The first
day of rabbinical school in New York City is a whirlwind. A group of students arrive, having just spent
10 months together in Israel and looking forward to four more years of
learning. On those first days, some, who
have never lived in New York before seem a little taken aback by the power of
the energy in the city. Some, whose
lives before Israel existed in New York, take pride in their insider
status.
Students in their 4th or 5th year, experienced, and passionate with all-knowing sensibilities about them arrive to clue the new students into the ways of the New York Campus. Where are the good places to eat? What happens when the subways are delayed? Are the professors caring? Each of these questions, answered in turn, with kindness and grace. And all these questions boiling down to one meta-question: what are the customs of the institution that we need to learn so that we can become an integrated part of this seminary? It was on that first day of my second year of Rabbinical School that I learned about our community’s ongoing social action and education project, the HUC-JIR Soup Kitchen, where I would spend almost 3 years as a cook and volunteer.
Students in their 4th or 5th year, experienced, and passionate with all-knowing sensibilities about them arrive to clue the new students into the ways of the New York Campus. Where are the good places to eat? What happens when the subways are delayed? Are the professors caring? Each of these questions, answered in turn, with kindness and grace. And all these questions boiling down to one meta-question: what are the customs of the institution that we need to learn so that we can become an integrated part of this seminary? It was on that first day of my second year of Rabbinical School that I learned about our community’s ongoing social action and education project, the HUC-JIR Soup Kitchen, where I would spend almost 3 years as a cook and volunteer.
Some 21 years earlier students at
the seminary felt compelled to do something when they noticed that the streets
they traversed through the West Village were riddled with homeless people,
hungry people, and people needing help.
What is a seminary to do? What
are seminarians to do? How can students,
living on a tight budget themselves, help?
The idea was to create a kind of haven for anyone in need. The college had a kitchen, and had storage
space. First came the desire to make a
difference, then the effort to make something happen. And so, now almost 26 years ago, the soup
kitchen was founded. The ethos behind
the program is that it is run by students, with community volunteers, who cook,
organize a closet with goods and clothing, and serve the guests. There is no line for food, only tables set
with tablecloths where anyone needing a meal can come in on a Monday evening
and eat something warm, have a hot cup of coffee, make a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich for the road, and take a break from the streets.
In the years since its founding,
the neighborhood, as many in New York City, has changed. NYU’s continuing growth and expansion raised
property values. The homeless in New
York City have been helped or moved on to other neighborhoods, and yet there is
still a need, evidenced by the almost 100 people who show up every week.
The need over the years has
changed. Yes, there continue to be homeless
people who come in, but more and more over the years the soup kitchen at HUC
has become a haven for the working poor: those who work and maybe make too much
money for government assistance. Or those
who get government assistance but know that what the government provides in
terms of food aid is never sufficient.
As the end of the month nears, the number of guests grows, because food
aid arrives on the first of the month, and by the end, there is often nothing
left. Every meal that isn’t paid for is
a help. Hunger, an issue that was solved
a generation ago in this nation, is back and is a growing issue. More and more, however, it is understood less
as hunger, and more by the term food insecurity: not knowing where your next
meal might come from, being unsure that you will be able to acquire the food,
most often due to poverty.
As Jews, we are not strangers to
hunger and food insecurity. Our
forefathers and foremothers often suffered from food insecurity. Our Torah and our history are riddled with
examples of the impact of hunger. When
we first meet Abram, before he is even Abraham, no sooner is he promised the
land by God, than a famine strikes and he and Sarai must leave for Egypt to
find refuge and food.[1] Abram’s food insecurity is so severe that he
has no choice but to leave his newly acquired home to try and survive. This story repeats with Abraham’s son, Issac,
who experiences a famine in the land.[2] In Isaac’s case, God blesses him, saving him
from the famine and causing his crops to multiply and, even in the midst of the
famine, Isaac to profit and grow in stature.
Every Passover we read the story of how Jacob and his sons dealt with a
famine. The famine in the land in
Jacob’s generation causes Jacob’s sons and their tribes to make their way to
Egypt where they grow into a great nation, and are eventually put to slavery. Every generation of our ancestors dealt with
food insecurity.
But, that was a long time ago,
something like 4500 years ago, surely we have made progress, particularly in a
nation as wealthy and powerful as the United States. The truth is we have made progress, and we
have both the ability and the supply to feed everyone, but do we have the will? And, do enough people know about the issues are care enough to try to make a
difference?
This past year, the documentary and
companion book called A Place at the Table explored the modern phenomena
of hunger and food insecurity in America in the 21st century. In the documentary, the ebb and flow of
hunger and food insecurity are put on full display, and it is shocking to
realize that in this nation, up to 50 million people are hungry or food
insecure. That number includes 17
million children, representing 1 in 4 children in this nation whose next meal
is not guaranteed. What is even more
shocking is the knowledge that one generation ago, hunger as an issue of
concern in this nation was almost completely solved through government
intervention and media spotlight on the plight of the hungry. What has happened in the last generation is
an increase in wage inequality and a stagnation of wages, particularly the
minimum wage. What this means is that as
food costs, energy costs, transportation costs and rents have all increased,
the amount of income for a low-wage earner has not kept the pace.
Now, there is a lot of cheap food out there, you see it every time you go to the store; but the cheap food that low-income earners can afford is often packed with empty calories – fats, sugars, and starches – leading to a new commingling of effects. In the areas where food insecurity is highest, so are rates of obesity, particularly among children. Obesity leads to diseases like type 2 Diabetes which ultimately become chronic conditions and have led to skyrocketing healthcare costs. Everything comes back to food and nutrition. When the only food that can be afforded is not nutritious, what is a family supposed to do?
Now, there is a lot of cheap food out there, you see it every time you go to the store; but the cheap food that low-income earners can afford is often packed with empty calories – fats, sugars, and starches – leading to a new commingling of effects. In the areas where food insecurity is highest, so are rates of obesity, particularly among children. Obesity leads to diseases like type 2 Diabetes which ultimately become chronic conditions and have led to skyrocketing healthcare costs. Everything comes back to food and nutrition. When the only food that can be afforded is not nutritious, what is a family supposed to do?
Included in this issue is the fact
that government assistance, which was largely responsible for eradicating
hunger in the last generation, has been drastically cut. Between compromises on budgets to
sequestrations government assistance barely keeps a family fed for a month, and
as is shown in A Place at the Table, once you find a job with a better
salary, suddenly you make too much money to qualify for aid. Often this means more food insecurity than
when you were making less money. This is
not how people in this nation should be living.
No person, no child, should have to deal with what Rosie, one of the subjects of the documentary, has to deal with when she says, “Sometimes my tummy growls, but I don’t know what to do.” Rosie’s story is sadly not unique, she represents the approximately 1 in 4 children in America whose next meal is not guaranteed. Because of Rosie’s hunger and the stress of living with hunger, her performance at school suffers. Imagine what it would mean for our nation to have 25% of our students unable to concentrate, unable to learn, unable to succeed and participate in the American dream because they were hungry. What will that mean for us a generation from now? We cannot afford not to do something.
No person, no child, should have to deal with what Rosie, one of the subjects of the documentary, has to deal with when she says, “Sometimes my tummy growls, but I don’t know what to do.” Rosie’s story is sadly not unique, she represents the approximately 1 in 4 children in America whose next meal is not guaranteed. Because of Rosie’s hunger and the stress of living with hunger, her performance at school suffers. Imagine what it would mean for our nation to have 25% of our students unable to concentrate, unable to learn, unable to succeed and participate in the American dream because they were hungry. What will that mean for us a generation from now? We cannot afford not to do something.
As Jews we understand hunger. Our holiest day of the year, the day more
people come to Synagogue than any other, this day, Yom Kippur, is, for many of
us, about hunger. It is about
recognizing that ache in your belly, and reminding yourself what it is that we
have done over the past year. It is
about refraining from eating and drinking to show our devotion to God and to
the process of return, of teshuvah. And
this is not the only fast day. Depriving
ourselves for our faith happens on other days of the Jewish year as well. We fast to commemorate the destruction of the
Temples in Jerusalem. We fast in
solidarity with Esther. There are a
handful of fast days on our calendar, when our bellies growl, and our mouths
are parched. Hunger is not a foreign
concept to Judaism.
But our prophets teach us that the
Yom Kippur brand of fasting is only part of the solution. Isaiah cries out to us in the Yom Kippur
Morning Haftarah to teach us where our focus should truly lie.
“They ask me the right way, Isaiah
proclaims, “as though eager for the nearness of God. ‘When we fast, why does God pay no heed?’ we
say. ‘When we afflict ourselves, why
does God take no notice?’ we demand of the prophet.” Isaiah responds to the people’s requests with
God’s words: “Because on your fast day you think only of your business! … Is
this the fast that I look for!? A day of
self-affliction? Bowing your head like a
reed, and covering yourself with sackcloth and ashes?! Is this what you call a fast, a day
acceptable to the Eternal?! Is not this
the fast that I look for: to unlock the shackles of injustice, to undo the
fetters of bondage, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every cruel
chain! Is it not to SHARE YOUR BREAD
WITH THE HUNGRY, and to bring the homeless poor into your house? When you see the naked, to clothe them, and
never to hide yourself from your own kin!”[3]
Share your bread with the hungry,
Isaiah commands us. God would rather we
feed the hungry than feign piety by fasting.
True piety, according to Isaiah, true commitment to God and to teshuvah
is achieved by acting like God. By doing
what we can to bring God into the world.
In our prayer, we recognize many of God’s kindnesses and
generosities. “The eyes of all look in
hope to you and you give them food in its season, opening your hand and sating
to their pleasure all living things.”[4]
God gives food with an open hand,
according to the Psalmist, and Isaiah tells us that we are to share our bread
willingly. Isaiah is commanding us to
find the Godliness in ourselves and take care of those less fortunate.
Isaiah’s message has been heard by
some, but it is time for us all to take heed.
Food security is a human right, and we should do whatever we can to
ensure that right for every person on Long Island, in America and in the world. We are not strangers to feeding the
hungry. Our Torah and Jewish legal codes
implore us to leave the corners of our fields and the gleanings of our harvests
for the poor.
As government assistance continues
to decrease for those in need, those suffering from food insecurity, faith and
community based initiatives to feed the hungry have taken on much of the
burden. Whether we believe government
should be doing more or not is not at issue.
The fact is that right now, the government’s assistance is not
enough. One of the programs that has
provided much success is the school lunch program. Students whose families qualify are fed
lunch, and sometimes breakfast at school, so at least they know that they get
those 10 meals a week. Unfortunately, students
who are on subsidized lunch and breakfast programs while at school must scrape
by on weekends and during the summer.
And this is where innovation comes in.
Organizations like Island Harvest see a need, and do whatever they can
to fill in the gaps and provide food for those who need it.
I recently had the opportunity to
visit the Island Harvest distribution center in Hauppaugue and learn about some
of the great work that they do. What is
so special about their program is how innovative and agile it is. When a gap in services is spotted, Island
Harvest attempts to fill that gap. For
example, in the school lunch programs.
Every week, students who are on subsidized lunch would plan to go home
for a weekend of food insecurity. Island
harvest devised a program which gives food for the weekend to make up for the
gaps in government assistance. The backpack
program feeds 1600 students a week amounting to over 50000 meals. The summer food program provides over 24,000
lunches over the summer to students. And
these programs make a difference.
Students who are not worried about their next meal, or distracted by
hunger pangs perform better.
One student, Iyana, a 4th grader, wrote the following to Island Harvest:
One student, Iyana, a 4th grader, wrote the following to Island Harvest:
Thank you for giving my family food every Friday. It helps my mom and sisters not to be hungry. When my family was in the motel and we didn't have anything to eat, we could count on Island Harvest. My sister loves the chocolate milk. My sister loves the applesauce. My mom loves the mac and cheese. Also my cousins love the juice. And I just want to thank Island Harvest for all they have done for me and my family.[5]
What this letter shows is that the
food given for one child actually helps and feeds a family. Iyana’s entire family eats the food, and not
because they want or prefer a handout, but because they have no alternatives. For whatever reason, Iyana’s family is
dependent on the generosity of organizations like Island Harvest and Island
Harvest is dependent on the generosity of people like us.
At Rosh HaShanah, I asked, as did
Stefan and Jamie Rosner, that you consider bringing in food to donate to Island
Harvest. I suggested that you think
about what you might normally eat on Yom Kippur, and, even if you are not
fasting, fill the bags provided in the lobby and bring them back here during
Yom Kippur. If you have not yet done so,
there is still time, for just as the gates don’t close until tomorrow at
sundown, the boxes ready for your donation of non-perishable foods will be in
our lobby all day tomorrow and through Sukkot, our festival of harvest. And there will be more opportunities for us
to give. We all know how difficult times
are. Sometimes we may struggle to make
it as well. But, if there is anything we
should take away from these 27 hours of food-free atonement and the joy at our
break fast gatherings, we cannot sit by while our neighbors are hungry.
In this New Year, let us resolve to
do more to combat hunger in our community.
This Yom Kippur, let Isaiah’s words ring in our ears, so that we may
reenergize our commitment to tzedakah, to righteousness and justice. Let us resolve to find our passion for social
justice and social action and rejuvenate our community’s commitment to making
our world better by being bearers of the Light of God, and doing God’s work
here on earth. We may not be able to
feed every child, and it will take much advocacy and a firm voice in the voting
booth to systemically eradicate hunger and food insecurity in our times, but
that does not mean we are free to desist from doing the work.
G’mar Chatimah Tovah. May you be inscribed in the book of life.
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