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December 5, 2009 I arrived at Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation about twenty minutes before the Erev Shabbat worship was to start. I was greeted as I entered and given a prayer book called a siddur. People began arriving more steadily but many stayed in the large foyer chatting with friends and family. As congregates shuffled in, I noticed that they were predominately older and almost completely Caucasian. Everyone was well dressed and appeared to be at the very least comfortably in the middle class. I estimated the total attendance at seventy-five people just before the service began. This evening worship, set to begin at 6:00 PM, represents a typical Friday night service at the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation. There is also a Saturday morning worship that Rabbi Milkew explained is less popular than the Friday worship. The sprawling complex also houses an elementary school and offices for the many staff and clergy that it must take to run the Congregation. The IHC is located around 64th and Meridian Street on Indianapolis’ North side. This part of town appears to be somewhat affluent, but there are also nearby neighborhoods that represent homeowners in a much lower income level. A few minutes before the worship was to begin, I started to hear music that slowly got louder and louder. One female Rabbi and one female Cantor stood at two separate podiums, one on each side of the altar at the end of the room. Rabbi Milkew would later explain to me that a Cantor is a member of the clergy that is responsible for and classically trained in music. The sanctuary at the Indianapolis Hebrew College is a beautiful, tall, and cavernous space filled with earthy red and brown tones. On the left side of the main wall, three words on plaques were hung high on the wall. Rabbi Milkew explained that all three plaques represented the same word: “kadosh” meaning “holy”. On the right side of the main wall an ornate metal symbol was hanging on the wall. A three-person choir sat high up overlooking the stage and altar. On center stage was a huge column with doors that slid open, which completely dominated the altar. Inside were 3 hand-written Torahs, one dating back to before World War II. The service started with the Cantor walking up and down the main aisle singing while also demurely waving at people she knew in the congregation. After a few minutes, she made her way back up to her podium and Rabbi Milkew began the service by welcoming everyone and announcing that there would be two family events celebrated at this Erev Shabbat Worship. A young couple was officially naming their daughter, and a young man was being called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah. The Rabbi then began reading as the congregants followed along in their siddur. At times we were directed to read aloud with the Rabbi and at other times the Cantor sang the hymns alone. Her voice was incredible and her singing was probably the highlight of the visit for me. After about 20 minutes, the singing and reading was paused so that the family celebrating the Bar Mitzvah could come on stage and lead a prayer. The Bar Mitzvah recited a prayer and soon we were back to reading from the siddur while sometimes standing and sometimes sitting. After approximately 20 more minutes of reading and listening to the Rabbi read, the second family event was ushered onto the stage. A young couple with a very new baby was joined onstage by both sets of grand-parents. Rabbi Milkew later explained that it is their tradition to name female babies during the Friday night worship. The grand-parents and parents read aloud a prayer and then announced the girl’s name: Wrigley Sarafina Rubenstein. After the extended family left the stage, the Rabbi then explained to the congregation that it is customary to say a prayer for those struggling with illness on Friday nights. I learned from Rabbi Milkew later that “healers are revered” by the Jewish people. The “mi shebeirach”, a prayer of good health, was recited to help heal any Temple member who was sick or hospitalized. Although there was no actual sermon, what came next was a bit of a surprise to me. Rabbi Milkew told the congregation about a political news story regarding female reform Jews in Israel being arrested for reading the torah in public at the Wailing Wall. The Rabbi expressed genuine frustration about the oppression of Reform Jews by Orthodox Jews in Israel. She continued by clarifying that the Orthodox Jews were of course “brothers”, but that their oppression should stop. Rabbi Milkew then read the names of Temple members that were grieving the loss of a family member. She asked that we all support those who are dealing with the incredible sense of loss felt by the family of the recently deceased. The service ended with another round of reading and following along in the siddur as the Rabbi and the Cantor walked down the main aisle and exited to one side. Overall, my experience at the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation was a positive one. I got the sense that Judaism puts an incredible emphasis on community and takes a great deal of pride in their history. Many references were made to Jewish ancestors and the history that the Jews have endured. Rabbi Milkew explained to me that her Temple focuses more on “teaching, not sermonizing”. To my surprise, she followed up by stating “the Bible cannot be taken literally”. This progressive view of Judaism, and religion in general, was refreshing and comforting. I suppose the fact that I was talking to a female Rabbi is a clear indicator of why Rabbi Milkew feels so passionately about this progressive ideology. I could tell that the sense of community and connection with a higher purpose that congregates at the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation felt was powerful. Additionally, the practice of holding life-cycle events during normal worship services serves an important purpose. I realized that similar to marriage, family events like naming a baby or becoming a Bar Mitzvah are an attempt to strengthen desirable attributes by affirming them in front of the congregation. The commitment to raise your child well, be faithful to your partner or to responsibly move into adulthood can be strengthened considerably by these practices. Most of all, this experience further solidified my view that all traditions, religions, and cultures must be respected. We are all just people, trying to survive and build a life filled with friends and family that will remember our names when we are gone.

With my head on the pillow, and heart-beat in my ear, amid the vivid darkness, and stunning silence, I commune with the plight of Atlas. Once free men, bound by the clutches of greed, A once great democracy, laying prostrate, begging the titans of industry to let their voices be heard, the citizen majority begging for the right to affect change. A torrential rain of propaganda, cast down, piled on those unable to discern truth from lies. A wounded country that no longer believes we deserve good health. A crumbling democracy that is no longer permitted to rethink being.

I have many bad habits that affect my health including a penchant for deep fried foods and alcohol. One bad habit that really raises my blood-pressure is my thrice-weekly habit of listening to Glenn Beck on my way to the office. On this fine morning, the self-righteous neophyte of knowledge was claiming that the Health Care reforms working their way through Congress are, in fact, Unconstitutional. True to his nature, Beck, did not spend any time pointing out which parts of the Constitution he thought would be violated, nor did he cite one single precedent-setting Supreme Court case to support his outlandish oratory. No surprise. I guess I’ll do all the “brain-thinky-work” for you, Glenn. There are two avenues that may be identified as possible paths to challenging the constitutionality of this bill. The first is what many commonly refer to as the “Commerce Clause”. For those of you who are factually and historically challenged like Mr. Beck, I will tell you that this clause is found in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution and authorizes Congress to: “regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes”. This clause, in conjunction with the “Necessary and Proper Clause”, has long been used to allow the government to expand rights and create social programs. People on the extreme right challenged the Civil Rights Act of 1964, arguing that the Federal Government had no right to force white business owners to serve African Americans in the Supreme Court case: Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States. The racists lost, and the power of the “Commerce Clause” was re-affirmed. Additionally, if the country in general has accepted something as sweeping as the EMTALA law passed in 1986 (the one that says hospitals participating in medicare cannot turn away un-insured people who are about to die) then the hopes of striking down this partially-funded mandate is quite improbable. People on the right may be hoping that the current Supreme Court will take drastic action and overturn a century of precedent, but let’s be intellectually honest in this argument. The precedent is clear. The second place to look for guidance on this question of constitutionality is the “General Welfare” clause. Also found in Article I, Section 8 states that: “The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general welfare of the United States”. Hmm… “general welfare”, now that’s an inconvenient truth. I personally do not like the idea of a mandate on Americans to purchase health care, and even if that provision is declared unconstitutional, there is virtually no chance that the broad reform will be affected. To go back to a time where the commerce clause cannot be used to ensure rights, like those granted to African Americans only 45 years ago,would be a disastrous step back for our country. We are dealing with precedents set by the U.S. Supreme Court here, Glenn, so be careful what you wish for.