D'var Torah

In this week’s Torah portion the Israelites Vayakhel - gather to create their sacred physical space, the Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting which they carried through the desert on their way to Land of Israel. Just a short time ago, I returned from another experience of gathering for a sacred purpose. A group of TRS members, Cantor Michaeli and I traveled to Israel to do the hard and holy work of being present, of listening, of holding and understanding the vastly painful experience of Israelis – both Jewish and Arab – since October 7.

Temple Rodef Shalom is a diverse community with members who hold a variety of views on the tragic situation in Israel and Gaza. In traveling to Israel, we tried to gather with individuals and organizations reflecting the diversity of our community. As all members of the tribe of Israel gathered in this week’s parasha, so too did we try to gather with a broad spectrum of Israeli society. We met with survivors of the horrific attacks of October 7. We met with government officials and peace activists. We met those on the left and those on the right. We met with Israeli Palestinians. We met with artists and musicians. For each of these gatherings, we tried to do the sacred work of being present, listening and seeking understanding.

Our trip was deeply meaningful. 

Despite the range of views we experienced while in these many gatherings, there were a few themes that we heard over and over again. These issues and beliefs seemed to be universally held and we absorbed them and folded them into our thinking as we shared and managed our own differing opinions. Within the Israeli’s ‘communal Tabernacle’, it was clear that –

• The Israeli Jews remain in deep trauma from the events of October 7.  Many say that being in Israel is like being in a shiva house where everyone is a mourner, and there is no one who brings the cake or plays the role of comforter.
• The primary conversation in both the Israeli government and Israeli society revolves around the release of hostages and the defeat of Hamas.
• Conversations about what might happen next, about a plan for the ‘day after’ the war officially ends do not yet seem to be in focus for Israelis.
• The relationship between Jewish Israelis and Palestinian Israelis is tense and fragile.  Israelis feel a lot of broken trust, though there are still pockets of hope.
• Some Israelis are aware of the rising antisemitism in America. They are concerned but in some ways the type of antisemitism we experience is foreign to them.
• There is tremendous gratitude to the US government for the ongoing support they offered. President Biden’s visit in wartime was frequently referenced.

These realities, coupled with the knowledge we gained through our many meetings, have left me to reflect on the unique role that the US Jewish community can and should play at this critical time for Israel and really for Jews all over the world.  Here are some of those thoughts:

• The US government has a unique role in working for the release of the hostages and we need it to continue this work.
• The conversation around the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is one that lives almost entirely within the American Jewish community and is most animated in the Reform Movement. We should continue to lead this conversation guided by the values of Prophets, the core of Reform Judaism.
• As some American Jews disconnect from their relationship with Israel and even at times from Judaism, we need to stay connected with them and do what we can to maintain that relationship.
• We all need a deeper understanding of the history of this region. This includes understanding the Palestinian narrative alongside the Jewish one.
• We need to be patient with our Israeli partners as they suffer unimaginably through this ordeal and face this menacing threat. They have partnered with us in so much important social justice work in the past and often led the way. Now, they need us to stand with them, and at the same time, lead the way ourselves.
• While most Israelis may not have the bandwidth to envision a future of bringing Gaza and the West Bank to a new place and resolving conflict with other Arab countries, we must.

I understand that some members of our Temple community share many of these views. Others have a different lens and different priorities in addressing the current crisis. Like the Israelites of old, we too must vayakhel, gather, to be in conversation with one another. Like our travelers, we must be present, open to respectful exchange of ideas that lead to deeper understanding and appreciation of our diverse community.

I embrace and want to lift up the varied voices of the TRS family. In that spirit, I invite you to a two-part program entitled “Today & Tomorrow in Israel.” Our first gathering will be an opportunity to listen to experts on Israel policy from different sides of the discussion. They will discuss the ‘now’ and the ‘next’ on the Israel-Gaza war. The second part, scheduled on a different evening, will include a Congregational Conversation. Please watch for a congregation-wide email that includes more detail, including registration links.

As our ancestors did in this week’s parasha, let us vayakhel, gather, in sacred partnership and with sacred purpose.