Dear Graduates...

The purpose of this blog is to add some color to the Shabbat table... Please print and share...

Congratulations to all the grads out there (including our own Emuna (college) and Yoseph (HS))!

And congrats to everyone else who made it through another school year (teachers and parents included)!

This week's Table Talk is devoted to all of you and to, well you know, to the places you'll go.

Since you're probably had it up to your gills in exams recently, let's start off with an easy-shmeasy question for the table:

We all know that it isn't OK to judge someone by their skin color... but why not? What's the proof that racism is wrong?

(If you say that it's obvious, then you must be immersed in Jewish values (or Dr. Seuss).)

So then - question #2 for the table - Since racism is so evil, why would God make a world of races (i.e., groups of people who look so different from one another)?

Yesterday's mail brought us a campaign flyer for a current candidate here in Maryland. To me, his skin appears the same shade as my own. Yet the flyer trumpets his founding and building "one of the largest black owned businesses in America."

Similarly, you may have heard of Michele Norris, former host of NPR's "All things Considered". As you can see from this image, she is a black woman.... ? Well, that's how I heard her describe herself once. But she looks whiter than I do.

Norris was for a time a major talking-head on the subject of race. Commenting on the Trayvon Martin shooting, she said:

"I've learned that all over the world, they may not call it racism, maybe it's bias, maybe it's tribalism."

But wait - isn't being Jewish being a "member of the Tribe"?

Norris created "The Race Card" - inviting the public to submit 6-word statements about race. Here's the link.

What 6 words would you submit?

Final question for the table - Is Norris right? Does tribalism = racism?

Shabbat Shalom

PS - if you missed last week's email, there was a glitch in the server, but it did get published online.
 

PPS - Can you guess how many days until Rosh Hashana?

PPPS - Shopping on Amazon? Please use https://smile.amazon.com and Amazon will donate a % of the sale to the non-profit of your choice (such as Jewish Spiritual Literacy), at no extra cost to you. Why not? 
 
Enjoyed this Table Talk? Vote with your fingers!  Like it, tweet it, forward it....