The Fly Fishing Rabbi

A Fishing Park in Israel

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:56:00 +0000

This week, I received a report from Howie in Jerusalem, describing his fishing trip to Dag-Bakfar (A Fish in the Village) fishing park located in the north of Israel. Thank you, Howie for this information and for the great pictures!

Dear Rabbi Eisenkramer,

I am pleased to report back to you about our successful fishing outing this past weekend at Dag-Bakfar Fishing Park in the Yokneam Moshava.

Our ninety-minute drive north from Jerusalem via Highway #6 to Highway #7 went very smoothly. The ninety-minute drive will soon be reduced by at least thirty minutes when the new extension of Highway 6 opens up shortly.

The Dag-Bakfar Fishing Park is located in the Jezreel Valley - עמק יזרעאל. It is a great first time fishing spot for anglers of all ages wishing to enjoy this recreational past time.

The Yokneam Moshav facility offers all the services one needs to catch their first big one. The friendly hosts greet you in the language of your choice. The admission for groups of four can be reduced by visiting their website and downloading a free admission coupon for one member of your group of four.

Our fishing party consisted of three adults and two children. As the only one with previous fishing experience I happily spent most of our five hour visit helping untangle lines, putting fresh bait on the hooks and making sure everyone was happy.

There were about twenty fishermen trying their luck around the lake. Chairs, tables and lots of shaded areas are provided for you. Everyone seemed to have their own gear. I used my regular rods. I did notice that the more successful anglers used 3 meter and 5 meter poles to cast even further into the lake. These longer poles could be rented from the fishing shop at a minimal price.

My son and his friends had a great time. We lost a few large ones when they were being brought in. We were using a ten pound test line. The lake was stocked with some pretty healthy looking Carp and a couple of unknown species to me (I thought I may have seen some cat fish?).

We caught and released our catch. The fish looked clean and easily ready for consumption. You are able to select live fish from a special holding tank and have the Daf-Bakfar staff clean it for you. I did notice some guest’s bring their catch in the recreational park beside the facility.

We had a great time at Dag-Bakfar. It was my first experience at a fishing park in Israel. They cater to all ages and groups. Overnight facilities are available at Dag-Bakfar, reservations are recommended.

I would also suggest scheduling some time to visit the surrounding mountains in עמק יזרעאל Valley of Jezreel. We concluded the day with a jeep ride through Mount Carmel. The road was difficult to navigate but worthwhile. We stopped off at a local Druze Village near Haifa for some local food and headed back south to Jerusalem.

Pictures: Mt. Carmel

Happy fishing,
Shavuah Tov (A Good Week),
Howie in Jerusalem

Dag Bakfar Fishing Park: www.dag-bakfar.com/en/park.shtml
The Jezreel Valey in Israel from Google Maps: CLICK HERE

More Fishing in Israel on The Fly Fishing Rabbi:
1. Fishing in Israel Part 1: Salt Water
2. Fishing in Israel Part 2: Fresh Water
3. Fishing in Israel Part 3: Tackle Shops, Fishing Boats and Highlights

The Cairo Speech and Israel

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:09:00 +0000

In Cairo, President Obama reached out to both Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Arabs. He called for a new beginning in the relationship between the US and the Muslim world. He also said that the bond between the US and Israel is unbreakable. President Obama spoke out against any attempts at Holocaust denial. Our President will clearly be a supporter of Israel.

The President also spoke of the suffering of the Palestinian people. He pointed to the expansion of the settlements in the West Bank as a major roadblock in striving towards peace. President Obama called for the Palestinians to renounce violence and terror and for Israel to stop all settlement construction, with the goal of creating two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace.

President Obama’s goals of the end of Palestinian violence and Israeli settlement construction are positions that are shared by the majority of American Jews, including the leadership of the Reform Movement. I too believe that the solution to the conflict is to stop the violence and the settlements and work towards two independent states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side. The problem is that there is little to no chance of either the renunciation of Palestinian violence or the cessation of Israeli settlements at this time.

The West Bank and Gaza Strip are currently independent of each other, with the Palestinian Authority ruling the West Bank and Hamas leading Gaza. Hamas, a terrorist organization that uses suicide bombers, does not recognize Israel’s right to exist and its charter calls for the destruction of the Jewish state. In addition, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, which holds a more moderate position towards Israel, cannot get along and there are occasional outbreaks of violence between Palestinians. I cannot see Hamas renouncing violence and coming to the Peace table.

At the same time, the chances that Israel will freeze the construction of Settlements in the West Bank is slim with the recent election of Benjamin Netanyahu as Prime Minister of Israel. Netanyahu takes a hard line towards the Palestinians and supports the growth of settlements as necessary for Israel’s security.

Clouding the prospects of peace even further is Iran and their drive for nuclear weapons and influence in the Middle East. Iran seems to want to further the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by providing funds and weapons for Hamas and Hezbollah, a terrorist organization in Lebanon which also wishes for the destruction of Israel. With the reelection of Ahmadinejad, Iran seems bent on continuing its hard-line path.

Since Palestinian terror groups will not renounce violence, and Israel will not stop building settlements, what path can we go down in search of Middle East peace? A recent editorial in Haaretz, the Israeli newspaper, called for the completion of the Separation Fence, a wall being built between Israel and the West Bank.

Construction of the fence began in 2002 after an outbreak of Palestinian violence, with the theory that if the two people could not live together, they needed to be separated with a wall. In some places, the wall is 25 feet high, and includes razor wire and guard posts. Building a barrier between warring peoples is a strategy that worked in Berlin for decades. The separation fence could give Israelis and Palestinians time to “cool off” and perhaps someday it could come down, as did the Berlin Wall.

Begun in 2002, the separation fence today is only 60 percent completed. Since November 2007, almost all work related to the fence has come to a halt. There are many reasons for the stoppage in construction including a lull in terrorism and violence in Israel, making the need for the wall seem less pressing and the meltdown of the global economy and lack of funds. In addition, the gaps in the wall are in disputed areas between Israelis and Palestinians, for example near Jerusalem, so that any new construction may lead to an outbreak of violence.

While I certainly understand the desire not to provoke violence at a time of relative peace, I believe that the long-term solution to the conflict lies in completing the separation fence. With the Palestinians unable for decades to find real leadership and a government that will develop their economy or infrastructure, Israel is best served by separating from the Palestinians. A physical wall is necessary to accomplish this.

President Obama’s speech showed equal support for Israel and the Palestinians and did much to improve America’s image in Arab countries. But to move towards peace, our best bet is separation. I hope that the Israeli government will move forward in completing the security fence.

A 13 year old Rejects Chemotherapy

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Sun, 31 May 2009 12:21:00 +0000

On May 18th, Coleen Hauser took her son Daniel and fled her Minnesota home. Five months ago Daniel, who is 13 years old was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. This type of cancer responds well to treatment and there is a 90% chance that chemotherapy and radiation will cure him.

Daniel went with his mother for one chemo treatment in February which shrunk his tumor. However, Daniel and his parents refused to see any more doctors. The family believes in natural healing practices. Daniel’s mom had been treating his cancer with herbal supplements, vitamins, ionized water, and other natural alternatives.

When the courts got involved, a judge mandated that Daniel receive chemotherapy. Daniel refused and said: “I'd fight it. I'd punch them and I'd kick them." To avoid the court-ordered chemo, Daniel and his mother fled Minnesota, and supposedly were headed towards Mexico. Thank God, the mother came to her senses and brought her son home. Both parents have now told a judge that they will let Daniel receive his treatments and he began his chemotherapy this week.

It is unbelievable that a mother would flee with her son rather than give him the life-saving treatment he needs. I feel sorry for Daniel, because he is the victim of terrible neglect. What an incredible tragedy this could have been.

While Coleen and Daniel initially rejected chemotherapy, Judaism fully embraces Western Medicine as the most effective way to treat illness. There are no branches of Judaism that I am aware of, including even the most ultra-orthodox, which prohibit visiting a doctor or hospital.
Jews have participated in Western Medicine for centuries as doctors.

One of the greatest scholars in Jewish history, Maimonides, lived in Fostat, Egypt, modern day Cairo, in the 12th Century. Maimondies was a Jewish scholar and he was also a doctor. Maimondies was the court physician to the Grand Vizier and may have even treated Richard the Lionheart during the Crusades. He saw patients all day and into the night hours, writing in a letter to a friend that the sheer number of people exhausted him. Perhaps Dr. Maimonides belonged to an HMO.

Following in the footsteps of Maimonides, Jews have remained involved in medicine as doctors and researchers. The son of Eastern-European Jews, Jonas Salk discovered the polio vaccine and saved countless lives. The list of Jewish nobel prize winners in the field of medicine is quite long.

Jews have embraced medicine to such a great degree that Jewish mothers used to say to their daughters: “Find yourself a good Jewish doctor.” Today, Jewish mothers say to their daughters: “You’ll become a good Jewish doctor.”

Judaism also teaches that we can help those who are ill through prayer and hope. Religion does have a role to play in healing, by helping to lift the spirit of those who are sick and their loved ones.

During the mishebeiarch, the healing prayer, I always look around the Sanctuary and invite my congregants to share the names of the people in their lives who are ill. I do this because I believe it is helpful to say the name of our loved ones out loud.

Saying that name in the Sanctuary, surrounded by our Jewish community, gives us support and strength. It reminds us that we are not alone and that other people care about us. By saying those names, we lift a burden off ourselves and we reach out with open arms to our Divine Source, asking for help.

Coleen Hauser used religion as a reason to reject chemotherapy for her 13-year-old son. Yet all religions, including Judaism, can be a powerful source of comfort to those who are ill. Today, people are merging religion and technology in unique ways for those in need of healing.

One woman on the website Twitter is named “Pray for Patti.” Her bio says: “My good friend Patti was just diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and she needs your prayers. She is a mother of 2, wife of twenty years and lover of life.” People follow Patti and offer her prayers and good wishes on line everyday.

When our loved ones are ill, they need both medical and spiritual treatment. We should never use religion as a reason to reject medicine. Yet religion, prayer and faith can be powerful supplements to Western Medicine. Or to put it another way, when as a child I asked my dad if he thought prayer worked, he would always say: “Can’t hurt.”

Fly Fishing for Bass

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:20:00 +0000

Until last week, I had never tried to catch a bass on a fly rod. As a kid, I used to fish for bass on a Zebco rod with a red and white bobber and night crawlers on three pronged hooks. However, in 1994 that I saw A River Runs Through It. This amazing film introduced me a whole other world of fishing, where you did not stand on the shore but in the water, and you did not plop a worm covered hook in a lake, but rather gracefully cast a small dry fly lightly on the stream. I decided that I would leave behind the bait fishing of my youth and graduate to the higher form of casting a dry fly.

Last week, I realized that I had become a fishing snob and it had not served me well. I took a trip to a river in northern Connecticut that was located in a nature preserve. Walking from the car towards the stream, I went by a small two-acre lake. I glanced into the water from shore and saw a number of tiny bass swimming gleefully towards me. With my nose held high, I walked past the lake and to the stream, a beautiful, wide and fast flowing piece of water.

I spent the next three hours casting and walking up and down that stream and I did not find a single trout. There were signs posted at many points on the river indicating that this was fly fishing only water. Someone had even created a small flat metal cutout of a trout and put it on a tree, as a marker of appreciation for this good fishing spot. Yet here I was in the heart of spring on a cold-water stream and not a single trout was to be found. Finally, I gave up and started walking back to the car.

Passing the small lake once again, I saw the bass swimming eagerly. I stopped and thought to myself: “Why not?” Replacing the red copper john nymph with a brown elk hair caddis fly, I began to cast on the surface of the lake. I quickly discovered that bass are not the most intelligent of fish. One after another, these tiny fish would hit the fly after a few seconds on the surface.

After pulling in a half dozen small ones near the shore and releasing them, I decided to cast out a bit further. The elk hair caddis landed 40 or so feet from the bank, and I gave the fly a little twitch to attract a fish. The fly went down, and I expected to reel in another tiny fish, but this time it was different. The rod bent and the line was tense. I started to reel in and a good size bass leaped out of the water. The fish fought well but finally I held him in my hands. I had caught a two-pound smallmouth bass.

Picture: The bass in hand.

The bass was not a pretty as a trout. It lacked the pink shine of a rainbow or the beautiful dark spots of a brown trout. But as I stood there for a moment with the good size fish in my hand, I felt that same sense of excitement, joy and appreciation for the beauty of nature as with any trout. Then I released the fish back into the lake and walked back to the car feeling content.

On my drive home from the lake, it occurred to me that my fish snobbery had prevented me from a fine pastime, casting a fly rod for bass. Especially in the summer, when water temperatures rise too high for trout, I will now search out a good bass lake. I also discovered that being a snob makes sense when drinking fine wine or eating French cheese. When it comes to fishing however, any time that we are able to spend in a river, lake or ocean, fishing for trout, bass or any kind of fish, is time well spent.

Mother’s Day and Women in Judaism

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Sun, 10 May 2009 12:11:00 +0000

In honor of Mother’s Day, this blog post is about the changing attitudes towards women in Judaism. Until the 20th Century, Judaism did not have a very good track record in how it treated women. Much of the Torah is transcendent, setting high standards for ethical behavior like “love your neighbor as yourself.” Yet when it came to women, the Bible is sexist.

The Torah says that a woman is ritually impure during her menstrual cycle. The term for a woman with her period is niddah, coming from a Hebrew root meaning “to cast out.” Rather than accepting menstruation as a natural part of biology, the male authors of these parts of the Torah saw it as something to be feared.

Even today, some Jews practice the laws of niddah, so that ultra-orthodox Jews will not shake hands or touch a woman in case she may have her period. The impure state of niddah ends with the dunking in the mikvah, the ritual bath. Reform Judaism abolished the laws of ritual purity and most modern Jews do not practice them.

As Judaism continued to evolve, women still were not treated equally. In Jewish tradition, women have three commandments reserved only for them: the lighting of Shabbat candles, preparing challah, and once again the laws of ritual purity. These were the only mitzvot, commandments, that women were required to practice while men were obligated to perform 613!

Women had the option of participating in pray in the synagogue but only if sitting in the back section behind a mechitza, a divider. Women could not wear a tallis or yarmulke. They could not study or read from the Torah. And of course, women could not become a bar mitzvah or a rabbi. In the movie Yentel, Barbara Streisand has a passion for studying Judaism and wants to enter the yeshiva. Only by disguising herself as a man can she participate in Torah and Talmud study.

Then things began to change. For thousands of years, boys had become bar mitzvah, the rite of passage to adulthood where 13-year-old males read from the Torah. In 1922, Judith Kaplan became the first bat mitzvah in Jewish history. It only took 3000 years! Judith was the daughter of Mordecai Kaplan, the founder of Reconstructionist Judaism, the fourth branch of American Judaism. Mordecai Kaplan was a philosopher and innovator and he wanted his daughter to have the same experience as any other boy.

It probably was no accident that the first bat mitzvah was in 1922. Only two years earlier, in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to vote. Equality of women was an issue at the forefront of American culture, and Mordechai Kaplan responded with the first Bat Mitzvah. Today, most synagogues offer bar and bat Mitzvah equally, and give both boys and girls the opportunity to read from the Torah.

A second hurdle to women’s equality was in the area of leadership: in traditional Judaism, women could not become rabbis. That changed too in 1972 when Sally Priesand become the first woman rabbi in Jewish history. Rabbi Priesand was ordained a Reform Rabbi at Hebrew Union College, the same seminary where I studied. She became a rabbi in 1972, exactly 50 years after Judith Kaplan become the first Bat Mitzvah.

I also believe that the state of American society in the early 1970s helped Reform Judaism break through this barrier. At that time, the women’s movement pushed for equality of the sexes. In 1972, Congress passed the equal rights amendment, which guaranteed equality of the sexes in America but it was not ratified by enough states to become part of the Constitution. In the early 70s, women were also rallying for equal pay in the workplace and for equal hiring, based on one’s qualifications not one’s gender.

Judaism was ready for a new innovation, the first woman rabbi. Here is how Rabbi Priesand described her journey:
“I decided I wanted to be a rabbi in 1962 at the age of 16. Fortunately, my parents gave me one of the greatest gifts a parent can give a child: the courage to dare and to dream. When I decided to study for the rabbinate, I never thought much about being a pioneer, nor was it my intention to champion the rights of women. I just wanted to be a rabbi. Thus, I have spent my entire career in congregational life.”

In the 21st Century, Reform Judaism has complete equality of the sexes in our religion. At my synagogue, Temple Shearith Israel, and at all Reform synagogues, women do everything that a man does: women study torah, pray, teach, become board members, and even become the president of the Temple (if they are gluttons for punishment!) Speaking of which, American society has come even further in the pursuit of equal rights for women, so that we almost elected a woman to be the president of the United States.

I am proud to be a Reform Rabbi because of the equality that our movement demands. The Bible teaches that we are all created in the divine image and with a divine spark. And thus it is our obligation to treat every person with dignity, equality and respect.

Why do Jews not eat pork?

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:29:00 +0000

The swine flu outbreak recently got me thinking about the Jewish views about the pig. Not consuming pork is a defining tradition in Judaism, one of main rules of keeping kosher, the Jewish dietary laws. When I learned of the swine flue, I wondered for a moment if Judaism got it right in prohibiting the consumption of the pig.

The laws of keeping kosher have been a central part of Jewish practice since Biblical times. In the book of Leviticus, God told the Israelites that they may eat any animal that has a cleft hoof and chews the cud: this includes ox, sheep, goats, deer and cows. However, God prohibits Jews from eating pork since it is an animal that has a split hoof but does not chew the cud. As with many of the laws of the Torah, there is no real reason given for why Jews cannot eat pork. The Bible only states that the pig is unclean. Here God tells us what we cannot do, and the reason seems to be: “Because I told you so!”

Jewish commentators throughout the ages have tried to understand why God would prohibit the consumption of pork. Some scholars believe that the pig simply became taboo in Israelite culture early on and we have upheld that tradition until today. Other commentators suggest that even before there were doctors, Jews realized that the pig could be dangerous to eat as it spends most of the day in its own refuse. Or maybe we cannot eat pork because as the old joke goes: “It is hard to be Jew!” Whatever the reason for the prohibition of pork, it was a powerful practice that Jews have upheld for millennia.

I suspect that if you took a survey of American Jews today, the vast majority would say that they do eat pork. Ever since arriving on American shores, Jews have strived to assimilate and fit in with the larger culture. For many people that meant giving up specific Jewish practices that made them stand apart, like not working on Saturday and avoiding bacon and ham.

At Hancock Shaker Village in MA. I'll hold a piglet but not eat it!

Even in Israel, many secular Jews eat pork. They call it basar lavan, which means “white meat,” like tv commercial slogan: “The Other White Meat.” It is interesting that Israelis do not use the biblical word chazer, which means pig. Perhaps the Jewish stigma against eating pork can still remain strong, even for those who do choose to eat it.

I grew up eating pork like any good Midwestern American boy. In my family, we did not practice any of the kosher laws. We ate pork, pepperoni, ham and bacon. I grew up in a Reform Synagogue in St. Louis and was confirmed. However, it was not until I entered Tufts University that I became very interested in Judaism. Yet, I had no connection or background with the kosher laws. Like most American Jews I knew that pork was forbidden in Jewish practice, but I still kept eating pepperoni pizza.

Then one day I was in the dining hall and I saw a grilled ham and cheese, a sandwich that I had consumed a dozen times that year and always enjoyed. As I thought about eating that ham and cheese, I actually got a little bit nauseous. At that moment, I knew then that it was time for me to give up pork. I have not had a slice of ham or a piece of bacon since.

Looking back, it was my rising sense of Jewish commitment that was coming into conflict with my American lifestyle and dietary choices. I could no longer stomach the idea of eating pork if I was going to continue to move closer to Judaism. So I gave it up. Today, I practice a modified from of keeping kosher: I do not eat pork and shellfish, but I do mix meat and milk. This compromise works for me, and it is a very Reform way of approaching Jewish tradition.

Reform Judaism stresses the idea of informed choice. Reform Jews need to learn about the Jewish rituals and traditions and why they are important. Then we choose which traditions to follow in our lives, traditions that give us a sense of meaning and connection to Judaism. For me that meant that I do not eat pork, but I do not practice other kosher laws like separating meat an milk.

The beauty of Reform Judaism is that each person can choose his or her own level of ritual practice. The danger of Reform Judaism is that we must have some level of Jewish practice to keep our religion meaningful and alive. Informed choice does not mean wholesale rejection.

People sometimes ask me if I miss eating pork, and I always say: “Yes, sometimes I do.” But my refraining from pork is a way of acknowledging the laws of keeping kosher, and it makes me feel closer to my Judaism and Jews stretching all the way back to the Bible.

Holding a Trout in Your Hand

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:53:00 +0000

On one of my first fishing outings of the season, I was fortunate to find a pool full of trout on a local Connecticut stream. Although the river was narrow and shallow for much of it’s length, there was one deep spot. I tied a red Copper John to my tippet and then proceeded to have an experience that I had dreamt about all winter long. I caught, landed and released 6 good-sized trout in half an hour, 4 rainbows and 2 browns.

It was like child’s play, with almost each cast leading to a fish. Then suddenly, the pool went quiet. Another thirty minutes of casting yielded not a single bite. Only one other time have I ever fished a pool like that, two years ago, also in April, near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. On that day too, I drifted a nymph, a zug bug, and for a brief time, each cast led to a trout.

It was exciting, almost addicting, to cast my fly into the invisible depths of the pool, instantly feel the tug, and then pull a beautiful trout out of the water. The highlight of the experience though was actually holding the fish in my hands. To ensure that the trout would survive, I dunked my hands in the water and I only kept the fish out of the water for a few seconds, before releasing it back to the stream. Yet those were remarkable moments when I looked at the beautiful colorings of the fish, and felt the strength of its flesh. Holding the trout, I felt awe at seeing such a beautiful creature. I felt powerful, because I could hold this hidden treasure in my hand. And I felt compassion, for a creature that was so strong and agile in the water but now was so vulnerable in the open air.

One of the rainbows I held in my hand, taken with a camera phone.

In the Bible, God has the power to hold us in the Divine Hand in the same way that I held that beautiful trout. Sometimes God’s hand can be strong and even punishing, as when God brought the 10 plagues upon Egypt. In the same way, I had absolute control over that fish when I held it in my hands and could have easily taken it home for dinner.

The hand of God can also be a hand of compassion. When God heard the suffering of the Israelite slaves in Egypt, God freed them with an outstretched arm and a mighty hand. God’s hand can free the oppressed and help the suffering to find comfort. I too wanted the trout to be free, and so I released them from my hands.

The hand of God can also be a hand of protection. A hamsa is a small amulet shaped like a hand often with an eye in the center of the palm. Some Jews wear a hamsa as a pendant or on a necklace to provide protection from the evil eye and other misfortunes. A hand can be sheltering, helping those who come under its protective care. The spiritual “He’s got the whole word in His hands” sung by African-American slaves captures this same idea; even in the midst of the worst of conditions, God’s hand can protect and shield us.

Hamsa from: www.luckymojo.com

Even when fly fishing, our hands can provide protection, for the fish and for the beautiful places where they live. At the end of the day, I found myself wanting to give something back, to the stream that had shared such abundance with me and to God who had ultimately created such a beautiful world. As I hiked back to the car through the woods, I saw a pile of trash, about a dozen empty beer cans and some plastic bags and small boxes. I was disgusted for a moment, as I often am when seeing how people harm nature for no good reason. But then I took the same hands that had held the trout and used them to pick up that trash, and in the smallest of ways, leave the stream a little bit better then when I arrived.

Finally, the hand of God can be loving. After Adam and Eve ate the apple in the Garden of Eden, God told them that they must leave and earn their bread through hard work. God then made garments for Adam and Eve and clothed them. God’s hands were loving, ensure that His children did not have to go out into the world with no protection at all.

When I was holding those trout in my hands, I too felt this type of caring. I could not help but think of the sensation of petting a dog. It is an imperfect analogy, as man’s best friend likes being scratched, and a fish is in danger in human hands. Yet, I still found myself wondering if maybe all of the trout in the world are like our pets, and by spending a moment with them in our hands, we too can appreciate their beauty and grandeur. Then like God releasing Adam and Eve into the world so that they could live, I opened my hand and returned the trout to the stream, unharmed and whole.

Finding Family after the Holocaust: Two Cantors Meet

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:14:00 +0000

Today on Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, a story was broadcast on National Public Radio about two Cantors, clergy members of a Jewish congregation who sing and lead worship. These two Cantors both lost many relatives during the Holocaust, but they found one another over 50 years later.

Cantor Leopold Szneer thought he was the only person in his family who survived the Holocaust. Then four years ago he happened to come across a CD from Cantor Deborah Katchko-Gray, the Cantor of my congregation in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Cantor Szneer recognized the Katchko name, contacted Cantor Debbie and discovered that she was the granddaughter of his father’s cousin. They soon met and found one another.

The story of this Cantorial reunion was broadcast on The Story by American Public Media.

To listen to the NPR broadcast in a new window: CLICK HERE

To visit the NPR webpage: CLICK HERE

Jewish Graduates: A Shift from Finance to Public Service

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:55:00 +0000

A recent article in the New York Times reported that many upcoming college and masters degree graduates are not looking for positions in finance and business as in the past. Instead they are starting to focus on careers in public service, government work, teaching and the sciences. This shift away from banking and business and towards government and teaching surely has its practical reasons. With banking sector in shambles and the stock market cut in half, there are not the same job prospects in business as there were a few years ago. I believe that this shift in professions also reflects a shift in priorities. Perhaps we are entering a time when the new generation will be focused not on enriching themselves, but also enriching our world.

There is nothing wrong with working in finance and business. As far back as the Bible, we Jews have been concerned about business, with the book of Leviticus teaching that all Israelites must use fair weights and measures. Today, many Jews work in business and finance as witnessed by the fact that the current and the most recent past chairmen of the Federal Reserve are both Jewish, Ben Bernake and Alan Greenspan. I too started out thinking that I wanted to go into business. When I went to college at Tufts University, I began to study Economics. Four years later after much soul searching, I graduated with a major in Jewish Studies, and a minor in Economics and I realized that I wanted to become a rabbi.

While I do not suspect that many Jewish graduates will follow my path from business to the Rabbinate (and for their sake I hope not!), I do hope that this shift we are seeing from finance to public service is real and lasting. We certainly need Jewish bankers, CPAs and business people. But at this time in our country, we also need lots of Jewish scientists, teachers and government workers. We are facing drastic domestic problems, the biggest one of course being the economy and loss of jobs. But there are also serious long-term challenges in our country. We have a health care system with costs spiraling out of control. And we have an energy policy based on fossil fuels that not only destroys our environment but also gives billions to Middle Eastern Countries, some of whom are Anti-Israel.

The new graduates are beginning to see these problems, the economy, health care and energy as important challenges for them to pursue. In Judaism, working towards fixing large-scale public problems is called tikkun olam, repair of the world. We have all heard of the “Me Generation,” which is anyone born in the 1970s, 80s or 90s. The Me Generation takes it for granted that self comes first. Then there is We Generation, which according to gen-we.com, is the generation born between 1978-2000, who will bring change to our world by dedicating themselves to leading lives of service. Perhaps we are on the cusp of a new Jewish generation as well, The TO Generation, tikkun olam.

While there is much history of Jews in finance, there is also a great and proud tradition of Jews seeking to repair the world. The Biblical prophets were concerned with social justice. They would rebuke Israelite kings at great personal risk if they felt that people were being treated unfairly. Amos spoke out against the people of Israel for selling the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals. He said: “Let justice well up as waters, righteousness as a mighty stream.”

In this past century, Jews were also at the forefront of movements that worked to improve our society. In 1911, there was a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in lower Manhattan and 146 sweatshop workers died, many of whom were Jewish. It was this tragedy that helped our country see that workers needed protection. Jews were involved in labor unions from the beginning with the goal of to creating safer working conditions and helping workers earn decent and livable wages.

A second great Jewish movement of tikkun olam in the 20th Century was the drive for Civil Rights, and Jews were heavily involved there too. Kivie Kaplan, a fellow Jew, was the president of the NAACP from 1966 to 1975. Many Reform Congregations sent groups to march for equal rights. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, a professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary, joined Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the famous march in Selma, Alabama. Looking back on that day, Rabbi Heschel said: “I felt that my feet were praying.” Although the issues are different today, we too can recapture that sense of Jewish involvement in social action and tikkun olam.

I do believe that we will find our way out of this terrible economic situation. I hope and pray that people who are suffering through a job loss and difficult times will soon find some economic relief. But today we also need to look to the longer-term problems that we face in energy and health care. We can all do our small parts to help with these problems by recycling, buying more fuel efficient cars and giving to charities that help with education and poverty. But what we also need now are smart young people who dedicate themselves to public service, and smart young Jews who will give themselves over to tikkun olam.

In the 90s, the measure of success of the Me Generation was the size of your paycheck or house. My hope is that today’s graduates will measure their success by the work they do to repair our world and to make it a greener, healthier and safer place for all of us.

To Read the New York Times Article “With Finance Disgraced, Which Career Will Be King?”: CLICK HERE

A Starling and Compassion

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:09:00 +0000

One morning I woke up to discover a strange scratching sound coming from the fireplace. The flue was closed, but some kind of living creature was scratching on the metal. Not good. I briefly considered getting a box, opening the flue, and trying to catch the creature myself, but then realized the inherent flaws of that plan.

A few hours later, Craig from Aardvark Animal Control arrived with gloves, a flashlight and a net. He opened the flue just a little bit, and peeked in to discover a starling, a small black bird with a long yellow beak and purple and green flashes on its feathers.

Craig told me that he would catch the starling and release it into the wild, causing no harm to the animal. I told him how I practice catch and release too, but I do it on the trout stream. Then Craig opened the flue, reached in, and gracefully pulled out the bird, placing it in a small cage that he had brought with him. As I stared at the small creature, I was relieved that the bird was out of the chimney. But I was also happy that the man had handled the bird with such care, and that this starling would be released.

As I thought back on this entire incident, it was Craig’s compassion that stuck with me. Craig had complete power over this small bird, and yet he cared for the starling and made sure that no harm came to it. In Hebrew the word for compassion is rachamim, which comes from the word rechem, which means womb. This teaches that when we act with compassion, we help people in need to feel protected as if by a parent.

God sets the ultimate example of compassion for all humanity. The rabbis refered to God as harachaman, the compassionate one. In the story of Passover, we see God’s compassion for our ancestors. Each year at the Seder, we recite the passage from Deuteronomy “My father was a fugitive Aramean.” We were slaves and we cried out to Adonai, the God of our ancestors. God “heard our plea and saw our plight, our misery and our oppression.” Then God freed us from Egypt by a might hand and an outstretched arm.

In this passage, God teaches us that compassion has two parts. First we feel genuine empathy for another person and their plight. Compassion also requires action. God got involved, saving us with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Craig the bird man followed this model of compassion. He heard the cries of the starling, the scratching on the flue, and I did too! Then Craig reached out his hand, and saved this bird, and let it go to fly another day.

We can all think of times in our lives when we have demonstrated this kind of compassion, perhaps helping an animal, giving food to a homeless person, or reaching out a hand to a disabled child or a person who sick or need of comfort. These are all wonderful deeds of compassion.

However, there are times when we are called to a higher and more difficult level of compassion. I am speaking of instances where we have the choice of compassion or neglect in our relationships with other people. We probably all have a family member or friend who is struggling, especially right now with our terrible economy. Some people have difficulty holding down a job, or paying their bills. Others struggle with more personal problems, emotional issues or addiction. Often it is these family members and friends who come to us for help.

To turn away a family member in trouble would be acting like Phoarah in Egypt. Pharoah displays the exact opposite of compassion. He enslaved our people ruthlessly. Then when Moses told him: “Let my people go,” Pharoah’s heart was hardened. God acted with an outstretched arm, while Pharoah’s heart was so hard that he does not realize the suffering of other human beings right in front of him. The opposite of compassion is a heart that is so blocked off from all human emotion that it cannot even see the pain of another human being.

We can always open up our hearts to others that our struggling, especially our friends and family. We do not want to harden our hearts when it comes to those that we care about. But the trick is that second step of compassion, reaching out the helping hand. It can be difficult to figure out exactly when and how to give help. Sometimes we just need to reach out a hand a person in real trouble, just like the bird caught in my chimney. But there are other times, when we benefit from moving a little more slowly, from deliberating and trying to figure out the best way to help. Sometimes our loved ones and our children must face the consequences of their actions, so that they too can grow.

In trying to act with compassion, sometimes we will make mistakes, offering too little help when it is truly needed, or perhaps shielding our loved ones too much from consequences. Yet, our task is to continue to open our hearts and to reach out our hands. For when we cultivate compassion within ourselves, we become better people.

Teenage Rebellion

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:03:00 +0000

Rabbi Eliezer Ben Hyrcanus, a famous sage of the Talmud, grew up as a farmer like his father and his brothers. One day Eliezer was out in the field plowing, and he began to weep. His father asked him what was wrong. Eliezer replied that he no longer wanted to work the land and instead he wanted to study Torah.

Eliezer’s father said to him: “But you are already 22 (which was middle-aged at that time). The father continued: “Take a wife. She will bear children for you and you will take them to school.” Eliezer kept insisting on studying Torah, so that his father finally said: “You will not get a taste of food until you have plowed the entire furrow.” So Eliezer plowed the furrow. The next morning Eliezer left home. He set out to study in Jerusalem, leaving behind his home and his family.

Eliezer who was 22, rebelled against his father and took action to pursue what he wanted. Today, it is often teenagers who rebel against authority, especially their parents. A teen may dye their hair blue, or get a piercing or just stop talking to their parents. What is the most common response from a teenager to the parental question: “What did you do today?” “Nothing.” Are there times when it is necessary to rebel against parents or other authority figures? And when you push back against The Man, how should you do so?

In the Bible, the Israelites rebelled against God when Moses was up on the mountain. Moses was gone, they were alone and scared, and so they fashioned a golden calf and bowed down to this idol. In a sense, the Israelites were rebelling against their parent, God, who they felt had abandoned them. They were acting like immature children, unable to hold it together when Moses was up on the mountain.

The Golden Calf episode reminds us that when young people rebel in dangerous or unhealthy ways, it can be harmful to themselves and to their families. When God saw the Golden calf, God punished the Israelites by making Moses grind up the calf into powder, add it to water, and God made the Israelites drink it. Some teens believe it is cool to smoke or take drugs as a way to rebel against their parents, the cops and the establishment.

However, when teens drink or take drugs, they are putting things into their bodies that are much worse than golden powder in water. These types of risky behavior harm your body and they create the possibility of serious consequences. Breaking the law is not rebellion, it is just plain not smart.

However, Judaism teaches us that there are situations when it is necessary for young people to rebel against authority. Sometimes children challenge their parents because they are just trying to be themselves. In the movie Billy Elliot, Billy is a young boy who lost his mother and his father and brother work in the local coalmine. Billy’s father wants him to take boxing lessons. As it turns out, in the same gym, there was a ballet class with young girls. Billy soon discovers that there is something about ballet that he really likes.

For months Billy takes ballet lessons until his father finally figures out his secret. It takes the father a little while to get used to the idea of his son as a ballet dancer. But when the father sees how much Billy loves to dance, he embraces his son. In the last scene in the movie, Billy is a grown man, backstage at beautiful theatre in London. His dad is in the audience. The music rises, and Billy makes his entrance. He leaps into the air, to the center of the stage, like a magnificent bird taking flight.

A young miner’s boy who became a ballet dancer reminds us that sometimes you must rebel in order to become who you truly are. You must set aside societal convention in order to find yourself and what gives you meaning and fulfillment in life. To pursue your dreams at any age, no matter what you parents, or friends or society says is perhaps the highest form of rebellion.

That brings us back to Rabbi Eleizer. After Eliezer left his father and brothers, he studied Torah in Jerusalem for three years and became a great scholar. One day, Eleizer’s brothers said to their father: “See what Eliezer did to you, leaving you in your old age.” So Eliezer’s father went to Jerusalem to disinherit his son.

The father arrived at the academy and he was seated in a place of honor, with other notables from the city. Then Eliezer rose to spoke. He gave a sermon so profound that no ear had ever heard before. Rabbi Eliezer’s face was as radiant as the light of the sun. When Rabbi Eliezer finished, the head of the academy came and kissed him on the head. Then Eliezer’s father got up on a bench and said: “I am happy that such a son has come from me.”

Part of being a teenager means rebelling to seek your own path in life and your independence. The trick is to not to rebel for petty or selfish reasons or to rebel in dangerous ways, but to stand up for your principles and for yourselves. For parents, your task is to listen. It is possible that your teenager is not simply being petulant or difficult or making a bad decision, but rather he or she is coming from a place of truth. When we can embrace this type of rebellion and give our children the independence that they merit, then our relationships can only be strengthened.

The Story of Jonah and The Whale

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:38:00 +0000

Each time I cast my dry fly on a stream, I hope that a fish will swallow my feathered hook. But what if it were the other way around, and a massive fish could swallow an entire human being? One sorry man got swallowed by a whale and had to live in its belly for three days and three nights, and that man was Jonah.

God speaks to Jonah and commands him to go to Ninevah, a great city, and tell them of their wrongdoings. Jonah disobeys God and flees. He boards a ship at Jaffa, near modern day Tel-Aviv, and sets sail away from God. Jonah mistakenly believes that God does not have dominion over the ocean. Like a child covering his ears to avoid hearing something that he knows is true, Jonah attempts to flee to the sea to avoid God.

God brings a mighty storm upon the sea and the ship is in danger of sinking. The non-Jewish sailors all pray to their gods, but Jonah goes down into the hold of the ship and goes to sleep! I get seasick in even the most calm ocean waves. Yet Jonah finds a way to sleep in a roaring storm. Is Jonah depressed? Is he rebelling? Does he know that the storm is coming for him? It is hard to know exactly what to make of this strange prophet.

The sailors wake him. Jonah admits that he is the cause of the storm since he fled from God. The sailors ask Jonah what to do and he tells them to throw him overboard, and that will calm the seas. Jonah must know that to enter the raging sea is suicide, yet he tells the sailors to heave him anyway. Perhaps this is a heroic act. Or maybe Jonah has simply given up. The righteous sailors pray that God will not hold them guilty for what they are about to do. Then they toss Jonah into the sea and the waters calm.

God commands a giant fish to swallow Jonah. Since there is no word in Hebrew for whale, the story tells us that it was a large fish. Jonah lives in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. Then Jonah offered a prayer to God.

Having filleted trout for dinner many times, a fish’s belly does not seem like a very fun place to dwell. It would be a dark and slimy place, nothing short of torturous for three days and nights. Yet the rabbis disagreed. They wrote stories saying that the belly of the fish was like a synagogue. There were sparkling pearls hanging in the fish’s belly, creating light for Jonah.

The eyes of the fish were like windows, so that Jonah could look out into the ocean and the depths of the earth. In one story from the rabbis, the fish even took Jonah on an underwater tour, showing him the great river that feeds all the oceans and the path that the Israelites took through the Red Sea. Finally the fish took Jonah to the Foundation Stone of the world, underneath the Temple, and there Jonah began to pray.

When God heard Jonah’s prayer, God commanded the fish to spit him out on dry land. God then calls Jonah once again to go to Nineveh. This time, Jonah listens. After getting thrown into a storming sea and eaten by fish, you would hope Jonah would have learned his lesson! Jonah goes to the great city and proclaims: “Forty days more and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The people of Nineveh, including the King, see the error of their ways, and they repent. They fast and put on sackcloth. When God saw their genuine repentance, God forgave them.

It is hard to know exactly what to make of Jonah. He seems at times rebellious, depressed or even suicidal. If Jonah is a tortured soul, it is the non-Jews, especially the people of Nineveh, who are the heroes of the story. While Jonah flees from God and needs to be taught a lesson, the Ninevites immediately realize their wrongdoings and repent.

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year. We read the book of Jonah on Yom Kippur because just as the Ninevites fasted, Jews fast on this holy day. However, the greatest lesson of the book of Jonah is the possibility of change. When we face our wrongdoings and ask forgiveness on Yom Kippur, we discover that like the Ninevites and even like Jonah, we can all change direction in our lives.

To read another blog post about lessons we can learn from the book of Jonah: CLICK HERE

Can Bernie Madoff ever be forgiven?

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:03:00 +0000

This week, the Bernie Madoff saga appeared once again in the media. Before his arrest in December, Madoff’s wife Ruth withdrew 15.5 million dollars from his firm. This is after Madoff stole $50 billion dollars in the largest white-collar crime ever committed in the United States. Madoff is currently under house arrest in his Upper East Side home while the government prepares an indictment.

Earlier in February a list was released of all of the people who lost money in Madoff’s Ponzi scheme: it was 163 pages long. Many famous people and celebrities were invested with him including Sandy Koufax and Kevin Bacon. Charities, especially Jewish organizations, trusted their fellow Jew Madoff and were victimized. Yeshiva University lost over 100 million dollars and Elie Wiesel’s Foundation for Humanity lost over $15 million dollars, almost all of their assets.

There are many important issues that arise out of the Madoff crisis. Who should be repaid and to what degree? What should be Madoff’s punishment? Will there be any Anti-Semitic responses since he is Jewish? I also believe that there are lessons to be learned by his victims. Everyone must take personal responsibility for their choices in life, including their fiscal decisions. You know what they say: If it’s too good to be true…

There are also religious issues that arise from the Madoff scandal. Can Bernie Madoff ever repair what he has done? If he were to take steps to repent, can he or should he be forgiven? I have no idea if Madoff will ever try to repair what he has done. I wonder what would it mean for Madoff to repent and how could his victims respond.

Judaism teaches that we all must repent and seek to repair our wrongdoings. On the High Holidays especially, we reflect on our mistakes and begin a process of repentance. The rabbis taught that teshuvah, repentance, has the following steps: feeling sincere remorse, admitting the mistake, undoing any damage and resolving never to commit the wrongdoing again.

Remorse and admission are surely possible for Madoff. He could offer a guilty plea and he could make a sincere public apology. Anyone, no matter what their crime, can feel genuine guilt and confess what they have done wrong. However, it is nearly impossible for Madoff to undo the damage he has done. He can never pay back the billions that he stole.

The Medieval Jewish scholar Maimonides offered the following case about repentance for mistakes that are impossible to repair. If you commit a wrong against someone, and that person dies before you can repent, you are not automatically absolved. Instead, you are to go to his grave with 10 other people. Then you confess what you did wrong and you pay his heirs to try to make up for the mistake.

There is the expression “too little, too late.” But Maimonides teaches us that it is never too little or too late. If we harm another person, even if we cannot make up for what we have done, we can always take even small steps.

There was a story that I read once about a man who borrowed a good sum of money from family members, saying that it was going to help him start a new business. Instead, he gambled all of the money away. The man got help for his gambling problem and decided that he had to try to find to repair what he did. So the man began writing checks to his family members, one check a month. The amount was trivial, so that even after a hundred years, the debt would not be repaid.

After a decade of writing checks, something happened. The money was not repaid, but the family members saw the sincerity of the man’s repentance. And some even found a way to forgive him. I wonder how the victims of Madoff’s ponzi scheme would respond, if Madoff said that he would send them a check every month for $18 for the rest of his life.

Judaism teaches that if a person engages in a genuine process of repentance, admitting what they did wrong and trying to repair it, we should try to forgive him or her. The rabbis taught that if a person asks for forgiveness three times and you do not forgive him, then now the sin is on you. By this logic, if Madoff were to go to the people at the Elie Weisel foundation who have no more money left and ask them for forgiveness three times, then they should forgive him. That seems morally challenging. I cannot imagine that a charity that lost all of its funds to Madoff ever finding a way to forgive him.

There are surely cases where forgiveness is impossible. Simon Wiesenthal pursued Nazi war criminals after the Holocaust. In his book The Sunflower, Wiesenthal tells the true story of when he was taken to the bedside of a dying Nazi solider who had helped kill Jews. On his deathbed, the Nazi realized what terrible acts he had committed and wanted a Jew to forgive him. Weisenthal remained silent and left the room.

Judaism affirms that there are cases where forgiveness is near impossible, with a Nazi solider or even with a Madoff who theft was so terrible and harmed so many people. Yet forgiveness is possible in many situations in our lives. Often we choose not to forgive when we could. And this does not simply harm the other person, it also harms us.

If we never forgive other people, we spend the rest of our lives living with anger and frustration against them. These feelings burden us and they weigh us down. And when the person that we refuse to forgive is a family member or a friend, the strained relationship is a constant source of pain and frustration for both sides. Finding a way to forgive, or even simply to move on, lifts this burden from us. Perhaps this is why the Rabbis taught that it is a sin not to forgive someone after they approach us three times: when we find a way to forgive others, it helps us and improves our lives.

The victims of Bernie Madoff will probably never get much of their money back. And they have a right to be angry. But as months turn into years, maybe some will find a way to put it behind them, or even move towards a path forgiveness. And in our lives, where the harms done are hopefully much less than the theft of a Madoff, we too can find a way towards wholeness and reconciliation.

Have you ever read a Bible story as an adult?

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:21:00 +0000

I suspect that if I took a survey of the adults in my congregation, the vast majority of them have never read a story from the Bible since they left religious school. I do not believe that my synagogue is unique; I suspect that the vast majority of Americans may have learned Biblical stories as children, but have never engaged in an adult study of the Bible.

This past Sunday I taught a family education class at the Temple on two stories from the book of Genesis. For the first hour, we studied the story of creation with parents at an adult level while the kids were in their normal religious school classes. Then the children joined us, and each family studied the story of Noah and The Flood together.

After the class, a number of the adults came to me and reported that this was the first time they had ever studied the Bible since they left Hebrew school. They said that they really enjoyed it and they were surprised at the depth of the stories and applicability to modern life of the lessons contained within.

When children read the story of creation, they learn that the world was made by God in 6 days and that God rested on the 7th day, the Sabbath. I tell my young students that we rest on Shabbat to emulate God. When adults study the story of creation, we talk about the Big Bang, and the possibility of God’s role in creating the singularity that began the universe. We discuss evolution, and how there is room in Judaism to believe in Darwin and that God played a role in forming our world.

One of my favorite adult lessons from the story of creation comes from a discrepancy in the text regarding the creation of light. On day one, God says the oft-repeated line: “Let there be light and there was light.” However, it is not until day four that God creates the sun, moon and stars. How is it that light could exist without the sun?

The rabbis taught that the light on the first day was not actual light, the kind that allows us to see. Instead it is a metaphorical light that represents goodness. On the very first day, God created the capacity for goodness in our world. At the end of the sixth day, God saw all of creation and proclaimed it “very good.” This teaches that our world is inherently a good place despite all of the bad things that we see around us. The story of creation is an optimistic text, teaching that God created a world with the potential for goodness from the very beginning.

The Bible is the best selling book of all time. I would tell you that this is because it can teach us adult lessons to help us improve our lives, become better people and reach up towards the Divine. In Judaism we call the Bible eitz chaim, a tree of life, because it can be a road map to help us navigate our lives and continue to grow as people.

It would be interesting to know if it is true that the vast majority of adults have never studied the Bible. Have you ever read a Biblical story as an adult? Have you ever participated in a Bible class or study? Did you enjoy discussing the Bible as an adult? If you would like, please leave a comment to share your experiences.

Fishing in Israel Part 3: Tackle Shops, Fishing Boats and Highlights

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:15:00 +0000

This article continues my interview with Italo Labignan host of the popular television show Canadian Sportfishing for The Fly Fishing Rabbi Podcast. Italo filmed a 10-day fishing expedition in Israel, covering every fishable water in the Holy Land from the Red Sea to the Sea of Galilee. The Israel episodes will begin airing on Saturday February 21st, 2009 at 10 am on The Sports Network in Canada.

My interview with Italo is divided into three parts:
1. Fishing in Israel Part 1: Salt Water
2. Fishing in Israel Part 2: Fresh Water
3. Fishing in Israel Part 3: Tackle Shops, Fishing Boats and Highlights

In this week’s article, Fishing in Israel Part 3, Italo discussed tackle stores in Israel, the future of fly fishing in the Holy Land and highlights of his trip:

Italo: During my travels I also had a chance to see three tackle stores.

Rabbi: Where were they located?

Italo: One was in Nahariya, one was in Eilat and one was in Ashdod. The one in Ashdod wasn’t just a tackle store, it was one of two distributor warehouses. I was impressed with the quality of the lures. I actually spent quite a bit of money on lures that I had not seen before and a beautiful tackle box in Ashdod. I was told that there are 40 tackle shops in Israel. This is a big growth from four years ago when I was asking people in Tel-Aviv if there is anywhere I can buy hooks and fishing line and nobody had a clue.

There seems to have been such a growth in the last four years in sport fishing. We spoke to several people, one gentleman’s name was Ido in Tiberius. He owns The Deck Restaurant right on the water. He has three vessels and he long-lines in the Mediterranean out of Israel, primarily for blue-fin Tuna, which reach very large weights, in excess of 500 pounds. He had just purchased his third boat, and the boat was built in New Brunswick Canada. It was an offshore commercial fishing boat that had been converted to sport fishing.

I spoke to several anglers who have upgraded two or three times to get better boats because they realize how good the fishing is. Some of them are using the boats to harvest the fish commercially, some of them are chatering the boats.

There was another gentleman, Roger, who I met in Ashdod. He had a custom built fishing boat from Greece, about a 35 footer that we were fishing out of. This tells me that sport fishing is growing in Israel. I think that this is the tip of the iceberg.

With the boats that I was fishing, they were telling me it is common to go out and get 100 or 150 King Mackerel in four or five hours. That rivals fishing King Mackerel in Florida, the Carolinas and anywhere in the world. You have to stop fishing because literally you get tired of catching fish.

The same thing applies to Amber Jacks, Giant Trevally. I fished for Giant Trevally 1100 miles south of Hawaii at a place called Christmas Island, about 100 miles north of the Equator. I would have to say that the Trevally fishing out of the Red Sea, out of Eliat, probably rivals that. In the Red Sea, you can get Trivially up to 60 kilograms, that is 120 pounds. These Giant Trivially come up and hit top water lures. If you are a fly fisherman and you use a dry fly, can you imagine casting and pulling a lure the size of a bowling pin and having a hundred pound fish hit it.

Rabbi: Could a tourist visiting Israel charter a guide from Ashdod, Nahariyah or Eliat?

Italo: The people that we work with do that, but they are unknown. Sport fishing is alive in Israel but nobody knows about it. Since I have been back, I have spoken to our contacts in Eliat, Nahariyah and Ashdod. These guys are fishing three to four times a week all year long. I asked them to please send me fishing reports and let me post them on my Canadian Sportfishing website or to build their own site, put the rates on, the fishing season. They all have the right boats but they do not see it. It is in the infancy stages.

With a little bit of research, especially someone who has family there and travels back and forth, in a matter of hours you could probably set up a network. People could be taken fishing in the north for rainbow trout and freshwater fishing on the Sea of Galilee and saltwater fishing for the larger game fish on the Mediterranean.

Since I have been back, I have been trying to get some of the department of fisheries and agriculture from the Israeli government to travel to North America to meet with fisheries people in Florida primarily. In the US, Florida has taken leadership on fish and wildlife management because they have so many anglers, both from a recreational standpoint and commercial and charter boats and guides and so on, both fresh water and salt water. So that these key people from Israel would become familiar with some of the conservation practices that have worked and then modify those to use in Israel.

I am trying to work both sides, the fisheries government side to recognize that there is a viable sport fishing produce. And I am trying to encourage the anglers to get websites up and running and grow their businesses. That way when a person travels to Israel, maybe he will be on one of the Biblical Pilgrimages, or visiting the archeological sites and so on, they can add on two or three days of fishing. Or maybe they can go on a fishing tour to Israel, much like ours, 10 days, non-stop, covering all of that distance and experiencing a whole different side of Israel. That is what I am presently working on right now.

Rabbi: That’s wonderful. I love the idea of adding a few days of fishing on to an Israel trip. If a tourist were to come to Israel now, could they go to one of the tackle stores and find a way to go fishing on their own?

Italo: If they went into any of the tackle shops, I am sure that they would get the information in that region for the people to fish with, either freshwater or salt-water. I don’t think that many of the tackle stores have websites. If you know the name, you can find the contact information. For example, the one in Nahariya is a dive and tackle shop. The gentleman there provides dive boats and diving and also has a tackle store and does charter fishing.

If you type in fishing in Israel, very little comes up. There are websites out there, but they are really not known and they are not used enough to be noticed by the Google search engine. I am trying to encourage the people to redo that.

Rabbi: What was one of the highlights of your fishing trip in Israel?

Italo: I would have to say that the quintuplet King Mackerel catch. There were four or five of us on the boat and we were trolling. We were looking for a school of King Mackerel and we were getting a little bit complacent.

Rabbi: This was on the Red Sea?

Italo: Yes. We were having a nice social time, eating a variety of things. Then literally five rods started screaming! For someone who has not experienced the havoc and confusion of five adult men, who are all crazy anglers, diving for rods and trying to keep the lines from tangling up. We landed all of them. Not a double or triple but a quintuple-header! It will make for very good reality television that is all I can say.

Picture: Two of the Five King Mackerel

That was probably the highlight, other than meeting Israelis that love to fish. They are crazy for fishing like you and I are. They go out three or four times a week. Most of it is for their personal enjoyment. Some of it is for guiding. I love to see the passion in their hearts, whether it is freshwater or saltwater fishing.

Rabbi: Italo, thank you so much for being here and sharing your amazing fishing adventures in Israel.

Italo: Thank you for having me.

To hear the full interview with Italo, visit: The Fly Fishing Rabbi Podcast

Italo Labignan is the host of Canadian Sportfishing on The Sports Network in Cadana. You can read more about Italo’s adventures on his website: www.canadian-sportfishing.com

Fishing in Israel Part 2: Fresh Water

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 13:00:00 +0000

This article continues my interview with Italo Labignan host of the popular television show Canadian Sportfishing for The Fly Fishing Rabbi Podcast. Italo filmed a 10-day fishing expedition in Israel, covering every fishable water in the Holy Land from the Red Sea to the Sea of Galilee. The Israel episodes will begin airing on Saturday February 21st, 2009 at 10 am on The Sports Network in Canada.

My interview with Italo will be divided into three articles:
1. Fishing in Israel Part 1: Salt Water
2. Fishing in Israel Part 2: Fresh Water
3. Fishing in Israel Part 3: Tackle Shops, Fishing Boats and Highlights

In this week’s article, Fishing in Israel Part 2, Italo described his fresh-water fishing adventures in the Holy Land:

Italo Labignan: After fishing the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, we headed East through Nazareth towards the Sea of Galilee and then headed north and went all the way up again to the border, almost to the Lebanon border to one of the farthest kibbutz and we explored some of the headwaters of the Dan and Jordan rivers.

There are a lot of fish farms there for rainbow trout. A lot of the rainbows for one reason or another escape the areas where they are being raised into the river system. The fish raising operations use the water from the Dan or Jordan rivers as the source water.

So when you are up there, these rivers look like beautiful glacial run-off rivers that are in Western Canada, pristine water, a lot of overhanging vegetation and on many of the kibbutz there are very large plantations of avocados and other trees so there’s lot of shade.

Pictures: Italo with a rainbow trout and fly fishing the Dan River

In the water, the first thing that you do if you look in the tributaries is that you see barbels, these are a species of fish that are vegetarian so you cannot catch them by angling. There are other species of barbell in the Sea of Galilee, the main one called the large-scale barbel, which is a delicacy for eating, and it is a very aggressive game fish. It will hit lures, spinner, spoons and will also take bait, flies and so on.

You see those but if you come in the water you will also catch these rainbows using artificial lures or imitation eggs and so on. So that was in the north.

The Fly Fishing Rabbi: I heard that you can fly fish in the northern streams in Israel, in the Dan region, for trout, but I had also heard that fly fishing in those streams was illegal. Is that true?

Italo: I am not very familiar with Israeli regulations on fisheries but I know that there are nature preserves and national parks in Israel and those are protected from taking fish or wildlife. I understand that and I think it is proper.

But outside of the national parks, there are many sections of both the Dan and the Jordan River where the water temperatures are cool enough to support trout and other species of fish. On Kibbutz property need to speak to someone and you can have access to a kilometer or two of stream.

I encouraged the people in the kibbutzes, where they already raised the rainbow trout, to work with the government and stock rainbow trout in the waters that are on the kibbutz. If someone wants to fish the water, like other places in North America, they could actually fish quite a long section of the tributaries and fly fish or spin fish and catch and release or catch and keep. It would be legal to fish on a kibbutz with permission.

Rabbi: Where was your next fishing destination?

Italo: From there we travelled south and went to Kibbutz Ein Gev which is on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. I went out on a commercial boat. I wanted to see, like the biblical fishing, when they were throwing the nets in the Sea of Galilee. This was using a net on a large scale and catching a whole bunch of fish.

We caught most of the fish species that are in the Sea of Galilee and we did a segment from the boat catching everything from Chinese silver carp which can reach weights of 60 kilos, over 100 pounds, to some of the common carp species, to the large scale barbel, and different species of tilapia, which most of the people around the Sea of Galilee refer to as the St. Peter’s fish, catfish and so on.

The government of Israel stocks the Sea of Galilee every year with a species of mullet that can grow up to about two kilograms. Even though they are salt-water fish, they do very well in fresh water.

Then we fished right at the kibbutz (Ein Gev) and did a program on the catfish that have been introduced a long time ago by the British. Some of the catfish were up to 15 or 20 kilos that we landed. Many of them broke our lines because they are hard fighting fish. So we were using for bait freshwater sardines, those are the baitfish that are most common in the Sea of Galilee.

Rabbi: I saw that picture of you with the catfish in the article on-line and it was huge!

Italo: We have pictures of all the different fish in the Sea of Galilee that we caught but in the article there was only room for one fish.

Pictures: Italo with catfish, mullet and dining in Tiberias

You talked about fly fishing in the north in the streams. Don’t forget that there are different species in the Sea of Galilee that you can fly fish for also. You can get the catfish by fly fishing! They are so aggressive that they will hit anything that moves. They not only feed on sardines, but using streamers that look like a three or four inch long smelt, alewife or sardine, you will have no problem catching catfish that are twenty or thirty pounds in size.

In the Sea of Galilee there are also species of tilapia, also called the St. Peters fish, that we were catching on artificial lures, spinners and spoons. You could very easily catch with dry flies or poppers, because they are very aggressive, or with streamers, wet flies and nymphs.

Then there is the large scale barbel which looks like a trout, which reach weights of about two pounds. These are very aggressive fish. If you find a school of these large scale barbel, whether you are using spinners or flies, you can get ten or twenty very quickly. They are like piranhas, as soon as one is triggered into feeding, all of the other ones want to hit the same thing.

That’s from the shore line, anywhere there is a little bit of deep water, because much of the Sea of Galilee’s shoreline is tapered. In the last two years there has been a drought in Israel so the waters have receded. Some of the best places of fish from the shore, are where there are break walls that go out or where there is a harbor area, where the water drops off from let’s say from zero to five feet or ten feet deep in a short distance. That is quite common in different places, usually where the kibbutzes are and right in Tiberius.

Those places where it is public, you can literally go off the rocks and start fishing, and sometimes you see the fish and you can cast right to them, sight cast.

By the way, There is a carp association in Israel. They have a membership of about 20 or 30 anglers. They have tournaments on the Sea of Galilee for carp. Some Europeans travel over to Israel to compete.

Italo: From there we headed south, quite a long drive, all the way down to Jerusalem. We stopped in Jerusalem to cover the culture. We went to Yad VaShem (Israel’s Holocaust Memorial Museum) and I did some segments in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Mount of Olives and the Old City.

Pictures: overlooking Jerusalem, Western Wall, Garden of Gethsemane

Italo’s Freshwater Fishing Contacts in Israel:

Sea of Galilee: Menaham Kev
Israeli Carp Association

To hear the full interview with Italo, visit: The Fly Fishing Rabbi Podcast

Next week’s post: Fishing In Israel Part 3: Tackle Shops, Fishing Boats and Highlights

Italo Labignan is the host of Canadian Sportfishing on The Sports Network in Cadana. You can read more about Italo’s adventures on his website: www.canadian-sportfishing.com

Fishing in Israel Part 1: Salt-Water

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:35:00 +0000

I had the great pleasure recently to interview Italo Labignan host of the popular television show Canadian Sportfishing for The Fly Fishing Rabbi Podcast. Italo filmed a 10-day fishing expedition in Israel, covering many fishing sites in the Holy Land from the Red Sea to the Sea of Galilee. Episodes will begin airing on Saturday February 21st, 2009 at 10 am on The Sports Network in Canada.

My interview with Italo will be divided into three articles:
1. Fishing in Israel Part 1: Salt Water
2. Fishing in Israel Part 2: Fresh Water
3. Fishing in Israel Part 3: Tackle Shops, Fishing Boats and Highlights

In this week’s article, Fishing in Israel Part 1, Italo described why he chose to fish in Israel and his salt-water fishing adventures there:

Fishing in Israel Part 1: Salt-Water

The Fly Fishing Rabbi: Italo, it is such a great pleasure to speak with you. Thank you for being here. Why did you choose Israel as a fishing destination?

Italo Labignan: Well, my wife and I personally have a real love for Israel and Jews in general. I’ve been to Israel five times now and my wife about twenty. I’ve travelled throughout the world producing our fishing shows and also other productions for the last 23 years. Many of the shooting I have done has been international in nature, like fishing in Africa, South America, Alaska and so on. But I had a desire for the last seven years to film in Israel.

Pictures: Jerusalem, Haifa and the beach at Tel-Aviv

A friend of mine suggested that it might be a good idea if I did a fishing show with the Consulate General (of Israel) in Toronto, Amir Gissin. So I ended up doing a couple of fishing shows in Ontario fishing for walleye and other species of fish. And during our conversation, Amir said to me “You know, is there anything you would like to do?” I replied: “Well, you know, I have really had this desire to film in Israel and to do shows because a lot of people know different aspects of Israel but no one has ever heard about fishing there.”

Amir said: “There’s fishing in Israel? I’ll have someone get back to you and see what arrangements need to be made.” Within probably four months we were filming in Israel, working with a wonderful crew. We had a husband and wife team that was our liaison from Canada and working with up to 12 to 15 individuals in Israel.

We travelled about 2500 kilometers starting in Tel Aviv, went north to Haifa, and then East to north of the Sea of Galilee right up to the Lebanon border and then straight south to Eliat and then coming back up northwest to Ashdod and then back to Tel Aviv. And you know what, Israel has some of the best fishing in the world!

Rabbi: I’m so thrilled to hear that! I never thought of Israel as a great place for fishing. You visited a number of places in Israel during your fishing expedition. Can you tell me exactly where you fished on your trip?

Italo: The first location that we fished was on the Mediterranean. The day that we got there the weather was not good to go to the beaches in Tel Aviv as it was quite windy. Instead, we went North to Nahariya, also located on the Mediterranean, near the Lebanon border and we went out and we fished about five or six kilometers offshore and we caught some of the bottom fish like trigger fish and blowfish there.

One thing that I noticed right away in Nahariya was the number of anglers fishing from shore. Wherever there were any rock spits, there would anglers fishing from shore. Many of them used the traditional longer rods almost like the bamboo rods, but made of graphite, sometimes 15 to 20 feet long, using a small float and small hooks to catch pinfish for eating. But there were also many angers, I would call educated, who were using surfcasting rods, high-tech spinning outfits and using plugs, jigs and spoons, targeting bigger fish.

Pictures: Italo with a blowfish and beach casting in Nahariya

Even as we were leaving with the boat from the beach, you could see bait fish exploding on the surface and larger fish probably jacks and species of mackerel chasing them and the anglers casting to them and trying to catch them.

About three years ago, I observed very few people fishing along the Mediterranean and anyone fishing in Caesarea or south of Caesarea, they would be using the long rods with the line catching the small fish. I didn’t see anybody casting plugs or using more high tech artificial lure techniques but on this trip I saw many. I would say there is at least a ten-fold increase from shore-fisherman fishing along the Mediterranean.

Rabbi: Where did you head next after fishing the Mediterranean?

Italo: From there, we went all the way down to Eilat, on the Red Sea. In Eilat we went out and tried catching some squid at night, right on the Jordanian, Saudi Arabian and Egyptian Border, just inside Israeli waters, fishing quite deep, in about 70 to 100 meters of water. There were lots of species of squid and cuttlefish, which tells you that it was a pretty healthy fishery. We were catching those with sardines and then trying to use the squid to catch swordfish. There is quite a swordfish fishery out of Eilat. This past season, the anglers, and there are quite a number who fish there, caught about 600 swordfish. This is an impressive number considering that the anglers only knew about this fishery for a couple of years. Most of the time it is a nighttime fishery so they use the glow in the dark sticks with the squid to catch the swordfish.

We fished that night and also fished during the daytime. We trolled for King Mackerel and jigged for Giant Trevally . I caught one Giant Trevally that was about 15 kilo, in the 30 to 35 pound range. Almost everyday on the seas we were dealing with winds because of the time of year. Anytime other than November or December is best because the weather changes and goes from warm to cooler and that is when you get into your rainy season in Israel.

Pictures: Italo with Giant Travelly from the Red Sea

From Eliat we went to Ashdod where we trolled for King Mackerel. I think it was the first time in my 23 years of trolling in salt water that we had 5 King Mackerel hook up at the same time and we landed all of them! Not a double or triple but a quintuple-header! There was chaos in the back of this beautiful sport-fishing vessel. We did a trophy show there for King Mackerel.

Pictures: King Mackerel and Ashdod

Italo’s Saltwater Fishing Contacts in Israel:

Nahariya: Yair Putsker
Eilat: Itamar Nadjar, Amir Hakoladayag
Ashdod: Jean-Jacques Ohayon

To hear the full interview with Italo, visit: The Fly Fishing Rabbi Podcast

Next week’s post: Fishing In Israel Part 2: Fresh Water

Italo Labignan is the host of Canadian Sportfishing on The Sports Network. You can read more about Italo’s adventures on his website: www.canadian-sportfishing.com

Canceled TV Shows and Blessings

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 14:09:00 +0000

One of my favorite new television shows is Eli Stone, about a lawyer who becomes a modern day prophet. Thanks to a brain aneurysm and musical visions from God, Eli (named after the Biblical Prophet) takes on pro-bono causes to help people and to repair our world. I recently learned that Eli Stone was canceled by ABC and this season (only its second) will be its last.

Picture courtesy of the ABC network website.

I was surprised at how disappointed I felt. After all, it’s only a tv show. Then I realized that I had become very attached to the characters, even though they were fictional. I wanted to know how Eli would deal with receiving messages from God and how it would affect his life.

We become attached to characters in books, movies and tv shows because we can relate to them. We see ourselves in them and our own struggles and aspirations. The main character in the novel The River Why is Gus Orviston, a fly fishing prodigy who goes on a spiritual quest. I saw many aspects of myself in his fictional story: his love of fly fishing, his journey to find a meaningful life beyond the material and his search for himself. Had The River Why ended in the middle, with Gus’ journey incomplete, I would have felt that loss too.

We can also find deep connections to the characters of the Torah. Every year we re-read the stories of Abraham, the first Jew, Jacob and his ladder that stretched from earth to heaven and Moses’ struggles to lead the people out of Egypt and to the Promised Land.

I know the plot of these stories by heart. But each year when I read about Abraham, I learn more about his character as a person and the absolute faith with which he approached his life. With each reading of the Bible, I discover new truths about my own life as well, as I see myself in the journeys of my biblical ancestors. The most wonderful stories, whether from the movies or from the Torah, teach us something new about ourselves or our lives.

Like a cancelled tv show, all good stories have to end. Some endings are satisfying, as when a teenager finds his path, or Jacob from the Bible is reunited with his son Joseph before he dies. Other stories are incomplete or conclude too soon like when Moses cannot enter the Promised Land at the end of the Bible.

When a television show ends the questions we often ask are: What happens to the characters? Do they find the relationship they were looking for? It is closure that we seek.

However, if you look at the ending of the stories in the Bible, you discover that the main concern is not closure it is the next generation. In this week’s Torah portion, Jacob is about to die. The story of his life is complete, he has accomplished all that he can, yet Jacob now thinks about his grandchildren Ephraim and Manasseh. His greatest concern is who will carry on the mission of God, who will continue in the path of the covenant.

Our individual stories will end as the days of our lives are finite. But the Jewish story, the one that began with Abraham and God, will live on forever, as each new generation is a branch on the etz chaim, the eternal tree of life.

Many of the stories in the Bible end with a blessing. At the end of his life, Jacob blesses his grandchildren Ephraim and Manasseh. On the cusp of the Promised Land, Moses blesses the people before he goes up to Mt. Nebo to leave this world. Perhaps the lesson here is that what we truly need at the end of a good story is not closure but blessing.

In the book of our lives, we strive to write good and satisfying chapters filled with love, family, meaningful work and tikkun olam, repair of the world. We will accomplish some of our goals, and other we will not. However, the Torah teaches us that offering a blessing makes the story of our lives complete as it gives a great gift to the next generation.

Whether it is a blessing written down, like an ethical will, or a family heirloom passed on, or a gift given, or a family vacation to be cherished, we can give blessings to our loved ones that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

When I watch the finale of the tv show Eli Stone, I am not expecting a blessing. However, Judaism teaches us that before the finale of our lives, we can offer blessings to our loved ones. That way, when our stories come to an end, those that come after us will have many memories to cherish.

10 Reader's Comments from 2008

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:16:00 +0000

Happy New Year! Here are a selection of the many wonderful comments I received in 2008. Thanks for commenting everyone.

The Fly Fishing Rabbi

Comment on: Jew’s Don’t Fish?

Margie said…

You are so wrong! here in canada pretty much all the jewish kids go to summer camp, for seven weeks! everyone grows up knowing how to fish, build a bonfire, drive a boat, sail and waterski. there are very few jewish girls up here that are afraid to put a worm on a hook. nothing warms my heart more than a set of fake nails hooking a worm.

http://3yrplan.typepad.com/soeursdujour/2008/07/fishing-for-friends.html

Comment on: Fishing for a Whale: The Story of Jonah

Gingerman said...

Another lesson from Jonah, and actually from all of the prophets, is "The sign of Johah." Which is no sign at all. Today, and in the past, we want credentials from the teller before we believe the truth he tells. The prophets enjoin us to test the truth wherever it comes from.

We tend to believe what's right rather than what's true. What is should be rather than what it is. In fly fishing, we have to learn that it's what the fish are taking that's important, not what we want them to take. Or what the experts say.

Comment on: Being Yourself

JB said...

Eric, This is beautiful; thank you.
I was reminded of a song lyric:
"How I am strong is to know what makes me weak", and also a little 'proverb' (using the term loosely) I heard for the first time recently:
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."

Comment on: Incomplete Tasks

Anonymous said...

Greetings, Rabbi.

I just wanted to drop a note to let you know how much I enjoy reading your blog entries, and particularly the recent reflections on incomplete tasks. Indeed, I do find comfort in knowing that our children will (with a lot of guidance and a little luck) continue building the family, fulfilling our aspirations, and goals, and of course, the strengthening the Jewish foundation.

Coincidentally, I recently made a futile attempt to introduce my wife and kids (7 and 4) to the Egg-Cake lady on Mott Street. I visited her many years ago and figured, like other favorites of mine including Moshe's Bakery, Yonah Shimmel, and Katz, she'd still be there serving those delightful cakes. Well, I'm now pleased to learn that her absence was a result of her achieving her goals, rather than being muscled out by another Starbucks!

Comments on: Why do you fly fish? Reader’s Interview

Why do you fly fish?

“As a pastor / caregiver . . . I find that I am "on call" a great deal of the time. Usually once every two weeks, I need to get away for 1-3 hours, to unwind my mind and my soul. Fishing has always been one of the "battery chargers" in my life. Fishing is my sabbath . When I am fishing, I feel as if God has all my attention.” Reverand Rick

“I fly fish because it is magical. There is no better feeling than standing on a lake shore or in a river early in the morning and feeling the world come alive.” John

Have you ever had a religious or spiritual moment while fly fishing?

“Night fishing for sea-trout in South Wales, where you start fishing once the bats start flying, typically around 10:30pm at night. Standing in a river in the dead of the night with no illumination other than the stars, and fishing by sound rather than by sight, both heightens the senses of the immediate environment as well as making you realise how tiny and insignificant we are in God’s great universe. The night passes, broken only by the occasional splash of what must surely be a monster fish. Those long hours give plenty of time for the mind to wander, contemplating matters great and small, public and personal. It’s only afterwards that your realize how little time we allow in our normal daily lives for quiet contemplation, and how beneficial, relaxing and spiritual it can be.” Dominic

Comment on: A Magic Fly Fishing Wand

Kenov said...

I sometimes find myself humming a warrior song that I learned as an ethnographer. Ultimately, though, I think that all of the magic on stream belongs to the trout, and to the Being who created them.

Sure enjoyed having you in Gettysburg. I look forward to further meetings.

Ken

Comment on: The Goldfish Toss and Aquariums

Steve Dobson said...

I have owned aquariums too or perhaps it was that they owned me. I tried everything from a scientific water analysis regimen all the way to a form of benign neglect. Each approach worked in its own way. Life is tenacious thriving to its own measure and in its own way often under extraordinary circumstances. You have a knack for showing us the extraordinary in the mundane Rabbi. Thanks.

Cheers,
Steve

Comment on: Crohn’s Disease and Empathy

Barbara said...

What a great post! one of my dearest friends has had Crohn's for about 12 years and is fully disabled, unable to get out of bed for days at a time and racked with pain.

Empathy is what separates pathological people (narcissists, sociopaths) from the rest of us. It is an important component that helps connect us to everyone around us.

The Conflict in Gaza

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:10:00 +0000

The Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip is in its second week. In this conflict between Israel and Hamas which controls Gaza, Israel is the superior military power. Israel sees the attack as defending itself from Hamas rocket fire. However, due to Israel’s superior might, Israel can be portrayed as the unjust aggressor who attacks innocent Palestinian victims.

In this conflict, it is important that Israel’s viewpoint be understood, and the rationale for the attack explained. In 1967 Israel took control of the Gaza strip after the Six Day War. In 2005 Israel withdrew from the Gaza strip, removing all of its soldiers and settlers. However, Israel still controls the airspace and territorial waters.

In 2007, the terrorist group Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip. Unlike Fatah, the more moderate Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, Hamas is a militant organization. Their charter calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and they refuse to participate in the peace process.

Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, Hamas has shot more than 6300 rockets and mortars toward Israeli civilian centers in the south. More than 3000 were fired in 2008 alone. While these rockets are small and no one has died, they are aimed at civilian targets and they cause shock and fear among ordinary citizens.

The attack this week was caused by Hamas. Israel and Hamas had agreed to a six-month truce. A week ago that truce expired and Hamas refused to renew it. The leader of Hamas in Syria said that the truce had yielded few results. Hamas is an organization that uses violence towards their am of the destruction of Israel. The day after the truce ended, Hamas shot over 80 rockets into Israel, some as far as the city of Ashkelon. As this barrage continued, Israel invaded Gaza, targeting Hamas militants and leaders. The goal of this attack by Israel is to stop the rocket fire and to protect its citizens.

What saddens me greatly is the lack of leadership in the Gaza Strip. When Israel withdrew from Gaza, it was an opportunity for the Palestinians. They could have engaged in nation building. With the soldiers and settlers gone, they could have focused on their economy, building roads and schools and creating a country for themselves. I am sure that if Hamas would choose a path of non-violence, and redirect efforts towards building a viable homeland, they would receive overwhelming support from the global community and even from Israel.

But the hope that Hamas will renounce violence and build a state in Gaza is a far-off dream at this point. I am gravely concerned about the possibility that Hamas will resort to suicide bombings in Israel, targeting buses and markets as they did in the 1990s. The AP reported that after the attack of Gaza, hard-line student groups in Iran launched a registration drive for volunteers to become suicide bombers. Here in America, we register people to vote and participate in Democracy. And we register people for blood-drives to give blood and save the lives of others. In Iran, students register people to kill Israeli civilians and die themselves.

In America we can feel far removed from the problems Israel. Yet we can help the Jewish State. We can support Israel and explain to others why the attack was necessary. And we can raise our voices in prayer, asking God to bring a desperately needed shalom, a peace, to all.

Jews Don't Fish!?!

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:42:00 +0000

"Jews don’t fish.” It is a phrase I have heard again and again in the two and a half years that I have written this blog. Perhaps there is some kind of anti-fishing bias out there among my fellow Jews. What exactly is not kosher about fishing? Is it true that Jews don’t fish?

The most common Jewish objection that I hear about fishing is that it is cruel to the fish. It is one thing to eat trout since we need sustenance, but to fish for sport is not ethical. One person even wrote to me that if I enjoy being in nature so much, why not go for a hike, instead of torturing the fish?

I share these concerns for the ethics of fly fishing. I practice catch and release. I take steps to insure that the fish are returned to the water with a minimum of disturbance. I would argue that catch and release is better for the planet and the fish. If every fish caught was kept for food, our streams and lakes would soon be empty.

Fishing is not hiking; it is an activity that involves life and death, and connects us to a more primal side of ourselves that we do not often experience in our 21st Century lives. However, when I am on the stream, I seek to make fly fishing as humane and ethical as possible.

Along with concern for the ethics of fishing, perhaps the anti-fishing bias is an unintended result of the Jewish emphasis on eduction. We are the people of the book. Our most holy object is a scroll of writing, the Torah. Education helped our immigrant ancestors get out of the Lower East Side and the crowded inner cities and succeed beyond our wildest expectations in America.

Yet, this emphasis on education also created the stereotype that Jews only care about intellectual pursuits. Somehow it got to be a Jewish cultural value to say that success in sports and outdoor activities like fishing are less worthwhile than getting good grades and succeeding in school.

The fact is that getting into a good college is probably more important than being good at fly fishing. Education gives your more options in life. However, there is nothing wrong with pursuing activities that require you to use your body and not just your mind.

One of the reasons that I love to fly fish is that it gives my brain a rest. Casting a fly rod is about feeling the physicality of the line in your fingers and trying to make a small bunch of feathers and thread land gracefully on the water. Fly Fishing also feeds my soul. Standing in a stream at sunrise, I appreciate the beauty of our world, and feel a deep spiritual connection to all that is around me.

Along with hearing the phrase “Jews don’t fish,” I also receive many emails that begin something like this: “Dear Rabbi, It’s so nice to meet another Jew who loves to fish. I thought I was the only one out there!” I have learned that Jews do fish! And there are plenty of people who find fishing to be a spiritual experience, both Jews and non-Jews. It seems to me that our energy is better spent not worrying about stereotypes, but instead pursuing those activities in life that provide us with fulfillment and meaning, no matter what they are.

Fly Fishing Books About More Than Fish

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:38:00 +0000

I’ve noticed that there are two types of fly fishing books out there: the technical and the metaphorical. The technical books offer advice to improve one’s casting or find the best streams in an area. Yet I find myself drawn to the writers who use fishing as a jumping off point for deeper lessons about life.

The first book to use fishing as a metaphor is the biblical book of Jonah, although in this case the fish catches the Jonah and not the other way around! Being inside the fish’s belly is a lesson for Jonah about solitude and changing direction in life. My favorite fly fishing book A River Runs Through It is about family, fathers and sons, loss and memory. In The River Why the teenage Gus Orviston comes to realize that catching fish is not enough to give him a fulfilling life and searches for meaning and love.

I am currently reading The Compleat Angler by Izaak Walton written in 1653. I heard that The Compleat Angler is the third highest selling book of all time in English, behind the Bible and Shakespeare. A friend of mine who collects antique books told me that he has not even try to get a first edition of the book. He said that all fly fishers are fanatics and at an auction they bid up the price of the book to tens of thousands of dollars! I am about halfway though the book now, and I’m not sure if it is a technical or metaphorical book, although it seems to be both. I have noticed that Walton likes to give long speeches with lots of flourish.

Fishing is not just about catching fish. If it were, every book out there would be about how to tie flies or the proper technique for a roll cast. My favorite fly fishing books teach more about life than they do about trout. I started writing this blog, The Fly Fishing Rabbi, because I realized that perhaps fly fishing can be a metaphor for religion. I have had spiritual experiences on the stream, some of which are happen when I am holding a beautiful trout in my hand and others that occur simply by being outside and appreciating our natural world.

I am not sure if I fly fish in order to catch trout or to search for something else but I suspect that it is both.

Hanukkah and the Recession

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:22:00 +0000

These are very difficult economic times. People are losing their homes and their jobs. I am concerned that some may not be able to pay their heating bills this winter. The stock market has plummeted. Even the biggest corporations are in trouble: banks are failing and the auto industry is lobbying for a bailout.

At times like these, we search for comfort and solace. I am no economist or financial advisor and cannot tell you when things will improve (but I do believe that they will). As a rabbi, let me offer a few religious ways of dealing with this recession. My suggestions will not put money in your pocket or help the stock market rise. But Judaism does offer us other ideas to help us cope when times get tough.

The first lesson for dealing with economic distress is that we can live with less, because we have done it before. Recently I took a trip to the Lower East Side. The tour guide told us that at its height in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries there were 2 million people living on the Lower East Side. That is the total population of the entire island of Manhattan today.

When many of our Jewish ancestors first came to this country, they lived in cramped tenements, 325 square feet per family (and that could be six or eight people)! Our grandparents and great-grandparents did not have computers or ipods. They could not go skiing or travel to the Carribean for February Vacation. They lived in overcrowded tenements, working in the garment factories or selling from a pushcart. Yet our immigrant ancestors had a higher goal in mind, to become Americans and to ensure that their children would lead a better life. It only took one generation for the Jews to move out of the lower-east side and succeed in America. But their experience reminds us that it is ok to live with less and that sometimes life calls us to make sacrifices.

In our materialistic society, it is easy to attach our own self-worth to our salary, bank balance or what we drive. Our immigrant ancestors knew that the measure of a person is not the size of his portfolio or the number of bedrooms in his home. Judaism teaches us that each of us has value, the spark of the divine within, no matter how much or how little we possess. Even if the recession forces us to live with us, this does not make us any less of a person.

A second lesson for a recession is to be thankful for what we have. Judaism teaches that each morning when we arise, we can offer the following prayer: modeh ani lefanecha, I thank you God, for You have restored my soul with compassion. Each day that we wake up is a miracle. Life is a gift, not an entitlement. One of the simplest prayers we can offer is: “Thank you God for my life and my health.” No matter what our economic situation, the fact that we are alive and healthy is a great gift.

We are also blessed with other people in our lives that we take for granted. We have our family and our friends. Part of living in a recession means to reprioritize. Instead of worrying about the vacation that you cannot take this year or the cell phone that you cannot buy, let us take time to appreciate the gifts that we already have: our lives, our heath, our family and our friends.

Along with appreciation, a final Jewish lesson for a recession is to continue to give no matter what your financial position. I know it sounds crazy to consider giving to charity when we may have lost a job or be behind in our bills. However, the Rabbis taught that the poorest person should give even if it is only a penny. Tzedakah (charity) not only helps other people, but it makes a change in us too.

Every month when I pay my bills, I feel poor, because I have just spent so much money. Yet, when I give my fixed amount per month to charity it makes me feel rich! When we can freely give away our money, we remember that our finances are not just about fulfilling obligations or serving our own wants and needs. Tzedakah teaches us that our money can be holy, it can help others, and it can make us feel wealthy with kindness. To feel better about your financial position, my suggestion is to write a check to your favorite charity.

With Hanukkah about to begin, this is a hard time of year for a recession. Late December has become a time of such materialism in American culture. The true meaning of Hannukah, a holiday about God’s protection and religious freedom, often gets lost in a pile of presents. Don’t get me wrong, I am not against giving gifts to people that we love. But we’re in a recession. We may give and receive less this year. But I’m not sure that is a bad thing.

Perhaps we can choose this Hanukkah to focus less on what presents we will receive and more on what gifts we already have. Maybe we will receive less, but we can donate more. And perhaps this Hanukkah, we can remember another great gift that our ancestors fought for, the freedom to be Jews.

The Fly Fishing Rabbi

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:23:00 +0000

This article appeared the Winter 2008 edition of Reform Judaism Magazine:

Spirituality
The Fly Fishing Rabbi
By Eric Eisenkramer

On Friday nights you can find me leading services at Temple Shearith Israel in Ridgefield, Connecticut. But on Sunday summer afternoons chances are I’ll be waist-deep in a cold-water stream, casting my dry flies to those mysterious and hidden trout. On the pulpit I am known as Rabbi Eisenkramer; on the river, I am The Fly Fishing Rabbi.My introduction to fly fishing was the film A River Runs Through It, which interweaves fishing, religion, Montana, and early 20th-century life. As the narrator Norman Maclean explains, “In my family, there was no clear division between religion and fly fishing.” The wondrous Montana scenery, the graceful casting, the excitement of the rising fish—to put it simply, I was hooked. Not long afterwards I purchased my first fly-fishing rod, a St. Croix 5/6 weight 8’6” which serves me well to this day.

I have since discovered a kindred spirit in the Reverend John Maclean, Norman’s father, who dedicated much of his adult life to searching for trout and for God, both of which can be equally elusive. Fly fishing is indeed a spiritual experience—one of the two sanctuaries of my life. On the trout stream it’s just me, the water, and the fish. All my worries disappear. I am in the moment, so caught up in the casting for trout that everything else recedes.

One of my favorite rivers is in a nature preserve. Sometimes a family of ducks swims by, first the mother, then six young ones rustling their baby feathers. In silence I watch them pass. As I walk to my car at sunset, I sometimes see a small herd of deer among the trees. I stop. In silence we stare at each other. I feel in harmony with nature: man and ducks, man and deer, God’s creatures, spending a moment together, sharing the same space, suspended in time.

Of course, the trout and I do not have such an idyllic relationship. I am either catching and releasing them or getting frustrated that they will not take my fly. Still, when I’m standing in a river fishing, not moving, not talking, hearing only the sounds of insects and flowing water, I feel at peace with all around me.

It is when we are in harmony with our surroundings that we find shalom, peace. The root meaning of shalom is wholeness or completeness. Psalm 34 teaches us, bakesh shalom v’rodfeihu, “Seek peace and pursue it.” Here shalom has a double meaning—not only to end conflict and war, but to seek harmony and wholeness in our lives.

On one fishing trip in rural Missouri, I decided to hike to the source of the river. There I discovered a cold water spring rushing forth from the rocks, feeding a large circular pool, sending thousands of gallons of pure water down the river. Watching it, I felt the wonder of nature and of its Creator. I thought of the Israelites in the desert, parched and without water, of Moses striking the rock and releasing a copious stream.

Feelings of appreciation and connection to nature are a doorway that can lead to the Divine. The story is told of a doctor who watched a solar eclipse. Awed by the beauty of this event, he clapped and cried out: “Encore, Encore!”—and then, upon reflection, he added: “Author, Author!” When fly fishing I feel the same impulse. Sometimes I find myself moved to say, “Baruch Atah Adonai, eloheinu melech haOlam, Blessed are You, Adonai our God, who creates all.”

One need not be a rabbi or a fly fisherman to unearth the spiritual possibilities of the natural world. We need only open our eyes to God’s sanctuary to find beauty, awe, and peace.

Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer is the rabbi of Temple Shearith Israel in Ridgefield, Connecticut and author of the blog The Fly Fishing Rabbi: www.flyfishingrabbi.com

Book Review: The River Why

theflyfishingrabbi@yahoo.com (Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:59:00 +0000

What separates a truly amazing book from an average volume? A great book creates scenes and images that you see clearly in your mind as if you are there with the characters, a part of the story. The best writings get inside of your soul and live there, making you look at the world in a new way, as if you too went through the experiences chronicled within. By these standards, The River Why is a terrific book. The River Why is the coming of age story of Gus Orviston. Gus is a fishing prodigy who chronicles the thousands of trout that he caught in his journal. Determined to dedicate his entire life to fly fishing, as a teenager Gus buys a log cabin on the fictional Tamanawis River.

Gus soon discovers that his utopian vision of 18 hours a day on the river is mind-numbing and soul-destroying, and he begins to search for other sources of fulfillment in his life. All sorts of interesting people come into his life, a veteran of the Korean War, a philosopher and hippie neighbors. He encounters death, searches for love, and all the while tries to find a balance between finding trout and finding himself.

It is probably no accident that my other favorite fly fishing book, A River Runs Through It, is also a story about more than fishing. In his autobiographical novella, Norman Maclean writes about fly fishing in Montana. His story is also a coming of age tale about brothers, family and loss. It was Robert Redford’s movie version of A River Runs Through It that first inspired me to pick up a fly rod, because I wondered if there was more to learn on a trout stream than how to catch fish.

Over ten years later, I have become a decent fly fisherman who can catch a trout when he is not accidently standing in the middle of a pool. But I have also discovered the other sides of fly fishing, the moments of solitude, peace and connection to nature that can happen on the stream.

During the long winter months when my fly fishing rod sits in storage, I am always looking for a great new fly fishing book to read. The River Why was an amazing find. What other good fly fishing books have you read?