Mine and Mind

Today a great spiritual hunger is surfacing as many seek comfort, support, and meaning in a world that has spun out of control. Yet, times of loneliness, confusion, fear, or separation come for a powerful reasonso we can stop our usual way of being and discover where true strength, connection, and understanding lie. These difficult times are actually a blessing, removing us from preoccupation with externals and inviting us to embark on a journey into the heart and meaning of our lives. Both Jewish and Zen practice call us to enter the journey, though in different ways.

In a sense, Judaism and Zen represent two opposite ends of a continuum: Zen is based upon radical freedom, letting go, being in the present and nonattachment. Judaism comes rooted in family relationships, love, prayer to a Higher Power and the injunction to hold on and remember. A Jewish heart is warm, giving, human, devoted to family and friends. A Zen eye is fresh, direct, spontaneous, unencumbered by ideas, beliefs, hopes or expectations. These two practices are like two wings of a bird; both are needed to be able to fly.

Each tradition addresses the primal questions that drive our lives and provides keys for finding answers. In Zen practice, you take time to remove yourself from family and friends, do zazen, journey within and awaken for the good of all. Jewish practice is done in the midst of the community. Relationships are central. It is said that God is to be found at the kitchen table, with family, friends and food. In Jewish prayer you go to God and ask for everything. In this way you always know the Source of your good and constantly offer thanks.

In Zen practice you do not pray for help at all. You do zazen, (zen meditation), sit, back straight, legs crossed, eyes down, facing the wall. You do not speak, reach out, touch, or listen to the troubles of others. You do not offer consolation or turn to others for support. In fact, what you thought of as support is taken away. If others are having trouble on the cushion, experiencing sorrow or pain, you do not interfere. Their experience is precious and they are now being given the opportunity to face it fully. The support you offer is silent and profound, just sitting strongly beside them, facing your own experience as well. lose sight of the true purpose of any practice.

The practice of zazen (zen meditation) creates an atmosphere of acceptance, respect, clarity, kindness. And, your religion of origin can ground you in the reality of who you are. In this way, practicing both Zen and Judaism provides balance and richness as each practice enriches, illuminates and challenges the other. The practices are like two wings of a bird, both are needed to be able to fly. ·

Giving welcome

Rabbi at new synagogue speaks of converts to Judaism

BY SERGIO CARMONA.

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

There’s a new rabbi in town.
Rabbi Celso Cukierkorn, who moved to Miami-Dade County in May and has started Adat Achim Synagogue in Sunny Isles, knows a great deal about those who convert to Judaism. Since his rabbinic career started more than a decade ago, Cukierkorn, 37, has converted many of those people himself – in Europe, South America and China. Welcoming new people as Jews is important to him.
“Today, we have as many Jews in the world as there were the day the Americans liberated the concentration camps,” he said. “Next generation, we will have negative growth, and we’re going to have less Jews in the world. Somebody has got to do something about it. I believe that as a leader of Jewish people, we should put them on the red carpet; we should welcome those people who are legitimately interested in becoming Jewish. It must be offered
to them.”
Cukierkorn was born in Brazil and comes from a rabbinical family that goes back 700 years. He is a member of the rabbinical cabinet of United Jewish Appeal. His conversion process involves an online course for people who are willing to be Jewish and can convert anyone from any part of the world through online study and a final exam.
“This course gives people the tools to empower themselves to establish Jewish identity in a way that they can work on their own time, because today’s environment and situation regarding our : mobility, regarding our schedule and other priorities we have in our lives, sometimes would not allow many people to be in a regular conversion to
Judaism course,” he said.
Cukierkorn. currently has 30-40 students from South Florida. One of those students, Tatiana Suarez, who resides in Miami-Dade County, is. grateful for the course’s flexibility and the learning opportunity provided.
“Rabbi Cukierkorn has a very nice method about learning Judaism;” said Suarez. “He’s critical. He can get deeper. If you don’t have time, he gives flexibility to his students. The” rabbi gives you everything you need to know and he guides you very well through the course.”
Cukierkorn enjoys working with students who posses the maturity to learn to become a Jew.
“I think that the very beauty of people coming
into Judaism is they have an adult mind and that they’re going to ‘experience things for the first time already with a mature mind,” he, said.
Cukierkorn is not only impressed with his students’ maturity, but impressed with their dedication, as well.
“Most of the people I work with, they could choose any religion, and for them becoming Jewish and joining the greater Jewish family is the most important thing in their life,” he said. ‘as a congregational rabbi, I have never seen another group ‘that opens so much enthusiasm in Judaism than people converting; and usually they make wonderful Jews.”
Cukierkorn has also provided close guidance to his students. One is Larry Hudson, a former student who became a
Jew in 2002.
“He’s provided close guidance to our family here in Florida,” Hudson said. “He is very astute in the field of Judaism, and he’s provided guidance to individuals like ourselves in converting to Judaism.”
Cukierkorn is proud to have an impact on his students’ lives.
“From all of my rabbinic duties, converting people gives me the greatest pleasure,” he said. “I have converted people from New Zealand to Argentina, and having a small part in their lives is the greatest reward I have in my
rabbinic duties.”
Cukierkorn’s guidelines, expectations and requirements. for his course are available at http://www.convertingtojudaism.com. He can be reached at 305-510-8111.
Origininally featured in the L’Chaim section of The Jewish Journal July 10, 2007

http://www.convertingtojudaism.com

The St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, opened in 1993, is housed in a building constructed on the site of the medieval Archbishop’s castle. It reveals and analyzes the importance of religion in people’s lives the world over, since the beginning of civilization. Besides its unique concept, the museum provides an unparalleled view of the Gothic Cathedral and the Necropolis, a nineteenth century graveyard situated on the hill behind.

The museum has four exhibition areas spread over three floors. These include the Gallery of Religious Art, the Gallery of Religious Life, the Scottish Gallery and a temporary exhibition space. The objective of the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art is to inculcate understanding and respect among people of diverse faiths, religions and atheists through its exhibits which include a Zen garden, and a sculpture showing Islamic calligraphy.

The Gallery of Religious Art exudes brightness with its colorful stained glass windows depicting Christian saints and prophets. It also displays a beautiful figure of the Hindu God of Dance, Lord Shiva.

The Gallery of Religious Life delves in detail into the world’s six main religions, namely, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Sikhism. The novel concept at St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art is being able to listen to people talk about their faith, and witness the Mexican Day of the Dead skeleton, which signifies the victory of life over death.

The Scottish gallery traces the impact of religion on the culture and beliefs of the people of West Scotland from early times to present day civilization. The Sharing of Faiths banner reflects the spirit of the multi-faith city of Glasgow. The Zen Garden is the only permanent one in Britain, depicting simplicity and the peaceful coexistence of man and nature.

Glasgow is among the most historic places in UK and you’ll find many attractions, both historic and modern, to explore. The choice of Glasgow hotels available provides you with an easy way to stay at, discover and enjoy Glasgow at leisure.

The African Traditional Religion is a religion practiced on the African continent. It is the indigenous religion of Africans with its own distinct features and character of the people who practice it just as Islam has the character of the Arabs, Judaism of the Jews, and Hindus of the Indians. Like other religions, it is difficult to tell when this religion originated but we know it is as old as the Africans.

The African Traditional Religion is not totally different from other religions even though it came under sever the criticisms of the early Europeans who came to Africa to propagate Christianity. This religion was handed down to Africans in oral form exactly the same way other religions emanated and is a way of life of the Africans. This may become reflective in the day to day attitude of the African. Thus the tenets and ideas of this religion exist largely in oral forms and are still very much understood by the Africans themselves who practice the religion.

Another interesting feature of this religion is that it has no sacred book which has caused some critics to readily misleadingly conclude that it is not a revealed religion or religion of the book. Some have also labeled the religion, a religion of backward people. The African traditional religion has no imposing and magnificent buildings such as those of the churches, mosques, temple, pagodas where worshippers could troop in and out to worship. This development has portrayed the religion in bad light in the eyes of the early Europeans that came to the continent.

African Traditional Religion can best be understood through oral and non-oral devices. These oral devices are still living with Africans today and are expressed mostly in proverbs, names, songs and others. The non-oral devices consist of artifacts mostly recovered from archeological excavations and some present day art works. Contrary to the beliefs of the early European visitors to the continent, Africans hold the idea that an Almighty God exists, creator of Heaven and Earth.

“Chukwudi” (There is God) is a popular name in Ibo land, South-East of Nigeria best justifies this idea. It is therefore incontrovertible that even before the coming of the Europeans Africans had clear the knowledge of the existence of God. God therefore did not come to the African continent with the Europeans. The Europeans only came with their own version of God. And the African Traditional Religion supports this fact even indisputably.

In fact what these early visitors to Africa did was to attempt to destroy the continued existence of the religion together with its values by labeling it an evil religion from the dark continent, full of savages, a religion which highly glorifies the Devil implicitly suggesting that nothing good can come out of an evil place such as Africa the land of all sorts evils and vices. Interestingly, some Africans bought this idea hook, line and sinker. Africans had always known that a true Supreme God existed.

The Europeans and other visitors to the continent did this in order to achieve their full aim of propagating religions hitherto strange to the people of the continent.

Incidentally, to a very large extent, they succeeded because of the geographical condition of the continent which rendered the understanding of the continent almost impossible, multiplicity of cultures and ethnic –nationalities in the continent also contributed to this development. It was this diverseness in the cultures of Africans that led to generalization.

However, we know today that all religions are exactly the same in terms of beliefs and ideas. All religions hold the existence of a being(s) supreme to man and the African Traditional Religion cannot be an exception