Standing United

Rabbi Joel Fleekop

Friday, July 21, 2006

In the year 70, on the 17th of Tammuz the city of Jerusalem was placed under siege by Titus and his Roman legions. The siege lasted several weeks, during which the Jews of the city were weakened by famine and constantly harassed by assaults against the city walls. The Jews of Jerusalem fought hard, many times refusing Roman demands to surrender. But their dogged efforts were not enough. The Romans breached the city walls and on the 9th of Av they destroyed and looted the Holy Temple.

The ancient Rabbis, looking for a way to explain the defeat of God’s people relate the story of Kamsa and Bar Kamsa. This story, preserved in the Massechet Gittin on the Talmud, links the Roman destruction of Jerusalem to the senseless hatred or Sinat Hinam that existed between two Jews.

The story is simplistic and theologically motivated. It is a folk tale. But it is not alone in suggesting division contributed to the Jewish community’s defeat.

According to the ancient historian Josephus, during the Roman siege the residents of Jerusalem were divided into three factions. These divisions were heated, so much so that in his “Wars of the Jews” Josephus writes that “the aged men and the women were in such distress by their internal calamities that they wished for the Romans; and earnestly hoped for an external war.”

We know from historians, both ancient and modern, that internal division wasn’t the only cause of Jerusalem’s defeat, but at a time of crisis, it was a factor.

And that brings us to the present. In the year 2006 on the 16th of Tammuz, just one day before the somber anniversary of the Roman siege, the State of Israel was attacked by terrorists. Two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped, eight killed, and the North found itself under the deadly siege of Hezbollah rockets.

As the ancient Jerusalemites did in the year 70, the State of Israel has responded with force and determination to defeat the enemy and end the crippling and horrifying siege. But unlike the factionalized forces in ancient Jerusalem, Israel has found itself in a state of unprecedented unity.

The Israeli Defense Force’s actions and the decisions of the government are overwhelmingly supported by Members of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Though an emergency government has not formally been created, Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the opposition in the Knesset, has repeatedly appeared on both Israeli and International Television, to voice his support for the policies of Prime Minister Olmert, the government, and IDF generals.

The unity found in the halls of the Knesset is mirrored by the Israeli public. Whether from one of the terrorized towns in the North, the religious neighborhoods of Jerusalem, or trendy Tel Aviv, the vast majority of Israeli citizens believe that the government is waging a just war, one that must be prosecuted until the threat of Hezbollah has been eliminated.

Only a few months after a heated election, the people of Israel are unified in their support for Ehud Olmert’s government, and united in their support for one another. As author Naomi Regan writes, “All over the country, people are reaching out to each other. . . The television has a running text with people's names and phone numbers who are willing to host families from the war zone. Kibbutzim in the South have made room for the members of kibbutzim in the North. . . The television broadcasting authorities are making an effort to put on quality children's programming and good movies.”

That the country is pulling together, that its citizens are united behind the government and united with one another is girding the State of Israel with strength. But in her time of need, Israel could also use the strength that comes from the support of American Jewry. And so we too must mobilize.

On Sunday, rallies in Support of Israel will be held throughout the Bay Area, including one here in downtown San Jose, at the Circle of Palms at 5:00. At a time when much of the world is condemning Israel’s response to Hezbollah, and when many of our fellow residents in Northern California are screaming that Israel is the terrorist state in the region, it is crucial to show the media, our neighbors, and the citizens of Israel that we support Israel’s right to defend herself.

Flyers for the rally are available in the lobby and I hope you will be able to attend.

Beyond attending the rally and other public shows of support for Israel, it is important that we lobby our representatives in Washington to put pressure on Israel’s neighbors and other Middle Eastern governments to end their support, or at least toleration of terrorist organizations.

As Ambassador Dennis Ross, who served as special Middle East coordinator under President Clinton, explained in an interview earlier this week, it has long been a part of the Palestinian narrative to say occupation is the reason for violence. Recent attacks from Gaza and Southern Lebanon, areas form which Israel has disengaged, have proven this to be false. The violence continues, and will continue, according to Ambassador Ross, so long as the Middle East is plagued by corruption, intolerance, and a failure of leadership.

America must use its powers of diplomacy to encourage Arab leaders to make the necessary changes and reforms, and we must lobby our government to begin this process.

Finally, we can help our relatives and friends in Israel by working to ease the financial hardship caused by the fighting in the North.

Having been in Israel just two weeks ago, I can report that restaurants and hotels were full of foreign tourists and the streets packed with summer teen tours from all around the world.

Fortunately most teenage trips, including those run by the Reform Movement, have been able to adjust their itineraries and remain in Israel. But many families and congregations planning to visit Israel later in the summer have cancelled their reservations. Israel’s economy will be hit hard by these cancellations and by the loss of working days for those living in Haifa and Northern Galilee.

With this said, it is important that American and World Jewry do all we can to offset the cost incurred by organizations involved in relocating children from towns like Nahariya and Kiryat Shmona in the North to youth camps in the central and southern parts of the country.

One way we can support these efforts is through donating to the Union for Reform Judaism’s Israel Emergency Fund. You can learn more about this fund and the organizations it supports by visiting HYPERLINK "http://www.urj.org" www.urj.org or following the link from the Shir Hadash homepage.

In just a few weeks, Jews around the world will solemnly remember the 9th of Av, the day the Romans defeated the fractured Jewish community and sacked the city of Jerusalem. Many will fast and gather together to read from the Book of Lamentations and sorrowfully recall the siege of Jerusalem.

I don’t know when the current siege of the Jewish state will end. But when it does I know the result will be different from that of nearly 2,000 years ago. Unlike the Romans, today Israel’s enemies face a strong and well armed military. And equally importantly, they face a united and unified country, strengthened by the support of Jews around the world.

May we do all we can to help Israel in her time of need and let us never stop praying for the peace of Israel, the whole Middle East, and all the world.

Shabbat Shalom