Some people come to Israel as a spiritual journey. They come to the holy land searching for religious wholeness. I did not. I was not expecting to find anything. That is not because I did not want to, but more of because I knew where I would be. I am at Kibbutz Revivim, a secular kibbutz. To be completely honest I was not exciting about living here. When I was looking at the possible kibbutzim choices I would have been much happier living in a religious setting, but because of dates and what not I had to come here. Was I disappointed? Yes. Was I going to make do? Absolutely. Boy am I glad I did. Not only because I love everything about this place, but also because in a way, it has helped to shape my Jewish identity, one that has been quite rocky lately. It's weird how we find things in the most unlikely places. Who would imagine I would "find god" here. A place with no organized prayer. A place where meat and cheese seem to be the perfect combination. A place with naked doors where Mezuzot usually are. And a place where the cultural aspects of Judaism seem to trump the religious. I'm not saying these things are quote on quote "bad," but just different.
So yesterday I had a great Shabbat experience. And yes, I was on the Kibbutz when this experience happened. It started off as most typical shabbat nights start - candle lighting. Ryan, Naomi, Jennifer, and I congregated in Naomi's room and did all the normal "stuff." (candle lighting, kiddush, and challah.) And then we sang. It was great. Even though none of us knew all the same tunes and we all came from different Jewish backgrounds we were able to come together and just sing. It's really interesting learning from each others different customs and coming together as one community. We are going to start teaching each other shabbat songs every week. After awhile of singing we moved onto discussion of current politics (Gaza, Israel, US election, etc.) The time seemed to fly by with our conversation and singing and soon enough it was time for dinner. Dinner was more or less the same pleasant meal it is every night. Good Food. Good Conversation. etc.
On Shabbat we are suppose to rejoice and be happy. In normal traditional life this can stem anywhere from singing our favorite Zemirot to spending good old fashion quality time with our loved ones. On the kibbutz we do things a little bit differently. Kibbutz Revivim rejoices with the Moo Bar (it is called the Moo Bar because it is located next to the cows and smells like cow poop). The Moo Bar is a disco open every Friday night from 11:30 to 5'ish where people can rejoice in other things that fix their fancy: drinking, dancing, and talking (if you can hear over the music) Bottom line is that it's a place to have fun. And that is what we did to rejoice shabbat, no matter how unorthodox.
After waking up the next morning just in time for lunch I davined a quick shakarit and scurried off to lunch. Later on in the afternoon a group of us decided to take a hike through the desert. And by take a hike through the desert, I mean we walked out the kibbutz gate and was was greeted by the rolling sand plains. We walked for about two hours and took a break under a tree we found along a cabbage field. Laying in the sand we went around and talked about where each of us were a year before and why we had come to Israel. It was really interesting to hear all the different reasons as well as some of the similar reasons. After a restful conversation we headed back to the kibbutz and were able to find our way back just find.
When the sun began to go down, it was time for havdalah. After the brief ceremony we sang hatkikvah for the closing song. I thought that sitting in that dark room, singing the national anthem was truly remarkable. Here we had a Jew from France, American liberal Jews, and a goy from Canada who didn't know the havdalah blessing. We all came from very different backgrounds, but when it all came down to it, Israel was what connected us. Israel is the beat that echoes through every Jews heart and connects us as one strong people.
And that was my Shabbat. I did not spend my Friday night studying the Torah portion. I did not spend my Saturday cooped up in Shul, but yet I still feel religiously satisfied. Judaism is more than just the everyday rote that I accustomed myself too. Something that I never thought I would hear myself say murmurs from my lips "There is more than one way to be Jewish." Being Jewish is an amazing thing. And even though some find that amazing'ness in prayer and Mitvot, others find it in the Ahavat Chinam that brings all us Jews together.
~ this is a very old post that was sitting in my draft box half finished since the beginning of the ulpan
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
When War is More than Just War
I see the War in Gaza quite differently than the World seems to be interpreting the events. I see a very black and white situation. There are two distinctly different groups of "causes." One is an evil. It is made up by people that glorify death. People who fire rockets at the core heart of the civilian population and then rejoice when lives are destroyed. This hunter not only aims for the innocent, but also hides behind it's own civilian population, the ones they claim they are trying to liberate, using them as human shields. This evil wants nothing but the blood of its opposite and will stop at nothing to defeat them because hate is all they know.
Then we have the opposite. A democracy that not only values the lives of their own population, but also that of the unfriendly civilian population in which the evil has rooted itself in the middle of, becoming part of. This good wants peace. They want to be able to live in peace with their neighbors and live normal lives, but continuously is forced to defend itself against the enemy that swears to bring out their destruction.
"I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life - if you and your offspring would live." -Deuteronomy 30:19
In case you haven't figured it out yet Israel is the Democracy that values human life and Hamas is the enemy that uses the destruction of human life whether that of their own people or their victims, to reach a goal. Since 2000, eight thousand six hundred and ninety rockets have been fired from Hamas into the State of Israel. This constant rocket fire has disheveled the lives of Israel's citizens. The constant lurking fear of an attack has created a sense of hysteria that has ruined lives. I was talking to one of the volunteers from a kibbutz closer to Gaza who is currently living on my Kibbutz until the tension dies down. She is here from South Africa to experience Israeli life. Well she got it. She hadn't realized how bad the rockets were affecting her until she was awoken at 2am in the morning from a rocket alert siren (aka you got 15secs to make it to a bomb shelter) only to realize that prior to her being awoken she was having a nightmare of a rocket hitting. The psychological anguish this life causes has done much harm and plenty more to come until something is done to stop it. Can you blame Israel for responding? Any other nation would have.
One of the worst parts of war is death - the death of your own soldiers - the death of your innocent - the death of their innocent. As Golda Meir once said, "We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children, but we can't forgive ourselves for being forced to kill theirs." Just as when we recall our deliverance from Mitzrayim we do not celebrate the death of our abusers. Why? Because death is never good. But it is a necessary part of warfare. No modern nation will dispute this. The trick is to do everything in your power to make the innocent casualty rate as low as possible. That is why Israel drops pamphlets over future attack zones warning citizens of a strike and giving them enough warning to successfully evacuate. This is why Israel chooses its targets very carefully. And this is why Israel also sends SMS messages to Hamas cell phones informing them that their houses will be blown up and that they should get their family out as soon as possible. But instead of leaving, they bring their families up to the roof and await their death. Do other nations do the same? Of course not. Any other country would have responded faster to the situation with much less care for the enemies damage, but as we see so common throughout history, Israel is held to a different standard. Why no matter what we do does the world seem to always sympathise against Israel? How could the world side with terrorist?
The answer to this question is scary. The truth hurts. This war is more than just a war. The world's complaints are far less than solely aimed at Israel's size of force or the civilian casualty, but a darker truth. Some people in the world can't stand the fact that there is a Jewish State. They call out for Israel to take far greater risks than any other nation would ever be asked. The kind of risk that threatens its very existence. And why would we be asked to make such dangerous differences than other nations? Because, quite simply, they don't believe Israel should exist to begin with.
This week we have seen an alarming trend throughout the world. Jews are being targeted. I got an email from the URJ on Thursday warning me of "synagogue security" in America. They are worried that actions will be taken against Synagogues. Can you believe that?!? We actually have to worry that something will happen in our spiritual havens, the place where we are suppose to feel safe, in a modern country like the USA. I was awed as I read the newspaper yesterday. In France, a burning car was rammed through the gates of a synagogue. In Sweden, a synagogue window was smashed and a burning object was thrown in. In Belgium, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a synagogue after numerous other reports of rock throwing has been reported. In England, a synagogue door was burned down, a Jewish man was attacked, and there is an enormous rise in anti-Semitic graffiti throughout the country. At a rally in Australia, a banner read "Clean the earth from dirty Zionists!" In the Netherlands, demonstrators chanted "Gas the Jews!" And in the USA, protesters demanded the the Jews "go back to the ovens!" This escalation of Jews being targeted throughout the world is quite alarming. The world is telling us that this war isn't just about Gaza. It's about our very existence.
Looking at these recent incidents, we see just how important Israel is. We finally have a place we can call our own. A place where Jews can be Jews without the lurking fear. A place where we can defend ourselves from the ones who question our right to existence. Because that is sadly what this is about. What it has always been about.
One day there will be peace in this land and in the world. One day we will be able to live next our neighbors without the blood and hatred. I long for that day. But until then, I support my country - my people - in defending themselves.
Then we have the opposite. A democracy that not only values the lives of their own population, but also that of the unfriendly civilian population in which the evil has rooted itself in the middle of, becoming part of. This good wants peace. They want to be able to live in peace with their neighbors and live normal lives, but continuously is forced to defend itself against the enemy that swears to bring out their destruction.
"I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life - if you and your offspring would live." -Deuteronomy 30:19
In case you haven't figured it out yet Israel is the Democracy that values human life and Hamas is the enemy that uses the destruction of human life whether that of their own people or their victims, to reach a goal. Since 2000, eight thousand six hundred and ninety rockets have been fired from Hamas into the State of Israel. This constant rocket fire has disheveled the lives of Israel's citizens. The constant lurking fear of an attack has created a sense of hysteria that has ruined lives. I was talking to one of the volunteers from a kibbutz closer to Gaza who is currently living on my Kibbutz until the tension dies down. She is here from South Africa to experience Israeli life. Well she got it. She hadn't realized how bad the rockets were affecting her until she was awoken at 2am in the morning from a rocket alert siren (aka you got 15secs to make it to a bomb shelter) only to realize that prior to her being awoken she was having a nightmare of a rocket hitting. The psychological anguish this life causes has done much harm and plenty more to come until something is done to stop it. Can you blame Israel for responding? Any other nation would have.
One of the worst parts of war is death - the death of your own soldiers - the death of your innocent - the death of their innocent. As Golda Meir once said, "We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children, but we can't forgive ourselves for being forced to kill theirs." Just as when we recall our deliverance from Mitzrayim we do not celebrate the death of our abusers. Why? Because death is never good. But it is a necessary part of warfare. No modern nation will dispute this. The trick is to do everything in your power to make the innocent casualty rate as low as possible. That is why Israel drops pamphlets over future attack zones warning citizens of a strike and giving them enough warning to successfully evacuate. This is why Israel chooses its targets very carefully. And this is why Israel also sends SMS messages to Hamas cell phones informing them that their houses will be blown up and that they should get their family out as soon as possible. But instead of leaving, they bring their families up to the roof and await their death. Do other nations do the same? Of course not. Any other country would have responded faster to the situation with much less care for the enemies damage, but as we see so common throughout history, Israel is held to a different standard. Why no matter what we do does the world seem to always sympathise against Israel? How could the world side with terrorist?
The answer to this question is scary. The truth hurts. This war is more than just a war. The world's complaints are far less than solely aimed at Israel's size of force or the civilian casualty, but a darker truth. Some people in the world can't stand the fact that there is a Jewish State. They call out for Israel to take far greater risks than any other nation would ever be asked. The kind of risk that threatens its very existence. And why would we be asked to make such dangerous differences than other nations? Because, quite simply, they don't believe Israel should exist to begin with.
This week we have seen an alarming trend throughout the world. Jews are being targeted. I got an email from the URJ on Thursday warning me of "synagogue security" in America. They are worried that actions will be taken against Synagogues. Can you believe that?!? We actually have to worry that something will happen in our spiritual havens, the place where we are suppose to feel safe, in a modern country like the USA. I was awed as I read the newspaper yesterday. In France, a burning car was rammed through the gates of a synagogue. In Sweden, a synagogue window was smashed and a burning object was thrown in. In Belgium, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a synagogue after numerous other reports of rock throwing has been reported. In England, a synagogue door was burned down, a Jewish man was attacked, and there is an enormous rise in anti-Semitic graffiti throughout the country. At a rally in Australia, a banner read "Clean the earth from dirty Zionists!" In the Netherlands, demonstrators chanted "Gas the Jews!" And in the USA, protesters demanded the the Jews "go back to the ovens!" This escalation of Jews being targeted throughout the world is quite alarming. The world is telling us that this war isn't just about Gaza. It's about our very existence.
Looking at these recent incidents, we see just how important Israel is. We finally have a place we can call our own. A place where Jews can be Jews without the lurking fear. A place where we can defend ourselves from the ones who question our right to existence. Because that is sadly what this is about. What it has always been about.
One day there will be peace in this land and in the world. One day we will be able to live next our neighbors without the blood and hatred. I long for that day. But until then, I support my country - my people - in defending themselves.
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