Restoring Relations with Cuba

The news that the USA and Cuba are going to restore normal relations and that prisoners will be released on both sides is good news. Every dispute has to end some time. The cold war ended long ago, but somehow it didn't end until now in regard to Cuba. The government in Cuba has more to fear from this fresh air than the US government.

Murder in Jerusalem

Today we read about a terrible murder of Jewish rabbis and a policeman by Palestinian terrorists in a West Jerusalem synagogue. There is no excuse for murder. The 2 murderers were shot and killed in a gun battle with police. Nenayahu promised a strong response as he should, but the response should be done intelligently with a Jewish head. There will be some Jews (like the idiots who pulled a Palestinian kid off the street and brutally murdered him in retaliation for the murder of 3 Jewish kids last summer) who will want to respond stupidly. The homes of the terrorists families will be destroyed which is OK if that is the best way to do it. But indiscriminate group punishment of Arabs who have nothing directly to do with the murders will further the goals of Hamas. Hamas openly praised the murders as expected. Mahmoud Abbas condemned them but added an implication that this is caused by encroachment of Jews on the Temple Mount. This was not a time for “but.” Simply condemning the murders would have been enough just as Yitzhak Rabin did after the murder of Moslems praying at a site holy to both Jews and Moslems years ago by a Jew. At that time he started his talk by saying something like “today I am ashamed.” But Rabin was a hero, and Abbas is a chicken. Rabin was murdered by a Jewish terrorist for his courage. Abbas lives with his cowardice just as Arafat did when he rejected an opportunity for a Palestinian state in the Clinton-Barak plan and instead opted for the intifada.

But while condemning Abbas for his lack of courage, one must look for how Israel can deal with the almost impossible predicament it is in. Israel is located in a wild neighborhood. How can it make peace with an enemy many of whom if not most are not willing to compromise. Adding to the problem is that on a lesser scale, there is a zealous Jewish faction which is also delusional in its goals. The Jews of Israel are there to stay, no matter what, but so are the Palestinian Moslems.

The problem has changed somewhat in recent years. Early on it was Arab nationalism versus Jewish nationalism. It has changed in that political religious fundamentalism is taking over, particularly in Islam, but also to a lesser extent in Jewish Israel and to some extent in the Jewish world outside of Israel. The problem is not religion. Belief in God does serve a purpose in life. Even fundamentalism does not necessarily demand disregard for others. But political religion does. Political religion gone wild can be misused to justify the most vile and cruel behavior as we have seen today in the murders in Jerusalem.

In dealing with the Arabs, Israel needs to maximize its advantages. It has the most advanced military in the neighborhood. It has great intelligence capabilities. It is far ahead of its neighbors in science and technology. In spite of all its faults, it is a democracy. Even though it is a pressure cooker nation, it has civility and stability that do not exist in the surrounding countries. These are the positive streams in Israel that make it strong. But there are challenges where Israel could do better to secure its future. More should be done to include the 25% of the nation that is not Jewish. There are many if not most Israeli Arabs who very much want to be included as equals in Israeli society. Israeli children need to be taught inclusiveness toward all their fellow citizens, not just the Jewish majority. Israel is and should be a country where Hebrew is the predominant language. But when Netanyahu insists that the Arabs including his own citizens must recognize that Israel is the Jewish state, he is cutting out 25% of his country.  Of course Israel is a predominantly Jewish nation, but he doesn’t have to shove it down their throats. Israel should also encourage a reasonable amount of immigration to bring in people who will raise their children to be Hebrew speaking loyal Israelis, Jewish or not, and keep the demographic clock in Hebrew Israel’s favor. Israel should encourage various forms of Judaism, like Reform and Conservative, to fill the void between Orthodoxy and nothing. Eventually, globalism, science, and open mindedness will win out over the medieval darkness that is taking over the Middle East. I am sure there are people out there in the surrounding Moslem world who share the same hope that Israelis want, but are afraid to say so. Israel needs to open up to them. The road ahead is now and will be difficult, but what else can Israel do but keep trying? Eventually reason and enlightenment have to win in Israel and all over the world.

Comments on Two Articles in the Jewish Journal

I found two very thought provoking articles in the recent issue of the Jewish Journal (Los Angeles, California) about which I would like to comment.

One interesting article by Jacob Wirtschafter concerns Israel, Nigeria, and the Ebola epidemic. Apparently, Israel has developed good relations with Nigeria, and Nigerians make up the largest group of tourists from Africa to Israel. Nigeria has been able to prevent the Ebola outbreak from taking over as it has in other West African countries with less developed health systems. The USA has requested that Israel send army field hospitals to West Africa to help fight the Ebola epidemic, but Moshe Yaalon, the Israeli defense minister blocked it, claiming his defense budget is too low. However there is in Israel an NGO organization IsraAID that will be sending teams to fight Ebola in West Africa. Mr. Yaalon is short sighted (He is also the guy who has insulted the USA, Israel’s best friend). Sending Israelis to do mitzvahs in underdeveloped countries is the positive stream in Israel. Building friends for Israel is an important part of Israel’s defense. I have now included IsraAID as one of my favorite objects for donations along with Ben Gurion University, the American Jewish World Service, and the Joint Distribution Committee. Unfortunately Mr. Yaalon and people who think like him are the negative stream.

Another interesting article is “The West Bank and Gaza: Give Economics a Chance.” Essentially it says that a Marshall Plan-like aid to build up the economy of the West Bank and Gaza Strip would help solve the problems between the Israelis and the Palestinians. I agree that this is a goal that should be worked toward. But there are some big problems getting in the way of reaching that goal. Loosening the blockade on Gaza would help to improve the Gaza economy, but it would also allow in weapons and materials like cement to line tunnels to send terrorists into Israel. That is not theoretical. It actually happened. But it happened in spite of the blockade. The economic situation on the West Bank has improved, but the growing West Bank settlements and an attitude by some far right Israelis of a Greater Israel including the West Bank with no concern for the interests of the Palestinians creates an impossible situation. The fence blocks commerce but keeps out terrorists, but it is part of a situation that can not last forever. There are many facets to solving the problem. It will happen gradually and in steps, but in order to happen it has to start. The Palestinians need hope. Neither side will get a perfect solution. Perhaps autonomy for Palestine or confederation with Israel should be the first goal. This could end up being the best final solution for both sides, or it could be a step toward complete independence for both. As for Gaza, in order to be helped peacefully, they need a government that wants it and respects it. So far Hamas has not done that. But who knows? Things can change with or without Hamas.

Congress

Well, the Republicans have won the House and Senate. So now the ball is in their court. The Republican administration under George Bush destroyed the American economy by spending gobs of money on an unnecessary (in fact counter-productive) war in Iraq and borrowing instead of taxing to pay for it. The Republicans made their major objective defeating President Obama. It's amazing that President Obama has accomplished so much. So now the ball is in the Republican court. Their dilemma is do they compromise with the President and accomplish something, or continue as they have and accomplish nothing?

Conversation with an Evangelist

Recently, while I was sitting in a thrift shop waiting for my wife while she was shopping, a gentleman approached me and engaged me in a conversation about God. At first I thought he was just waiting for his wife and wanted to converse to pass the time. It started something like this. He asked what my feelings were about the afterlife. He looked to be at least as old as I am, and at our ages the question takes on particular importance. As the conversation continued, I realized that he was not just passing time but actually was trying to convert me to his point of view. He is apparently a fundamentalist Christian evangelist. I found the conversation interesting because I have a particular point of view on the subject of religion, and I wanted to bounce those ideas off of him to see what a person with a point of view different from mine might think of them. At first we found many points of agreement. We both believe in God, but ultimately we hit a brick wall. He believed the Bible, including the New Testament, to be the word of God and every word is the absolute truth. He believes his interpretation of that truth to be the only interpretation. I believe the Bible was written by people, and therefore not necessarily every word must be exactly correct. I think that the Bible gives hope but no guarantees. I think that much of what is predicted in the Bible may very well come true because it was written by people and it is possible that achievements that seem impossible now might actually come to pass through the efforts of human intelligence in the future. I think the time of the Messiah might actually come at some time in the future, but it will not be contingent on how much we pray or whether we believe in God, but through science, reason, and technology, in other words the cumulative efforts of people. Meanwhile religion plays an important role in keeping our hopes alive until that time.

So we parted. He did not convince me to believe as he does. I did not change his beliefs and did not want to change his beliefs. If his beliefs work for him, who am I to tell him to change? He gave me some small pamphlets and his phone number to call him if I have any questions. I later threw away the pamphlets and the phone number. I don’t like long phone conversations. If he had given me an e-mail address I might have been tempted to renew the conversation or maybe not.

Belief in God

I know I mentioned it in a previous blog, but let me reiterate my approach to belief in God. I believe in God. I do not believe it is necessary or possible to verify God’s existence. The important question is not whether there is a God, but rather why believe in God.

Belief in a deity or deities can be found in most cultures from the most primitive to the most sophisticated. This has occurred even in places where people have been isolated from the rest of humanity for many generations. Why? The reason for the universal belief in God or gods is that once humans began to learn to communicate, they could record events (even verbally before the invention of writing). This allowed them to look at the past (history) and predict the future. That presented them with the realization of the temporary existence of individual life and of the chaotic environment over which they had little control. Religion gave them answers that could not be found elsewhere.

So for me, belief in God is to be able to think about God, to discuss, to hope, to say that life has meaning and is not just chaos. I think the best evidence for God is in logic, mathematics (the most scrupulous logic), and in statistics. The bell curve of statistics is an expression of randomness. But given a population big enough it always appears in a bell shape (for a logical reason). So is random existence really random? Yes and no.

Many of the most hopeful predictions of the Bible could very well come true at some time in the future because they were written by people. As time progresses, we humans come up with advancements that previously had seemed impossible. I believe that anything desirable (like maybe bringing humans back to life “in the end of time”) written by people in the past is possible. Prayer keeps the hope alive, but research and technology might make it happen.

What really counts is consciousness, not the physiology and chemistry that keeps consciousness alive. Our thoughts that continue even after we die (whether continued by speech, writing, electronically, or whatever modality will exist in the future) are our souls and put together perhaps that is what God is. As the Bible says, we are made in the image of God. Some would say God is made in the image of man. I don’t see any necessary difference between the two. We already have artificial body parts. Perhaps one day scientists will figure out how to extract human consciousness from the mind to maintain it separate from the flesh and blood and eventually keep it going forever. We know that light waves keep radiating over long distances for long periods of time. For example, the stars we see in the sky are actually light sent out thousands of years ago. Perhaps there are some kind of as yet unknown waves out somewhere that will give us the information needed to recreate all the humans who ever lived. Then if this were possible, where would we put all the people? Well maybe consciousnesses would not need so much physical space? Or maybe by that time we would have explored and settled the whole universe. All this stuff sounds impossible, and maybe it is impossible, but what would a person living 2000 years ago have thought if told about the possibilities of electricity, computers, automobiles, airplanes, and space travel? Anyway, hope is what religion should be about. We can organize it with structure and prayer, but we should not lose site of its purpose and certainly not subvert it with political and financial secondary gain.

 

 

 

Two Paragraphs: Zakharia Interviews, Also Iraq and Syria

This morning I watched Fareed Zakharia GPS on CNN. There were 2 interviews that particularly interested me, Hassan Rouhani, the president of Iran, and Shimon Peres, the former president of Israel. The contrast was striking. Although in fairness, there is a difference between being a former official and a sitting official. I think the difference would have been obvious even if both were still in office. When asked difficult questions, like why people were being detained and put on trial in Iran for foolish or unknown reasons, Rouhani avoided answering the questions. When Zakharia said to Peres something to the effect that an Arab statesman would promote the cause of a Palestinian state, Peres said unequivocally that he also would like to see a Palestinian state. It illustrates that although one might disagree with some steps taken by the Israeli government, Israel is a democracy in which a significant part of the population is looking for a way to come to terms with the Palestinians and the Moslem world and has the freedom to say it openly and without hesitation. On the other hand, Iran is a country ruled by fundamentalists where the part of the population that is craving modernity is suppressed.
I am a fan of Fareed Zakharia GPS and more often than not agree with Mr. Zakharia's ideas. But Mr. Zakharia says something to the effect that we need to come to terms with Iran in order to fight ISIS. Maybe, but what does that entail? If it means saying it is OK for Iran to develop nuclear energy to the point where it can make a nuclear bomb, there might be more danger from that than from ISIS. And is it really necessary to put together the Humpty Dumpty state of Iraq to defeat ISIS? Unfortunately, the Bush misadventure in Iraq put us on that road years ago, but if the predominantly Shiite Iraqi government can't or is not willing to include the Sunnis and the Kurds, then perhaps we should allow Iraq to split up. We certainly should support a strong Kurdistan in the North including as many oil fields as possible. If Iran wants to keep the Shiites in the South safe from the Sunnis and ISIS, let them take on the fight. Why should the USA fight for their interests? As for ISIS, if they want to continue plotting against the USA, they can continue to be bombing practice targets for the US Air Force. As for their lack of humanity, their neighbors and possibly some local Sunni tribes will have to do the ground fighting. As for Syria, like Iraq it is a nation of various tribal groups hobbled together by Europeans which somehow came under control of the Alawites who are a minority there. After the terrible massacres which the Alawites did to the other Syrians, they can not submit to a Syria ruled by the majority without being massacred themselves. So perhaps they should be allowed to maintain a shrunken Alawite Syria in whatever part they can maintain a majority. As for the rest of Syria, I don't think it makes a difference to us who rules it as long as it isn't ISIS. So maybe a non-ISIS Sunni nation in what used to be Eastern Syria and Western Iraq might be OK. The question is would and could the local Sunni tribes there take on ISIS with the help of US air support? Maybe it would be possible if the US and Europe gave up the idea of propping up the old Humpty Dumpty nations of Syria and Iraq.

Israel's Predicament

I would like to recommend reading the Aug 15, 2014 entry on the blog of Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg at http://jonathanwittenberg.org/post/94806816757/after-gaza-these-wounds-go-very-deep . Rabbi Wittenberg is a Masorti English rabbi who visited the Gaza border recently. The entry illustrates the predicament faced by Israel. The immediate response to attacks on Israel by Hamas has to be military. Israel can not turn the other cheek and get pounded by rockets and terrorists coming out of tunnels. But the long term solution can not be achieved by military might alone. There appear to be 2 streams in Israel, one forward stream that sets up hospitals to treat anyone sick or injured, Jew or Arab, even treating Arabs wounded in the Gaza war. This is the stream that pushes for inclusiveness in Israel, including all Jewish forms of worship, Reform and Conservative as well as Orthodox. This stream tries to bring Israeli Arabs into the mainstream of Israeli life and realizes that a strong country does not marginalize 1/4 of its population. Unfortunately there is also a backward stream. The backward stream pushes exclusivity inside Israel and pushes for expansion of settlements in the West Bank even though that makes coming to terms with the Palestinian Arabs impossible. There also appears to be 2 streams in the Moslem world, an unfortunately large stream which can not come to terms with the existence of Israel. But there is also a strong forward stream among Israeli Arabs who want to fully participate as equals in the modernity of Israel. There is also a glimmer of hope in small pockets of progressive Islam like the Suffis, the Ahmadis, and the Druze who are willing to accept a predominantly Jewish Israel. Another interesting development seen in the recent Gaza war was Jordan and Egypt if not siding with Israel at least remaining neutral. Let us hope that the forward streams on both sides will prevail. It won't happen over night. Hatreds will have to be overcome. Trust will have to be established. It might take generations, but one has to start.

If I Had Unlimited Money

Many of the Jews living in settlements on the West Bank live there because they get cheap rent. The money to supplement their rent must come from somewhere. If I had unlimited money, I would build towns in the Negev and offer cheap rent to lure away those people from the West Bank settlements and instead settle them in the real Israel. The Negev is the future of Israel. The Negev will make Israel stronger. The settlements will not.

I Recommend Bernard Avishai's "The Hebrew Republic"

Last year, I read an intriguing book by Bernard Avishai, “The Hebrew Republic: How Secular Democracy and Global Enterprise Will Bring Israel Peace at Last,” and I read it again this year. I very much recommend it. Although I don’t agree with everything in Mr. Avishai’s book (when could you expect 2 or more Jews to agree on everything?), I agree with the general idea that Israel should become more inclusive and be based more on the Hebrew language and culture than on the Jewish religion. That includes among other things giving the Israeli Arabs equality in more than just equality before the law and the ability to vote. I agree that non-Arab, non-Jewish people (like the Thais and Filipinos) who come to work in Israel and would like to stay as productive citizens and raise their children as Hebrew speaking cultural Israelis should be allowed to do so as long as Israel has the resources to accommodate them. Greater inclusiveness would turn the demographic clock in Hebrew Israel’s favor and make Arabism less threatening. I also agree with his idea that science, technology, and participation in the global technology are Israel’s greatest hope for the future.

Mr. Avishai says in his title that “secular democracy and global enterprise will bring Israel peace at last” (from his mouth to God’s ears). I believe that the ideas proposed by Mr. Avishai will make Israel stronger. A strong military is only one component of power. Full equality and full inclusion of all the citizens of a nation are equally important components. But will it bring peace? Maybe yes and maybe no. I think most Israeli Arabs would be happy with greater inclusion in their country. I don’t know what Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank would think about it, or Arabs living elsewhere who consider themselves to be Palestinians, or non-Palestinian Arabs, or other Moslems. I don’t think it will make Moslem fundamentalists happy. They might find that they missed an opportunity by not coming to terms with an inward looking Jewish theocracy with limited goals within what it considers its own borders (as much as possible of Eretz Yisrael?). An inclusive Israeli Hebrew Republic, if and when it actually comes to pass (and I think it will because it has already started), will hit them like a tornado. They might at some time in the future find themselves allies with a disenfranchised Jewish Orthodoxy.

Mr. Avishai and I probably look at Israel from a different perspective. He is a North American Jew who chose to live in Israel. I am a Diaspora Jew who has lived his whole life (76 years so far) in the USA (other than 1 year doing military service in South Korea). I like it here in Southern California and have no desire to live the rest of my life elsewhere. My interest in Israel is my belief in “kol Yisroel achim,” in other words all Jews are related, we have each other’s backs, and 1/3 of all the Jews in the world live in Israel. In fact a number of Israelis actually are my relatives (my nephew and his family as well as some cousins). I really am concerned about their welfare and safety.

I know that Mr. Avishai is a Jew like me, but I don’t know what his more specific religious beliefs are. As a non-fundamentalist Jew, I believe in God. As I have written in previous entries in this blog, I think the important issue is not whether or not one believes in God but why one believes in God. I believe religion is a human endeavor to grapple with the meaning of existence. The details are less important. God is not a real estate agent who assigns this or that building, monument, or piece of land to certain people. As Mr Avishai alluded in his book, there is a religious vacuum in Israel between state supported fundamentalist Jewish Orthodoxy and the absence of organized religion, and therefore many Israelis travel to Hindu and Buddhist countries to temporarily fill the vacuum. I believe that the promotion of non-fundamentalist Judaism like Reformed and Conservative (perhaps a misnomer because American Conservative Judaism is actually liberal) can fill the vacuum.

Last year I had occasion to be in Chicago during Yom Kippur and had to find a synagogue. I stumbled on a synagogue called Mishkan. I went there because at a reasonable price one could buy a ticket for only Yom Kippur or only Rosh Hashonah. Mishkan does not own a building, but meets in various places and attracts a large congregation. It is not part of any movement. It is wonderfully inclusive (gays, mixed marriages, travelers, anyone). It is particularly attractive to young people. The services are vibrant, emotional, very Jewish, without the sterile Goyish feeling one might get in some ultra-Reform synagogues. It’s almost like a very liberal, non-fundamentalist Hassidism without the stifling conformity of real Hassidism. In fact, Mishkan at times partners with a local Hassidic synagogue in some of their programs. If there were a Mishkan in the San Fernando Valley, perhaps I would join. The reason I mention Mishkan here is that I believe that Mr. Avishai’s Hebrew Republic needs a religious component to fill the vacuum between Orthodoxy and nothing in order to keep Judaism alive there when the present world fundamentalist fad fades. Thinking about God without the political crap is a real human need and will not disappear because basic unencumbered religion deals with a real issue posed by the temporary existence of conscious life which will not soon (if ever) be answered by science alone. I believe any non-fundamentalist Judaism will do, but I mention Mishkan because it seems particularly inclusive and could be a model to attract unaffiliated Jews in Israel as well as the Diaspora. Also, just as some Israeli Moslems are attracted to Israel’s technology and globalism, a non-fundamentalist inclusive Judaism could stimulate Moslems in Israel to develop their own non-fundamentalist inclusive Islam. And if you cut out the details, is there really such a difference between Judaism and Islam?

 

Lancet Political Letter

I recently became aware of a letter, An Open Letter for the People in Gaza, published in the British medical journal, Lancet, which denounced Israel in its recent conflict with Hamas. The main authors are members of anti-Israel organizations and did not disclose that fact in the article. The letter completely ignored the the guilt of Hamas in attacking Israel with rockets and tunnels into Israel for the purpose of killing Israelis as well as putting their own people in harms way for the political goals of Hamas. The building materials that they claim Israel has kept out of Gaza were used by Hamas to build terrorist tunnels for attacking Israel. The blockade of Gaza would not exist if Hamas were not stockpiling weapons to attack Israel. Unfortunately, collateral damages kill civilians in any war. What do they expect the Israeli people to do? Passively wait for the rockets and suicide bombers to kill them without a response?
A scientific journal should not be used as a one sided political platform. As a physician, I will be a little more skeptical of anything published in the Lancet.

Buddhist Center in Israel

I recently read an entry in the Arutz Sheva web site titled "Warning Issued Against New Buddhist Center in Israel" This warning was issued by Yad L'Achim, an anti-missionary organization in Israel. The article was followed by the opportunity for comments, but after I had written my comment, I found that I had to have a Facebook or Yahoo account in order to add it. Since at the moment I do not have either one, I will print it here:

Jews should be able to think whatever they want to think. This should certainly be true in Israel where 75% of the population is Jewish. If Judaism could withstand 2000 years of persecution in Europe, it certainly is strong enough to stand on its own in Israel without being artificially propped up by governmental laws that discriminate against any deviation from Orthodox Judaism. Anything that brings money into Israel makes Israel stronger. Hebrew speaking cultural Jews who are loyal to the State of Israel make Israel stronger whatever their religious beliefs happen to be.

What Can a Diaspora Jew Do for Israel?

Israel is in a difficult situation. It has made attempts to come to terms with the Palestinian Arabs in the past (even if it was sometimes given grudgingly). It was willing to accept the U.N. partition plan in 1948 before the surrounding Arab countries invaded in an attempt to destroy it. A decade of building peace in the 1990s culminated in Arafat rejecting the Clinton/Barak plan which would have created an independent Palestine because it would have meant a compromise, and followed it with an intifada with suicide bombers with a devastating effect on Israel. Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in a trial first step to create an independent Palestine. The result was the election of Hamas by the Palestinian people and the rule of Hamas in the Gaza strip. Hamas is sworn to the destruction of Israel and has backed up those words by shooting rockets across the border into Israel which in turn resulted in a blockade of Gaza to prevent the stockpiling of rockets and other weapons which also resulted in a stifling effect on the Gaza economy. The result in the Israeli people has been a pessimism that there will ever be peace. Every attempt by liberal Israeli governments in the past has resulted in failure. The wall and targeted assassinations of terrorist leaders stopped the intifada. Israeli ingenuity has built a first world economy. The situation has evolved into a situation of temporary calm punctuated by intermittent wars, not a great time but better than the intifada. But can the status quo last indefinitely?

The Middle East is plagued by political fundamentalist religion which is becoming increasingly prominent in the Moslem world with the rise of fundamentalist Islam in Iran, Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and now ISIS in eastern Syria and western Iraq. The struggle between Shiites and Sunnis which has existed for centuries continues. Political religion is the belief that God is on one’s side and has given the right to this or that land or this or that shrine according to one’s own religion. This mandate from God gives one the right to do any injustice to the other group because after all it is God’s will. When ISIS commits genocide that’s OK. They are establishing a caliphate devoted to God. And on a smaller scale our Jewish community is not free of political religion as well. When I ask what purpose do the Jewish settlements on the West Bank serve, the reply I too often hear from some of my fellow Jews is something like God gave all of the Land of Israel to the Jews, and therefore the West Bank is supposed to be Jewish, and there is plenty of land in the rest of the Middle East for the Palestinian Arabs. The purpose of the modern Zionist movement that began in the 1880s under the leadership of Theodore Herzl was to create a safe haven for oppressed Jews in Europe and elsewhere, not to realize some political religious goal. That Zionist purpose is almost in Israel’s grasp if only it can find a way out of a dilemma which serves Israel’s enemies but unfortunately also some zealous Jews in Israel and the Diaspora. I do not mean to put all the blame on Jewish Orthodoxy. There are Orthodox Jews who are willing to compromise politically and there are plenty of secular hawks.

So what can an individual Jew living in the Diaspora do to help Israel reach Herzl’s dream to make Israel a safe haven where a Jew can live in his own land without denying the Palestinian Arabs the same right.

We Diaspora Jews don’t vote in Israeli elections. We don’t fight in Israel’s armed forces (at least most of us don’t). In most cases we are satisfied with living in our respective countries; otherwise we would have gone to live in Israel. Do we have a right to say anything about what Israel or the Palestinians should do? I believe we do. After all the Jews of Israel are our brothers (Kol Yisroel Achim) figuratively, and our cousins literally in most cases. We give financial support to Israel, and when Israelis feel isolated in their little embattled country they know they are at least connected to us Diaspora Jews for whatever that is worth. Those of us who live in democracies have the power to vote in our respective countries. We do not all vote with one voice and do not all agree on what is in Israel’s best interest (just as Israelis don’t always agree with each other), but when Israel is truly threatened as it has been recently by the Gaza rockets and tunnels, most of us circle the wagons until the crisis winds down (as one hopes is now happening).

We can speak our minds. We Jews for the most part are a literate people. Other people listen when we (at least some of us) speak. That does not mean parroting whatever some particular political group in Israel or the Diaspora says. It does not mean always agreeing with every decision of the Israeli government. We Jews disagree with each other all the time. But when the chips are down as they have been recently with Hamas showering rockets over the border into Israel, we need to circle the wagons. Then when the dust settles we can discuss what can be done to further peace.

We can speak with our money. We can contribute to organizations that truly act to make Israel safer and promote Israel’s value to the world. I am besieged with many letters from various Jewish organizations telling me to contribute to their particular organization to protect Israel and the Jewish people. Some espouse ideas that I do not necessarily agree with completely. Others are worthy of my support, but my budget for good deeds has its limits. So I must pick those which for me are the most worthy. Some say they help Israel by advertising the good things that Israel does and point out the fallacies of those who argue against Israel. I prefer to support the organizations that help Israel do good things rather than those who talk about those things. My favorite object for donations is Ben Gurion University of the Desert. BGU has done research into making the desert productive. That benefits Israel by allowing Israel to develop the Negev which constitutes Israel’s greatest land mass and therefore the place where Israel can grow. That research also benefits other desert countries, for example those countries in Africa plagued by drought which is eating up their arable land. BGU’s Medical School for International Health not only trains Israeli doctors and other health care workers but also students from all over the world. This draws on a particularly strong Jewish asset (our many medical doctors) and uses it for the good of all people. BGU has worked together with the Marine Science Station of Jordan to create artificial reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba which is shared by Israel and Jordan to help maintain the ecosystem in the gulf.

Another favorite object for my donations is the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). Although it is primarily concerned with helping disadvantaged Jews around the world (good enough in itself), it also helps other needy people as well.

I like the American Jewish World Service. It supports worthy causes in disadvantaged countries all over the world. It does not work in Israel as far as I know, but it makes us Jews look good as well as doing mitzvahs. It really makes us a little bit of a “light unto the world.”

I support Conservative (Masorti) and Reform Judaism in Israel. I believe non-fundamentalist and pluralistic religion can play a role in calming the Middle East, and this can start with the Jewish religion in Israel.

We can invest in Israel. During the recent Gaza War, I bought some shares of an Israeli company. Some years ago when some people who don't like Israel were urging divestment, I put a chunk of my money in an Israel bond. Shortly after that the market crashed, but my Israeli bond held its value leaving me in a better position 2 years later when the bond matured ( a mitzvah that payed off).

Finally, we must remain steadfast in our support of Israel as a haven for any Jew who wants or needs to go there (although we might not all agree on the definition of Jew). We must also realize that there are about 4 million Arabs living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, many (not all) of whom hate Jews. There are also approximately 1.7 million Arab citizens of Israel. Just as Israel is not going away, neither are the Arabs. The causes we support should be realistic and allow the Palestinians hope that some day they will be first class citizens no matter what government rules the land in which they live. Demonizing them will be a self fulfilling prophesy which will never serve the interests of Israel or the Jewish people.

Support Kurdistan

The Kurdish people in northeast Iraq have developed an autonomous community which has remained tolerant of minorities who live in their territory. They have been steadfast in their friendship with the USA and Israel. They have developed a thriving economy. They are a poster child compared to the rest of Iraq. The central government until now has really been a Shiite government which has alienated the Sunnis and pushed them into the arms of ISIS. ISIS is a radical fundamentalist group which has shown no mercy to its enemies and has shown frightening military success.
The US and Europe should support the Kurds in their fight with ISIS. Kurdistan should take up as much space in northeastern Iraq as it needs including the oil fields whether as an autonomous region or an independent country. Iraq is a country of various ethnic and religious groups divided tribally that was hobbled together by European colonialists years ago. It was a mistake for the Bush administration to invade Iraq years ago with the delusion that all Iraqis would come together spontaneously and make a united western style democracy. We would have been better off supporting a mini-Kurdistan in northeast Iraq independent of Sadam Hussein and kept Sadam as a boogyman to be clobbered when he threatens our friends, but allow him to remain to keep the mullahs in Iran at bay (unless his own cronies would have thrown him out). We unfortunately broke the balance when we invaded so long ago, but now it is time to let central Iraq create a stable inclusive government or else fall apart as long as we keep our friends in Kurdistan.

Gaza and After

Most Israelis, most Jews outside of Israel, and many other people recognize that as tragic as is the plight of the people in Gaza, Israel had no choice but to shell and ultimately invade Gaza. Gaza was sending rockets over the border into Israel (even as far as central Israel), killing and wounding people in Israel, and causing the Israeli people to live in bomb shelters. Hamas was sending terrorists through tunnels into Israel to kidnap and kill Israelis. It would be ridiculous to expect Israel to absorb that kind of punishment and simply not respond. As for proportionality, there is no such thing. Once Israel responds, it has to go all the way. War is not a game. Civilian casualties are inevitable in war, especially when Hamas hides its weapons in and shoots them from civilian locations. There were civilian casualties when the Allies invaded Europe during World War II, but that did not make us war criminals. We dropped 2 atomic bombs on Japan ending World War II. That was not a war crime. President Truman correctly reasoned that the alternative was an invasion of Japan with great loss of American soldiers’ lives.

Hamas says it is shooting rockets and sending militants into Israel through tunnels to end the blockade, but they are saying it backward. The blockade is to prevent the rockets and cement for tunnels from getting into Gaza for the purpose of attacking Israel. If there were no rockets and no tunnels, there would be no reason for the blockade. Demilitarization of Gaza would end the blockade and the conflict. Peace would then allow the Gazans to concentrate on building prosperity which would actually make them stronger than any weapons would.

Having said that, the present battle in Gaza will eventually end as they all do. But what will happen after that? Barring some major change, Hamas will start digging new tunnels and stockpiling more missiles. The missiles will become more deadly with longer ranges, and Israel will respond with more blockades and development of more sophisticated ways of closing tunnels and responding to missiles. The biggest losers will be the civilians in Gaza trapped in this cycle.

I spoke recently with an Israeli Jew living in the US. I said Israel and the Palestinian Arabs will eventually have to come to terms. The cycle of wars can not continue forever. He disagreed. Sadly, he saw no way out. He was resigned to endless conflict. It is tragic that we Jews who have created so much and have given so much knowledge to the world can not dig ourselves out of this hole. Perhaps I am a Pollyanna, but one must not resign oneself to endless tragedy. I do not believe that even God hates us so much that he tempts us with the goal of the time of the Messiah when swords will be turned into plowshares, but somehow always places us in the vortex of conflict continuing since the time when according to the Bible we were lead to the point of collision between Egypt and Mesopotamia (ancient Israel).

When the present battle ends, Israel will win militarily. Most of the tunnels and rocket launchers will probably be destroyed. Then Hamas will probably start digging again and thinking up new ways to make mischief. Israel will be thinking of new technologies to anticipate and counteract them.  Of course the Israeli military and technology must be kept at the maximum. But there are other possible sources of strength. The present tragedy might actually present more opportunities to Israel than to Hamas if only Israel can and will make the most of this opportunity. Interestingly, many of the surrounding Arab governments have remained silent and in a way have actually supported Israel because of their hatred of the radical unbending Islam that Hamas represents. President Obama and Ban Ki-moon of the UN expressed the understanding of the International Community by publicly declaring that Hamas is the guilty party in breaking the last cease fire. One wonders how much support Hamas still actually has among the ordinary Gazans on the street. The Jews of Israel are not going away because there is nowhere to go, but the same is true for the Palestinian Arabs. Perhaps when the dust settles Israel will manage the opportunities well and figure out how to make the necessary adjustments (whatever they are) needed to make the neighborhood a more liveable place or at least to gather up as many allies as possible.

 

Israel is Defending Itself

Israel must do what it must do to defend itself against the rockets being shot over the border from Gaza and attacks through the tunnels. Gaza could stop the conflict by stopping the rockets. Israel has offered to accept the Egyptian cease fire proposal and Hamas has not.
I have been critical of some of the policies of the Israeli government on this blog site in the past and will do so in the future when and where indicated. But not today. When the dust settles there will be time for that, but not today.

The Negev and Gaza

The part of Israel closest to Gaza and therefore especially vulnerable to the rockets from Gaza is the Negev.  The Negev is Israel's future. It is land inside Israel proper where there is room to grow without stepping on anyone else's sovereignty. It is not full of disputed religious shrines. It is just an underdeveloped land waiting to be developed. It is home to the Ben Gurion University of the Negev which is engaged in teaching and research not only for Israel and Jews, but for the outside world. Ben Gurion University has developed methods in water conservation  and farming which can be applied to drying up lands in Africa and elsewhere. It has done cooperative research projects with Jordan in creating a coral reef in the Red Sea. Ben Gurion's Medical School for International Health teaches students from all over the world. This is the Israel that Hamas fears and hates. Hamas probably loves the West Bank settlements which do nothing for Israel and give the Palestinian leadership the opportunity to play victim. Let us hope that one day the sane people on both sides will come together and prevail over the radicals who thrive on conflict. Meanwhile, the Hamas rockets need to be stopped militarily. There just is no other way for now.