Charities Hurt in Fraud

As if things weren't looking dark enough in a world where parents are naming their kids after Nazis, we now learn that last week's arrest of Investment Manager Bernard Madoff, who was charged with operating a ponzi scheme that could end up costing investors upwards of $50 billion (yes, that's a b), is having a devastating effect on charities across the country. The Wall St. Journal reports (subscription needed) that Jewish charities are being hit especially hard:

Mr. Madoff was a central player in Manhattan's close-knit world of Jewish charities, serving both as a direct contributor and portfolio manager for individual foundations. Many of his clients are also a main funding source for charities, acting as the key donors who provide large checks necessary to keep them running.

"In the Jewish world, we've just taken a major, central player, and introduced fear and uncertainty all over the system. It's like finding out your brother is a murderer" said Gary Tobin, president of the Institute for Jewish and Community Research, which studies Jewish philanthropy. Dr. Tobin estimated the total amount of such giving in the U.S. to be as much as $5 billion annually.

In the most extreme cases, organizations affected by the alleged fraud are closing their doors.

NPR also gives an overview of the devastation.

Kids you should put on the prayer list

I read this in the NY Daily News today. Apparently a couple of dumb@$$M)+#@&)(%@$ named their three of kids after Nazis - including a three year old named Adolf Hitler. And, of course, they act surprised when people are shocked to hear their child's name. And, oh yeah, they live in NJ.

It pisses me off simply because these kids have stupid parents and it's not their fault. Pray for them please.

Here' are highlights:

Adolf Hitler Campbell is the middle child of three kids given Nazi-themed names by their parents, including a dad who denies the Holocaust occurred and decorates his home with swastikas.

. . .

Adolf has two sisters, JoyceLynn Aryan Nation and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie. The latter, just eight months old, was named for Nazi leader Heinrich Himmler.

The bizarre names came to public attention after a local ShopRite declined to provide the Holland Township, N.J., family with a cake inscribed "Happy Birthday Adolf Hitler."

"Other kids get their cake," Campbell complained. "I get a hard time. It's not fair to my children. How can a name be offensive?"

. . .

The parents insist they are not racist, although they don't believe in mingling the races.

And Heath Campbell claims he doesn't understand why people are shocked when they hear his son's full name.

Here's the full text.

Worship, Gotham! begins

Yesterday Adam and I went to church. Yes, I took the guy who I hope will someday become a rabbi to church. And he liked it!

Some of the highlights of what he wrote over at Worship, Gotham!

To kick off Worship, Gotham!, Christian and I thought that it would be best to start with a place that was familiar to at least one of us. We decided to go to Trinity Lutheran Church, a Lutheran Church in Astoria, Queens that Christian and his wife regularly attend. Part of the thinking in choosing this church was that since we already had a network of people that we knew around us, hopefully I would feel somewhat comfortable even as I, the religiously ignorant Jew, found myself in the middle of a traditional Lutheran service.

. . .

As for the actual theology that was expressed in the service, to be honest, I am just as confused about Lutheranism and Christianity now as I was before the service. In terms of general Christian Theology, I am still confused about the basic idea of the Trinity. Shortly before the service began, I had the opportunity to read the Athanasian Creed (which is accepted as truth by all Lutheran Churches and by many other Christian Denominations) for the first time and this only confused me more. Apparently, Lutherans, and Christians generally pray to three distinct concepts that are in fact one. The Creed states:

We worship one God in trinity and the Trinity in unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the divine being.
For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Spirit is still another.
But the deity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory, coeternal in majesty.

. . .

I assume the idea of how three beings are actually one has been flushed out by countless theologians. The general idea seems to be that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all distinct, but yet at the same time are one. How this actually works out is still confusing. This might seem like basic Christian theology, but my knowledge of Christianity leaves a lot to be desired (the correction of this problem is one of the main points of Worship, Gotham!).

. . .

In all, even though there is still a fairly large amount I don't know about Lutheranism, I think today was a success. First, I got to meet a bunch of good people. Everyone at Trinity was amazingly welcoming and friendly. Before I even entered the Church, when I was standing outside trying to figure out if I was in the right place, a member of the congregation came up to me and made sure I was OK and assured me that the doors were open and I was welcome. When I got inside, this friendliness continued. Within minutes after I walked in and sat down three people came up to me, introduced themselves, and welcomed me. Secondly, I got to experience my second Lutheran service and my first traditional Lutheran service (the first involved electric guitars and a rock band and was a totally different experience).

Lastly, I managed to get out of bed before 1 pm on a Sunday, which is amazing for me. All in all, it was a good Sunday.

So we have to work out some theological kinks but that's what this whole Worship, Gotham! thing is all about. Read his whole piece here.

Next up, more church! Especially for me. As part of this journey I'm probably going to be pulling double church action on Sundays. In the morning with Wendy and later in the day with Adam. Hey, you can never get enough God.

It's Brutal Out There

Times are tough. Thousands of people have lost their jobs across the country and with the likely demise of one or more of the big three, thousands more will soon be in pain. In all this, New York City has probably been hurt worse than most places.

It seems fitting that at times like these, religion is experiencing a revival. When things are this bad, the only thing left to do is pray. Check out this article in the New York Times on the upswing in attendance at houses of worship across the country.

I guess this means we will have a lot of company for Worship, Gotham.

The Chronicles of a Fast

Jesus said in Matthew 6:16-18, "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

Today I start a 48 hour fast. It's self-imposed and non-religious so you will see me look rather sad. I'm not going to hide it. There is a religious component to it, though, in that my fast ends with Communion on Sunday.

My first and only 2-day fast came about three years and a half years ago as part of the beginning of triathlon training. It's a way to force yourself to rest, cleanse, and jumpstart your body. During those two days I was on the couch a lot and slept a lot. I remember being very quiet and grumpy, and I don't remember much else. But, I felt like brand new when I came out of it. This time I'm doing as part of my pre-training for the NJ Marathon in May.

This weekend I'm going through it again, but this time, I'm updating on the blog every now and then to have a written record of what it feels like to go through it. My memory is hazy on the first one, so if I hated it, I have no idea.

As of 11:00am, my last solid food was a banana. It was delicious.

I will, for the next 48-hours, limit myself to water, herbal teas, and vegetable broth. Then, on Sunday morning, Communion!

I don't know if there will be any spiritually enlightening moments during this time, but if there are, I'll write them down.

I will warn you, though, that a hungry Christian is often a mean, grumpy Christian. So, if you happen to run into me this weekend, run away!

(Photo of Fasting Buddha at the Wat U-Mong temple in Chiang Mai, Thailand courtesy of astanhope)


The record of the fast

2.5 hours - Had some vegetable broth. It did a good job filling the belly. Not hungry, but my mind knows that solid food is two days away . . .

4 hours - I smell doughnuts. Everywhere.

5 hours - Every conversation I've had seems to involve food. Someone just said, "Let's go get food!" Bah!
7 hours - I'm hungry now. Took a nap. Going out to try and be social.
12 hours - I was able to not be too grumpy tonight by having another cup of broth. Food is everywhere. I see it, I smell it, I hear about it. Going out and being social helped from just staying ont he couch and thinking about food all the time. Going to go read in bed and sleep. Tomorrow will be a harder day.
20.5 hours - I woke up not hungry. I'm thirsty but not hungry. Today I'd like to go help at a fundraising sale at church. We'll see if I have the energy and character to pull it off.
23 hours - I napped for a while then took a nice long hot shower. I'm not hungry but my usually short attention span is much shorter.
25 hours - My mind feels muddled. Foggy. Going to go out for some tea and broth. Then try and help out at church. Saw a news piece on Kids Against Hunger - puts things in perspective. Still I kinda crave chicken mcnuggets.
30 hours - I spent a few hours at church helping with a Christmas sale. I felt like really tired. Going to have some veggie broth and take a nap. Not hungry. I long for the memory and taste of food but not hungry. I think this fast has gone better than the one I did 3 years ago because I've tried to keep myself busy. TV is the devil. Especially McDonald's commercials.
33.5 hours - Clarity achieved. All of a sudden I'm thinking clearly, my mind is fully . . . functional. More water, some tea, and some broth. Yet, Chicken McNuggets are still on the back of my mind. The power of advertising at its best.
38 hours - Wendy and I went to the movies to see Nothing Like the Holidays. Great cast, good movie. But, like many things latino, there was lots of food involved. Every other scene involved food. So, now, though I'm not hungry, I do miss food. And I do miss the feeling of satisfaction that a good meal brings. I also miss the simple energy that you get from eating. So, just 10 hours left. Eight of those hours will be me sleeping. I see the finish line.
46 hours - Slept like a baby but woke up feeling weak. I don't think I've ever felt this weak. Hopefully I don't faint. I have to watch what my first meal is. Has to be something simple yet enjoyable. A bagel? Mmmm.
46.5 hours - I feel sooo weak. Tempting to break fast now just to get some energy and not feel like I'm going to pass out. Read up on it and my first meal after Communion should be fruit. The carb should come a couple of hours later. I think I might order some pizza from across the street for dinner. But, no worries, it's like the healthiest pizza ever.
49 hours - I had Communion and it was wonderful. It was wonderful in the way that Communion should always be with the extra bonus that it was the first solid food in my mouth for 49 hours.
51 hours - after some fruit I went out and had brunch. Probably ate more than I should and I think I got a food/sugar rush. Will take it easy for the rest of the day. Hopefully the physical benefits are noticeable this week.

And thus ends my fast.

God is Thinking of Joining the Teamsters

Staying (though some might argue that we were never there) on the subject of Jews, I thought I'd throw out this article from the City Journal regarding a movement within the Conservative Jewish Community to interpret halakha to encourage certain labor practices among Jewish businessmen (there might be a couple).

For those of you who are not familiar with the magazine, it is a periodical that is affiliated with the right leaning Manhattan Institute, so the article is slightly biased on whether this is a good idea or a bad idea. However, it does suggest that there is some dissatisfaction with this movement.

Maybe this means that the rise of Religious Left will cause scores of libertarians to flee to more pro-free market Churches and Synagogues. Who knows, but the article is definitely worth a read.

Once a Jew Always a Jew?

I had a friend who played his saxophone in the shabbat service for a local Jews for Jesus congregation. I happened to be in the same building for a teacher's workshop and dragged my good friend, Bob Who-Is-Allergic-T0-Religion.

When we got there, what struck me was how Jewish the Jews for Jesus tried to be. I simply didn't expect people to greet me with a kind "Shalom." Bob ran away after a couple of Shaloms and I couldn't stay much longer than that because of our workshop, but their setup looked like a small Jewish congregation.

The debate as to whether they are Jewish or not isn't a huge one, but it's still one that brings up a few issues:
- can you believe in a Messianic figure and be Jewish?
- what about the Lubavitch folks who believe Schneerson is the messiah? Are they Jewish?
- what about the halacha which states that once a Jew, always a Jew no matter the conversion?
- and finally from the Christian perspective, perhaps a Christian clergyman can chime in, are Jews for Jesus Christians?

From the Dayton Jewish Observer:

Area rabbis: 'messianic' Judaism not Jewish

The Dayton Jewish Observer/November 2008

By Marshall Weiss

The Cherish The Gift Of Faith advertising spread appears each Saturday in the Life section of the Dayton Daily News. Subtitled "A Listing of Worship Opportunities In The Miami Valley," and adorned with a cross as part of its heading, the two-page spread features display ads from area churches, listed by denomination.

Several months ago, an ad appeared under a new heading: Jewish. The ad, which has run every Saturday since, reads, "Beth Simchat Yeshua Messianic Synagogue invites Jewish Believers in Yeshua (Jesus) & Gentiles with a Jewish Heart to Shabbat Worship Services Saturdays 10:00 AM."

Thurlow Adams, who refers to himself as "Rabbi Tzion," placed the ads on behalf of his six-year-old, 30-member congregation, which meets rent-free in a room at East Dayton Baptist Church in Kettering each week.

A mechanical drafter by day, Adams says he's pleased with the response from the ad.

"I ran this ad in the Dayton Daily News just to reach out to folks who were looking for a Messianic Congregation," he says.

Each week, according to Adams, six to 10 people attend his Shabbat service. The only members with Jewish lineage, he says, are himself, his wife and two grown children, and one other woman in the congregation.

"The rest," Adams says, "are folks from a non-Jewish background who are believers in Yeshua, believers in Jesus and they just have felt and believed that there was something missing in their not being connected to the continuity of Judaism."

But according to Rabbi Judy Chessin, senior rabbi of Temple Beth Or, a Reform congregation in Washington Township, and chair of the Dayton Synagogue Forum, there is nothing Jewish about a "messianic" synagogue.

"When an individual chooses Jesus as their Lord and savior, they have become Christian," she says, "because that's the fundamental viewpoint of Christianity: that Jesus is Lord and savior, and Jews believe the Messiah has not come. It's as simple as that."

Rabbi Hillel Fox of Beth Jacob Synagogue, a traditional congregation in Harrison Township, concurs.

"Every single branch of Judaism agrees that 'messianic' Judaism is beyond the pale of Judaism," he says. " It is clearly Christian belief camouflaged to look like Jewish belief for the sole purpose of trying to convert Jews to Christianity."

. . .

Judaism's main movements - Orthodox, Conservative and Reform - agree that "messianic" Judaism is not Judaism. But the question of whether a Jew who adheres to another religion is still a Jew differs among the movements.

"The question is: is it a conversion to choose the theology of another faith?" says Chessin.

The answer depends on each Jewish movement's beliefs about halacha, or Jewish law.

According to halacha, if you are born a Jew, you are always a Jew, even if you convert to another religion. Even so, Chessin says, the convert would not be considered part of the Jewish community.

Fox says that for most Jews who convert to another religion, should they choose to return to Judaism, they would not have to go through a conversion within traditional Judaism.

. . .

Within Reform Judaism, which does not adhere to halacha, Chessin says, "once you convert to Christianity, you are no longer a Jew." An individual returning to Reform Judaism would have to undergo a conversion.

. . .

"One of the pitfalls for us is that we Jews don't understand," she says. "And when we run up against these people or missionaries or our children are approached by 'messianic' Jews on campus, the kids are not equipped to give the information, clear and straight, that if you believe in Jesus as the messiah, you are Christian. It behooves us not to bury our heads in the sand or run away, but actually become educated in this kind of thing and know that it is false advertising to say they are synagogues."

Read the full text here.

(Photo courtesy of nytimes.com)

Now it Gets Good

Christian's introduction seemed really formal and very television like, but what he says is true. After criticizing him repeatedly regarding the content of the blog, I feel the need to grace this fledgling project with my presence.

I have to admit that I'm a little new to this whole blogging thing, so I ask all of you (and by "all of you" I mean all three of you, since I would be amazed if more people than that actually read this thing) to bear with me for a few posts so I can get into a good groove. After that, I promise to wow you with new theological and philosophic insights that will shock and amaze.

In this "starting out slow" vein, check out this article on Slate discussing research that suggests that your typical believer in God is nicer than your average atheist. It was fairly interesting and seemed like a good way to jump into this "God Blogging." I promise that subsequent posts will have a little more analysis than "it was fairly interesting" but for now, that will do.

Oh and to expand a bit on Christian's introduction. Not only did Christian and I work together on the Science Newsletter in Junior High, I was the Editor-in-Chief. I know what you are thinking and it's true...I rock.

Aren't you glad I joined this project?

Welcome Adam Who-is-not-becoming-a-Rabbi!

My friend, Adam, who inspired the beginning of our project called Worship, Gotham!, is now officially a writer on this blog.

Welcome, Adam!

Our history is a long one and goes as far back as working together on the Junior High School Science newsletter. Did I mention we were really cool back then?

Adam hails from Brooklyn, comes from a Conservative Jewish background, and seems to be intrigued by religion. I'm hoping his intrigue will someday translate into his becoming a rabbi but, for now, we'll just pray for him.

So, look out for postings from "Adam Who-is-not-becoming-a-Rabbi" (the pseudonym he chose for himself) and please make him feel at home.

Also, stay tuned for what is sure to become the coolest project ever!

(Image courtesy of Observer.com)

I run to add another day

About four and a half years ago I started running, and soon after decided to run a marathon. I started running because the doctor kept telling me that with my high cholesterol and family history of heart disease, I was looking at a heart attack and possibly death by age 55. I started running to prevent that. Since then I've done my best to keep up my physical activity, never great at it, but I have become fitter than I was before 2004.

I have seen first-hand the effects of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes in my family. They're all terrible diseases, and in many cases, preventable. I run to prevent. I run to raise money to prevent them. I run to add another day.

Right now I am pre-training for the New Jersey Marathon in May of 2009 and I'm raising money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. This article I found on Reuters.com explains why this is so important:

Cancer to pass heart disease as No. 1 killer

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cancer is on pace to supplant heart disease as the No. 1 cause of death worldwide in 2010, with a growing burden in poor countries thanks to more cigarette smoking and other factors, global health experts said on Tuesday.

Globally, an estimated 12.4 million people will be diagnosed with some form of cancer this year and 7.6 million people will die, the U.N. World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer said in a report.

"The global cancer burden doubled in the last 30 years of the 20th century, and it is estimated that this will double again between 2000 and 2020 and nearly triple by 2030," according to the report.

By 2030, 26.4 million people a year may be diagnosed with cancer, with 17 million people dying from it, the report forecast.

In men, lung cancer was the most common form in terms of new cases and deaths, while breast cancer was the most common type among women in new cases and deaths, according to the report. More men than women get cancer and die from it.

"This is going to present amazing problems at every level in every society worldwide," the IARC's Peter Boyle said at a news conference.

In the near term, cancer is expected to bypass heart disease as the leading killer globally in 2010, American Cancer Society Chief Executive Officer John Seffrin said. Cancer currently accounts for about one in eight deaths worldwide.

Trends that will contribute to rising cancer cases and deaths include the aging of populations in many countries -- cancer is more common in the elderly -- and increasing rates of cigarette smoking in poor countries.

Some rich countries have made progress in cutting cigarette smoking, which causes most cases of lung cancer as well as many other illnesses. In the United States, the most recent figures show that for the first time since records have been kept less than 20 percent of adults were smokers in 2007.

However, cigarette companies are finding new customers in developing countries. Seffrin noted that 40 percent of the world's smokers live in just two nations -- China and India.

Decades ago, cancer was considered largely a problem of Westernized, rich, industrialized countries. But much of the global burden now rests in poor and medium-income countries.

Many of these countries have limited health budgets and high rates of communicable diseases, while cancer treatment facilities are out of reach for many people and life-saving treatments are seldom available, Boyle said.

"There are more deaths in the world from cancer than from AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined," Boyle said.

At the same time, progress against cancer has been reported by authorities in such places as the United States and Europe.

For example, health authorities in the United States reported last month that cancer diagnosis rates are now dropping for the first time in both men and women and previous declines in cancer death rates are accelerating.

They attributed the progress to factors such as regular screening for breast and colorectal cancer, declining smoking rates and improved treatments.

Cancer-prevention opportunities exist in countries of any income level, Boyle said, noting that many types of cancer are caused by individual behaviors such as smoking.

Some other "modifiable risk factors" for cancer that Boyle cited included alcohol consumption, too much exposure to sunlight, lack of physical activity and obesity.

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