Shabbat Shalom from Tel Aviv
At the Shabbat table in Jerusalem last Friday, our host, my old friend Nigel Savage, asked us to go round and say who we are, where we are from and what gives us hope. Not easy in these times, of course, but in the days since then in Jerusalem, Zichron Yaakov, Givat Chaviva, Pardes Hannah and Tel Aviv, connecting with old friends and passionate leaders, I have been inspired and have caught glimpses of hope. I had intended to do some agricultural volunteering during my time here, but at Shabbat lunch, an important teacher of mine, Rabbi Mimi Feigelson, reminded me how important it is to be with people and hear their stories in the wake of the trauma of October 7th. The daily harvesting that is being done by volunteers from all over the world in the fields and greenhouses in the devastated communities in the south is vital, but any grapefruits, avocados or tomatoes that were meant for me to pick will have to remain on the trees and vines, or in someone else’s hands.
Over the course of a week, I have had conversations, coffees, and lunches with so many people doing amazing work here and living their lives, and I have heard remarkable stories of resilience and hope. The continuing war, of course, takes its toll and the vast majority here are so concerned about the
hatufim, the hostages and their families. The demonstrations and protests, like the one I went to in Jerusalem last Saturday night and the one in Tel Aviv that I will be at with family and friends this Saturday night, have thousands and thousands across the country in attendance. They combine the desperate pleas - “ACHSHAV - NOW” - for the immediate release of the 133 hostages still in Gaza, at least 36 of whom are known to be dead, with intense anger and frustration over this government and its handling of the war; the outrageous exemptions of military service for a huge section of the Ultra Orthodox community, and the growing calls for elections. The outside world is somehow oblivious to the realities of the people here. The demonization of Israel as genocidal occupier from people who don’t understand the complexity and the pain of it all, is so hard for most Israelis, many of whom have been lifelong peace and coexistence activists. Obviously, I do not have the answers or solutions, nor the arrogance to assume that I know how this war should end, but I do know there are such good people here.
On Monday, I went with my friend Clare, who I have known since I was 15, to
YOUnited School (Givat Chaviva International School) . This beautiful and brilliant bubble of a school brings together Arab/Palestinians, Israelis, students from 25 countries including Ukraine, Russia, Ghana, Cambodia, Uganda, Peru and and the US - Jews, Muslims, Christians learning, growing, playing, creating and building community together across differences. I saw incredible art projects, heard from an 11th grader from Peru about her research on nuts and neuroscience; I had a conversation with a very bright Druze student who spoke barely any English when he arrived, and identifies as Druze, Israeli, Syrian and Arab. Kai Sherwinter, the oldest son of Karli and Danny who moved from Boulder to Zichron Yaakov five years ago, is a student at the school and is able to be his brilliant self, intellectually and emotionally. Talking to the students and staff, including my old friend Clare and Nurit Gery, the school’s managing director, and the students, gave me a glimpse of what is possible with its intellectual rigor, beautiful creativity, love and passion. All the students spoke with such positivity and excitement about this program that will culminate in an International Baccalaureate. This has to be the future. What gives me hope? This gives me hope.
On Tuesday, I met with Rabbi Elisha Wolfin, the leader of Kehillat V’Ahavta, the Masorti community with whom we partnered on our 2005 Israel trip, and heard about the great challenges and triumphs of holding together a community in these times, including the ways in which they have helped the many displaced and grieving in other parts of the country.
Drinking far too much strong coffee, I then met with an extraordinary individual called Yuval Roth, founder of
Baderech L’hachlama - the Road to Recovery. In 1993, Yuval’s brother Udi was kidnapped and killed by Hamas terrorists pretending to be religious Jews on his way home from reserve duty in the south. Yuval discovered Parents’ Circle Family Forum (PCFF) (also known as Israeli Palestinian Bereaved Families for Reconciliation and Peace), where family members who have lost loved ones to violence on both sides connect and commit to peace through their shared loss. Yuval met Muhammed Kabeh from the town of Ya’bad near Jenin, who asked his new friend a small favor: Would he help transport his brother, a cancer patient, from the border crossing to Rambam Hospital? Yuval was more than happy to help his friend.
Soon, similar appeals for transportation came in from more and more families in the area. Recognizing the great need, Yuval mobilized to assist his Palestinian neighbors.
The Palestinian Authority pays for treatment, but because there is no public transport from the border crossings to the hospitals, the high cost of the journey became prohibitive. Yuval became committed to getting more and more Palestinian patients to their life saving medical appointments.
These acts of kindness expanded into an organization that now completes 10,000 journeys each year, with 1500 Israeli volunteers participating, forming a community that brings Israelis and Palestinians together on a daily basis.
In September 2022, Yuval received the prestigious Yeshayahu Leibowitz Prize for his service to the public. Before October 7th, these daily journeys included trips to and from Gaza, but now continue only in the West Bank. Tragically and ironically, five of the Israeli volunteers, including the activist Vivian Silver, were murdered on October 7th and three were taken hostage, one of whom, Yocehved Lifshitz, was released. There is a loss of hope for peace and coexistence, and yet Yuval, whose ‘day job’ is a juggler, and the other volunteers continue this work every day. He shared with me a whatsapp message from one of the patients called Haled, who said
“you and all your friends and all the beautiful people in Rambam Hospital saved my life twice; first from cancer and second from being a closed minded fanatic...what you are doing is one of the reasons which I now hope for peace and do whatever I can to make more people hope and seek peace too...”
What gives me hope? Yuval and his team at Road to Recovery give me hope. I am grateful to have met him and to have heard his story.
These are just some of the people I met and experiences I had in my second visit here since this horrible war, that was not started by Israel, began. The world paints the ugly picture of a demonic, evil, genocidal Israel. Yes, people are angry, hurt, traumatized, feeling abandoned and, in many cases, want the army to finish the job of ridding the region of Hamas militants, but there is so much goodness and humanity here, even in these dark days. So many Israelis and tourists are volunteering every day where it is most needed as they continue to chant over and over again “ACHSHAV - NOW. Bring them home NOW!” and protest against this government. I had some wonderful days back in Jerusalem, including time at Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center, home of The Conservative Yeshiva where I studied for two years, reminding me of the importance of prayer and study in these times. People are striving to resume normal life where there is no normal. This Shabbat I will be celebrating the Bat Mitzvah of my cousin Libby in Tel Aviv. A young woman being called up to the Torah in a country where religion can be so divisive - this also gives me hope!
Earlier this week we celebrated Rosh Hodesh Nissan, the new moon of the Spring month that brings Passover, the season of liberation and redemption. New moons are always invitations for renewed hope and this one is Rosh HaShanah, as Nissan is actually the first month. Pesach will be different for most of the Jewish world this year and inevitably this war will make its way to our seder tables and there will likely be heated arguments and discussions across the various political opinions. One of the passages from the Haggadah,
“V’hee sh’amdah” includes
“For not only one enemy has risen up against us to destroy us,
but in every generation they rise up to destroy us.
But the Holy One, Blessed be He, delivers us from their hands.”
Some of us will connect in an intensely different way to this text in the aftermath of October 7th and its brutal attacks, and rising antisemitism around the world; others will be more focused on the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, and some of us will try to include both narratives. Wherever we are in this, may the month of Nissan and the festival of freedom restore our hope for Israel and all humanity and bring us closer to a redeemed world that we can only imagine.
I am so grateful for my time here. I love this place and its tenacious people and I still believe in the vision and the dream, hatikvah, the hope of our ancestors to be a free people in this land.
Blessings for peace, freedom and hope
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Marc
