Fasting and Social Justice

The following is a “dvar torah” I presented during the Yom Kippur prayers at Kehillat Kol HaNeshama in Jerusalem.

Last summer, in August, I hosted an iftar seminar and dinner at Mishkenot Sha’ananim  in Jerusalem, in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, for Jews, Christians and Muslims in Israel. This was the second year that ICCI hosted such an event.

At the panel before the break-the-fast dinner (which Muslims call “iftar”), a kadi, a priest and a rabbi all talked about the connection of fasting to social consciousness. Two of the 3 speakers (the rabbi—who happens to be the rabbi of this synagogue and one of the co-chairpersons of ICCI– and the priest, who share the same Holy Book), referred to the prophet Isaiah in general and to the chapter we read this morning in particular, Chapter 57 (from what scholars call Second Isaiah).

This chapter is one of the most beautiful and powerful in all of prophetic literature. The Rabbis chose it for Yom Kippur because of its clear message about the purpose of fasting.  We read it every year at this time. Does it affect us? Does it transform or enhance or social consciousness? Does it move Us to action?

Summertime in Israel

Dear Friends,

It’s summertime in Israel.  The sun shines every day (sometimes a little too much!).  In Jerusalem, thousands of people from all over the world – and all over Israel – are viewing nearly 200 films at the 28th annual Jerusalem International Film Festival.  And, a few blocks away, hundreds of rabbis and lay leaders are studying Torah in the unique and enlightening, spiritual and intellectual atmosphere of the Shalom Hartman Institute.

At the same time, many politicians and pundits continue to warn us of the “diplomatic tsunami” that will hit us in September when the U.N. recognizes (again) the existence of Palestinian State in the West Bank and Gaza.

Are we in denial?  Should we be more worried about the political tsunami which is coming our way?

There is another point of view which we must consider, a point of view that one can hear in Israel – unilateral declarations won’t bring a peace agreement. Just as the unilateral disengagement from Gaza a few years ago did not bring peace, neither will a unilateral declaration by the Palestinians bring peace.

Therefore, I join those who still say that the only real solution to the conflict in our region will come through diplomatic negotiations.  Both sides have avoided genuine dialogue in favor of political posturing for too long.  It is time for our leaders to return to the negotiating table to enter into serious, systematic and substantive discussions which, with painful compromises from both sides, will bring about a lasting solution.

L’Shalom,

Rabbi Dr. Ron Kronish

Ibrahim Leadership and Dialogue Project Delegation visits ICCI

By Brian Freedman, ICCI intern

On Sunday, June 12th, a delegation of college students from the United States, participants of the Ibrahim Leadership and Dialogue Project in the Middle East, visited ICCI in Jerusalem to explore the aspect of peace-building in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ICCI Director Rabbi Dr. Ron Kronish kicked off the meeting at the ICCI office with the six students by summarizing the major political events in the last 20 years of the peace process. Rabbi Kronish highlighted the shifting moods in the public sector from the optimism following the Oslo Accords in 1994 to the despair after the Second Intifida. He then outlined the ICCI approach to peace-building, which focuses on depoliticizing the Israeli-Palestinian relationship with personal stories and face-to-face interaction.

The students, who had visited Saudi Arabia and Dubai before arriving to Israel, were then introduced to five ICCI young adult alumni of dialogue programs—three Israeli Jews and two Palestinians—who shared their experiences as participants in ICCI-sponsored programs. Zaki, a Jewish ICCI alumnus from Jerusalem, described a transformative experience at an interreligious camp in New York, hosted by Auburn Theological Seminary, called “Face to Face–Faith to Faith“. He told the visiting students that there he realized the importance of giving space to the Palestinian voice instead of doggedly working to prove the validity of his own, Zionist-centric narrative.

The students, all but one of whom study at Johns Hopkins University, then hopped back on their bus and joined Rabbi Kronish and the ICCI alumni for dinner at his home in Jerusalem. In between bites of baked chicken and brown rice, the visiting students discussed with the alumni a panoply of topics, ranging from interreligious marriage to issues of identity among Palestinian Israelis. Over dessert and coffee, a Palestinian Israeli from East Jerusalem expressed to the group the current, moral dilemma he faces in being a patriotic citizen of a country that he says routinely oppresses and discriminates against his people. A Jewish ICCI alumnus who attends weekly protests in Sheikh Jarrah assured him that he would continue to fight for the rights of Palestinians as long the fight remains non-violent and peaceful.

The students, whose 2-week trip was funded by the Ibrahim Family Foundation and was administered by the Institute of International Education, walked away with varied impressions from their encounter with ICCI and their overall Israel experience. One Jewish girl said that the reality of life in Israel contradicts the pristine image of Israel to which she was accustomed in her Zionist home. Another participant, a Muslim woman who spent the first eight years of her life in Saudi Arabia, said that her arrival in Israel was punctuated by conflicting emotions. On one hand, her visit was legitimizing a country that in Saudi Arabia she was told should be wiped off the map. On the other hand, she understands and appreciates the fact that generations of Israeli Jews have grown up in Israel and have a right to stay here. She also mentioned that, as a Muslim, she feels solidarity and sympathy for the struggle of the Palestinians.

Brian Freedman

Brian Freedman is a master’s candidate at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where he is pursuing a degree in Islam and the Middle East. A resident of New Jersey, he graduated from the University of Maryland in 2008 with a B.A. in Journalism. In conjunction with his studies, he volunteers at the Interreligious Coordinating Council (ICCI), assisting with writing reports and conducting interviews for various ICCI projects.

Changes in Jewish-Polish Relations

- An interview with Avigail Moshe by Thilo Schöne -

Today I had the opportunity to interview Avigail Moshe, Director of Youth and Young Adult Programs for ICCI, who spoke with me about her experiences in Jewish-Polish dialogue. The trigger for this interview was her recent trip to Poland with a group of participants in an ICCI course on the subject of Polish-Jewish Relations Today, which took place from July 22^th until August 2^nd.

Avigail studied Islam and Middle Eastern Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and has much experience in Jewish-Polish relations. She has been working for several years as an educator and coordinator for trips to Poland for young Israeli students and has attended many programs which deal with Jewish-Polish relations. Although the roots of her family are in Ukraine, she developed a huge interest in Poland and studied about it on an academic level.

The participants in the course she has been coordinating during the last year for ICCI were mixed in age, personal background, gender, and religious attitudes. Some participants had a professional background in the field and already knew a lot about the topic but wanted to discover the new realities in Poland and get to know the subject better. Others wanted to get a deeper insight into their personal roots and to learn more about their heritage.

When asked what she thought about the program of the course, a collaboration between ICCI and the Polish Institute in Tel Aviv, and about the changes in the group she observed, she made many fascinating statements. One could see Avigail’s fascination with Poland in her eyes. It was really important to her that the participants of this program had come to realize that Poland has changed, and that some of them started acknowledging that the Polish people also suffered during World War II.

Avigail is always impressed on her trips to Poland – especially so during this most recent trip – with the fact how the Polish Catholic church has changed in recent years. Most priests do not accuse Jews of killing Jesus anymore and appear to have a better understanding of the Jewish elements in Christianity, leading to a better, more positive appreciation of Judaism. Many Polish priests are also engaged in activities revolving around the Jewish heritage of Poland and in preserving the memory of Jewish life in Poland and of course of the Shoah. Avigail was really touched by the story of a Polish priest who prays once a month in Treblinka, and by the other priests who regularly visit concentration camp sites to pray for the souls of Jewish victims. In contrast to conventional public opinion, she has not discovered anti-Semitism in modern Poland. She feels strongly that programs like the recent seminar in Poland contribute to changes in public opinion.

On her recent visit to Poland, Avigail had the unique opportunity to attend the ceremony on August 1^st of the national commemoration day of the Polish Warsaw Uprising of 1944. She was very surprised when she heard a siren at 5 p.m., similar to the one everyone in Israel can hear on the Holocaust Memorial Day. However, despite some similarities between the commemoration in Israel and the one in Poland, the meaning of the day for Polish citizens on the street appeared to be different. Furthermore, the timing of the Memorial Day in Poland falls outside the framework of formal education (since it is during summer break). Thus, unlike in Israel, schools do not appear to be involved in maintaining and passing along this legacy of collective memory.

Upon entering a Polish Catholic graveyard, Avigail was touched to hear the Chief Rabbi of Poland, Rabbi Michael Schudrich, read Psalms in Hebrew. Such an experience, she thought, could only happen in Poland. Getting to know modern Poland and its Jewish heritage is an experience Avigail believes no Israeli should miss out on. She is determined to promote further progress in Jewish-Polish relations and hopes that more people will attend programs such as the course offered by ICCI and the Polish Institute.

SEEING, HEARING AND WITNESSING PALESTINIAN ISRAELI NARRATIVES IN KAFR KASSEM

On July 12^th, I took a group of rabbis from North America who were studying at the Shalom Hartman Institute on a study tour to two Israeli Arab towns. In the first town– Baka el Gharbiyah– we visited the Al Qasemi Academy (see previous blog posting). In the second town, the town of Kafr Kassem, we were guided through the town by Shahin Sarsour, an advisor to Sheikh Ibrahim Sarsour. Sheikh Sarsour was the former major of the town and is now an elected Member of Knesset, representing the United Arab List, the Israeli Arab political part connected with the Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, with which I have been in contact and in dialogue for many years.

Sheikh Sarsour was supposed to be with us for the day, but he was called to be in the Knesset for some urgent discussions and votes! This is just one example of the fact that he—along with members of the other three Israeli Arab political parties who serve in the Knesset – are fully engaged with Israel’s democracy, as parliamentarians, with all the inherent difficulties of being part of the minority in this country.

In the absence of Sheikh Sarsour, we were fortunate to have the assistance of Shahin Sarsour with us all day, to answer so many of the questions raised by the rabbis on the study tour. As someone who had lived in northern California for 12 years and is now back in Kafr Kassem, he was both gracious and forthright in providing honest answers to all of our questions.

In Kafr Kassem, we met with the vice-mayor and members of his staff in the meeting room of the local council. They shared with us many of their problems, with a particular focus on how hard it is for Israeli Arabs to build homes, as compared with Jewish citizens of Israel. One of the most interesting parts of this discussion was that there were some major disagreements among the people from Kafr Kassem who spoke to us. Some of them tried to say that things were improving, especially under the leadership of the new Israeli Ministry for Minorities, headed by Professor Avishay Braverman (former president of Ben Gurion University and now a Member of Knesset with the Labor Party). And others said that the situation was not getting better at all, and was a result of long-term institutionalized discrimination, which is still going on to this day.

In addition to the discussion at the city council, we were also taken to see the Museum of the Martyrs (and we drove by the memorial in the center of the town). This museum commemorates the well-known massacre of 48 people from Kafr Kassem in October, 1956, on the eve of the Sinai War– in which Israel Border Patrol soldiers killed villagers who did not obey the curfew that was imposed upon them at that time.

We were guided by the director of the museum who told us repeatedly that the government of Israel has never really apologized for this massacre. Yet, on the bus ride back to Jerusalem, people on the bus looked up this story on Wikipedia and found that the border policemen who were involved in the shooting were brought to trial and found guilty and sentenced to prison terms. Two officers were sentenced to 17 and 15 years imprisonment, later reduced to 5 years, and served a short term. The case established a famous legal principle concerning the fact that security personnel must disobey illegal orders. Moreover, according to Wikipedia, in October 2006 schools around the country were instructed to observe the Kafr Kassem massacre and to reflect upon the need to disobey illegal orders. In December 2007, Shimon Peres, President of Israel, formally apologized for the massacre.

In short, what we learned from this experience is that the “double narrative” very much applied here, i.e. there is a Palestinian and an Israeli narrative to this incident, as there is to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as a whole. The Palestinians usually lay the entire blame on Israel for what happened, and the Israelis do exactly the same thing, in reverse. Unfortunately, neither side usually listens sensitively to the pain of the other in this ongoing conflict. One of the main goals of this study tour— and of the work of ICCI in general—is to learn to listen to both meta-narratives –and the many sub-narratives that come up on both sides—in order to develop greater understanding and more empathy with the other.

Another view of Islam in Israel—a visit to Al Qasemi Academy

On July 12^th, 2010, I took a group of  35 North American rabbis who were studying at the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem this summer on a visit to Al Qasemi Academy in the Israeli Arab town of Baka El Gharbiyah, in the Triangle area of Central Israel. We met with various people from the administration and faculty of this unique teacher-training college, the only one in Israel that exists in an Israeli Arab town.

I have visited the Al Qasemi Academy many times during the past 19 years, and am well aware of their special approach to teacher-training, but this was the first opportunity to be exposed to such a modern and progressive approach to education among Arabs in Israel for most of the rabbis from abroad (the group included Reform, Conservative and Modern Orthodox rabbis).

According to Mr. Owni Manasreh, one  of 11 faculty members who teaches Islamic Studies at the college, the lecturers at this institution are teaching the kind of Islam which will offer their students answers to the extremists. He views Islamic fundamentalist extremism as a serious danger to humanity, and he is interpreting Islam – based on the Koran, the Hadith and other sources—in ways that are open and pluralistic. Moreover, he and his colleagues are struggling intensively with issues of modernity. “We teach our students the positive aspects of Islam and we enable them to handle questions of the twenty-first century,” he told the rabbis.

In addition Mr. Manasreh, explained about the Sufi movement, of which he is a member. In this region, the Sufi movement is about 100 years old. Not only do they make people closer to God, but they focus on many aspects of everyday life. In this way, Sufi teachings are highly relevant to the real lives of the students at this college.

We also heard from Ms. Amani Makaldi and Mr. Wassim Yunis, of the Public Relations Department of Al Qasemi. They told us that 95% of the students at the college are women. More and more women in the Arab sector in Israel are going into education, but they can’t all find jobs.  The college treats them with utmost respect, encouraging Muslim religiosity without forcing it upon any one. Moreover, they are also teaching education courses in “critical thinking” which is a way for them to enable their teachers-in-training to cope more reasonably with the modern world in which they live, albeit, in a traditionally conservative community.

Furthermore, we learned that the Al Qasemi Academy seeks to become the first Israeli Arab university in the state of Israel. Based on their excellent beginnings and their serious educational and organizational strategic planning, it seems to me that this dream could certainly become a reality in the not too distant future.  They have the will, the drive, the knowledge and the commitment to make this happen.

All of the visiting rabbis came away with a positive impression of the efforts of this very special institution of higher education in Israel in training members of the Arab community in Israel towards improving the future of education in their schools and communities.  Most of them had no idea that such an institution exists in Israeli society.

For more about the Al Qasemi Academy, see their website at http://www.qsm.ac.il/

AN AMAZING ART GALLERY IN AN ISRAELI ARAB TOWN

On July 8^th, I took a group of students from abroad to visit an amazing art gallery in an Israeli Arab town, which is famous—or infamous—for its “Islamic extremism” in this country. The town of Umm el-Fahem which is the largest Israeli Arab Muslim  town in Israel, is situated in the Vadi Ara section of Israel, an area that saw a lot of rioting in October 2000, at the beginning of the second intifada. It is known in the Israeli media as the home of Shiekh Ra’ed Sallah, the leader of the northern wing of the Islamic Movement in Israel, who just began another jail sentence (for 5 months) for attacking an Israeli policeman, and who was in the flotilla which tried to break the Israeli blockage of Gaza a few months ago.

Very few Jews go to Umm el-Fahem. It is perceived to be a hotbed of anti-Israel sentiment and of potential violence.  Yet, I had absolutely no problem in bringing a group of Jewish and Christian students from abroad who were studying with me in a course on COEXISTENCE this summer at the Rothberg International School of the Hebrew University, to see first-hand this unique and impressive gallery in this quiet and peaceful town.

We were warmly welcomed there by Lilli Stern, who works in Resource Development and is an eloquent spokesperson in the wonderful art gallery called  The Umm el-Fahem Art Gallery (www.ummelfahemgallery.org ), founded by Said Abu Shakra, with the blessings of the municipality of Umm el-Fahem and with support from Israel’s Ministry of Education.   The idea of this gallery is to create a space where people can meet and have a cultural exchange. It is also a home for Palestinian artists from Israel and the territories. They host 3-4 major exhibits a year, and the current exhibit by Abed Abdi (a Palestinian artist from Haifa) which is beautiful and inspiring, is accompanied by a beautiful catalogue in Hebrew, Arabic and English, which I purchased for our ICCI library.

In addition, much community work is done in this beautiful space. Children from villages in the area come and meet artists, and there are activities here for youth at risk and for women’s empowerment. In addition, they do some wonderful special projects, such as a ceramics symposium, which got a lot of attention from Jews and Arabs in the area.

The sponsors of the museum are now dreaming (and fundraising) to build a full museum of contemporary art in this city, which would represent the first art museum in an Arab village in Israel! As a first-time visitor to this oasis of coexistence in the middle of Israel, I can only say that I hope that they succeed in this ambitious project.

If you haven’t visited the gallery in Umm el-Fahem yet, I urge you to do so. You will be treated to a very special educational and cultural experience, as were my students this summer.

“Take my side, but don’t be one-sided”

This quote by Elias Chacour – the Archbishop Metropolitan of the Melkite Catholic Diocese of Akko, Haifa, Nazareth and all of Galilee – became the slogan of the seminar organized by Ophir Yarden – the director of ICCI’s Center for Interreligious Encounter with Israel – from June 5^thuntil June 16^th2010 for a group of M.A. students in International Relations from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas.

15 students led by two professors with mixed religious background were enabled by ICCI to experience Israel and Palestine from non-typical and challenging perspectives. This seminar was mainly politically based and presented the participants many narratives and opinions about the ongoing conflicts in the region. The program started with 2 tales of 1 city – Jaffa – and provided the group in the following days with other special experiences a visit to the “triangle” region, home hospitality with Palestinian families in Bethlehem or a presentation by a settler in Kefar Etzion. The students and their professors were very much interested in as many perspectives as possible and experienced many challenges for their own academic thinking about this case study.

The seminar also provided the participants with eye-openers. The accommodation in Bethlehem was such an experience for many students to break stereotypes about Palestinians.

One of the students told us: “I look forward to the time when I can stop talking and get my hands dirty and hopefully be part of the change and reconciliation process” and one professor assessed the importance of the seminar by telling Ophir Yarden: “I want to personally thank you for the incredible work in putting the program together. I have been doing study seminars with students for 25 years and this was one of the best. I am overwhelmed with what I have learned.”

Ophir Yarden summed it up by saying: “Perhaps there are three possible ways to experience Israel and Palestine. A tour shows you the sights of the region. A pilgrimage reinforces what one already knows, feels and believes. ICCI‘s seminar challenged what participants already know and invite them to consider new perspectives.” We feel that we achieved ICCI‘s goal in this seminar.

 

Hiba Aliyan of Face to Face

Jason Kaufman, a high school student from Westchester, NY, has been volunteering in the ICCI office for the past few weeks, meeting with and interviewing individuals involved in various aspects of ICCI’s work.  Here is his next interview, with Hiba Aliyan, an alumna of  Face to Face  currently working as a translator for the program.

I interviewed Hiba Aliyan, who has been involved with the ICCI since she was 15. She is now the program coordinator of ICCI’s youth programs (Face to Face) and is the interpreter for the current Face to Face group and camp in New York. She studies English and Spanish at the Hebrew University. She returned to Face to Face in 2006 as a leader in training, and then started working at the ICCI as an interpreter (between Arabic and Hebrew).

Hiba explained that her work at the Face to Face camp “never gets old,” as every year there is more or less the same conflict with entirely new students. She explained how it was interesting to see how each year’s students deal with the problems. Face to Face brings together students from Israel, South Africa, Northern Ireland, and the US. The aim of Face to Face is to bring students from regions with ethnic conflict. When I asked her how her work with Face to Face has changed her, she explained that it changed her the most as a child. She grew up in a primarily Jewish neighborhood but never had a Jewish friend. She said that she would talk to Jewish people on the street, but nothing serious. She explained how she went from knowing nothing to suddenly knowing a lot; from talking quickly on the street to sleeping in cabins together at camp. She found the initial impact to be the strongest.

Hiba referenced one anecdote that stands out in her memory. Before leaving on her first trip to the US when she was 15, she had become closest with the Jewish students on the trip. When she and her friends reached security in Ben Gurion airport, she had a much harder time getting through than her friends. Hiba revealed that she felt that she wanted to cry and was confused at what was happening. She was confused at why she, like her friends, possessed Israeli citizenship but was not allowed to cross with them.

CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE WOMEN FROM NEW YORK MEET WITH FACE TO FACE/FAITH TO FAITH GRADS FROM JERUSALEM

A visiting group of women from Central Synagogue, NYC led by Cantor Angela Buchdahl (who were in Israel for 8 days learning about Women and Minority Rights in Israel on a very special study tour organized by Da’at)), invited me to bring graduates of our Face to Face/Faith to Faith youth leadership program for discussion and dinner on Saturday night, April 24th, at the Olive and Fish restaurant in central Jerusalem. The purpose of the evening was to enable these women have a first-hand experience with Palestinian and Jewish young people who have undergone intensive dialogue and educational experiences through the Face to Face program, which is a partnership of ICCI and Auburn Theological Seminary in New York. This evening was initiated by two members of the group – Marianne Golieb and Emily Johnson – who are members of Central Synagogue and who have worked with Rev. Dr. Katharine Henderson, newly inaugurated president of Auburn and co-founder of the Face to Face program, with whom I have had the privilege of working closely during the past 8 years.

I brought 5 graduates of Face to Face to meet the 36 savvy and articulate women from New York. This led to an eye-opening event, with many of the Jewish women having their first opportunity to actually shmooz with a Palestinian person. The atmosphere was electric! There was real buzz in the room.

In the introductory session, before dinner, I asked each of the Face to Face grads to share with the group some of their experiences from their dialogue groups over the past few years. A young woman from Abu Ghosh, who was a 16-year-old teen when I first met her 3 years ago, is now a poised and self-confident 20 year old speaker. She was a participant in Face to Face in 2007 and a leader-in-training at the summer intensive in 2008, and will be studying philosophy and international law at Hebrew University next year. A Palestinian citizen of Israel, she told the group that the Face to Face program afforded her the opportunity to meet Palestinians from East Jerusalem for the first time in her life, which profoundly expanded her Palestinian identity. She also said that as a result of her participation in the international summer intensive in upstate New York, she has chosen the field of international law for her studies in order to be an activist professional in the field of coexistence education in Israel in the future.

Another Palestinian woman, who lives in East Jerusalem (and is not an Israeli citizen), also spoke about the international component of the program. In her experience at the summer intensive, she gained insight into other people’s conflicts which gave her the opportunity to put her own conflict in perspective. Meeting people from Northern Ireland and South Africa opened her heart and mind to the idea that long and difficult conflicts can and do actually end!

A third Palestinian, who lives in East Jerusalem and teaches Hebrew language to Palestinians in East Jerusalem, is a graduate of another ICCI college student program and served as a counselor at the Face to Face summer intensive in New York last summer (and will go again this summer). While relating his personal experiences in dialogue, particularly during last year’s Gaza War, he spoke about his motivation for remaining in the group, even during wartime. He saw himself as a representative of the Palestinian people and felt a personal imperative to share the Palestinian narrative with his Jewish friends.

In addition to the Palestinian students, two Jewish graduates of the program, both from Orthodox religious high schools, shared their experiences as well. The young man, a high school senior, talked about how hard it was to share his experiences with his friends when he went back to his school. Nevertheless, he persisted in sharing his positive experiences in genuine dialogue with Palestinians in Jerusalem and saw it as his personal obligation to lower the level of hatred on the part of his Jewish schoolmates. Another Jewish perspective was offered by a young woman, also a high school senior. She reported that it was impossible to bring any stories about her encounters in Face to Face to people in her religious high school because it simply would not be tolerated.

All of the perspectives shared by these remarkable young people gave the Jewish women from New York an insider’s view of the rewards and complexities of genuine interreligious dialogue in the exceedingly difficult environment of the ongoing conflict in Jerusalem.