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NEWSLETTER
JANUARY 2008 EDITORIAL
Like many Jews, I have antennae permanently tuned in to anything remotely connected to Israel. Noa is currently Israeli emissary to Liberal Judaism. She plans to visit us Norwich in May when she will join us for our Shabbat service and havurah lunch at Jessopp Road. But as fate would have it, I shall be away. Noa writes on page 7 of LJ-Today: "I feel that Compelling Commitments puts too much emphasis on the Middle East conflict. Israel has much more to offer than bad news, particularly to Liberal Jews in the country’s 60th anniversary year. "An unfortunate equation already exists in the minds of far too many Jews and non-Jews: Israel = the situation/conflict/matzav. If Liberal Jews equate Israel with conflict, they will fail to support Progressive Judaism in Israel. The situation of Progressive Judaism in Israel is tenuous at best. If Liberal Jews don’t look beyond the matsav in their summation of Israel then the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora will continue to be dominated by the Orthodox establishment. What then of Progressive Judaism in Israel? And what then of peace? "I appreciate that Rabbi Sarah acknowledges as important that individual Jews explore modern as well as Biblical Hebrew and that the LJY-Netzer youth movement is associated with the international Zionist movement Netzer Olami. But I believe that a fairer and broader consideration is needed to provide a balanced view of Israel." It is probably no secret that Rabbi Sarah is a Jews for Justice for Palestinians signatory — as is yours truly. JfJfP is a network of Jews in Britain, formed in February 2002, opposed to Israeli policies that "undermine the livelihoods, human, civil and political rights of the Palestinian people." Noa's piece had me scurrying back to my copy of Compelling Commitments to see what exactly had evoked such a heated response. I could find nothing. Is it then more to do with what Rabbi Sarah doesn't say rather than what she does say, leaving it to the reader to fill in the gaps? Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Executive director of Rabbis for Human Rights wrote in the Sunday Times of December 30th, 2007: "When I look at the suppression of the Palestinian people — the home demolitions, the settler violence — I ask myself: "Is this what Zionism has come to? Is this what we created the state of Israel for? To be demolishing the home of this or that person to whom we never gave a fair chance to build legally?" This is not what Zionism is about. And it is certainly not what Judaism is about. For me, the real Zionism today is creating an Israel that is not only physically strong, but morally strong, and which reaches our highest Jewish values. "When I’m out in the olive groves with the volunteers, lunch is sometimes just drinking water. Palestinians are incredibly hospitable, so often they'll share what little they have with us — humus, cheese, olives, tomatoes, bread... And I have to tell you that no lunch tastes as good as when sitting outdoors and sharing this fellowship, crossing the divides that everyone thinks are un-crossable. "Only I, as an Israeli, can break down the stereotypes so many Palestinians have about Israelis — thereby empowering Palestinian peacemakers to be listened to by their own people. And only Palestinians can empower me to be heard down my street. We are thereby totally interdependent. And almost every day, when I or any of our volunteers are out there in the field, exchanging views with Palestinians and sometimes with settlers — a process I call "the dialogue of the olive groves" — we build bridges of peace between us. "One day when I was out there I met a young man who was taking time off from his normal job to help with the harvest. His day job is being a member of the Palestinian Authority’s Presidential Guard. He was surprised to find himself harvesting Palestinian olives alongside an Israeli rabbi. He said to me: "This makes no sense. Why are you here? Explain this to me." So I talked to him about the Jewish tradition of justice, of rights, and of helping your neighbour. He replied: "Well, for us Palestinians there is no justice." We were not far off the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah — lighting one candle of the menorah on the first night, a second on the next night until by the eighth day all the candles are burning. So my reply to him was: "'When all is dark you have to start by lighting that first candle.'" In May we shall celebrate Israel's 60th birthday. It is precisely because of people like Rabbi Sarah and Rabbi Ascherman that I look forward to Israel's next 60 years with cautious optimism. Blessed are you, Source of all Life, giving us life, sustaining us and enabling us to reach this season. — Byron Simmonds |
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