Skokie's role in changing the silence of Holocaust survivors

Three weeks ago I picked up a Moment magazine in Manhattan with an article about Skokie, IL. I was especially interested since I was planning to speak at the Messianic Jewish Synagogue in Skokie (http://www.devaremet.org/) in a couple weeks on "Jesus the SuperJew - 100% Kosher." The service at Devar Emet was great: balanced, Jewishly aware, Yeshua focused, and somewhat observant. Being in Skokie and knowing about its significant and rich Jewish history was special. Check out the article here: Howard Reich, "The Life and Times of Skokie" in Moment: Independent Journalism from a Jewish Perspective, May/June 2010

The online version of the article doesn't have the pictures, some of which are a bit surprising especially the Nazi uniformed "Frank Collin in 1977." So I found this blog with his picture/video: http://skokiearchive.blogspot.com/2009/04/frank-collin-neo-nazi-leader-of-nspa.html.

This article sheds light on a small but important piece of historical noteworthiness on the limits of freedom of speech, an impetus of the change from silence about the Holocaust to public discussion and the creation of a museum. Here's a nice portion, "For all the agonies that this strange, angry man [Frank Collin] inflicted on the survivors, his actions, in fact, transformed them. By organizing to defeat him, they stepped fully into public view for the first time. They spent the next several decades championing human rights and tolerance in Skokie. In 1982 they opened a small storefront Holocaust museum a few blocks from my parents’ home in a former dental office, next door to a tavern. A few years later, in 1987, they erected a Holocaust memorial—a Jewish freedom fighter guarding a family that includes a grandfather, a mother and child—on a sliver of land between Skokie Village Hall and the Skokie Public Library. And through lobbying, they succeeded in making Illinois, in 1990, the first state in the nation to require Holocaust education."

Jesus Stamped Jewish on January First

In order for Jesus to be the Messiah, he had to be Jewish, and in order to be Jewish he had to be circumcised. This tangible connection with Jesus' humanity--his circumcision--tells us not only of his Jewishness, but its emblematic nature for Gentile Christian faith.

Where is this historic act found in the Bible? Buried in the Christmas story, right next to the angels “glorifying and praising God.” He's named Yeshua (Savior) at the time of his circumcision, “After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus” (Luke 2:21). Joseph might have said something like, “Blessed art thou, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with thy commandments and commanded us to enter our son into the covenant/brit first given to Abraham our father.”

Early Western Christians celebrated this event in the life of Jesus quite deliberately. In fact, they called the day the “Feast of Circumcision”—the culmination of the “Eight Days of Nativity.” Since Jesus' birth is celebrated on December 25, the eighth day (counted inclusively as the ancients did and many young children do today) would be the First of January – or New Year's Day. The Feast of the Circumcision is known to be kept at least as early as the Council of Tours (567) and such celebrations are recorded in the earliest Byzantine calendars and in “Regula Monachorum” from Spain before the death of St. Isidore (636). Even fifty years ago, the liturgical titles in the West for January 1 were "In Circumcisione Domini et Octav Nativitatis."

Circumcision is decisive for Jewish identity: no snipping ceremony, no male Jewish identity. From as far back as Genesis 17, ninety-nine year-old Abraham is commanded to circumcise himself, his children, his servants—every male in his household, and to continue this covenant for all generations. Circumcision is the most important of all the ceremonial commandments, and even trumps the Shabbath and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). (Meaning circumcision overrides certain laws of Shabbath and Yom Kippur in order to keep the commandment of circumcision.)

It is not surprising that this covenant practice was followed by Paul and his fellow Jewish believers—Acts 16:3, 21:21, Gal 5:3. This covenantal circumcision signified Israel's "set-apartness" and was a sign of her relationship with God.

But this snipping for covenantal identity was not all that God wanted from Israel. He commanded them: “circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer” (Deut 10:16; see Jer 4:4, 9:25-26; Ezek 44:7). This spiritual circumcision is described in Colossians 2:11-12 where Jesus' circumcision assumes a redemptive role: "In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead."

The "circumcision of Christ” here may be understood to have a double meaning: the circumcision carried out on baby Yeshua in order to be the Jewish Christ, as well as the circumcision Christ carries out on us spiritually — which is linked with baptism, death and new birth. This passage may be more deeply understood with reference to the physical circumcision of Jesus to illustrate the spiritual circumcision which he provides: first stripping of one's “flesh” and then renewing through a resurrected kind of life.

Jesus' circumcision stamped him to be Jewish — a prerequisite to be the Messiah. And as Messiah he could then usher in the Reign of God. Beyond this, His circumcision serves as a redemptive emblem—in the stripping of his flesh and the initial shedding of his blood. In identifying with the events of His life – baptism, death and resurrection — Christians also may well identify with his circumcision, both for its historical significance and spiritual import.

Overhead and Giving

If you''re looking to give, you might want to give directly to the needs of the needy and not to some middle man, right? But let me tell you, finding and reaching out to the needy takes time and money. I have become familar with a dozens of non-profit organizations and ministries: as a member of a few organizations; as friends with hundreds of people operating under such auspices. In addition, I am acquainted with many independent missionaries as well as personnel under such humanitarian efforts like the UN.

Anyone that talks about a 10, even 25% overhead, from my experience, is only telling part of the story. I don't know a single organization that can run on something like this. The exceptions are organizations where folks working at a regular job and volunteer in their free-time. Sustaining such an organization long-term proves to be incredibly difficult. And if such volunteers become full-time employees, then of course, the overhead goes sky high.

Some ways of having a "low overhead":

1. Have your staff self-funded and then don't include their personal funding (which allows them to work for "free" for the organizaiton) in the organizational budget.

2. Have "gifts-in-kind" (sometimes exceeding your gross) which allows you to add gifts "given" by another organization or person to your operating expense that you would otherwise have had to purchase. But include these in the overall budget; bingo, the overhead percentage is dropped.

3. Have a seperate organization funding salaries.

In other words, I don't know a truly low overhead ministry, period. And that is okay. Why? Because people who donate are sustaining someone (and his/her family) who is reaching out. Becasue it simply takes a lot of money to be able to give/pass on loving kindness.

Jesus Unfringed

Why do we never see Jesus tasseled? According to Matthew 23:5, Jesus affirmed the Num 15:37-40 practice of tzitziot/tassels (see LXX and Hatch-Readpath for κρασπεδου as equivalent for ציצית), just not large tzitziot/tassels. Beyond this, he wore tassels in Matt 9:20//Luke 8:44 when the woman touched one of the tassels (κρασπεδου)and was healed.

As if this wasn't enough, according to Mark 6:53, Jesus was at Gennesaret and people ran about "the whole country" bringing sick to him "and wherever he entered villages, or cities or countryside, they were laying the sick in market places and entreating him that they might just touch the fringe (κρασπεδου) of his cloak; and as many as touched it were being cured." From the sounds of this account and the parallel in Matt 14:34-36, this touching of the tzitzit/ציצית/κρασπεδου was a common experience, involving seeming dozens if not hundreds of people.

In spite of this strong evidence, I have yet to see an authentic looking rendition of Jesus wearing tassels, save but a third-century painting (linked here and pictured above) in the catacomb of Peter and Marcellinus in Rome.