October 11, 2000
12 Tishrei 5761

TO:	Educators of UAHC Congregations
FROM:	Rabbi Jan Katzew, Ph.D, Director, Department of Jewish Education
	Rabbi Deborah Joselow, RJE, Director of Educational Planning
RE:	AN EDUCATIONAL RESPONSE TO THE ISRAEL CRISIS

For use in religious schools

Shalom, Shalom, v'ayn shalom! - Peace, Peace! There is no Peace! [Jer.6:15]

The Situation Now
War is not inevitable between Israel and the Palestinian people. We were naïve to think that peace was inevitable, that the 'peace train' had left the station. An agreement, like a treaty or a marriage, takes two parties. But a divorce takes only one. The State of Israel in general and Ehud Barak in particular are committed to the pursuit of peace, but without a partner, the pursuit is in vain. The partnership for peace is in jeopardy. What appeared just a few weeks ago to be a peaceful horizon now appears to be ominous. What can we learn? What can we teach?

Consider these suggestions.
1. On this eve of Sukkot, we do not have to be in a Sukka to realize the fragility of Jewish life, of human life. We pray that the Sukka, especially this Sukkot, will symbolize a sukkat shalom, a shelter of peace, in which we find safety from conflict. Some Jewish schools, most notably the Rashi School in Newton, MA, have built a sukkat shalom on site, a place for conflict resolution in the school. If you are visiting the Sukka in the afternoon, after school, it would appropriate to study and sing Hashkiveynu - which asks God the privilege to lie down in peace, in the shelter of peace. If you go on a Sukka-walk visiting Sukkot that members of the congregation have built, it would be appropriate to add a decoration, a depiction of shalom to make every sukka a sukkat shalom. If not now, when?

Resources: Howard Bogot's book "Shalom, Salaam, Peace", published by the CCAR Press, can be read in the Sukka and serve as an inspiration for making a sukkat shalom decoration. The song "Ode Yavo Shalom Aleinu" is a poignant, easy (musically) piece to learn.

2. Some American Jews have become increasingly indifferent about Israel. But when Israel shares the headlines with Yugoslavia, their interest is piqued. This episodic attachment to Israel is reminiscent of the episodic Judaism we practice when we are Jewishly conscious only on certain days or in certain places. Those who rush to Israel's side only when she is under attack, even rhetorically, are suspect. How can we nurture attachment to Israel in between the crises? It may be an opportunity to have a mivzak, a newsflash every week, a 2-3 minute story about Israel. We all need some perspective and the discipline required to keep Israel in our minds and hearts every week, not just this week.

Resource: www.virtualjerusalem.com. Assign a student and teacher to bring in an article or listen to a newscast and report on an aspect of Israel every week.

3. There is a significant Israeli-Arab population, i.e., the million Arabs who live in Israel and constitute nearly 20% of the population. In general, this sector has either been silent, or supportive of Israel. Now, after skirmishes this week, there is a serious internal threat to peace, not beyond the 'green line', but within it. It is important to differentiate between Arabs, and not paint them with one brush, just as it is important to recognize the diversity of the Jewish people. This story has not typically been the subject of world media attention, just as the internal political landscape of Israel has been under the media radar. However, as teachers in Jewish schools, we have a responsibility to do more than purvey the major media information. Here is an opportunity to teach about the Arab population of Israel, including their representation in the Knesset, as a powerful symbol of democracy. Jews do not have comparable positions in the Arab world. We can be proud as Jews that the State of Israel has struggled to create a shelter for Arabs within. It is far from perfect, but it is remarkable under the circumstances. One measure of a people, perhaps the litmus test for any purported democracy, is its treatment of minorities. How are we doing in this regard as Americans and as Jews?

Resources: The Yehuda Amichai poems "An Arab Searching for his Goat" and an excerpt [#18] from "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Why Jerusalem" yield great insight into this complex issue. They may be read for understanding not only the poem itself, but as a lens through which to see Jerusalem in its present state

Resources: The UAHC Press book The Secret Grove is the relationship of a Jordanian and an Israeli child.

5. Finally, for most of our students, the notion of an imperiled State of Israel is ancient history. They have no memory of the Intifada, the War in Lebanon, the Yom Kippur War, the War of Attrition, or the 6-Day War, to say nothing of the War of in 1956 or the War of Independence. Jews ought never take Israel for granted. We need to put the moment in historical context, not to instill a perpetual state of fear or euphoria, but to give the next generation of our people a perspective on Jerusalem as a dream not yet realized, but whose potential is inseparable from Jewish life wherever it is lived.

Resources: Psalms 122 and 126 can be brief and meaningful ritual readings. They remind us that Jerusalem is not only a topographical high point, but ultimately a source of aspiration and inspiration. How can we recapture the spiritual high ground? Read the Psalms line by line, if possible in Hebrew and English, to mine the words for depth of meaning.

B'virkat Shalom