Comments
"Why not politely inform everyone who could be offended by Cantor Rowland that they can stand in the hallway while she delivers the words of our sages. Or better yet, let’s just open up our programs and read it out loud together.”
I like your second suggestion. As for the first suggestion, it was only a few years ago that Jewish legislators in Annapolis led a campaign to keep visiting clergymen from closing their invocations with, “In Jesus’ name we pray.” What right have Jews to tell a Christian how to pray? Why don’t the Jewish legislators just stand in the hallway until the clergyman has finished his invocation?
Certainly, no Jew would presume to attend a church service and tell the priest or minister not to pray in Jesus’ name. But a legislative session is not a church service. It’s a public gathering where all legislators should feel included and no one should have to go stand in the hallway.
Similarly, no Orthodox Jew would presume to attend a Reform service and tell the cantor not to sing because of kol isha. But a Yom ha-Shoah gathering is not a Reform service, even if it is held in a Reform temple. It’s a gathering of the entire Jewish community, where no Jew should have to “stand in the hallway” in order to obey the rules of his religion.
It would indeed have been better to have everyone present read the words of the memorial prayer aloud.
Posted by Matt Rosenblatt on 05/27/08 at 04:12 PM
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