Apr 30th 2008, 00:00
Dear Friends,
This month marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the modern State of Israel. On May 14, 1948, Israel declared her independence and the Jewish dream of nearly two millennia finally came true. I have written and spoken numerous times about how fortunate we are to be among the generation of Jews to know, enjoy, and take pride in the Jewish State. I often think of my ancestors living in Poland and Russia suffering cruel anti-Semitism and pogroms. I imagine the thoughts that went through their minds as they prayed that one day Jerusalem should be restored, that Israel should one day be reestablished as a Jewish homeland. If it had only been during all those centuries of persecution and years of Holocaust.
We are now 60 years removed from the miracle actually happening. Few of us can remember a world without Israel, and although Israel is still surrounded by enemies and we hear almost daily about threats to her existence, America’s support for Israel remains as strong as ever. All three candidates for President have publicly stated their unwavering support for Israel and the Jewish People, and the Congress continues to provide much needed military and economic support. Thus the challenges have clearly changed.
I do not believe that we need to be concerned with Israel’s existence. Israel can take care of itself and America and other nations remain strong allies. What should now primarily concern us is how Israel might remain meaningful for American Jews. On one hand more teens and young adults go to Israel every year than ever before. On the other hand, there is a continuing and widening gap in the relationship between American Jews and the Jewish State. Thus we must ask ourselves the following questions:
Why, as an American Jew, should I have a relationship with Israel?
What might such a relationship look like?
Where might Israel “live” in my Jewishness?
Unlike other “hyphenated Americans,” most American Jews do not have any ethnic or cultural bond with their families’ countries of origin. On top of that, most American Jews are not of any Israeli heritage. Hebrew is not the native tongue of our grandparents, and what little Israeli culture we grew up with we experienced not at home but at the synagogue. To make this issue even more fuzzy, the word “Israel” can have many meanings. It can refer to the people, the land, the state, or to its literal meaning of “to wrestle with God.”
I believe that most American Jews care deeply about Israel and are invested in its future well being. Certainly that is the case with many of our own Temple members who have Israeli ancestry, lived in Israel for some period of their lives, or are engaged in and support one or more of the many organizations that work on behalf of Israel.
I hope that as we approach this milestone anniversary and celebrate throughout the coming year, that you will reflect on some of these questions and issues. One opportunity for you to do so will be on Friday, May 9th following our early Shabbat service, when our program for the evening will be “One Heart, Two Homes: Israel and the Sacred Identity of American Jews.” We will discuss and struggle with these question and issues and try to discover exactly what role Israel plays in our lives and exactly what its meaning is for us today. I hope you will join us.
As I reflect on this important anniversary I am reminded once again of those famous words from Theodore Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism: “Im tirtzu ein zo agaddah, If you will it, it is no dream.”
Lech L’shalom – May you go in peace,