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Dear Friends,
The lighting of candles is a beloved ritual in Jewish life. We light two to welcome the festivals and Shabbat. The braided wicks of the Havdalah candle with which we bid farewell to the Sabbath remind us of the power of many flames burning in “community,” as do the Chanukah candles which push back the darkness of the year’s shortest days.
But one of the lesser-known Jewish ritual candles is the one kindled just before Passover we use to search for the chametz, the leaven, we remove from our homes. Chametz, the rabbis likened to inflated ego – a swollen sense of self and one’s rightful place in the world. The ritual of Bedikat Chametz reminds us that in every heart lies the inclination to evil and the abuse of power, and that the act of soul-searching is a necessary intervention to counter it, particularly for those in society who are the holders of power.
Not long ago, the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion published an independent report it commissioned to investigate allegations of power abuse on its campuses over a period of fifty years, of which women were clearly the most frequent, though not the only, victims. The report determined such abuse took the form of serious sexual misconduct, bias against women and members of the LGBTQ+ community, favoritism and gatekeeping impacting women and men, and other behaviors running counter to the ethical example a religious institution should set.
HUC-JIR is the seminary that ordained us, and so many rabbis and cantors of our congregation and most every Reform congregation. Many of its alumni remain forever grateful for the experiences and the learning we enjoyed there, and regard our professors as among the brightest lights in our lives. HUC-JIR has made immeasurable contributions to the Jewish world – chief among them its graduates, and the inspiring creativity of its scholars. Rabbi Davidson serves on its Board of Governors, and Temple Emanu-El proudly hosts its ordination and graduation ceremonies.
And now HUC-JIR must, as it has committed itself to do, search its soul – shine a bright light upon the darker patterns of power imbalance that exist in every institution. None are immune. Most of us fail at times to treat the others in our lives as our equals, deserving of the same opportunities to lead and speak and contribute. But those people and institutions with power bear special responsibility to guarantee that equality.
As angry as we are, we proceed nonetheless with faith that the school that privileged us to serve the Jewish community will undertake the holy work of becoming better, and rekindling its flame of leadership in the Jewish world.
Our synagogue, and all synagogues, have a role to play. In a morally bewildering age in which the powerless are too often forgotten and abused, the world needs us to hold Jewish institutions to the highest standards of moral leadership. For the new year ahead, let our Chanukah lamps burn as our commitment to shining a light on injustice wherever we see it, around the world and in our own homes and hearts.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Joshua M. Davidson
Rabbi Amy B. Ehrlich
Rabbi Andrue J. Kahn
Rabbi Sara Y. Sapadin
Cantor Mo Glazman
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