Judaism in Lincoln, NE/staking out a future

For those of us who started out life in Lincoln, Nebraska, Jewish life might not have ever resembled Jewish life on the coasts, but it did offer a variety of opportunities for socializing and being involved in Jewish communal life beyond the scope of the ritual aspects of synagogue life. Somehow we managed to raise Jews who understood the need to support our Jewish organizations and who took pride in taking leadership roles in those organizations.

Yesterday, those of us who sat together for a Jewish Federation board meeting, found ourselves discussing how difficult it now is to have the number of individuals required by our by-laws in attendance and how those numbers need to be revised to reflect our new reality. The discussion about changing numbers, did not bother me. What I was bothered about, however, was discussion about whether or not key leadership roles within the Federation could be/should be delegated to non-Jews who contribute money to the Federation. I must say the conversation, not only bothered me, it also surprised me.

I have always looked at Jewish leadership as being different than other kinds of leadership because it is based upon a world outlook that stresses core-Jewish values. In terms of the work of the Federation, the core value one would expect to find would be tzedek/justice, which forms the root of the word tzedakah. Unlike non-Jewish philanthropic organizations that see their work as being generous to those in need, Jewish tzedakah agencies see their role as performing a required duty, one actually prescribed by Torah.

Every week we read Torah portions that point out aspects of Jewish leadership. We learn about the meaning of emet/truth, yosher/integrity, acharayut/personal responsibility, mishpat/respect for law, brit/covenant, and chesed/compassion as we learn about the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah. Although we could probably attend a Dale Carnegie course in leadership skills, to obtain the skills needed in the secular world, I do not believe such a course would leave one with a sense of why we Jews choose to behave as we do. I think the key is to realize that we really don't care about how one feels. The important thing is that we do good regardless of the way we feel. We base our actions on a belief that there is a higher moral code than that created by society and that that higher power demands us to live lives that exemplify the Jewish values I just listed.