we are initiating a program in which all members of our congregation are being asked to be ambassadors of the synagogue and to invite their unafiliated friends to their homes for Shabbat dinner. And then, maybe, bring them to a Shabbat service. This is a tried and true way to build a synagogue's membership because it focuses on relationships among people. It's those relationships that we all need in our lives. It's those relationships that are the first step in helping people find real meaning in synagogue membership."
As the conversation turns to the Middle East, Rabbi Laibson offers high praise for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's ongoing efforts at creating a framework for Middle East peace talks, commenting, "I am supportive of his (Kerry's) efforts. They are monumental. I believe him to be a real friend of Israel."
However, Rabbi Laibson tempers his praise with a realistic view of all that must happen in order for there to be peace between Israel and the Palestinians. "I'm not optimistic that Secretary Kerry's efforts will ultimately lead to a treaty." He goes on to explain, "On the Israeli side, they have seen so many failed attempts at getting the Palestinian people to warm up to the idea of an actual cessation of hostilities, a real peace. And polls taken on the Palestinian side show that the Palestinian mainstream does not really believe that peace is on the agenda."
Rabbi Laibson points out, "It's difficult to make peace when the people don't want it. Abbas is not really a leader and he doesn't have a real mandate. His four-year presidency is now in its tenth year. Legally speaking, he is no longer the legitimate leader of the people. Those in Hamas certainly don't see him as a legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. So it's difficult to believe that any agreement he makes will have any real support among the people who matter most among the Palestinians, including those in his own Fatah party as well as Hamas. Israelis are aware of this, and they aren't optimistic about the peace process. I would love to be optimistic...(but) I'm not."
After a career that begain in 1981, Rabbi Laibson is planning to retire at the end of June, 2015. And while his retirement plans include leading several services over the course of the year at Congregation Shir Chadash, he has also spent the past three years completing a program in spiritual direction, also known as spiritual counseling. Spiritual counseling takes principles of religious thought and applies them to one's sense of positive growth.
Rabbi Laibson explains, "For instance, if someone is having difficulty in letting go of past hurts, a spiritual counselor might talk with them about how forgiveness is a positive virtue in Judaism. They might discuss ways to better understand forgiveness, and then begin the slow, one-step-at-a-time process of moving toward growing while becoming more forgiving."
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LBJL March 2014 | www.lbjewishlife.com