God at the GA

Advertisement

I heard God mentioned approximately 26 times at the GA and all 26 came during the same speech: Rabbi Naomi Levy’s pre-Olmert address at yesterday afternoon’s plenary.

The rare bit of God-talk got off to a strange start. Because of a technical glitch (possibly having to do with the teleprompter), Levy was standing at the microphone for several minutes looking befuddled — if amused.

But once she got rolling, Rabbi Levy brought God into the building with such vigor — asking for protection and peace and hope — that more than anything, it accented how much religious and spiritual language was absent from the rest of the conference.

In truth, the setting — the size of the stage, the dramatic zeal — gave Rabbi Levy’s prayer a mega-church feel that seemed a bit removed from Jewish religion and spirituality, too, but the “God” part was undeniable.

Now, I’m not surprised that a meeting of the organized Jewish community was so devoid of religious content, and I don’t have a strong opinion about whether this is a good or bad thing. But I do think it proves that the “Jewish” in “United Jewish Communities” does not refer to a faith, but rather to some sort of social/ethnic collective. Which, again, is neither fundamentally good nor bad. But it is interesting.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

My Jewish Learning is a not-for-profit and relies on your help

Donate

Discover More

The God Delusion

When I woke up last Saturday and saw the New York Times Book Review, I couldn’t help wondering: What would ...

From the GA

I’m here at the United Jewish Communities General Assembly in Los Angeles, the annual meeting of Jewish professionals and Federation ...

Jewish Words and Knee-Jerk Reactions

Yesterday, Jason bolted out of his office with the news that a plane had crashed into the Hudson.Caught in conversation, ...

Advertisement