Dear Friends,
Earlier this year I sent a message to the congregation noting my intense alarm - as a life-long Zionist and defender of Israel, as well as someone who was born in Jerusalem – about the dire political situation in Israel.
The government was intent on pushing through a reform of Israel’s judiciary (the judiciary overhaul legislation) to neuter the power of the High court, the country’s only bulwark against abuses of power by any ruling coalition. In powerful positions in the government were extremists, previously considered beyond the pale, working to change the democratic nature of the country. It ignited an unprecedented protest movement.
After 36 weeks of continuing protests, I reach out to you again after watching a Zoom session on Monday hosted by the Times of Israel and featuring a panel with my friend and mentor, Yossi Klein Halevi, author Daniel Gordis (also a Rabbi and founder of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies that I attended), and award-winning journalist Matti Friedman. They are among the most respected translators of the Israeli experience to American Jewry; authors of numerous books and articles and die-hard defenders of Israel. None of them have ever come to denounce the Israeli government before this year. They spoke to thousands of Zoom attendees representing leaders of American Judaism as well as many other countries; rabbis, JCC directors, federation leaders, and concerned Jews from across the spectrum.
Yossi spoke about a convergence of political corruption and fanaticism, a meeting with historical antecedent that destroyed the 2nd Temple. He said, quoting Benny Begin, son of Menachem Begin, that the current Likud bears no resemblance to the Likud of his father. Matti Friedman compared the forces dissolving the Israel we know to the forces he encountered as an Israeli soldier in Lebanon during the Civil War that have since turned Lebanon into a failed state.
All of them called on American Jews to raise their voices, by taking part in weekly protests in solidarity, by financially supporting the protest movement, and by pressuring American Jewish leaders to take a public stand with the protesters, despite their discomfort about meddling in Israeli politics. Fielding a question about why should American Jews who are not Israeli citizens get involved, they answered that just as the absence of Israel was the center point of the Jewish experience for two millennia, the existence of Israel is the center of Jewish life right now. For Israel, this entitles them to ask for support from the Diaspora but also binds them to, at the very least, give Diaspora Jews a place at the table. They all spoke of the protest movement as looking to the Diaspora for encouragement and confirmation that they are an internationally recognized and supported movement.
Poignantly, Daniel Gordis spoke of a moral obligation to us in the Diaspora to get involved. This period will be written into Jewish history and our children and grandchildren will ask us decades from now, 'what were we doing?' American Jewry should not fail as they did during the Holocaust where there was only one small protest during the entire war period against the creeping news of the Shoah.
They all shared how uplifting they found the protest movement in Israel to be, Israelis rallying for 36 weeks in a row in the hundreds of thousands, gathering from so many walks of life, even those with deep disagreements with each other, but agreeing that this government is leading the country to destruction. One of their main messages was that this is not only about a reform of the judiciary but about what the character of the state will be in the future. The reform, they said, is the tool to remove the power of the High Court and to alter the character of Israel. Guiding this initiative are messianic, racist, homophobic leaders.
Addressing the Diaspora, Yossi explained that what is needed is to hold two languages. One, a language of unequivocally defending Israel’s moral character, its existence as a State, especially against those looking to criminalize Israel. Second, a language of moral credibility, of stopping other Jews from turning Israel into the kind of state our enemies say we are.
I agree with them that this is a historical moment that is easy for us in the Diaspora to let pass. It requires both passion and subtlety from us. We need to educate ourselves in what is happening. It is very different than the American experience. We need to find a way to hold both of these languages at once.
I urge you to come with your families to a protest on Sunday in Evanston at 2pm, 5 days before Rosh Hashanah. Please click here for the information.
Consider watching the recording of the Zoom session that I have been referring to by clicking here.
Here is an essay by Yossi Klein Halevi that summarizes the situation.
Some congregants have asked me where to give the funds they usually pledge to Israel. Here is a link to support the protest movement in Israel that needs funds to continue what will most likely be a very long campaign. Click here to support them.
I am very proud of what is happening in Israel. There have been so few incidents of violence. Israelis have simply put aside their normal lives to take to the streets, week after week. They know if they fail, the best of Israel’s mind and skills could soon leave the country in unprecedented droves. The technology sector, the innovation leaders are all part of the segment of society that wishes no part of the Israel the extremists want to create. Everything that makes us proud of Israel is in danger.
To further educate us about why we need to get involved, one of the leaders of the protest movement and a Member of the current Knesset, Alon Shuster will address us via Zoom during our Yom Kippur Day services. I am grateful to Arie Zmora, a member of our congregation, who connected me to the MK Shuster. Arie is an Israeli and historian who has been teaching a fascinating class at the synagogue on Israeli democracy all summer long.
I apologize for the long note. There are moments when we are called to stand up. As a Rabbi, I would not forgive myself for not addressing this crucial issue. Israel’s democracy is only 75 years old. It is young and has few institutional and historical safeguards. We must preserve the Israel that was envisioned in the declaration of Independence (https://www.gov.il/en/departments/general/declaration-of-establishment-state-of-israel)
I return to what Daniel Gordis said. What will we tell our children and grandchildren when they ask us, where were we? What did we do?
Sincerely,
Rabbi Adir Glick
