The last 5 days have been so absorbing. Calm continues in Jerusalem, but Northern Israel and its two million inhabitants are mostly in shelters. Missles have reached the lower Galilee. But it is always worth repeating that Israelis have not paniced and that the country which overwhelmingly supports the military response of the IDF, understands that this will be a painful period.
Sacrifice has real meaning in Israel and loss here is framed in that language whether you are a civilian or a soldier. Donniel Hartman made a wonderful point about the IDF. Israelis worry about the safety of their army as much as they expect the army to protect them. The pictures of fallen soldiers are always on the front pages of the newspapers. In a citizen army everyone has someone in harms way. This puts great pressure on the leaders, whose own children serve. I remember the Michael Moore interviews of congressman in Fahrenheit 9/11 when he askes them if their children serve in Iraq. In American many parts of the population do not know people in the army. That is not so here. That means more worry, but more civic concern and greater engagement in policy debates and elections.
I am more and more impressed by the ability of Israelis not to 'catasrophize' their crises. Even now Israelis understand the need to be pragmatic and hold onto their awareness that their country is capable of bearing the current challenge. There is much courage and fortitude here. I would not call this country stoic, because people mourn here with great emotion. They play with a certain abandon. But this is a marvelously adaptive country with great inner resources.
Israelis are relieved that their leadership has embarked on its response to the attacks of Hezbollah. They will adapt to what they have to due and will laugh at the threats of Nasrallah even as they try to anticipate what he plans to do next. Israel's great accomplishment was to turn the Jews into a pragmatic and self-confidant people. This quality comes through during times of trial. It is crappy here right now, but I would not want to be around anyone else but my Israeli friends.
Friends in the States ask me what to do. I recommend that you support Israel financially to help it recover from the physical and material blows. Don't rush to come, but come in the future to study or to spend time here. Don't make Israel a place that you consider only when it is in crisis, but come here to appreciate the spirit and the accomplishments of this nation and its people. The accomplishments of Israel and its culture are considerable and worthy of attention at good times and bad. It is also fine to criticize Israel because that is a way to engage it. Israelis themselves do not treat their country like a sacred cow and are very much in touch with its flaws.
I have been critical of Israel in the past and will continue to express concern about its failings, but my concern about Israel comes from a place of love and engagement and a long effort to understand the history that lead to its creation. The drama of Israel continues to astonish and amaze. Don't despair and don't panic. Ain Bereira-No choice.
Rabbi Dov Gartenberg
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1 comment:
Hello Rebbe,
I live in America, and am of german jewish descent
[taub] I do not understand why it is that people keep repeating this same racial and religious emnity.
Here in the south of the united states we had a country that was horribly divided by slavery and war -- Much as the slavery that begat the religious and ethnic war of the Jewish and Palestinan people that unfortunately continue today.
I certainly remember my history and I know that my family never owned any slaves nor plantations,today we, In America, have not totally resolved racism, but we have managed to put aside the anger.
How? One might ask.
I was not alive during slavery, nor were many of the black people I know, and am friendly with today. We surely know our history but the key here is not to forget your history, but not to reenact it, if we reenact our history continuously then we WILL repeat it. Such as why we Americans grow so weary of the middle east and their untenabale infinite religious and ethnic squabbles over an act that you, nor them had control over.
The Israelis and the Muslims certainly are very affectionate towards their own religious ideologies, but they continue,both sides,to reenact the past, which leads us to today, Again.
America is surely not angelic in any way shape or form, but I am not the leader and have little, actually no input, other than a vote and a hope.
Now it comes to me that,British Zionism, Jewish restoration, was championed in the 1840s by Lords Shaftesbury and Palmerston, who in addition to religious motivations thought that a Jewish colony in Palestine would help to stabilize and revive the country.
This is so sad, Israelis, Palestinians, Americans, Iraqis..British are dying for what was supposed to be peace. We, ALL of us, have not progressed in humanity, we have progressed in technology. We have become Intelligent Savages. I beg of you, as I do all, here, to remember your past and embrace it, but stop reenacting the past.
I am an oddity in my country, a self learned rebbe if you will, I have gone the whole route of the VIS, albeit in reverse order for I did not know Hebrew or Judaism or of the Qabala, I found later on that what i had envisioned led me to these.
I have tried many times to disprove myself, and to this day I have not been able too. I believe you call this the knowledge of the Equilibrium. I can say it's true and I cannot deny that a higher power exists.
I shall check back with your blog soon, as I hope to create a dialogue with you rebbe, as I know none here.
With Universal respect, admiration and love, sincerely B. Taub.
7/21/06
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