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Making aliyah, it seems, is not the fruition of that idealized dream. And by “it seems,” I mean I once thought it was. I came here to live because I can and We can and We should and from there everything would work itself out. Somehow.
Yet that Somehow still hasn’t shown up. Or rather, that Somehow has transformed into a Someone: a Me.
Israel is a complex country: a country that professes the ideals of democracy yet attempts to retain loyalties to a historical and religion responsibility. Israel is a country that needs my help along with your help.
Living here, I have come to realize, is not about finding the most comfortable place to live, that town that reminds me most of back home or the location that will best suit my needs. Living here is about us—about the community of Am Yisrael—and what we can do to ensure that such an entity exists and continues to exist, even beyond the borders of Israel.
This past summer I met a group of solid people. They were all young and intellectual and motivated and strived to affect change. They were part of the PresenTense Institute, a Creative Zionism summer program. Their website tells it best: they enable “socially-minded entrepreneurs from the fields of hi-tech, business, social action, education and the arts to turn their envisioned projects into reality.” Basically, they are a bunch of young minds who care and do something about it. It's pretty impressive.
Become part of this active reality at http://www.creativezionism.com.
Read what they have to say. Think about what they have to say. What do you have to say?
We are living in precarious times. The meaning of Zionism is up for debate. It is a term we afford great prominence; it is the subject of much debate and discussion and yet in some sectors it is slowly being replaced with alternate values and morals.
What is Zionism? What do we want out of this place, anyway? How are we going to actualize such goals in an age of post-modernism and equality for all and pluralism and individualism and social concern?
The folks at Creative Zionism know. Do you?
To Act (v)-to do something; exert energy or force; be employed or operative: He acted promptly in the emergency. |
March 5, 2008.
The beating in my heart thuds in unison with every Jewish heart in the world, and this Shabbat eight families will be without their sons. This has become more personal than ever before, a terrorist attack at Merkav Harav, the yeshivah founded by Rav Kook,our states first religious Zionist who’s love for Israel still continues to pulse within Israel. In almost every attack on Israel there has been a charm attached to their bracelet of destruction: “[fill in major terrorist organization name here] claimed responsibility for the attack”. Their pride in destruction brings my blood to a boil, and tears at my soul.
In history there have been various stereotypes of Jews. Weak. Vulnerable. But our proud history shows that we have strong fighters and leaders. Yehuda. The Maccabim. Yoni Netenyahu, a man who was killed saving Jews because “if we don’t, no one else will”. It is time that we call upon Hashem and our great heroes in our history to help us fight this war.
At this particular time in history it is imperative that we be critical of ourselves, as a nation and as individuals. The simple fact is that we aren’t doing enough. Sure, we can be critical of the IDF, put the responsibility of our great states failure on the current or recent governmental decisions. But what it really comes down to is our disunity. It is our own failure that we have not yet realized that we have the power to repair the world, tikkun olam.
I never said it would be easy, but it’s easier than you think. In today’s society what it synonymous with power? You could be so immersed in the Diaspora to immediately answer that question with the word money. But I will replace money with power that no dollar can buy: Education. The internet, television, newspapers. World media. It takes a pretty penny for them to produce news, but it’s virtually a free power in our society that hardly hands you anything without a price tag. Now with all that knowledge what do you do? Use it. You are all citizens of the world, and the great majority of you are students in Universities. Now if you are like me and you go to a university that is as culturally and religiously diverse as York then you know what you are up against. United we stand, divided we fall.
Advocate for Israel on your campus, educate others. Awareness is an active noun. It knows. It walks. It screams. You can be that person who actually knows all the facts when debating a biased argument against Israel. If we pair education and action with prayer then we can start gluing together the broken pieces of our generation. We cannot let our generation be remembered as the ones who stood back, cowered and watched while [fit terrorist organization name here] tears our country and our nation apart. They may physically try and destroy us, but it is our responsibility to reinforce Am Yisrael with action. Start a campaign for Sderot, hold rallies and fly in speakers to your universities. Seek out the organizations on campus and in your community that are willing to help you. Hasbara, Hillel, your synagogue. You will be surprised to find how easy it is to raise money and to actually start something. That is what it means to be Jewish, to be a part of a network, a team, a nation.
Feel responsible. Feel for your people. Cry, daven, stand up, and then go act. For you hold the hope of Am Yisrael in your hand.
Have you ever felt as if there was so much more to stand up for in past generations? Have you ever looked back at the previous generation and envied the various issues activists could stand up for, feeling our generation is does not have space for activists anymore?
The truth is that our generation has just as much problems to solve. We have just as many issues to stand up against. The problem is not the issues but our very own apathy. In order to dispel the notion of all our problems being already solved, I have gathered a list of causes which I believe urgently need to activism of Jewish Students worldwide. You might not agree with every single one of these causes. Still, I made this list not in order to convince anyone of the value of these causes, but rather of their existence. I have included first a list of Jewish causes followed by a few Universal causes which Jews should also take part in for the greater good. Again, I want to emphasize, I hope this does not turn into a discussion on the merit of each of these causes, even though I truly believe in each of them. Rather, I hope everyone will note the strong need for Jewish Student Activism which is just as great as it has ever been.
Protecting the People of Sderot
The number one responsibility of a government is the protection of his population. The current Israeli government has failed in doing to for the people of Sderot. To most people, Sderot is a city in the middle of nowhere which is going through a rough time… most people will ask “who cares?”. However, the previous generation of activists could have also asked “Who cares?” about the Jews imprisoned in the former Soviet Union. They could have asked “Who cares?” about the rights of the African American population in America during the Civil Rights battles. The role of an activist is to feel the pain of the people he is fighting for even when he is not under personal attack! Our role is to feel the pain of the people of Sderot who wake up every morning knowing they will need to hide a few times under some desks with the always present fear of a missile killing them at any moment.
Every attack on Sderot is an Act of War. Sderot is unquestionably part of the State of Israel. The citizens of Sderot are not settlers. They are, according to all accounts, regular civilians. Every missile thrown at them is a breach of international law. Where is the public outcry against such a blatant violation of our dear international law?
See this post by Tamar on the issue.
Freeing Jonathan Pollard
Jonathan Pollard has been in jail for 23 years. He has been convicted for spying for an ally. The information he provided to Israel was critical to its safety. Israel has repeatedly demanded for his release. While people are allowed to believe that he ought to be punished for what he did since he did break the law, it is not acceptable that he be held to a double standard. His life sentence is much longer than the sentences served by many of America’s worse enemies! (http://www.jonathanpollard.org/sentences.htm )
Public outcry and activism is the only thing which will bring Jonathan Pollard out of Jail. Most people will agree today that his help towards Israel ended up being beneficial to the United States, since Israel was able to properly deal with Iraq based on that intelligence. While he might have broken the law, his actions were those of a hero. While he might need to serve some time in prison for breaking the law, his life sentence is way too harsh. 23 years have been way too much! It’s time for Pollard to be brought home. Activists have been the ones who brought issues out of public apathy into public empathy. This is one of those issues which needs to support of a new generation of activists.
http://www.jonathanpollard.org/facts.htm
Stopping the Double Standard when it comes to Transfer of Populations
I have consistently disagreed with Rabbi Meir Kahana’s approach to the Middle East conflict which encourages forced deportation of the Palestinians. I am more open to the ideas outlined in MK Rabbi Benny Elon’s Plan known as The Israeli initiative (http://www.hayozma.org/ ). However, I believe even those who believe in a land for peace formula should be agreeing with me on this cause.
If we oppose the forced deportation of Arabs from the State of Israel on human rights grounds, we should also oppose the forced deportation of Jews from Judea, Samaria and Gush Katif. At the very least, even those who see it as a necessary sacrifice should be doing it with a lot of compassion and understanding that you are going against the basic human rights of those people you are deporting.
After the disengagement, my greatest deception was not the actual deportation of the Jews from Gush Katif. This was very painful, but it was not the most painful thing. The most painful fact was the way these Jews, who were being expelled from their homes, were being portrayed. I couldn’t stand watching these people, who were and still are Israel’s greatest asset, being portrayed as criminals in order to facilitate the breach of their human rights. These people were sent to their communities by successive Labor and Likud governments. They went there because they believed they were protecting the Jewish People and every government, at that time, agreed. It is one thing to change your opinion, it is something else when you destroy the reputation of the most incredible sector of Israel’s society in order to further your political ambitions.
I yearn for the day where left wing and right wing activists will rally together not for political reasons but rather in order to show tribute to the acts of these Jewish Heros. I yearn for the day where those who find the breach of human rights a necessary step towards peace will recognize it as such. I yearn for the day where it will be the Left Wing Activists who will contact me in order to organize a rally thanking the settlers for all their sacrifice.
Until people recognize the fact that deporting Jews is as much a breach of human rights as deporting Arabs, I will not be able to even show respect their solutions to the peace process which are based on faulty, racist principles. If you want to support a land for peace formula, and still gain my respect, you need to first recognize the human rights of all the involved sides.
Until then, it will be our jobs to be active in reminding the world that even Jews, and even Jewish Settlers, have human rights!
Israel Activism
Before I move on to activism outside the Jewish community, let us just note that the most obvious form of activism still lies in defending the Jewish State from all the negative portrayal it gets overseas. This is a fight which has not yet been won and which requires the active involvement of all the Jewish Activists of this new generations. The many problems with Israel’s portrayal are well known and therefore I will not be addressing them here.
(To be continued with universal causes which transcend the Jewish world but express strong Jewish Values such as Saving Darfur, the environment, Free knowledge etc…)
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” Mark Twain
I couldn’t find a better way of introducing this post than through a self-quote. I am currently in my second year of Law School in Mcgill. Yes, the great Law School of Mcgill. It truly is a great law school! Here in Montreal, some people are selling shirts where it is written in big “Harvard” and then, in smaller letters, “America’s Mcgill”. My attendance at one of the most prestigious schools in Canada in on its of its most highly regarded faculties has been mostly positive. I still stand by the fact I would have rather studied in Israel, at Hebrew U, but I do not have much criticism to give to Mcgill. Rather, what I am here to discuss today is a much wider problem, which I do not think is limited to Mcgill or Law School, but rather has spread throughout North America’s culture which also influences Israel.
When I was in high school, I used to be very ambitious. I even got a T-Shirt spray-painted with an Israeli flag in front and the words “Worn by Prime Minister Illouz” in the back. On my valedictorian speech in High School, when I started predicting what all my friends will be accomplishing in the future, I said of myself that in 2030, I would be elected Prime Minister of Israel. All of these things were done half jokingly, with a smile on my face. They were definitely not rooted in any type of Gaavah, I did not mean to imply that I deserved all these titles. Rather, they expressed a deep ambition to do something amazing with my life – to use my God given tools in order to accomplish something I care about.
Then, I went to college, and did well. I went to Yeshiva and to be honest, I’m not really sure if my time in yeshiva was originally good or bad for my ambitions. In yeshiva, in some ways, my ambitions were also temporarily limited. When I look back, I realize that in the long run, the time spent in yeshiva only enhanced my idealism and ambitions but, even in an idealistic yeshiva such as Yeshivat Hakotel, its hard to feed your ambition when your main challenge is to wake up on time for minyan and struggle with holy texts while sitting in your makom. Don’t get me wrong, I believe every Jew should experience a few years in yeshiva – many years for most - but I also now believe that during ones time in yeshiva it is essential for him to also learn about the depth of Jewish Ambition in this world, Jewish Idealism. Rav Kook writes on learning Jewish Thought (which is the basis of Jewish Idealism), that it is to Gemara like the brain is to the body. The brain takes a relatively small volume of space in the body. However, it is the most central part of the body. In order to be truly successful in yeshiva, one must understand that even the short amount of daily study of Jewish Thought is what makes the halachic study meaningful – It is the central part of Jewish learning.
This is where I get into Law School. They have an interesting saying here in Mcgill Law School: “90 % of first years in law school want to go into some form of Public Service. 90% of second years in law school want to become Corporate Lawyers”. Money is quite convincing, yes. When it comes time to apply to law firms and you can choose huge law first in New York with a starting salary of over 120 000$ (I never really checked but that’s what I heard), or an idealistic path where the starting salary is often 0$, the choice for many is quite clear. Trust me, I used to criticize people who stayed in Chutz Laaretz for money, I don’t anymore. I know they are wrong, but I cannot blame them for being sucked into the system with all this green being flashed to their eyes.
At one point in my life I had to make a decision. Am I going to live an ambitious life, with the constant threat of failure, or will I choose a stable and very comfortable life. Honestly, I would probably be so busy working in Law Firms I would not even have time to realize I’m not doing what I want. But my decision was the first option.
Some people think the most ambitious thing would be to have a very successful career. If that is your conviction, I am not arguing this. I could try arguing that some values transcend a successful career but this is not the topic of this post. Rather, I am talking of my own ambition, and the ambition of the vast majority of people who do not accomplish their ambitions when choosing a successful career. My incredible ambitions of moving to Israel, helping rebuild the holy land after 2000 years of exile, helping God's throne be slowly rebuilt through legal, political, religious means. To me, these ambitions transcend a successful career as a lawyer. This is why I say that choosing law would have been choosing a less ambitious part.
I think we all forget too easily that we have the right to have ambition. We all hesitate too much before saying what we truly want to accomplish in life. Don’t get me wrong, someone’s ambition can truly be to become the best possible lawyer. This is a great ambition! However, in general, most of us are to shy to actually express what we truly want to accomplish.
What would the world be if Martin Luther King Jr. would have been too shy to become a civil rights activist? What would the world be if all those great Rabbis would not have followed their ambitions? What would the world be if Gandhi would have simply been a corporate Lawyer in England? How would the state of Israel been declared if Ben Gurion decided to stay an engeneer in Poland or if Herzl was simply a regular, successful Journalist in France? How much light would have been lost in this world?
When speaking to those who seem to always know better what is best for me than myself, I often want to scream at them for their attempt at extinguishing my passion. I know they mean to do well, they would not want me to risk too much and then loose it all. But if I am not Dan Illouz, who will?
Don’t you realize that the Gandhi’s and Martin Luther Kings of our generations are going to be among those of us who will choose conviction over convenience!
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my ambitions” Dan Illouz
I have never let the world decide what I must make of my own, and only, life.
The issues discussed in this post are not only true for those of us in Law School. It includes decisions each and every one of us need to make at some point of our life. Will we live a life of convenience, or will be life a life of passion and fulfillment. Some have the luxury of living both, but I think everyone of us needs to decide at some point what is the more important value – convenience or conviction. It’s really up to each of us.
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For thousands of years, Jews have positively influenced the world in all areas of life: sciences, philosophy, art, morality etc… It is well known that the mission of the Jewish People is to be “a light unto the nations”. However, what is our way to shine our light? What is the Jewish Way to influence the world?
There has been much discussion in the world as to what constitutes the base of Jewish Thought. Some people consider Judaism to be a religion. Others consider Judaism to be a Nationalistic Message of belonging to the Jewish Nation. Finally, others also considered Judaism to be a Universal Message of Morality. In the eyes of Rav Kook, all of these 3 values are included in the Jewish Message. We have a message of Godliness, which is to be brought out by our nation, and this message is for the universal good.
If this is so, how exactly should these seemingly contradicting messages interact? The Religious aspect seems to concentrate on the individual, the nationalist aspect concentrates on the nation while the universal message is to the whole world!
Rav Kook teaches that the particularity of the Jewish Nation is that we look at the world with Godly Lenses (Introduction to Shabbat Haaretz). In other words, we are first and foremost a nation. Still, every Nation has something special: Americans are particularly found of Freedom, the Arab Nation is particularly passionate, the Jewish Nation’s particularity is its message of Godliness which it brings to the world. We now understand the place of the Nationalist and Religious messages of torah, but what about our universal messages?
In the next passouk, God continues blessing Avraham and says: “all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you.” The Goal of our Jewish Nationalism is to bring our a light which all the nations will be able to gain from.
The Prat can be translated as the Individual.
The Tsibbour can be translated as a group of individuals. When many individuals come together, they create a Tsibbour.
Then, there is another concept called Klal. The Klal is more then just a group of individuals. It has an overarching theme. It’s a concept which englobes all individuals into one unit giving out one message. Klal
The Goal of Am Israel is to take the Tsibbour of individual Jews and to turn it into a Klal.
One of my friends gave me an amazing metaphor once.
It is like a nice painting. When you look at a painting, there is an image which comes out. This image is the klal. Each brush stroke is a prat, an individual. All the brush strokes together on the canvas is called the tsibbour. If each brush stroke gives out the right color in the right place, then the right image will come out: The tsibbour will be a klal. If any individual does something wrong, it will hurt the representation given by tsibbour on the canvas but the image (conceptually) will still be pure, the image is always pure. It will just not be well represented on this canvas.
This image which needs to be brought out is a universal message of morality based on Godliness. This is how we improve the world. Each individual joining into the message of Godliness in the Klal in order to bring it out to the world.
This is an extremely meaningful teaching. There are a few conclusions which come out from this which I want to outline.
First of all, even when we do individual actions such as wearing tfillin or lighting candles for Shabbat, we do it for the whole nation. We do it for the painting to come out right! Not only do we do it for the whole nation, we do it for the whole world!
Second of all, we can see that the religious level of Judaism only makes sense when you look at it from a national point of view. Therefore, how can we close ourselves up and work on personal growth when other Jews need us?
As a law student in a few classes on international law, I learn a lot about all the different crises in the world. I also learn that the main reason why these are not resolved is because people do not care to do something about them: Why should
Judaism gives you the answer: You have to do your role because no on else can, and because the whole world is dependant on you doing it. Now, I’m not at all saying that what we should do is encourage our government to do so and so. No, as we saw, even wearing Tfillin with the right intention or lighting candles with the right intention becomes a nationalist message.
Sepharadim and Hassidim have the tradition of saying Leshem Yichoud before each mitzvah. In that prayer, we remind ourselves of the kavanah we need: We say we come in order to unite the name of God in this world (universal message) in the name of all of
May all our actions, the individual, national and universal ones, contribute to the shining of God’s light into this world.
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