A Rabbi's Reflections

The airplane descended from the afternoon sky. As a planeload of weary travelers stretched and awoke from our slumber, our ears filled with the melodies of modern Hebrew folksongs, and as the wheels of the plane touched down, the passengers erupted in applause! We had arrived in Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel. A sigh of relief, and a sense of excitement and anticipation mingled with my exhaustion.

I had the privilege of being one of 900 members of the North American Jewish community who traveled during January 8-14 for a Solidarity Mission sponsored by the united Jewish Communities, of which our Charlotte Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte and the UJC in making this trip possible for me. Although this was my seventh trip to Israel, it was my first in more than ten years, and a most important mission, given the tensions that have surrounded Israel during these past few months. I wanted to visit familiar sites, speak with friends, and encounter Israelis and Palestinians firsthand so that I might better understand the situation facing Israel today. I accomplished all this and more.

There were so many experiences crowded into such a short, compact mission. We had the opportunity to meet with governmental and military leaders of Israel, and to hear their stories. We saw firsthand the borders of Jerusalem and the West Bank, visiting Jerusalem suburbs like Gilo, which has been the site of Palestinian sniper shooting from nearby Arab villages. We heard from representatives of the extreme right in Israel, settlers who live in some of the Jewish West Bank settlements that are such a sticking point in the peace negotiations, as well as from representatives of the extreme left, such as members of Peace Now, an organization that is actively working with Israelis and Palestinians to bring about peace on the ground, in reality. one of our most dramatic experiences was a session with foreign journalists and television correspondents who cover Israel and the Palestinians, who shared openly, with great controversy, some of the challenges of trying to be an objective journalist in such a partisan struggle.

I learned many lessons from informal encounters as well. Life goes on as usual in Israel: people wake up each morning, go to  work or school, go shopping, go about their business. Life goes on in the Palestinian territories as well, despite the armed struggle that is waging. I realized that, aside from the extremists on both sides of the conflict want the same thing: Peace. These real human beings are not villains, but rather members of two peoples with similar human strivings: to live in peace and tranquility.

Yet it would be naive to ignore the other realities: as we all can read in every report, the violence still rages in the West Bank and Gaza, and there are critical issues facing the peace negotiations. Chief among them, of course, are the questions of what to do about Jerusalem, and the Palestinian demands for the Right of Return for refugees and their descendants. I believe that these issues will require great compromise on both sides. I cannot imagine a peace settlement without Israel ultimately accepting some kind of division of Jerusalem, and I cannot imagine a peace settlement without the Palestinians giving up their demand for the Right of Return. Only time and patience will tell. Reasonable people on both sides know this.

In the meantime, it is imperative for American Jews to redouble our interest in and support for Israel. Tourism is at a dismal low, and the economy is suffering. I believe that is is safe to travel to Israel, even now! Israel needs our visits, our moral support, and our dollars. Even as we each struggle with the political, social, and religious challenges of our views and opinions about Israel, we must not forget that Israel needs us as much as worldwide Jewry needs Israel.

One simple way for each of us to show this support is to support our local Federation Campaign. If you have not already done so, I ask you to consider a pledge to the Federation to support Jewish need here, in Israel, and throughout the world. Along with our other commitments to causes Jewish and secular. I hope each of us will see our obligation to support the UJC and the Jewish Federation as part of our Jewish past, present and future.

James M. Bennett, Rabbi