Page 38 - Jewish News_March 2021

38A March 2021 COMMENTARY

Looking for Loss and change Could it be cause and effect? I wonder…
Looking for

another way
another way By Rabbi Jonathan R. Katz, Community Chaplain

young people to examine the nature of
uch of our perspective is
to advertise Mlens of loss and change. We loss in a school unit associated with
to advertise
shaped through the repeating
character education. Perhaps, in the
your business? confront many losses in our lifetimes. 10 grade, students would share about
your business?
th
At an especially impressionable age,
loss in their lives in conjunction with a
discussion of literary and non-fictional
we lose the support and guidance of
With g uaranteed categ or y exclusivit y , * teachers who first met us at the school sources that address the subject. This
With guaranteed category exclusivity,*
would not only provide a helpful ma-
door. We lose
our twice weekly banner ad s, connections to turing experience but better equip them
our twice weekly banner ads,
g
et
YOUR
get YOUR message out! classmates with to deal with the inevitable losses they
message out!
*We limit ads to a maximum of whom we shared will meet in the future.
Federation Eblast interactive banner four per Eblast and only one per formative years. Engaging with others to explore
8,000
ads are delivered to 8,000 active business profession. We lose the in- loss cultivates awareness, empathy and
nocence of youth
a deeper appreciation of our collective
subscribers each Tuesday and Friday when adult re- human community. It is an instructive
JFEDSRQ.org/Eblast_Advertising
JFEDSRQ.org/Eblast_Advertising
for just $75 per ad — that’s less less sponsibilities de- as well as fortifying source of growth.
than a penny per recipient!
than a penny per recipient! Rabbi Jonathan R. Katz scend on us. Years ago, I was intrigued to learn
We can lose sight of the right thing that the word ‘decide’ shares the same
to do and then immensely regret it. We linguistic root as ‘homicide’ and ‘geno-
may lose out on opportunities that, for cide.’ Taken from the Latin, ‘cide’
Also, our new Sunday
Also, our new Sund ay one reason or another, were not taken means ‘to kill.’ The implication is that
when we make a decision to do one
advantage of. We feel loss in the face
E blast , sent a t the end of of unrequited love. We lose jobs and thing over another, we are, in essence,
Eblast, sent at the end of
each month, is a sneak preview
each month, is a sneak pr e vie w health. We face ultimate loss when killing off a possibility.

ALL
F
ents in
v
tion e
of of ALL Federation events in those most close to us – parents, rel- When making certain decisions in
edera
the upcoming month. atives, spouses and friends – are gone. my life, I’ve felt loss because the po-
the upcoming month.

Y
You can promote Therefore, negotiating loss and change tential for an alternative reality had to
ou can promote
your event for only represents a vital personal task. How be foreclosed. How we respond to this
your event for only
$100 per month.
$100 per month. we do or don’t do it will have a pro- sensibility is beneficially informed in
our reflecting and exchanging about
found impact on our well-being.
When individuals participate in a it. The insight and discernment we
bereavement support group, the pass- acquire allow us to comprehend loss
ing of a loved one is often viewed in in more resilient, hopeful and healing
Interested? Contact Adam Kaplan at
Interested? Contact Adam Kaplan at the context of other losses they’ve terms.
“Mostly,” wrote philosopher Ar-
confronted. Certainly, the death of
9

akaplan@jfedsrq.org or 941.552.6307 an important figure in one’s life does thur Schopenhauer, “it is loss which
akaplan@jfed
or
4
6
307
2.
1.55
srq.org
not compare to losses of significantly teaches us about the worth of things.”
less magnitude. Nevertheless, to a sig- Rabbi Jonathan R. Katz serves as the
nificant degree, all losses share simi- Community Chaplain and Director of
lar attributes. A bereavement support JFCS’s Jewish Healing Program and
group’s value is not only in serving to the Director of Spiritual Services for
place a particular loss in perspective Aviva - A Campus for Senior Life. His
Honor someone but that of loss more generally. positions are underwritten by The Jew-
When facilitating these groups, I
ish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee.
reflect on how salutary it would be for
h
c
h
y you cherish David Harris...continued from previous page Has anyone seen movements de-
u

i
r
e
o
s
states in recent years elected chairs
by making a donation from Iran and Venezuela, that just manding entertainers pull out from
scheduled performances in any country
about says it all.
And tenth, Israel is the only state
in their memory. targeted by the BDS (boycott, divest- except Israel?
Turkey, to take just one example,
ment and sanctions) movement. has brazenly and illegally occupied
Has anyone seen any significant more than one-third of the island na-
campus activity that targets true hu- tion of Cyprus for 46 years, deployed
man rights offenders, including some an estimated 40,000 Turkish troops
in Israel’s neighborhood, who have there, and transferred countless settlers
dropped chemically-laced barrel bombs from Anatolia, yet not a peep about
on civilians; taken aim at Christians; Ankara from those who purport to act
denied Palestinians full rights; perse- in the name of “justice” and against
cuted LGBT communities; and used “occupation.”
capital punishment, even for minors, Given political realities, tackling
with abandon? any of these instances of egregious
Would a student government offi- double standards and blatant hypocrisy
cial be forced to resign over her sup- can be a daunting challenge. And, still
port for the existence of any country worse, this list is not complete.
other than Israel, as happened at Uni- The old advertisement proclaimed
versity of Southern California? Would that you don’t have to be Jewish to love
any campus tolerate a student senate Levy’s Jewish rye bread.
president who likens any other coun- Well, surely, you don’t have to be a
try’s government to Nazi Germany, as pro-Israel activist to be troubled by the
happened with Israel at Florida State? grotesquely unjust treatment of Israel.
Have the Democratic Socialists All it takes is a capacity for moral out-
of America tried to prevent New York rage that things like this are happening
Call Bonnie at Or visit jfedsrq.org/tribute City Council members from traveling in today’s world.
to any country other than Israel?
941.343.2115 to donate Has anyone seen any flotillas or The AJC West Coast Florida
flytillas organized by European far-left office, located in Sarasota, can
groups that don’t involve an anti-Israel
angle? be reached at 941.365.4955.