On Israel's Response to Hamas in Gaza

I do not celebrate the news that Israel launched massive airstrikes against Hamas targets in Gaza on Saturday morning. I do not, however, condemn Israel's actions. They represent Israel's necessary response to terrorist attacks launched from Gaza against Israeli civilians - especially the residents of Sderot and the surrounding area. It would be silly to state that one "supports" the operation. Over 200 dead in the first wave of Israel's strikes precludes anything but sadness and frustration. The terror and damage inflicted on Gaza's civilians is not righteous or deserved. But again, Israel must defend itself. I offer my opinion not because I am an expert in Middle Eastern diplomacy or history. The mission of Hamas, like Hezbollah and the terrorists who struck Mumbai, is rooted in antisemitism - hatred of Jews as Jews - and their mission is not just political or nationalistic. It is racist and anti-Jewish. I am not proud of a single death caused by Israel. But I am proud that Israel represents the hopes of Jewish people for peace, freedom, democracy, and a life free of hate. I am proud that they do whatever they must to protect and advance those ideals.

The following statement, issued by Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston (the local Jewish Federation), is one of the best and most clear statements on the situation. I have slightly edited their original statement in order to shorten it:

"Confronted by escalating rocket and mortar attacks against its citizens, Israel had no option other than self-defense against Hamas in Gaza. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the European Union, Canada and the United States. They have fired over 3,000 rockets and mortar bombs into southern Israel, a daily bombardment whose purpose has been to kill and terrify Israeli families.

In recent days, Hamas intensified its attacks on Israeli civilians, firing over 200 rockets and mortar bombs. The attacks targeted Sderot, Ashdod, and Ashkelon, a city of 120,000 people.

Earlier this year, President-elect Barak Obama stated: "If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I would do everything to stop that and would expect Israel to do the same thing." While Israeli and Palestinian Authority security forces were successfully working together to ensure a peaceful Christmas celebration in Bethlehem, Hamas fired more than 100 rockets and mortars at Israel's cities and towns. Moreover, as The New York Times reported, the terrorists "increased the range and intensity" of their assault. As a result, more Israeli citizens than ever before face an ongoing, lethal threat.

Most Israeli citizens support peaceful co-existence with Palestinians, but they demand safety and security. Israeli author Amos Oz, a prominent peace activist, wrote in a recent piece entitled "Israel Must Defend Its Citizens" that, "The systematic bombing of the citizens in Israel's towns and cities is a war crime and a crime against humanity."

No country can tolerate such deliberate assaults indefinitely - and Israel has shown extraordinary restraint, publicly calling upon Hamas to stop the attacks and seeking to extend the fragile lull in hostilities that had been in effect for the last six months.

Hamas's disregard for Israeli life is matched by its disregard for the lives of Palestinians in Gaza. Hamas purposely fires its missiles from homes, schools and community centers, confident in the knowledge that when Israel finally acts, Palestinian civilians will also inevitably be harmed. The use of Palestinian civilians as human shields is not only unspeakably cruel, it is a violation of basic human rights.

Israel cares deeply about protecting the lives of civilians, both in Israel and in Gaza. Its efforts this weekend to stop the Hamas attacks represent classic self-defense, undertaken reluctantly by an Israeli nation that longs for peace.

Israel must defend its citizens. A loyal ally of the United States, Israel has rushed to our aid at times of crisis - rushing rescue workers to Nairobi, Kenya, in the wake of the bombing of the U.S. embassy there and sending planeloads of relief supplies to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Now our friend needs our support - our strong backing for its right to defend itself from terrorist attack."

The URJ also issued a statement on the Israeli military operation, read it here.

The more things change...

You know the old expression: the more things change the more they stay the same? A quick trip to the Lower East Side today showed how true it is. Today's Lower East Side is hardly the Eastern European Jewish immigrant neighborhood of the 1890s and early 1900s. It's a hipster paradise full of exclusive clubs, boutiques, and renovated buildings. It's also home to the ever expanding Chinese immigrant population and growing Chinatown area of the city. Almost half the residents of the Lower East Side speak a language other than English at home and were born outside the U.S.

But Barbara, the docent who guided me through the beautifully restored Eldridge Street Synagogue (photo above), reminded me just how much things have not changed. Her review of the synagogue's history and its building sounded like the woes of any modern congregation. They could not proceed with the building until they finally got the funding of a wealthy but uninvolved Jewish businessman. They pursued a lofty buildling plan in the hopes of attracting more new members. They suffered a split in the congregation when several members left over a series of disagreements. They gained an influx of members as another nearby congregation suffered a similar row. The synagogue installed electric lighting early in its availability, again because they believed it would be a selling point for potential new members. Again and again we heard about the issue of growing and keeping membership among a fickle population and competitive synagogue environment.

That's good news, right? It should remind us not to take our situation as too grave. Or maybe it's bad news... After all the Eldridge Street Synagogue is basically a museum today (they actually hold services and still survive as a small congregation but their real stock-in-trade is the museum). Or maybe it's both and neither. Maybe it depends who you ask and how you already feel about the future of the Jewish community in America. Maybe any discussion of the lessons we can learn from Eldridge Street and the Lower East Side will only prove "two Jews; three opinions."

I told you. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

If you build it they will come

Kol HaKavod (translation: "kudos") to Alyssa Marchiano and her entire family. She celebrated her bat mitzvah this past weekend and set a new standard. All future bar and bat mitzvah students should strive to hit the same mark. I usually do not single out a particular student for doing such a great job with the ritual duties and d’var torah. Ally is no exception. She did very well with her Torah and Haftarah and all her parts but that’s not the standard she set. I don't uniquely celebrate her service leading or Torah reading. I celebrate how she built community.

Ally’s service was so special because there so many little things in place that morning. Specifically, I mean that there were so many "little" worshippers in the congregation. Ally had invited her entire seventh grade religious school class to her bat mitzvah and most of them were there. I can not overstate the joy it gave me to see Sam, Mel, Rachel, Jesse, Zachary, Jacob, Molly, Brandon, Sara, and Jacob at services Saturday morning (and equally nice to see Jacob and Madison on Friday night). Inviting the group is a simple little thing, but it’s so much more.
I tell every student that they become leaders in the eyes of the Jewish community when they become bar or bat mitzvah. They lead us in prayer, in Torah study, in deeping our connection to mitzvot, and in building community. The first three tasks are accomplished through the services and their school work. They lead us in building community by gathering people together on the day of their celebration.

It is a rare but incredible thing when a seventh grade student takes this leadership role seriously – as Ally Marchiano did – and consciously works to build community. She may not be such "good friends" with all the members of our temple seventh grade. She also had plenty of school friends and basketball and soccer teammates on her guest list. However, I have heard several reports from seventh grade parents about how much their children enjoyed being together on Saturday. We do a good job creating community and connections at the school but nothing can replace the social bonds and strenghtening connections that come from a day of celebrating together. I hope all our families will follow Ally’s example and lead the community by building it. They really will come.