Rejoice, Reflect, Renew

This year, Reform congregations in North America have a unique opportunity to deepen their connection to Israel and to rethink how Israel is expressed within our communities. In the spring of 2008/5768, we will mark 60 years of renewed Jewish sovereignty in Israel, and celebrate our Movement’s Zionist activity after 50 years of NFTY in Israel and the 30th anniversary of ARZA.

Join the Reform Movement as we:

• REJOICE on the sacred occasion of Israel’s 60th year of independence
• REFLECT on our loving, and at times complex, relationships with Israel
• RENEW our connections to Israel and the greater Jewish People

How is the Reform Movement celebrating? See the list of Events, Programs, and Publications between now and next summer.

THE HIGHLIGHT:
Movement-wide Israel at 60 Weekend - MAY 9-11, 2008
We have created exciting programming materials for all ages for study, reflection, and of course, celebration. Use them for the holiday weekend and beyond. A hard copy and the "Our Israel" DVD will be sent to participating congregations. Weekend Program Guide

These words are immediately recognized—they are the translation of Hatikvah, “The Hope,” the national anthem of the State of Israel. These words were written by Naftali Herz Imber, who was an English Jewish poet, originally from Bohemia (the melody was composed by Samuel Cohen, an immigrant from Moldavia, who based his composition on Bedrich Smetana’s "Moldau.").

These days, just a few weeks into a shaky cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, so many of us are worried about the future. The pervasive view is, “They hate us and always will.” There are questions about the conduct of the war against Hezbollah and what the lack of a clear victory portends. Can the people of Israel still depend on its vaunted armed forces to keep the country safe, especially when the other side has weapons more powerful than expected or imagined? What will Syria and Iran do? Will the nations of the world that brokered the cease-fire provide the necessary buffer between Israel and Hizbollah? And, what effect will this war have on Prime Minister Olmert’s vow to pull out of the West Bank and Gaza?

In short, are the words we sing about hope and peace meaningless? Do we have reason for hope? Is the proverbial cup half-empty or half-full?

While it is true that these are dark and gloomy days for Israel and her supporters, there may be reasons to be hopeful. A lesson to be learned for those living on both sides of the border is that, ultimately, peace is the only answer and that peace negotiations need to begin as soon as possible. Perhaps the Palestinians will look at the destruction Hezbollah brought to southern Lebanon and come to the conclusion that there is another way. And, perhaps the nations of the world have learned that terrorist groups like Hezbollah cannot continue to operate with impunity. Similar groups are certainly capable of doing to other countries what Hezbollah did to Lebanon. Hopefully, the lesson has been learned.

We can take hope from the way the Diaspora Jewish community came together to support our brothers and sisters in Israel. The money raised, the letters written, and the rallies held all attest to the love and concern that transcends all other issues when Israel is in crisis.

We can take hope from the incredible courage and resiliency shown by the people of northern Israel. The first-responders defied the danger of falling missiles to help those in need. The firefighters put out hundreds of forest fires. The shelters were opened and maintained. People may rant at their government after the fact (this is Israel, after all), but during this month-long crisis people did what they had to do to support each other.

We can take hope from the wonderful way the Progressive movement in Israel responded to this crisis. Refugees from the north were taken into homes and synagogues in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other cities and towns. Leo Baeck Education Center and Or Hadash Synagogue—to name just two of our institutions in the North--converted bomb shelters and parking garages into safe havens for children traumatized by falling missiles. Our rabbinic colleagues visited hospitals and entertained children and spent precious resources on supplies to make people comfortable. Their stories will inspire us long after this war has concluded.

Of course there is reason to worry. But there is also reason to hope that lessons have been learned and that good people will find a way to live together. Given the bad neighborhood in which Israelis live, relations between nations of the Middle East may always be tense, but it cannot be hat people want to live in a state of war forever. May it be that “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore (Isaiah 2:4).”

Rabbi Robert Orkand is the rabbi of Temple Israel of Westport, CT and ARZA Associate Treasurer

“Tears of fear, sorrow and longing for home drip down onto the cloth from my eyes. My glance moves over to the bed next to me and I watch my child sleeping soundly … (after a day filled with activity and playing in the pool) that would not have been possible except for you… In my name and in the name of my entire family, I thank you and wish you “yeshar ko’ach” – may you go from strength to strength. I have only barely expressed all of my feeling in the letter and for this I apologize. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! With prayers for better days.”

The donations of thousands of North American Reform Jews made it possible for the Israeli Progressive community to help this mother and countless others. During the war North American Reform Jews donated more than $650,000 to the 2006 Israel Emergency Fund. Today we are writing to tell you what has been done with these donations – and highlight the needs that the Israeli community will have in the coming months.

The Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (IMPJ) is working non-stop to care for and comfort northern refugees and Israeli soldiers. Immediately after the vicious, unprovoked attacks a month ago, the IMPJ opened the doors of its summer camp facilities, arranged home hospitality for almost 200 families and helped establish day camps and clubhouses in many Reform congregations for children from the north. Since the ceasefire, the IMPJ has been helping families return to their homes and rebuild their lives.

In Tel Aviv, Rabbi Ilana Nesher of Congregation Beit Daniel had a unique opportunity to celebrate during this war when she officiated at a collective wedding ceremony for ten displaced couples from the north. This joyous event took place against the beautiful backdrop of Tel Aviv University campus as the bombs continued to drop on the couples’ hometowns.

Groups organized by Kehilat YOZMA, located in the city of Modi’in in central Israel, delivered donations of food, toiletries and toys to families and children in bomb shelters in Safed, Akko, Naharia and Haifa.

In Southern Israel, Kibbutz Yahel opened its bed and breakfast to low-income Northerners seeking refuge from the shelling. Hundreds of people have been living on the Reform Kibbutz since July. Kibbutz Lotan also opened its conference facility to people in need. Before Yahel and Lotan opened their doors, these families had been confined to small bomb shelters in the north unable to find safety elsewhere.

The Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) found housing for hundreds of people with special needs from the north. Working in conjunction with welfare officials, IRAC became the main address for the rehabilitation branch of the Welfare Ministry in Northern Israel. Additionally, the Progressive Jewish community was organized to provide a Rabbinic Counseling and Social Worker Hotline for people working on the front lines or those with nowhere else to turn.

The Leo Baeck Center runs 12 different social service centers for more than 250 people daily throughout the city of Haifa. Even during the heaviest fighting, the Center’s satellite branches continued to provide services for the elderly, families and children. Early in the war, at the request of the Haifa Municipality, the Leo Baeck Education Center converted its parking garage/bomb shelter to an underground playground for children who were unable to play outdoors as a result of the shelling.

These are but a few of the outstanding programs being run in Israel by Reform Jewish institutions. Working with our partners at the IMPJ, the World Union for Progressive Judaism and ARZA, the Union for Reform Judaism has allocated donated funds to support these and other ongoing relief efforts in Israel. We offer our deepest thanks to the many donors who have made these efforts possible.

The relief efforts of the Reform Movement in Israel were felt throughout Israeli society. Thousands of people encountered Reform Judaism for the first time and were comforted by its presence. We are proud of the Israeli Reform Movement which has grown to the point where it is able to provide these services to the public-at-large. But it cannot do this without us. Our partners in Israel need our help. And they need to know that we stand with them.

On September 8-11 join with hundreds of Reform congregations in solidarity with Israel. Our Israel: A Reform Response is a Movement-wide response to the current crisis in Israel. ARZA will provide all materials necessary for your congregation to participate in this important solidarity weekend. For more information, click here.

Before us lays the challenge of recovery. Homes and lives need to be rebuilt. Working with the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, Reform congregations are developing programs to support, counsel and comfort those returning home. Your continued support of the Union for Reform Judaism Israel Emergency Fund helps to support efforts to rebuild and recover from the recent fighting. Thank you for helping so many in Israel through your generosity.

'I should have called it
Something you somehow haven't to deserve.'
-Robert Frost, “The Death of the Hired Man”

When we first came to live in the Galilee sixteen years ago, and I was very much taken with the physical beauty of the land here (as I still am), I became fascinated by the question of what causes us to develop an attachment to a particular landscape. Obviously, many places are beautiful, each in its own unique way – whether the majesty of the desert or the refreshing green of rolling meadows or the deep tranquility of the forest. The Galilee is beautiful, but not “objectively” more so than, say, the Alps, or Hawaii, or lots of other places in the world – including places I have lived at various times in my life. Why, then, did I so quickly develop a kind of visceral attachment to the view from Shorashim? And what is the meaning of this attachment to place? Is it a force for good, or a destructive component of human nature?

The Zionist revolution sought to restore the “days of old,” when Jews were rooted in the soil. It rejected our existence as homeless luftmenschen (“air people”) and idealized the earthy peasants of Russia – and later of Palestine; they were our role models. If 20th century Europe was organizing itself around the concept of ethnic homelands, then so should we – after all, we were carrying around the deed to our own homeland, a document far older and more authoritative than any modern declaration of statehood among the nations that arose out of the collapse of the Old Europe. There was something seductively simple about redefining our identity in ethnic national terms, in seeing Jewishness as parallel to Frenchness, or Hungarianness, or Germanness. No more halachic nit-picking, no more tortured identity conflicts. Land and language and culture would be integrated into a seamless identity. We would – all of us – pack up and leave our precarious, temporary perches, and return, finally, home.

Hence the language of the Balfour Declaration in 1917: “His majesty’s government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.”

A hundred years have gone by, and for the vision of European nationalism it has been a rough century. And we too are left with troubling questions… Among them - just what is a “national home?”

Marc Rosenstein is the author of the Galilee Diary and is the foundation director of HaMakom, Reform Rabbi and former high school principal with a PhD in Modern Jewish History, extensive experience in teacher in-service training, as well as in informal education.

This entry was originally published as a 10 Minutes of Torah commentary. To learn more about the 10 Minutes of Torah series, please visit www.urj.org/torah/ten.

I can't get over having to spend your summer cooped up in a bomb shelter. The funny thing to me is that Israel is such a close family that soldiers are caring for the kids in that parking garage. I've missed that since I came home, that sense that everyone around is part of the same family pulling for the same team. That is not to say Israel isn't fragmented and political just like any where else they are, more so because politics is so tied to religion, but when it comes right down to it Israelis take care of their own. Really that is why I am not so worried about my Carmel friends who are still in Israel because I know that they will be taken care of.

For those of you considering travel to Israel on a URJ program I can say only two things first they are the most overprotective group of organizers you can find so don't worry about your safety too much, they'll take care of you. Second no matter what you will have the time of your life I know I did.

Mara Goldberg was Carmel participant 2004-2005

Dear Matt and Adrian,

Thank you for your passion and your commitment to the State of Israel. We appreciate your desire to give voice to your beliefs and to participate in determining the direction of the Reform movement. Obviously, our KESHER and NFTY programs have encouraged you to ask hard questions and to be concerned with justice in our world.

The loss of innocent lives is terrible beyond words. As I said in a speech on August 1, “let us not think for a moment…that we can be indifferent to the death of innocents. The death of any child, Israeli or Arab, Muslim or Jew, is an unspeakable tragedy that rends the heart.” It is not possible, however, to equate the unprovoked attacks by Hezbollah and Hamas with the actions of the Israeli Defense Forces. The IDF, as has been well publicized, warned the citizens of Lebanon of impending attacks and did everything in its power to avoid the loss of civilian life. Hezbollah, in contrast, operates from civilian areas and uses Lebanese civilians as shields while firing missiles at Israel’s cities. It does this knowing that in order to protect its own citizens, Israel will be forced to endanger the lives of Lebanese civilians, and the result will inevitably be to increase civilian deaths, no matter how precise Israel’s weaponry. And these deaths in turn will be used to ratchet up the violence and hate.

No side is completely blameless in a war, but I am confident that the government of Israel has taken all reasonable precautions to avoid civilian casualties. I am confident too that when we review all aspects of this conflict, justice clearly resides with Israel.

We all are grateful for the recent ceasefire. We hope and pray that the ceasefire will hold and the killing will stop.

Thank you again for sharing your views with me.

Rabbi Eric Yoffie
President
Union for Reform Judaism

We are a group of students, led by members of the KESHER-ARZA Fellowship and other campus leaders, who are distraught by the recent letter sent out by our peers surrounding the issues in Israel. While we agree with many of the issues that they have presented, we disagree with their call for an unconditional bilateral cease-fire and equivalency made between the Israeli Defense Forces and Hizbollah.

We would like to applaud the Union for Reform Judaism, its leaders and affiliates, for its support of the State of Israel during this time. We would like to urge the URJ to keep its trust in the Israeli government as it decides the best path for Israeli security. The decision to refrain from military escalation while attempting diplomacy shows their willingness and eagerness to achieve peace. They have also expressed a willingness to support an international force in Lebanon.

Diplomacy and negotiations are one of many darchai shalom, paths of peace. However, an unconditional bilateral cease-fire at this time is not a true derech shalom. When Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, Hizbollah claimed victory. In the last six years they have continued to be rearmed by Iran and Syria, in preparation for this war. We cannot let this happen again. A true stand for peace and justice would not place Israeli citizens, both Jewish and Arab, at risk to more attacks by Hizbollah. The world must call for Syria and Iran to end their wanton aggression towards Israel through their supply of weapons and training for Hizbollah. A lasting peace cannot be achieved until militant groups in Lebanon, specifically Hizbollah, are disarmed as the UN has already resolved. The true stand for peace is to call the world to support the government of Lebanon to protect its citizens from the violence initiated by a group of terrorists.

We would also like to urge the URJ to continue supporting the Israeli government and non-governmental organizations that are helping Israelis who are being hurt, emotionally and physically, by this lechima. Kol Yisrael arevim zeh l’zeh; we need to support ourselves and our movement first and foremost, until we as a people are no longer in need.

Lastly, we urge the URJ to not forget the three kidnapped Israeli soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev, and Gilad Shalit, and to do all in its power to have the soldiers freed by Hizbollah and Hamas and returned to Israel.

We thank the Union again for its continual support of Israel and her people during this difficult and unnecessary war. We also continue to urge the URJ to continue to support the actions of the Israeli government and not to put Israeli into a position that could prove detrimental to her security and the safety and wellbeing of her citizens. We hope that Israel and her neighbors soon realize peace and the casualties will cease on both sides. V’natata shalom ba’aretz v’simchat olam l’yoshveiha.

L’shalom,

Members of the ARZA-KESHER Fellowship including:

Suzy Goldenkranz, Washington University in St. Louis

Jesse Paikin, York University

Brett Willner, University of Minnesota

Steven Buchalter, University of Western Ontario

Elayna Frames, University of Toronto

Elizabeth Camuti, Indiana University

Rachel Schonwald, Indiana University

Alexa Broida, University of California, Los Angeles

Rachel Lowdermilk, Barnard College

Matthew Reber, Montclair State University

Sari Bourne, Stanford University

We, the college and youth leaders of the Reform Movement, urge the Union for Reform Judaism to take a stand for the Jewish values of peace and justice by declaring its support for a sustained bilateral ceasefire and peace negotiations in the Middle East.

As the future leaders of the Reform Movement, we heed the call of Rabbi Hillel to “be from the students of Aaron, love peace and pursue peace.” As we see events unfold around us, we look to fulfill our religious obligation by speaking out on the moral issues of our day. As Jews, we declare our commitment to protect our historic homeland, Israel, and to ensure the safety and well-being of its inhabitants. As Jews, we also believe that upholding the sanctity of all human life is of the utmost importance.

In a month of war in Lebanon, over 700 civilians, both Lebanese and Israeli, were killed. During the same period of time, while the world was focused on Lebanon, over 150 Palestinian civilians were killed in the Gaza Strip as well.

We applaud the Union for condemning Hezbollah’s and Hamas’s violent and terrifying rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, who have been put in grave danger by the ongoing conflict. We support the Union’s denunciation of these groups’ destructive behavior, which has harmed the lives of thousands of innocent Israelis and Arabs. We express solidarity with our Israeli brothers and sisters, who are bravely coping with the mental and physical hardships of war. We support and appreciate the Union’s ongoing efforts to ease the trauma of Israelis in this difficult time, as well as provide for their safety, security, and well-being.

We urge the Union to likewise condemn the Israeli Defense Force’s killing of unarmed Lebanese and Palestinian civilians, as well as its premeditated targeting of civilian infrastructure, which has put additional lives at risk and hampered relief efforts. As we recall, in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, God agrees to spare the cities if Abraham can find even ten innocent civilians. In light of this, we implore the Union to make clear that these actions violate our religious values, and are morally unacceptable responses to Hezbollah’s and Hamas’s provocations. Furthermore, we ask the Union to support humanitarian aid efforts underway in Lebanon and Gaza, in the same spirit of chesed which has guided its support for relief work in Israel

We are proud to be part of the Union, a movement that has declared its support for the principle of peace negotiations. As indicated by the resolution “Support of the Peace Process,” the Union called on “the United States Government to continue to lend its good offices to the ongoing negotiations for peace” (General Assembly - November 30 - December 3, 1995 Atlanta). The precedent for the Union to advocate for diplomacy in the name of peace has already been set.

We therefore call upon the Union for Reform Judaism to declare its support for a continued bilateral ceasefire and renewed peace negotiations in the Middle East. Only dialogue, diplomacy, and mutual understanding will bring a lasting peace and guarantee the security of all peoples. We recognize that there are a variety of opinions within the movement on the current conflict. As is appropriate for our Reform tradition, we embrace a diversity of viewpoints. Unfortunately, we feel that our voice has been excluded from Union statements and materials, and we ask for inclusion. We look forward to beginning a healthy and meaningful dialogue in the name of peace, here and everywhere.

B’shalom,

College – Kesher

Matt Adler, Kesher Liaison, Washington University in St. Louis, Temple Beth Ami, Rockville, MD
Adrian Shanker, Kesher Liaison, Muhlenburg College, Temple Shaaray Tefila, Bedford Corners, NY
C. Lauren Arnold, Kesher Liaison, NYU, Temple Israel, Memphis, TN
Sarah Baracks, Kesher Social Action Vice President, American University, Temple Isaiah, Stony Brook, NY
Julia Baskin, Kesher songleader, Washington University in St. Louis
Shaun Bernstein, Kesher member, York University
Isaac Binkovitz, Kesher member, McGill University, Temple Beth Shalom, New Albany, OH
Nick Burka, Kesher songleader, University of Maryland, Temple Beth Ami, Rockville, MD
Alex Bookbinder, NFTY member, Temple Har Zion, Markham, Canada
Matt Carrick, Kesher member, University of Pittsburgh
Rebecca Dautoff, Kesher member, Wellesley College, Temple Beth Am, Seattle, WA
Abby Dobbs, Kesher member, Northeastern University, Temple Beth Ami, Rockville, MD
Meredith Dobbs, Kesher member, Tufts University, Temple Beth Ami, Rockville, MD
Nate Dumtschin, Kesher Liaison, University of Cincinnati, Vice President AEPI, Temple Beth Or, Dayton, OH
Emily Flaxman, Kesher member, Yale University
Chase Foster, AEPI President and Kesher Liaison, Purdue University, Wise Temple, Cincinnati, OH
Matthew Goldenberg, Kesher member, St. Olaf College
Ben Gorban, Kesher member, American University
Natanya Green, Kesher member and fmr. RCVice President NFTY Central-West Region, UC Davis, Congregation Bnai Israel, Sacramento, CA
Sara Gunning, Vice President Jewish Students Association, American University, Temple Beth Emet, Evanston, IL
Katie Helfand, York University, Narayever Synagogue, Toronto, Canada
Stephanie Helfman, Kesher member, York College of PA, Baltimore Hebrew Cong., Baltimore, MD
Neal Karlin, Kesher member, Towson University
Zachary Krensky, UNC-Greensboro, Temple Beth Ami, Rockville, MD
Rachel Levine, Kesher member, NYU, Temple Menorah, Redondo Beach, CA
Shayna Liberman, Kesher member, University of Michigan
Bridey Maidhof, Kesher songleader, University of Kansas
Phil McCauley, fmr. Northern Vice President NFTY Mid-Atlantic Region, University of Maryland, Temple Adas Shalom, Havre de Grace, MD
Ryan McDonald, Kesher member, Washington University in St. Louis
Gabriel Merlin, Kesher member, Washington University in St. Louis
Elizabeth Moorehouse-Stein, McGill University, Temple Emanu-El, Toronto, Canada
Marissa Patterson, Kesher Liason, Bryn Mawr College, Temple Israel Dayton, OH
Eric Reif, fmr. Membership Vice President NFTY-Mid-Atlantic Region, Washington University in St. Louis, Temple Rodef Shalom, Falls Church, VA
Emily Samuels, Kesher member, University of Michigan, Temple Beth Ami, Rockville, MD
Adam Schloss, Kesher member, Carnegie Mellon University, Temple Beth Ami, Rockville, MD
Dave Shapiro, Kesher member, Washington University in St. Louis, Congregation Beth Elohim, Brooklyn, NY
Anna Steinberg, Kesher Liaison, University of Buffalo, Temple Beth Zion, Buffalo, NY
Amy Tilles, Kesher member, Indiana University, Temple Beth Ami, Rockville, MD
Kyle Wassell, Kesher member, Drexel University, Temple Beth Ami, Rockville, MD
Alicia Wolman, Kesher member, West Virginia University
Kilby Yarbrough, fmr. Kesher Chapter Treasurer, Washington University in St. Louis, Beth Israel, Jackson, MS

High School – NFTY

Rachel Boochever, CBEYG Programming Vice President, Congregation Beth Emeth, Albany, NY
Caryn Cohen, BATY member, Temple Beth Ami, Rockville, MD
Rachel Eisen, BATY President, Temple Beth Ami, Rockville, MD
David Gross, Social Action Vice President Texas and Ohio Region, Temple Beth El, San Antonio, TX
Jeremy Sanders, CBEYG President, Congregation Beth Emeth, Albany, NY
Rebecca Wolchok, CBEYG Religious and Cultural Vice President, Temple Beth Emeth, Albany, NY
Dan Zarchy, Pace University, Temple Emanuel, New Hyde Park, NY

Rabbinic Ally

Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf, KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation, Chicago, IL

-Genesis 19:15-17, 26

The recent experience of living under Katyusha fire in the Galilee brings into sharp relief the eternal tension between attachment to home and the pull of other values such as life, family, and faith. Most of the residents of the Galilee, we are told, left home and for temporary quarters in the center and south; indeed, the government actively encouraged people to leave endangered communities, and provided some (minimal) help in doing so. There were tent cities, and people sleeping in schools, and many families who took in relatives, friends, or even complete strangers. The instinct to get out of harm’s way is obvious and healthy. On the other hand, a large minority stayed in their homes, even though they had to run to the shelter ten times a day (if they even had one), even though life in the community was half-paralyzed, even though the risk was real, palpable, and immediate. The scorched fields and bomb craters and smashed houses are clearly visible to even a casual visitor. One could say, paraphrasing God’s instructions to Lot: “Are you crazy or something? Get out of here!”

We have no one to stay with, and can’t afford a hotel, and aren’t prepared to subject ourselves to living in a mass shelter. We can’t afford it. It is easier on us and the kids psychologically to stay in our familiar surroundings and let that sense of at-home-ness help us cope with the trauma – better than the trauma of living like a refugee. This is my house, this is my place, and no terrorist is going to dislodge me. Zionism is about putting down roots in the soil, refusing to wander any more. What’s the big deal? There are dangers everywhere. What, really, is the probability of our being harmed? Anyway, when your number’s up, it’s up. Nothing will happen to me. God will provide.

And as I watched my coworkers and neighbors wrestling with the decision, it was hard not to be reminded of the dilemmas that must have been faced by…

Lot: “Oh no, my Lord…I cannot flee to the hills…” (Gen. 19:18); i.e., the prospect of the journey is too daunting – I cannot face it. Jews in 15 th century Spain: convert and stay - or flee, maybe forever. Jews in Germany in the 1930’s: this is our place; we have faith that its underlying values will prevail. Arabs in Israel in 1948: this is our land, this is our place, what will be will be. Settlers in Gaza in 2005 Residents of New Orleans in 2005 Sodom was a horrible place, a human and moral disaster before it became a geological one. But to Lot’s wife it was home, and I’m sure that when she looked back it was beautiful in her eyes.

Marc Rosenstein is the author of the Galilee Diary and is the foundation director of HaMakom, Reform Rabbi and former high school principal with a PhD in Modern Jewish History, extensive experience in teacher in-service training, as well as in informal education.

This entry was originally published as a 10 Minutes of Torah commentary. To learn more about the 10 Minutes of Torah series, please visit www.urj.org/torah/ten.

I would like to translate a letter from one of the Israelis staying with us.

Shalom,

My name is Norit Naftolovich, from Kibbutz Eilon, situated on the Lebanese border in the Western Galilee. From the first days of the war we stayed in our concrete homes. All around us were the booms of the IDF cannons and the Katyusha rockets, shaking our homes to the foundations. We hoped that the Katyushas would fall in open areas and not in the kibbutz. After a week, we decided to go to the bomb shelters.because the situation was worsening. At that point a number of families decided to evacuate to a safer place. We turned to the local welfare office, and in cooperation with the Southern Arava office we arrived at Kibbutz Yahel, not knowing what the future holds for us. To our pleasant surprise, we have been embraced by the wonderful people of Yahel. All of our needs are taken care of, from food to laundry, child care to showers in members homes. We number 30 from Eilon, and Yahel provided us with their library complex. Everything we asked for has been provided without hesitation. We feel a part of Yahel, and when the time comes to return home, that will be very difficult. But we miss our own homes, our beds, the familiar surroundings, and are looking forward to that moment. But wothout a doubt, we will never forget the extraordinary people of Yahel.

Sincerely,

Norit, Yonatan, Gal, Tal, Amit and Shachar

Ron Bernstein is the Pomelo Orchard Manager and Summer Desert Tour Guide at Kibbitz Yahel in the South of Israel

In the media they discussed who is the winner, Lebanon, Hizballa or Israel? I think that in this war everyone lost. More than 100 soldiers were killed already, half of them were reserve duty soldiers, ages 21-41 (I was a reserve duty soldier for 20 years, it could have been me but since I am 45, I am too old to be sent to fight). The other half were young men, ages 18-21, who just finished high school and didn’t even have a chance to go to college. More than 50 civilians were killed from all denominations, Jews, Christians, Moslems and Druze. Many hundreds are wounded and are still in the hospitals. I heard a mother whose child is wounded, saying that she is happy that her son doesn’t have to go back to Lebanon and fight.

On Shabbat two of the three Bar Mitzvah ceremonies were canceled and the Bar Mitzvah family who came did so without the grandparents (they were afraid to come and stayed in Rishon Letzion).

A few minutes before Kabalat Shabbat on Friday night, there were a couple of sirens but still there were a few dozen brave members who came to pray.

Just a few minutes ago I came back from the Shivah for the mother of Dr. Roxana Reichman. It is so unfair that she took such good care of her mother for two years, and as a consequence of the fear of sirens and the loud noise after bombs landed, she died from a heart attack. Dr. Tamara Luka was a sweet 84 year old Jewish woman. She was an M.D. who took great pride in her work all her life. She is another one of the victims of this cruel war.

Since we opened our shelter for children’s activities, 12 days ago, to everyone in our neighborhood, many mothers can now go to work.

Today 35 of these children were playing in our shelter, during the many sirens that bothered us this morning, once again. In this crazy reality there are U.N. resolutions on one hand, and bombs and sirens in our city on the other hand. The media reports that more than 3,700 katyushas and rockets landed in Israel, on average 130 katyushas each day.

Yesterday we were lucky, only 70 landed in Israel, it is probably because Israel decided to expand military efforts in Lebanon and destroyed part of the kayusha infrastructure. Our soldiers paid with their lives for us to have less bombs and sirens.

Rabbi Dr. Edgar Nof is the leader of Or Hadash in Haifa

Last Friday, Parashat Va-et'chanan, I volunteered to lead Friday night services in our congregation Sulam Yaakov together with another member of the congregation, Lior Doron, a mature, intelligent youth who is very committed to 0ur youth movement. I was very excited, it being the first time in my personal and professional life that I was asked to lead the services and I took it very seriously. In spite of my sizeable experience leading adults and children, this experience was very moving for me.

The service proceeded calmly and the only discordant sounds came from the differences between Lior’s bass voice and my high one and Itai, the charming young guitarist’s differing versions of the songs…

In our congregation after saying “Mi Sheberach” for the sick we continue with the Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel and the Prayer for the Welfare of our Soldiers. These past few weeks these last two prayers have taken on even more validity and meaning because of their relevance.

In the middle of the Prayer for the Welfare of the State, suddenly a terrifying cry rose up as if from the bowels of the earth which we immediately identified as an air raid siren. After a moment during which we all exchanged glances with one another, we pulled ourselves together and ran to the hallway and bathrooms because we don’t have a shelter in the building we rent for our synagogue. The scene that played itself out during the next 15 minutes was quite surrealistic and if I hadn’t been there I would have said it was a Zionist propaganda skit.

There we sat on the floor, members of the congregation from age 7 to the oldest, Simha who will be celebrating his 85 birthday soon. I sat opposite Simha, he on a chair and me on the floor. Simha, the gabbai of the congregation, is a dear man with an eternal smile in his eyes. On Holocaust Memorial day last year he told us his life’s story and described his journey of survival from the Nazis in WWII through ghettos and extermination camps and finally his entrance to Israel before the creation of the State. During those minutes sitting on the floor waiting for we knew not what, perhaps a rocket would fall in the neighborhood , or perhaps a worse attack further north, looking at Simha I could not help but think of the catastrophic, crazy history of this country during the past 6 decades of its existence.

At the same time my husband and children were at home because my son Yuval was not feeling well so they didn’t come to shul. I knew they were protected in our shelter but my heart was divided between my desire to stay with the congregation and the instinctive need of a mother to protect her children. After a few minutes of sitting, some even lying, on the floor, we all decided to continue the services in spite of the fact that we were crowded together in the small space between the hall and the bathrooms. And so we resumed the Prayer for the Welfare of the State from the exact place the siren had interrupted us. This time said with even greater devotion. 15 minutes passed, the allotted time we must take shelter after the alarm sounds and then we helped each other up and returned to the service. At the end, standing embracing each other in a circle we said a very powerful Kiddush.

I think, “God in heaven, for once in my life I take on the challenge to lead the prayers instead of the rabbi and this is how you test me?” The real test is the normal life we must continue to lead as a Jewish and Israeli society in the State of Israel, to always remember we were created in His image and to believe that the future will be more secure and more relaxed.

Makki Osheroff – Gerzon is a member of Sulam Yaakov & Director of Education Department of the IMPJ

Something remarkable happened this week in Jerusalem. In the midst of this difficult and painful war, hundreds gathered in the Forscheimer Courtyard at the College for the opening of the first ever Inter-faith gathering, as part of World Pride 2006, an affirmation of the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender (GLBT) Community. Under the full moon of Tu B'av (the 15th of Av) an impromptu student choir of cantorial and rabbinic students, led by upperclassman SSM Student David Berger, set the evening with a magnificent rendering of Psalm 122 and they continued to sing throughout the evening. What a heavenly choir they were, with them we could really soar to a place of transcendence we so needed to get to.

Dr Joel Kushner, Director of the Institute for Judaism and Sexual Orientation at our Los Angeles campus was here this week meet our students and be an active participant in the Interfaith Conference and other World Pride events. He was able to announce the opening of the Jeff Herman Virtual Resource Center to the general public, coinciding with World Pride 2006. This web-based center is a crucial and vital resource and for clergy and lay people in our ongoing work for inclusion and empowerment of the LGBT community.

This week we concluded our 4 week Thursday program dedicated to Jerusalem. Three remarkable teachers served as our students' guides and educators. Rabbi Moshe Silberschein , master teacher of Rabbinics at the College for many years, turns tour guide- educator in our summer program. Rabbi David Wilfond aka "Gingi" Director of Outreach Projects, working intensively with our program in the FSU (sponsored by the Charles and Lynn Schuterman Family Foundation) took some time to orient our students to his newly chosen beloved city of Jerusalem. He has now completed his second year as "Oleh Chadash", new immigrant. Ofir Yarden, professional tour guide and educator, born and bred Reform Jew, adds his expertise to this intense seminar. Week after week, our students studied texts, walked the paths up down, scouted rooftops, wandered through the gates, explored the underground layers and tunnels, peeling off historic layer after historic layer of this city. It ended overlooking the Old City, at the intersection of the three monotheistic faiths. From the highpoint it can look hopeful, even peaceful. On the ground, we know that the challenge is much tougher. And yet, we can put these events together this week and pray that the rainbow shining over Jerusalem, from our courtyard toward the church spires, Mosque domes, and synagogue walls, that rainbow will be remembered for generations to come.

Rabbi Naamah Kelman is the director of the Year-In-Israel Program and Educational Initiatives for HUC-JIR

As always in war, the medical staff here has been selflessly getting to work, doing our jobs, trying our best to save lives and limbs. As always in military confrontations, there are many heart wrenching cases of tragedies, which cannot be undone by even the most skilled and best equipped medical teams.

An orthopedic surgeon was killed by combatants while doing his military medical service, and a paramedic was killed in service yesterday. Physicians and medical staff of the North are dedicated and tireless in helping every kind of wounded people, of every faith and nationality and religion. Some of our medical staff are stressed by having families who have left their homes in the North for safer regions. The North of Israel has absorbed some 3000 missile strikes, and the damages have taken a heavy toll. Missiles have slammed into our hospitals and all around them.

I agree with my colleague from Lebanon that an immediate cease-fire would stop the flow of new tragedies from occurring. Here, many see a ceasefire as a gesture likely to allow the problem of unlawful militia strikes against our civilians to re-commence. Both long-term and short-term solutions are urgently needed. I would hope that our esteemed Lebanese and other medical colleagues, who are generally well respected in their communities, will all try to increase their level of social activism to get the Lebanese government to bring under responsible governmental control, and preferably to succeed in completely disarming, all unlawful militias, especially of the Hizballah. Socially responsible citizens and leaders on both sides of this conflict need to lead our peoples in ways of restraint, towards ways of maximal well being.

Maimonides, also know as the Rambam, and as Ibn-Musa, was a world-famous physician who died in 1204 near Cairo. The main hospital at which I work in Haifa is names for this physician/philosopher and role model. He taught lessons for people of all religions and all peoples. He spoke and wrote in several languages including Arabic and Hebrew. He urged all people to search for the Golden Mean, to train ourselves to tend away from anger, and to work tirelessly, as these are major goals of mankind, to improve the well-being of others.

May physicians world-wide strive tirelessly - in the spirit of the Rambam; may we to learn to lead with humanity, may we learn for ourselves and teach others in our lands to tend away from anger, and may we be successful bringers of healing.

Dr . Jesse Lechter is a member and past President of Or Hadash, Haifa, Israel. He is also a Physician at Rambam Hospital.