So what do I think of the sale of a synagogue building on Morris Avenue in Union, NJ to the Muslim community for the conversion of the building into the Muslim Center of Union County? Some of you may not know that I have a personal history in that building. Temple Israel of Union was my position as a rabbi prior to Neve Shalom back in the late 1960’s. And the synagogue in Springfield which absorbed Temple Israel – Congregation Beth Ahm – and then sold the building, is also dear to my heart. It’s founding rabbi back then was one of my very good friends. I officiated in that building at the b’nai mitzvah of his children and weddings.
But as reported in the Star Ledger and other press there has been some controversy and opposition by those in the Jewish community to selling this synagogue for its conversion in to a mosque. Some of the opposition has gotten ugly. And of course it all stems from a general wariness to Muslim communities in this country after 9/11.
Did you read closely the beginning of the Sidrah of this morning? Do you recall what happened at the beginning of that Sidrah? The cave of Machpeleh in Hebron (the modern site of Hebron) is bought by Abraham for “Kesef Maleh” for a full price in which to bury the Jewish patriarchs and matriarchs. An important component of that sale is in v.6 of our Sidrah where the Hittites who own the property say to Abraham “Ish Memeno Et Kivro Lo Yechleh Memenu” – “None of us will withhold his burial place from you for burying your dead.” Notice that the field in Hebron which is sold to Abraham is not just a neutral or extra piece of property. According to the Sidrah it is “kivro” a sacred property in which the Hittites themselves buried their dead. Nevertheless the Hittites sell it to Abraham. The Midrash Rabbah points out that whereas Abraham in v.4 requests the cave “Kvor Et Mete” to bury his wife, Sarah, Hittites respond in v.6 “Kvor Metecha” – “Bury all your dead.” So that we see right at the beginning of our Sidrah two things – Sacred space is fungible, easily transferable. And secondly, the Hittites are generous in inviting all the deceased of Abraham to be buried in that field when Abraham has requested only one space for his wife. Apparently the notion is that if it is not used for the sacred aspects of one people and religion it can be used for another people and its religion. In that case Abraham and our ancient predecessors were the recipients of that generosity of spirit and fungibility of Sacred space. Their purchase was welcomed and clean.
So now we come to 2010 and my answer to the queries which I have got re: the transference of Jewish sacred space to Muslim sacred space. On the one hand I am saddened by the fact that there are not enough Jews in Union County to support a synagogue with which I had an early affiliation. On the other hand I am happy that if there are not a sufficient number of Jews to pray in that synagogue that it has become the House of God of another religion. We learn from Hittite reaction in the Sidrah that sanctity is fungible and that we should be generous in our reaction! I am also gratified that the religion which has purchased the space has a theological content which is much closer to Judaism frankly than say Christianity. For example, Islam allows no icons in their mosque. For example, Islam adheres to a kind of religious behavior in the mundane activities of life – like eating – which is very similar to the halachah of our own religion and those of us who observe it. Of course I understand where the suspicion comes from. I am not immune to the general nervousness in this country to certain components of Islam after 9/11. (As an aside I think NPR acted too hastily in dismissing the excellent journalist Juan Williams for admitting his instinctive reaction in the context of a larger interview where he was defending American Muslims.) The suspicion of all Islam and all Muslims as a religion is similar to the suspicion of all Jews and all Judaism that occurred in the later part of the 19th century when masses of us immigrated to this country from Eastern Europe with the garb and way of religion that was so different from the reigning Christianity. And, yes, I understand that some mosques in this country may be the site of collection of money and points of view especially regarding Israel – with which we do not agree. But that wariness in my mind is secondary to the fact that a building in which the one God of pure monotheism was worshipped will again be worshipped by a Muslim community which worships God also through a pure monotheistic perspective.
Rabbi Mark Mallach, who is the Rabbi of Temple Beth Ahm in Springfield explains in his Bulletin: “the Temple Israel property was on the market for over two years with multiple offers from either developers seeking to tear it down and building an office building or a fast-food restaurant or various religious institutions. All of those offers did not come to fruition due to inability to secure financing. The realtor brought forward competing offers from two Islamic groups attempting to open a mosque in Union County to serve the growing Muslim population. The offer accepted and eventually closed upon after all due diligence was the one from the Islamic Center of Union County.” And by the way, next to the former Temple Israel site in Union which is now the Islamic center is a company which sells dirt! Would I have rather seen the property in which I served as rabbi transferred into an expanding dirt company? Absolutely not. We Jews have benefited in our early history in ancient times from the fungability and generosity in the sale of sacred property. The burial site of the Hittites became our burial site after “Kesef Maleh” full purchase. I accept that principle today, that if we cannot worship somewhere let us at least accept “Kesef Maleh” from a growing religious community which can worship in that sacred space.
Being gracious in our response to this transfer of property in Union County is more than good PR: it is good religion and good ethics learned right from our Sidrah of Hayei Sarah. 2