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.

[Found in an old journal, Still sadly relevant.]