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| How I View Israel, by Rabbi Joel Pitkowsky | ||
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Over the next few minutes, as you read this short essay, I hope to share with you some of the passion I feel for the State of Israel and convince you to explore further what Israel can mean for you and your family. For as long as I can remember, Israel has been an integral part of my Jewish identity. I grew up in a very Zionist home, constantly hearing stories about our relatives in Israel and how they literally helped build the state. They worked in the fields with David Green (later David Ben Gurion), fought in the Palmach, Haganah and Lechi (pre-state underground military units), and became faithful citizens of the new state. Even though we were living in the United States, we were taught, we are still a part of the nation of Israel and we should always see the land of Israel as part of our heritage and as our homeland. My Zionism grew and was strengthened by my years spent in the Young Judaea youth group (Zionist youth group sponsored by Hadassah). Attending Camp Young Judaea Sprout Lake and later Tel Yehudah reinforced for me the ideas I had heard in my childhood, that Jews really are all part of one big family, and that our home, no matter where we may actually live, is in Israel. As an adult, I lived for three years in Israel, studying and working, touring the country north to south, and trying my best to understand who Israelis were and what Israel was REALLY about. And now, as an American rabbi, I try to maintain my connection to Israel, and I try to inspire others to build or strengthen their own connections as well. Why should American Jews be interested in Israel? We should be interested in Israel because it is our ancestral homeland. Without a doubt, it is the very land that Abraham and his family journeyed throughout, the land that King David and Solomon ruled over, and the land that our ancestors lived in until they were exiled from it in 586 BCE by Babylonian invaders. When the Persians let Jews back into Israel a few decades later, many went back to Israel but some stayed in Babylonia. Those that stayed in Babylonia, however, never lost their sense of connection to Israel and remembered the land, through various holidays, life cycle customs, and prayers. After all of this time, after a 3,000 year connection between a specific people and a specific land, are you ready to give that up? I hope not. Being a Zionist today is not simple. Zionism is Jewish nationalism, the belief that the Jews are a nation, even when we are loyal citizens of other nations all over the world, and that we have a right, just like any other nation, to our ancestral homeland. Being a Zionist today is not simple for two main reasons. First there is a reason from within-our situation in the United States is so wonderful that many of us forget, or wish to forget, that we belong to something larger than ourselves. Why can’t I simply spend my time worrying about paying my own bills and worrying about my own family? Why do I need to worry about people I have never met and a land I may have never even visited? We all need to worry about the land of Israel and the people of Israel because worrying about each other is what being a nation is about. Being a people, a nation, means feeling connected to others with whom we share no personal history. If enough Jews stop thinking of ourselves as a nation, then for intents and purposes, we will cease to be a nation. And that, in my opinion, would be a terrible tragedy. Why would that be a tragedy? I think that would be a tragedy because I believe that Judaism has a great deal of wisdom and understanding to share with the world. Our stories, morals, values, laws, and customs need to be shared with the 99% of humanity that is not Jewish, and if we do not see ourselves as a nation, our story will be incomplete and not true to itself. The chain in our tradition will have been broken. The second reason why it is not simple to be a Zionist today comes from without: intense anti-Israel propaganda from the extreme aspects of the left wing in the United States and Western Europe, combined with anti-Israel and anti-Jewish attitudes found throughout the Muslim world. These attitudes make it much harder to proclaim one self a Zionist today than it was even thirty or forty years ago. Today, one often finds oneself standing on the opposite side of the protest line from people with whom we agree about every other issue except for Israel. And that kind of action is difficult, even heroic. Let me make sure that everyone understands where I personally stand on this issue: Israel is a sovereign nation and as such is not perfect and has never claimed to be perfect. Israel is not and absolutely should not be above the law. Criticism of Israel is legitimate and even productive as long as it is contextual and proportional. What I mean by contextual is that it is not responsible to speak about the complicated political and military situation of the Middle East without giving the context of how the situation came to be in its current state. Too often critics of Israel give today’s news without the context. Invariably, the context places Israel squarely where it belongs, in the unenviable position of a imperfect democracy devoted to law and order and trying to make the best of a bad situation. What I mean by proportional is to speak about Israel’s shortcomings and possible crimes in the context of similar actions by other nations that have faced similar threats to its security. How can UN groups call for resolutions against Israel so much more than they do against any other nation, given the fact that women, homosexuals, liberals, media, and every other group enjoy more civil rights in Israel than any Muslim country? How can these groups call for sactions or boycott of Israel and not against North Korea, Iran, or Saudi Arabia? How can I understand this situation and not think it is anti-Semitism? When Israel does something that goes against its moral principles or breaks its own laws or international laws, it should be held accountable. But, and this is the essential part, so should the rest of the world. No country should be above the law, and no country should be held to a different standard than any other country. Here at Congregation Beth Israel there is no consensus on what Israel’s policies should be regarding many issues that trouble Israel today, including the division of Jerusalem into two capitals for two people, the evacuation of settlements and towns in the West Bank, the establishment of a Palestinian State, the place of religion in the State of Israel, etc. Even with all of these differences, I am convinced that we are united in our understanding that the land of Israel is a gift and an inheritance for all Jews, and that it is our duty to strengthen our ties to the Land, and do whatever we can to realize the hope of peace in our ancestral homeland. Given the difficulties in being a Zionist today, it is no wonder that many Jews find themselves drifting away from identifying with Israel and with the very idea of Jews being a people. But this is a tragedy we must avoid! We must make it our mission to educate ourselves and our communities about Israel, to foster our ties to Israel and Israelis, to learn modern spoken Hebrew, to travel to Israel whenever possible, and feel, once again, that we are all part of something larger than ourselves, the nation of Israel. I hope that the resources we have provided for you on this website are a big step in the right direction. For further information or with any questions, please feel free to email me at rabbi@bethisraelworc.org. Rabbi Joel Pitkowsky | ||