What a tragic and disconcerting week it’s been in Israel, a place so deeply held in so many of our hearts. Not only are bombs and rockets flying back and forth, an all-too-familiar experience for residents of Israel and Gaza, but neighborhoods are being torn asunder—mob violence in Israel among Jews and Arabs is erupting, a heartbreaking new phase in this interminable conflict. It is a deeply troubling moment. And while not comparable to the threats of physical violence residents there are facing, the conflict also carries reverberations into the American Jewish community, where we experience feelings of outrage, alienation, and hurt across the political spectrum.
Even while a cease-fire appears imminent, the conflict continues in Israel and Gaza, and our hearts and spirits remain heavy from the pain, suffering, and fear present there. Here in the United States, too, we continue to encounter deeply painful conversations, instances of antisemitism (no, not all criticism of Israel is inherently antisemitic, but we have seen episodes over the past couple of weeks that undoubtedly have been), divided communities, and challenges on all sides mustering the empathy that is called for in moments like this when we are reminded that all human beings have been created in the image of the Divine.
We have scheduled an Israel Town Hall Meeting for Sunday, May 23, 7-8:15 pm at this link, where all congregants can come together to share their experiences of this moment with one another. We have found this format meaningful in the past in relationship to previous events that have had deep impacts on the Jewish community and the broader world. If you’re interested, please, come prepared to share whatever is on your heart, mind, and spirit with fellow congregants, and listen to what’s on one another’s, in relationship to the crisis, to Israel’s place in the world, and to what our Jewish, and other, identities, ask of us in this present moment.
So deeply grateful to be in community with you in this and all moments.
