Palestine Matters because Israel Matters, and Vice Versa.

Palestine Matters. Israel Matters.  And vice-versa.

We live in a world of extremes, where people fear that any perceived support for "their side" fatally weakens necessary support for "our side."  

This conflict-oriented mentality has exacerbated American domestic politics and the ongoing conflict between the ideological ideas of Israel and Palestine.  It has cost thousands of lives.  I believe that this separation into warring camps is an essential problem in our society, in our country and between Israel and her neighbors.  This "anti" orientation is the essential problem.  I believe that Peace will only be possible when intolerance has become intolerable.

Intolerance is the unwillingness to accept or respect ideas, behaviors, or beliefs that differ from one’s own.   In a social context, it is the unwillingness to accept people, behaviors, or identities that differ from one’s own. When one refuses to live in proximity with people who are different, whether in a neighborhood or a country, that person is intolerant.  When one views this as a conflict between us and foreigners, they are xenophobic.  The essence of democracy is that peoples who differ can live in peace and proximity.  

Pro-Israel intolerance is manifested by a negation of the legitimate connection to the lands in and around the modern State of Israel by the Palestinian residents of those lands before 1948 and since.  Examples include statements like, "there is no such thing as the Palestinian people," or "there never was a Palestine," whose implication is to say that the resident Palestinian population in 1948 had no rights to self-determination or historical rights to sovereignty in the region.  The intolerant Pro-Israel person argues, that since they had no identity, or rights, then their rights can not have been taken or oppressed. In its most extreme form, this is used to justify all manners of forcible capture of land, relocation of populations, permanent occupation and denial of full human rights to Palestinians those areas under Israeli military control.

Pro-Palestinian intolerance is manifested by a negation of the legitimate connection of the Jewish people to the lands in and around the modern State of Israel, before 1948 (and since). It therefore negates their aspirations to expand their historic settlement in those areas by means of establishment of a modern state and then immigration to that state.  Examples include statements like, "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," or "colonialism." The implication is to say that the resident Jewish population over time, and in 1948, had no rights to self-determination or sovereignty in the region, and that the State's later immigration laws are invalid.  By labelling them land-thieves and colonizers, the intolerant Pro-Palestinian voices justify (directly or indirectly) even the most extreme violence against Israeli civilians and towns as a necessary defense of their own homes against invaders.  In the most extreme form, it results in Hamas and its supporters on October 7, 2023 and since.

Both forms of intolerance lead to war.  By positioning the conflict as one of pure national sovereign rights on one side, and simultaneously negating those same rights by the other side, the only "just" solution for each side is inevitably use of force.  That is to say, in the face of opposition to one's own view of justice and legitimacy, forceful imposition of one's will against the opposition is the inevitable outcome.  Claims to pure and absolute sovereign rights are, by definition, intolerant and  ultimately violent.

"Two States" is not a compromise.  There is no solution to the Israeli and Palestinian conflict without embracing the ideas of Palestine and Israel.  While the intolerant views on both sides view this as a loss of their maximum freedoms, it is clear that their assessment of the real people involved is simply false and self-serving.  There are Israelis.  There are Palestinians.  These are not facts that can be eliminated with a debating point.  There will always be Israelis and Palestinians in this region.  Only genocide or cattle-cars - both unthinkable crimes against humanity - could be suggested to create an alternate reality.  The two-state solution, with an Israel and a Palestine beside each other offering mutual recognition, and guaranteeing sovereignty, self-determination and human rights, is the only solution. This is not a compromise except for those who want to "have it all."  There is no "all" to have.

There must be a Palestine.  There must be an Israel.  Both are legitimate as an historic legacy of the land and its peoples.  Both are legitimate as a demographic reality well before 1948.  Both are legitimate as a political necessity today.  Every life lost in this conflict is a sacrifice on the altar of something.  Pray that it be something other than inevitable violence and more war.  

There are many to blame.  Who do you blame, in order to justify your own intolerance?  Whose intolerance must never be repeated? The  Arab riots in the 1920's? The gross manipulation and political promises by mandatory Britain? The lack of genuine regional partnerships during the early waves of Aliyah? The Arab leaders' refusal to empower domestic Palestinian leaders in the early decades of Israel's existence?  Arab agression? The early Israel military expansions in 1948 and 1967?  The forcible relocation of Palestinians? The focus on pan-Arab movements to destroy Israel? The denial of legitimate Jewish population existing in Israel over centuries? The Islamicists?  The revolutionaries?  The settlers? The left? The right?  The Arabs?  The Israelis?  The Jews? The Muslims?  Europe? America? If you are blaming, you are part of the problem.  There is plenty of blame to spread around.  Until there is peace, no one has gotten it right yet.  Nobody is perfect and pure.

Models for Peace.  There are three great peace agreements that hold in the region today.  First, the Camp David Accords (1978) returned the Sinai to Egypt, offered complete mutual recognition of Israel and Egypt and asserted that Palestinian sovereignty in the West Bank and Gaza must be achieved.  Second, the Israel-Jordan peace treaty (1994) offered complete mutual recognition, warm cooperation as nations, and supported the Oslo Peace process which explicitly worked towards a two-state solution and resolution of the Palestinian refugee problem.  Third, the Abraham Accords (2020) between Israel and UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, which set no preconditions tied to Palestine or the Palestinians, instead breaking the historic pan-Arab policy of prioritizing Palestinian sovereignty over all other concerns.  By rejecting the intolerant form of Pro-Palestinian arguments against Israel's legitimacy, each of these agreements explicitly demonstrated that peace can be achieved through bi-lateral recognition.  If one wishes for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, it can not be based in any narrative of injustice.  It must work from an assumption of mutual recognition.  Every successful peace agreement has this in common.

Palestine Must Stand on Its Own.  The age of mutual delegitimization must come to an end.  Peace must come between Israel and any nation that wishes peace.  Saudi Arabia.  Syria.  Lebanon.  Oman.  Palestine must exist in order for Israel to make peace with Palestinians.  Palestinians can not rely on foreign advocacy or foreign legitimacy.  It must be an expression of the Palestinian people, while asserting that Israel will continue to exist.  That was the move of Oslo, which placed the Palestinian Authority in charge of much of the West Bank (Yehudah/Shomron).  And that  is what has kept the West Bank out of the current conflict.  Hezbollah in the north, Houtis in the Gulf of Aqaba, Iran and Hamas all joined in the military attack on Israel since October 7th.  The PA has sat it out, waiting for the war to end, in hope of being the diplomatic solution "after Gaza" on the path to their much hoped for Palestinian State.  That has to count for something.  It is the only current hope for an eventual partner for a genuine peace like the others. There are those who believe that is not possible.  I have never heard them suggest a better solution.  No one who delegitimizes Israel can be (or would want to be) a part of that peace, just as no one who delegitimizes Palestine can be (or would want to be) on the Israeli side of that peace.  

The only argue against this is an argument against peace.  There are many who are willing to fall back on narratives that result only in the use of force. Many of those voices are powerful leaders in Israel.  Others are powerful leaders in the Palestinian protest movements.  They offer nothing but conflict or bloodshed for the forseeable future.

The final outcome, the hope for the next generation, must be peace.   Sovereign rights, authentic legacy, legitimate aspirations to rule ones own affairs in a nation of our own.  On these topics Palestinians and Israelis must either admit eachother's dreams or condemn the next generation to endless war.

Palestine matters because Israel matters.  Israel matters because Palestine matters. 

Interfaith Mission Day Three - Shared Origins

 Interfaith Mission Day Three - Shared Jewish -Christian Origins in the North:

Today we explored our common origins in the land of Israel.  A very early start found us soon after sunrise at the Jordan river, site of both the baptism of Jesus and the crossing of Joshua into the land.

Unitarian Minister Robin Tanner, and I each took a moment to contemplate the country of Jordan, living in Peace with Israel, just 30 feet across the river...

As a group, we reflected on the waters of purity in traditional and ancient Judaism, and how the discovery of mikva'ot rather than mere cisterns often pin pointed ancient Jewish habitation in the Land of Israel.  We discussed the role of living waters in celebration of a woman's fertility, in response to death, and in the ancient system of sacrificial purity.  In the context of affirming life, and reestablishing our place in community, we explored each of our minister and priest's own relationship with baptism and the river.  Ceremonies and beliefs were shared regarding dedication to God, receipt of the spirit, admission to the sacred community and more.  Participants had an opportunity to enter the river, and - a wonderful moment - to great Jordanian caretakers of the same site a mere 30 feet away from us across the river.  It was a place of peace and tranquility in a torn moment of time.

Bill and Suzanne Ludlum of the Morristown Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints.

                                        Rabbi Abby Treu, and Hindu leader Fal Pandya, share a moment.

From the Jordan we headed North, just past Tiberius, to the Mt. of the Beatitudes.  

                  

                            Father Phil Latronico in a moment of silent prayer.

 

On the Mount of the Beatitudes my friend and colleague Father Peter Wehrle of the Roman Catholic church Our Lady of the Lake in Verona lead us in a study of the sermon on the mount, with its call for human value, modesty, faithfulness and more.  

He also taught us about its passage regarding divorce, which I was able to place in the context of a debate between Hillel and Shammai in the Mishnah.  It was a live topic in the time of the late second temple, and the mixed Jewish and non-Jewish crowd surely would have been interested in - and challenged by - the young teacher's take on the debate.

We moved on to Capernaum, where a magnificent Bynzantine era synagogue stood atop a second temple era synagogue's foundation.  This is a site I have visited with my own congregation, and we sat under the trees and explored the New Testament stories of Jesus entereing the synagogue here and teaching from Isaiah .  What did it mean that the people (Jews) were "astounded"? Why did some, evidently, grow angry?  Why would some follow him and others turn away?

                     Dr Atkins leading us in study

We explored the context of reading from the prophets in synagogue, understood the possible "normalcy" of Jesus's behavior as a Jewish man, and the potential reasons why what he did may of be out of the ordinary.  We asked if he was a positive provocateur, an innocent, or anything else.  We asked each other what it means to be a positive provocateur, and especially if we are in another's house of worship or not.  

Stunningly, this synagogue also stands face to face with an ancient Church, tied directly to the life of Jesus and his apostle Peter's family.  For centuries - even difficult centuries - these two houses lived in peace and proximity to each other.  It was only the invasion of the Persian empire - an outside force - that destroyed them both.

                                    

Rabbi Daniel Cohen is the Senior Rabbi of Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel (TSTI) in South Orange, New Jersey.

For lunch we met with leaders of the Druze community and learned of their place in Israeli society, including their army service and loyalty to the state. 

 

Mofed Marei, an Israeli Druze leader, and former member of the Kenesset 

We explored education, and their feelings about the "Jewish nation state law" that was raised by the coalition government.  They question what it says about their place and their loyalty, and suggested respectful revisions to those political positions.  

Finally we moved on to Tel Aviv, where we went to Hostage Square, and then met with Eli David, the older brother of Evyatar David who remains a hostage in Gaza to this day.  

     

 Rabbi Robert Tobin, Chair of Interfaith Relations

Eli David, brother of hostage Evyatar David, with Rabbi Tobin

Evyatar's posters have been on our synagogue's front lawn, so his face is known to most of us.  We learned about his love of music and people, and the family's experience of learning immediately that he was taken alive to Gaza.  He is not on the list for release during phase 1 of the current hostage "deal" and we all pray for his immediate and safe return, with all 82 of the remaining hostages.  The fact that Evyatar's brother, seemingly randomly, was the one to speak with us felt like so much more than a coincidence.

We celebrated the return, today, of Agam Berger, Arbel Yehud, Gadi Moses, Watchara Sriaoun, Pongsak Thaenna, Sathian Suwannakham, Surasak Rumnao and Bannawat Saethao.  482 days in unjust captivity.  and 82 more to come home.

At our closing dinner, we expressed our tremendous gratitude to the Jewish Federation of GMW, whose support and vision made this trip possible.  Our ability as clergy leaders to experience our past and our present together, unvarnished and real, is of immeasurable benefit to each of us, our ministries, our communities and the land of Israel.  

I come home with friends and allies, across a dozen denominations, who understand and empathize with our situation, and who will speak and act in favor of the right and the good in the current conflict.  They each shared at our dinner what they saw, learned or felt that they fell their own congregation must hear from them.  I look forward to seeing the fruits of their labors in the days ahead.

I write this last post from the departure hall of Ben Gurion airport, and I am once again awed at the miracle of our people's resurrection in history to landed sovereignty and independence.  It is a journey once again soaked in the blood of the innocent - and the guilty.  But the life of an Israeli child, learning the values of our people in the land of our people, is infinitely wonderful today despite the troubles.  We see a thriving and blossoming pluralistic and democratic society that has emerged with the support of not just the Jewish people but many many Christian and other allies and supporters.  We see a land struggling to shake off hatred and bias, from without and from within, but whose foundations are firm.  But most of all we see a land where our faith lives, and God reaches out for our future.

I return enlivened and gratified that our love and support of Israel has grown through this interfaith mission, and that our voices are being heard.

None of this would have been possible without to complete support, sponsorship and advocacy of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, who funded, designed and led this remarkable experience.

Please consider supporting the Jewish Federation here.  GMW Donations

As I told my colleagues when we left the city this morning....  Next year in Jerusalem.

 

Father Peter Wehrle and Bishop Raymond Wyatt, ready for their next adventure!

Gratefully Submitted by,

Rabbi Robert L Tobin

Rosh Chodesh Tevet, 5785

January, 2025

Interfaith Mission, Day Two: In the killing zones

Interfaith Mission, Day Two:  In the killing zones of the October 7th Hamas Terror Attack from Gaza.

"What Have You Done for Them Today?"

Today was a difficult day.  An early rise, followed by quick davening and an Israeli breakfast saw us headed down south to grapple with the reality of October 7th.  Today is day 481 for those held in captivity, and day 481 since the horror of Hamas' brutal attack. 

We arrived in Ofakim, over 16 miles from Gaza.  

A team of 13 terrorists in two vehicles had entered the city that day and immediately killed four people on the street.  They then laid out dozens of weapons, including pistols, rifles, rpgs, and a should launcher anti-aircraft missile on the ground.  They quickly armed themselves and entered a civilian residential neighborhood, splitting up to hunt people down.  With missile alarms sounding, people in older homes were forced outside to enter communal shelters on the street.  Many were killed right then.  Once the terrorists began shooting, police and civilians began resisting, and in Ofakim there were battles on a larger scale than elsewhere in the early stages of the day.  Terrorists entered homes, to kill as many as they could.  As we walked the neighborhood, we read the signs and saw the pictures of loved ones killed here... killed over there... killed around the corner.  The memorials are simple, and devastating.

After the attacks were defeated in Ofakim, it became clear that 53 of their residents had been murdered, including a van full of elderly women headed out for a vacation spa day at the Red Sea.  Unlike the small kibbutzim closer the Gaza, Ofakim chose not to evacuate in the days following, and all those who experienced it remain in their homes and their neighborhoods.  

We visited a resiliency center, where the trauma - so widespread - can be supported.  Counselors, discussion groups, activities, games... whatever people need.  The center was opened with the aid of the government, the Jewish Agency, and the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest.  It will be needed, with others like it, for years  to come.

From Ofakim, we travelled to Kibbutz Nir Oz. 

We met with Liat Atzili for more than an hour as she walked us through her bullet ridden, burned out village.  Liat's husband Aviv went out as part of the kibbutz's early response team, and was killed.  Today his body is held hostage in Gaza.  Two of her three children were home, and survived the attack. Liat was taken hostage to Khan Younis for 53 days, and released in a prisoner deal in November 2023.  

Liat is a teacher of the holocaust at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and history in her area high school.  She invited us into her home, and I was overcome by a sense of intrusion.  She chided me - "why? this is my house and I am inviting you in.  You are not intruding."  She talked of wanting us back when they had rebuilt, and she could offer us tea and cookies.

I wandered the burned buildings.  Children's school backpacks (pink and grey) hung on a hook outside a door, where they have remained for over a year. Laundry hanging to dry. Children's scooters, play kitchen and doll houses in the small yards. On every broken door, a picture of the missing and the murdered hung, with flags - yellow for the hostages and black for the dead.  We placed orange balloons at the home of the Bibis family.

One out of ever four residents of Nir Oz was either murdered or stolen hostage on October 7, 2023.  Their mailboxes indicate who they are:  Red is a captive, black a murder victim, and blue has been freed from captivity in a hostage deal.

  

The "safe room" doors have no locks, being designed against shrapnel, not invasions.

Meanwhile, missing, murdered, and relocated faces are plastered on their abandoned homes.

We continued to the Nova Festival site, 

...where a mass murder of 364 young people, and 15 police officers was perpetrated by the "Iz al Din al Qassam Brigades" Hamas terrorists.  The memorial has pictures of the killed in the dance stage area, and family memorials throughout the park, telling the story of these most peace loving people, and who they were.  At the "small bar" where almost 3 dozen victims hid, an explanation of their death is posted by their families.  They had tried to flee to the road, but were turned back by the police who said there was fighting down the road and they should go back.  By the time the terrorists had overcome the police on the road, they were sitting ducks.  Hundreds of killers just hunted them all down.  364 murders, one by one as they fled, hid, and tried to just survive.

I located a tree I planted here last year on another mission....

It is devastating to see literally hundreds of young, joyful Israelis in this picture - all murdered by Hamas.

We gathered as Rabbi Abby Treu of Congregation Oheb Shalom in South Orange, NJ, chanted the el malei rachamim prayer for their souls, and to remember them.  I was overcome not only by what humans can do to each other, but by what they want to do to each other.

While down south we also visited an amazing place of hope and light:  The Hagar Arab-Jewish Elementary school in Beer Sheva.  Supported by public funds and the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, the Hagar school has a fully mixed Arab and Jewish faculty and student body, teaching and working in both languages while learning about each other's communities.  The experiment works beautifully, and the children graduate back into their own high schools with a better base line understanding of the shared society that is truly Israel.

 

 

Emotionally exhausted, we returned to Jerusalem and heard from Arab Israeli journalist Khaled Abu Toameh, who spoke of not just Arab Israelis but Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.  Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning Israeli Arab journalist, lecturer, and documentary filmmaker specializing in Palestinian affairs. A Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, he has also worked as a senior producer for NBC in the Middle East and has reported on events in the West Bank and Gaza for several media outlets.  

Publications by Khaled Abu Toameh

He reminded us that too often people forget that the Israeli democracy includes 20% Arab citizens who are full members of Israeli society.  They do not seek a separation from Israel.  Israel is their country.  Yet tensions are high, and the far right demonization of Arabs is making it worse.  But that can be addressed, he assured us.  And he was absolutely clear as an Arab in Israel:  Hamas must not be left in charge of Gaza, and always has wanted only the destruction of Israel and the imposition of an Islamist state in its place.  That is what "From the River to the Sea" has always meant, and that is what it means today.

After such a long, and emotional day, we returned to the hotel.  Tomorrow we go north and the Interfaith Clergy will explore our origins in the land, and the beginning of Jesus' ministry in Capernaum.  More on that tomorrow.

Laila Tov.

None of this would have been possible without to complete support, sponsorship and advocacy of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, who funded, designed and led this remarkable experience.

Please consider supporting the Jewish Federation here.  GMW Donations

Gratefully Submitted by,

Rabbi Robert L Tobin

Rosh Chodesh Tevet, 5785

January, 2025