By Rabbi Steven Burg Eastern Director, Simon Wiesenthal Center & Museum of Tolerance
Over the years I have found myself in numerous difficult situations, which have run the gamut from slightly awkward to extremely uncomfortable. A few years ago, I spent quite a bit of time in Germany working with the Ronald S. Lauder foundation and their dynamic CEO, Rabbi Josh Spinner; and I found myself in a tough position in Cologne.
Rabbi Spinner is the person responsible for the rejuvenation of Jewish life in Germany. Many Russian Jews, due to financial issues, were forced to emigrate from Russia to Germany. There was a real danger that the next generation of their children would be lost to the Jewish people. Rabbi Spinner opened up an educational institution in Germany called the Rabbinerseminar zu Berlin to train Rabbis for communities around Germany.
I was invited to address the Rabbinical ordination that was to take place in Cologne. A few weeks earlier, a local judge had ruled that circumcision was illegal because it “amounted to bodily harm,” which brought the Cologne ordination ceremony into sudden and harsh focus. The German Government sent Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle to speak on the topic.
So what Dvar Torah does one give in Germany, in front of the Foreign Minister, with the timeless mitzvah of brit milah hanging in the balance? I would like to share my Dvar Torah from that day because I believe that it accurately describes the mission of AMIT.
We are all familiar with the first conversation that takes place between Moses and G-d. After the shock of seeing the burning bush and talking with G-d begins to fade, Moses begins to digest that he is being asked to go back to Egypt to rescue the Jewish nation. He repeatedly tries to beg off of the undertaking that G-d presents to him.
At one point Moses pauses and then asks a strange question. If he agrees to go back to Egypt to attempt to save the Jewish people, which name of G-d should he use? G-d tells him to use “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh,” loosely translated as “what will be is what will be.” What is clear is that both Moses and G-d understand exactly what is being asked and what the answer is. As for the rest of us, we don’t have a clue. We have never heard of this name of G-d—and since when does one require a special name of G-d for a mission?
One of the greatest educators to perish during the Holocaust at the hands of the Nazis was Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapiro, also known as the Piasetzna rebbe. Rabbi Shapiro, the author of the important work “ Chovas HaTalmidim” (The Student’s Responsibility), was a master educator who always saw the inner spark in every Jewish student. While a prisoner in the Warsaw ghetto, Rabbi Shapiro continued to teach Torah and inspire his pupils. And because of a great miracle, we have his sermons from that time, which he compiled into a book called “Eish Kodesh.” It was found buried in a milk canister in the Ghetto after the war by a construction worker.
Rabbi Shapiro attempted to answer our question by the light of his incredible weltanschauung (particular philosophy of life). He taught that there are two ways in which we look at our lives: We see ourselves in the present—what we are doing right now, such as reading this article. We also relate to our past—where we came from and how we got to this point. But Rabbi Shapiro also suggested a third way to look at our lives that are often neglected—the lens of the future. Where am I going and, more importantly, who can I become?
G-d understood that Moses was having a difficult time imagining himself as the savior of the Jewish nation. G-d reminded him to focus on not what is or what was but what he could become. And G-d wanted the downtrodden Jewish people to understand that they could become the greatest nation in the world. Judaism is based upon the ability to recognize and realize one’s potential. This, I told the audience in Cologne, Germany, was the secret to the longevity of the Jewish people that both Moses and Rabbi Shapiro understood. We start at birth with the commandment to circumcise and we will continue that practice no matter who tries to stop us.
Likewise, I believe that AMIT’s core mission is to teach Jewish children that they have the incredible potential to rebuild the world around them. When World War II ended and there was a tremendous influx of orphans and families to Israel, AMIT was there to tell every one of those children that he or she could achieve greatness. When Ethiopian immigration to Israel became a reality, AMIT was there to tell every one of those children that he or she could achieve greatness. When the imprisoned Jews of the Soviet Union were finally freed, AMIT was there to tell every one of those children that he or she could achieve greatness. AMIT’s mission is part and parcel of that of the Jewish state. May G-d bless all those who support and work for AMIT to create a strong and vibrant Jewish Nation.
As a teen Rabbi Burg volunteered at AMIT Frisch Beit Hayeled in Gilo, Israel. His sister Barbara Vidomlanski has continued the family tradition by acting as the Coordinator of Student Activities for Midreshet AMIT at Beit Hayeled. Rabbi Burg lives in Bergenfield, NJ with his wife Rachel and their six incredible kids.
