Why We Should Support Immigration Reform

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Emma Lazarus wrote that poem in 1883, for a campaign to raise money to build the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty. The statue soon became the quintessential welcoming figure for the many immigrant ships that passed beneath that outstretched hand and torch on their way to Ellis Island and to the promise of America.

Since those days more than a century ago, our country has repeatedly changed its policies on immigration. Sometimes we welcome immigrants. At other times we impose strict restrictions on immigration.

The Senate has now passed a comprehensive bill revising United States laws regarding immigration. In order for the law to change, though, the House of Representatives also must act.

Louis D. Brandeis: “People’s Lawyer” Becomes Pre-eminent Supreme Court Judge

Many judges inspired me during my thirty-six years of law practice.  For example, I worked with Paul Garrity, alav ha shalom, in a legal services office in Cambridge. He went on to become the first judge of the Boston Housing Court and then a judge of the Superior Court. He left a lasting legacy of improvements in two vital areas.

The Boston Housing Authority was the landlord of 67 housing projects and managed them very poorly, harming the residents forced to live there.  Judge Garrity greatly improved their lives of residents  by ordering the Authority into receivership and overseeing improvements there.

Judge Garrity later presided over a case involving Boston Harbor. You may recall a picture of Paul in his robes standing at the water’s edge and labeled “Sludge Judge.” The harbor was shockingly polluted. Paul’s rulings forced the creation of the Water Resources Authority and prevented 43 Boston-area communities from spewing raw sewage into the harbor, sparking a cleanup that has benefited everyone in the area.

The judge who most inspired me, though, was a judge I never met. He was Louis Brandeis.

The Rabbi Who Made Coca Cola Kosher

Pesach is just 20 days away. Some of us are already deeply involved in planning seders and even beginning to stockpile food and drink that is kosher for Passover. Certainly the supermarket aisles in many communities are brimming with matzah and macaroons.

Today I want us to celebrate the significant accomplishment of a rabbi whose name you might not know. But you know what he did, even if you don’t know he’s the one who did it.

I am referring to Rabbi Tuvia Geffen, zichrono livrakha, may his memory be a blessing.  We are all grateful to Rabbi Geffen, as I will explain. And believe me, it does relate to Pesach.

Guides to Life

 “Thanksgiving is that very special holiday when we take a break from our hectic everyday lives to spend quality time with our loved ones, rediscovering all the reasons we don't actually live with them.”

That is the beginning of a classic humor piece by Dave Barry. Sadly, it also expresses a reality that we encounter too often: the challenge of getting along in a family, and particularly an extended family.

For many of us, we look ahead to the gathering at Thanksgiving very happily. We enjoy the company of our family and friends. We have a great time when the day arrives. We learn about the changes in each others’ lives. We sympathize with difficulties and share in the joy of good news. We eat a full and delicious meal together. We look forward to repeating the experience next year.

For others of us, though, the holiday is not so terrific. Perhaps we have lost a family member since last year. Or one of our sons or daughters has chosen to be with the in-laws again this year, leaving an empty place in our hearts even if we arrange the table so we don’t show an empty seat where are son or daughter should be. And maybe Uncle Louie gets into that argument with Cousin Harry again, as they do every year: Uncle Louie loves the Tea Party and Cousin Harry agrees with all of the Occupy protests. Each year their voices rise as they try once again to convince each other while the rest of us try to bring peace. We end the holiday exhausted and wonder whether we really have to do this again next year.

The essence of our question is this: how can we live our lives in both a moral and satisfying way, even if our families may sometimes disappoint us?

New England States Punished “Stubborn Children” Under Laws Based On Deuteronomy, In Disregard Of Talmudic Commentary Abrogating Any Such Punishment

The Massachusetts Bay Colony enacted the following law in 1646:

If a man have a stubborn or rebellious son of sufficient years and understanding (namely, at least sixteen years of age) which will not obey the voice of his Father, or the voice of his Mother, and that when they have chastened him will not  harken unto them: then shall his Father and Mother being his natural parents, lay hold on him and bring him to the Magistrates assembled in Court and testify unto them, that their son is stubborn and rebellious and will not obey their voice and chastisement, but lives in sundry notorious crimes; such a son shall be put to death.

Connecticut adopted that same law in 1650. So did Rhode Island in 1668, and New Hampshire in 1679.

That law was known as the Stubborn Child Law. It remained on the statute books of Massachusetts for over three hundred years. The legislature eventually dropped the death penalty and broadened the law to include daughters. The law was not repealed until 1973. 

Having Difficult Conversations

I gave this sermon at Temple B'nai Shalom in Braintree on March 5, 2011, to help people turn difficult conversations into constructive conversations.

Purim is just around the corner. And then Pesach is coming. In about six weeks we will gather with family and friends around our Seder tables. We will read from the Haggadah, ask and answer questions, and enjoy the familiar food after we retell the ancient story.

Sometimes, though, that same Seder table can be the arena for some pretty sharp arguments. I remember one Pesach when this happened. We had just finished the gefilte fish. It was time for the next course. We had hired a teenager, who was not Jewish to help us. Alice had asked her to start clearing the dishes in order to bring in the soup.

Before that could happen, however, two of our guests, young women in their 20’s, got into an argument about Israel.

The Freedom Imperative

Here is my latest article in the Temple B'nai Shalom Bulletin.

This is the season of freedom opposing oppression. The season of heroes and villains. The season of democracy defeating tyranny.

Both in history and legend, in ancient times and modern, here and around the world.