Two weeks ago, Time magazine published a cover with a Jewish star and the words, “Why Israel Doesn’t Care About Peace.”
The article on the inside of the magazine seemed to me at first to be rather a tendentious set of man on the street interviews about how Israelis care more about making money than peace. Upon further reflection, it seemed to me and others that something was terribly amiss in the article in that the article seemed to be saying that people in Israel still wanted peace, but had little hope that the current peace talks would bear fruit. In the meantime, Israelis would continue to live their lives and would pay greater attention to more immediate concerns such as the economy and education.
Frankly, there seemed to be a disconnect between the article and the cover.
A colleague of mine, Rabbi Mark Golub the founder of Shalom TV, was also bothered by this disconnect. He then proceeded to interview the author of the piece, Karl Vick, who by the way lives in Jerusalem. What emerged was the fact that Mr. Vick had not written the title of the article or the cover of the magazine. In other words according to Rabbi Golub, a perfectly legitimate piece on Israel was given a title which seemed to make Israel look terrible in the eyes of the readers.
In response, Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren published this week an article in the Los Angeles Times entitled “Why Israelis care about peace.”
In the article, Ambassador Oren writes:
“Recent media reports, in Time magazine and elsewhere, have alleged that Israelis - who are currently experiencing economic growth and a relative lull in terrorism - may not care about peace. According to a poll cited, Israelis are more concerned about education, crime and poverty - issues that resonate with Americans - than about the peace process with the Palestinians. But such findings do not in any way indicate an indifference to peace, but rather the determination of Israelis to build normal, fruitful lives in the face of incredible adversity.
Yes, many Israelis are skeptical about peace, and who wouldn't be? We withdrew our troops from Lebanon and the Gaza Strip in order to generate peace, and instead received thousands of missiles crashing into our homes. We negotiated with the Palestinians for 17 years and twice offered them an independent state, only to have those offers rejected. Over the last decade, we saw more than 1,000 Israelis - proportionally the equivalent of about 43,000 Americans - killed by suicide bombers, and tens of thousands maimed. We watched bereaved mothers on Israeli television urging our leaders to persist in their peace efforts, while Palestinian mothers praised their martyred children and wished to sacrifice others for jihad.
Given our experience of disappointment and trauma, it's astonishing that Israelis still support the peace process at all. Yet we do, and by an overwhelming majority. According to the prestigious Peace Index conducted by the Tamal Steinmetz Center for Peace Research at Tel Aviv University and released in July, more than 70% of Israelis back negotiations with the Palestinians, and nearly that number endorse the two-state solution. These percentages exist even though multiple Palestinian polls show much less enthusiasm for living side by side in peace with Israel, or that most Israelis believe that international criticism of the Jewish state will continue even if peace is achieved.
… Most Israelis are still willing to take incalculable risks for peace - the proposed Palestinian state would border their biggest cities - and are still willing to share their ancestral homeland with a people that has repeatedly tried to destroy them is nothing short of miraculous.
For Israelis who don't have to imagine what it's like to live in a perpetual war zone, that vision of peace is our lifeline.”
A copy of the entire article by Ambassador Oren is available at http://www.israelpolitik.org/2010/09/15/ambassador-oren-why-israelis-care-about-peace/ I urge you to read it.
We are living in a time when there is a serious effort by much of the world, including apparently some of the editorial and headline writers of Time magazine to delegitimize and demonize Israel.
There are many ways in which we as American Jews can respond. In my opinion, our best way to show our support for Israel is to go there and to see firsthand the miracle of the rebirth of the Jewish people in our ancient homeland.
Therefore, I would like to urge you to consider joining us this February on our congregational trip to Israel!
No experience has the power to bring Judaism to life like a trip to Israel.
Our trip is quite a bit different from your average Israel trip or mission. First of all, we have four specific goals around which we have designed our trip. These are:
1. The Historical Highlights of Israel, including Yad Vashem, Masada and Jerusalem.
2. The Israel-Palestinian conflict. We will be meeting with several experts in the field including an Israeli Colonel who commanded units in the Golan Heights and Lebanon, a Palestinian journalist, IDF solders, a visit to an Israeli air force base, a special seminar on the geopolitics of Jerusalem and more!
3. Reform Judaism in Israel and the problem of religious pluralism. We will meet with people who are on the front lines of this struggle and visit my alma mater, Hebrew Union College.
4. Israeli Entrepreneurship and economy. We will be briefed by experts and have site visits to some of the most creative entrepreneurial and hi tech initiatives in Israel.
Whether you are a first-timer or a veteran traveler, a single or a couple, I promise you eleven days you’ll never forget.
Please consider this trip and consider my words as a most personal invitation. On Tuesday, September 28 at 8:00 p.m., there will be an informational meeting concerning the trip. I look forward to seeing many of you there. So join me for a journey that will open your mind, touch your heart, and replenish your spirit!
Again, this is our best response to those who seek to harm Israel. In the meantime, we will
continue to say prayers for peace for our brothers and sisters in Israel.
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