A Trip From The Past To The Future

It had been 51 years since I last stepped foot in the cities of Lod/Lydd/Lydda and Ramla. I was 16, and along with 20+ other teens was living just down the road for the summer at Ben Shemen youth village. We were exchange students through what is now called Heller High/EIE and would walk to Lod, or if feeling lazy, take the bus to one of those towns for the afternoon. We studied Hebrew as a group, but worked in the fields with the residents of Ben Shemen as we prepared to spend the fall semester with our Israeli families.

Lod and Ramla were exotic. Arabs and Jews living together. We never even thought about whether the waiters in the cafes were Muslims, Christians, or Jews. We practiced our broken Hebrew on them and they smiled at our efforts (or maybe they were laughing at us.) I kept that idyllic 16-year-old’s vision of Lod and Ramla until about 9 years ago when I read Avi Shavit’s book  My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel.

In his book, Shavit describes the 1948 massacre and expulsion of the Arabs in Lod, perpetrated in part by Israeli soldiers, some of whom were from Ben Shemen. He talks about the thousands of Palestinian residents of Lod who were forced into the main mosque and St. George's church. He places us in the mind of the scared teenage soldier, who fired a rocket into the mosque killing hundreds of men, women, and children. The idyllic vision was shattered. So, when I saw that one of the field trips included in my program at the Shalom Hartman Institute was going to Lod, I immediately signed up.

Physically, Lod had barely changed in 51 years, but the reality on the ground had. We met our guide Dror Rubin at the Lod Chicago Community Center in the Ramat Eshkol (the old city neighborhood of Lod.) Dror is the Director of Inter-Community Partnership for the Center and since 2016, he has been a senior facilitator for “Search for Common Ground”, one of the world’s largest organizations for peace building. After a brief introduction and history lesson, we walked to the newest public building and museum in Lod, The Mosaic Museum which embodied much of the reality of today’s Lod, even though it is not the mission of the museum.

When contractors were excavating to lay a new water line twenty-five years ago, they discovered a large, intricate mosaic from the period when Lod was the headquarters of the Roman Legion. Archeologists determined that it was from the house of a merchant who lived next door to the headquarters. You can see the damage the excavator did in the pictures, but fortunately, it was left largely intact. The mosaic was preserved and some American donors decided to build a home for the Mosaic in Lod, near where it was found. The museum was completed and ready to open when the riots of May 2021 began. Here in the city where St. George, who Christian tradition says slew the dragon is buried, the dragon fires burned again. Responsibility for the riots and the atrocities that were committed, lay with both Palestinians and Israelis and some tensions simmer to this day. Early in the riots, the windows of the Mosaic Museum were shattered and Molotov cocktails hurled inside. What was supposed to be a symbol of unity and a home for some economic growth, was shattered. Thankfully the damage was minimal but it took 14 months for the museum to finally open. We were among the first visitors from outside the city.

Standing outside the museum, we met Hilda Kadasa Bahalul,

who for the past twenty years, has been working as a consultant and facilitator of women's groups. For the past ten years, she has been working as a community coordinator for the Arab community in Lod. She is an amazing woman who creates activities for Arab women and works for civil rights for Palestinians that live in Israel but are not citizens. While she is an Israeli citizen, because she was born in Gaza, she has an understanding of the issues the non-citizens face. She told us uplifting stories about women whom she had helped leave abusive relationships, and about a program she created to teach young girls and women how to ride bicycles.

She also talked about the struggles she and other Palestinian women have faced. At age 52 she is about to complete her B.A. in Humanities at Ariel University3d and is helping others like her find advanced educational programs. Hilda also spoke to us about how her daughter has had to postpone her wedding because neither family could afford a venue large enough to hold the celebration. 

Spontaneously, twenty plus "wealthy" American rabbis were pulling 100 NIS notes to help her pay her tuition and for her daughter's wedding. She refused to take the money unless we told her it could be used to help pay for the programs she runs. We readily agreed to let this remarkable woman use the funds as she saw fit.

Back at the community center, we heard from three other speakers. Rami Younis, who is making a film entitled "Lydd in Exile" that describes the events of 1948 from a purely Palestinian perspective. He was forthright in telling us that his film was totally biased and one-sided.

Lod, and other small Israeli towns, are seeing the establishment of Zionist-Religious settlers (i.e. Hardi Jews) moving in. Their stated goal is to buy homes and property from Palestinians and make these cities 100% Jews. Lod is a major focus of these settlers and this, in part, contributed to the May, 2021 riots. Rabbi Yehuda Gilad, principal of the settlers’ high school came to talk to us and it felt like he came from a different reality. From his perspective, there was no conflict between Arabs and Jews in Lod, and there never had been. While he did not use the term "fake news", it was implicit in his words that any talk of conflict was just that, fake news. He claimed that they were moving into Lod because housing there was cheaper than the cities, especially nearby Tel Aviv, which is true, but he totally ignored the reality that they only bought property that belonged to Arabs, often at higher than normal prices to incentivize the Palestinians to sell their homes and leave town.

Our final speaker was Mine Abu Luban, a Palestinian member of the Ramla city council. He talked about Ramla as a different reality. years before the Zionist-Religious settlers began arriving in Ramla, the community had established a religious leadership council consisting of the local Muslim, Christian, and Jewish senior clergy. Thus, when the settlers began to arrive and advocate for free reign in moving out Arabs from their homes, the religious leadership council stepped forward as a united body to oppose them. This slowed, but did not stopped the takeover by the settlers, and, when the May, 2021 riots began, the council was able to promote dialog and minimize the rioting and its impact. We did not go to Ramlah, but our tour leaders reassured us that what he said was true.

We concluded our time in Lod with a walking tour back to our bus. Normally, St. George's Church (1260 C.E.) is closed to the public, but a group of Christian pilgrims were visiting so it was open and we were able to see the incredible beauty that was within. Unfortunately, we were not able to see St. George's tomb.

St. George's is next door to one of the main mosques in Lod and down the street from a row of synagogues representing the different ethnic Jewish communities of Lod, Ashkenazi to Sefaradi, Bene Menashe to Yemenite. Fifty-one years ago, one of the most moving times at Ben Shemen was when our leaders took us to Lod on Tisha B'Av and we went from synagogue to synagogue experiencing the rich diversity of the Jewish communities there.

Three-quarters of my life have passed since I was last in Lod. My memories of seeing it through the eyes of an idealistic, "innocent" 16-year-old will never leave me. In 1971, I learned to see Israel, not in black and white, but rather in grays. Through the years, I have learned to see Israel through a prism and take in the multitude of colors that is its reality; the glory and the tragedy, the incredible progress and how much work still needs to be done.

May Israel and her residents know shalom uv'racha - peace and blessings.

Back Home In Jerusalem

As I sit here on the hotel patio under the shade of an umbrella and feel the refreshing Jerusalem breeze, I marvel that it has been over three years since I was last in Jerusalem. I signed up to attend the Shalom Hartman Rabbinic Summer Program for the summer of 2020, which thanks to COVID, was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021. Arriving here last Friday, I let out a long held breath and an ease began to settle on me. A feeling of being in my second home.

Since classes do not start until tomorrow (July 5,) I have been free to just walk the city. Much has changed here in these past three years, let alone in the 46 years since I lived here. On the simplest level, as the city has grown, the number of bus routes has grown exponentially. Most of Jaffa Road has been taken over by the light rail. Yet, Jaffa Rd. also remains the same, even from 46 years ago as many of the same stores are still there and open for business.

I have spent the past three days re-exploring the parts of the city I’ve always loved. From Machaneh Yehudah to the interior of the Jaffa Gate, from the dozens of parks just off King David Street to the cafes along King George, to First Station (the old Jerusalem train station). The aromas and flavors are the same, The languages have changed. I’ve heard no Russian so far, and not as much English.

To prepare for this summer, I’ve been taking online Hebrew lessons through the Rosen School at Hebrew University. Today I had a real blessing. The class starts at 8:00 PM Albuquerque time which is 5:00 in the morning in Israel. For some reason I woke up about 4:30 this morning so I decided to sign into the class and am very glad I did. None of the other students signed on so our teacher and I spent the hour just talking. Unlike walking the streets here where I’m immediately spotted for the American I am and people default to English, Ronit and I spent the entire hour conversing in Hebrew. The conversation showed me both how much Hebrew I’ve actually retained over the years as well as reinforcing how much Hebrew I’ve forgotten. As they say, use it or lose it. 

While I have reconnected over dinner with colleagues I haven’t seen in decades, essentially I am here alone as Michele doesn’t arrive until the 13th. Over the past three days I’ve walked over 20 miles and today is not over yet. The sounds of the city remain the same. Okay, to be honest, there is more traffic noise. What a pleasure to be someplace where it is safe to walk most everywhere. The drivers may honk impatiently at each other, but if you are waiting at a crosswalk, the drivers proactively stop to let you cross. Even the so-called rude Israeli drivers respect those of us who travel by foot.

Memories and reminders are flooding back. Not just the places I frequented over the years but more reminders of people. I stopped for a soda at a restaurant that a kind older colleague invited me to join him and his daughter after Shabbat services. I walked by the old Bezalel Academy buildings and thought of a former student who took his year abroad to study in their dance program. Sweetness fills the air.

It is good to be back home and odd to not be home. But that is the way it is here in a place which is still struggling with own multiverse of identities. The air is sweet, the memories sweeter, and the promise of new experiences even sweeter yet.

Some Final Thoughts About Our 5778 Congregation Albert Israel Trip

Having been home for 40 hours I have been thinking back on our Israel Trip. Here are some of my reflections:

1)  This was the most diverse group I've ever travelled with to Israel. Over two weeks I marveled as this disparate group morphed into a community. Some friendships were created, others deepened. Even those who will never be more than acquaintances watched over each other with care and concern.

2)  What made the trip particularly meaningful to me was meeting "ordinary" Israelis who are doing extraordinary yet simple things to transform their communities and the country for the better.

3)  Gratitude:
   
     To Michele for keeping me sane and pushing me to find even more new places.
   
     To my partner on this trip Rabbi Paul Citrin for making most of the arrangements.

     To our guide Frances Oppenheimer who shared her personal insights and stories. She was not just our guide but a treasured member of our community. Not to mention we share the same sense of humor.

     To our bus driver Shalom. I have had many bus drivers over the years but Shalom surpassed them all. Not just backing up a mountain with a hairpin turn or navigating narrow roads in a giant bus but for his kindness to everyone in our group.

     To the whole group for your appreciation, patience, and acceptance.

     To all of our speakers and guests who added learning and personal stories thus enhancing our experience.

     To my friends Michael and Sally for a wonderful dinner and 47 years of friendship.

     To my partners at Congregation Albert, especially Cantor Barbara Finn for holding down the fort.

4)  This was my umpteenth trip to Israel over 47 years including one for six months and one for a year. Each time I see new wonders and the same old problems. I see people who persevere, laugh, mourn, celebrate, and live their lives with dignity. America is my country and my home yet, while I cannot see myself living there, Israel is too.

Until next trip - L'hitraot.

An Undaunted Spirit pt. 3 - Israel Guide Dog Center

In the mid-1980’s Israel’s only trainer of guide dogs retired. From that moment Israeli blind and visually impaired people were told they needed to learn English and go to the United States to get a guide dog. Fresh out of the army, Noach Braun wanted to change Israel for the better and committed his life to creating a center for the training of guide dogs. Noach did not know blind people but he began a quest that took him to the United States, Great Britain, and back to Israel to learn how to train guide dogs and train others to do the same. Starting with next to nothing, today the Center has expanded to training 40 plus dogs a year with a goal of training 60 dogs a year within the next two to three years.

We have been supporters of the Center for over a decade so Michele and I decided to leave our group for a morning and visit the Center to see for ourselves the work they do. Of course the puppies were adorable. These puppies are four weeks old and will be sent out to foster homes in another 4 weeks where they will begin their socialization which will last about 14 months.

Upon returning to the Center,  the dogs begin their rigorous four to six month training to become guide dogs. Only 40% - 50% of the dogs are suitable to guide the blind or visually impaired. The vast majority of the rest are trained to be service dogs to people with physical impairments or  emotional support dogs for former soldiers or  terror victims diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Of course there is a small percentage of dogs who are not suitable to be working dogs and they are adopted out as pets.

After a long day of training the dogs get to play.

Noach Braun is one of my Mitzvah Heroes.

An Undaunted Spirit pt. 2 - S’derot

S’derot is another development town. What makes it unique is that it sits a mile east of the Gaza border and about 10 miles from Gaza City.

We were there on the 17th anniversary of the the first Hamas rockets raining down on the town. For 17 years, every week, or several times a week the warning comes and the residents have 15 seconds to reach shelter. Over the years, the roofs of every school and all new construction have been reinforced to withstand the assault. All buildings have safe rooms and shelters dot the streets. Yet, not only are the residents not deterred but the city has a positive growth rate especially among young adults. How many rockets have fallen? Here is but a small fraction.

We met Shoshana and Adi at a preschool. Both have young children and described for us how they are raising them given the reality of life in S’derot. Combining lessons in safety and optimism they are part of a thriving, growing town. Imagine living on a border and being shelled year after year with no end in sight. How many of us could withstand the pressure, the possibility that the next rocket could hit your home or your child’s school? Yet here they live their lives with hope.

An Undaunted Spirit pt. 1 - Yad L'kashish, Yerucham

A couple of people asked me “Why would a young person leave behind the life they know and make Aliyah?” Obviously, there are as many answers as there are individuals. But, our last few days in Israel add a most important answer as we met people who took and are taking advantage of Israel’s entrepreneurial spirit to create positive social change.

Yad L’kashish: Providing Dignity To Our Elders

In the 1960’s a few young people saw the growing number of elderly poor in Jerusalem. Rather than walking by with downturned eyes they opened a workshop to train these people as bookbinders to provide them with meaningful paid work and ensure they had at least one good meal a day. From that creative but humbling beginning Yad L’Kashish has expanded to teach people how to embroider, weave, make brass ritual objects, and most importantly, providing each of their clients with new creative skills and a deep sense of dignity. Today they have a shop where people can buy the goods the clients make and enable Yad L’kashish to help even more people. They sell beautiful items which thankfully many of our group purchased. Of course some of of what they make reflects the beginning skills of their workers.

Yerucham: From Developement Town To A Meaningful Place To Live

In the 1950’s, Israel created the so called “development towns” throughout the south to build the population of the desert and to provide homes for new immigrants mostly from the Arab world. Minimalist housing was built and whatever work there existed was minimalistic. With the mass immigration of the Russian Jews in the 1990’s these towns saw a brief influx of new residents and government resources and then found themselves abandoned again by the government and the exodus of their young. But in the last few years, a new generation arose who knew not, or cared not, the legacy of the past and determined to control the future of their homes. Yerucham is the vanguard of this new reality.

We were privileged to meet with two women leading the change. The first, Perach Lilach is a 25 year old woman who returned to Yerucham following her army service with a dream to change the lives of Yerucham’s residents left behind. After convincing her “big city” boyfriend to return to Yerucham, Perech works with Atid BaMidbar (The Future is in the Desert) Perech helping young people to find their to help build Yerucham while she attends school in nearby Be’er Sheva. Her enthusiasm for her home is contagious.

We also met with Deputy Mayor Tal Ohayon who became the youngest Deputy Mayor in Israel eight years ago at age 26. She started her adult life by returning to her family’s ancestral home in rural Morocco to work with the remaining Jews to build their work skills and improve their own communities. She returned to Yerucham with the same dedication to change her home town for the better. With a vision of a Yerucham filled with young people who return after college to build their home community and attracting new high tech businesses, or workers who can telecommute, she has been transforming her home. This week she announced her campaign for mayor so she can continue changing the community she loves.

One of the brilliant programs in Yerucham, Mevashlot Yerucham pays retirees to feed visitors like us. They open their homes and provide feasts. We were blessed to meet Jojo and Mazal who not only fed us but entertained us with their life story and leading us in song.

We were privileged to witness Ben Gurion's dream of Jewish life flourishing in the desert.

Our First Day In Israel

It is hard to believe that it has been nine years since we were last in Israel. Being here in anticipation of Yom Ha’atzmaut - Israel Independence Day, Israel’s 70th birthday, is invigorating.

After the normal endless flight to arrive in “Ha’aretz” (The Land), we met up with our group in Herzliya. The last time I had spent time in Herzliya was in the late 1970’s. Then it was Israel’s Beverly Hills. Luxury condos  and homes. Israel’s first golf courses. The home of wealthy Israeli’s and long term visitors. Today Herzliya is a hub in “Start-Up Israel.” Computer companies abound. The streets are full of commuters. Change comes even to the enclaves.

After dinner and a good night’s sleep, at least for me, we headed up the coast and a bit inland to Pardes Hana.

At Shabbat services Friday night in Albuquerque, we began by singing Eli Eli. While the music was written by the iconic Israeli singer, Naomi Shemer, the words were by the poet and hero, Chana Senesh. Senesh lived in Israel during WWII and the Shoah. She, along with other members of the the Haganah, parachuted behind Nazi lines to try and rescue at least some of Europe’s Jews. She was captured, tortured and killed by the Nazis. Not only does she live on through her poetry but, through this village named in her memory and the incredible organization there, Nevei Michael.

Nevei Michael is a home, school, and crisis center for Israeli children, Jews, Muslims, and Christians, from the most severely broken homes. Some were victims of abuse. Others, had mothers who were murdered by their fathers or fathers murdered by their mothers with the murderer now in jail. Nevei Michael provides them not only the basics, food, clothing, and shelter, but life skills, self-esteem, parenting models to break the cycle of violence , and most importantly, love. Outside of the school building is this sign:

My translation goes like this: “We believe that every child has the power, to learn to be self-aware (open) and to go be strong. We work to identify and cultivate the strengths and skills unique to every child. Thus, at the conclusion of his/her studies, s/he will graduate with values and be well grounded, and will see him/herself in the best possible way.”

Hava and her daughter Rachel have worked for decades and have seen the success of their children. Some have become professionals, others laborers, but each has become a mensch.

Of course, they treated us with the same kindness they show the children in their care. From their limited budget they set out food and drink for us.











Leaving Pardes Chana we continued north to two places of Jewish resistance, Zichron Yaakov and Atlit. Zichron was the home of the Aaronson family who established a spy ring in WWI to help the British oust the Ottoman Empire from Palestine. Ironically, at Atlit the British established a detention camp to imprison Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi and post-Nazi Europe.

Finally, we arrived at our hotel in the mystical city of Tzvat in time for a beautiful view of the holy mountain Meron and a pre-dinner nap.

Yom Kippur Morning 5778

Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld

Congregation Albert

Albuquerque, NM

Michele and I invited some friends from out of town to come with us on the congregation’s Israel trip this coming April. (There is still time to sign up. Information is on the table in the rotunda!) They sent an email a few weeks ago outlining the reasons they did not want to go.

1. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s right wing government’s treatment of Israeli Arabs and obvious disdain of any kind of meaningful peace process.
2. The numerous corruption scandals concerning Prime Minister Netanyahu and his family, including his son’s recent anti-Semitic online posts, and his using the defense of “it is my enemies spreading fake news.”
3. The Israeli government’s kowtowing to the Orthodox parties for decades and denying equal rights to non-Orthodox Jews most recently by reneging on an agreement to establish an egalitarian prayer area at the Kotel - the Western Wall.
4. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s claim to be the Prime Minister of all the Jews.  They did not have the opportunity to vote for him so he cannot represent him. (I know Mr. Netanyahu claims that title, but I cannot imagine anyone actually wanting it!)

I agree with every single point except the part about not going to Israel. Like many of you, my consciousness of Israel began in 1967 with the Six Day War. Looking back, I can count on one hand, with fingers to spare, the number of years there was an Israeli government the majority of whose policies I agreed with, and yet, the current government is, in my opinion, the worst and most corrupt ever. When I recently addressed the Southwest Hispanic Leadership Council of AIPAC I said so clearly and without hesitation.

And now, to paraphrase the immortal Paul Harvey, here is the rest of the story which I also told it to the Hispanic Leadership Council.

I love Israel. Let me tell you about the Israel I love.

Fifty years ago this past June, the Israel I love rescued 300 Vietnamese boat people. In fact it was Menachem Begin’s first official act to instantly make them citizens of Israel.

The Israel I love brought to Israel and saved 135,000 Ethiopian Jews and many of their non - Jewish family members. Their integration into Israel has not been perfect and often times difficult but they are full and equal citizens. 

The Israel I love sponsors camps, schools and nature programs bringing diverse groups of young people together to see each other as human beings and break the cycle of indoctrinated hate. Camps like ILAN bring disabled Jewish, Arab and Palestinian children together across the country. Wings of Peace brings Jewish and Arab middle and high school students together throughout the year and for a week each summer to learn to see each other as individuals.

The Israel I love comes up with cutting edge treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s, ALS and Parkinson’s.

The Israel I love sends humanitarian aid and assistance to any country that needs it and will accept it. They have sent rescue workers to Haiti, numerous African countries, Japan, and even the United States. They work in Gaza bringing humanitarian aid.

The Israel I love is providing life-saving medical treatment to over 3000 Syrian refugees. Ismael Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas who has sworn to destroy Israel, sent his mother-in-law, daughter, and granddaughter to Israeli hospitals. They were admitted and treated without hesitation.

The Israel I love will take in me, and every other Jew, if, God forbid, we ever need to flee.

The Israel I love is the only place in the Middle East where the LGBTQ community has equal rights and can live openly. There are pride parades in almost every major Israeli city, including Jerusalem.

The Israel I fear for has ISIS, Syrian, Russian, and soon, Iranian forces on her borders.

The Israel I fear for is one that continues to be led by those who think the only way to survive is to copy the militaristic and discriminatory regimes of the Middle East.

The Israel I yearn for transforms me from a member of a minority into a member of the majority sensitizing me to understand what it means to be both a minority here and, as a caucasian, a member of the majority.

The Israel I yearn for no longer needs to be a refuge for the oppressed of our people and all others.

The Israel I yearn for is no longer seen as a pariah.

The Israel I yearn for is home to some dear friends.

The Israel I yearn for is my home and yet it is not.

The Israel I hope for finally grants religious freedom to all, including non-Orthodox Jews.

The Israel I hope for looks into its ethical heart and finds a way to make peace with its Palestinian neighbors.

The Israel I hope for leads the world in pursuing justice and making peace.

The Israel I hope for is one that fulfills the prophecy of being a light unto the nations.

כן יהי רצון – So may it be soon and in our day.

Reflections On Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church Charleston and The Church of the Multiplication in Tabgha

I posted an article on my Facebook page about the murders in the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston with the comment: “When will we ever learn?” Soon after I posted an article about the arson at the Church of the Multiplication in Tabgha with the comment: “When we are taught to be "a light to the nations" this is NOT the light God was talking about.” (https://www.facebook.com/rabbiharryrosenfeld)

Over the past 2 days I continued to reflect on the connections between the two horrific crimes and the national and international reactions to them. Briefly, here are my thoughts:

1)            At their core, there is no difference between the crimes. They are crimes of pure unadulterated hate. There may also be elements of wanting to instill fear beyond the crime itself. If so, then there is an aspect of terrorism present.

2)            News reports and commentators talk about the "loss of life" in Charleston. Lives were not lost or misplaced. Using the word lost implies the dead had something to do with their own deaths. People were murdered. Seen by their murderer as less than human, in his mind he slaughtered them as if they were livestock.

3)            Arson does not seem like a strong enough word to describe the desecration of the Church of the Multiplication. Until the perpetrators are caught we will not know if their prime motivation was to instill fear in the Israeli Christian community (thus terrorism) or if it was an act of hatred or both. Regardless, arson is a descriptive euphemism for this horrific act of destruction.

4)           It is long past time for America and Israel to deal with the scourges of hatred and bigotry and, in America, the scourge of gun violence, all of which threaten to erode the very fabric of these two countries we love.

5)            When caught and convicted, in addition to being punished to the full extent of Israeli law, those that attempted to destroy the Church of the Multiplication and those whose teachings they follow should be put in Cherem – excommunicated from the Jewish community. Their teachings and their acts are antithetical to Judaism and if we, as a Jewish community, do not use every means available to us to condemn them and exclude them from the Jewish community, the shamefulness of their act is also born by us.

6)            If Dylann Storm Roof murdered Tywanda Sanders, Susie Jackson, South Carolina State Senator the Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney, Cynthia Hurd, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Ethel Lee Lance, Myra Thompson, Rev. Daniel Lee Simmons Sr., (yes, we must uphold our principles including innocent until proven guilty in a court of law) he and his teachers should be excommunicated from their churches in addition to being sentenced to the full extent of the law.

The time has come to stop “pussyfooting around” with language and call murder – murder, racism – racism, hate – hate and evil – evil. The time has come for us to expel from our Jewish community those whose acts of hatred and enmity toward others are antithetical to our Jewish teaching of the sacredness of human life. The time has come for us to ask other faith traditions to do the same.

I believe in repentance and if, after serving their sentences, the perpetrators of these crimes truly repent, we would welcome them back with open arms but until that day, they are not us.

EIE - 6 Months in Israel During 11th Grade

In June, 1971 just days after my 15th birthday, I arrived at JFK ready to spend my junior year of high school in Israel on EIE. I only knew one person on the trip before we left, my rabbi's daughter. Our congregation had a long tradition of sending kids on EIE from the beginning of the program. I had spoken to a few of them and thought I knew what to expect but in reality I was clueless. Even so, EIE was a transformative time in my life and perhaps one of the most important in shaping the person I would become.

It was on the flight to Israel that I began to get to know the other students and begin to feel comfortable. After a 13 hour delay in Amsterdam we finally arrived in Israel. It was pitch black as we reached the tarmac, no jet ways back then. One of us was humming the theme to the movie "Exodus". I felt so overwhelmed that for all I know it might have been me.

We somehow got through immigration and customs. Our leaders hustled us onto a bus for the ride to Ben Shemen Youth Village which was to be our base for the summer. Exhausted, bedraggled and definitely needing showers we found ourselves in a communal room getting a security lecture. Don't climb the fences and you won't be shot. In fact don't go anywhere near the village fence as only 5 years earlier it was the border between Israel and the West Bank. Don't pick up anything off the ground because it may be a bomb and you could lose a hand or an eye. I was so tired it was days before I remembered the warnings.

Shuffled off to a room with my new roommates for the summer, we barely unpacked and were falling into bed when one of my roommates came screaming in the room that there were no toilet seats. I'm thinking who cares and the other roommate is ecstatic because he had heard a rumor that scorpions live under toilet seats. No toilet seats = no scorpions. To paraphrase - we weren't in Cleveland anymore.

The summer passed at a good pace. We got to know a few of the permanent residents in the little free time we had. Our early mornings were spent working. Some were assigned to move irrigation pipes in the cotton fields (as one of my friends put it from knee deep mud to ankle deep mud.) Some were assigned to clean the chicken coops. I and a few others were sent to the greenhouses. Our summer assignment was to clean out under the rose bushes. I still have the scars from thorn scratches I got those first 2 weeks because they didn't give us gloves. My salvation came one day when someone from the carpenter's shop told me I was assigned to him. Thanks to my poor Hebrew and his poor English what was supposed to be a 2 day assignment turned into the rest of the summer before either of us figured out I was supposed to be back in the greenhouses.

I think our group bonded in the Ulpan and the afternoon free time. Class and homework was something we all understood. But it was our field trips from Rosh Hanikrah in the north to Sharm El Sheikh in the south the transformed us from a group into a community. It was more than the hours on the bus, meeting new immigrants from Russia at the airport, the hiking, the emergency archeology dig in Beit Shaan, the incredible sites, the climb of Masada and Sinai or even the entire group skinny dipping off the beach in Sharm. On those trips we talked late into the night around a campfire with guitars playing a mixture of American rock and Israeli folk. We shared our deepest dreams and secrets.

As summer ended we were divided up and sent to live with Israeli families for the school semester. I had a triple bonus. My Israeli "brother and sister" were Sabras. My "parents" were Iranian Jews and I lived in a real house with a real back yard. I believe I was the only one who didn't live in an apartment. But it was the fourth blessing that made me the envy of everyone. Because my Israeli father had a high position in the Ministry of Defense we had a phone in the house AND free long distance! I could call whomever I wanted in Israel, assuming their family had a phone. I was living in the lap of luxury.

In 1971, even though all my classes were in Hebrew I learned more math, science, French and history than in any other semester in high school. I learned how to climb walls in Gadna (our pre-army training) and thus was able to scale the wall of the school, skip class and wander the back streets of Ramat Aviv. It was there that my image and understanding of Israel changed and matured.

I went to one of the best high schools in and around Tel Aviv. I lived with and went to school with other middle class and upper class kids. But just outside our wall existed an entirely different universe. The streets around the school were lined with huts and shacks with tin roofs, mud walls and only tattered cloth to cover their windows. The voices there spoke Hebrew and Arabic. Durning my months there I learned that these were Jews who had made Aliyah 15 years earlier from North African countries whose absorption into Israel had placed them into a time warp from which they knew there was no escape. From that moment forward Israel was no longer black and white. It was every shade of grey and every color of the rainbow at the same time.

No story of my time on EIE would be complete without mentioning the fun times. My first kiss was under a street lamp in old Jaffa. My first time in a Mikvah was with one of my EIE friends when we went to visit a religious moshav to see a friend of his who thought he was Nathan the Prophet. Three of us planning to hike to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv until our Israeli parents found out about it and grounded us. Skipping school and going to Jerusalem to visit friends without permission, getting stuck there because of a snow storm and sleeping on the floor of the HUC dorm. All of us drinking and sleeping in the NFTY office and waking up with our first hangovers and desperately trying to clean up before Hank Skirball came to get us.

One of my group is still my best friend. At least 2 others have died. Three of us became rabbis and at least one made Aliyah and runs an incubator program for medical technology start ups. Our incredible leaders and rabbis are all still in Israel and I can say without a doubt that EIE was a true blessing in my life.

ONE WHO LOOKS FOR A FRIEND WITHOUT FAULTS WILL HAVE NONE - Erev Yom Kippur 5772

ONE WHO LOOKS FOR A FRIEND WITHOUT FAULTS WILL HAVE NONE

Congregation Albert

Erev Yom Kippur 5772

Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld

My parents told me to never discuss politics or religion with people I hardly know. See how well I listened to that advice? Unfortunately, they did not teach me that the same applies to giving a sermon about Israel. It is the most dangerous sermon a rabbi can give. On the other hand, I would not have taken that piece of advice if it had been offered. 

There is a Chasidic proverb: One who looks for a friend without faults will have no friends.

In 1971, I left for a high school semester in Israel. Coming from a lower middle class family, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. My host family was an upper class Israeli family living in Ramat Gan, just outside Tel Aviv. Unlike 90% of Israelis at that time, they owned a single family house with a yard, two cars and two telephone lines. By Israeli standards, and mine, they were rich. I went with my Israeli brother to an elite school in Ramat Aviv, an even richer suburb of Tel Aviv than Ramat Gan. Like my classmates, in addition to phys. ed I took גדנה pre-army training. 1971 saw Israel in the midst of the war of attrition. Surrounding my elite high school was an 8 foot wall to protect us from terrorists. Of course what was the first thing they taught us in pre-army training? How to scale that wall. 16 years old, living in the lap of luxury, going to a school where the grades did not count toward my high school GPA, so… whenever the mood struck, that is, whenever I didn’t feel like going to class, over the wall I went to the nice little café across the street from the school.

One day, after spending an hour or so in the café and not being ready to return for my classes, I began to wander the streets of this rich suburb, Ramat Aviv. To this day I can remember the route I took. From school, I walked past the Tel Aviv museum, past what in Israel were mansions and then I literally and figuratively turned a corner that has shaped my relationship and understanding of Israel to this day. There, in the heart of this luxurious upper class Israeli neighborhood, stood tin roofed shacks with half naked children in torn clothing, malnourished animals and outhouses. Hearing Hebrew all around me I had stumbled into the Israel few outsiders ever see. Half way through my six month sojourn, I saw the Israel no one had ever described to me. Thus began my complex relationship with Israel.

My next trip to Israel was for Rabbinic school. I left 2 days after the raid on Entebbe and my plane followed the same route as the hijacked plane. Arriving in Israel I, like rabbinic students before me became friends with an Old City Palestinian merchant, Abed. That year my friends and I spent many an afternoon drinking tea, people watching, discussing the world and the complexities of Israel/Palestinian relations. Ever since, until he sold his store to his nephews, on my every trip to Jerusalem I found myself on a languid Jerusalem afternoon enjoying Abed’s hospitality and sharing our lives. Through the years, I have listened to his stories about his family’s land being taken to build a West Bank settlement, the struggles his children have had in Israeli universities and the restrictions he faces as a citizen of no country. Not an Israeli, not a Jordanian; with no country to call his own. My complex relationship with Israel continued and deepened.

In 2006, I visited hospitals in northern Israel struck by Hezbollah’s missiles. I met with Holocaust survivors in Haifa who in the aftermath of Hezbollah’s missiles were suffering flashbacks of being bombed in Europe. I saw stacks of thousands of Hamas rockets collected from the fields and school yards of Sderot. Who could not be moved?

The only police who tried to beat and arrest me during a protest march? Israeli. The only people who have tried to blow me up? Palestinians. How could my relationship with Israel be 2 dimensional black and white? How could it be any less than an elaborate tapestry woven from a thousand shades of hundreds of colors?

Make no mistake. I am, without question or hesitation, an unabashed supporter of Israel. In back of the sanctuary and in the lobby you will find cards forms to fill out to join me as an investor in Israel by purchasing Israel bonds. For nearly 20 years I have been active on the national level of federation to do what I can to support collecting tzedakah for Israel. At the same time, I fervently believe that when it comes to Israel, absolutist jingoism is not the way. AIPAC and JStreet and of course Israel’s enemies all preach their truths in the easy two dimensions of black and white. True support of Israel requires an acceptance and understanding of her subtleties, the internal and external challenges she faces. Just as with our closest family and friends,  the beauty of the relationship exists in getting past the surface black and white and knowing the ever shifting grays and seeing the dullest as well as the brightest hues.

The world holds Israel to a higher standard than any other country. In a recent Washington Post op-ed, Robert Bernstein, the former president and Charman of Random House and the current chair of the group “Advancing Human Rights” wrote: 

“Human Rights Watch, which I founded 33 years ago, continues to attack many of Israel’s defensive measures during war, yet it says nothing about hate speech and incitement to genocide. To cite just one example, the speaker of the Hamas parliament, Ahmad Bahr, called in April 2007 for the murder of Jews, ‘down to the very last one.’ Imagine what leading human rights groups would say if this same speech and incitement were coming from Israel, aimed at the Palestinians.
“Human rights groups, which could be highlighting the crimes of Arab dictatorships against Israel and each other, have instead chosen to focus primarily on Israel. They continually discount the extraordinary steps Israel takes to protect civilians on both sides — steps approved by military experts, such as using pamphlets, phone calls and even noise bombs to scare people away from a location before a bombing — while whitewashing Hamas’s desire to eliminate a whole country as just bluster and meaningless words. One would think that, of all organizations in the world, human rights groups would particularly believe that words matter. Words inform intent and influence action. Words and actions need to be taken seriously, especially when they are sponsored by governments.”

Mr. Bernstein is absolutely correct. However, we should hold Israel to a higher standard just as we should hold ourselves. Hopefully the difference between the double standard we hold verses that held by others is manifested in the intent behind the differing standards. Just as we expect more out of our parents, our children, our families because we love and care about them we expect more out of Israel because her people are our family.

During these Days of Awe we strive to search the deepest recesses of our selves with brutal honesty. Hopefully, we focus on our successes as well as where we need to improve. Without defensiveness or hubris but rather with gratitude and humility we find the complexity of our lives and learn the truth of who we are and where we need to grow and improve. If we look inward and see only the good we do not know ourselves. If we look inward and see only the bad, we cannot help ourselves. In either case we cannot really love ourselves.

The same is true in our relationship with Israel. To love, support, care for Israel and her people, we need to open our eyes and see it all, the good and the bad, the beauty and the ugliness. Just as we would do for ourselves and our families, we need to stand proud and defend Israel against those who wish to destroy her while we resist those in our community who condemn all who disagree with their one true vision of Israel right or wrong. Only then can we say we are אוהבי ישראל – lovers of Israel.

There is a Chasidic proverb: One who looks for a friend without faults will have no friends.

To Israel with Temple Beth Zion and Westminster Presbyterian Church Part 2

Sunday January 17, 2010

This morning we began by going to Immanuel Lutheran Church. It’s pastor, Christian, welcomed us warmly. The service was interesting on several levels. First, the service was conducted in English, which was not the pastor’s native tongue. Second, the difference in participation in the Jews and Christians in our group. Third, Christian knew we were two congregations, one Presbyterian but thought TBZ was a “messianic” synagogue so both his homily and his remarks to us after the service were very Jesus centered. During his talk to us, one of the Westminster members gently moved him on to other topics. When we explained that no, we were not “messianic” he was taken aback as he had never heard of “regular” Jews attending church services.

After some cake and coffee, we boarded the bus and began our journey north to Ceaasaria. We stopped for a quick bite to eat at a mall with a food court. Not surprisingly, the group split, 1/3 heading to the falafel bar, 1/3 to the coffee shop and 1/3 to McDonalds! We reboarded the bus and quickly arrived at Herod’s great city by the sea.

Here, our guide Julie Baretz, outdid herself with her ability to weave both Jewish and Christian history into her commentary and her sensitivity to both groups. I listened with wonder while we were in the amphitheater and she talked of how Christians faced the lions there while the Talmudic rabbis insisted that Jews attend to show support for a “thumbs up” for the Christian and a chance to live.

From Ceasaria we continued north to Haifa and a panoramic view of the city looking down at the magnificent Bahai Gardens. My high school friend Hedy met us there for a too brief reunion and catch up session. I don’t care what anyone says, in person is so much better than on line!

We left Haifa as the sun set over the bay and we began our trek to the Galilee. Safely ensconced at Kibbutz Ginosar (the place where Yigal Alon founded the Palmach) guest house, we had a wonderful meal and retired to our rooms for much needed rest before our 6:30 wake up call as we begin our exploration of the Galilee and Golan.

Monday January 18, 2010,

This morning began a very moving day for everyone. We headed north from Ginosar to our first stop at the Church of the Beatitudes located on the site that Jesus is said to have given the Sermon on the Mount. Tom Yorty began by reading for us the Beatitudes from the Book of Matthew. I couldn't help but notice the similarity between the Beatitudes and sections of Pirke Avot. It was truly a moving moment for all of us.

From there we drove north to the head waters of the Jordan stopping at both Banyas
and Tel Dan. The rain was pouring, which after 5 years of below average rainfall was truly a blessing for Israel. It was a fulfillment of the blessing we say in the Avot - May God cause the rain to fall and the winds to blow! Needless to say, the hike through Tel Dan was VERY wet.

Undismayed we continued on to Kiriyat Shmona for lunch. There we saw these Israeli soldiers eating at Burger King. The boarder with Lebanon is calm these days and Kiriyat Shmona seems to be thriving. But, one cannot get away from the knowledge that the top of the ridge over looking the town is the Lebanese border. It is a sobering reminder of the possibility of falling rockets and the blessing of hope of a town thriving during peace.

We continued on to some much needed shopping time at the Naot Shoe Factory and their outlet store where some serious purchasing occurred. G earned the title of best shopper with 5 pairs of shoes at an incredible price.

Finally it was off to Tzefat (Safed) where we went to a mystical synagogue and learned about Kabbalah as well as synagogue architecture. I went to see my friends at their shop, Canaan Gallery but missed them by just a few minutes.

On the way back to Ginosar, we talked about the experiences we have had with prayer and worship so far. There were lots of questions which led me to realize that we need to do a better job of educating our fellow travelers on each other's faith and worship traditions before Shabbat.

Finally back at the Kibbutz, I found a special treat. My first trip to Isarel was in 1971 on the Eisendrath International Exchange program (EIE). For six months 25+ teenagers came to Israel as exchange students. Through the magic of Facebook I found one of them lived not far from Ginosar so he and his wife met us at the Kibbutz. The hour and a half we spent together was too short especially since we hadn't seen each other since we left Israel 38 years ago this past December. While we are both gray, older and perhaps wiser, it was like we had always been in touch. Some of you may remember my story of going to a Moshav with a friend and meeting with the Rebbe of the Moshav. During our meeting a man burst in with a question of Kashrut and the Rebbe answered him. I tell the story often. Tonight I reunited with the friend with whom I went to the Moshav. What a treat and a pleasure.

Tomorrow we visit Kfar Nahum (Capernicum), the grave of Maimonides in Tiberias, the Church of the Ascension in Nazareth and then FINALLY we come to Jerusalem where we will enter the city by the route Abraham must have used on his way to Mount Moriah.

Shalom from Israel,

Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld

Shalom from Ginosar!

Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld

To Israel with Temple Beth Zion and Westminster Presbyterian Church

Shabbat, January 15 - 16, 2010

Traveling to Israel with "first timers" is always fun and interesting and we "vatikim - old timers" are expected to help lead the way.

While there were a few glitches getting everyone checked in, we finally all boarded our flight in Buffalo for JFK where we waited for our flight. There were no glitches at JFK and El Al security was lighter than I expected.

Rev. Tom Yorty and I found similar ways of amusing ourselves while we waited for our El Al flight to Israel  while others waited patiently or dozed.

Once on board, we settled in for the long flight. Most of us were seated near each other. A few were spread  throughout the plane and got to know some of the other travelers (for better or worse).

It seems every trip I think I've lost someone only to find they are already on the bus. Last trip it was HS in Jaffa, this trip it was B and G who got their luggage, cleared customs and found our bus while the rest of us waited patiently inside the terminal for them. Finally the tour agent called the bus, found out they were there and off we went.

Our guide, Julie Baretz, was waiting for us, got the rest of us on the bus and we quickly left the airport for Tel Aviv. I could not believe my eyes. Because we landed so close to Shabbat, the roads were empty and we made it to our hotel in record time! We quickly checked in, dropped off our luggage, cleaned up and within 20 minutes were on our way to Beit Daniel, the Reform congregation in Tel Aviv for Kabblat Shabbat services.



The rabbi, Meir Azari, their cantor and the members could not have been more welcoming. We even found Buffalo connections! The president of the congregation and her husband had briefly lived in Buffalo and the daughter of one of our preschool teachers was at the service. She is part of a group of students studying here. She will finish this spring with a masters degree in management.

Following the service we went down to the oneg Shabbat where Rabbi Azari invited me to say a few words about TBZ and Buffalo and a few words it was. After 10 or sentences in Hebrew they said thank you and we went on with the blessings.

Back at the hotel, we gathered for Shabbat dinner. It was such a pleasure watching the "first-timers" marvel at the variety and deliciousness of the buffet. From vegans to carnivores we all found more than enough to eat and retired fully sated.

Breakfast was equally overwhelming. We gathered and shared stories of how early everyone had awakened. Who had walked the boardwalk at 4 AM and who went running at 6.

Julie and Yossi (our driver) met us promptly at 9:15 and we began the formal part of our tour. Heading south to Rehovot and the Ayalon Institute to see the underground ammunition factory at Kibbutz Hill where from 1947 - 48 a small group of young Israelis went 25 feet underground, everyday, to make bullets for the Israeli Army in the months leading up to the War for Independence. Their story is inspiring and heroic as they not only faced danger of discovery but also working in close quarters with tons of gun powder.

As we were leaving, A and W were picked up by some friends who used to live in Buffalo and went to their kibbutz to spend a wonderful Shabbat afternoon catching up, meeting their children and getting reacquainted. The rest of us boarded the bus and drove back north to Jaffa.

The wonderful part of this trip is that Temple Beth Zion and Westminster Presbyterian are sharing it. I can't remember all the times I've been to Jaffa (although the first was the most memorable as it was there I kissed a girl for the first time) and how many times I passed the house of Simon the Tanner. Yet this time was the first time I first noticed it. Our guide Julie is an expert in leading both Jewish and Christian tours. When we reached the house, she had Rev. Tom Yorty read the passage from the Book of Acts that refers to Simon the Tanner and his home. She then explained the significance of the place and the importance of the story in the shaping of Christianity and its divergence from Judaism. As a non-Christian, I was moved by the moment. As a Jew, my soul swelled. Here we stood at a pivotal place in the divergence of Judaism and Christianity as two congregations, now secure enough in who we are to be together without fear or self-consciousness.

After a brief tour of Neve Tzedek, the first neighborhood in Tel Aviv, it was back to the hotel for a relaxing afternoon. At 6:30, we all gathered in the lobby and walked to a place where we had the city behind us and the crashing waves of the Mediterranean in front of us as we did Havdalah, the ceremony in which we end Shabbat and reenter the "ordinary" days of the week. As Tel Aviv came back to life, we reflected that while we will not have a week of Shabbat, our week will be anything but ordinary!

Tomorrow, Sunday, we begin with church services and then north to Ceasaria, Haifa and then to Kibbutz Ginosar where we will be based for the next two days.

I pray that your Shabbat was as meaningful and fulfilling as ours was here in Israel.

Shalom,

Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld