L’shanah tovah u’metukah, may it be an happy and sweet new year 5772 for each of us... for all of us.
Last night, the sermon had a serious message... and the subject matter lent itself to some humor. We shared some big laughs... released a little tension... took a good look into our souls... as we took spiritual stock of ourselves. Those are the types of sermons most enjoyable to deliver and most enjoyable to hear. Generally, as things go... the Erev Rosh Hashanah sermon is lighter. So, if you can make it Erev Rosh Hashanah, there is more to smile about.
On Rosh Hashanah mornings... not so much. On Rosh Hashanah mornings, we spend time discussing the state of Israel and our relationship with her. Some years, the sermon can be lighter. For instance, last year, we highlighted the words of the prophet Isaiah, 42: 6, the Jewish people is to be a light unto the nations, the state of Israel likewise. This is our raison d’etre, our reason for being. We are to be the example people for others to see and follow. The word on our ark doors is to be a reminder... “or”... light. Yes... that whole paragraph was a play on the word, light :-)
We are called upon to shed light. There are many in the world whose raison d’etre seems to be to cloak things in darkness. You may remember last fall... the September 13, 2010 cover of TIME magazine read... Why Israel Doesn’t Care About Peace. For those who are strident critics of Israel it was another attempt... in a long line of attempts... to delegitimize her existence. The gist of the article was that if Israel were really serious about making peace, there would be peace. In the view of many, that assessment is incomplete and one-sided. It does not take into consideration all of the good Israel brings into the world. Some of those medical breakthroughs are in the “America’s Partner: Israel” hand-out.
Last night, I preached on “Rosh Hashanah Prayers In Six Words.” Some copies of it are in the pamphlet tower. This morning, the sermon is titled for the six word phrase which the Jewish community, and supporters of Israel, hoped to hear at the United Nations last week. We had hoped to hear Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas say, we “recognize Israel as a Jewish State.” He did not. However, those six words would go a long way in bringing peace to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Last week, as you are probably aware, President Obama gave a speech at the United Nations General Assembly. He spoke in support of a two state solution. There is, and will remain, a Jewish state of Israel, and through direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, a state of Palestine. Mahmoud Abbas gave a speech asking the UN to declare an independent Palestine without going into direct negotiations with the Israelis. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech outlining Israel’s willingness to go into direct negotiations with the Palestinians. The US wants the two parties to negotiate directly. The Palestinians do not want to engage in direct negotiations. The Israelis want to engage in direct negotiations.
Why are direct negotiations important? Because already 64 years ago, at the UN -- November 29, 1947, the General Assembly partitioned British-controlled Palestine into two states, one Arab and one Jewish, that would live side-by-side in peace. The Jews accepted the partition agreement, but the Palestinian Arabs rejected it and joined with five Arab armies -- Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt -- in an attempt to destroy the Jewish State of Israel. In May 1948, they did not destroy Israel, she survived.
So, a Palestinian Arab state was already declared, but they lost most of that land when they went to war with Israel... and lost. Israel did not initiate that war, she responded to the attack. In 1948, when the war of Independence ended with an armistace agreement -- the Arabs would not make a peace agreement with Israel, only an armistace agreement -- Egypt took Gaza, and Jordan took the West Bank -- Israel did not govern those lands. Only after the 6 Day War of June 1967, did Israel gain control of the West Bank and Gaza, and she has waited for the Palestinian Arabs to negotiate a peace... it has been a long wait.
-- By the way, it is of note that the UN voted to establish another country in August 1947. It is a country established as a Muslim country... anyone remember? Yes, Pakistan. As Jews, we do not begrudge the Pakistanis their country -- and founded as a Muslim state. Why do so many begrudge the Jews a small country -- smaller than the state of New Jersey? Why don’t people question the right of Pakistan to exist? --
At the UN General Assembly, President Obama’s speech was 4,500 words, Abbas’ was nearly 3,800, and Netanyahu’s was about 4,000. In other words, there is much to read and synthesize. I will attempt to shed a little light on the subject. -- By the way, a limited number of copies of Netanyahu’s speech are also in the pamphlet tower.
Okay... the US wants the two parties to negotiate directly. The Palestinians do not want to engage in direct negotiations. The Israelis want to engage in direct negotiations.
So, what’s happening here? This is a conflict about existence. The Israelis recognize that Palestinians exist, and that they would like to govern themselves. Israel would like that to happen, however, only if she has reasonable assurances for her own safety. If the Palestinians would “recognize Israel as a Jewish State,” Israel would have a viable partner with whom to negotiate. Think about it. Can you really negotiate about something of importance with someone who does not even acknowledge your very existence? Are you going to sit down and talk tachlis (details... nuts and bolts) with someone who won’t even say that you have a right to exist? This may sound innane, but, this is what Israel is facing.
When you read Mahmoud Abbas’ 3,800 word speech -- and I encourage you to do the simple web search -- you will find he does not use the word Jewish, at all. He asknowledges NO connection between Israel and its character as a Jewish state. He does mention Israel several times, by name... but it’s not so flattering. He mentions her as an occupier, as an apartheid state, as rascist, and the like.
To his three points: (1) In all of those 3,800 words, he does not say, even once, that Israel is the fulfillment of an historic Jewish connection to the Promised Land, going all the way back to biblical days. Neither does he “recognize Israel as a Jewish state,” or that she has a right to exist. Jews have lived in the the land of Canaan, the Promised Land, in Judea, in the Holy Land, in Palestine, and in the modern state of Israel for millenia. There have been times when there were more Jews... and times when there were fewer Jews... but there has never been a time when there were NO Jews in that particular geographical area.
Please listen to some of Abbas’ words: I come before you today from the Holy Land, the land of Palestine, the land of divine messages, ascension of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the birthplace of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), to speak on behalf of the Palestinian people in the homeland and in the Diaspora, to say, after 63 years of suffering of the ongoing Nakba: Enough. It is time for the Palestinian people to gain their freedom and independence.
Did you notice, he totally glossed over the Jewish people’s biblical connection and long history. He chose, rather, the more recent Christian connection, and the even more recent than that, Islamic connection.
(2) Israel is an apartheid state? Do not we know what apartheid is? Do not we remember South Africa? By law... blacks were second class citizens, could not vote, had no representatives in the government, could not live in white areas, were not allowed to use the same public bathrooms as whites, did not have judges in the judiciary. In Israel, by law, the 1.4 million Arabs living in Israel are citizens, they vote, they have representatives in the Knesset, they live where they please, everyone has access to the same public bathrooms, there are Arab judges in the Israeli court system.
The 1.4 million Arabs living in Israel live there because they know Israel is the only place in the Middle East where they can vote and live in a pluralistic, democratic society.
Is Israel perfect? No, not be a long shot. Is Israel the best place to live in that region? Yes, it is.
The Palestinian Arabs living in Israel could move to Gaza, or to the West Bank and live under Hamas or Palestinian Authority governance, but they don’t... they do not leave Israel because, in Israel, they are free to live their lives as they see fit.
Another item for our education... in more than 40 cities throughout the country, on dozens of college campuses, demonstrations are held for Israel Apartheid Week. This is a detestable thing and organizations like the American-Arab Discrimination Committee foster this false analogy of apartheid. Simply do a web search and you will see how these types of groups are trying to poison the minds, and souls, of our young people. Israel is not an apartheid state. Also, a good place to look is... “thedavidproject.org” Through education, they are trying to turn college campus discussions about Israel in a more positive direction.
(3) A racist state? Last month, I received a YouTube link of an Israeli TV show called “What Would You Do?” It is a show which checks how Israelis respond to a variety of issues by the use of hidden cameras -- it’s like the old American TV classic, Candid Camera .
In the 8 1/2 minute excerpt, the cameras were installed inside a Kiosk at a gas station near the city of Holon. (a neighborhood in the southern Tel Aviv Metro area) The guy selling coffee in the shop and the Arab woman trying to buy coffee -- are actors. Everyone else going into and out of the kiosk is an ordinary Israeli unaware of this TV sting.
It’s seven in the morning. The woman is wearing a head scarf and asks to buy coffee. He responds, “we don’t sell to Arabs here.” He shows no shame in what he says. How will the ordinary Israeli respond? Will she agree with the seller, or will he defend the Arab? And... there’s a third option. Maybe the person will just ignore the situation.
Israeli, after Israeli, argues with the seller...
“what do you mean? This is discrimination. What’s wrong with you? What do you mean look how’s she dressed... she could be a suicide bomber? She’s an human being just like you! Make her the coffee... I’m paying! Make me coffee, I’ll give it to her. Who taught you to talk like that?”
As one of the men places his coffee back on the counter, he says, “Here, take back your coffee... thank you. We’re not going to buy here, and we’re not coming back either. You are disgusting!”
In the next scene, a woman stands, while a man says, “no, no, no don’t say that... it’s politics. I’ll buy the Cappuccino and give it to her.” The seller replies, “oh, no, I’m not falling for that.”
The producer waits for this man to come out and asks him, “hello dear man where were you born?” The man replies, “Egypt. My mother had some problems, and I needed milk. Our neighbor fed me milk.” The producer asks, “was she Arab?” “Yes, she was Arab... her name was Fatahiyya.”
-- I was particularly moved by this man’s recollection from his childhood, and that he took care to recall her name. This is just like when we recall the names of loved ones... we want to remember them for blessing... not to forget them. --
A different man tells the seller, “it is not right to do that in our country... we’re proud of freedom and liberalism... she’s an Israeli citizen. Who cares how she is dressed... look at the ultra-Orthodox don’t they dress differently... they are citizens. You can love her... look, I don’t love the ultra-Orthodox, but they are human beings and deserve all the rights.”
Then a woman walks in... and chimes in, “do you judge people by their ethnic identity?” Now, there are four Israelis in the gas station telling the seller, “we don’t do such things in our country. You don’t want us to slander your name, right? You don’t want us to write to the newspaper do you?”
A young woman walks in and says, “sell to me, I’m not Arab... so give to me... although I’m half Iraqi-Jew so you can say I’m Arab.”
Finally, an Israeli walks in who tries to ignore the situation... but not for long. She doesn’t say but a few words to make the order. Then, she smiles at the seller and hands the Arab woman the coffee and danish. And then she pats the Arab woman on the arm and says, “L’shanah Tovah v’metukah.” (Happy and sweet new year to you) The Arab woman says, “you too.”
The woman says to the producer, “no, don’t shoot me (on camera)... I’m crying. It was so cruel the way that man spoke to her. It’s cruel to do such things to people.” Then smiling through her tears... and maybe thinking about her training in the Army, so said... “It’s illegal what I wanted to do to him. It was like he was killing her.”
We should all be blessed to live such a racist society, don’t you think?
The Palestinians, and most of the rest of the Arab world, continue to try to paint Israel as illegitimate. If they can get most world leaders to see Israelis as occupiers, advocators of an apartheid state, and racists, no one will expect the Palestinians to make peace with them, much less “recognize Israel as a Jewish state.”
Sadly, most of the UN has bought into this narrative. However, let us not give up. Let us continue to speak the truth about Israel... her imperfections, her attributes, her compassion, her genius, and her desire to live in peace with her neighbors.
Now, it is up to us. During the next few days... and throughout the year... each of us will have opportunites to shed light on this subject. Israel has a connection of 4,000 years to that land... Israel is a free and pluralistic country -- not an apartheid state... and Israel is open to all types of people, from all sorts of backgrounds, there is no systematic racism.
The truth is, Israel wants peace with a peaceful Palestinian state. Let us hope, and pray, that this is the year when the Palestinians “recognize Israel as a Jewish state” and dedicate themselves to live in peace with her.
Please God, shed light upon us and upon all of your children. And let us say...
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