The Rabbi's Comment

 Looking At Israel with Muslims and Christians

I am fortunate to have been to Israel on many occasions - on my own, leading groups, studying for a year (twice!) and with family. For nine days at the end of 2009 and into 2010, I went on a trip, as a member of an interfaith group to look at the current situation in Israel and the West Bank.

The group comprised nine Muslims, five Christians and two Jews. It was organised by the Forum for Discussion on Israel and Palestine (FODIP) and was designed for people of faith to engage together looking at the complexities of the situation for Jews and Arabs living in Israel and the West Bank.

There were many highs and lows on this trip - emotionally, spiritually, as a Jew, as a Zionist and as a human being. I will be holding an evening at the synagogue to talk about the trip and its importance, looking at my perceptions and feelings about what we saw, heard and learnt.

We went to Neve Shalom, Oasis of Peace, a mixed village with equal numbers of Jews and Arabs. We saw the Ghetto Fighters museum and the 'Humanistic Centre' and learned about the brilliant work both centres are doing to bring Israelis and Arabs together.

We looked at Jerusalem, East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron and the West Bank and even a Refugee Camp. Many things revealed a far from perfect situation and a lack of fairness that needs to be addressed if progress is to be made towards a peaceful and equitable co-existence.

We also met some wonderful people working in a variety of different ways to improve things. One was Rabbi Arik Ascherman, the Director of Rabbis for Human Rights, an organisation of Rabbis from across the religious spectrum, who are working against injustices and inequalities in Israel and the Israeli legal system.

Another inspiration we met was a young Palestinian man called Ali Abu Awad, who is a member of the Bereaved Families Forum of Israelis and Palestinians having had his brother killed by Israeli soldiers. He and his mother joined the group because they wanted to change the situation and cycle of violence. He has been involved in many good initiatives and is currently working to set up a group called 'Born to Change' which he hopes will help change a variety of perceptions and attitudes.

One thing we realised on this trip is that the 'two sides' are talking a different language, in particular over one key event. For Israel, 1948 means the birth of an Independent State of Israel, Medinat Yisrael, the fulfilment of two thousand years of prayers and fifty years of political diplomacy, potentially the end of upheaval for the Jewish world, the promise and hope for a better future.

For Arabs and Palestinians, exactly the same events are referred to as the 'Naqba', the catastrophe, which brought about the end of five hundred Palestinian villages and the displacement of thousands and thousands of people. Two very different names for two very different experiences that have dominated the attitude of one to the other for the last 62 years!

There are many groups now working in Israel and the West Bank, to bring the understanding of this to the forefront and to encourage each side to listen to the experience of the other. We were privileged to meet a few of these dedicated people working in different ways and places. We were excited by their example and purpose and many of us want to do what we can to support this work and to publicise it, among Jewish, Muslim and interfaith communities.

At the same time we saw some thoroughly disheartening sights and heard some frustrating stories, which highlighted for us the complexities and difficulties present in Israel and the West Bank. Every time we thought we had understood something a bit better, we were then introduced to something else that confused us even more and brought home just how difficult the whole situation is.

Yet, as people of faith, we have faith that there can be a better future, that things can be done that improve the situation for the people living in the Holy Land in the middle of an 'unholy mess'. We are convinced that it is possible to move things towards a peaceful and fair solution for Jews and Arabs, for Israel and a future Palestinian State.

We are about to celebrate the exodus of our people from Egypt, the freedom of our ancestors and the birth of Judaism. Pesach is about the start of our journey to the Promised Land. At the Seder we sing 'Next Year in Jerusalem'. May we acknowledge our freedom and pray for the freedom of others, especially our neighbours, to live in peace, harmony and security together.

I wish all of you a good Pesach full of joy and happiness - Chag Sameach.

Rabbi Warren Elf

March 2010.

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