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I offered some comments in last month’s column about Israel
and I add just a bit more here. I will be visiting Israel again
next month and am most anxious to get my own read on the situation
in which our people there find themselves. As you know, I have
a strong identification with the country, with its founding principles,
and with all that’s been accomplished over the past century,
first by the Yishuv, the Jewish settlement, and then by the State
of Israel. I inevitably tear up when I think about the idealism
of the Halutzim – the pioneers – including my dear
Aunt Esther and Uncle Saul. But love for Israel among American
Jews takes different forms. At least for some of us, our love of
Israel, like our love of America, does not mean that “unity” is
more important than the debate of the serious issues we face. Love
of country, like love of parents, is not, for me, equated with
blind obedience. Like large numbers of Israelis, loyalty to many
of us means staying focused on founding principles and being willing
to wrestle with big issues. Which, goodness knows, Israel faces.
Those of us who are a bit older remember when 65% of Israel was
desert and the new state was surrounded by nations intent on destroying
it. It was a scary time. At the time of the Six Day War, friends
of mine flew to Israel to do what they could to help save the country,
while the rest of us spent our time anxiously huddled over our
radios or TVs. Today Israel is a well-equipped, superior military
power and the security issue is radically different. Although our
relatives in Israel as individuals are no safer than they were
50 years ago, the survival of the State is no longer in doubt.
In the process, however, Israel has given up the mantle of little
David facing Goliath and that has been costly. Israel also finds
itself allied with our own neo-Conservative government and with
nudnik Christian millenialists, and that also has been costly.
Meanwhile the idealistic vision of my Aunt Esther, Uncle Saul and
the Halutzim is sometimes difficult to find.
These are some of the things on my mind as I prepare to return
to Israel.
When I return, I’ve invited Rabbi Everett Gendler, a longtime
authority on international Jewish issues, to join us on May 22nd
for services. He will lead a discussion afterwards, over lunch
in one of the classrooms, on the subject of American Jews and Israel
and, if we like, on the broader subject of Judaism in the world
today. There are, of course, times to discuss aspects of this subject
matter in interfaith settings, but it’s also important to
have opportunities to discuss these issues among ourselves. I hope
many of you will be to participate.
B’Shalom,
Jim
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