by Michael M. Lorge, Gesher Faculty
We do not aspire to be Prophets, but we seek to be inspired by the Prophets. This was our focus for the second 2 weeks of Gesher 2014 at OSRUI. We developed an understanding that the Prophets were real people and that they were persistent, uncompromising, determined, outspoken, orators and poets who inspired people to think and act differently. The campers discussed whether one had to hear the voice of God to be a Prophet.
To get to the heart of these points, the campers returned to camp from a trip to find banners supporting the Prophets messages and warning people to listen to the message of the Prophets. That night, the campers led by torches, were taken to a secret meeting of those who supported the Prophets. The Prophets were all in hiding because their messages had either angered kings or had incensed the community. In fear for their lives, they came to the secret meeting to ask the campers to learn their messages for a better society and to prepare web sites to develop support for the Prophets and to protect the Prophets.
The campers met with the Prophets in their hiding places the next day and developed this web site: www.OSRUI.weebly.com. Try It!
Once the web sites were created, we grappled with the question of whether there are modern day Prophets. Campers gathered in a dimly lit, long, narrow hall, and sat facing each other. From one end of the hallway came the voice of Isaiah the Prophet and one of his powerful speeches over a radio. This was followed by an excerpt of Martin Luther King’s final speech from the night before he died. This represented two contrasting times with men of similar passion and message, in the face of adversity.
The next day, campers gathered to debate the topic of modern day Prophets. They stood on a grid ranging from Agree to Disagree as different questions were asked and they gave their opinions and their insights.
Finally, we turned to the power of words. Campers selected quotes from the Prophets and matched them to events in history or scenarios of life. Twine ran from pillar to pillar with the words. To complete the process, campers wrote their own quotes or scenarios and linked them. It was a moment to understand that words have power and can impact events in the world and in their personal lives.
Their final day they spent time with an urban poet and activist to think about messages about their lives. Together with my fellow faculty members, Rabbi Debbie Helbraun and Marla Bentley, we moved to make the lives of the Prophets meaningful and their messages connected to our lives today.
After two weeks, while we do not aspire to be Prophets, the campers, staff and faculty were inspired by the words of the Prophets and the great legacy of the Reform movement that is guided by these Prophetic Messages of peace, justice and righteousness.