Belated Happy Hanukkah
Last week I attended my daughter's high school winter concert. She sings in the school choir. Here are the songs they performed: Siyahamba (a South African Swahili hymn), Maoz Tzur (our very own Rock of Ages), Noche de Luz (Night of Silence), I'll be There (by the Jackson 5), The Storm is Passing Over (a Gospel standard) and the Halleluyah Chorus (from Handel's Messiah). First of all let's state the obvious. A far more diverse selection of music than the days of Solomon Schechter! And also to be honest, I have still not come to terms with the conflicting feelings of seeing and hearing my daughter sing verses from the New Testament's Book of Revelation (that is what the Halleluyah chorus is structured around). My feelings are something of a mixture of "Wow, she sings so well. It makes me so proud." with "That's not what we believe. No, we are still waiting." Nonetheless the multi-ethnic quality of the occasion was wonderful to behold and despite the inability of Maoz Tzur to measure up to the music of Handel and great Gospel (I love Gospel!) I was taken in by the event's pluralism. And this of course brings me to Hanukkah. The Maccabees would have been none too pleased. This concert and the celebration of Hanukkah in the midst of a non-Jewish culture would have, to be honest to our history, angered them. David Brooks had it right in his New York Times column. The heroes of the Hanukkah story were radical in their ideology. "They were right and the rest of the world wrong" was their motto. There was nothing good to be found in the non-Jewish world. Its influences must be opposed at all costs. It is this kind of ideology that leads some to destroy, apparently, a mosque in Israel's West Bank. Read the Jerusalem Post's account here and the New York Times account of this tragic tale and its aftermath here. This destructive act appears to have been a deliberate attempt to live by the Maccabees' values. And herein lies the essence of Hanukkah in today's world. The overwhelming majority of the Jewish world celebrates Hanukkah and the victory of the Maccabees but does not call its heroes' values their own. We live in two worlds. We have one foot in the Jewish world and one in the non-Jewish world. Even at day schools where we only sing our own songs, we live in two worlds. Even in Israel, in our sovereign Jewish state, we are both Jewish and modern. In my new world we sing their songs. They sing ours. That is how I choose to live. I am thankful for the victory of centuries ago. I am thankful as well that the Maccabees did not remain in power for very long. I also hope and pray that their ideology never rules the day. There is good to be found in my world and the outside world. It is easier and simpler to be a fanatic and say "Only I am right. Only my Jewish world." I choose instead complicated and nuanced. And by the way my Shira sang beautifully!
Orrin Hatch's Hanukkah Song
I am sure you read about this in The New York Times. I am still not sure what to say about it... Happy Hanukkah from Senator Orrin Hatch!? I guess the response is better left to song: "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas..."
Eight Days of Hanukkah from Tablet Magazine on Vimeo.
And by the way, here is the story of that most famous of Christmas songs.
Eight Days of Hanukkah from Tablet Magazine on Vimeo.
And by the way, here is the story of that most famous of Christmas songs.
Helping Others
During this Hanukkah our synagogue reached out to those in our community who are hungry and homeless. We donated gift cards to the Interfaith Nutrition Network's Mary Brennan Soup Kitchen so that we can help restore a measure of dignity to those dependent on tzedakah. It means a great deal for people to go shopping for themselves and buy what they need and perhaps even what they might want. That is of course what I sometimes get to do! At the INN, I helped Rob sort donated clothes and in particular winter coats. You can watch the YouTube video of my visit here. On Wednesday our confirmation students met with Dennis and Lisa from the Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing. Both Dennis and Lisa were formerly homeless and shared powerful personal stories with our students. Lisa spoke about her struggle with bipolar disorder and being unjustly evicted from her apartment because of her mental illness. Dennis spoke about living on the streets of New York City for fourteen years. He told us about eating food out of garbage cans. He shared with the students his struggle with crack addiction. He spoke of the kindness of a few individuals. This morning I delivered 200 lunch bags filled with fruit, juice, snacks and turkey sandwiches to St. Hugh's Project Hope. Thank you to the seventh graders for their help in preparing these meals. Thank you to Joe, Robin, Susan and Renee for their added support! Danny of Project Hope will deliver these lunches to Latino day laborers in the Huntington Station area today and tomorrow. It is remarkable to think that less than two miles from my home there are people who do not have enough money to buy food for themselves. A few statistics. The INN serves 400-500 people per day--on our very own Long Island. Project Hope distributes 100 lunches per day--in my very own town. In New York City there are over 37,000 people living in shelters. The numbers are staggering. And these are only the official counts. In the end, one would be too many! So on this Hanukkah I rededicate myself to helping those less fortunate than myself. I can do more. We can do more. I say with the prophet Isaiah, who told us of our most important duty: "It is to share your bread with the hungry, and to take the wretched poor into your home; when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to ignore your own kin." (Isaiah 58) The final line is the most important point. We cannot fix all of the world's problems. We cannot even end hunger. But we also cannot ignore the issues! We must open our hands to the needy. One at a time. One sandwich at a time. One act of hesed can bring healing to one small world. That is where we will begin. That is the only place where we can begin. Turning aside is not a Jewish option.
Tom Friedman Column
In today's New York Times, Tom Friedman writes about the narrative of hate and blame that permeates throughout the Middle East. I quote from his conclusion in which he addresses himself to Muslims. "Whenever something like Fort Hood happens you say, ‘This is not Islam.’ I believe that. But you keep telling us what Islam isn’t. You need to tell us what it is and show us how its positive interpretations are being promoted in your schools and mosques. If this is not Islam, then why is it that a million Muslims will pour into the streets to protest Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, but not one will take to the streets to protest Muslim suicide bombers who blow up other Muslims, real people, created in the image of God? You need to explain that to us — and to yourselves." There is of course plenty of blame to go around. Israel and the United States are certainly not perfect. (I love them despite their imperfections.) But the heart of the matter continues to be the issue that Friedman writes about in today's paper. I would add to his words: "Rise up. Protest. Take to the streets — not against something, but for something. Tell the world no longer what you want to destroy, but what you want to create." I would advise Muslim leaders with the principle by which I have always tried to live my life. Whenever there are problems to be addressed and repaired it cannot only be about what others are doing wrong. It must first be about what I am doing wrong. I have always believed that repair begins with oneself. Anger is only useful when it is directed inward. To read Friedman's entire column follow this link. To read a somewhat related article about President Obama's handling of foreign policy, read Leon Wieseltier's most recent piece in The New Republic. In Wieseltier's, and my, view we should have more actively supported those in the Middle East (in particular Iran) who did indeed take to the streets, attempting to create something positive. How we help to nurture a more positive narrative continues to be the question of the day.
Returning Thanks
As always Thanksgiving brings with it the blessings of family and perhaps too much food. Given our blessings I am very proud that our synagogue is organizing a number of projects to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves. On December 9, JCB volunteers will help to sort the many toys and food donated to the Interfaith Nutrition Network's Mary Brennan Soup Kitchen in Hempstead. In addition JCB members will donate gift cards so that INN patrons can purchase what they need themselves and thereby redeem a measure of their dignity. At our next confirmation class, on December 16, a former homeless person, now working for the Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing, will share his story and educate our students and their parents about the problems of hunger and homelessness. This is a rare opportunity to hear a personal story. Far too often we separate ourselves from these difficulties in our suburban bubbles. We think this is not a problem in our neighborhood. This is not our problem. But as Jews we must never distance ourselves from others and their difficulties. We know the feeling of the stranger. Finally, on December 17, our 7th graders and fellow congregants will pack lunch bags and sandwiches to be delivered to the hungry and poor in the Huntington Station area. These items will be delivered through the Saint Hugh's Project Hope. We can never repair all of the world's problems. We can also never say that there are too many problems to fix. We must start somewhere. We must try to repair our world. Let us begin by trying to address the problem of hunger in our very own neighborhood!
The Third Intifada | The New Republic
The Third Intifada | The New Republic
Here is a rather depressing article from TNR about the simmering tensions among Palestinians and the worries about a potential third intifada. The sad and tragic fact is that Palestinian leaders continue to believe that the only way to advance their legitimate aspirations for statehood is through violence. You cannot build a nation on hatred and violence. Until Palestinians accommodate their thinking and affirm the legitimacy of the Jewish state in the land of Israel we will only see times of sheket--relative quiet and never shalom--peace. Israel can withdraw from this territory or that. Israel can halt the expansion of "settlements" or not. The fundamental issue is that the majority of Israelis have accepted Palestinian aspirations as legitimate whereas the majority of Palestinians (at least as expressed by their leaders) have yet to come to terms not only with Jewish aspirations but Jewish history and present reality. I continue to believe that if Palestinian leaders would truly affirm these and say in English, Hebrew and especially Arabic, "The State of Israel is here to stay. Its establishment was recognized by the United Nations over sixty years ago. It is built on the Jewish people's historical connection to this land that we also hold dear..." the rest of the details could be worked out at the negotiating table.
Addendum: On a more positive note read this TNR post discussing secret talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
Here is a rather depressing article from TNR about the simmering tensions among Palestinians and the worries about a potential third intifada. The sad and tragic fact is that Palestinian leaders continue to believe that the only way to advance their legitimate aspirations for statehood is through violence. You cannot build a nation on hatred and violence. Until Palestinians accommodate their thinking and affirm the legitimacy of the Jewish state in the land of Israel we will only see times of sheket--relative quiet and never shalom--peace. Israel can withdraw from this territory or that. Israel can halt the expansion of "settlements" or not. The fundamental issue is that the majority of Israelis have accepted Palestinian aspirations as legitimate whereas the majority of Palestinians (at least as expressed by their leaders) have yet to come to terms not only with Jewish aspirations but Jewish history and present reality. I continue to believe that if Palestinian leaders would truly affirm these and say in English, Hebrew and especially Arabic, "The State of Israel is here to stay. Its establishment was recognized by the United Nations over sixty years ago. It is built on the Jewish people's historical connection to this land that we also hold dear..." the rest of the details could be worked out at the negotiating table.
Addendum: On a more positive note read this TNR post discussing secret talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
A Serious Man
I just saw the Coen brothers' new film. "A Serious Man." It is a must see. It is as the reviewers have noted a modern midrash on the biblical Job. It is the story of a math professor who believes that life in general and his life in particular should follow certain understandable and definable formulas. Of course life does not. As his life unravels he, unlike his brother and like Job, never curses God and tries to uncover life's hidden meaning and seeks out the advice of three rabbis. The rabbis all fail, some worse than others. The below clip contains my favorite scene. "The rabbi is busy... He is thinking." The most senior rabbi actually refuses to meet with the serious man. The other rabbis either give entirely inadequate answers or tell a story rather than answer the question. The best answer is of course "He is thinking." That is the only answer we have.
Some have suggested that the movie is self hating and portrays an unflattering picture of American Judaism, Jews and rabbis. I disagree. It is honest, perhaps brutally so. I feel the inadequacy of sitting at the other side of the table from the serious man. How can anyone really understand and answer life's mysteries? That is the essence of the Job story. Many (especially rabbis) pretend to have it all figured out. That is what the movie and the biblical Job rejects. There is more to write about and discuss: the portrayal of the relation between Jews and "goyim," the picture of Hebrew School and bar mitzvahs and of course the prominence of Jefferson Airplane. The movie is framed by two quotes. It begins with a quote from Rashi, the great medieval Jewish commentator: "React with simplicity to everything that happens to you." and concludes with Jefferson Airplane: "When the truth is found to be lies, and all the joy within you dies." Somewhere, sandwiched in between tradition and modernity, and while tossed around by the whirlwind (here a tornado), we uncover our inadequate answers to life's mysteries. Rabbis can't figure it all out for you! If you would like to participate in a discussion about the film, go to our synagogue's Facebook fan page.
Some have suggested that the movie is self hating and portrays an unflattering picture of American Judaism, Jews and rabbis. I disagree. It is honest, perhaps brutally so. I feel the inadequacy of sitting at the other side of the table from the serious man. How can anyone really understand and answer life's mysteries? That is the essence of the Job story. Many (especially rabbis) pretend to have it all figured out. That is what the movie and the biblical Job rejects. There is more to write about and discuss: the portrayal of the relation between Jews and "goyim," the picture of Hebrew School and bar mitzvahs and of course the prominence of Jefferson Airplane. The movie is framed by two quotes. It begins with a quote from Rashi, the great medieval Jewish commentator: "React with simplicity to everything that happens to you." and concludes with Jefferson Airplane: "When the truth is found to be lies, and all the joy within you dies." Somewhere, sandwiched in between tradition and modernity, and while tossed around by the whirlwind (here a tornado), we uncover our inadequate answers to life's mysteries. Rabbis can't figure it all out for you! If you would like to participate in a discussion about the film, go to our synagogue's Facebook fan page.
Springsteen Concert
After yesterday's post I thought I would lighten up the mood. In the above picture, Susie and I, along with fellow JCB members, Randi and Patty, enjoyed the Bruce Springsteen concert on Sunday. I ran into at least a minyan of congregants there, as well as Bill Bradley, incoming governor Chris Christie and Elvis Costello (ok I really only saw him from afar). They expressed only mild interest in joining the congregation, although Senator Bradley and I had an interesting conversation about basketball (his former passion), biking (my current passion--and ok only I would have the chutzpah to place his basketball playing and my biking in the same sentence), his interesting new radio show about everyday unsung heroes (Sirius channel 102) and the rabbi at the Bruce concert (I am pretty sure that was me). We were both taken and amused that we would meet at a Springsteen concert. Music unites. Music elevates. There are no divisions when you are singing and dancing together. It is a powerful feeling when the lights go on and you see everyone standing and singing along with the Boss. "Do you like good music? Sweet soul music?" Say it with Bruce, "Oh yeah!" And of course thanks again to Robert for the tickets!
Fort Hood
I have been reading with keen interest the stories about the murder of 12 soldiers and one civilian at Fort Hood. I was appalled to learn that a physician would take life rather than fight to preserve it. I was captivated by the heroism of Officer Kimberly Munley. As with similar tales of Columbine and Virginia Tech, the news media is filled with attempts to understand the murderer's motivations. He was opposed to the US wars in Iraq in Afghanistan. He was distraught about his upcoming deployment. He was unable to bear the pain and scars returning soldiers shared with him. He was harassed, ridiculed and perhaps even persecuted because he was a Muslim. Some of these points are no doubt true. I can only imagine the scars soldiers carry with them. I believe that he was the victim of anti-Muslim hate. But shooting at unarmed men and women is never a way to solve grievances, whether real or imagined. Shouting Allah Akhbar--God is great--when taking lives, only diminishes God in this world rather than enlarges religious feelings and passions. If a Jew had done this terrible deed--as Jack Teitel is similarly accused by the Israeli authorities of doing--you would hear me say, "This is not Judaism! This is a defamation of everything we believe in!" I have said this in the past and so I say it again. If a Jew had done this you would not hear statements of let's explore why he is so aggrieved. You would hear instead, "Where have we failed as Jewish teachers?" Where is this debate among Muslim leaders? I do not excuse the psychiatrist's tormentors. I hold little forgiveness for those who bully others. Part of being Jewish is the attempt to understand the heart of the stranger. If such accusations of discrimination are true, the army should do its part to fight it. The army has in the past led the way in healing the rifts in our society and there is indeed a growing and wrenching divide that must be bridged. I hope and pray that our current armed forces will do its part. I offer this prayer. "Yitgadal v'yitkadash--May God's greatness be sanctified and manifest." May the most recent victims of hate--and despair--rest in peace. May their families be granted healing and consolation. Allah Akhbar--and Baruch HaShem for that matter--must only be said when human life is saved and preserved. May God's greatness be forever praised--in celebration of life!
AIPAC Luncheon
On Wednesday I attended a lecture with David Horovitz, editor-in-chief of the The Jerusalem Post. After reassuring the attendees that there is a day to day feeling of calm and security in Israel and especially in Jerusalem, he went on to say that there is a sense of crisis because of three simmering issues:
1. The need to separate from the Palestinians in order to preserve the Jewish and democratic character of the State of Israel. This need is creating a growing sense of angst because there is no viable partner with which to make peace. The vast majority of Israelis share two conflicting feelings: the Jewish imperative to make peace tugging against the fact that there is no one with which to talk.
2. The growing existential threat of Iran. Soon there will be a regime who agitates for the destruction of Israel combined with the means (namely nuclear weapons) to carry out these aims. A nuclear armed Iran remakes the region and is unacceptable to Israel. The vast majority of Israelis have little hope and faith in Obama's diplomatic efforts. A strengthened Iran continues to embolden the radicals in the region. Israelis believe that Iran must first be de-fanged in order for the moderates to emerge and for there to be serious negotiations with the Palestinians.
3. The increasing de-legitimization of the State of Israel in the international community. The legitimacy of the modern State of Israel transcends the Holocaust and the suffering the Jewish people endured during those years. The modern state is built on the foundations of the ancient state. History binds our presence to the land of Israel. Within international discourse this very connection is being systematically severed. In a bitter irony, at the United Nations, the very institution that lent international legitimacy to the nascent state, Ahmadinejad (y'mach sh'mo) is allowed to spout venom and begrudge Israel's existence. The State of Israel means far more than the amelioration of suffering.
Despite these worries and fears, Israelis continue to sing and dance, celebrate and rejoice. The economy continues to grow and the State of Israel thrives.
1. The need to separate from the Palestinians in order to preserve the Jewish and democratic character of the State of Israel. This need is creating a growing sense of angst because there is no viable partner with which to make peace. The vast majority of Israelis share two conflicting feelings: the Jewish imperative to make peace tugging against the fact that there is no one with which to talk.
2. The growing existential threat of Iran. Soon there will be a regime who agitates for the destruction of Israel combined with the means (namely nuclear weapons) to carry out these aims. A nuclear armed Iran remakes the region and is unacceptable to Israel. The vast majority of Israelis have little hope and faith in Obama's diplomatic efforts. A strengthened Iran continues to embolden the radicals in the region. Israelis believe that Iran must first be de-fanged in order for the moderates to emerge and for there to be serious negotiations with the Palestinians.
3. The increasing de-legitimization of the State of Israel in the international community. The legitimacy of the modern State of Israel transcends the Holocaust and the suffering the Jewish people endured during those years. The modern state is built on the foundations of the ancient state. History binds our presence to the land of Israel. Within international discourse this very connection is being systematically severed. In a bitter irony, at the United Nations, the very institution that lent international legitimacy to the nascent state, Ahmadinejad (y'mach sh'mo) is allowed to spout venom and begrudge Israel's existence. The State of Israel means far more than the amelioration of suffering.
Despite these worries and fears, Israelis continue to sing and dance, celebrate and rejoice. The economy continues to grow and the State of Israel thrives.
Podcasts
Our synagogue's website has a new feature: podcasts. You can listen to my High Holiday sermons on the website or subscribe through iTunes. You will also find there regular interpretations of the weekly Torah portion, called "Three Minutes of Torah." Occasionally I will share longer talks about contemporary events.
To listen through the website click here.
To subscribe with iTunes click here.
To listen through the website click here.
To subscribe with iTunes click here.
Happy Simhat Torah!
Moadim l'simha--happy holidays! There are two Jewish ideals that are realized in the holiday of Simchat Torah which begins today, October 9 (according to the Reform and Israel calendar).
1. The joy of Torah. There is nothing more joyous than studying Torah. On Simchat Torah we celebrate the fact that we are privileged to begin again the Torah reading cycle. Simchat Torah is analogous to rebooting your computer. Even if you haven't finished all of your work, even if you haven't finished reading every story, even if you haven't finished studying every word, every once in a while you have to start all over again at the beginning.
2. You really can't dance by yourself. You need your friends. You need the swirl of others. You need your community. Celebrating by yourself is impossible. The community adds to your happiness. This is the Jewish contention. We understand this truth best when we are surrounded by others at our own simchas. This contention is truly realized when our happiness is bound to what lies at the center of our Jewish lives: Torah. Hence Simchas Torah.
On Simchat Torah, community and Torah are combined into one great song and dance.
For my YouTube video about Simchat Torah and for evidence of this truth click here. This evening's Simchat Torah/Shabbat celebration will be accompanied by a Klezmer ensemble and concert with Michael Winograd.
If you are looking to learn more about Klezmer read this article on MyJewishLearning.com.
1. The joy of Torah. There is nothing more joyous than studying Torah. On Simchat Torah we celebrate the fact that we are privileged to begin again the Torah reading cycle. Simchat Torah is analogous to rebooting your computer. Even if you haven't finished all of your work, even if you haven't finished reading every story, even if you haven't finished studying every word, every once in a while you have to start all over again at the beginning.
2. You really can't dance by yourself. You need your friends. You need the swirl of others. You need your community. Celebrating by yourself is impossible. The community adds to your happiness. This is the Jewish contention. We understand this truth best when we are surrounded by others at our own simchas. This contention is truly realized when our happiness is bound to what lies at the center of our Jewish lives: Torah. Hence Simchas Torah.
On Simchat Torah, community and Torah are combined into one great song and dance.
For my YouTube video about Simchat Torah and for evidence of this truth click here. This evening's Simchat Torah/Shabbat celebration will be accompanied by a Klezmer ensemble and concert with Michael Winograd.
If you are looking to learn more about Klezmer read this article on MyJewishLearning.com.
MEMRI Report
Although I know only a few words in Arabic (yes, hello, goodbye, let's go and peace) it is important that we make ourselves aware of what is said in the Arab media. It does not serve the cause of peace to base decisions and opinions on what is only said to the Western press. (The same would be true about Hebrew, but there does not appear as wide a gap between what Israelis say and write in Hebrew and what they say and write in English.) To that end it is worthwhile, if not depressing, to read the reports of The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). I quote here from their recent report about the Fatah conference. (Fatah is the ruling party of Mahmoud Abbas' Palestinian Authority.): "Statements made on the eve of the Fatah conference, and during its opening session, indicate that the dominant position among Fatah members is that resistance (muqawama) of various forms is a legitimate right of the Palestinian people. Most Fatah members advocated a combination of the political path with various forms of resistance - from non-violent measures such as demonstrating and planting trees to armed resistance. Except for one lone voice, none expressed a willingness to completely rule out armed resistance. Even Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas took an ambiguous stand, in contrast to past statements in which he explicitly opposed violence. It is clear that his position supports both the political process and popular resistance, but what is not clear is whether he is willing to remove the option of violent resistance from the table altogether." The rest of the report can be found here. We can only make peace if we confront what is said and written everywhere.
Addendum
Here are two more articles from this weekend's papers about the peace process, the question of settlements and the increasing tension between the Obama and Netanyahu administrations.
1. Elliott Abrams in Saturday's The Wall Street Journal: Why Israel is Nervous.
2. Tom Friedman in Sunday's The New York Times: Free Marriage Counseling.
I am sure there will be more to read in the weeks and months ahead.
1. Elliott Abrams in Saturday's The Wall Street Journal: Why Israel is Nervous.
2. Tom Friedman in Sunday's The New York Times: Free Marriage Counseling.
I am sure there will be more to read in the weeks and months ahead.
Settlements Again
We have returned to the place we were before. If only Israel would stop its settlement activity then the Palestinians would press for peace with Israel. Ok, perhaps I am overstating the case, but such seems the mood of this week's papers. So let's take a moment and clarify a few points. To my mind there are three distinct categories of what the world calls "settlements." 1. There are a large number of Israelis who live within the boundaries of the Jerusalem municipality but who live in areas that were captured from Jordan in the 1967 Six Day War. These neighborhoods of Pisgat Zeev (with 50,000 people), French Hill and others are regarded by the overwhelming majority of Israelis (and Jews) as part of the unified city of Jerusalem. Their populations range the gamut of Israeli political opinion. 2. There is another significant number who live in what may be called suburbs. These settlement blocs of Maale Adumim, Gush Etzion and Ariel each comprise some 20,000 people. It would be impossible to uproot these communities. Perhaps Israel should not have populated these areas, but had the Arab, Muslim and Palestinian world sued for peace decades ago they would have written their own, different facts on the ground. Rent the movie Unsettled to see the pain of uprooting the comparatively small number of 7,000 settlers from Gaza to understand why uprooting these areas would be overly traumatic for Israel. 3. These comprise the minority of people but the majority of air time. These settlements, some illegal and others sanctioned, are geographically isolated. They are for the most part ideologically isolated as well, at least from the majority of Israelis. The longer they are allowed to remain a part of the Israeli discourse the more such views as "Democracy is antithetical to Judaism" and "God gave the land only to the Jews" will come to dominate Israeli politics. Still I fail to understand (at least philosophically) why Jews can't choose to live in a Palestinian state just as Arabs now live in a Jewish state. This brings me to President Obama who seems to see the primary justification for the modern State of Israel as recompense for past suffering. Obama's biography is in part about transcending differences and thereby transforming suffering. But this is not all that Zionism and the State of Israel is about. The state was not founded in Uganda or Argentina (as Herzl once suggested). It does matter where it is. The West Bank and Jerusalem are the very cradle of Jewish civilization. Palestinian suffering must be ameliorated. A Palestinian State, as Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed, must be created. But it is not just a matter of you live there and I will live here. Nonetheless I still believe that the vast majority of Israelis would sacrifice these very places and even the first Jewish city of Hebron if the Palestinians and Arabs would affirm the right of the Jewish state to exist in the land of Israel (and that means religious, historical, philosophical and international right). I will continue to pray for peace but I remain skeptical if the current round of chastisements are only directed at those who are the most sensitive to rebuke. Read these articles for more insights on the current debate: Yossi Klein HaLevi's in The New Republic, Aluf Benn's in The New York Times and of course Donniel Hartman's article on the Jewish necessity of a two-state solution, found on the Shalom Hartman Institute website.
Tisha B'Av
Pictured above is Robinson's Arch just south of the Western Wall. When standing here one is taken by what must have been the enormity of the Temple Mount. Today we commemorate Tisha B'Av (9th of Av), the day on which the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in 70 CE (as well as a number of other Jewish tragedies). I know I am supposed to be mourning. I know I am supposed to be fasting. I know I am supposed to be praying for the Temple to be rebuilt, Jewish sovereignty restored, the exiles to return to their land... But given that nearly six million Jews have returned to the land of Israel and given that Jewish sovereignty is reborn in the modern State of Israel, I no longer mourn. I refuse to allow the burdens of history to weigh me down. There is an inherent tension when learning history. One is pulled between taking to heart the lessons of history and refusing to let history go. I for one have internalized the Zionist message. The past will not determine our future. The past will not enslave the present. I must be guided by it, but I cannot be ruled it. And so I always remember the tragedies of the past (as a Jew they are forever entangled in my kishkes) but more importantly I celebrate the present. When it comes to the choice between a present filled with hope and a past steeped in sorrow, I choose hope.