Remembering OUR DESTINY

black and white issue. It becomes easy to classify and label, and remove ourselves emotionally. In a polarized world, Israel can become just another on a long list of issues that divide us.

By Rabbi Maya Y. Glasser Congregation Ahavath Chesed (The Temple)

As Jewish people, and humans, we know that life is complex. There is usually more than one side to a story; being aware of nuance is key to understanding and growth.

As modern American Jews, we now see this complexity more than ever in our relationship with Israel. Though we live across the world, we are tied to this ancient homeland and modern nation state. Israel is in our Torah and in our prayers - after all, we are the people of Israel. But, how do we relate to a country we do not live in, whose decisions we might not agree with?

Because of the partisan nature of Israel, it becomes easy to point fingers. It becomes easy to forget that Israel is not a

Rabbi Josh Weinberg, Vice President of Israel and Reform Zionism for the Union for Reform Judaism and Executive Director of ARZA (The Association of Reform Zionists of America), writes: “As a people we share ties to one another that bridge distances and cross borders. To be part of a people means that we have a shared fate and a joint destiny.”

In the story of our faith, our destiny has always been related to Israel. Israel was the promised land, the beacon of light for our ancestors who wandered in the wilderness. Today, Israel is the one place in the world that runs on Jewish time, where you see entire aisles of the grocery store blocked off for Passover, Sukkot are present on every balcony, and the buses wish you a chag sameach - a happy holiday - in bright neon letters.

Though we are connected with Israel by our shared fate, we remain connected by engaging. When we are in strong relationships, sharing holy moments with those we care about the most, we love every part of them. We recognize the imperfection that exists in everything in our world, but that doesn’t mean that we pull away or resist. Instead, we continue to love and with our love, elevate one another.

At this tumultuous time, I believe that it is that much more important for us to love Israel. It is that much more important for those of us who disagree with whichever administration is in power to remain engaged with the Jewish State. It is that much more important for us to struggle to fight for our values, to explore, learn, and continue searching for nuance. If we disengage, we risk letting others define our Jewish homeland for us. We risk not raising our voices to express our values. We risk an Israel that is something we don’t want it to be.

Even when we can’t agree, we are engaged in a shared endeavor: remembering our rich history and living out the values of our people.

This year, as Israel celebrates its 75th birthday, Congregation Ahavath Chesed (The Temple) celebrates its 140th anniversary. As we mark these milestones, the importance of remembering the past so that it is not forgotten, and so we can learn from it, is extremely evident. Moving towards a successful future means that we use the past as important building blocks, remembering the foundation that they have created. As we celebrate how far we have come, we strive to navigate how to apply our age-old values and to best be Jewish in a constantly changing world. We embrace the complexity of what is and, like Hillel when he founded the World Zionist Congress, dream of what could be.

Israel is not perfect and neither are we. Yet, we are tied to one another and to the Holy Land. The complexity of the Jewish State halfway around the world may be challenging and frustrating at times but if we do not engage with love, how can we expect the change we wish to see? May we continue to love Israel and one another, and as we do so, always remember our shared fate and joint destiny.