There are 2 times a year when major Jewish and Christian holidays coincide. We are about to enter one of those periods. Jesus's Last Supper was the Passover seder so it is no coincidence that Passover and Easter fall within a few days of one another.
And where did the Last Supper occur? In Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is the holiest city for the Jewish people and is pretty high up there for the Christian community. At the time of the Last Supper and at the time over 3,000 years ago when Kind David proclaimed Jerusalem as the capital city of the Jews there was no East Jerusalem or West Jerusalem.
The common bond that Jews and Christians have for Jerusalem was manifested last week at the AIPAC policy conference where over 7500 delegates, Christians and Jews alike expressed their support and love for Israel.
Future construction in a part of North Jerusalem that is not inhabited by any Palestinians seems to be a distraction that is taking on much more than it should. There will be no displacement of people, no demolition of homes no disruption to life....Gaza has been returned, Israel left Lebanon long ago, the Sinal was returned, Israel still is subject to rocket attacks from Gaza and Lebanon, many roadblocks and checkpoints have been removed in the West Bank, families are now being permitted from both sides of the Seam Line to visit. Concessions? What else should Israel be doing? No Jewish construction in Jerusalem in areas that are out of the conflict zone? Israel gave up Sinai, Gaza, when real nogitiations took place. What makes anyone believe that In a real final peace solution Israel would not continue to make sacrifices for peace and security.
Which brings me back to Passover and Easter and Jerusalem.
At this time when Jews celebrate their freedom from slavery and Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ, one common thread is evident-the role that Jerusalem plays in the lives of both peoples.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Israel and the US
The past few days have seen a flurry of diplomatic missteps in the Israel-US relationship.But lets not get too caught up in this. The moral, political, historic and strategic bonds that unite these two countries will not be shattered by the unfortunate incident of last week.
Israel's interior minister was totally out of line to announce new construction in East Jerusalem while the US Vice President was visiting in what was in essence a trip to reassure Israel that the US remains an unshakable ally.
But we must also remember that in PM Netanyahu's pledge to halt new construction in the West Bank for a period of 10 months, he did not include East Jerusalem.
The American administration as was expected expressed its displeasure at the announcement.Benjamin Netanyahu apologized, and that should have been it. But subsequent statements emanating from both sides kept the controversy alive.
Unfortunately, the reaction of the American administration was seen as license for Palestinians to take to the streets in East Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank to violently protest Israel's decision. It seems that by now the US should understand that they way they react publicly will have a direct impact on how Palestinians react, and almost like clockwork, the US's criticism of Israel will spark violence on the part of some Palestinians.
Diplomacy is, I would hope, now taking place behind the scenes to de-escalate this issue, especially in light of the AIPAC conference next week, where both Israeli PM Netanyahu and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will be speaking.
Israel's interior minister was totally out of line to announce new construction in East Jerusalem while the US Vice President was visiting in what was in essence a trip to reassure Israel that the US remains an unshakable ally.
But we must also remember that in PM Netanyahu's pledge to halt new construction in the West Bank for a period of 10 months, he did not include East Jerusalem.
The American administration as was expected expressed its displeasure at the announcement.Benjamin Netanyahu apologized, and that should have been it. But subsequent statements emanating from both sides kept the controversy alive.
Unfortunately, the reaction of the American administration was seen as license for Palestinians to take to the streets in East Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank to violently protest Israel's decision. It seems that by now the US should understand that they way they react publicly will have a direct impact on how Palestinians react, and almost like clockwork, the US's criticism of Israel will spark violence on the part of some Palestinians.
Diplomacy is, I would hope, now taking place behind the scenes to de-escalate this issue, especially in light of the AIPAC conference next week, where both Israeli PM Netanyahu and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will be speaking.
Friday, March 5, 2010
A dear friend passes away
I was awakened early this morning with the news that a dear friend of mine-Elly Dlin-had passed away suddenly, the victim of a heart attack. I met Elly in 1968 when we were both campers at Camp Biluim, Canadian Young Judaea's leadership training camp in Huntsville Ontario.Elly was a larger than life personality . A "westerner" from Edmonton Alberta,Elly was gregarious and was the type of person loved by all. Large in physical stature, Elly could not be missed. But his stature was overshadowed by his fun loving and warm personality-the kind of person that everyone loves.
Elly was my tentmate at camp, my roommate when we spent the year together in Israel, my travelling partner in Western Canada, my host when visiting him in Israel,my colleague in the Jewish professional world, but most importantly a dear and beloved friend.
I always wondered how someone so fun loving and disinterested in the formalities of life, could be such a brilliant scholar and teacher. While living in Israel for over 20 years, he worked at Yad Vashem, Israel's National Holocaust Center. Among his many responsibilities there, he directed the Valley of the Lost Communities a 2.5 acre exhibition at the museum where he lectured, provided tours and developed curricula. When Esther and I took
our boys to Israel in 1994, it was Elly who got us front row seats for Israel's National Commemoration of the Shoah at Yad Vashem.
When Elly returned to North America to complete his Phd at the University of British Columbia, a wonderful opportunity became available-the directorship of the new Holocaust Museum in Dallas Texas. He had worked there, and not surprisingly developed a wonderful educational center, recognized for its excellence throughout Texas and the nation.
I saw Elly for the last time at my son Matt's wedding almost 2 years ago. He looked great, had lost a ton of weight, and was looking forward to the future in Dallas.
I will miss Elly, as will all that knew him. He is survived by his 4 sons, his dear mother Helen and his siblings Bonnie and Arnie.
Life is way too short, and the end comes too soon, for far too many, at too young an age.
Live it well....and live it like Elly-warm,friendly, caring, compassionate,fun loving. May he rest in peace!
Elly was my tentmate at camp, my roommate when we spent the year together in Israel, my travelling partner in Western Canada, my host when visiting him in Israel,my colleague in the Jewish professional world, but most importantly a dear and beloved friend.
I always wondered how someone so fun loving and disinterested in the formalities of life, could be such a brilliant scholar and teacher. While living in Israel for over 20 years, he worked at Yad Vashem, Israel's National Holocaust Center. Among his many responsibilities there, he directed the Valley of the Lost Communities a 2.5 acre exhibition at the museum where he lectured, provided tours and developed curricula. When Esther and I took
our boys to Israel in 1994, it was Elly who got us front row seats for Israel's National Commemoration of the Shoah at Yad Vashem.
When Elly returned to North America to complete his Phd at the University of British Columbia, a wonderful opportunity became available-the directorship of the new Holocaust Museum in Dallas Texas. He had worked there, and not surprisingly developed a wonderful educational center, recognized for its excellence throughout Texas and the nation.
I saw Elly for the last time at my son Matt's wedding almost 2 years ago. He looked great, had lost a ton of weight, and was looking forward to the future in Dallas.
I will miss Elly, as will all that knew him. He is survived by his 4 sons, his dear mother Helen and his siblings Bonnie and Arnie.
Life is way too short, and the end comes too soon, for far too many, at too young an age.
Live it well....and live it like Elly-warm,friendly, caring, compassionate,fun loving. May he rest in peace!