Re: Yom Kippur and diversity in groups
From: Diane Margolis (dianecambridgecohousing.org)
Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2003 06:02:07 -0600 (MDT)
I'm disturbed by the tone of this discussion, especially on the cohousing
listserve.  I thought we cherished diversity in cohousing.
      There's a website -- religious tolerence.org -- that lists the
holidays of the eight largest faiths -- Christianity Judaism, Islam,
Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Baha'i, and Wicca.  If we tried not to schedule
major events on each of their most holy days, we would only rule out eight
days a year  -- that leaves 357 days each year to schedule events while
still respecting each religion's most holy day.  (Note that if we were to
give each religion two days, there would still be 349 left for cohousing
major events.)
Diane Margolis
Cambridge Cohousing
Where we do accept gifts and short-term renters
----- Original Message -----
From: "Racheli Gai" <racheli [at] sonoracohousing.com>
To: <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
Sent: Friday, September 26, 2003 11:55 AM
Subject: [C-L]_Yom Kippur and diversity in groups


>
> Jeanne wrote:
>
> >Perhaps Jews feel it more necessary to remind people that we exist,
>
> Wow, it sounds like you have a serious chip on your shoulder: Do you
> really believe that if an event is scheduled on a Jewish holidy it  means
> that people don't think Jews exist?   Could
> there be other reasons for the scheduling, which don't have anything to do
> with ignoring/disliking Jews?
>
> I think that you must realize that if *everyone's* holidays were taken
> into account, the possibility of finding times to meet will be reduced to
> somewhere around zero - since holidays are not the only element which puts
> constraints on organizing events.
> Within a community the issue is different: Of course I don't think we
> should schedule meetings on *any member's* holy (or highly significant)
> days!  This isn't the same, IMO, as trying to arrange general-public
> events.
>
> Maybe I should add that I've been to events on Jewish holidays, and that
> often quite a few Jews attend (myself included).  My point it that not all
> Jews are the same, or have the same attitudes towards Jewish holidays, or
> anything else.
>
> R.
>
>
> >Look, Jewish holidays are sometimes a challenge to work around because
> >they are based on a different date. I understand that. We just had to
> >reschedule a meeting because the chair (Jewish) realized that she had
> >scheduled a meeting for 10/7. Oops! If you don't know to look you won't
> >notice.
>
> >Ideally, when major cohousing events are scheduled to coincide with a
> >religious holiday, the leaders will say "Sorry! We didn't mean to. We are
> >too far along to change it now." If on the other hand, they knew it was
> >going to fall on Yom Kippur, then that is something that I would consider
> >wrong-headed.
>
> >What I would wish is that the leaders of the events say, "We've heard
> >you. We made a mistake. We don't plan to repeat the mistake for future
> >events," rather than trying to explain away why it was valid to do
> >something that made people feel alienated.
>
> >Jeanne Goodman
> >JP Cohousing, Boston
>
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Racheli Gai" <racheli [at] sonoracohousing.com>
> >To: <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
> >Sent: Friday, September 26, 2003 10:35
> >Subject: [C-L]_Yom Kippur and diversity in groups
>
>
>
> >Does anyone out there know when Muslim holidays happen?
> >Does anyone take care not to schedule then?
> >I doubt it!  I haven't belonged to one group as yet which took notice of
> >other minorities, but whenever anyone forgets when a Jewish holidy takes
> >place, recriminations start flying in no time.
>
> >WHY???
>
> >R.
>
>
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>
> --
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> racheli [at] sonoracohousing.com (Racheli Gai)
> -----------------------------------------------------------
>
>
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