On Hope as We Leave the Traumas of 5784
by Rabbi Gerald Serotta
Where might we find hope and a vision for the future as we mark almost a year since October 7 ignited the latest horrendous round of violence? In his book, To Heal a Fractured World, the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks distinguished between hope and optimism:
“Optimism is the belief that the world is changing for the better; hope is the belief that, together, we can make the world better…it needs no courage to be an optimist, but it takes a great deal of courage to hope.”
Our most profound source of hope can derive from the courage of those Israeli Jews and Palestinians who have refused to be enemies and who have instead continued their joint work in projects co-led by Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs. They range from solidarity groups such as Family Circle/ Bereaved Parents Forum and Combatants for Peace to historic legacy educational and social justice programs like Givat Haviva, Yad b’Yad schools, and Neve Shalom.
I don’t believe the answer to how we can live together in peace comes from a vision of separation, but rather from a commitment to partnership. Although espoused by some of those considered the “left” and the “center,” the idea of partition and divorce through the classic version of a two-state solution is long past its shelf life.
Personally I have been inspired by the day-to-day activism and political vision of two organizations, Omdim B’yachad and Eretz L’Kulam (A Land for All.) Like the early Bi-National Zionists, Buber, Magnes, Scholem, and Szold, the program of each of these NGO’s recognizes that the two nations living in one homeland must respect each other’s right to self-determination. The number of states (one, two, three, federation, confederation, etc.) matters less than the commitment as Buber wrote in 1949, “to build just institutions, but even more demandingly, just relations between (our two peoples.)”
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The Way of The Ear: Embracing the Power of Listening to Find Hope
by Rabbi Philip J Bentley
“GOD GAVE US TWO EARS AND ONLY ONE MOUTH, SO WE CAN LISTEN TWICE AS MUCH AS WE SPEAK.”
How can we help those whose views do not represent the values we hold and would like to impart? It is essential to acknowledge the integrity of the other’s thinking and opinions. In order to have the other hear you, you must listen to the other. That is also the way to understand how the other sees the issue under discussion.
Before we can tell someone why we believe as we do, we should find out why they believe as they do. What values are they expressing? Where did these values come from? These are the same questions we should ask ourselves concerning our own opinions.
For me the Israel-Gaza war is deeply conflicting. I love Israel and am distressed by what is happening to Israel, but I am also opposed to the way Israel is conducting the war. I have advocated for Palestinian rights and statehood for over fifty years, but I condemn Hamas for its authoritarian and unjust rule and its regular practice of war crimes plus the outrages of October 7. I find myself in disagreement on the war both with advocates for Israel and with advocates for the Palestinians. Yet I also know that these opinions are based on the thinking of people who are colleagues and friends. If I am to impart my views, I must listen to theirs to know how to respond.
My teacher, Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, taught me this from the sayings of the Kotzker Rebbe. It is about the need to be true to ourselves while listening to those who are being true to themselves.
If I am I
because
you are you
and
you are you
because
I am I
then
I am not I
and
you are not you
but
if I am I
because
I am I
and
you are you
because
you are you
then
I am I
and
you are you.
[and we can talk]