Both in the US and in Israel, people who seek a more just and compassionate society might wonder whether their vision of the world will ever come into existence. We are saddled with political leaders who put their schemes for making history ahead of the common good. How can we focus on hope and avoid despair in such a dark moment? One way is to shift our attention away from the noise and turn towards the light, even if that light seems small compared to the racket coming from those in power.
This past July, I traveled to Israel as part of a J Street + T’ruah mission to learn how people there are confronting the overwhelming challenges they face since October 7. We met with families of hostages, people displaced from communities near Gaza, and leaders working for social change, human rights and peace – Jews and Palestinians alike. No matter how much the violence and hatred had intensified between Jews and Palestinians in the land, these people had not given up on the possibility of peace, reconciliation and justice.
At Hanukkah, we celebrate the miracle of a small amount of light lasting longer than expected. Our task now is to find those sources of light in the people who raise their voices and do the work and remember that their light can overcome the most formidable obstacles. Chag Sameach!
– Rabbi Dr. William Plevan, Author, Visiting Assistant Professor of Contemporary Jewish Thought at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and its 2023-24 Democracy Fellow
In the darkness of the reality in Israel-Palestine, J Street’s dedication to building a new generation of American leadership was a gleaming light. Over the course of the past year, J Street led five delegations to Israel and the West Bank through our Len Hill Education Program for Members of Congress, political influencers, Congressional staff and clergy.
While on the ground, political and communal leaders reckoned with the horrors of October 7 and the war in Gaza while learning from Israeli and Palestinian peace advocates who have spent the past year taking to the streets and showing the world what coexistence can look like.
On these trips, we met with families of hostages and visited kibbutzim that Hamas massacred on October 7. We met with Palestinian mothers and fathers facing settler violence and Israeli pro-democracy protesters. Time and time again, we witnessed incredible strength and grace from those who have lost the most – their homes, their friends, their family.
Each and every leader who joined us returned with a newfound commitment to peace. When confronted with the dire reality on the ground, the stakes of the conflict become all the clearer, as does our shared commitment to resolving it once and for all.