I have been here a week and the weather has not returned to what Denverites swear is normal. One native swore to me that the last time they had a blizzard like this was in '82. It has been brutally cold--mostly in single digits and often below zero. I still cannot get into my driveway due to the ice pile up, but the rodent was found and the smell resolved.
So far it has been a good week. I decided I was not going let no stinking blizzard ruin my time. My neighborhood is an interesting mix of Virginia Highlands, Li'l 5 points and Cheshire Bridge Rd. There is lots to walk to including 3 used bookstores within 5 blocks of me and best of all an art film house where I have seen Little Children, Babel and Notes on a Scandal. Great movies, all of them. Such wrenching films but the acting has been great. Across from the theater is a yoga studio that also offers acupuncture which I have visited as well.
I also started my colloquium which is entitled "Jews on the Move" which is an exploration of the emigration and migration of the Jewish community and the shifting understanding of Jewish identity. I have been reading for my class tomorrow about the Jewish community in Elphantine (in Egypt). Between the first and second Temples apparently a community settled in Elphantine. These Jews were mercenary killers who formed their own cult. They built their own temple and offered sacrifices there. They were not exiled nor forced into the diaspora, but they chose to leave Israel and settle there. I have been reading translations of original documents that were found in this community. Fascinating.
Also, last week I saw an incredible a documentary that was sponsored in tandem with the colloquium in which I am participating. It kicked off the Jews On The Move film festival. It was called Divan and was about a Jewish woman's search for a fabled couch of her ancestors. It is a movie I hope to bring to CBH when I return and the director and I discussed her coming to Atlanta over drinks after the showing.
I had a lovely shabbat dinner with the editors of Queer Jews: David Schneer and Caryn Aviv. David is the director of the Jewish Studies department, who is on sabbatical as well. His partner is Gregg Drinkwater, the executive director of Jewish Mosaic: The Center for Gender and Sexual Diversity. The three of them co-parent Sasha-- a stunningly beautiful baby girl. Almost one year old, I believe. Gregg was out of town so I broke challah with David, Caryn and Sarah. Sarah is a really terrific Jewish studies professor at DU who grew up in Borough Park and has a very interesting life story--that I hope to hear more about.
This week Gregg and I will be discussing the editing of a queer commentary on the Torah and David and I are also looking at writing together too. I am very excited.
Lastly, I have joined a gym here that is open 24 hours! It has been a great place that I have visited almost every day.
Though I have seen movies and spent time with other folks, the majority of my time has been spent in solitude. I had this revelation in Target that I knew absolutely no one there. Target seems to be a store in Atlanta that I can not go in (whether it is is the one of Moreland, Toco Hills, Buckhead) without running into someone. The sheer anonymity was wonderful. Nothing changed--it wasn't like I felt free to shop for something different; it just felt deliciously unencumbered. That said I have also begun to recognize how much being a rabbi dictates the rest of my life. Without it, I feel like a frustrated artist staring at a blank canvas. One character who is a professor on sabbatical in Notes on a Scandal remarks when you are teaching the students you long to get the time to write, but when you get the time to write you long to be teaching the students.
What is true is that I do miss the synagogue, the folks, but I am beginning to identify the low level constant anxiety that is a part of my life as a rabbi. Hopefully, I will develop skills to defuse that. So far, the best part of being away is that I sleep. I sleep usually 7 hours a night--sometimes even 8. I have not done that for years.
It is also a comfort though I am working on areas of my life that I hope to improve. But I have come to realize that with the cross country trip and my recent bouts of solitude, I really like spending time on my own. I am good company for myself. This is odd for someone who almost always needed a constant playmate or companion growing up. But I have looked forward to my thoughts and observations. I make myself laugh--often at myself.
Once again, I am very present to the incredible gift of this sabbatical.
I hope everyone had a meaningful MLK Jr. day. I did not go to Denver's Marade. (yes, they blend the march and the parade) It was still so cold. I did however, continue to read The Lost Prophet--the Life and Times pf Bayard Rustin.
Time to warm up under the covers.
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