Our stories, their stories - the Immigrant Song, no matter when, the Song Remains the Same

Shavuot, which is Hebrew for “weeks”, is one of the three major pilgrimage occasions that arose in our ancient tradition. Along with Sukkot and Passover, Shavuot was one of the holidays for which our Israelite ancestors traveled to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices at the Temple. Unfortunately, Shavuot seems to get minimal attention because of its proximity to the end of the school year and summer vacations. However, Shavuot has MAJOR importance thematically, as it truly celebrates our greatest gift – the Torah.

“Torah,” of course, is more than the scroll with the Five Books of Moses; it represents all learning. And so Shavuot takes on the significant position of being a celebration of the Jewish commitment to the life-long opportunity to study and grow.

For three years now, my congregation (Temple Beth-El, South Bend, IN – www.tbe-sb.org) has used the occasion of Shavuot to engage in learning around issues of social justice. We will do so again this year. On the eve of Shavuot, this Tuesday May 18^th we will explore our Michiana Jewish roots knowing that We Were Strangers Too (for more on this program, see:

http://advocacy.hias.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=276

Our study opportunity (tikkun leyl Shavuot) will ask:

• How does our experience as an immigrant people inform our understanding of today's immigrant experience?
• What are some of the issues involved in today’s policy debate over immigration reform?

(Believe it or not, we brainstormed this program prior to the latest explosion of related stories in the news.)

In addition to our festival evening service, it is traditional to enjoy a dairy meal (ok, we’re also making tradition fit the occasion – as the dinner will feature dairy Mexican foods prepared by members of one of the local churches, from whose members we will hear contemporary stories of immigration). Making the connection between our stories (how well we know that we Jews are all immigrants, many times over) and the concerns that affect more recent immigrants – our program will culminate by exploring current issues for our own consideration, explanation, and possible advocacy. I’m looking forward to a fascinating evening.

So – what are you doing to learn and grow? What issues or concerns do you have about today’s world? What might you be doing to celebrate the gift of Torah? As our ancient sages taught: turn it, and turn it again – for everything is in it.

CHAG SAMEYACH – wishing you a joyous and meaningful festival.