A difficult topic

There has been so much news these past weeks, and I have tried hard to stay away from politics on this blog. But aside from politics both here and abroad, the other major news stories over the past couple of months have related to abusive behavior towards women by their male counterparts in the entertainment industry.

In synagogues around the world there is a regular schedule of readings from the Torah (five books of Moses) that begins every fall after the holiday of Simchat Torah. The portions are known by names that are usually the first word or two in the portion. This past week, in synagogues around the world we read  Genesis 32:4–36:43, וישלח Vayishlach, “and he sent.” This is a reference to the message that Yaakov (Jacob) sent to his brother Esav (Esau) to mend the rift that we read about two weeks ago in Genesis 25:19-28:9 תולדות Toldot, “generations,” when, with the help of his mother Rivka, Yaakov used subterfuge to receive the blessing from their father that had been intended for Esav, the older of the twin sons.

Included in the portion of Vayishlach is the story of Dina, the daughter of Yaakov, who is attacked by a man named Shechem. Yaakov strikes a deal with Shechem’s father that, if all their males are willing to undergo circumcision, their offspring can marry Yaakov’s offspring. The men agree to undergo the ritual to become Jewish but while they are recuperating from the procedure, two of Dina’s older brothers murder all of them.

I suspect that this story was the topic of sermons in many synagogues around the country this past Shabbat. The whole story is deeply troubling from many different perspectives. Rabbi Steven Exler spoke movingly and has graciously allowed me to share his words here.

Rabbi Exler Drasha

On Sunday we saw a new documentary called “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story.” To be honest, I do not think I have ever seen any of her films, but the name is certainly familiar. Born in 1914, her career began with a 1933 film called “Ecstacy” which included some rather explicit footage. She made numerous films, the most famous of which was 1949’s “Samson and Delilah.” She was a strikingly beautiful woman but, based on seeing some of those film clips, her acting ability was not especially impressive. What made her particularly interesting was that she was quite intelligent, and has been given credit for a number of interesting technological inventions: she has been called a pioneer in the field of wireless communications. Despite her talents, she was a troubled person who was married six times and spent years addicted to amphetamines. In an effort to maintain her youthful beauty she had numerous plastic surgeries that left her looking rather unattractive; there were limited photographs of her from her later years. It was certainly an interesting documentary about a celebrity whose name was familiar but about whom we had known very little.

 

It is not difficult to see a connection between the biblical events, the Hedy Lamarr story, and the recent news, all of which relate to the way that women have been regarded at various times throughout history. Apparently, we are still not quite getting it right. But I remain hopeful. Perhaps the current events will finally allow us to get past the negative aspects of our characters and better learn to treat all people with the respect and dignity that every human being deserves.

Love,

Rebecca