Trying to share Hersh’s mom’s words (above) everywhere I can, AND I wrote this list back in October 14, 2015. I think I had written and said different versions of this list many times over the course of many years. Here it is on my blog now.
I can’t believe I have to say this, but here we go:
I can support Israel, call myself a Zionist, and still disagree with things that happen in Israel.
I can love Israel and fear for Israelis’ safety, and still think critically about how they protect themselves from terrorism.
I can love Israel and my Israeli friends and family and simultaneously care about Palestinian people and people who live in Gaza and anyone who HAMAS victimizes anywhere. NB: the fierce women of Iraq: https://www.jpost.com/j-spot/article-765306!
If you are reading this post and you are surprised, please go read more about the situation. Maybe try +972 Magazine or ALBI. Our buddies at NPR and the New York Times don’t always present all sides of the story – partially because the story is 2,000 years old and because there are not only two sides to this story.
If you are surprised that I am posting this, please know that I don’t want to have to, but every once in a while, I am surprised and disappointed by how ignorant/naive/hateful some smart people are. (Sorry for the run-on sentence.)
FYI: If you are inspired to write a comment about how terrible I am or how I’ve “learned the wrong lesson from October 7, 2023,” please save your time/energy. I’m not going to read it. Here’s a quarter. Call someone who wants to hear from you.
We’ve just met so it would be inappropriate for me to discuss politics with you. I think it would be silly, however, for me to pretend that there aren’t a lot of politics swirling around us. Plus, today is September 11th, which brings up moral outrage and political questions for most Americans.
Even before you could vote, each of you already mattered. (If you aren’t 18 yet, please know: No one will card you at a protest or when you call your elected representatives.) Now, here you are now, college students and voters. I have no idea what in particular each of you care about, how your politics animate you. What I do know is that – fighting for justice has been part of Jewish tradition since Abraham.
The Akeda(Genesis 22) – Hillel’s prayer book (machzor) provides the Creation story for our Torah reading today which would be a lovely, carefree way to enjoy the beginning of a new Jewish year, but Jewish guilt won’t let me let you do that. The second choice in our prayer book is the story of the Akeda. Jews all over the world are reading the Akeda – what Jews call “the binding of Isaac” – for Rosh HaShanah. Most of us dislike this text. It’s painful. It’s about suffering, questions, confusion, and terrible parenting. In a few minutes – I promise I’m not going to talk for very long now – we will read a horrible story. God commands Abraham to take his favorite son up to a hill, build a fire, and cut his throat (Gen 22:2).
Abraham stands over Isaac, knife in hand and is interrupted at the last moment by an Angel of God shouting his name – Abraham, Abraham!…Sacrifice this ram instead. (Gen 22:11-13) Phew. Isaac is saved from death. Abraham is saved from committing a heinous crime. God reassures Abraham – or maybe God is reassuring God’s own self – Abraham passed this test. Abraham is a real God-fearer (Gen 22:12). He was willing to kill his favorite son.
Do you think that Abraham should have rejected this command? Do you think that God should have apologized? Do you blame Isaac for never talking to his dad again? How could Abraham have known that this order was “true” or “real” or “holy”? Does this story make you hate Abraham – even just a little? [Are you distracted by the fact that he even had a favorite son?] I have a million of questions about this text for y’all, but I’m trying to just give one short sermon this morning.
Two Different Abrahams – Just 4 chapters ago in Genesis 18, Abraham heard God was going to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham confronts God fearlessly. Abraham condemns God’s plan as unjust. Abraham bravely bargains with God to save the lives of a group of people he doesn’t even know. Where was THAT guy on the morning God commanded Abraham to kill Isaac? Is there something that Abraham knew that WE can’t know that made it possible for him to follow this terrifying order? How can we listen and read critically? How can we evaluate what we hear and see? How can THAT guy from Genesis 18 be the same Abraham we encounter in Genesis 22 ready to murder his son?
*If the order of these texts were flipped, the narrative of Genesis could be teaching us how to become ever more thoughtful and brave in the face of injustice. However, at this point, the Torah is in the order it’s in. (This would be a useful moment to discuss the way Torah became what it is today, but I promised Jessica that services would end before lunch.)
I searched for answers, and, instead of hating Abraham and the Akeda story, I’ve decided that we get to learn this lesson anyway. It is better to stand up than to keep our head down and meekly follow rules. The Torah is telling us to evaluate what we hear and see – to stand against dangerous consequences. It’s about being true to ourselves – while trying to draw near to what we perceive as divine.
Hineni– So, it is each of our responsibility to stand up for whatever WE care about, whatever WE are passionate about. Stand up. Speak up. Embody OUR passions. Collect donations. Make phone calls. Join a campaign. Vote. Volunteer. Read articles critically and share the few that stand up to your criticism. Embody your concerns for the world. Be like the Abraham who doesn’t make us cringe. Be like the Abraham who protested injustice. (Gen 18:23-25) Follow the Abraham who focused on what was right for the most people, even the ones he didn’t know.
A lot of people – when they hear about how I observe Judaism, they say: “Well, obviously, that doesn’t count since you are a rabbi.” I don’t eat bacon. I don’t fly on Shabbat. I do a lot of things that people think of as “inconvenient” or “unrealistic.” But a lot of people think I do this because I am super into Judaism and because I’m a rabbi. The truth is: A lot of the super Jewy things I do, I started doing them by mistake.
Part One: Shabbat – I fell into my observance of Shabbat. When I lived in NYC, I noticed that my money kept disappearing. In an attempt to put a stop to the leak, I quit spending money on Shabbat. I figured – if I could take 25 hours off from spending money, then maybe I could better understand where my money was going. I thought it would force me to plan ahead and to use money more wisely. It did.
To be fair, New York City is alive, awake, and waiting to take your money every minute of every day. I rebelled against the financial expectations of the so-called real world. It’s true that this idea is particularly Jewish. I might have been influenced by the culture of rabbinic school at the time. I still don’t spend money on Shabbat – which means I don’t go to stores or restaurants. It means that I have to plan ahead and I have to get my fun for free. Eating lunch at Hillel is free, and lots of other amazing things are free. Parks are free. Making and eating meals with friends at home is free – if you shop before Shabbat. I consistently plan ahead for Shabbat. Then, whatever I don’t have on Friday afternoon, I just live without.
In this way, just like AJ Heschel promised, Shabbat has become a true island in time for me, an island that welcomes my friends and family. Shabbat has become a healthy break from the cycle of consumerism that occupies the rest of the week, a break in the 24-hour news cycle that raises my blood pressure Sunday through Thursday. [Also, I’m not a jerk about it. If I’m staying at someone else’s house over the weekend, I don’t impose my customs on them, but I do ask in advance what we can plan without inconveniencing them too much.]
Part Two: Kashrut – I backed into observing kashrut, Jewish dietary laws. At the beginning of my studies at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, I lived in Jerusalem for a year. I ate my last crab in Jerusalem, and it was delicious. I still remember it well. I didn’t decide then that was going to be my last bite of shellfish. (Lev 11:10-12) Rather, I realized at the end of the academic year, that I had been choosing not to order shellfish and not to mix meat and milk. At this point in 2018, my house is kosher. I have four sets of dishes and only kosher meat has entered the house. If I were actually planning my observance of kashrut, I would have planned it this way – that my kitchen is kosher so my friends from all Jewish denominations can come over to eat with me. Though I didn’t plan it – my kashrut and my values developed together in the same direction with a result that feels authentically Jewish and authentic to my values. At this point, kashrut has brought mindfulness and a sacred nuance to my eating habits that I never would have expected.
Part Three: Kippot – I stumbled into wearing a kippah. Actually, my kippah story is the worst example. In this case, REALLY don’t be like me. Once, a long time ago, after a break up, I cut off all my hair (as one does). I started teaching kindergarten shortly after that and I wore a kippah because it was an easy way to get my kindergarteners to think about the difference between prayer and other stuff like arts & crafts and singing, learning and playing. My hair grew out, and kippot started flopping around on my head. They wouldn’t stay still. So I quit wearing them. This floppy ritual practice wasn’t “speaking to me” so I quit.
Twenty years later our new president proposed a way to register Muslim citizens. In response, a lot of Jews ranted about the Holocaust. I ranted about the American internment of Japanese families in California, in 1942. Filled with both anger and hope, I promised my Muslim friends: “Don’t worry. Japanese Americans and Jewish Americans won’t let this happen to you.”
Around then, my friend David wrote an article in a Jewish paper about how he resolved not to be a member of an invisible minority anymore. He started wearing a kippah (yarmulke) every day. The same week his article was published, I was preparing to go to a conference in San Antonio. David and his mother Glenda suggested that I try wearing a kippah. (Basically, I started wearing a kippah because my friends did.)
I wore a kippah to the conference – it was a biblical studies conference, filled with mostly Christians, a few Jews, and even fewer Muslims. My kippah was an amazing conversation starter. Because of that kippah, I met incredible people, I had meaningful conversations. The author of a book I had read and loved introduced herself to me because of my kippah. And after that weekend, when I’m studying or when I’m praying, I wear a kippah. Wearing a kippah has elevated my learning and my prayer – in unexpected and wonderful ways – reminding me to stay connected to the Jewish tradition and to the Divine Source of All.
Part Five: Conclusion – Don’t be like me. Not only are my Jewish observances somewhat half-baked and backwards, they are also based mostly in habit and guilt and moral outrage. I fell into most of my Jewish observances. I stumbled into them without thinking much at all. You don’t have to be like me. You all have the choice to think critically about your Jewish observances. To be proactive, not reactive. A lot of rabbis would not tell you to experiment. They would tell you to learn and then do. But me, I’m the opposite – like it says in Exodus 24:7 נַעֲשֶׂ֥ה וְנִשְׁמָֽע׃ – Na’aseh v’nishma. We will do and then we will understand.
Like many, many aspects of Judaism there are multiple authentically Jewish ways to observe Shabbat, to eat mindfully, to be part of the Jewish community. Another day, I could give a whole sermon about how to make authentically Jewish decisions.But not tonight.Tonight, I’ll simply say this: Neither the Hebrew Bible nor the Jewish prayerbook stand alone. It is our responsibility to reach across space and time – to the Jews of the past, present, and future – to the Jews all over the globe.
To find out how to “do Jewish” in an authentic way, think about the Jews of the past, the Jews of the present, and the Jews of the future. Think about the commandments (Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5) and think about the traditions of Jews around the world. And then look at yourself. Be authentically Jewish AND be your authentic self.
I have only met a few of you so far, and we’ve only spent a short time together, but I already believe in you. You are here tonight, aren’t you? So, I believe in your ability to make conscious, thoughtful, Jewish choices. On behalf of the rabbis and educators, camp directors and cantors, Hillel staff members and Sunday School teachers who love you, THANK YOU for keeping Judaism and the Jewish community authentically Jewish while reflecting the images of all of you.
[We probably won’t get to all of these questions and/or these questions in this particular order. We are looking forward to including participants’ questions as well.]
The main question for this book is – Should Simon have forgiven the Nazi? Would you have forgiven the Nazi? That is the question that concludes the book. It seems essential to our discussion of the book, but it doesn’t have to be our first discussion question. [I would add to Wiesenthal’s question. What do you think it means that he never told the Nazi whether or not he forgave him? Would you have done it differently? Was he waiting for forgiveness or an answer?]
Does everyone deserve to die in peace? Why or why not?
What does it mean to “lose feelings?” What does it mean to “lose feelings for death?” Do you have any experience like this? What do you think they mean? OR: do you think this experience is limited to torture, trauma, and/or an attempted genocide? Why or why not? Related: Do you think the encounter with the dying Nazi re-ignite some feelings in Simon?
Do you believe that the Nazi had truly repented? Why or why not? How would that change what you think about Simon’s response and/or your own response?
Why do you think the Nazi want Simon to have his things? Do you think Simon should have accepted them? Why or why not? Would you have accepted them? Why or why not?
What do you think about collective guilt? Wiesenthal comments on the collective guilt/shame of the Germans. “The question of Germany’s guilt may never be settled. But one thing is certain: no [contemporary] German can shrug off the responsibility. Even if he has no personal guilt, he must share the shame of it. As a member of a guilty nation, he must share the shame of it. As a member of a guilty nation he cannot simply walk away like a passenger leaving a tramcar, whenever he chooses. It is the duty of the Germans to find out who was guilty.” (93) Do you agree with Wiesenthal? Why or why not?
Personal Note: I’m offended by people who ascribe behavior to God in the Holocaust. We have no idea about what God was doing/thinking during the Holocaust. I think that it’s possible God shortened the Holocaust and/or saved a remnant of Jews, but I cannot know because I’m HUMAN. This is why this is not a question for our book discussion.
General Notes:
So many people were affected by the Holocaust – Jewish and non-Jewish people, hetero- and homosexual people, people from all socio-economic classes, and more. We would like to share this topic/discussion with as many people as possible. Please feel free to invite any interested folks among your Jewish and non-Jewish friends and neighbors. Forgiveness is a universal value. Anyone who wishes to learn with us is welcome. Temple B’nai Israel is a welcoming place for people of color, people of any gender and/or sexuality, people with disabilities – for everyone.
We recommend this book for readers ages 13 and up.
Talking about the Holocaust is hard. We strive to make this a calm, respectful, welcoming event focused on learning. However, talking about antisemitism, hate, murder, torture, and other events/ideas related to the Holocaust can bring up challenging emotions for anyone. We will understand if you don’t feel like talking and/or staying in the room for the full hour.
I’ve been holding on to this criticism for a long time – even before October 7, 2023 – criticism for a lot of liberal thinkers who seem new to the issues surrounding the State of Israel and the occupations. I understand that a lot of liberal Americans see this recent war as a war of strong, bully Israel wiping out Palestinians. I want to lay out some nuances of this particular situation in regards to genocide. I know there are people out there
As someone whose family members found refuge in the Land of Israel between 1920 and 1930, I’ve been invested in the history of Israel for a long time. In tenth grade, my American family went to Israel to reunite with our Israeli family members. My father’s mother had not been able to contact her cousin and best friend since 1921, when she boarded a ship to Ellis Island. You can probably understand that my introduction to Israel was about gratitude for this miracle, especially knowing most of their/our family members had died because of terror in Europe. The Nazis and their allies worked hard to wipe out the Jews. Some of us survived.
I’m a big, fat, liberal, loudmouth American Jewish Zionist feminist. Of course most of my Israeli best friends are liberals who protested against Netanyahu long, long before this war. I have Israeli cousins and Israeli friends who are also active progressives like me. When Trump won the first time, one of my Israeli best friends said: “Now you know how I feel.” Of course I have always hated Netanyahu like it’s my job. Of course my heart breaks for ALL people who suffer. Of course I pray for a cease fire and all the hostages home safe.
Some American liberals accuse American Zionists like me of quibbling over the definition of genocide because we don’t want to look closely at the horrible situation. (See below for a useful definition.) To me, that take sounds tone deaf. Many of us don’t use that word casually because we have had to look closely at systematic violence before.
I encourage you to consider the resonance of the word genocide with European Jews who barely escaped Nazi death camps to make it to relative safety in Israel. I think it’s hard for Jewish Israelis and their allies to hear the word genocide applied to Israel while so many Israelis live peacefully next to Israeli Arabs, Israeli Muslims, and Palestinian Israelis – inside the State of Israel.
I know that the Nazi attempt at genocide is not the only example, but it’s the one Americans and Europeans seem to know best. (See below for resources on the attempted genocide in Rwanda and the attempted genocide of Native American peoples.)
The Nazis collected Jews from every country, state, anywhere they could. To liberal Zionists like me and my Israeli friends, what has happened in Israel since October 7, 2023 is a Gaza-specific issue – a war about security. I recognize and mourn and call out the deep suffering of the Gazans – Palestinians, journalists, and other people there. I don’t avoid the word genocide to downplay the horrific tragedies occurring in Gaza. Rather, I avoid the word genocide because words have meaning. Using the word genocide to describe Israel’s war against Hamas is inaccurate, and it feels purposefully divisive.
I know that the Israeli government, the Israeli military, and the various Israeli police forces of Jerusalem and other cities do unethical and tragic violence against people in the name of protecting Israel. I don’t defend the horrific and sometimes genocidal threats some Israeli leaders have made about Palestinians, today and in the past. I would never defend the crimes against humanity committed by Netanyahu and his crew, AND Israel is fighting a war against Hamas. I do not agree with the way Israel treats the people of West Bank and Gaza, AND Israel is not attacking Palestinians outside of Gaza. This is not a genocide attempt.
My friend Avi reminds me that there are people who use the term genocide to describe Israel, knowing full well how it resonates with many Jews. Using the word genocide to describe the violence in Gaza often causes Jews, Israelis, Zionists, and others to shut down dialogue – no matter how empathetic we may feel with the suffering of the Palestinians there. In moments of clarity when I’m writing on this blog, I wonder what their goals are, especially when they paint all Zionists or all Jews with the same brush. I pray for more interactions that open hearts and open dialogue rather than shutting individuals down or shutting groups out. I hope we can all find opportunities for more real conversations to broaden and deepen our understanding; more dialogues to build relationships.
In conclusion, I hope we can all learn to speak and listen so we can build more understanding. I pray and protest for this violence to be over. I pray and march for the safety of all Israelis – not just because some of them are my family and friends. I also pray for the end of all violence against everyone, Palestinians included – for peace and safety in the Middle East. Of course I don’t want any more people to die – not in the West Bank, not in Gaza, not in Israel, not anywhere. I don’t know how we can build that kind of peace – but I hope more and more of us can work together towards peace and safety for ALL. Truly, I pray that more of our allies join the active war against Hamas.
Here are a few relevant readings I can’t stop thinking about:
The NIF Blog is a great way to learn more about progressive forces in Israel. Sokatch writes well-researched, well-nuanced updates about current events in Israel. I also recommend signing up for their emails.
[Note: I’m teaching The Sunflower on April 23, 2025 in observance of Holocaust Memorial Day. Please join us by Zoom, if you can – through Temple B’nai Israel of Oklahoma City.]
I know that many of y’all are trying to be compassionate. When people talk about the rights of Palestinians without discussing how Hamas treats Palestinians and Israelis, my stomach sinks and my heart breaks again and again. There have been Jews in the Land of Israel since the birth of Judaism over two thousand years ago. There are multiple terror organizations attacking Israel – not just since 1948 and not just since October 7, 2023. Their mission statements are to wipe Israel and all the Israelis off the map. Should Israelis be threatened, murdered, raped, kidnapped? Is it okay for Hamas and Hezbollah to constantly try to kill as many Israelis as possible? Hamas has been treating Palestinians worse than garbage since 2006 at least!
When American liberals talk about Palestinian rights, would they be willing to acknowledge that Israel is the only military willing to fight Hamas? I really need American liberals to give context and nuance to the Israel-Hamas war instead of simply raising up Palestinians as victims of Israel. I acknowledge that Netanyahu/Ganz/Smotrich are terrible and that the Israeli government is doing terrible things.
Can American liberals acknowledge that many of us only noticed the plight of Palestinians since October 7, 2023? Hamas’ oppression of Gaza has gone uncommented on by American liberals for many years. Are the rights of Gazans only important when Israelis are in the news?
Where was everyone who supports Palestinians between 2006 and today? Some of us liberal Jewish Americans have been fighting the Israeli government policies about Palestinians for many years.
Imagine how it feels for us Jews to know that – only when Israel is involved, people speak up….
Imagine what it feels like to hear people constantly criticize Israel without being brave enough to criticize terror organizations like Hamas…….
Israel is an easy target, isn’t it? Hamas is rich and huge and scary. Be brave, liberal Americans. Please address the nuance and long, wide context of the situation. There are still Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Hamas.
Why do they hate us? Why do they hate Jewish people?
The real answer to this question is: No one knows, because anti-Semitism is not logical.
History has proven that there is nothing that Jews can do or not do in order to make people unhate us. So, there is no real answer. The hate doesn’t make sense.
I’m so sorry that these questions have to be part of your lives AT ALL, EVER.
On the other hand, here are some explanations that might make sense to you.
One: The Jewish People are the Weeble Wobbles of human history. I mean, not exactly because they were TOYS but still – their song was – Weeble Wobbles wobble but they don’t fall down.
That’s us. Since Judaism began, we have undergone attacks, but we never disappear completely. We always find each other and rebuild. Some people are curious about this. Others are jealous.
Two: We are not like everyone else. Many people fear difference. Sure, we have lungs and blood like everyone else. We need air to breathe and water to drink like everyone else. We are human, and, also – we don’t believe like they do. We have our own religion. We don’t behave like they do. We have our own cultures – Jewish cultures and traditions from Yemen and Poland and Iraq and Spain as well as from the Land of Israel, where Judaism was born. Jews are different, and Jewish texts teach us to be more than okay with that – to be proud.
THAT is why Ph should become bat mitzvah and be part of confirmation, because THAT is your cultural inheritance. Becoming Bat Mitzvah within the Jewish Community is a gift to you from your Jewish ancestors and to them from you. You don’t have to cry about it! We are thrilled you want to become Bat Mitzvah! Later, joining a Confirmation Class will be your honor and privilege as a young adult who participates in Jewish community. We will be honored and blessed to celebrate you.
[And one day, we will walk the streets of Jerusalem and Yaffo/Jaffa and Haifa and enjoy the combinations of Jewish cultures all together in one Israeli neighborhood. You will see and taste and hear that Jewish people don’t all share the exact same cultures, but we still stick together.]
Three: Starting early in Jewish history, different empires and militaries have exiled us from the Land of Israel. In every country, on every continent, Jewish people have made their homes at one time or another. Some people thought that, if Jews went home to the Land of Israel, people would stop attacking us, but that didn’t work. Our ability to adapt to many places, times, and cultures seems to scare people. Some of them actually believe they are protecting themselves from us.
Four: Many non-Jewish people feel heartbroken when Jews die in hate crimes. When we grow strong again, however, it’s harder for them to feel sympathy for us. When there are Jewish generals and Jewish police captains, suddenly, they don’t see Jews as innocent anymore.
Does this make sense? Nope. Because we know that all Jews are not the same. There are Israeli politicians who make me sick. There are Israeli military leaders who have broken my heart over and over. However, Israelis and Jews still deserve safe, healthy lives. People who see one Jewish bad guy and decide to hate all of us, those people don’t think like we do. It’s our job to try to be honest and open – while we defend Israelis and Jews – even if they don’t WANT to understand us.
Five: Lots of people DON’T hate us. I think they probably don’t hate fat people or disabled people or people who don’t speak their language either. When some people get scared or angry, they forget about everyone but their own group. It’s easy for them to ignore the human rights of people who they think are different from them or less than they are – or people they think just might be able to take care of themselves. So, we do. If anyone told my bubbe, “take care of yourself,” she would answer: “If I don’t, who will.” She was quoting Hillel, a famous rabbi whose wisdom has survived many years.
Rabbi Hillel used to say:
If I am not for myself, who [will be] for me?
If I am [only] for myself, what am I?
If not now, when?
(Pirkei Avot 1:14)
We stand for ourselves, and we stand with others. We never wait to work toward justice – for everyone.
Six: Many people LOVE YOU. As your mom wisely said: Let’s focus on the people who love us and who stand by us. We love them back, and we stand with them.
Together, we always work to build a world of peace and safety for everyone – not just for the Jewish People or for Israel – for everyone – even if it takes a long time, even if it takes our lifetimes.
Seven: We always SURVIVE! We always stick together, and we have survived SO MUCH. I’m sorry that you need to learn about our worst times. I look forward to sharing good times with you too.
(and from Susan in Austin, Texas, USA – I’m the English language editor.)
We know that you have been overwhelmed with requests for donations since October 7th. We promise ours is different.
Hadar and her friend Michal have organized a way to house and care for 8 families from Kibbutz Kissufim in the Israeli South. On October 9th, these eight families made it safely to Michal’s house in Caesarea.
Michal, Hadar, and their friends and family have found a way to provide a home for them – to cook for them, do laundry for them, shop for them, whatever they need. Hadar and a group of friends from North of Tel Aviv are helping make a safe, stable, clean home for them.
So far, the eight families combined are raising 5 kids, ages 2-9 years. The school-age children have been enrolled in schools in Caesarea, but their parents cannot work. Their jobs, their homes, their lives are wrapped up in the kibbutz that Hamas attacked.
These families escaped with their lives, but, on October 7th, they lost their jobs, their homes, their community, their clothing, everything. Hadar, Michal, and our wider circle of friends are trying to provide a sense of stability for their children to adjust quickly and to begin to recover from the trauma of the attacks.
To support these families for the next three months will cost $12k. Twelve thousand dollars will pay for utilities, food, and a safe place to stay for 8 families of 5 children and 7 adults. Soon, one of the moms will be ready to give birth. Hopefully, they will also be joined by one injured grandfather when he is released from the hospital. We want to provide a safe, healthy home for everyone to recover together. Twelve thousand dollars will pay for rent, utilities, food, and a safe place to stay until they can get home to Kibbutz Kissufim. No donation is too small. Every dollar will help.
We are grateful to the folks at Kavod: A Tzedakah Collective for agreeing to help us raise and distribute your donations as well. Special thanks to Aunt Judy for her help directing the funds. You can donate through Kavod at kavod.org. Please write “Hadar/Housing” in the notes so your donation gets to these 8 families. Thank you so much!
With gratitude and prayers for peace, Hadar and Susan
Why can’t the Israeli government help them? Israel is very good at absorbing people who need help, but the attacks of October 7th have displaced an unprecedented number of families. Shelters are overfilled, and supplies are running out. The Israeli government is juggling a huge number of priorities including security, and so private Israeli citizens are volunteering to help.
Why can’t we just give to an established organization? Please do. Every dollar helps. For these particular families, funding this home for the next three months will be the most helpful and meaningful thing to do.
How can we know that you are using this money responsibly? If you have met any of us, you know we are honest and responsible. If you have ever met Hadar, you already know she is excellent at spending money efficiently. If you need more details or more reassurances, please contact us! We would love to help you find a way to support these families directly. (If it makes you more comfortable, we can direct you to more established organizations.)
Why Caesarea and this house? People had to flee the kibbutzim in haste. Survivors from the kibbutz attacks are spread out all over Israel – some in Eilat, some in Caesarea – all over.
Why these particular eight families? These are the ones we’ve got, and Kol Yisrael araveem zeh le’zeh – all of Israel is responsible for each other.
Why do they need a whole house? Why can’t they just stay at a shelter? Because what we would want for ourselves, we want for others.
Rambam, Sefer HaMitzvot, Mitzvah #206
היא שצונו לאהוב קצתנו את קצתנו כאשר נאהב עצמנו ושתהיה אהבתו וחמלתו לאחיו כאהבתו וחמלתו לעצמו בממונו ובגופו וכל מה שיהיה ברשותו אם ירצה אותו ארצה אני אותו וכל מה שארצה לעצמי ארצה לו כמוהו. והוא אמרו יתעלה ואהבת לרעך כמוך. (קדושים תהיו, מדע הלכות דעות פ”ז):
We are commanded to love each other as we love ourselves, and one’s love and compassion for another should be like the love and compassion we have for our own possessions – our body and everything else that is in our domain. What the other [person] wants, I want for myself; and WHAT I WANT FOR MYSELF, I WANT THE SAME FOR [EVERYONE]. And that is the meaning of the verse, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Lev 19:18)
שלום מהרצליה וקיסריה, ישראל
(ומסוזן באוסטין, טקסס, ארה”ב – אני העורכת בשפה האנגלית)
.אנחנו יודעים שאתם מוצפים בבקשות לתרומות מאז ה-7 באוקטובר. אנחנו מבטיחים שהבקשה הזו היא שונה
.הדר וחברתה מיכל ארגנו דרך לשכן ולטפל ב-8 משפחות מקיבוץ כיסופים בדרום הארץ. ב-9 באוקטובר הגיעו שמונה המשפחות הללו בשלום לביתה של מיכל בקיסריה
מיכל, הדר וחבריהם ובני משפחתם מצאו דרך לספק להם בית – לבשל להם, לעשות להם כביסה, לקנות להם כל מה שהם צריכים. הדר וקבוצת חברים מצפון תל אביב עוזרים ליצור עבורם בית בטוח, יציב ונקי
שמונה המשפחות יחד מגדלות 5 ילדים, בגילאי 2-9 . הילדים בגילאי בית ספר של המשפחות הללו נרשמו לבתי ספר בקיסריה, אך הוריהם אינם יכולים לעבוד. עבודתם, בתיהם, חייהם נשארו בקיבוץ שחמאס תקף
המשפחות הללו נמלטו בשלום, אך ב-7 באוקטובר הן איבדו את מקום עבודתן, את בתיהם, את הקהילה, את לבושם, הכל. הדר, מיכל ושאר החברים שלנו מנסים להעניק תחושת יציבות לילדיהם ולאפשר להם להסתגל במהירות ולהתחיל להתאושש מהטראומה
על מנת לפרנס את המשפחות הללו בשלושת החודשים הבאים דרושים כ 12 אלף דולר. כסף זה מיועד לשירותים, מזון ומקום בטוח לשהות בו עבור 8 משפחות עם 5 ילדים ו-7 מבוגרים. בקרוב, אחת האמהות צפויה ללדת. יש לקוות, שיצטרף אליהם גם סבא אחד פצוע כשישתחרר מבית החולים. אנחנו רוצים לספק בית בטוח ובריא לכולם כדי להחלים ביחד. שנים-עשר אלף דולר ישלמו עבור שכר דירה, שירותים, מזון ומקום בטוח לשהות בו עד שיוכלו להגיע הביתה לקיבוץ כיסופים. אף תרומה לא קטנה מדי. כל דולר יעזור.
אנו אסירי תודה לאנשי “כבוד: קולקטיב צדקה” על הסכמתם לעזור לנו לגייס ולהפיץ גם את התרומות שלכם. תודה מיוחדת לדודה ג’ודי על עזרתה בהכוונת הכספים
ניתן לתרום דרך “כבוד” בכתובת kavod.org. נא לרשום “הדר\דיור” בהערןת כדי שהתרומה תגיע למשפחות הללו.
בהכרת תודה ובתפילות לשלום, הדר וסוזן
שאלות ותשובות
למה ממשלת ישראל לא יכולה לעזור להם? ישראל טובה מאוד בקליטת אנשים שזקוקים לעזרה, אבל התקפת הטרור ב-7 באוקטובר עקרו מספר חסר תקדים של משפחות. המקלטים מלאים מדי, והאספקה אוזלת. ממשלת ישראל מלהטטת במספר עצום של סדרי עדיפויות כולל ביטחון, ולכן אזרחים ישראלים פרטיים מתנדבים לעזור
למה אנחנו לא יכולים פשוט לתת לארגון מבוסס? אתם יכולים! כל דולר עוזר. עבור המשפחות המסוימות הללו, מימון הבית הזה לשלושת החודשים הבאים יהיה הדבר המועיל והמשמעותי ביותר לעשות.
איך נוכל לדעת שהכסף שנתרום יגיע ליעדו וישתמשו בו בצורה אחראית? אם פגשתם מישהו מאיתנו, אתם שאנחנו כנים ואחראים. אם אי פעם פגשתם את הדר, אתם כבר יודעים שהיא מצוינת בניהול כסף ביעילות. אם אתם מעוניינים בפרטים נוספים, צרו איתנו קשר! נשמח לעזור למצוא דרך לתמוך ישירות במשפחות אלו
למה דווקא קיסריה? למה דווקא הבית הזה? אנשים נאלצו לברוח מהקיבוצים בחיפזון. ניצולים מהפיגועים בקיבוץ פרוסים בכל רחבי ישראל – חלקם באילת, חלקם בקיסריה – בכל רחבי הארץ
למה דווקא שמונה המשפחות האלה? אלה המשפחות שאנחנו קלטנו לנו, כל ישראל ערבים זה לזה – כל ישראל אחראים זה לזה
למה הם צריכים בית שלם?למה הם לא יכולים פשוט להישאר במקלט? כי מה שהיינו רוצים עבור עצמנו, אנחנו רוצים עבור אחרים
רמב”ם, ספר המצוות, מצווה מס’ 206
היא שצוונו לאהוב קצתנו את קצתנו כשנאהב עצמנו ושתהיה אהבתו וחמלתו לאחיו כאהבתו וחמלתו לבד בממונו ובגופו וכל מה שיהיה ברשותו אם ירצה אותו ארצה אני אותו וכל מה שארצה לעצמי ארצה לו כמוהו. והוא אמרו יתעלה ואהבת לרעך כמוך. (קדושים תהיו, מדע הלכות דעות פ”ז)
אנו מצווים לאהוב זה את זה כפי שאנו אוהבים את עצמנו, והאהבה והחמלה של אחד כלפי הזולת צריכות להיות כמו האהבה והחמלה שיש לנו כלפי רכושנו שלנו – הגוף שלנו וכל דבר אחר שנמצא בתחום שלנו. מה שהאחר רוצה, אני רוצה לעצמי; ומה שאני רוצה עבור עצמי, אני רוצה אותו דבר עבור [כולם]. וזהו פירוש הפסוק “ואהבת לרעך כמוך”. (לב י”ט, י”ח)
9/26/14 – On Rosh HaShanah, in our prayer book (machzor), I recognized a piece that I remember word-for-word from my childhood. In fifth grade, I started attending Jewish summer camp. In our daily prayers, we read this responsively:
When will redemption come?
When we master the violence that fills our world.
When we look upon others as we would have them look upon us.
When we grant to every person the rights we claim for ourselves.
(Gates of Prayer, 1978, page 103)
First, I felt a rush of joy at seeing and hearing these words again. Usually, I would prefer to skip most of the English prayers, preferring the Hebrew. However, these few lines brought back the hopeful feelings of sitting in the outdoor chapel at the top of the hill, overlooking the ocean at Gindling Hilltop Camp.
Next, I felt a rush of sadness. Since before 1978, many American Jews have been praying this prayer. And yet, these words fit right in with the complicated current events of 2014.
I also feel sadness for Israel and the Jews. Since June, I have constantly been ‘the native informant’ the representative of Jews in two different Christian communities. Most non-Jewish people don’t talk to me about Israel, and every day I think about what I want to say about Israel in this or that conversation. My heart is broken that many people see Israel as a violent bully in the Middle East. I wish this text could be woven into others’ perceptions of the Jewish people and the only Jewish State.
Bring the hostages home from Gaza. #bringthemhomenow #bringthemallhome
I’ve been collecting sermons and articles and messages because 1. I want to appreciate the folks who are doing this hard, holy, loving work; and 2. I want to share these words. We cannot be silent, and we will stick together.
“Colonizers do not have thousands of years of history in the land they colonize – as the Jews do in the Land of Israel. Colonizers do have a home country that they can de-colonize to, unlike the Israelis.” – Rabbi Rachel Timoner – Shabbat B’reishit 5784 – Response to the Tragedy in Israel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKo0rxAZ_hc
From Dr. Rachel Adler – “I’m awed by the courage, generosity, and creativity of ordinary Israelis, protecting and caring for people who have suffered, when your so called ‘elected political leaders’ are about as useful as a broken arm. I hope we in the golah can learn from you.”
From Rabbi Karyn Kedar – “By day sixteen I put on my makeup again. Neutrals to even out the dark shadows. I reached for a soft grey eyeliner, just a bit of definition around the sadness. Mascara of course. So that my eyes would open. I can’t figure out if this is depression or mourning. But my eyes know. They know what they have seen and they know that this is so much more than war. You can eradicate a terrorist, even thousands. But only God knows how to eradicate evil. And God doesn’t know. But none of that is for me to say. I am only a poet, sitting on the lake’s edge. And the sun rises. And the blood kisses the horizon. And the turning of foam into itself. And the autumn tree turned burnt orange catches the fury. And the sounds, never ending sound of the illuminated waves, coming to shore, leaving again, returning again, leaving. And a man crosses the lake standing on a paddle board. I can’t see his features, just a silhouette upon the water, against the framing sky. I want to scream above the sound of the waves, I want to shout straight into the heart of beauty, I want to wail into the relentless sun rising and say: Don’t you know?! Don’t you know!!! This is a dangerous world. And in the morning, on the battlefield, the IDF commander orders his soldiers to brush their teeth and to shave their darkened face, lest they forget their humanity.”
From Rabbi Suzanne Singer – “Please let your friends know that we are heartbroken for them, that we stand 100% with Israel, and that we send them a cyber hug. Praying for peace soon and in our day.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2023/10/hamas-covenant-israel-attack-war-genocide/675602/ I really like The Atlantic. I know it costs money and the articles are not short. However, I really think their authors/editors are very thoughtful and thorough researchers. No paper or magazine is perfect, but the last time I was mad at one of their articles/journalists was three or more years ago, so I guess they are mostly reliable.
Learning the Hard Way 