Burnt Offerings
A Rabbi's Memoir
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I was not a fi re-and-brimstone missionary. I never took people by the throat and demanded that they do anything to change their way of life. All the changes came from the people themselves. There were three principles by which I lived. First, that every Jew has a yiddishe neshama (a Jewish soul) and that I am not better than they in any way. After “one hundred and twenty years” in this world, we will each be judged by God, and I do not know who will be judged to be the tzadik (righteous). Therefore, I respected each Jew as equal in their Jewishness. I never forgot the words of my teacher, Rabbi Soloveichik at my “Chag Hasmicha,” the official celebration of the ordination of members of my class. He told us to respect the intelligence and integrity of the people of our congregations; to prepare what we are going to say and to speak to them respectfully and not to be patronizing. In like manner, I would tell them that I was proud of their Jewish attachment and of that which they observed and practiced and that I was proud to be their Rabbi.
In fact, I really did admire their Jewish hearts and how much they wanted their children to grow up as Jews. It is not simple to remain a Jew in towns like Bennington, Vermont, or Watertown, New York, where Jews are a miniscule minority. It is not simple to avoid being subtly, silently and gradually dissolved of one’s identity without even realizing it.
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About the Book
Coincidence can color our experiences in ways that cannot be predicted. When the ordinary becomes the extraordinary, it transforms commonplace happenings and gives them new signifi cance and wonder.
For half a century, Rabbi David H. Chanofsky has witnessed these transformative miracles, and here, he shares some of his favorite memories and lessons. He shares tales from his years of fighting anti-Semitism in America and of his efforts to defend the rights of Jews everywhere. Through the prism of humor and pathos as they relate to Jewish life, his experiences seek to inspire thought, laughter, tears, and debate.
Is there such a thing as conservative and reform Judaism?
How does Judaism view intermarriage?
Why do so many people feel alone in a crowded synagogue? Is there a solution?
What happens when religion and politics intersect in Israel?
Who are your Jewish superheroes?
The rabbi’s early experiences gave him a lifelong commitment to Jewish survival and a zealous love of the United States. Judaism is central to his insights, and he approaches these issues with strong, often controversial points of view that he hopes will challenge your perceptions.
About the Author
Rabbi David H. Chanofsky grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan during the Great Depression. The founding rabbi of the Monsey Jewish Center, he is an ordained orthodox rabbi who was graduated from the Talmudical Academy and Yeshiva University. He held pulpits in Bennington, Vermont; Watertown, New York; and Riverhead, Long Island, before arriving in Monsey, New York, in 1966. He and his wife, Leah, have two children, Dona and Jordan, and seven grandchildren.