Seventh Day of Pesach Shabbat, 2025

“Possibilitarians know that there is an obligation to bring magic to the fight against authoritarianism, and I was so taken by this word possibilitarian, and what it could mean for us in this moment. According to [Peter] Schuman, [co-founder and director of Bread and Puppet Theater,] the term was invigorated by Margaret Thatcher’s remark on capitalism. She said, there is no alternative to which he said, We respond. There are 1000 alternatives. And that is what we must say now. We must be possibilitarians and declare to ourselves and to each other there are 1000 alternatives, in response to parents being separated from their children, in response to people being disappeared and sent to concentration camps, in response to those in power capitulating to evil, in response to feeling like the world is falling apart. We have to say there are 1000 other alternatives to this. We have to try and imagine many paths and possibilities forward.”

Rabbi Yael Werber  gave this drashah on Friday, April 18, 2025 / 21 Nisan 5785. 

Be in community with CBST at Kabbalat Shabbat services, every Friday at 6:30pm ET, either in person or streaming live on CBST’s website at cbst.org/livestream.

CBST is an LGBTQ+ synagogue for people of all sexual identities and genders and a joyful, spiritual, proud community. All are welcome 🌈✨