Many of you
know that I’ve been able to travel to Israel at least one time per year for the
past 12 years, sometimes more. It is not
only the fact that Charlie and I have a son with his own family that draws me
so often, it is the fact that it is a place that very much feels like
home. I have to tell you with that in
mind, however, when I traveled there this summer, I tried to see if I could see
what the news media portrays about Israel on a daily basis. You
know that Israel is accused of being an apartheid state. Its democratic nature is not validated and
there are attempts by groups all over the world to delegitimize her
existence. If nothing else, we are also
told that the Hareidim are controlling life in the streets and turning the
country into a Jewish version of a Taliban state.
To be
honest, what I saw was quite the opposite.
I found it hard to know which workers outside my son’s apartment were
Israeli Arabs and which ones were Israeli Jews.
When I got into a cab to travel to my course, the only indication I had one
day that my driver was not a Jew was that he tuned into an Arabic station on
his radio. We spoke Hebrew together and
had a very civil conversation. When I
took my granddaughter to Givat Ram in Jerusalem to visit the Bloomfield Science
Museum, I noticed that the signs were printed in three languages, English,
Hebrew, and Arabic. The children were
accompanied by mothers dressed in traditional Muslim garb, or traditional
Jewish garb, or secular garb. Groups
mingled and the docents were definitely representative of all populations
living in Israel, Muslim, Christian, and Jewish. Apartheid would not be the word I would use
to describe what I saw with my own eyes.
At the Pardes Institute, where I studied, Jews of all branches of Judaism
as well as the non-affiliated gathered together to learn Jewish texts. The idea
of disagreeing respectfully was not feared.
The idea of learning from one another was promoted. Similarly when I
looked at the faces of Jews and non-Jews walking the streets of Jerusalem, they
represented many ethnicities and races. The languages spoken were not singular
in nature.
When I
returned home, I thought to myself, that as loud as the cries are to
delegitimize Israel, the reasons to fight against such actions speak much
louder.
Let me
digress for a moment. I happen to be a
bit of a pack rat and over the years when I have seen a compelling article
about Israel I have usually saved it. One
such item that I managed to save is a back-issue of Life magazine that appeared
on the newsstands when Israel turned 25 in 1973. It was an issue that made me very proud of
the young Jewish state. In
that 92 page special issue, “The Spirit of Israel,” the magazine extolled the
Jewish state as enlightened, robustly democratic and hip, a land of
“astonishing achievement” that dared “to dream the dream and make that dream
come alive.”
Life told
the story of Israel’s birth from the Bible through the Holocaust and the battle
for independence. “The Arabs’ bloodthirsty threats,” the editors wrote, “lend a
deadly seriousness to the vow: Never Again.” Four pages documented “Arab
terrorist attacks” and the three paragraphs on the West Bank commended Israeli
administrators for respecting “Arab community leaders” and hiring “tens of
thousands of Arabs.” The word “Palestinian” scarcely appeared.
There was a panoramic portrayal of
Jerusalem, described as “the focus of Jewish prayers for 2,000 years” and the nucleus of new Jewish
neighborhoods. Life emphasized that in its pre1967borders, Israel was “a tiny, parched, scarcely defensible
toehold.” The edition’s opening photo shows a father embracing his Israeliborn daughter on an early “settlement,” a
testament to Israel’s birthright to the land. (Michael Oren, ambassador)
Although
this image of Israel still exists today, it is not shown on the front pages of
our magazines nor our newspapers.
Instead she is portrayed as a military, non-democratic state that
deserves the wrath of her neighbors. Jewish residents in Sderot are seen as legitimate
targets of Hamas rockets while Hamas is not seen as a terrorist organization. Little
is mentioned about children in Gaza who are being sent to summer camps where
they are being taught to hate Jews and practicing drills to kill them. For this, the world expresses little if any
outrage.
Instead
there are cries about the undemocratic nature of the state of Israel. Such cries couldn’t be further from the
truth.
At 65, Israel is older than more
than half of the democracies in the world.
The Jewish state, moreover, belongs to a tiny group of countries , the
United States, Britain, and Canada among them, never to have suffered intervals
of non-democratic governance. Since its
inception, Israel has been threatened ceaselessly with destruction. Yet it never once succumbed to the wartime
pressures that often crush democracies. (Ambassador Michael Orren)
Some cite Israel’s Law of Return as
being “racist.” Yet we know that for
Jews it is a potent testimonial to the safe and free haven we will always have
in the State of Israel after centuries of persecution and isolation. Israel’s
uniqueness as a country which grants automatic citizenship to Jews (as well as
their non-Jewish immediate family members) who seek to settle there is not
racist. Individuals ineligible for automatic citizenship under the Law of Return
are eligible for Israeli citizenship under regular procedures equivalent to
such requirements in other countries. Indeed, the State of Israel is a
multi-ethnic and multi-religious society,comprised of Jews and non-Jews from at
least 100 different countries from diverse ethnic, religious and cultural
backgrounds. Zionism, is actually incompatible with racism because it is rooted
in the liberal principles of freedom, democracy, equality, and social
justice. Zionism is embedded in our
prayers, rituals, literature, and culture.
It is part of Judaism and has been part of Judaism since the destruction
of the Temple in the year 70 c.e.
Zionism celebrates our Jewish connection to the land of Israel. It is not about discriminating against or
judging other religions or nationalities. (ADL)
What should our
response be when we know that world opinion is often turned against Israel;
when we know that Iran has threatened to wipe only one nation off the face of
the map, namely Israel? Should we remain
silent? Do we have any responsibility
towards our fellow Jews living in a country surrounded by enemies?
It seems to me that
the concept of freedom upon which Israel and the United States are both
founded, is also one of the basic underpinnings of Judaism. In fact the principle of freedom of choice is
a pillar upon which the entire Torah is founded. We are told, “See I have set before you today
to choose between life and good, and death and evil.” (Deuteronomy 30:15) We should not just
appreciate the fact that Israel is a democratic state and not a theocracy, but
we should get that message out to all of our neighbors and elected officials.
The High
Holydays are intimately connected to the concept of freedom. Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter, in his work S’fas Emes,
explains it this way. We are like
prisoners confined against our will, but during this time of the year we free
ourselves from the shackles of the sins that we committed during the past
year. We free ourselves from the daily
grind and the burden of our worldly pursuits in order to soar to spiritual
height that we cannot attain during the year.
It is on a days such as these that we can actually focus on who and what
we really can and should be.
For
centuries, Jews were not afforded the freedom that we are witnessing
today. Whether it was their local or
national government, the Church, or the Caliphate that ruled, our ancestors
found themselves in difficult straights.
They were not free to worship publicly.
This is still the condition of Jews who are living in Muslim societies
ruled by Sharia law today. Our ancestors
prayed for a day when they would be free to live in peace. We should not give up that dream for
ourselves or for our sisters and brothers living in Israel.
Today we
have the freedom to come and pray as we wish; to study, to discuss and to grow
in the open without fear or concern. We
often take that liberty for granted. As
proud Jews and supporters of the Jewish State, we should take pride in knowing
that the State of Israel, since its birth has stood for the same value of
freedom and liberty for all of its citizens, Jews, Christians, or Muslims. We need to let others know that Israel protects the rights and liberties of
all religions.
As
citizens of the United States and as Jews, we value our freedom. We need to articulate our values by speaking
out when needed, by rebuking those who offer lies. We need to let it be known that the United
States and Israel share the fundamental value of freedom. As Jews and as Americans, we need to ensure
that Israel can continue to be a beacon of freedom for people across the Middle
East. We need to make sure that our
support both financial and verbal is offered.
As Jews we need to recognize that we are responsible for one another, no
matter where we live. We must not sit
idly by….
If you
question what kind of an impact you can have, the answer is that your efforts
can and will make a difference. E-mails,
letters, phone calls, op-ed pieces, standing up for Israel in your friends’
homes, etc. can all lead to positive changes.
Speaking out against churches that try to delegitimize Israel is
important. Making sure that people understand the realities of why a Jewish
state is needed now as much as ever does make a difference.
My prayer
is that Israel will continue to grow and prosper; that the freedom to be Jewish
here in the U.S. will continue to connect us to our brethren in Israel; and
that in the end of time we will be able to say we did what we could to promote
a strong relationship between the U.S. and Israel.
Let me
conclude with this prose written by Rav Kook, one of Judaism’s greatest
teachers:
The Land of Israel
The land of Israel is not some external entity.
It is not merely an external acquisition for the Jewish people.
It is not merely a means of uniting the populace.
It is not merely a means of strengthening our physical existence.
It is not even merely a means of strengthening our spiritual existence.
Rather, the land of Israel has an intrinsic meaning.
It is connected to the Jewish people with the knot of life.
Its very being is suffused with extraordinary qualities.
The extraordinary qualities of the land of Israel and the extraordinary qualities of the Jewish people are two halves of a whole.
On Yom Kippur as on every other day of the year, we pray for the well-being of Israel and the Jewish people.
On Yom Kippur as on every other day of the year, we look forward to a time when all on Earth will respond to one another with love.
My prayer for today is that G-d should spread his protecting shelter over Israel now and always.
Amen.
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