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SA Progressive Jewish Views – Issue no.1

Observing Israel

Editorial Prefix: How do Progressive Jews feel about Israel? ..………………………3

Occupy Zion! / Rabbi Greg Alexander…………………………………………………………….5

The Centrality of Israel / Prof Antony Arkin……………………………………………………6

Madam Chair report / Diane Fine ………………………………………………………………….9

My Journey with Zion / Kendyll Jacobson………………………………………………………11

The courage to face the demons within / Irwin Manoim……………………………….13

Support, Investment and Trade / Rabbi Julia Margolis…………………………………..16

Have we missed the train? / Rabbi Sa’ar Shaked……………………………………………19

An Israeli Progressive Perspective / Yaron Shavit…………………………………………..21

Shul holds place for values, not politics/ Jessica Sherman……………………………..23

Letters to the Editor ……………………………………………………………………………………..25

Pray for Israel / Lael Bethlehem …………………………………………………………………….29

Nissan 5775 – March 2015

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How do Progressive Jews feel about Israel? Very few were the times in history when Jewish sovereignty existed in the holy land, the cradle of our fate. Each of these periods left an inheritance of strong ambiguity regarding the benefits of mixing the divine eternal mission of Israel amongst the nations with the immediate mission of maintaining a political entity.

We count the new Zionist Era in the history of the Jews since the first Zionist congress in Basel at 1897. Herzl, in his sharp senses, wrote in his private journal that the Jewish state was established already then, and was to be a matter of 50 years until it would be clear to all. Indeed, 50 years later, on the 29 November 1947, the UN voted in the partition solution and the end of the British Mandate. Shortly thereafter, on 14 May 1948 the state was declared by David Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv, born to war and struggle.

South Africa was traditionally a steadfast supporter of the Zionist movement and the state of Israel. The Progressive Movement had a pioneering role in this as well, led by the tragic example of the late Rabbi M.C. Weiler, who left the position of founding Progressive Rabbi in order to immigrate to Israel, where his two sons, Adam and Gideon, where taken by the conflict, both killed in battlefields on 1970 and 1973.

Jews of South Africa, like all Jews in the world are concerned for the safety and the future of the great and most vivid centre of modern Jewish life. Together with the strong and natural sense of solidarity there is also a durable distress, mainly among the Progressive stream, between the vision that drove our people to establish a political home and the upsetting reality. Progressive Jews all over the world are asking themselves what is the nature of the bonds between us and the modern state of Israel? To what extant is Israel still a democracy? And how can we

keep our ties with Israel without being held accountable for its policies? How can we express our commitment while manifesting our discontent? How should we react facing the strong effect of Middle East politics on the Jewish life elsewhere?

All these are very valid and legitimate questions.

Being Progressive Jews, we do not offer simple answers, but rather engage with the process of thinking, self-educating and communal discussion. This publication came as a result of the feeling at our last SAUPJ conference that further process is needed in order to better articulate the different voices in our midst. Our movement is blessed with diverse opinions. Our role as the rabbinic body is to ensure that all voices can be heard without fear of ideological authoritarianism. Faithfull to the rabbinic principal of מחלוקת

,dispute for the sake of heavens ,לשם שמייםwe will enshrine the principles of freedom of speech and expression. We will debate and share views, listening to the wide spectrum of political opinions. We will not exclude or expel anyone from our communities on the base of his/hers political biases. The SAUPJ would not survive the expectation that all our members will line up and share the same views on that extremely complicated and divisive matter.

As a rabbinic body, we would like to suggest the notions that our Shuls are not the appropriate vehicle for the expression of Zionist or anti-Zionist views. We pray together, learn and educate ourselves, visit the sick, give charity, take care of our elders and involve ourselves in a wide range of Tikkun Olam projects. While we are not afraid of free and open discussion, as proved by this publication, the actual pro or against advocacy must stay outside the safe space of our Shuls. There are many organizations that

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support or criticize Israel. One can join those organizations in an individual capacity. South Africa is a country that received its liberty by a long and harsh struggle. The freedom of speech and expression is an essential element of that liberty which is sacred to us.

It also should be noted that within the realm of Progressive Judaism, there are many ways to be involved in Israel affairs. We stand in comradeship with the Israeli Movement for Progressive Judaism, with the Israeli Religious Action Centre, with the Woman of the Wall and many other organizations which struggle for a better and more democratic Israel. All those organizations are in desperate need of diaspora volunteers. As an international movement we have developed a political affiliate, the Arzenu Party, which is a major component in the World Zionist organizations, situated both in the Zionist Executive and in the governing body of the Jewish Agency. It is due to the power of Arzenu that our youth movement, Netzer, is affiliated to the Youth Zionist Council. Arzenu has a South African branch that has shown its value more than once. We encourage our people to learn more about it.

This publication contain two forms of writing: Opinion columns and letters to the editor. It is representative as a collection of those who found the matter important enough to respond to our call. None of the writers can claim to speak on behalf of all progressive

Jews in Africa. As a rabbinic body, we hold the opinion that none should be having this prerogative.

However, as our movement’s spiritual leadership, we feel entitled to know where we stand with regards to the notions, opinions and feelings of our people. We invited this sharing of views, hopes, wishes and concerns out of the confidence that open, honest and respectful communal conversation is the best guarantee to ensure that our acts will indeed stand for our broad-reaching and diverse community. It is our obligation to make sure that the suitable forums will be assembled and that the outcomes of those discussion will be widely distributed. Bringing this publication to the attention of our members is a first and humble step in this direction.

We are grateful to all those who dedicated the time and effort to contribute. We also hope that these platform, the SA Progressive Jewish Views, will serve us for many fruitful public discussions in the years to come.

For the sake of Zion I will not keep still,

Rabbi Greg Alexander Rabbi Sa’ar Shaked

Adar 5775, March 2015

“Therefore the ETERNAL waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts herself to show mercy to you.

For the ETERNAL is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.

For the people who dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you

at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he shall answer. And though the Eternal give you the

bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide Himself anymore, but your

eyes shall see your Teacher.”

Isaiah 30:18-20

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Occupy Zion! / Rabbi Greg Alexander

The poet Yehuda Amichai asked, “Why Is Jerusalem Always in Twos – one above and the other below?” He was playing on the word for Jerusalem in Hebrew which has an ending that sounds like a dual form – Yerushalayim, like einayim (two eyes) or raglayim (two legs). He then combined that with a passage in the Talmud (Ta’anit 5b) that says that there is an upper Jerusalem, an ideal, perfect Jerusalem that exists only in the heavenly realm, and a lower Jerusalem in this world.

In my personal experience too there are two Jerusalems. There is the Jerusalem I lived in for two years, the city of my beautiful wedding to Andi at Hebrew Union College on King David St, the Friday night services at Kol Haneshamah, sitting in the cafés of Rechaviah and the Moshavah, long afternoons in the Israel Museum, walking the streets and feeling the history. Sitting at the feet of some of the greatest teachers of Judaism, seeing Jews from all backgrounds, Mizrachi, Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Russian, Indian, and Ethiopian Jews shopping alongside Arab Muslims and Christians at the shook open market on a Friday morning. This Jerusalem is the one that I was brought up on, the one of the miracles of the pioneers, the ingathering of the Jewish world, of Operation Solomon and Moses and Magic Carpet. It’s the Israel of giant shawarmas, walking to the Kotel at 4am after staying up all night studying on Shavuot, Nobel laureates, the Start-Up Nation.

Then there is the other side of the Earthly Jerusalem. The increasing gap between rich and poor, the abuse of refugee migrant workers from South East Asia and Africa, the government corruption, the oppression of Progressive Judaism by a bullying Orthodox rabbinate. And of course, then there is “the Matzav” – the Occupation, the wall, the war

with (fill in the blank here: Syria, Iran, Hamas, Lebanon, everyone). No peace in 66 years and a world that sees Zionism as a swear word, a term of racist oppression. And on the right wing, an aggressive distorted Zionist rhetoric that seeks to make only the enemy the problem. “Why are we bombing them? Because they bombed us first…”

The response for many is to point the finger at Zionism. But, chaverim, dear Progressive Movement, now is not the time to leave Zion, to resign, to give up and run away. It is time to Reclaim Zionism! To OCCUPY Zion! . You see, the fundamentalists on the Zionist and anti-Zionist right and the left have stolen that word from you and from me. “Zion” in Tanakh and Siddur was an ideal that existed long before modern Zion-ism. The Bible teaches us about a place, Zion. A Holy Land. A promised land. The birthplace of three great religions. The place that would be, should be the source of Peace. The origin of the Messianic age when “Lo yisa goi el goi cherev, lo yilm’du od milchama” - Nation shall not take up sword against nation; that they shall never again learn war. (Isaiah 2:4)

Zion is the source of Torah. Every time we take the Torah out of the ark we sing, “Ki mitziyon teitzei Torah…From Zion will come the Torah”. That Zion was Jerusalem and it needs to be Jerusalem again. What teaching is coming from Zion today? The Torah of love or the Torah of hate?

I love Israel. And I believe that our relationship with Israel must be strong and loving. And must include, when necessary, loving toch’chah - REBUKE. As Rabbi Chanina once said, “ אינה תוכחה עמה שאין אהבה כל

Any love that is without rebuke is“ .”אהבהnot really love” (Genesis Rabbah 54:3).

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It is OK to criticise Israel – in fact, it is a mitzvah. But that critique must take in the failure of all those who are invested in the lands of the Middle East. The politicians, the neighbouring states, the corporations and arms manufacturers who enrich themselves while the region burns. It is a mitzvah to feel and share the anguish over the continued conflict and suffering that the citizens of the area have experienced. It is a mitzvah to show our anger and frustration at the lack of true leadership in the Middle East and amongst the world powers. It is a mitzvah to let those leaders know that everyone loses in war. The civilians and the soldiers, those in uniform and those not, those in bomb shelters and those moved from their homes, those on the battle field and those in the decision-making meetings. No-one wins in war. No-one wants to send their children to die. We demand that they negotiate a future, instead of blaming the past.

How we do that toch’chah is crucial. Beating ourselves up or writing and re-posting one-sided social media reports is not going to change our world. We are fortunate that, even though flawed, Israel’s democracy has allowed a strong and vibrant culture of toch’chah to flourish, and it is those voices of our own movement and its allies that we need to support now. NGOs like Rabbis for Human Rights, the Israel Religious Action Centre, Women at the Wall and the New Israel Fund are fighting a different war, a war for the soul of Israel. Their vision is that Israel should be the Zion that we pray for when we read in our siddur – Or chadash al Tzion ta’ir – Shine a new light shine upon Zion.

________________

Rabbi Alexander is the current Chair of the SAAPR and serves on the rabbinic team of Temple Israel, Cape Town.

The Centrality of Israel / Prof. Antony Arkin Jewish nationalism has its very roots in the Hebrew Bible, where God told Abraham: "And I will make you a great nation ... And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 2: 2-3). This nationalism in its very essence is positive. The Jewish nation's goal is to bring good to the world.

It is useful therefore to step back to re-emphasize why Israel is at the very centre of

Progressive Judaism. As the mission statement of the World Union for Progressive Judaism declares, we are committed to the centrality of Israel in the lives of Jews worldwide, and to partnering in the development of Israel as a democratic and pluralistic state. "

The land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious

“Shine a new light shine upon Zion”: Classical Reform prayerbook authors in the Diaspora consistently

omitted this line with its mention of Zion from the liturgy because of their opposition to Jewish

nationalism. With the restoration of this passage to Mishkan T’filah, our movement consciously

affirms its devotion to the modern state of Israel and signals its recognition of the religious

significance of the rebirth of Jewish commonwealth.

(David Ellenson, Mishkan T’filah, pg. 226)

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and political identity was formed. Here they wrote most of the Bible. Here Judaism grew into its own right and gave birth to Christianity as well. The Jewish state was destroyed when the land was militarily conquered by the Roman Empire; subsequently most of the Jews were exiled. Yet Jews never stop living in Israel. The entire Jewish people, wherever it lived, never broke its daily spiritual connection to the land or stopped its yearning and prayers to go back.

Zionism is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people. Zionism grew out of millennia-old Jewish culture, memory and prayers. It became a political movement, functioning alongside numerous other national liberation movements, including Arab, Asian and European hitherto suppressed national minorities. Most of them won their nationhood, as did Israel, in the 20th century. The Zionist cause developed resonance due to the growth of anti-Semitism in modern Europe. The urgency of immediate sovereignty was confirmed by the unprecedentedly brutal annihilation of the Jewish people attempted in the Holocaust.

The Arab population of Palestine has every right to want to live in their own state. The United Nations recognized that the only resolution that could do justice to the needs of the two peoples in the Holy Land was to partition the land. The Jewish population accepted this humane compromise solution (while promising "complete equality of social and political rights to inhabitants, irrespective of religion, race, or sex". (Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel) The Arab nations and the Palestinians did not accept. The armies of six Arab nations invaded Israel in 1948, proclaiming their intention to destroy the state and/or drive the Jewish inhabitants into the sea. Israel barely survived and lost 1% of its total Jewish population in the war. The net result was a Naqba (catastrophe) for the Palestinians, but it was self-inflicted.

During 1948 - 1967 when the West Bank was under Arab control, a Palestinian state was not established. Nor was the Jewish state recognized. Arab leadership determined to keep the Palestinians everywhere as refugees, segregated in refugee camps. They were not allowed to relocate or to become citizens in the Arab countries where they were. This was a cruel policy, designed to use the refugees as an inflammatory factor to prevent making peace. In a burst of ethnic cleansing, the Arab states overwhelmingly expelled their Jewish populations. Most of the Jewish refugees came to Israel where they were given full citizenship and enabled to make new, dignified lives for themselves.

In 1967, the Arab nations, unreconciled to Israel's existence, went to war against the state, starting with expelling the United Nations peacekeeping troops and blockading Israel's shipping lifelines. Again, leaders such as Abdul Gamal Nasser of Egypt announced that the goal was to wipe out the Jews and their state. Israel won the war of self-defence which is how it came to occupy the West Bank and Gaza. Israel offered to return the territories in exchange for a negotiated peace. The Arab nations replied: no negotiations, no recognition, and no peace.

The Palestinians have taken charge of their own destiny. Unfortunately, they have used terrorism in Israel and against Jews abroad as a central policy. There have been negotiations on and off. In 1993, Israel recognized the Palestinians. Israel's Prime Ministers since then, including Benjamin Netanyahu today, have affirmed the principle of two states for two peoples. They insisted only on a secure peace for Israel. The Palestinians have never given up the terrorism tactic. Hamas, the group which governs Gaza, proclaims as its unchanged goal the destruction of the state of Israel.

The vast majority of the procedures which disturb the Palestinians and supply the basis for the criticism and de-legitimisation of Israel

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- checkpoints and the separation barrier - constitute security protections to prevent terrorism and block the unrelenting infiltration attempts to assault life inside Israel. The separation barrier was built after a flood of terrorist attacks killed hundreds of Israelis and threatened to make life unliveable in the country. In fact, terrorist attacks dropped over 90% after its construction. All these practices would be removed were the Palestinians to genuinely embark on a policy of nonviolence. Again, their suffering is real, but self-inflicted.

The Israeli settlements on the West Bank are supported by many Jews as a return to biblical lands. Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed this in a speech he gave to the US Congress: "In Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers. This is the land of our forefathers, the Land of Israel, to which Abraham brought the idea of one God, where David set out to confront Goliath, and where Isaiah saw a vision of eternal peace. No distortion of history can deny the 4000-year-old bond between the Jewish people and the Jewish land". Many Jews are critical of this enterprise. But the settlements are not a permanent obstacle to the peace settlement. In the most recent peace offer by an Israeli government, Israel asked to keep 6% of the West Bank land on which more than 80% of the settlers live. In return, Israel would give an equivalent area of land from within the present borders of Israel to the Palestinian

state, as well as evacuate all the other settlements.

Far from being an apartheid racist state, Israel remains the only democracy in the Middle East. Its Arab population enjoys the highest standard of democracy, education, health and religious freedom in the entire area. Like all democracies, Israel is imperfect. Its Arab population lags behind the Jewish population in many areas, but is catching up, aided by government investment and affirmative action.

Israel is not faultless and one can criticize or totally disagree with any of its policies. There is a robust debate on Israel/Palestinian issues inside Israel and in the Diaspora Jewish communities. But as Progressive Jews we are we are committed to a vision of the State of Israel that promotes full civil, human and religious rights for all its inhabitants, and that strives for a lasting peace between Israel and its neighbours.

Recognizing that kol Yisrael arevim zeh ba-zeh, (all Jews are responsible for one another), we reach out to all Jews across ideological and geographical boundaries. We embrace religious and cultural pluralism as an expression of the vitality of Jewish communal life in Israel and the Diaspora.

___________________________

Prof. Arkins is the regional chair of the East

coast region of the SAUPJ and head of

ARZENU SA

“To provide the political representation of the worldwide Reform/Progressive movement,

in the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency and related institutions and, to

support the Jerusalem Program;

To work with Israeli and Diaspora Reform/Progressive institutions to transform Israeli

society according to Reform/Progressive Zionist values and to be a bridge between these

institutions around the world”

Extract from Arzenu mission statement

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Madam Chair report / Diane Fine In February Beit Emanuel held its AGM and, as

happens in all places of Jewish study, debate

raged. Two important issues were raised by

the “Resolution” tabled at the AGM. The

resolution was an attempt to pressure the

Beit Emanuel community to take a stand on

their position in respect of Israel/Palestine.

The first issue raised being about the position

Beit Emanuel takes and the second being

about public perception of Beit Emanuel.

Sadly these were conflated which I suspect

weakens the debate.

Concern was expressed about how others

perceive our congregation, how non-

members or the orthodox, view us.

Perception is driven by those who choose to

make statements about us on public

platforms. It is based on subjective views and

not necessarily objective reality. It is strongly

influenced by their own motives, expectations

and past experiences. Thus far we have seen

those who are not members of our

community to publicly state their perception

of our congregation, while our members

remain silent. The likes of those instigators,

some of them senior stakeholders in the

wider Progressive community, have declared

us maverick and attacked us on public

platforms, and we have not responded by

promoting our beliefs and better explaining

our position. That would then offer a

balanced basis for public perceptions. We

should be loudly stating that we represent

what is truly the essence of Progressive

Judaism.

Progressive Judaism is premised on

encouraging questions and debate, being

imaginative and creative, encompassing

pluralism and diverse views and encouraging

each Jew to make personal informed choices

about their religious practice and beliefs.

To reassure those of you who seem to believe

what non-members are saying about us I

repeat: we do not support BDS, we have

never supported BDS and the matter has

never been raised for debate in any forum at

the shul except by those who want to attack

us. The fact that some members of the shul

support JVJP is their personal choice. As far as

I know, JVJP has no position on BDS. The fact

that some members of our congregation

support the DA does not mean that this is the

position of the Beit Emanuel community nor

is Beit Emanuel an ANC ally because some

congregants vote for the ANC. The fact that

large numbers support the SAZF or Arzenu

does not mean that this should be imposed

on everyone, as this undermines the essence

of personal choice. Personal choice is

fundamental for us. It is what makes us

different from orthodoxy. For those who

choose to do so, attendance at SAZF events is

your right. But this should not impinge on the

rights of those of you who choose to attend

other events which reflect your views.

While this encouragement of individual

choice is one of the strengths of our

community, it may also be one of its

weaknesses. Individual choice means that

congregants can choose which elements of

religious ritual and belief they wish to follow

and which they choose to reject. So a

Progressive Jew may choose to keep a kosher

home while still eating non-kosher food in a

restaurant, or not keep a kosher home at all.

He or she may choose to wear a tallit or not,

may choose to attend all services to pray, or

may choose to attend irregularly. This

freedom allows us to innovate in ritual

practice in the synagogue, introducing new

liturgy, reverting to previously discarded

liturgy, and allows innovation by the choir.

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If Progressive Jews are encouraged to make

individual choices about religious practice,

this must necessarily extend to freedom to

choose their attitudes and beliefs about

Israel/ Palestine. In Temple Israel, the Reform

Synagogue in Cape Town in which I grew up,

the understanding about Zion was that Zion

was in essence a paradise, nirvana, the best

to which Jews (and all humanity) can aspire. It

was also there as an ideal of the way in which

we can relate to humanity wherever we

happened to be. When we say “next year in

Jerusalem” this is not the Jerusalem of the

modern state of Israel, it is a cry for a return

to the idealised Jerusalem, the capital city of

the paradise of Zion. It provides a model for

ethical living which should be translated into

the way in which we live our lives here.

Some may fear that they do not have enough

information on which to base these

“informed” choices and this is perhaps the

greatest weakness of a religion based on

individuals making personal informed choices.

Rather than trying to impose views, we

should be providing a stronger educational

component for all congregants, and anyone

who is interested, to learn more on which to

base their choices. Perhaps the greatest

weakness of the Progressive Movement in

South Africa is that we lack a formal campus

of Progressive Jewish education affiliated to

groups such as Leo Baeck or the Hebrew

Union College.

Over the centuries Jews have viewed

themselves as victims of persecution by

others. They repeat the stories of the worst

excesses against the Jews and say “lest we

forget”. Of course it is important to

remember the worst kinds of abuse and

oppression as a way to prevent it happening

again, but the constant reminders have the

side effect of the repetition and exacerbation

of trauma at each retelling. In this way the

trauma of the holocaust remains not only

with the generations of those directly

affected by the holocaust but is passed on to

their children and grandchildren. Instead of

one generation of traumatised people there

are now three.

The Jewish community of South Africa has

listened to the repetition of the trauma of the

Holocaust. It has repeated the message that

we are small and vulnerable and victims of

the whims of society. This message has been

fed from generation to generation, le dor

v’dor, and so the trauma has been passed on

from generation to generation.

When individuals are traumatised they

experience their environment as unsafe,

unpredictable and untrustworthy. They

experience a sense of anxiety, depression,

shame, guilt and fear. The instinct of those

who are traumatised is to cling together, to

turn inward and stop engaging with the

society which they, often exaggeratedly, feel

has abandoned them. It becomes very

difficult to seek solutions to problems, to

engage with others to jointly find solutions

and see the future as hopeful and others as

helpful.

From this psychological perspective, allowing

debate and individual choice is too

threatening to contemplate. Those who are

fearful and lack hope interpret any different

view as a threat. If you cannot control the

world around you, the wish is to at least

control the microcosm of society in which you

find yourself. For those who have not

entrenched the underlying philosophy of

Progressive Judaism, which is informed

personal choice, the demand that we take a

position on Israel/Palestine is not understood

by them to be in direct contravention of our

beliefs.

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To return to my original theme. The way we

talk about our congregation to those outside

is the way we will be perceived by others. If

we speak of our leadership as maverick, anti-

Zionist or failing us, or do not respond to

those who describe us in that way, this is how

Beit Emanuel will be seen. If we show greater

courage and stand by the fundamental

principles of Progressive Judaism and we talk

about informed individual choice and the

value of diversity to enrich debate and

education in our community, the rest of SA

will see us as contributing meaningfully to the

future of Progressive Jewry, and perhaps may

understand us better and see advantages to

being a part of our brand of Judaism.

____________________________________

Diane Fine is the immediate past chair of Beit

Emanuel Progressive Synagogue.

My Journey with Zion / Kendyll Jacobson

In South Africa, we learn from a young age

about diversity and unity, about how human

beings are all different, about how unity

makes a larger impact on situations and that

we need to be united fronts for whatever we

choose to be a part of. These concepts were

and are seemingly contradictory, especially to

a self-proclaimed logical thinker like myself.

Joining Netzer at age 10 only added to the

confusion as these ideas were emphasised in

a Netzer fashion. I’d always been Jewish,

always attended shul and always lit Shabbat

candles and I had always been South African,

born and bred and loved being a part of the

Rainbow Nation yet going to Netzer made me

proud to be a Jewish South African… or a

South African Jew (I still haven’t decided what

I prefer). South African Jewry can find

prominent links between Zionism and uBuntu.

The idea of being who you are because of

“Who made known to the world the mystery of the Eternal, the one God? Who was it to spread in the world

the notion of moral purity, of the family's purity? Who taught the world respect for the human being,

created in the image of God? Who spoke first of the commandment of righteousness and of social justice

thoughts?

It is the spirit of the prophets of Israel, the divine revelation to the Jewish people, had been in them all. In

our Judaism had they grown and still in it they are growing. By these facts we repel all insults flung at us.

We stand in front of our God. In him we take shelter. In him embodied are our truth and dignity, facing all

changing challenges, all of our courage and might in troubled times. Our history stands for spiritual

greatness, spiritual glory and splendour. It is they, which we ask as we are injured by evil and wickedness,

and as anguish and agony surrounds us.

From generation to generation had God our ancestors guided. He will lead us, and our children, through

these days.

Rabbi Leo Baeck, Yom Kippur sermon, 1935

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others and the importance of communal life.

Zionists and those who strive for uBuntu alike

both are in it for the bigger picture. We are

not for ourselves but for others rather, we do

not give up when the going gets tough but

stand up taller rather, we are who we are as a

result of each other.

Obviously, by choosing to be a part of the

movement that Netzer is, meant that I

subscribed to learning about the ideology that

they stood for. I thought ‘why not?’, after all I

was Jewish, I enjoyed learned and I liked the

idea of Israel being the “homeland for the

Jews”. Little did I know that my journey would

teach me so much more and my appreciation

for Israel would exceed ‘homeland’ status.

Throughout my Netzer career we have been

asked and have asked the pressing question

of ‘What is Israel to you?’ Most often your

answer develops as you grow. People who

once loved Israel, no questions asked, might

turn out to be her toughest critics; some who

didn’t care for learning Zionism 101, might

turn out to be the Zionist liaison for

machaneh, that’s the beauty of youth

movements.

To cut a long story short, only (a few months

short of) ten years down the line after joining

Netzer, I – good old Kendyll, the ‘lone soldier’

from Durban and the “underdog” chanicha –

was sent to represent my entire country of

Netzerniks in Israel at Veida 2015. With the

knowledge I had of Netzer SA, Netzer Olami,

Judaism and Zionism I eagerly hopped on that

plane to Israel… not nearly expecting what I

was about to experience. Try and imagine a

room of just over 20 young people. Now

picture that group of people representing 14

different countries. The one obvious South

African response would be; ‘this won’t work,

we are all so different’ yet the other could be;

‘this will work, we are all so different’. So

which one should I agree with? I chose to not

go with either but to rather enter the room

with an awkward smile. So what came out of

this international room? How about

progression, positivity and a new path!

The theme, rather fitting I thought, was ‘The

Zionism of Netzer – A People Returns to its

Land’. Once again, I was faced with THAT

question… What does Israel mean to me? Yet

answering this, whilst standing in the Beit

Shmuel classrooms in Jerusalem with the

walls of the Old City staring at us through the

window, made me feel I needed to dig deeper

for an answer worthy of the Holy Land.

There’s a lot of controversy around the idea

of Jerusalem Syndrome, with many people

experiencing delusions or feelings that they

are “Moshiach”, The Messiah, or that they

have somehow have reached higher spiritual

levels. If I am being honest though, I kind of

get it. I understand how a person can be so

moved by entering a city without there being

any rational explanation. Jerusalem has the

ability to move a person’s soul yet make

everything grind to a halt at the same time,

she can make you fall in love with inanimate

objects and make you want to be something

you never dreamed of. Now it’s not only

Jerusalem, the entire land of Israel can do

this. So when I had to answer this question

this is what I came up with:

‘Israel means my home

Israel means my support

Israel means my Zionism

Israel means my love

All of those are true; all of those definitions

are just some of what Israel as a homeland, as

a culture, as a lifestyle means to me. While all

of those are how I define Israel, Israel is not

mine to define. Israel is ours.

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Israel is a home for me as a Jew in South

Africa as well as for a Christian from Europe

and an Atheist from Brazil. Israel is willing and

able to be home to those who want to call it

that. Israel is my support system in a way

which not only allows me to support it and

believe in something greater than myself but

also supports me in a way that no other

county could. Whether I am walking in

Jerusalem or on a moshav in the North, I feel

happy, safe and included. Israel is a safety net

for Jewish people from across the globe,

whether we act upon this offer and make

Aliyah or not, Israel is there for us and for my

peace of mind. A friend and colleague from

England once said, “Zionism is a belief, not a

to-do list”. The belief in Israel, the belief that

she has the right to be the democratic state

that she is, the belief that she is free and

loving, the belief that she is home, that is how

Israel has created my Zionism. I owe a large

amount of who I am to the country who owes

me nothing. Israel is in my heart, the people,

the land and the atmosphere and while this

all sounds rather euphoric, if you think about

it, it is all actually attainable. Israel is more

than a country, Israel is choice you make to

be an individual within a group that is bigger

than we all are.’

Netzer Veida 2015 inspired me to keep on

going in this movement, this movement that

is greater than me, greater than my snif and

greater than my country yet values me, my

snif and my country. If I am being honest I had

a terrible time as rosh machaneh in December

and was at the brink of leaving Netzer but

after Veida I know I am here to stay (I’m in

denial that the ‘honeymoon phase’ is a

legitimate thing). Veida taught me how to be

ambassador for my channichim and

madrichim to ensure I wasn’t letting them

down. Veida taught me to remember what I

have been taught in the past, a lot of what I

learned I was actually relearning but it was

still so relevant. Veida taught me that I love

Zion but not just love Zion, but also to

embody the love of Zion. Yes, there was

history and talks and information passed onto

us that some people may never be able to

learn and thank goodness for our brains and

the ability to remember because this

information needs to be passed onto to as

many people as we encounter. Veida taught

me to teach and learn simultaneously.

However, the thing I gained from Veida more

than anything else is this incredible sense of

understanding and being understood.

Meeting my peers - who I like to think of as

the ‘German/Australian etc version of me’ or

I, the South African version of them – the

people who understand what it means to run

Netzer was incredible. When they spoke I was

relating their actions back to South Africa and

vice versa. Inside and outside of the

classroom the unification of Netzer Olami

reached the potential that no one could have

imagined leaving all of the participants as

friends, colleagues and family. This is what

Netzer is all about!

A pertinent line in the chorus of the Netzer

song is “Anachnu HaChalutzim Shel Netzer” –

We are the pioneers of Netzer. Not only is this

concept one that is relevant to Netzerniks

lives but it is also so important for the lives of

Jews and Zionists alike. Anachnu, meaning US,

together as a whole unit made up of

individuals will make more of difference.

Chalutzim, meaning pioneers, is probably the

most important word we need to remember.

We have the ability as a people and a nation

to make a difference however big or small

and to pioneer the way just as things were

pioneered for us. In fact, it is almost a

responsibility that comes with the right of

being who we are. So whether you choose to

be a pioneer of Netzer, of Israel, of Judaism or

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of your own life even, as long as you do it

with koach (strength) and ruach (spirit), you

will make a change. This is what I have

learned along my journey with Zion.

Eretz Yisrael has awarded me opportunity to

be Jewish, South African, Zionist, spiritual and

intellectual… to be ME. My journey with

Zionism and Israel started off like most

normal ones do thanks to my community and

Netzer, yet is has transformed from the

ordinary to nothing short of extraordinary.

Call it Jerusalem Syndrome, call an amazing

trip, call it Netzer, call it Zionism or the power

of Israel, I don’t really know what to label it

as. What I do know though is that I have

embarked on a life long journey that – g-d

willing – will never end and I couldn’t be more

enthused about that idea. Zion is in my heart,

around my soul and on my mind and hand-in-

hand we shall continue this journey.

_____________________________________

Kendyll Jacobson is the Mazkira, National

Director of Netzer South Arica.

The courage to face the demons within / Irwin Manoim Before we debate our attitudes to Israel, we must debate our attitudes to debate. Here are some topics we may freely debate: tradition or modernity, vegetarianism or meat, the role of women in Judaism, gay rights. Here is a topic we may not debate: Israel.

The very notion of a debate around Israel causes panic in a room. Blood pressures boil over. Some people step outside. Some change the subject. Some begin shouting. Debate? There is no debate.

We cannot bring ourselves to debate Israel because we are a small, frightened and vulnerable community, ever mindful of a history of persecution over two thousand years that has given us scant reason to trust anyone. Not the Muslims, not the Christians, not the Europeans, not the Americans, not the South Africans. We do not even trust our fellow Jews.

To debate Israel is to risk breaching two codes of conduct which we all share. These are

“Netzer aims to instil a sense of hope in the Youth of today by giving them a voice, and thus provides an

image of growth, development and fulfilment. These attributes are what we aim to impart on our

members, so that they can grow into the young Jewish leaders of the next generation.

Through all aspects of education, Chanichim are encouraged to question and evaluate the information

presented to them. Netzer’s educational program is designed towards a comprehensive knowledge of

Judaism, Jewish History, Israel’s history, culture, and Zionism. Our approach to Progressive Judaism

encourages the use of Jewish sources, in order to make informed decisions concerning our Jewish

practice and identity.”

Netzer South Africa IDEOLOGY & EDUCATION Document

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unspoken and unwritten, so I will need to give them names. There is the Code of Solidarity, and the Code of Humility. The Code of Solidarity requires that we do not criticise Israel, especially not in front of non-Jews. If non-Jews criticise Israel, we will defend Israel. If other Jews criticise Israel, we will shun them. The Code of Humility provides a reason for the Code of Solidarity. We do not criticise Israel because we do not live there. We do not suffer the rockets, we do not lay down our lives. We have no right to pass judgement upon the actions of those who do.

Persons who breach the codes have committed acts of betrayal. This is why we label them in one or all the following ways: anti-Zionist, anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, self-hating Jews.

We all understand those rules. If I were an Orthodox Jew, I would not question the codes any more than I might question the wisdom of my rabbi, the certainty of Torah, or the Halacha itself. I would live in a universe of simple rules and it would be my duty to obey.

But Progressive Judaism requires of us that we live in a messier and more ambiguous universe, one that may lack the comfort of certainty. We are expected to subject every aspect of our tradition to scrutiny and ask: this is what we believed yesterday. Is it still true today?

It takes courage to face the demons within. But we faced up to our historic discrimination against women, and today we ordain women rabbis. We faced up to our own narrow chauvinism, which is why our prayers embrace all of humanity, not just ourselves. We faced up to our historic discrimination against gay people, and today we welcome them. What we are unable to face up to, are the moral dilemmas posed by the State of Israel.

Morality? What does that mean? Hillel the Elder gave us a one line answer with his

Golden Rule, which could also be called the rule of reciprocity. “Do not unto others that which is hateful to you. That is all of Torah. The rest is commentary.” Hillel requires that we place ourselves in the shoes of the other, and then look at the world through those eyes. Even if they are the eyes of an enemy.

Like you, I have always been a Zionist. I became a Zionist at about the age I learned to tie my shoelaces. Who taught me? My mother. Did I think deeply about the implications? No, I became a Zionist because I was born a Jew. All Jews are Zionists. All Jews have relatives who live in and fight for Israel. But Hillel’s Golden Rule requires me now to ask this question: What if I was not born a Jew? What if I was born a Palestinian?

Let us imagine what Zionism might look like from the other side. Decades of bloodshed, hatred, rocket fire, dead soldiers, and dead children … have created an angry fog that prevents us grasping how others might think. But it is simpler than we like to admit. Once, Arabs lived here and there and over there in villages in the land we call Israel. We say that they never lived there. But those who pay attention, which I never did, can spot the ruins of their villages. Under our forests, under our kibbutzim. Did they run away in 1948, or were they chased away? I don’t know. The point is not in the running, but in the returning. The Arabs can never return to their homes because we will not let them. And we will not let them because there are too many of them. They cannot return because they are the OTHER.

One reason for the failure of dialogue between Israel’s advocates and its critics, is that they are not talking about the same country. The advocates are talking about what Israel means to the Jews; the critics about what it means to those who are not Jewish. The advocates are talking about Israel as a symbol of Jewish hopes, bastion of our safety, and culmination of a two thousand year dream. A miracle of social development,

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a world-class technical hub, a brilliant public health system. But the critics are talking about those topics one does not talk about, the awkward bits swept out of memory and sight. Evictions, discriminatory zoning, separate roads, detention without trial. The bulldozing of informal settlements. The casual racism. And the dispossession.

We shape our enemies, and we are shaped by them. We have brutalised one another. It says something about Hamas that it will rain thousands of rockets night and day upon Israel, making barely a dent in Israel’s armour, in a futile rage that can only invite massive retaliation. And it says something about what we have become, that we can kill two thousand Palestinians in four weeks and find no reason to believe that this offends against Jewish values.

We are able without difficulty to find reasons to condemn Hamas. But we have no equivalent yardstick to measure Israel’s conduct. Our Code of Solidarity and our Code of Humility are not moral codes at all. They are codes of abdication: we absolve Israel of

any requirement to be judged. Not for the actions of its politicians, not for the actions of its generals, not for the actions of its most junior soldiers. And by absolving them, we also absolve ourselves of any share in that responsibility. In our silence, we are complicit.

We do not speak because it tears at our souls to criticise the land of our people. We do not speak because we fear the community’s wrath. But we have reached the point where courage is needed. Do we deserve to call ourselves Progressive Jews? The heirs to the teachings of Hillel? The time has come for the leadership of our community, here and abroad, to take a stand against any and all injustices perpetuated by our own people in our own names. If not now, then when?

Irwin Manoim was a founding editor of the Mail & Guardian newspaper (1985-94) and serves on the Board of Guardians at Beit Emanuel Progressive Synagogue.

Support, Investment, Trade / Rabbi Julia Margolis I was raised in Israel, my family are there, and my older daughter was born there. It is my home and I think the best way is to start off with is by describing my feelings towards Israel by adopting the official attitude of the Progressive Reform Movement. Our Prayer Book contains a prayer for the restoration of Zion, and the Guiding Principles of Progressive Reform Judaism affirm the obligation of all

Jewry to aid in Israel’s development. Every Saturday morning at shul we pray for peace in the land of Israel. The World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) has transferred its headquarters to Jerusalem. Our movement arranges Israel tours for Temple youth and promotes Aliyah. It has established two Progressive Reform Kibbutzim in the Arava desert.

“The word of the Eternal came unto me, saying: Son of

man, announce Jerusalem her iniquities”

Ezekiel 16:1

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From this point my individual perspective takes over, in that I think that we all need a paradigm shift in thinking about this specific topic, which is usually a highly emotive one. We have for far too long (indeed for generations) focussed on the dark clouds gathered around us. We are constantly bickering (between us and or our neighbours) either caught up in – or at the centre of - one conflict or another for either decades or millennia.

Through generations we have been consumed with a vicious circle or spiral of generational guilt, hurt, anger and conflict. As a habit we now, the current generation, gravitate to this dark-side of thought and relentlessly focus our energy and attention on “how to sweep the darkness out of the dark room” and indeed just who it is that is responsible for all this darkness, examining each dark cloud with the suspicion and contempt that each deserves.

I am not here suggesting a soft or ignorant stance on matters that require a firm hand. I proudly served in the IDF as an officer; I did my duty and expect others to do the same, but after all these generations, could there be another way? Or are we, and do we remain so caught up in our spiral of darkness, which we simply cannot even see, or think of - the light?

I watched a documentary recently, in which the narrator states that Mother Theresa was repeatedly requested to attend, indeed be at the forefront of “marches against either war or terror.” Mother Theresa declined on each occasion, eventually retorting, “Ask me to attend a march for peace, and I will be there.” Could she perhaps see something that all those falling around her could not – could she have possibly seen the light, while all those around her could only see or discuss the darkness?

They asked me this recently, one after the other about “BDS” and I reply – I have no interest to discuss it – I am only interested in

“SIT.” What does SIT stand for they asked, simply this I replied, “Support, Investment and Trade.” The “BDS” you speak of, is the darkness to which I refer – I have no interest in it – I wish only to switch on the light, the antithesis of BDS is SIT, so let us focus our attention on the light for a minute.

Is there not (much) more that both Israel and Jews around the world can (should) do to increase SIT? Should there not be funds that Jews around the world can invest in – should be encouraged to invest in. Should our state not go out of its way to create awareness of such financial instruments or vehicles, perhaps apportioning a small percentage to something in the order of that wonderful organisation “gift of the givers,” providing a small portion to those more moderate and stable neighbours, not for the purposes of PR, but because this is just simply who we as a people are, and indeed what is in our hearts and nature to do.

Let us stop chasing our tails in the dark, let us for a change think (progressively) let us look (and indeed turn our attention) toward the light - let us reach out and switch it on. They ask me where I stand on BDS, I answer simply - I stand for “SIT”.

Subsequent to this article I wrote towards the end of 2014, I have now been elected to chair “SACRED,” as such I am now expected in certain quarters to “take a stronger stand” than I have previously done. Further I have read an article today in which Woolworths has been once again singled out for its trade with Israel, which in essence has poured oil on the “BDS” fire already alluded to above.

I really do think that we should not get “caught up in mudslinging.” I recently watched Julias Malema on SABC TV, when he was asked to comment on a letter to him by a former convict, all he had was this to say, “I refuse to wrestle with a pig in the mud – because it will give the pig an opportunity to merge victorious. “

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That being said, whatever should we be geared only toward those who have a genuine interest to better know or understand our situation – under no circumstances at all we should attempt to wrestle with a pig in its own mud!

What we should do is have a dual course of action, firstly to use the Woolworths “opportunity” practically and properly (if Woolworths is amenable) to set out a few hard hitting facts, and repeat them as often and as firmly as possible. For example that Israel the ONLY democratically elected country in the entire Middle East? That it had already had a female prime-minister in 1973 (Golda Meir), while Saudi Arabia not only does not allow woman to vote – woman are not even allowed to drive a car! – When was

the last time you saw a BDS person protesting against this!? Etc.

And then the second course of action, would be envisaged as set out above, which is to say we (even if just progressive Jews for now) should really get together and discuss a way forward with respect to the “SIT” that I mention above – those are my feelings – this is my stand point.

____________________________

Rabbi Julia Margolis is the chairperson of SACRED and a rabbi at Beit David Progressive Synagogue.

Oh! Who will lead me on

to seek the posts where, in far-distant years,

the angels in their glory dawned upon

Thy messengers and seers?

Oh! Who will give me wings

That I may fly away,

and there, at rest from all my wanderings,

the ruins of my heart among thy ruins lay?

Rabbi Judah Halevi / Ode to Zion

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Have we missed the train? / Rabbi Sa’ar Shaked

(Out of an address at the IMPJ conference, 2008)

“We, at the Sulha peace project, are creating a new language for peace, generating human encounters and engaging with the prophetic vision of eternal peace. In the professional terminology our endeavours are called “grassroots leadership” and “people to people dialogue”. Our aim is to open one heart at the time. The root of conflict is not the land or the laws but hate and alienation. Thus, our main deed is to enable an eye to eye communication between human beings share the same land. This attitude invites a strong breaking through transformative energy. One needs to witness it.

So far regarding the Sulha. Now I’d like to fulfil the rabbinic duty of testifying my faith and locating the given question within the wider context of Jewish history.

***

Leo Baeck wrote about Jewish existence, claiming it is a question god is asking, directed both toward the Jews and toward rest of Humanity, in which its midst we are placed. Our lives is the answer. Jewish history is itself a form of revelation. Even if I can’t explain why so much suffering is needed, I clearly sense that the story of my people is a unique voice within humanity, an extraordinary ordeal to us and to the gentiles.

We are experiencing a dense multi-dimensional process of redemption. This is the story of humanity matureness. Our faith commands us to act for Tikkun Olam, walk in paths of peace and cultivate compassion and justice. This way, we shall create a world in which diverse communities can live in mutual responsibility, sustainability and good will. A world where “They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth

will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9).

***

The Zionist revolution was a call for awakening. The Jew was called to transform in order to create a new model society, in the spirit of the prophets, at the ancient homeland. The redemption of the Jew from the atrophy of exile was part from the redemption of the people, which was part of a progress toward a new enlightened world, free of the old social and cultural illness.

Reality, as we all know, answered this vision very partly. Fulfilment of any vision demands long lasting human effort. It will not be done by any divine power but by the imperfect us.

***

We didn’t return to a vacant land. The Arabs felt threatened by our return to Zion. Then, after the holocaust, they felt as if they are forced to pay the debit of the west on their land expanse. From our point of view – nothing was more just than the gathering of the surviving remains, She’erit HaPleita, in the historical homeland. Those were the basic conditions of the 1948 war, which brought into the current political situation. Our national resurrection is bound with the Palestinian tragedy. Many mistakes were done by both leadership. We are not in a position to judge them now. The governing principal is that Jews and Palestinians are responsible to the turning of the Middle East into a bleeding and infected wound in the body of humanity.

The current situation is not a heavenly prediction but a consequence of our own deeds. It is bad for the homeland to be in a

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condition of war. It is good for the homeland to witness peace among its children. The disaster which occurred to the Arabs is directly, as well, ours. We share the same reality. Every solution that will not respect this notion will not last long and will not ensure wellbeing.

The lack of ability of the Jews and Arabs children of the homeland to live together is indeed a tragedy, but the solution is not in a partition of the mutual homeland. The brothers can’t divide the mother between them. They will have to learn how to build mutual life and to establish the political and civilian institutions to foster this cause.

Promoting mutual life and dialogue, abandoning violent routes – all these are patriotic deeds and national tasks of high priority. It needs to be said clearly: Zion shall not be redeemed without peace among the children of Abraham.

***

Jews and Arabs from both sides of the “Green Line” are sons and daughters of the common homeland. We are to depart from

the false believe as if the land is a possession of one side only. “For mine is the entire land”, commands the almighty (Exodus 19:5). The land is entrusted in our hands as a precious stewardship on behalf of the generations to come.

Jews are challenged by history in every generation. Peace building is the call which awaits our response. If we fail – as an empty vessel we would stand in front of our ancient history. The mission we took upon ourselves is huge. Redemption will not come from heavens but from our own deeds and choices. Our faith will strengthen us in building the commonwealth of peace. May it soon come to pass, that we shall see the fulfilment of the prophet Zachariah’s words (8:11-13): “For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, the heavens shall give their dew…And as you have been a cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong.”

“ יראו-אל חזקנה, ת ידיכם ת .”

***

Seven years later, I’m trying to reflect. Where is the men who lived in Samaria and was confident in his ability to bring redemption? Geographically I’m in Johannesburg, serving one Jewish diaspora. Emotionally, I’m in

exile, same as the Sechina, the divine dwelling. Political entities, such as the state of Israel, shall come to be and shall be gone, but the word of Lord, our God will forever stand.

“For mine is the entire land, and you are but strangers

and sojourners with me.”

Leviticus 25:23

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An Israeli Progressive Attitude to Israel / Yaron Shavit I was much honoured to be in South Africa for your biennial 2 years ago in Johannesburg and to feel the warmth of your community. My personal story also brought me to Africa (Malawi), as a young child when my parents came for a 2-year mission to assist in the creation of new democracies in Africa.

I am an Israeli born Sabra and for many years the active practicing of religious Jewish life was far away from my family and me.

It was only many years later, when our eldest son was Bar-Mitzvah, and the town we just moved into had a small emerging Israeli Reform congregation, that we were exposed to Reform Judaism and later became very committed and involved in the Reform movement...

My first reaction to the Title of the discussion, is that, even in the phrasing of the topic, it appears to me as based on a distant, bystander–like approach by you towards Israel. Truth be told, I am convinced that our future as Israelis and Jews will very much depend on our ability to have a shared approach that will result in us increasing our size as a movement and that this Growth will lead to increased Influence which will, in turn lead to increased and improved Content.

In my eyes, the issue is not one of a mere "Progressive "attitude", but rather a strong Progressive "Commitment".

It is a simple fact that: Israel is the one and only Jewish state in the world and the Majority of Jews, now reside in Israel and are citizens of the state of Israel. Consequently, whatever happens in Israel reflects on Jews all over the world.

Israel can be influenced only through democratic means. It is therefore up to us to

engage more and more Israelis in Reform and Progressive Judaism, if we are going to turn Israel and its society into a more Pluralistic, Progressive Jewish state. It is not only a dream and it is happening while we speak, the movement is growing very fast and starting to receive the recognition it deserves as we reach the numbers that will make a Critical Mass. Statistical research (done by government and non - government agencies, as well as a research done by Chabad), has demonstrated exactly this fact. This is the positive aspect of my answer.

However, the other side of my answer is simply this: If the Pluralistic, Reform and Progressive Jews outside of Israel abandon us - their allies within Israel, they will be demonstrating despair and giving up on us and our future. And at the same time, they will unfortunately also be demonstrating the same view about the prospective future of world Jewry. Due to the fact that what happens in Israel influences the way we all look and appear as Jews, if we don't succeed in achieving influence where it really matters then we are not giving our children the chance to have a positive attitude towards the choices they will make about how and why to connect to their Jewish essence and heritage.

It is for all of the above reasons that I really hope that members of Jewish Reform and Progressive congregations refrain from looking at Israel from afar, as bystanders, passing judgment rather than being actively involved, offering constructive criticism and being committed to bring change, in order to return Israel to its vision of a Model State, to be “Or l’Goyim” a “Light unto the nations.”

It may seem to some of us that this is already a long lost dream and, truth be told, it is

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sometimes very depressing to be in Israel, even more than from afar, and see events that are divisive, undemocratic and in direct opposition to the dream expressed in the Declaration of Independence that Israel will be the home for all Jews, regardless of their gender, colour or denomination. Those of us who do believe in an inclusive Israeli society we really do not have any alternative, as giving up on the State of Israel, and going into total despair – is simply not an option!!

I intentionally do not argue about any and all of the criticism people may have towards Israel, but I will only comment by stating that many times Israel, is unfairly, and criticized and that much of the criticism is unbalanced and often biased.

Two of my children in the IDF, and I personally am very involved in the IDF Reserves. I truly know and can tell you that no other nation's army takes so much responsibility, including the use of special technology and an

ingrained mind set to specifically refrain from and avoid hurting un-involved civilians. This is done even to the extent that we may endanger our own lives.

There is no question that war and fighting are always awful, disgusting and to be avoided but if Israel is to exist it is essential that we protect ourselves and our civilians even knowing that such actions will almost invariably lead to some undesirable incidents and outcomes. Therefore, while welcoming criticism of Israel for some of its policies and behaviour it is my hope that the unbalanced criticism of Israel, and especially that from fellow Jews, comes from a belief that we as the Jewish State, have particularly high expectations of ourselves - and of our State. ______________

Yaron Shavit is a member of WUPJ Management Committee, Executive Board and immediate past president of IMPJ.

The General Assembly,

Having met in special session at the request of the mandatory Power to constitute and instruct a Special

Committee to prepare for the consideration of the question of the future Government of Palestine at the

second regular session;

Having constituted a Special Committee and instructed it to investigate all questions and issues relevant to

the problem of Palestine, and to prepare proposals for the solution of the problem, and Having received and

examined the report of the Special Committee (document A/364) including a number of unanimous

recommendations and a plan of partition with economic union approved by the majority of the Special

Committee, Considers that the present situation in Palestine is one which is likely to impair the general

welfare and friendly relations among nations;

Takes note of the declaration by the mandatory Power that it plans to complete its evacuation of Palestine

by l August 1948; Recommends to the United Kingdom, as the mandatory Power for Palestine, and to all

other Members of the United Nations the adoption and implementation, with regard to the future

Government of Palestine, of the Plan of Partition with Economic Union set out below; Requests that

The Security Council take the necessary measures as provided for in the plan for its implementation;

Calls upon the inhabitants of Palestine to take such steps as may be necessary on their part to put this plan

into effect; Appeals to all Governments and all peoples to refrain from taking any action which might

hamper or delay the carrying out of these recommendations.

UN General Assembly Resolution 181 - November 29, 1947

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Shul holds place for values, not politics/ Jessica Sherman

“What is hateful unto you, do not do unto others” (Hillel) - A phrase I learnt early in my life and has been my compass through the decades.

I grew up in a Rabbinic family in Cape Town, have sung in the choir since the age of seven, participated in the youth movement and went to Israel on “Machon” program after finishing school. My parents spent much of their spare time attending meetings related to the concerns of either the congregation or the broader Jewish community, some of those meetings being in support of Zionism. The discourse was always in support of Israel and if any of my sisters or I expressed an interest in visiting Israel it was encouraged. At the same time, Zionism was never imposed on us for which I am very grateful. And yet, my sisters and I all went to Israel for some time after finishing school and two of them decided to go and live in Jerusalem. I spent some time on a kibbutz tending to the cattle. I enjoyed kibbutz life and was invited to move to a house closer to the members which I took as a sign that I was being considered for membership.

I chose instead to come home and get involved in the struggle against Apartheid. As a child I had been acutely aware of orthodox discrimination toward reform. The orthodox rabbi of the time would not sit on the same platform as my father at communal events. I was hurt and disturbed by this blatant discrimination which enabled me at a much later stage, to critically identify the presence of various forms of discrimination in the apartheid policies affecting the lives of the broader society. I became involved in organisations which later affiliated to the United Democratic Front (UDF). In 1987, at

the height of the state of emergency we were able to set up an organisation of Jews against apartheid known as Jews for Social Justice with Dr Franz Auerbach as the chairperson.

The values driving my involvement in the United Democratic Front (UDF) were those I had grown up with and learned from my Jewish heritage. Values of justice, freedom and compassion and in particular the statement by Hillel, the title of my paper, led me to become a fulltime activist for ten years of my life. I gave up the possibility of a serious music career but I gained so much more than I gave up.

Unfortunately, I did not feel able to share this part of my life within the synagogue. It was something I felt that I had to hide from the people I went to shul with all of those years. As a result, I couldn’t participate in the community and experienced a deep sense of alienation. My father on the other hand was asked to participate in some marches and a demonstration at St Georges Cathedral and we went together to the event. We didn’t discuss it much but he knew that I was more deeply involved than just attending events. I was proud when he took a stand but was always wishing he would do more.

Those same Jewish values which drove me to participate in the fight against Apartheid are what drive me to question Zionism. Do we as a people really have the have the right to dominate another people in the place of their birth, tell them where to live, build walls around them, frustrate their basic rights on a daily basis. This just doesn’t sit comfortably with me. On top of it, this right is claimed from biblical texts which we as progressive Jews don’t read literally. Again, I am guided by Hillel’s “What is hateful unto you do not do unto others.”

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How can Israel build a secure nation on the misery and deaths of an indigenous population? We spent years fighting this in South Africa and now the ones who are oppressing others are my own people. I start to realise how Afrikaners who didn’t support Apartheid must have felt.

I am aware that there are people who regard these views as traitorous but I’m also aware that there are a number of people, some more silent than others, within our progressive movement who share my ideas. Many progressive Jewish people including those who were active in the UDF have brought their children to our synagogues for their Bnei Mitzvoth over the years. Many of them bring the values of equality and justice for all into our circles and have similar questions about Zionism.

There has been a suggestion that people who are not Zionists shouldn’t be allowed to be members of progressive Jewish congregations. This to me sounds like a contradiction. My understanding of progressive Judaism is that it stands for inclusivity, pluralism and progressive values and to be excluded because of what I regard to be progressive values which are found all over our prayer book, seems ludicrous.

• “Tsedek tsedek tirdof” - “Justice, justice shall you pursue! “ (Deut. 16:20)

• “Undo the bands of the yoke and let the oppressed go free” (Isaiah 58:6)

A synagogue is not a political home. People come to a synagogue for all sorts of reasons but primarily because they want to be part of a Jewish community. How can we say that you have to swear allegiance to a political ideology in order to be part of a Jewish community. Surely being Jewish is good enough. I believe that all the shades of Zionism, non-Zionism, questioning Zionism and anti Zionism are already present amongst us in our synagogues and we can’t pretend this is not the case. We can embrace our diversity and learn to dialogue about these issues without vilifying people who disagree with us. Forcing people to have the same views as our own is a throwback to the Apartheid days which didn’t succeed and is best left in the past. _________________________

Jessica Sherman is the daughter of the late Rabbi David Sherman, lecture at Wits university school of education, Co-chair of Jewish Voices for Just Peace and a member of Beit Emanuel Progressive Synagogue management committee.

“Above all, we have aroused the national consciousness of our scattered brethren. At the Congresses of

Basel the program of our movement was formulated before all the world. It is: The creation, under public

law, of a home for the Jewish people.

This is the land of our fathers, a land suitable for colonization and cultivation. Your Majesty has seen the

country. It cries out for people to work it. And we have among our brethren a frightful proletariat. These

people cry out for a land to cultivate. Now we should like to create a new welfare out of these states of

distress-of the land and of the people-by the systematic combination of both. We consider our cause so

fine, so worthy of the sympathy of the most magnanimous minds, that we are requesting Your Imperial

Majesty's exalted aid for the project.

Our idea offends no one's rights or religious feelings; it breathes long-desired reconciliation. We

understand and respect the devotion of all faiths to the soil on which, after all, the faith of our fathers,

too, arose.”

Herzl address to the German emperor, October 1898

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Letters to the Editor

The limitations of Diversity

The need for constructive criticism is an essential part of any person seeking to improve themselves and so it is with a State and a People. If we wish to influence and to have impact our values make an impact – we must be part of the bigger tent, rather from being outsiders.

However, presuming that the critics within the progressive moment are in favour of a two state solution that calls for Israel to be the homeland of the Jewish people as indeed hopefully one day a Palestinian State will also be a just homeland. For her people. Some of the critics of Israel in our movement, have stated openly they do not believe in a two state solution but one in which 4.5 million "refugees" will return for a majority take over and thus have a one state solution- Palestinian, and thereby the destruction of the Jewish State. This was openly said at our National Conference held in Cape Town.

Rabbi Joel Oseran in turn stated clearly that every synagogue belonging to the SAUPJ is a member of the WUPJ and therefore affiliated to the World Zionist Organization and thus Zionist. This word Zionist - is not a "political” concept. It has no reference to a particular Government in power. All it stands for is the right of the Jewish People to have a State of their own - Israel. Diversity of opinion and criticism is an underpinning of our Progressive Movement, but in creating a better Israel, not in eliminating our homeland. Thus the word Diversity cannot include those opinions that call for the political destruction of the State of Israel, calling for a one state solution, a return of all "refugees" and no borders between the Palestinian territories and modern day Israel.

Support for the State of Israel, no matter how fierce our criticism of its current Government, should therefore be the de facto position for all leadership lay and Rabbinic in our Progressive Movement.

Reeva Forman, Chair, Temple Israel, Gauteng.

What Jews hold in common

For many Israel is the very source to find their

Jewish Culture. For many, including myself,

this is what makes Israel the holy land that we

love. The colourful Shuks (open market),

warm beaches and this excessive amount of

everything that has got to do with our culture.

From food too clothes. Every bit of Israel has,

in some form or another, tradition. Anything

from camel rides to Bedouin tents, you name

it, and Israel has it. Once you take all this

away Israel is left with one very important

ideal, Zionism. To me, after the culture and

tradition has been taken away, Zionism is

what calls my heart to the holy land. This

place that I feel safe in, that I would fight for

and that I will defend until I cannot. Israel is

the source for all that I believe. To try and

comprehend that this tiny state has been

going strong for more than 60 years brings

great pride to my heart. Because of Israel I

see the bigger picture. My Jewish identity

does not just stop with me and my family but

it interlinks with Jews all over the world. We

all may speak different languages and have

different life but at the end of the day we all

have these two things in common that has

come from this holy land, our Jewish identity

and Zionism.

Amy Groer, Rosh Durban, Netzer.

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What is a valid tactic?

The State of Israel is a place with many meanings. For most of my life it was the place where my cousins live – I visited them many times as a child and then for 4 months in 2012. By then Israel had taken on new meanings for me. It was now, through historical study in school and rich debate in Netzer, imbued with new meanings. Israel – a place with fond memories, kibbutzim, sheshbesh, the start-up nation. Israel – the place with population displacement, assassinations, housing demolitions, settlements and killing of Palestinians. This is a crazy multifaceted set of meanings. How to make sense of this?

Netzer showed me a way of being Jewish that is focused on a connection with God and a prioritising of Tikkun Olam. Its motto – ‘we will learn and we will do’ is still one which I hold close. Prepared with these tools I tackled the meanings of Israeli State.

One of the most useful things I have found is the UN definition of Apartheid as an “...institutionalised regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group... and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime” (Rome Statute 2002). Besides from aspects mentioned in the 1st paragraph, I found administrative detentions, segregated roads, permits, checkpoints. I found a record of countless Palestinian deaths (mostly civilian). I also came across 18 laws that are specifically biased against Arab Israelis. Looking at Judaism I find no justification for committing such horrors. Is Israel a Jewish state when it is the institution responsible for this systematic oppression of Palestinians? Is Israel a force working for repairing the world when it has created such disrepair in its own midst? How can one claim so? When I went there in 2012 I saw a functioning country with some great aspects but I also

saw the discrimination at the checkpoints in Bethlehem, and the rule bound unequal segregation in Hebron. I saw the fear in Jewish Israelis and the propaganda which caused it.

Having learnt, I also do. The creation of international solidarity with the Palestinian people and the tactic of boycotts, disinvestments, and sanctions is tried and tested, it’s reasonable, and it’s an action that is in line with my Jewish mandate to pursue justice. Mitchel Hunter, Johannesburg.

My family heritage

My parents were born and raised in Israel, therefore I have lots of family still there. Israel, in this way, is my second home. A place I know I can go to and be accepted. Israel is also the state that my grandfathers escaped to before and during the atrocities of the Holocaust. It was their refuge, and ultimately their saviour.

Although I do not live in Israel, as a Jew and an Israeli, I still have strong connections to Israel. Everything that happens there, all the conflict, affects me personally. I worry for my friends and family there, and I hope that one day they will live peacefully.

It is at a time like this, where anti-Semitism is raising its ugly head again in Europe and in other countries that I also understand that as a Jew, Israel is the only place where I will ever be able to express my identity without being prosecuted or discriminated against.

So what is Israel for me? A place I visit during its summer holidays, a home where I find my grandmother cooking ‘ptitim’ and schnitzels, a town where I am reunited with my family, and a country which is searching for peace. It is a search which the Jewish people are very familiar with.

Anonymous

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Netzer – gateway to my Zionism

Israel only ever became a large part of my life when I became involved in Netzer. All of a sudden, my world became infinitely more complex, as I was thrown into this new and exciting environment, meeting people from all over South Africa, and for the first time, people from Israel.

As I grew up in the movement, I began to explore my identity as a Jew, as a South African and my connection to the culture and the religion strengthened. The obvious next step was to push myself, to learn more, to grow more and to understand this intrinsic part of being a Jew, that we call Israel. I went on to live, study and volunteer in Israel on the Shnat Netzer program. This in itself challenged my identity and everything I knew and had heard about Israel, living and experiencing the Holy Land for all that is good, and bad, first hand.

Israel is probably the most complex issue that we, as South African Jews are facing today. Being a part of the diaspora, living a Jewish lifestyle outside of Israel constantly forces us to re-examine our Identity as Jews in South Africa and as South African Jews.

We were asked what Israel means to us, to articulate feelings of intrinsic connection that Jews have had for centuries. To me, Israel doesn't have one meaning, it doesn't have a definitive answer, and neither should it.

My relationship with Israel, as a symbol for culture, for identity and for my spirituality is in constant turmoil, in constant question. I cannot say that I will always feel the same about Israel, that I can support it in everything that it does and that this will not change as I grow more within my Jewish Identity. I can say that it will always have value and add to who I am as a Jew.

Kathryn Henning, Rosh Gauteng, Netzer.

A word from a Shaliach

To ask an Israeli, especially an Israeli Shaliach “what is Israel for me?” is tough question, because Israel is so much for me.

Israel is my country, the land of my people, a land of problems, dispute and struggle and also the land which in my nation is flourishing and creating a new and a better tomorrow, not only for ourselves but for everyone. Israel is the ideals we defended and live for.

It’s a secure space, a country my family came to so we can be Jewish without being afraid of showing it.

Israel for me is the people, my people, all of them, from all the groups of our society. Those I disagree with and those I love, those that anger me, and those that make me smile, the ones that makes life tough and the ones that makes it worth everything. The people I fought for.

Israel is my home, the one place on earth I really fill that I belong to, the only place I feel most safe in, the land I feel free and open to make anything that I want from myself. This is the place I meant to live in.

Israel is everything for me.

Yakov Zinger, Shaliach Netzer Cape Town

Should Israel speck for all Jews?

It has to be acknowledged that the creation of the State of Israel came about following several episodes of persecution, culminating in the Holocaust, and thus the fear (which Israel plays on) is there and is real.

But Israel stands as an Occupier (which expands settlements, even as they are supposedly trying to find a solution which would have to include disengagement), an Oppressor (where different laws apply to different people, with more of these laws on the way) and an Over-reactor (to such an extent that after last war even the IDF had to admit that there were problems).

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I have become involved in the issue because Israel purports to speak on behalf of all Jews, so whether or not I believe in a State of Israel, I am drawn into discussion about it. Neither side is only right, or only wrong, but as Israel has the power and control, it is Israel’s responsibility to take the lead in working towards an equal, just solution.

Although the fear of persecution is valid, Israel cannot justify the way it acts, and must stop thinking all Jews support it. Furthermore, Jewish (and other) Zionists should know better than to blindly support a country which treats ‘the other’ in such a harsh and discriminatory way.

David Fine, Johannesburg

Part of the Jewish life

I believe in the State of Israel as a homeland

for the Jewish people and thus I am a Zionist.

The States extraordinary, and continuing,

accomplishments since its founding make it

unique and should rightfully place it among

the most admired and emulated countries in

the world. I wish they would.

Israel to me means wonderful memories of

time spent in the desert, in ancient cities and

having fun in Tel Aviv. I love the Israeli ways

of life and the joy of seeing so many people

from all around the world, unified by Judaism

alone, create a culture and country by

combining their shared efforts. I’m quite

sentimental and never fail to get a physical

tingle of emotion when I see the black and

white video of the raising of the Israeli flag on

14 May 1948.

Israel is also a comfort. It’s the only country

in the world that will always come to the aid

of Jews, no matter where they are or what

the cost. It is a self-imposed obligation that

Israel has never failed to fulfil. Diaspora life

would be severely stunted without this

guarantee.

Do I think that Israel is perfect? Certainly not,

and no Israeli will claim that. But then one

must ask: is any country perfect? Again,

certainly not, and very many countries are far,

far worse. In the final consideration Israel is

part of the Jewish life – we all have Israeli

friends or relatives, use Israeli products, take

pride in Israeli achievements and most of us

have visited. I think that this should be

reflected in our movement.

James Lomberg, Johannesburg.

“ י ד “ קול המון כקול ש

“The call of the many is a divine will”

Rabbi Shemuel HaNagid (994-1056) in his Diwan, book of poems, had

joined two biblical expressions into a new phrase with new meaning.

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Prayer for Israel / Lael Bethlehem

God we ask your blessings on the land of Israel,

and all its inhabitants. Israel, our ancestral home, has seen a flowering of development over the last decades.

Jewish immigrants, many refugees from persecution, have built a dynamic society in our ancient land.

We thank you for these blessings.

And yet we pour out our hearts in sorrow for the conflict that has gripped the country for so long. We remember that the land is holy to all th

ose who descended from Abraham ‐ Jews, Muslims and Christians alike. As we all pursue your service, help us to remember

that there is one God and one human race. We pray for a day when Peace, that most precious and elusive

of your gifts, may reign in Israel and the entire region, and that all the inhabitants of the land may live together

in harmony and mutual respect.

In the words of our tradition:

Or Chadash al Tzion ta’ir ve nizkeh kulanu meheyra le‐oro.

“May a new light shine upon Zion and may we all soon merit its radiance”.

Amen, So be It.

In all of our shuls we pray for Israel as part of our Shabbat morning prayers. The text of these prayers

differs from one shul to another but is often quite outdated. Some of the texts also fail to recognize the

difficulties in Israel, and the diversity of people who live there. In preparation for my daughter Lulu’s

Batmitzvah recently I decided to try to write a prayer that would capture what I felt – both joy and

inspiration as well as sorrow. Here is what I came up with: