Lieberman may be springboard for Holy Day sermons

Appearing on a bimah near you this Rosh Hashanah, Senator and vice presidential hopeful Joseph Lieberman.

Not in person, of course, as he plans to worship at his own shul in Connecticut.

But the vice presidential candidate will figure into many area rabbi's High Holy Days sermons this year -- at least as a springboard to a number of topics.

An Orthodox Jewish candidate in a presidential election that falls precipitously close to the High Holy Days is likely to mean politics will seep into sermons, if only because political issues often overlap with moral and societal concerns.

"People who say religion and politics don't mix haven't read the Bible or Talmud," said Rabbi Daniel Pressman of the Conservative Congregation Beth David in Saratoga. The texts "are concerned with what is a good and just society. And once you ask that question, you get involved with politics, governance and all the things any society tries to do or decides not to do."

Rabbi Steven Chester of the Reform Temple Sinai in Oakland agrees. He often delivers "high-profile, social-action sermons." While the upcoming election won't result in that kind of sermon, Lieberman's candidacy has inspired other concerns that he'll address during the High Holy Days.

On the one hand, said Chester, "We have someone running who is Jewish on a major party ticket, which means we've made it. On the other hand, what does it mean? Will it bring out what is latent anti-Semitism in the country?"

Lieberman's statements about God also raise questions about separation of religion and state, which Chester plans to address.

Some local rabbis have chosen not to focus on Lieberman in their High Holy Day sermons because they have already discussed his candidacy from the pulpit. Instead, San Francisco Rabbis Stephen Pearce of Reform Congregation Emanu-El and Alan Lew of Conservative Congregation Beth Sholom will emphasize spiritual concerns.

But for these rabbis, as well as those who will address the Lieberman candidacy during the High Holy Days, the spiritual is often the political.

"The word politics to me translates into tikkun olam," said Rabbi Camille Angel of San Francisco's Reform Congregation Sha'ar Zahav, using the Hebrew term for "healing the world."

Lieberman probably will figure into one of Angel's sermons in terms of "how we Jews see him, and what it feels like to see ourselves mirrored in public arenas."

Pressman said he often feels compelled to address political issues, singling out the physician-assisted suicide initiative, which was approved in Oregon in 1994.

During a past Kol Nidre sermon, he looked at assisted-suicide, citing texts to illustrate why the measure is in violation of Judaic teachings. "There is an unequivocal, no-second-opinion, absolute Jewish statement against it," he said.

This year on Kol Nidre, which falls on Sunday, Oct. 8, Pressman plans to address medical care and housing concerns, which both fall under a societal and political rubric.

The Lieberman candidacy will figure into Pressman's second day Rosh Hashanah sermon but only as a segue into the situation of the Jews in America.

"What I'm discovering is that Lieberman is like a Rorschach test [to gauge] how secure [American Jews] really are," he said.

While Pressman says political topics often inspire sermons, another South Bay rabbi, Janet Marder of Reform Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills, said she generally doesn't talk about political issues. However, she may look at Lieberman "as an example of the situation of American Jewry today."

In addition, she said, she occasionally speaks out about "the great moral issues of our time."

Chester says it is incumbent upon a spiritual leader to address such issues. In his own work, he has advanced black-Jewish dialogue and, on Mother's Day, he spoke out at Oakland's Million Mom March in favor of gun control, blowing the shofar to close the rally.

"We have a responsibility to convey what our movement says, or what the texts say," he said. Most of the time Judaism takes a stand on political issues, "because they're also very human issues."

Like Chester, Pearce of Congregation Emanu-El and Lew of Beth Sholom, have been longtime social activists. Both have advocated on behalf of the homeless and the environment.

However, they don't plan to talk about Lieberman during the High Holy Days.

The issue, said Pearce, has been already "beaten to death."

With most congregants having heard and read about it already, by Rosh Hashanah, Pearce said, "people will have had enough of it, and they don't have to hear more from me."

Besides, he said, "I think people have a hungering for more spiritual issues" at the High Holy Days.

Lew sounded a similar note. While emphasizing that who is elected this year is of utmost importance, he said the High Holy Days are "an important spiritual moment, and I don't want to waste it talking about the nonsense they're talking about in the campaign."

Furthermore, Lew said, with political discourse bringing so much superficiality into our homes, he felt no need to stoop to its level.

"This is the deepest time of the year. And to have our sermons follow the kind of sound bites that go on is a desecration.

"I do think there are social and political implications to our religious life," Lew added, "but I don't think either candidate is addressing them."

Like Lew and Pearce, Rabbi Stuart Kelman of Berkeley's Conservative Congregation Netivot Shalom said he plans to focus on spiritual issues during the High Holy Days. Because of the nature of his participatory congregation, he had one sermon to give. "I've got lots of things to talk about that are more important" to focus on than the Lieberman candidacy.

While Kelman said he might make note of Lieberman at some point, the senator "won't occupy center stage." What will, he said, are "the issues affecting this community right now and where we are."

By contrast, Rabbi Ted Alexander of San Francisco's Conservative Congregation B'nai Emunah, said Lieberman would occupy a prominent position in one of his sermons.

"I'm going to draw a line between tribal Jews and religious Jews, and I do it because of the candidacy of Joe Lieberman."

In the short time since Vice President Al Gore chose him as a running mate, Alexander said, Lieberman has given Judaism a new meaning for Jews and non-Jews.

"We were looked upon as a nation or a people," he said. "Very rarely were we looked at as a God-centered religion."

Lieberman's high-profile religiousness has changed that, Alexander maintained.

"When you look at the people who have made headlines in Judaism, they were all tribal Jews," he said, "or Jews by birth. None of them have ever billed themselves as religious Jews."

That people's perceptions about Judaism are now evolving, is a positive thing, Alexander believes.

"Lieberman has opened our eyes to the fact that you can be a modern and political person and still consider yourself a religious person."

Nearly every rabbi interviewed pointed out that endorsing a candidate from the pulpit jeopardizes a synagogue's tax-exempt status as a nonprofit institution.

"Not only is [endorsing candidates] unseemly, it's illegal," said Pressman of Beth David.

But Alexander, who is almost 80 and has been at his congregation 35 years, said his longevity allowed him to get away with certain things his colleagues may not be able to. At the same time, he added, "I've been political all my life."

Describing himself as a "very partisan Democrat," Alexander said, "I've always believed that a religious Jew believes in kindness to the underdog."

Over the years, Alexander said, he has often discussed politics from the pulpit, not shying away from criticizing President Clinton when he deemed it appropriate, but also taking either party to task.

Nevertheless, he said, his congregants know exactly where he stands.

"The Jewish idea that you have to make this a better world and take care of the have-nots, I consider this Jewish ethics. And if this happens to be part of one party and not the other, then so be it."

Alexander was unambiguous in his support of his favored party, saying "A Torah-true Jew should never vote Republican."