Divrei Torah - Guests/Members

Shana Tova!

My name is Diana Fisher Gomberg and I am currently one of our co-presidents of Dorshei Tzedek. How did I get here?? Well, if you were at Dorshei's High Holydays services 19 years ago, way back in 2006, you heard me give my first Jewish Journey talk. Today I will share "My Jewish Journey - The Sequel", starring many of the same characters (my husband, my kids, myself, Dorshei…) but with more action, more volunteering, more AI (just kidding about that last one… I still don't know how to use AI.) 

So, in 2007…. Wait, you weren't all here in 2006? Or you don't remember my first Jewish Journey talk? Oh… Well, I guess I'll do a short recap of Part 1… just like an online show: "Here's what you missed, on 'Diana's Jewish Journey'!"

1. I was born in Western PA (New Castle, to be precise) halfway between Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

2. I was a member of a small reform congregation in a town that was mostly Italian Catholic. There was only one other Jewish student in my grade.

3. My father died when I was a baby, and I was raised by a terrific single Mom who eventually married my sweet step-dad when I was 12. 

4. I was academically ambitious so I went to a boarding school north of Boston where, among other things, I met other Jews! My Mom coaxed me into joining the Jewish Student Union where I learned different prayer tunes, different Hebrew letter pronunciations, and I found a cozy home within a larger community. I tried to catch up on the Jewish learning that my childhood congregation did not provide.

5. In college, I found a lot more Jews. I made another little home in its Reform Jewish community (with yet different prayer tunes). I continued to try to get up to speed in Jewish education by trying to learn Hebrew. And I fell in love with one college friend (Hey, Richard!) who I eventually married. 

6. We joined Dorshei Tzedek in 2001 shortly after 9/11 when I missed having a spiritual community of support. We picked Dorshei because of its open-mindedness, its inclusiveness of queer people, families that include non-Jews, and atheists, and the small, cozy feel of Shabbat services that reminded me of my small town temple and the campus minyans.

7. Our young kids enjoyed religious school, and I was glad they would be better-educated than me in Jewish topics. But when my firstborn was entering 3rd grade, I didn't know if it would feel like too much to send her to religious school twice a week. My 2006 Jewish Journey talk ends up with a "we'll see if this works out" vibe.

So, here's the sequel:

It did work out to go to religious school twice a week for our elder child. Though they have struggled with Hebrew, LilyFish stuck with it all the way through 10th grade, worked as a madricha (teaching assistant) at the school, adored Camp Havaya, majored in Judaic Studies in college, worked for a Hillel, and now works for a synagogue, teaches a Jewish teen program, and is a student in two Jewish post-grad programs (including the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College). Our younger child Maya didn't love religious school but now they firmly embrace their Jewish identity and are particularly fond of their Dorshei memories of social action. Perhaps some of you remember the "[Immokolee] tomato march" downtown for "uno cento mas"? They sure do, and we all agree it helped form their drive to work for justice.

As my kids attended religious school, I learned more with them! I didn't grow up celebrating Havdalah at the end of Shabbat, but my family adopted it as the kids learned about it. It occurred to me one Saturday night, wouldn't it be fun to light candles and celebrate Havdalah while out on the river in canoes and kayaks, and we can enjoy the flickering of the lights on the water along with the joy of being outdoors in nature? So I "invented" "Havdalah on the Water", which many of you have participated in over the years. About every other spring, I invite the congregation over to my backyard which borders the Charles River in Newton. We have a potluck dinner and when 3 stars are nearly visible, we head out into the river on canoes and kayak to light the candles, sing the blessings, smell the spices, and enjoy a special moment that feels far from Newton, but is very accessible. If you've never attended before, I hope you join me this spring. (And yes, boats are provided!) 

I also started CDT Hikes after attending a members' meeting at which we were reminded we are a participatory congregation, and we have the ability and responsibility to lead things we want to see at Dorshei. In small groups we did some visioning of what we'd like to do. Stuart Snyder and I were in a small group together. One of us (neither of us remembers who) said we'd like to hike more often and the other said, "Me too!" and we committed to start the group at that meeting, with my husband joining the effort. That was fun and community-building, and though it only lasted a few years, I got to know fellow congregants better, which made me feel more at home at Dorshei. 

In 2016 I joined Dorshei's Dual Narrative trip to Israel and the West Bank, where I learned a lot about Israel/Palestine issues and I got to know other Dorshei folks better. We had one trip leader who was a Jewish Israeli and another trip leader who was Palestinian. I was finally able to get up to speed on Israel/Palestine issues, which really helped me when our public schools were accused of having an anti-semitic curriculum while I was serving on the Newton School Committee. It also helped me understand better the history and current dynamics when October 7th happened, and now living in the current aftermath to October 7. It has not been easy to engage in the Israel/Palestine issues at Dorshei or at home. My family members had been in agreement on most political issues, but Israel/Palestine has exposed some differences of opinion in my little family that have been very difficult over the past couple of years. 

Even small differences can feel very large when the topic is so emotion-laden. I decided early on that I valued family over politics, so we did not need to agree on everything and we did not need to discuss everything. We are committed to listening to each other respectfully, and also accepting each other's boundaries with regard to how much or when we discuss the topic together. 

We are also struggling with the Israel/Palestine issue here at Dorshei Tzedek, just like at many other congregations. Last week, the Board had a very thoughtful discussion about the current tensions in the congregation around Israel and Palestine, and what next steps we might take as a congregation. We discussed goals of building our communal muscles to better listen to one another and sit with our differences, and the possibility of affirming the shared values and commitments that we want to express as a congregation. We decided to begin with real and deep communication to help us understand each other better. This will help if we decide to try to develop a communal vision statement and/or policy guidelines. Please stay tuned as we move forward after the holidays. My primary goal as co-president is to help hold the community together while we navigate these very challenging times.

I feel so lucky to partner with my wonderful co-president Pam Katz, my fellow Board members, Rabbi Toba, Rabbi Beck, Margaret, and Rahab Hiram in this important work, and all of the work we do as a board. Volunteering in the community, trying to improve the world, and donating to tzedakah are core Jewish values my parents raised me with, and I have been glad to focus on Dorshei since it has been such a good community for me, one that is truly open-minded, welcoming, and focused on social justice. I'm glad to help ensure that Dorshei will always be here for my family and yours.