Celestial Politics Discussed at Chabad’s ‘Shabbat Under the Stars’

MONROE, NJ — At the Chabad Jewish Center of Monroe’s largest Shabbat dinner of the year, a crowd of 220 people gathered to celebrate Jewish tradition and deliberate “Would God vote for Obama?”

That was the title of guest speaker Rabbi Hershel Finman’s lecture during Chabad’s fifth annual “Shabbat Under the Stars” Aug. 14. Finman didn’t reach a conclusion on God’s ballot box, but gave the audience insight into the concept of government in the Torah.

Based on sources such as the book of the prophet Isaiah, Finman, a radio show host from Detroit, described a government’s responsibility to be humane to its citizens, look out for the well being of the poor, and respect all religions, Chabad Director Rabbi Eliezer Zaklikovsky said.

Finman, who grew up in Newark, is the coordinator of the Detroit Jewish Judicial Seminar, an adjunct professor of philosophy at Oakland Community College, and a professor of Judaic studies at Michigan Jewish Institute. His background allowed him to connect with a diverse crowd at the program, including many attendees who hadn’t been to a Chabad event before and don’t regularly conduct Shabbat dinner.

“He relates very well to people who are not religious, to find a dialogue with them,” Zaklikovsky told The Jewish State in an interview the Monday following the event. “He has a good perspective of the Torah and he also has a worldly perspective.”

While the Chabad’s house can accommodate 50-60 people for its regular Shabbat dinners, the summer weather allows the organization to put up a tent on its grounds once a year to draw a much larger crowd, Zaklikovsky said. Chabad filled the tent last year despite rainy weather, but had clear skies this time around.

“People were afraid it was going to be ‘Shabbat Under the Clouds’ instead of ‘Shabbat Under the Stars’,” Zaklikovsky said.

Before dinner, Chabad held a beginner’s Friday night service with booklets containing Hebrew prayers transliterated into English letters. Various attendees recited blessings for each Shabbat ritual, including five women who sang “Eishet Chayil,” a song honoring women of valor.

“There are people there who have not celebrated Shabbos dinner in 40 years,” Zaklikovsky said of the crowd at Shabbat Under the Stars each year.

Counselors from the Gan Israel Day Camp in Manalapan also sang at the dinner, in addition to an English rendition of “A Yiddishe Mome” from Meir Brandwein of Monroe.

While some newcomers come to Shabbat Under the Stars with skepticism about Chabad events, they leave the program with a much better sense for the organization’s warm and inviting culture, Zaklikovsky said.

“It really has an embracing, inspirational effect without strings attached,” Zaklikovsky said of Chabad in Monroe.