by Ethan Weiss
We recently
returned from our annual vacation to the Chautauqua Institution where I
attended 5 days of lectures on the topic of Radicalism. I learned and
heard from notable speakers about the concept of Radicalism through the
lenses of terrorism, espionage, science, civil rights, and politics.
The
speakers, while approaching the subject via their different topics, had a
common thread woven in their definitions of radical. A thought or idea
that could inspire action, activism, education or change – backed by
reason, assessment, organization, and accountability – is usually able
to be seen as radical. A thought or idea that is simply extreme or
outrageous is not.
Breaking
down the semantics helped me arrive at my new understanding of the word
radical. And of course it also begged the question to me, is JFX
“radical”?
I am so
proud of what we’ve done at JFX since our beginning. We’ve grown from
three families, a Rabbi, Rebbetzin, and an idea to a staffed
organization offering “Jewish families of all backgrounds and
affiliations avenues to discover Judaism in a relevant, meaningful, way”
(paraphrased from our website).
We’re taking
thoughts and ideas, assessing them, weighing them on a spiritual and /
or accountability scale, and implementing them where plausible. We’re
impacting lives and inspiring change. We learn to be mindful of our
speech, to try to not hurt others with our actions, and we even have
time for (lots of) fun.
Do you want
to get radical? As our “summer recess” winds down, we’re getting ready
to launch another year for JFX. If you’re interested in possibly
refining your definition of radical, seeing what radical is really
about, or if you just still don’t know how I answer the “is JFX
radical?” question, please come meet us this Sunday at our
kick-off-the-year barbeque. We’d love to continue the discussion.
Details are above, or call us anytime after dark (Havdalah) on Saturday
night.
Wishing you Shabbat Shalom and a radical 5773 in advance!
Ethan