Syria: A Lose- Lose Situation

For the past two years we have watched the civil war in Syria spiral into more and more human tragedy. As we go to press the death toll stands at 90,000 (more by some estimates) and our government has announced that Assad has crossed the “red line” as solid evidence mounts that he has used chemical weapons on the rebels. For many of us it is very hard to be concerned- Syria is an enemy of Israel- so we take some solace in the fact that our enemies are on a course of self-destruction. Our solace will be very short lived if we only take a look at the bigger picture. I would like to offer some thoughts about why you, an American Jew, should be concerned about Syria.

First, as a human being, you should be concerned about the loss of human life. There is nothing more precious than a single human life no matter what his or her religion or politics. To tolerate a government that murders its citizens with chemicals is wrong- the world should react quickly and strongly to end Assad’s rule. He has joined the ranks of Hitler and Stalin by killing his own people and ignoring the international consensus that chemical warfare is immoral. Although it is not something that I say or write lightly, I hope that America will lead the way in helping the rebels defend themselves.  I also recognize that that too is a lose-lose situation because of another reality.

Everyone who calls himself a friend of Israel should be concerned about the civil war in Syria. We cannot just stand back and watch with the “let them kill themselves” attitude. If the lessons of the so-called “Arab spring” have taught us anything it should warn us to be careful about what we wish for – the Arab spring brought groups into power that are filled with more hate than the governments that fell. It seems as if the Middle East is on a non-stop course from bad to worse. Do not believe the naiveté of those who speak about democracy and freedom in the Arab world- that is a dream that will never happen. Assad has been a constant threat to Israel but there are many indications that a rebel-lead government would be even worse. Again a catch 22 – do we hope that Assad will survive the challenge because he is a known quantity? Do we just sit back and hope that a new regime won’t be “that much worse?”

Many Americans have grown war-weary. In retrospect we see that Iraq was a mistake. We see that Afghanistan is a fiasco only waiting to get worse. We are bitter about the loss of so many American lives that, in the view of many, will have been for nothing. We are also bitter about the economics of war- millions of dollars spent fighting wars and helping other countries at a time in which our own country and our own people are in desperate trouble. The money keeps getting printed. People make less. Everything costs more. Against that background it is very hard for many of us to really worry about a civil war in a country that most Americans could not find on a map. Again a lose-lose situation. It is a little too late to become isolationists but it is also a little too late to continue to believe that America can police the entire globe.

Bottom line? We will have to take a terrible gamble- to leave Assad in power is an insult to humanity. The world has to have a shared voice and take a shared action against every regime that murders its own people- it is a moral obligation. We must make the loss a power an immediate threat to any government that sanctions murder. It is the only way we have of protecting humanity against the tyranny of self-appointed rulers. We also have the obligation to be alert – there is no promise that the new bully on the block won’t be worse that his predecessor.

Getting To Know You




When I speak to veterans of World War II there is one story that seems to be repeated all the time- boot camp. The young Jewish draftee is dumped in some camp in a place that he never heard of and finds his way to the barracks filled with soldiers who had never met a Jew before. You know the rest of the story—the young Jewish draftee is asked to show his horns! As crazy as it sounds to us I know those stories are true and, yes, the other soldiers really did expect to see horns.

If anything positive came of such encounters I hope it was a barrack filled with men who learned that Jews do not have horns and, in fact, are just like them in so many ways. It was a reciprocal education- many young Jews learned to live out in the “goyisha velt” and many non-Jews learned that all the stereotypes they had heard were not true. I believe it was a positive encounter. I have always believed that anti-Semitism is bred by ignorance. People will believe almost anything about someone they don’t know. As a rabbi I feel it is a real mitzvah any time I can teach a non-Jew about our religion.

It seems strange but these veterans’ stories came to my mind as I read about a recent vote in the Israeli Knesset. No, not a story about Israelis and Palestinians getting to know each other but about Israelis getting to know each other. Last week a bill was passed that requires young Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men to be drafted into the Army at age 21. Until now that community had been exempt from service. Needless to say, this has caused much bitterness from those who serve. This move is not a done deal- religious political leaders are still threatening to pull their votes from the coalition government and, as written, the law does not take effect for four years.

There will be much more political fallout to come and no one knows what will happen but I believe there could be one very beneficial effect- by serving in the IDF religious and secular Israelis will be forced to live together and to get to know each other. These two worlds exist side by side in Israel- the secular and the Orthodox. They live in physical proximity but they live in different worlds. This creates a wall that very few ever bother to scale. It only creates hatred and mistrust in both communities

There are several truths that stand behind this new bill. Israel needs a standing army- universal service is not an option it is an unfortunate necessity. Until the burden of protecting Medinat Yisrael is shared equally by all, such service will remain a point of friction and resentment. I know that the Haredim have their own reasons for not wanting to serve in the military but I believe their service and the interaction that it will foster could go a long way toward uniting two parts of Israeli society that have been and remain total strangers to each other. It will be a bitter medicine to many but I believe the patient will be healthier and stronger in the end.

Women of the Brawl


Several days ago there was a very tragic scene that unfolded at the Kotel. What the Israeli press described as “a public brawl” took place as members of the ultra-orthodox communities tried to block the service that had been planned by “Women of the Wall.” WOW, as they are known, represents observant woman who wish to pray at the wall. Many of them wear tallitot and observe other rituals that are traditionally observed by males. The on-going friction between them and the Heridi community has often erupted in controversy leading to arrests and court orders.

This month the game changer came when an Israeli court ruled that Women of the Wall can legally hold services at the Kotel in any manner they wish. Needless to say, the Orthodox community has refused to recognize their rights to worship. Government officials have even suggested that the Kotel plaza now have three sections- “Men,” “Women,” and “Egalitarian.” This suggestion has done little to ease friction. The question of religious pluralism continues to be a thorn in the side of Israeli society. While the Orthodox rabbinate continues to use its political power to keep hold of authority, small steps have been taken. The real tragedy is that the situation only aggravates other social divisions in Israeli society.

“Jewish unity” has become a real buzz word lately- it alludes to some far off time in which all Jews can work together for the common good of our people. Under current circumstances such “unity” is a bad joke. What site is holier or more a focus of Jewish peoplehood than the Kotel? Yet even the Kotel is a battleground for Jews who just can’t agree on how to worship the God of Israel. Why is mutual respect and tolerance for your fellow Jew so elusive? I believe in Israel as a Jewish state- as an observant Jew that Jewish state must have a Jewish soul. Without Judaism a “Jewish state” becomes an ethnic caricature. But that Jewish soul has to be large enough to dwell in everyone. Putting the “Jewish” in Jewish state is not just the job of the ultra-right.

Women of the Wall deserve a place at the Kotel. Every Jew deserves a place at the Kotel. One of the things that always makes me proud to be a Jew is that we are a people which has never been embittered by the pain that history has inflicted upon us. That positive spirit has allowed us to exist under the worst of circumstances- it also has been the spirit of constant spiritual growth. To see Jews attacking other Jews on religious grounds is a sign that we are slipping backwards, that the impetus to withdraw from the world is out pacing the honest need to confront the world and modernity itself. Those who act as if Judaism could exist in a vacuum are condemning Judaism to the status of a relic.

Women of the Wall represents another step in the Jewish confrontation with modernity. It may be a battle but it is a battle that we have always confronted and, so far, we have won. I hope somewhere out there we can find a voice to reconcile the growing gap between modernity and tradition.



This article appeared in the South Florida Jewish Journal

Our Torah, Our Purpose




Next week on the 15th and 16th we celebrate Shavuot, the holiday the rabbis called Zeman Matan Toratanu. Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai but the rabbinic phrase actually means “the time of the giving of our Torah. There is much to learn in this little phrase, after all wasn’t it God’s Torah that he gave to Israel. Why should the sages go out of their way to emphasis that it is our Torah?

Today one of the buzz words we often hear is about giving someone a reason to “own” an idea or a cause. It means giving someone a reason to commit fully- to give them “ownership.” While this may make a lot of sense in the corporate world, it also reveals what Judaism is all about. When we, as a people, accepted the Torah at Mt. Sinai it did becomes ours. The Torah is a code of holiness, a code of conduct, and a code to “unlock” the secrets of human life. The Torah is also a blueprint for creating a better world. If Israel was not ready to turn abstract ideas into the daily workings of human society then the Torah was really God’s book not Israel’s Book.

In the Torah the loftiest spiritual messages sit side by side with some of the seemingly most mundane details of human life. This often confuses people. What would God care about the way in which people harvest their crops or make their clothes or anything else that is so pitifully human. God does care about these “little details” because they reflect much larger ideas. You live what you believe. If you perceive the world as a sacred place you will treat it as such. If you treat it as something that rests beyond God’s concern then it is beyond your concern also.

Shavuot celebrates the giving of our Torah because it is we who bring Torah into the world of everyday life. Consider the recent factory tragedy in India. An eight story factory was constructed without permits or supervision of any kind. The building was used as a clothing factory to turn out clothes that would be sold in America. This labor force worked for ten cents a day to create the clothes that we wear. When the building literally fell in on itself hundreds of people died. They are still searching for bodies. Is it any wonder that the Torah includes laws on how to treat workers?

That is but one example. If you search the pages of the Torah you will see why our “ownership” is critical. Only by each of us making the effort to address the world as it is, and longing to make it what it could be , does God’s Torah become ours. There is an old saying that “the devil is in the details.” In reality it is God who is in the details.

Shavuot is something to celebrate- no people has ever had the opportunity to share in re-creating the world in the way we have. The only question is if we will make the Torah ours or, through our inaction, let God keep it to Himself.

This article appeared in the South Florida Jewish Journal.

Our Not-So-Secret Weapon

As we celebrate Israel’s birthday in this special issue, it is a perfect time to reflect on what Israel means to all of us. There is so much that we need to know to fully appreciate the miracle of modern Israel. Three generation of sabra’s have created a modern democracy from the ashes of destruction. Israel, while living in the daily shadow of lethal threats, has created an economy and workforce that leads the world in technology and innovation. Recent news coming out of Israel even tells us that Israel will soon achieve something even the United States has not done- thanks to recent oil and gas discoveries Israel will soon be energy independent. Not a bad record for a sixty-five year old work in progress!

All of these miracles have occurred for a nation that most observers wanted to wipe from the pages of history. No people could lose its land and then return to rebuild. No nation has faced genocide and returned stronger than ever. No nation but the Jews. Thanks to Israel the future of Jewish people looks brighter than ever. I believe that the future of Judaism is also looking brighter than ever thanks to Israel.

Yes, I know you might disagree- “Lots of Israelis aren’t even religious,” “Lots of Israelis are too orthodox,” “There is no middle ground in Israel, I feel out of place.” All these responses are true, I admit that. Israel is no utopia. Israeli society deal contains all the flaws of every other modern society. I also admit that sometimes Israeli and American Jews see things so differently that it is hard to even hold a conversation about religion, politics, war, and, yes, even peace.

With all these shortcomings and disagreements there is one thing that I know. For those of us who worry about the Jewish future, for those of us who want our children and grandchildren to live a full, proud Jewish life there is nothing that fills the Jewish heart with pride, hope, and self-respect like the land of Israel. We live in an age in which sociologists have predicted the disappearance of the American Jew. No not by an enemy without, but from the enemy within. The enemy of apathy. I believe those predictions are wrong but we all still wonder what we can do to insure that the coming generations will be proud to be Jewish and, more importantly, love being Jewish. We all know there are a million reasons that Jews find not to be involved in Jewish. What we need for the future is more reasons to be involved.

That’s where Israel comes in- for all her flaws Medinat Yisrael is still the catalyst that has saved Jewish souls. In an age of assimilation and apathy, at a moment in which too many young Jews are “falling between the cracks,” the experience of going to Israel is a life changing event. There are so many amazing programs for teens and college students. Each and every one of them offers a different take on Israel but what they all share is the unique experience of exposing young Jews to the concept of a Jewish nation. In a Jewish nation you are related to everyone, hopefully you can relate to everyone, and for the first time understand that being Jewish means being much more than an individual or member of a single family- it is being part of a people with a unique history and a unique future.

I think that historians will look back at the 21^st century and be amazed by what we will achieve as a people. They will also be at a loss to understand it. How could it be? What allowed the Jews to survive, to flourish, to write their own future? The answer to that question will, in no small way, be answered by our not-so-secret- weapon. We built the Jewish future based on the Jewish past and by our secret weapon- the Land of Israel.

 

Pictures to Share

While I usually reserve this blog for articles and reviews, I was asked to share some photography on the blog. I want to remind you that you are always welcome to come by my other websites for other projects. Here's a run down to help you find what you are looking for:

Podcasts are at "radioyaakov.libsyn.com."
Photography: " photobucket.com/yaakovt"
Music: "radioyaakov.com"
TV shows and gig footage: youtube.com/yaakovt

I also invite you to join me for my two weekly radio broadcasts on "weinetwork.com" The 45rpm Show airs on Tuesday at 9pm and Sundays at 10am and 5pm. The Bebop Jazz Hour can be heard on Sundays at noon and again at 7pm. "weinetwork.com" is a 24/7 internet station- check it out.

To Life L'Chaim airs on Jewish Life TV on Tuesdays at 10pm and every morning at 11am. JLTV is national and airs in Florida on Comcast 239. Also please watch for episode 2 of our documentary "Reliving the Holocaust Through Their Eyes." I will have posts up with air times.

In the meantime I thank you for coming by the blog and I hope you enjoy the pictures below (from my photobucket site. Click on the picture to make it full size.


"SHIP WRECKED"



CREATION



HOME TO NO ONE

In an Ideal World

Did Elijah show up at your Seder two weeks ago? Oh, yea, he forgot to come to mine too! Why do we open the door every year and wait for this perpetual no show? Why do we even care now that Passover is over and gone? Elijah is supposed to come to every Seder to bring good news- he comes to announce the Messiah is on his way! Hey, speaking of the Messiah, he seems to be a perpetual no show too! All of this Elijah and the Messiah talk centers around the Passover season because, according to Jewish tradition, Passover will be the time of redemption for the Jewish people and the entire world.

So here we are- we have celebrated Passover, invited Elijah, and waited for the Messiah for over 3000 years. We are still waiting and yet the coming of the Messiah is still an important part of Jewish theology. Why haven’t we abandoned all this Messiah talk after all this time? I think it is because we still believe that an ideal world is possible. We still believe that it is worth dreaming about a time in which all people can live in peace.

It seems like peace has always been a pipedream and war has been the reality. As Jews we have never given up on the possibility of peace. That is the job of the Messiah- to usher in a time of peace, a time described as a time during which “the lamb will lay down with the lion and none shall be afraid.”

The last few days have shown us just how far we still are from that ideal world- new attacks in Israel have put us on edge, North Korea’s insane saber rattling bewilders us, and war is still waged around the world. It seems like it never ends. I wonder if a study of human history could discover a single year in which there was not a war somewhere on this small planet. Probably not.

Perhaps that is the best reason of all to open the door for Elijah- maybe we should make it a daily practice. The consequence of modern technology is the possibility of modern warfare. We now have to think in global terms- a war in one place can have tragic “fallout” for the entire planet. We no longer worry about the death of individuals or even nations. Now we worry about the destruction of our entire world as we know it.

We have often been described as a stubborn people. That is often meant as an insult but I would like to think of it as a compliment. We are stubborn- despite the history of the human race we still believe an ideal world is a possibility. We have waited a long time with disappointment but have been too “stubborn” to give up the dream. Elijah still keeps forgetting to come with his announcement but we still keep opening the door and waiting.

Like many of you I often turn the news off- too much bad news, too many crazy people in the world, too many people who place no value on human life. How can we react otherwise? The Jewish reaction is to keep the door open- as long as the door is open we can still dream of an ideal world.