There are several reasons why in my opinion, people should NOT sign the J Street Petition.
First, these peace talks are at a very sensitive and critical juncture. The agenda for the peace talks and its sequencing is now being discussed between the U.S. and Israel. In order for these talks to resume and succeed, the two governments need to come to an understanding on these sensitive issues in quiet discussions with no outside intervention--even by well-meaning friends of Israel. Pushing the President to push Israel to accept any specific agenda could be counterproductive.
Second and sadly, a public U.S. statement calling for a specific agenda might push Abbas to reject any other agenda that might be agreed between the U.S. and Israel, thus possibly scuttling the resumption of the peace talks.
Third in essence, this is calling for an imposed a solution on Israel. As one who holds dual citizenship and who served in the Israeli army, whose son and other relatives live there and VOTE there, I find this to be particularly disturbing. In essence, this would curtail Israel’s independence. In addition, such an imposed solution would most likely ignore some very real security concerns and needs that Israel has. Of course, this has been part of JStreet’s ideology since its inception. JStreet is a “proscriptive” organization when it comes to the Middle East Peace process. ‘Israel will need to be saved from itself and we in Washington know what is best for Israel. (Israeli democracy be damned!) Of course, if we are wrong it is no big deal to us because we live here in safety and security. Israel on the other hand… Poor Israelis and Jews! They can never catch a break!’
Most Israelis by the way would view such an action by the Obama administration as being very anti Israel.
For this and other reasons, the only way towards any legitimate and long lasting agreement will be though direct negotiations between the two sides.
Finally, the tone of this sounds to me to be quite partisan. The petition begins with the words: “You (President Obama) have inspired me with your commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” On its web site, J-Street writes: “We have stood shoulder to shoulder with President Obama as he has repeatedly pushed both sides toward negotiations. Our community taken hundreds of thousands of actions in support of the President's vision of Middle East peace and his active efforts to make it a reality from day one.” I am beginning to think that on Israel, JStreet has become the left wing alternative to Matt Brooks and the Republican Jewish coalition? I certainly believe that it is in the best interest of Israel for our community to be bi partisan.
A claim is often made that JStreet allows for those who are so upset with Israel to become “involved.” Involved in what? I have not seen this. I have not seen JStreet supporters and rabbis working diligently to bring more people to Israel or to encourage more teens and college students to go there. Frankly as I see it, a sad result of JStreet has been to undermine American Jewish support for Israel.
So once again, I urge those of who are JStreet supporters. We all want peace. The language of such resolutions sounds good, the intentions may be well meaning but the actions called for will move the peace process backwards, not forward.
Before you sign on to the latest J Street petition, you might also want to take a look at Rabbi Micky Boyden’s latest on this issue. Micky, who lost a son in Lebanon, lives four miles from Qalqilia (which is near Kfar Saba). He does not live in the West Bank.
Micky writes: "The J Street petition affirms that its supporters have been inspired by President Obama’s commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, the question is not whether J Street has been inspired but rather whether the Palestinians share the same aspirations. And that is an entirely different matter."
For the full item, go to http://weareforisrael.org/2010/11/30/borders-and-security-first/
Do not sign the latest JStreet petition.
Fred Guttman
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Noah’s Ark as a Paradigm - Me vs We
Almost everyone know the story of Noah and his ark. What most people fail to realize, and Sydney will talk about this in a moment, is that the end of the story is very serious. At the end of the story, God tells us that every time we see a rainbow in the sky, we are to remember that God will not again destroy the earth. However, the implication is clear that the future of the earth is in our hands. It is our responsibility to care for the earth and to create on it a just society.
It occurred to me that basically the story of the ark is important because it says that once upon a time there was a small ark, it contained Noah, his family, and all of the animals – all of the world according to the legend. But now we live in a world where our consciousness has been expanded; stars and galaxies are hundreds of light years away and we realize that as big as our world seems, we are but a small speck of the universe. In essence, the earth as we know it is now our ark. We, as humanity, are Noah. We are on this ark with every living creature in the universe. The issue now for us is, "How will we take care of our ark?" How will we take care of our earth?
The more I look at where our society is right now, the more I see a conflict between what I call the forces of “Me” versus the forces of We.” This “we versus me” conflict can be seen all over America and the entire world. It is seen in those who would make predatory loans to the poor and bring down the entire economy. It is seen among the business community who callously shift jobs overseas, destroying the manufacturing base in places like North Carolina. These are but two examples. The base of the problem is that many in our society now believe that the most important thing is personal achievement, and that any personal achievement trumps any communal responsibility.
I am reminded of a story of a very wealthy king who refused to provide food for his starving subjects. One day, a fisherman invited him to go in his rowboat to go fishing. The king readily assented. Once they were out in the middle of the ocean, the fisherman took out a drill and began to drill in front of his, the fisherman’s, seat. The king went berserk. “How can you do this?” he cried, “If you drill a hole in the bottom of the boat it will sink and both of us will die!” To which the fisherman responded, “But I’m only drill a hole underneath my seat, why should you be concerned?” The king then replied, “I understand your point.” The fisherman returned to shore and the king became a better king. He became more concerned about the welfare of his subjects, more concerned about the welfare of the entire community.
The environmental problems that we are facing are quite serious. Global warming is indeed very serious. Without a doubt, the hotter and smokier that we make the earth, the less livable it will become not only for ourselves but for our children, grandchildren and our great-grandchildren.
The effort to establish renewable energy needs to be taken very seriously and I am very proud of the fact that Temple Emanuel, within the next year, hopes to install solar panels as our energy source.
Global warming is here to stay. This ark belongs to us and our children. Will our ark continue to be a livable environment or will the “me” of selfishness and consumption prevail. Will we be like the selfish king as we drive gas guzzlers or will the “we” of collective responsibility triumph making our world livable for our children?
The second place in which we recently have seen this conflict between the “Me versus We” is an event that occurred this past week in a rural town in western Tennessee. A fire department was called to a house to put out a fire, and because the owner of the house had not paid a $75 fee to the fire department, the firefighters stood by and watched the house burn down. Fortunately no one in the house died, yet three dogs and a cat were incinerated. The fire department said, “We are not responsible because this homeowner did not pay the appropriate fees.” Here we see the ultimate of the “Me versus We” conflict in our society.
First of all, it goes without saying, here in Greensboro we don’t have a choice to whether we pay taxes to our police and fire departments. The system in Tennessee, therefore, is to blame.
But the Torah tells us that we should not stand idly by the blood of our neighbor. The idea that people who have supposedly dedicated their lives to saving life, limb, and property would stand by is indeed appalling. The Torah is quite clear. We are not to stand by when someone else is in trouble.
Second, Judaism stresses that the collective wellbeing trumps personal wellbeing. Society is of greater importance than individual personal achievement. For example, the Torah tells us that we are all responsible for the education of our children in our society, even if we send our kids to private school. Jewish tradition is filled with the idea that all of us must provide for the common good. In the medieval Jewish community, taxes were not considered a bad thing, nor should it be considered bad here. The next time you hear we pay too many taxes, ask if they’d like to send their children to school in buildings that are dumps. The answer, of course, is no. We like having proper bridges, roads, schools and transportation and an army to protect our country. The problems that we have with paying taxes are not that taxes are bad, but that wasting tax money on bridges to nowhere in Alaska is not a good thing. Judaism clearly eschews community care. Our tradition stresses that what is important is not “Me,” but rather the “We.”
The third incident where we see the “We” versus “Me” in our society recently is the sad story of Tyler Clementi. Tyler was a Rutgers University student whose roommate secretly taped him having relations with another male. The tape was put on the internet and the next day Tyler jumped off the George Washington Bridge.
Jewish tradition would say that we are all responsible in some way for this tragedy. It is our responsibility to fight to eliminate bullying. Sadly, our society seems to fail to combat bullying when the person who is being bullied is gay or lesbian.
Here at Temple Emanuel, I am pleased to mention that last week and this week we are doing anti-bullying education with our students. This will, of course be ongoing, because we think the problem is indeed that serious and we think it will help make this ark that we live in a bit better. Bullying and discrimination against gays and lesbians is our problem, not merely someone else’s.
At Temple Emanuel we will not stand idly by. This conflict that we see between the “We” versus “Me” is all to frequent. It all goes back to the ark. When Noah goes on the ark he takes his family and the animals because he realizes that on the ark, community is important.
In Jewish tradition, the rabbis tell us that we are all responsible for each other. Personal salvation, no matter what your religion, is not as important as communal responsibility. In most religions, prayers are said in the plural tense. The community is important, because theologically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally and physically we are all bound in the same ark.
If we adopt this attitude of the “We,” the attitude that recognizes the importance of community, we will care for our ark, our earth. We will love it and try to be ecologically responsible and try to provide for all its inhabitants just like Noah did. Poverty, homelessness, indecent housing, poor education – these are communal concerns.
If we believe in the value of “We,” we can create a community wherein every individual is seen as being created in the image of God. Once we do that, we will create a loving society on our “ark,” a loving society on our earth. Truly it will be a society based upon justice compassion and peace. And truly it will be a fulfillment of the vision of the prophet Zachariah who wrote, “On that day God will be one and Gods name will be one.” In other words, on that day all humanity will be one because we will realize that we have to lovingly care for each other, our earth and our planet.
May this be God’s will as it is our task!
It occurred to me that basically the story of the ark is important because it says that once upon a time there was a small ark, it contained Noah, his family, and all of the animals – all of the world according to the legend. But now we live in a world where our consciousness has been expanded; stars and galaxies are hundreds of light years away and we realize that as big as our world seems, we are but a small speck of the universe. In essence, the earth as we know it is now our ark. We, as humanity, are Noah. We are on this ark with every living creature in the universe. The issue now for us is, "How will we take care of our ark?" How will we take care of our earth?
The more I look at where our society is right now, the more I see a conflict between what I call the forces of “Me” versus the forces of We.” This “we versus me” conflict can be seen all over America and the entire world. It is seen in those who would make predatory loans to the poor and bring down the entire economy. It is seen among the business community who callously shift jobs overseas, destroying the manufacturing base in places like North Carolina. These are but two examples. The base of the problem is that many in our society now believe that the most important thing is personal achievement, and that any personal achievement trumps any communal responsibility.
I am reminded of a story of a very wealthy king who refused to provide food for his starving subjects. One day, a fisherman invited him to go in his rowboat to go fishing. The king readily assented. Once they were out in the middle of the ocean, the fisherman took out a drill and began to drill in front of his, the fisherman’s, seat. The king went berserk. “How can you do this?” he cried, “If you drill a hole in the bottom of the boat it will sink and both of us will die!” To which the fisherman responded, “But I’m only drill a hole underneath my seat, why should you be concerned?” The king then replied, “I understand your point.” The fisherman returned to shore and the king became a better king. He became more concerned about the welfare of his subjects, more concerned about the welfare of the entire community.
The environmental problems that we are facing are quite serious. Global warming is indeed very serious. Without a doubt, the hotter and smokier that we make the earth, the less livable it will become not only for ourselves but for our children, grandchildren and our great-grandchildren.
The effort to establish renewable energy needs to be taken very seriously and I am very proud of the fact that Temple Emanuel, within the next year, hopes to install solar panels as our energy source.
Global warming is here to stay. This ark belongs to us and our children. Will our ark continue to be a livable environment or will the “me” of selfishness and consumption prevail. Will we be like the selfish king as we drive gas guzzlers or will the “we” of collective responsibility triumph making our world livable for our children?
The second place in which we recently have seen this conflict between the “Me versus We” is an event that occurred this past week in a rural town in western Tennessee. A fire department was called to a house to put out a fire, and because the owner of the house had not paid a $75 fee to the fire department, the firefighters stood by and watched the house burn down. Fortunately no one in the house died, yet three dogs and a cat were incinerated. The fire department said, “We are not responsible because this homeowner did not pay the appropriate fees.” Here we see the ultimate of the “Me versus We” conflict in our society.
First of all, it goes without saying, here in Greensboro we don’t have a choice to whether we pay taxes to our police and fire departments. The system in Tennessee, therefore, is to blame.
But the Torah tells us that we should not stand idly by the blood of our neighbor. The idea that people who have supposedly dedicated their lives to saving life, limb, and property would stand by is indeed appalling. The Torah is quite clear. We are not to stand by when someone else is in trouble.
Second, Judaism stresses that the collective wellbeing trumps personal wellbeing. Society is of greater importance than individual personal achievement. For example, the Torah tells us that we are all responsible for the education of our children in our society, even if we send our kids to private school. Jewish tradition is filled with the idea that all of us must provide for the common good. In the medieval Jewish community, taxes were not considered a bad thing, nor should it be considered bad here. The next time you hear we pay too many taxes, ask if they’d like to send their children to school in buildings that are dumps. The answer, of course, is no. We like having proper bridges, roads, schools and transportation and an army to protect our country. The problems that we have with paying taxes are not that taxes are bad, but that wasting tax money on bridges to nowhere in Alaska is not a good thing. Judaism clearly eschews community care. Our tradition stresses that what is important is not “Me,” but rather the “We.”
The third incident where we see the “We” versus “Me” in our society recently is the sad story of Tyler Clementi. Tyler was a Rutgers University student whose roommate secretly taped him having relations with another male. The tape was put on the internet and the next day Tyler jumped off the George Washington Bridge.
Jewish tradition would say that we are all responsible in some way for this tragedy. It is our responsibility to fight to eliminate bullying. Sadly, our society seems to fail to combat bullying when the person who is being bullied is gay or lesbian.
Here at Temple Emanuel, I am pleased to mention that last week and this week we are doing anti-bullying education with our students. This will, of course be ongoing, because we think the problem is indeed that serious and we think it will help make this ark that we live in a bit better. Bullying and discrimination against gays and lesbians is our problem, not merely someone else’s.
At Temple Emanuel we will not stand idly by. This conflict that we see between the “We” versus “Me” is all to frequent. It all goes back to the ark. When Noah goes on the ark he takes his family and the animals because he realizes that on the ark, community is important.
In Jewish tradition, the rabbis tell us that we are all responsible for each other. Personal salvation, no matter what your religion, is not as important as communal responsibility. In most religions, prayers are said in the plural tense. The community is important, because theologically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally and physically we are all bound in the same ark.
If we adopt this attitude of the “We,” the attitude that recognizes the importance of community, we will care for our ark, our earth. We will love it and try to be ecologically responsible and try to provide for all its inhabitants just like Noah did. Poverty, homelessness, indecent housing, poor education – these are communal concerns.
If we believe in the value of “We,” we can create a community wherein every individual is seen as being created in the image of God. Once we do that, we will create a loving society on our “ark,” a loving society on our earth. Truly it will be a society based upon justice compassion and peace. And truly it will be a fulfillment of the vision of the prophet Zachariah who wrote, “On that day God will be one and Gods name will be one.” In other words, on that day all humanity will be one because we will realize that we have to lovingly care for each other, our earth and our planet.
May this be God’s will as it is our task!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Friends:
Judaism places the highest value on Pikuach Nefesh - saving a life. In this highly charged political environment, the chances of discrimination against the LGBT community are higher than they have been in a while. In addition, the Clementi suicide shows how social media can be used as an instrument of bullying and discrimination.
Here at Temple Emanuel, we are and will continue to be welcoming of LGBT’s and we will continue to advocate on their behalf for full civil and legal rights. We are disappointed that Congress did not overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” but our efforts will not stop with what we believe is a momentary setback on the road to full equality of LGBT’s.
Below is a wonderfully written letter concerning the recent bullying, gay bashing incident at Rutgers. The letter was written by a minister in Maryland. The content of the letter is too important to ignore.
Rabbi Fred Guttman
September 30, 2010
Dear Congregation,
I am overwhelmed by a story reported on the news last night about Rutgers University freshman, Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide the day after two fellow students recorded him having sex in his dorm room and broadcast it over the Internet. Was it just a coincidence that he was targeted because he was with another male student?
The night before I listened to a Michigan Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell defend the blog he has started called, “Chris Armstrong Watch,” an attack on the student assembly president at the University of Michigan. Shirwell attacks what he says is Armstrong's "radical homosexual agenda," and posts Photo shopped pictures of Armstrong with rainbow flags and swastikas and picks apart the student's Facebook page. Armstrong is the first openly gay student assembly president at the University of Michigan.
Are any of you suspecting that we are spiraling down into a muck of behavior that has moved beyond demeaning, demoralizing, and ridiculous to dangerous? What makes us think that it’s okay to put out personal stuff about someone else on blog pages, Facebook, or other Internet sites? Just because the technology is available does that mean we have to use it? It seems to me that a hidden camera in someone’s private bedroom is more than an invasion of privacy which is all those students have been charged with at this time. Are public officials such as attorney generals such as Shirwell not held to a higher standard than his “I have freedom of speech” statement?
These young adults are among many young adults and teens who are being taunted, mocked, and bullied by classmates. Some choose to commit suicide when confronted with such hatred from their fellow classmates. Where are the other classmates who witness these acts of bullying? Where are the adults who are charged with creating safe environments for students? What kind of nation have we become that an officer of the state, an attorney general, can go after a student because he believes he is promoting an agenda he doesn’t approve of or like?
Now is not the time for apathy or silence. It is apathy and silence that have allowed this ugliness and hatred to permeate all parts of our lives these days or so it seems. Please join me in praying for peace and for the courage to name the violence in our midst. Please join me in paying more careful attention to bullying and mean behavior in our midst. Please let us join together in speaking up and out so that our young people don’t think their only option is suicide.
Barbara
Barbara Kershner Daniel
Evangelical Reformed Church, United Church of Christ
15 West Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701
Judaism places the highest value on Pikuach Nefesh - saving a life. In this highly charged political environment, the chances of discrimination against the LGBT community are higher than they have been in a while. In addition, the Clementi suicide shows how social media can be used as an instrument of bullying and discrimination.
Here at Temple Emanuel, we are and will continue to be welcoming of LGBT’s and we will continue to advocate on their behalf for full civil and legal rights. We are disappointed that Congress did not overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” but our efforts will not stop with what we believe is a momentary setback on the road to full equality of LGBT’s.
Below is a wonderfully written letter concerning the recent bullying, gay bashing incident at Rutgers. The letter was written by a minister in Maryland. The content of the letter is too important to ignore.
Rabbi Fred Guttman
September 30, 2010
Dear Congregation,
I am overwhelmed by a story reported on the news last night about Rutgers University freshman, Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide the day after two fellow students recorded him having sex in his dorm room and broadcast it over the Internet. Was it just a coincidence that he was targeted because he was with another male student?
The night before I listened to a Michigan Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell defend the blog he has started called, “Chris Armstrong Watch,” an attack on the student assembly president at the University of Michigan. Shirwell attacks what he says is Armstrong's "radical homosexual agenda," and posts Photo shopped pictures of Armstrong with rainbow flags and swastikas and picks apart the student's Facebook page. Armstrong is the first openly gay student assembly president at the University of Michigan.
Are any of you suspecting that we are spiraling down into a muck of behavior that has moved beyond demeaning, demoralizing, and ridiculous to dangerous? What makes us think that it’s okay to put out personal stuff about someone else on blog pages, Facebook, or other Internet sites? Just because the technology is available does that mean we have to use it? It seems to me that a hidden camera in someone’s private bedroom is more than an invasion of privacy which is all those students have been charged with at this time. Are public officials such as attorney generals such as Shirwell not held to a higher standard than his “I have freedom of speech” statement?
These young adults are among many young adults and teens who are being taunted, mocked, and bullied by classmates. Some choose to commit suicide when confronted with such hatred from their fellow classmates. Where are the other classmates who witness these acts of bullying? Where are the adults who are charged with creating safe environments for students? What kind of nation have we become that an officer of the state, an attorney general, can go after a student because he believes he is promoting an agenda he doesn’t approve of or like?
Now is not the time for apathy or silence. It is apathy and silence that have allowed this ugliness and hatred to permeate all parts of our lives these days or so it seems. Please join me in praying for peace and for the courage to name the violence in our midst. Please join me in paying more careful attention to bullying and mean behavior in our midst. Please let us join together in speaking up and out so that our young people don’t think their only option is suicide.
Barbara
Barbara Kershner Daniel
Evangelical Reformed Church, United Church of Christ
15 West Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
A Statement Concerning Israel Yom Kippur 5771
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
A Statement about the burning of the Koran
A Statement about the burning of the Koran
I would like to state how offensive we as Jews find the plan of Rev. Terry Jones, leader of a small evangelical church in Gainesville, Florida, to burn copies of the Koran. The following is from the statement of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. “At this season of renewal and hope in the Jewish calendar, and coinciding with a day of reflection and remembrance prompted by the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, this strikes us an another act of terrorism that has too-oft been repeated in history. From Antiochus IV in 168 BCE to the painful years of the Spanish Inquisition, we Jews have watched our holy books burn - torched by hatred and intolerance, with flames stoked by ignorance. The burning of Muslim sacred scriptures recalls the acts of the 15th - 16th century villain Tomas Torquemada, who hoped to lead a holy crusade, which caused nothing but death and violence.”
Prior to the Holocaust, the German Jewish philosopher Heinrich Heine wrote that as people who will burn books will eventually burn people. Sadly the truth of this statement was all too apparent during the Nazi Holocaust wherein six million of our brothers and sisters were murdered.
We join our voices with all who are calling for Terry Jones to call off this attack on religious freedom in a land of liberty.
We are also holding in our thoughts tonight our son and congregant Troy Wallace who is serving with the Marines in Afghanistan. We ask God’s blessings upon him and upon all of the American soldiers serving our country.
As General Petraus has stated, the burning of the Koran will increase the danger faced by Troy and American Forces throughout the world. Thus there are an additional two Jewish values that come into play here. The first is Pikuach Nefesh, which means that all must be done to save a life. The second is the concept of a Rodef, the pursuer. Clearly, the actions of Rev Jones are actions which make him nothing less than a pursuer of our men and women serving our country.
This book burning is an affront to all decent people. It is an affront to all good Christians who try to live according to the golden rule taught by Jesus himself. There, I call upon all my Christian colleagues in the clergy, especially those of right wing evangelical churches, to issue strong statements so condemnation
In light of the recent rally in Washington DC during which great admiration was expressed for our citizens in uniform, I call upon Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin to issue strong statements of condemnation and if necessary to go to Gainesville to urge Rev Jones and his followers not to undertake this heinous act.
Finally, as we begin the New Year, let it be our prayer that the forces of intolerance and bigotry will be replaced by those of open mindessness, compassion, justice and peace.
I would like to state how offensive we as Jews find the plan of Rev. Terry Jones, leader of a small evangelical church in Gainesville, Florida, to burn copies of the Koran. The following is from the statement of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. “At this season of renewal and hope in the Jewish calendar, and coinciding with a day of reflection and remembrance prompted by the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, this strikes us an another act of terrorism that has too-oft been repeated in history. From Antiochus IV in 168 BCE to the painful years of the Spanish Inquisition, we Jews have watched our holy books burn - torched by hatred and intolerance, with flames stoked by ignorance. The burning of Muslim sacred scriptures recalls the acts of the 15th - 16th century villain Tomas Torquemada, who hoped to lead a holy crusade, which caused nothing but death and violence.”
Prior to the Holocaust, the German Jewish philosopher Heinrich Heine wrote that as people who will burn books will eventually burn people. Sadly the truth of this statement was all too apparent during the Nazi Holocaust wherein six million of our brothers and sisters were murdered.
We join our voices with all who are calling for Terry Jones to call off this attack on religious freedom in a land of liberty.
We are also holding in our thoughts tonight our son and congregant Troy Wallace who is serving with the Marines in Afghanistan. We ask God’s blessings upon him and upon all of the American soldiers serving our country.
As General Petraus has stated, the burning of the Koran will increase the danger faced by Troy and American Forces throughout the world. Thus there are an additional two Jewish values that come into play here. The first is Pikuach Nefesh, which means that all must be done to save a life. The second is the concept of a Rodef, the pursuer. Clearly, the actions of Rev Jones are actions which make him nothing less than a pursuer of our men and women serving our country.
This book burning is an affront to all decent people. It is an affront to all good Christians who try to live according to the golden rule taught by Jesus himself. There, I call upon all my Christian colleagues in the clergy, especially those of right wing evangelical churches, to issue strong statements so condemnation
In light of the recent rally in Washington DC during which great admiration was expressed for our citizens in uniform, I call upon Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin to issue strong statements of condemnation and if necessary to go to Gainesville to urge Rev Jones and his followers not to undertake this heinous act.
Finally, as we begin the New Year, let it be our prayer that the forces of intolerance and bigotry will be replaced by those of open mindessness, compassion, justice and peace.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Morrie Kipper of Blessed Memory
Rabbi Morrie Kipper, the founder of the Alexander Muss High School in Israel, passed away on August 7. The following os my tribute to this great rabbi and visionary. May his memory be a blessing!
A few years ago, there was a bestseller by Mitch Album named “Tuesdays with Morrie.” In the book, the author had the privilege of spending a day once a week with his teacher.
If I were to title my thoughts at this sad time, I would entitle them “11 years with Morrie” for that is the truth. I was blessed in my life to have worked for Morrie and to have been mentored by him during some of the most formidable years of my adult life.
In 1979, when I was hired by High School in Israel (HIS), I was other than Morrie the only Reform or liberal Jew on the staff. Morrie took me under his wing almost immediately. He would constantly challenge me to reexamine my most basic assumptions. He would encourage me always to become a better teacher. He gave me opportunity to learn how to lead people. He helped me realize that this could be a difficult task and that I constantly needed to improve my skills. He helped me become more secure in my abilities.
Morrie taught me that a school which is not improving is a school that it in decline. For Morrie, there was no such thing as being static.
During the years that I worked for Morrie, he became a wonderful friend as well as mentor. I must admit that seeing him suffer from Parkinson’s was very difficult for me. To a large extent, this devastating disease had taken from him both his brilliance and the gleam in his eye.
I feel sad that I did not have more opportunities to see him during the past few years. I am blessed however that I was able to go and visit the Morrie and Lenore on my last trip to Miami.
Morrie taught me many things. He taught me to love Israel and gave to me the opportunity to use whatever God given skills that I possess to teach there. He taught me that in promoting the school or for that matter, in promoting anything worthwhile, one had to be a good salesman.
Above all, Morrie - He encouraged me to think “big.” What was the big idea that he sold to me and others? The big idea was that the American Jewish community was in serious trouble and that what we were doing at HSI, if we could make the school large enough, could really have an almost cosmic effect upon the community. We could create hoards of leaders for the next generation of American Jewry. Together, he and I dreamed that one day the school would bring to Israel 5,000 Jewish kids a year.
This dream would never be completely fulfilled. However, a tremendous difference has been made. Several of my former students are working in the Jewish community. Some have become presidents of synagogues, Federations and JCCs.
One of my students, Andy Kotzen (now Koren) is now the education director of Temple Emanuel in Greensboro. Often in our meetings, he will say to me something like “I remember when you taught us such and such at HSI.” This to me is amazing because he was in my class 25 years ago.
Another of my students was a young man who was incredibly bright. I asked him to read Frankl's “Man’s Search for Meaning” and to write a paper and a class presentation about the book. The presentation was incredible. The paper was 40 handwritten pages from a high school senior! That young man’s name is Wayne Firestone. Today Wayne serves as the president of International Hillel and has been recognized as one of the 50 most important Jewish leaders in the United States.
None of these things could or would have happened without Morrie’s vision or the unique ability he had to bring this vision to reality. I am only one person who has had the privilege to teach at HSI. Other teachers have similar stories I am sure.
Morrie’s vision was based upon the understanding that teens in the 11th and 12th grade were undergoing the most profound development in their adult identity. In his view, what happened during these years would influence these kids not only in college, but during the rest of their lives. The best way to do this would be to teach them Jewish history in Israel at this time. In his view, an understanding of Jewish history would be a tremendous force in creating and shaping Jewish identity. The result would be that students would speak of the history of the Jewish people not in the third person plural (they), but in the first person plural (we).
I think that it was in 1973 that He gave up a very successful career as a pulpit rabbi to start the High School in Israel. He had no money to do this, but he did have Lenore’s love and support. Above all, He had a vision that if he could succeed in creating the school, the lives of Jewish teens and the nature of the American Jewish community would be altered.
He did this at a time when most Jewish educators had given up on teens. His vision came to be and his theories have been proven correct over and over again.
From the lessons that I learned from him, I have dedicated my life to helping educate Jewish teens and above all knowing that no matter how difficult the task may be, we should never give up on helping them become Jews dedicated to Israel, Jewish learning, the Jewish community and study.
I cannot help but wonder if the founders of “Birthright Israel” had understood Morrie’s theories on Jewish education and adolescent development, how much more “bang for the buck” we all could have gotten. Truly, these teenage years are so incredibly formative, much more so that the post college years.
Morrie Kippur – For me, he was a great man. For me, he was a giant among the rabbis of the second half of the 20th century in the American Jewish community. He was my teacher and friend and I will always be grateful to him for what he taught me.
I learned from him for eleven incredible years. I am a stronger Jew because of him and from him, I learned how to be a better rabbi and a better person.
I loved Morrie and hope God will ease the pain pf Lenore, Avi and Meryl. Morrie’s students such as me spiritually send our love to your family from all over the world.
“For our teachers and their students, and the students of their students, we ask for Peace (shalom) and Loving-kindness (Hesed) and let us say “Amen.”"
From Rabbi Karen Kedar
I am sitting here in my Jerusalem apartment packing to return home to
Chicago. I just read Fred Guttman's beautiful words eulogizing Morrie
Kippur. My first job out of rabbinic school was with the AMHSI, which
Morrie founded. There I entered Morrie's world. In Morrie's world, I
learned the power of vision. I learned that Jewish history is the
powerful story of our people. I learned that Jewish identity is formed
while immersed in the drama of that story. I learned to become a
teacher, a storyteller, a lover of teens. I learned that when an
institution is driven by passion and vision, lives are transformed.
Morrie's vision and passion transformed the lives of the teachers at
AMHSI as well as several generations of teens. After 25 years of the
rabbinate, I will always consider my time in Morrie's world the most
influential of my career. Thank you Morrie. May his memory be for a
blessing.
A few years ago, there was a bestseller by Mitch Album named “Tuesdays with Morrie.” In the book, the author had the privilege of spending a day once a week with his teacher.
If I were to title my thoughts at this sad time, I would entitle them “11 years with Morrie” for that is the truth. I was blessed in my life to have worked for Morrie and to have been mentored by him during some of the most formidable years of my adult life.
In 1979, when I was hired by High School in Israel (HIS), I was other than Morrie the only Reform or liberal Jew on the staff. Morrie took me under his wing almost immediately. He would constantly challenge me to reexamine my most basic assumptions. He would encourage me always to become a better teacher. He gave me opportunity to learn how to lead people. He helped me realize that this could be a difficult task and that I constantly needed to improve my skills. He helped me become more secure in my abilities.
Morrie taught me that a school which is not improving is a school that it in decline. For Morrie, there was no such thing as being static.
During the years that I worked for Morrie, he became a wonderful friend as well as mentor. I must admit that seeing him suffer from Parkinson’s was very difficult for me. To a large extent, this devastating disease had taken from him both his brilliance and the gleam in his eye.
I feel sad that I did not have more opportunities to see him during the past few years. I am blessed however that I was able to go and visit the Morrie and Lenore on my last trip to Miami.
Morrie taught me many things. He taught me to love Israel and gave to me the opportunity to use whatever God given skills that I possess to teach there. He taught me that in promoting the school or for that matter, in promoting anything worthwhile, one had to be a good salesman.
Above all, Morrie - He encouraged me to think “big.” What was the big idea that he sold to me and others? The big idea was that the American Jewish community was in serious trouble and that what we were doing at HSI, if we could make the school large enough, could really have an almost cosmic effect upon the community. We could create hoards of leaders for the next generation of American Jewry. Together, he and I dreamed that one day the school would bring to Israel 5,000 Jewish kids a year.
This dream would never be completely fulfilled. However, a tremendous difference has been made. Several of my former students are working in the Jewish community. Some have become presidents of synagogues, Federations and JCCs.
One of my students, Andy Kotzen (now Koren) is now the education director of Temple Emanuel in Greensboro. Often in our meetings, he will say to me something like “I remember when you taught us such and such at HSI.” This to me is amazing because he was in my class 25 years ago.
Another of my students was a young man who was incredibly bright. I asked him to read Frankl's “Man’s Search for Meaning” and to write a paper and a class presentation about the book. The presentation was incredible. The paper was 40 handwritten pages from a high school senior! That young man’s name is Wayne Firestone. Today Wayne serves as the president of International Hillel and has been recognized as one of the 50 most important Jewish leaders in the United States.
None of these things could or would have happened without Morrie’s vision or the unique ability he had to bring this vision to reality. I am only one person who has had the privilege to teach at HSI. Other teachers have similar stories I am sure.
Morrie’s vision was based upon the understanding that teens in the 11th and 12th grade were undergoing the most profound development in their adult identity. In his view, what happened during these years would influence these kids not only in college, but during the rest of their lives. The best way to do this would be to teach them Jewish history in Israel at this time. In his view, an understanding of Jewish history would be a tremendous force in creating and shaping Jewish identity. The result would be that students would speak of the history of the Jewish people not in the third person plural (they), but in the first person plural (we).
I think that it was in 1973 that He gave up a very successful career as a pulpit rabbi to start the High School in Israel. He had no money to do this, but he did have Lenore’s love and support. Above all, He had a vision that if he could succeed in creating the school, the lives of Jewish teens and the nature of the American Jewish community would be altered.
He did this at a time when most Jewish educators had given up on teens. His vision came to be and his theories have been proven correct over and over again.
From the lessons that I learned from him, I have dedicated my life to helping educate Jewish teens and above all knowing that no matter how difficult the task may be, we should never give up on helping them become Jews dedicated to Israel, Jewish learning, the Jewish community and study.
I cannot help but wonder if the founders of “Birthright Israel” had understood Morrie’s theories on Jewish education and adolescent development, how much more “bang for the buck” we all could have gotten. Truly, these teenage years are so incredibly formative, much more so that the post college years.
Morrie Kippur – For me, he was a great man. For me, he was a giant among the rabbis of the second half of the 20th century in the American Jewish community. He was my teacher and friend and I will always be grateful to him for what he taught me.
I learned from him for eleven incredible years. I am a stronger Jew because of him and from him, I learned how to be a better rabbi and a better person.
I loved Morrie and hope God will ease the pain pf Lenore, Avi and Meryl. Morrie’s students such as me spiritually send our love to your family from all over the world.
“For our teachers and their students, and the students of their students, we ask for Peace (shalom) and Loving-kindness (Hesed) and let us say “Amen.”"
From Rabbi Karen Kedar
I am sitting here in my Jerusalem apartment packing to return home to
Chicago. I just read Fred Guttman's beautiful words eulogizing Morrie
Kippur. My first job out of rabbinic school was with the AMHSI, which
Morrie founded. There I entered Morrie's world. In Morrie's world, I
learned the power of vision. I learned that Jewish history is the
powerful story of our people. I learned that Jewish identity is formed
while immersed in the drama of that story. I learned to become a
teacher, a storyteller, a lover of teens. I learned that when an
institution is driven by passion and vision, lives are transformed.
Morrie's vision and passion transformed the lives of the teachers at
AMHSI as well as several generations of teens. After 25 years of the
rabbinate, I will always consider my time in Morrie's world the most
influential of my career. Thank you Morrie. May his memory be for a
blessing.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Letter sent to over 100 delegates to the Presbyterian Church USA Convention.
The following is a letter sent by email to over 100 delegates to this July’s Presbyterian Church USA Convention.
The resolution that the the PCUSA is considering is filled with bad theology and seeks to delegitmize and demonize Israel.
Dear --------------,
Here in Greensboro, there are wonderful relations between our local Jewish community and the Presbyterian Church. For many years, Temple Emanuel was located across the street from First Presbyterian Church. As a matter of fact, during the depression, our congregation lent money to First Presbyterian Church to finish its sanctuary. Because of this friendship, there is actually a six pointed Jewish star in one of the stained glass windows of the church.
During the past fifteen years that I have served Temple Emanuel of Greensboro, I have traveled to the Middle East with Presbyterian ministers who to this day I consider to be close friends. I only have the greatest respect for the Presbyterian Church and its important role in our country in general and in North Carolina specifically. I write to you as one who firmly believes in a two state solution to the Middle East crisis. I envision and pray for the day when there will be two states, an Israel and a Palestine, living side by side in security and mutual cooperation and respect.
I write to you in the spirit of friendship and genuine respect. Our community is profoundly concerned about matters that will come before the PCUSA General Assembly in July 2010, including a one-sided and factually flawed Middle East Study Committee (MESC) report, a call to denounce an American company for its sales to Israel, and endorsement of the virulently anti-Israel Kairos Palestine document.
In our opinion, the MESC report is an egregious diatribe against Israel. It makes highly selective use of sacred texts, historical events, and current realities to build a narrative against the Jewish state. Its recommendations are extremely biased against Israel. There are more than a dozen demands placed on Israel and the United States for policies supporting Israel. The few recommendations for Palestinian reforms are generally paired with additional demands on Israel.
While the nine-person MESC was supposed to represent a diverse range of perspectives, most of the committee was squarely aligned with a pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel narrative. Most of the individuals with whom the MESC met have been critical of Israel.
The report is insulting to the mainstream Jewish Community. It outrageously admonishes the American Jewish mainstream community to "catch up" with American Jewish groups of which it approves, namely Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP), B'Tselem, and JStreet. The MESC met only briefly with one representative of a mainstream American Jewish organization. Had the MESC opened itself to a meaningful dialogue with the mainstream Jewish community, it might have learned that JVP is an anti-Israel group from far outside the mainstream - one that refuses to endorse a two-state solution and one that welcomes anti-Zionist Jews. B'Tselem isn't even an American group. JStreet issued a statement that it was never consulted by the MESC, finds the MESC report troubling and unfair, strongly objects to the MESC findings, and is dismayed that the MESC used JStreet as "political cover" for the report.
This report places inordinate blame on Israel for the conflict, without due appreciation for the extent of the physical threats - both rhetoric and deeds - that its people face. As much so, the singling out for censure or punitive measures of businesses engaged with one side to one complex conflict is highly counterproductive. Frankly, in the words of Yossi Beilin, the eminent peace activist who helped craft the Geneva Accords, "Narratives and activism that appear to target Israelis or exclude recognition of any of Israel's positive contributions to peace only make the people of my country, including the most progressive and moderate of us, feel isolated, insecure and less capable of encouraging the kinds of concessions and risks for peace that I have long strongly advocated."http://engage.jewishpublicaffairs.org/p/salsa/web/common/public/content?content_item_KEY=2788
I would like for you to learn more about this by looking at the following:
1. "Pastoral Letter in Response to MESC Report on the Middle East" Found at: http://www.pcjcr.org/letter.htm Among the signatories to this statement is the Rev. Dr. John Buchanan, Senior Pastor of Chicago's historic Fourth Presbyterian Church and a former Moderator of the PCUSA. Rev. Buchanan has served as the Editor and Publisher of The Christian Century.
2. "Habits of anti-Judaism - Critiquing a PCUSA report on Israel/Palestine" By Ted A. Smith and Amy-Jill Levine in the June 29th 2010 edition of the Christian Century. Ted A. Smith and Amy-Jill Levine teach at one of my alma maters, the Vanderbilt Divinity School. This exceptional piece of scholarship may be found at: http://www.christiancentury.org/article.lasso?id=8539
3. The two part analysis of the Kairos Palestine Document Found at: http://www.christianfairwitness.com/
The Presbyterian Church is a great and lofty church which does have a real role to play in the pursuit of Middle East peace that all of us desire so deeply. Adopting a biased position in favor of one side to this conflict will only lessen the ability of the church to be a real force for reconciliation.
Together friends, let us pray for peace! Let us pray however as if everything depended upon God, but act as if everything depended upon us. In the field of action, the MESC report is a step in the wrong direction and should be dismissed. Truly by working together with both Israelis and Palestinians, working as Jews, Christians and Muslims, we can indeed bring closer the day envisioned by Isaiah when, "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war anymore."
Shalom, Salaam, Peace,
Rabbi Fred GuttmanM.H.L., M.Ed., D. Div
The resolution that the the PCUSA is considering is filled with bad theology and seeks to delegitmize and demonize Israel.
Dear --------------,
Here in Greensboro, there are wonderful relations between our local Jewish community and the Presbyterian Church. For many years, Temple Emanuel was located across the street from First Presbyterian Church. As a matter of fact, during the depression, our congregation lent money to First Presbyterian Church to finish its sanctuary. Because of this friendship, there is actually a six pointed Jewish star in one of the stained glass windows of the church.
During the past fifteen years that I have served Temple Emanuel of Greensboro, I have traveled to the Middle East with Presbyterian ministers who to this day I consider to be close friends. I only have the greatest respect for the Presbyterian Church and its important role in our country in general and in North Carolina specifically. I write to you as one who firmly believes in a two state solution to the Middle East crisis. I envision and pray for the day when there will be two states, an Israel and a Palestine, living side by side in security and mutual cooperation and respect.
I write to you in the spirit of friendship and genuine respect. Our community is profoundly concerned about matters that will come before the PCUSA General Assembly in July 2010, including a one-sided and factually flawed Middle East Study Committee (MESC) report, a call to denounce an American company for its sales to Israel, and endorsement of the virulently anti-Israel Kairos Palestine document.
In our opinion, the MESC report is an egregious diatribe against Israel. It makes highly selective use of sacred texts, historical events, and current realities to build a narrative against the Jewish state. Its recommendations are extremely biased against Israel. There are more than a dozen demands placed on Israel and the United States for policies supporting Israel. The few recommendations for Palestinian reforms are generally paired with additional demands on Israel.
While the nine-person MESC was supposed to represent a diverse range of perspectives, most of the committee was squarely aligned with a pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel narrative. Most of the individuals with whom the MESC met have been critical of Israel.
The report is insulting to the mainstream Jewish Community. It outrageously admonishes the American Jewish mainstream community to "catch up" with American Jewish groups of which it approves, namely Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP), B'Tselem, and JStreet. The MESC met only briefly with one representative of a mainstream American Jewish organization. Had the MESC opened itself to a meaningful dialogue with the mainstream Jewish community, it might have learned that JVP is an anti-Israel group from far outside the mainstream - one that refuses to endorse a two-state solution and one that welcomes anti-Zionist Jews. B'Tselem isn't even an American group. JStreet issued a statement that it was never consulted by the MESC, finds the MESC report troubling and unfair, strongly objects to the MESC findings, and is dismayed that the MESC used JStreet as "political cover" for the report.
This report places inordinate blame on Israel for the conflict, without due appreciation for the extent of the physical threats - both rhetoric and deeds - that its people face. As much so, the singling out for censure or punitive measures of businesses engaged with one side to one complex conflict is highly counterproductive. Frankly, in the words of Yossi Beilin, the eminent peace activist who helped craft the Geneva Accords, "Narratives and activism that appear to target Israelis or exclude recognition of any of Israel's positive contributions to peace only make the people of my country, including the most progressive and moderate of us, feel isolated, insecure and less capable of encouraging the kinds of concessions and risks for peace that I have long strongly advocated."http://engage.jewishpublicaffairs.org/p/salsa/web/common/public/content?content_item_KEY=2788
I would like for you to learn more about this by looking at the following:
1. "Pastoral Letter in Response to MESC Report on the Middle East" Found at: http://www.pcjcr.org/letter.htm Among the signatories to this statement is the Rev. Dr. John Buchanan, Senior Pastor of Chicago's historic Fourth Presbyterian Church and a former Moderator of the PCUSA. Rev. Buchanan has served as the Editor and Publisher of The Christian Century.
2. "Habits of anti-Judaism - Critiquing a PCUSA report on Israel/Palestine" By Ted A. Smith and Amy-Jill Levine in the June 29th 2010 edition of the Christian Century. Ted A. Smith and Amy-Jill Levine teach at one of my alma maters, the Vanderbilt Divinity School. This exceptional piece of scholarship may be found at: http://www.christiancentury.org/article.lasso?id=8539
3. The two part analysis of the Kairos Palestine Document Found at: http://www.christianfairwitness.com/
The Presbyterian Church is a great and lofty church which does have a real role to play in the pursuit of Middle East peace that all of us desire so deeply. Adopting a biased position in favor of one side to this conflict will only lessen the ability of the church to be a real force for reconciliation.
Together friends, let us pray for peace! Let us pray however as if everything depended upon God, but act as if everything depended upon us. In the field of action, the MESC report is a step in the wrong direction and should be dismissed. Truly by working together with both Israelis and Palestinians, working as Jews, Christians and Muslims, we can indeed bring closer the day envisioned by Isaiah when, "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war anymore."
Shalom, Salaam, Peace,
Rabbi Fred GuttmanM.H.L., M.Ed., D. Div
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