 10 participated in “Art at ORT,” focusing on social activism and the empowerment of Israeli teenagers through art.

Stanley Fischman wants his students to do the right thing — and more.

Fishman, director of general studies at the Ben Porat Yosef day school in Paramus, has just published a book encapsulating the moral lessons he has been teaching fourth graders.

“Seven Steps to ‘Menstschhood’: How to Help Your Child Become a Mentsch” is designed to enable parents to use classic Jewish principles as a framework for discussing the real challenges of ethics and character that children face.

• Minimize your personal reaction when your child complains of mistreatment by peers. Listen attentively and sympathetically; then begin brainstorming coping strategies.

• Encourage your child verbally rather than resorting to reward and punishment.

• Note even minor improvements in your child’s personal conduct and express your appreciation for them.

• Tone down. When discussing difficult circumstances, try to use a soft, unhurried voice. Avoid speaking to children when you are angry or when your child is angry.

• Support your child’s efforts at becoming independent. Slowly get used to the fact that it is his or her life. Treat setbacks as milestones on the road to success.

• Consistently follow your routines, rules and guidelines.

• Hillel was perhaps the most patient of all men. Was he as patient as an 8-year-old as he was when he was 50? Be patient with your child and give him time to grow.

#1: You shall love your fellow man as yourself

#2: You shall not hate your brother in your heart

#3: You shall not place a stumbling block before the blind

#4: Open your hand to your brother, to your poor and to the needy in your land

#5: You shall do what is right and what is good

#6: The ways of the Torah are ways of pleasantness

#7: You shall be holy

The man who brought Gilad Shalit home is an immigrant from New York.

Gershon Baskin was the crucial negotiator in the secret talks that brought the captured soldier back to Israel in October after more than five years of imprisonment by Hamas.

Baskin will be speaking about the negotiations and Shalit’s release Monday night at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, in an event also sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey and several area schools and synagogues.

“I made aliyah in the framework of Young Judea,” Baskin said in an interview. “One of the things we learned is that the primary goal is not only to make aliyah, but to make a difference to Israel,” he said.

She just had to do it.

That is how Haworth teen Micaela Mangot explains an incident that took place when she was a little girl, distributing food and toiletries to the homeless in Washington, D.C.

“My family was always big into philanthropy,” said the 16-year-old, a student at Northern Valley Regional High School in Demarest. “They taught me good morals and values — that you should always help people and treat them as you want to be treated.”

“I was around 7, and we were in Washington, D.C.,” remembers Micaela. “There was a lot of poverty there, and I got very upset. I saw the homeless standing above the subway grate for warmth. I went back to the hotel and took the candy and toothbrushes and soap and conditioner and gave them to them in pillowcases. I had to.”