January 17th: Life Changing Requires "Change"

Over the past several weeks, Israel has welcomed hundreds, even thousands of young visitors. Birthright participants from all across North America have flooded the holy sites and attractions of the Holy Land, hoping to give young adults just a small snapshot of the beauty that this country has to offer.

In my news feed, I have seen many friends return from their journeys and take to social media to proclaim the amazing time that has been had. It is always a lovely thing to see someone catch the contagious love for Israel that so many Jews know, and to be moved to a more profound connection to not only the land, but also the Jewish people.

Just one of the beautiful sights to see in Tel Aviv.

I have to say, though, that there is one phrase that continuously makes me cringe. I see it over and over, especially in reference to Birthright, and I think it is an incredibly beautiful idea, but only if we actually believe it. I am constantly seeing people use the term “life-changing.” “My 10 days in Israel were life-changing.” “This group of people changed my life.” “I am changed by this experience.”

I absolutely believe that a life can be changed in 10 days. In fact, I hope that Birthright does change lives. But far too many people are saying those words, only to return home and fall right back into who they were before they left.

I went on Birthright in 2014. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to see the country that so many call home and that is such an important part of my Jewish identity. It was my second visit to Israel, but, for most in my group, it was a first experience. By the time we finished, many were saying that they had had a life-changing experience, and that the way they connect with their Judaism was going to be different when they got home.

Well, the next week, at Hillel, I saw many of those fresh faces show up for services, welcomed with open arms to enjoy the warmth of Shabbat as a community. Within a few weeks, though, they were almost entirely gone. What had started as a profoundly moving religious and cultural experience turned into a stamp on the passport and a memory, readily available if one wanted to take it down and look at it.

We say that Birthright changed our lives, but what that means is that our lives actually have to change. We have to change the way we think about Israel, the way we advocate for Israel. We have to adapt our religious experiences, our practices, our rituals and our customs. We have to be willing to let the impact of Israel endure beyond the ten days, beyond the two weeks, beyond the memory of the visit to the physical sites of our homeland.

That isn’t meant to say anyone’s experience in Israel is invalid, or that returning home to the lifestyles we are familiar with is wrong. But if we want to allow Birthright and similar trips to Israel to actually be as life-changing as we say they are, we have to be willing to let them into the way we live, and to allow them to actually leave a ripple that endures beyond the trip.

So play with the traditions and cultures you learned while you were in Israel. Try observing Shabbat in a more intentional way. Go to a cultural event at your local Jewish community center. Eat differently, pray differently, advocate differently. Israel is a life-changing place, but only so long as we allow our lives to actually be changed by the things we experience.

January 10th: Proving American Greatness

This political season has been fascinating, more so because I have been spending mine out of the country. This year more than any in my voting lifetime (admittedly short voting lifetime), the country is facing a fundamental decision as to what sort of country we want to be, and how the future of America should look.

Living abroad for much of this year, it has been fascinating to see how the landscape has been shaped. While my Facebook newsfeed tells a story of a dominant Bernie Sanders sweeping across the nation, the polls still see Hillary as a frontrunner. We have 13 Republican candidates running, and yet we only seem to be able to talk about two at a time, and one of them has to be Donald Trump. Trump is causing a cataclysmic backlash from most of the country, or so it seems, leaving many to scratch their heads at how this loud-mouthed bigot ever got his name on a ballot in the first place.

Sitting in my apartment in Jerusalem, I found myself asking the question: how did we get here? How did we, as a country, become so divided, so polarized? How did we turn our elections process into a grudge match, in many cases begging politicians to offend and create news, rather than actually forcing them to tell us how they will make the country better?

As I returned home for a two week winter break, I discovered something discomforting: I don’t know the answer to these questions, but those in America don’t either. From only 13 days in the country, I could feel a profound sense of bewilderment across the nation, nobody quite sure how we got ourselves into the situation in which we find ourselves, and even less sure of what we can do to get ourselves out.

The greatest obstacle to a well-functioning political system is confusion. When we, as American voters, don’t know which direction to turn, we often will find ourselves following the voices that play off of our fears and doubts, rather than the ones who can lead us in the truest direction. Fear is, after all, what has gotten us into this situation in the first place. We are afraid for the safety, security, and success of the future of this country, and we want to make sure that our elected official is going to be able to do what it takes to fix it.

As the primaries inch closer, it’s time to turn our backs on the fear and turn off the voices that try to inspire us with false senses of security. We have to stop talking about how, if the election doesn’t go our way, we are moving to Canada. We have to stop looking for reasons to hate one another, and to start looking for places where we can actually govern, and look for the candidates who will be able to do just that. We have to stop allowing politicians to run on platforms that are not only bigoted and wrong, but also unconstitutional and, in some cases, illegal.

We keep sitting around waiting for the Donald Trump situation to go away, but it looks like the sad reality is that we are going to have to take him seriously. If we, not only as Democrats and Republicans, but as Americans want a government that will speak for our values and continue to prove to be worthy of the greatness of our country, then we need to work hard to encourage educated voting and allow easy access to information about what the future of our nation might look like.

Even from abroad, I feel a profound sense of love for my home. At a certain point, Americans need to stand up collectively and take ownership of the elections process, and to demand candidates who will not fear monger or spread hate, but will give true and valuable ways in which they hope to bring about peace and success for all Americans.

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November 21st: Strangers In A Foreign Land

In the wake of the terrorist attack in Paris last week, the issue of Syrian refugees has hit a critical boiling point. Many are worried that an influx of immigrants leaves a country open to threats, and that it is possible for dangerous people to enter posing as refugees fleeing persecution.

As many as 25 state governors have announced that they have shut their state’s borders and will not allow any immigration for those seeking asylum. And, just as much as they have closed their borders, they have closed their minds.

How arrogant can this nation get? How self-centered and cruel can we be to push those away that need help? We claim to hate ISIS and claim to be victims, and yet we are ignoring those who are fleeing their homes because of the civil war being inspired by Islamic extremists in their own country. We claim to believe in the American dream, and yet we only believe that if you were born here (and being white wouldn’t hurt your case.) So many claim to be embodying good Christian values, yet we are ignoring the vitally significant line: “You were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

Of course we cannot open ourselves up to attacks from inside our own borders. We have to be thoughtful and organized about how we bring these people in. Yet, we can’t be so lazy as to say that, because that task is hard and time consuming, we might as well not do it at all. We have a moral obligation to open our arms and take in those who need our help. It is hard work to be able to enter America legally. Why would we make it impossible if we are already taking care of our concerns?

Even more glaringly, we are in a precarious position politically. We are shouting at one another about building a giant wall to stop illegal Mexican immigration. As a country, there are so many who are furious with the immense number of people in the country illegally. Now that we have a people begging to be let in according to the rules, we’re going to pitch a fit about that too? And many of them will almost certainly try to come legally or otherwise; why allow a problem to create itself through illegal immigration when we could save ourselves the trouble and control how and who gets in?

This country was built on a foundation of exiles. Did we think that the people coming to America from Britain were coming here on vacation? More than that, though, is that, as a world superpower, we have an obligation to use our influence to make the world a safer place. To refuse refugees of Syria’s civil war would be to refuse the moral obligation that comes with being the world’s strongest voice, if we do in fact wish to be the dominant world power.

In the wake of September 11th, the world mourned with the American people. So many offered support, both physically and emotionally, and stood by us in the face of great despair. Now, we have an opportunity to lend support to those who are suffering in today’s world. And while France is one example, the people of Syria who are fleeing their own persecution are just as much an opportunity to provide support.

I have never been more ashamed of the leaders of my country than I am now that the governors of so many states are allowing fear to rule. They are allowing their morality to be put aside because it is easy to just ignore the problem. Americans have never been scared of a fight. Now isn’t the time to start.

October 17th: Fly The W

My alarm goes off at 7:30 AM, signaling the end of my second night in a row with fewer than four hours of sleep. The night before, the Cubs and Cardinals clashed in a first-round playoff game. I wasn’t going to miss a single pitch, even from the other side of the globe.

It has been seven seasons since the Cubs last made the playoffs, and that one didn’t have nearly the energy and engagement that this one has. For the first time in recent memory, the Cubs are exciting and actually good. All summer long, fans and sportswriters have been buzzing with the idea that, after years of suffering, Chicago fans are finally going to have something to cheer about during the month of October.

Of course, this comes when I am out of the country for a year. My city is bonding together in support of the team I love, and I am missing it.

I am an incredibly proud Chicagoan. Chicago is my home, the source of my sports fandom, my cultural identity, and so much more. Yet, over the last five years, I’ve spent almost 75% of my time away from my hometown, from sumers at camp to years at school. That is what makes my relationship with the Cubs so much more than just a baseball fan watching some games. I am a resident in exile, longing for home in any way that I can.

So I stay up to watch. At three in the morning, my room feels like the only light in Jerusalem, my silent cheers sprinting their way across the globe to spur on my boys in blue. I live-tweet my way through the games, joining the fan bases as they attempt to get in on the action in any way possible. I haven’t left the house without my Cubs hat on since the playoffs began, and my sports superstitions are reaching a point of borderline lunacy. Thanks to technology, I’ve been able to stay tuned in much better than I could have years ago. I watch the games on my computer live, with only a moment or two of delay. I’m right there for every pitch, watching with all of those fans in America and abroad.

Better yet, I know I’m not the only believer living in the Cubs-Diaspora. Walking down the streets in Jerusalem, I have been high-fived and cheered on several occasions, fans far away from home sharing in the glory of a late autumn “Go Cubs Go!”

I know that, as my life goes on in the direction it’s going, I will spend much of my time away from the city I call home. No matter where I live, though, I’ll alway have my Cubs to celebrate, to struggle with, and to give me that little piece of where I belong. This season, the Cubs have been my tether, and I am going to be glued to the screen for every pitch. Let’s fly the W.

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October 6th: The Day Joy Turns to Rage

Some days, peace in the Middle East seems like a fantasy. We tell ourselves it’s possible, hope for it, pray for it, and yet we look around and don’t see anything that resembles coexistence in harmony.

Living in Israel for a year, I was excited to learn more about the complications of this region, and to learn more about what kinds of peace are possible. Unfortunately, I’m learning more and more about how easy it is for animosity and hatred to fester, and how hard it is to have anything that resembles lasting calm within the walls of the city.

This week, Jewish Israelis continued to enjoy the season of celebration that is this time of year. As Sukkot was wrapping up and preparations for Simchat Torah were coming to an end, horror struck. Two separate stabbings occurred in or near the Old City of Jerusalem, leaving two dead. In both cases, Israelis were killed at the hands of Palestinian extremists, adding to a mountain of tension that has come boiling up in recent weeks, seemingly culminating at a time that is supposed to be reserved for joy and celebration.

To make matters worse, a few days ago, a Jewish couple was killed in front of their four young children by Palestinians. A few hours after the incident, Hamas spokesman Husam Badran tweeted “Congratulations heroic operation carried out by elements in the West Bank, killing two settlers and wounding others…” The anger burns inside me as I read this. A man and woman were murdered in front of their own children, and leaders are praising the action? That is the lowest form of humanity. The fact that Palestinians choose to allow Hamas to represent them in any way is indicative of the willingness to find peace.

I know that Israel is not blameless. I know that there are injustices and oppression going on all over the country, and that hatred is flowing in overwhelming quantities in both directions. But we can’t keep track of the score anymore. We can’t keep trying to figure out who started it, who’s turn it is to be angry, who is the one responsible for breaking the stalemate. Peace is only possible if two different parties are willing to come together and invest just a little bit of trust in one another in the hopes of bringing one another toward a better future together. That trust simply doesn’t exist right now, as much as we may want it to, and any hopes for peace in the future is contingent not on one side but BOTH sides being willing to come to the table.

The saddest part of all this is that the Jews and Palestinians are both faith-based communities. These are people who identify so strongly with their beliefs, who have foundations in God and scripture, who create communities and cultures based on a love and respect for what is in someone’s heart. How can we live in a world where faith brings some together but drives us to hate others? How can our faith be genuine when we use it as an excuse for why we persecute, the way we justify killing one another?

I live in Jerusalem. I learn about my people and my faith in Jerusalem only a few miles away from the Old City. I can feel the tension going on around me, and can see the way the entire city walks around with heavy hearts and heavy minds. How can we allow this to continue? How can we have such little faith in one another, and continuously allow the country we all work so hard to create be consumed by it’s own hatred?

I don’t have answers to these questions. I don’t know what the future holds for these two peoples, struggling so hard to share this space. All I know is that what currently exists is not acceptable. I know that something has to change. I continue to search for the day that we find a way to change it without continuing to kill one another.

If you enjoy the work of the Zoot Perspective, please visit my GoFundMe page, to help support me on my journey. Thank you very much.

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August 26th: Grossly Overly Politicized

Watching the 2016 Presidential race heat up from outside of the country has been a fascinating cultural experience. As a general rule, the information is mostly volunteer access, meaning that I have to go find the information, rather than the more standard American access, which is less of a choice and more of an overwhelming avalanche. That being said, it puts the burden on the consumer of the information to look for a balance of opinions and to see a variety of perspectives.

Take, for example, the recent GOP debate that took place in Cleveland earlier this month. I was unable to watch the debate first-hand live; it was taking place at 3 AM local time. Waking up the next morning, every news source and social medium had an influx of information, not only breaking down the content of each candidate’s platform, but also dissecting every detail of HOW that information was presented.

I started on social media (my favorite and most biased outlet), which primarily consisted of reactions from non-professionals. These were everyday Americans, the voters, commenting and critiquing the candidates that they would one day see on a ballot. The opinions generally skewed to the left, as most of my digital community share my liberal ideals.

Next, I moved to my news outlets of choice. Primarily, I like the coverage of USA Today, because it is one of the few newspapers in the country that has done the best work to transition into digital and online formats, making it easy to access traditional journalism styles in a modern format. I explored what the journalistic community had to share about the event. Again, USA Today tends to sit on the left side of the aisle, and even more so CNN. Much of what I found on these pages were breakdowns of the ways that candidates presented themselves, the politicking between individuals on the podium, and collections of soundbites that had Republicans digging at each other and looking to crack holes in their opponents.

So far, I had found almost no actual issue-based coverage so I gritted my teeth and headed to Fox News. I generally don’t enjoy Fox’s coverage, as they are way too far to the right for me, and their bias is far too easily identified, but in this case, when looking at a GOP debate that was, in fact, hosted by Fox, I was intrigued to see how they would cover it. Better than any other news source, there were details about what exactly each candidate stood for, and how well they got that point across.

After almost 2 hours of research, I felt like I had a decent understanding of what happened and where each candidate stood on various issues. Considering how easy it is to find SOME information, I was very surprised to learn how hard I had to work to find ALL of the information.

It is easy to blame my absence from the country for the difficulty. In reality, though, it is just as hard in America to see through all of the biases and angles to get to the real issue: the issues. We can find easy information about the feud between Donald Trump and Rosie O’Donnell (ok, his feud with women in general), but what will he actually do to create greater stability in the Middle East? We know that Rand Paul is being a child in criticizing Chris Christie for hugging President Obama after Hurricane Sandy, but where does Paul stand when it comes to disaster relief?

Our gathering of information has turned into a full time job. We are bombarded with so much information about the political world that we now need to distinguish between what is real and what is crap. As hard is it might be, we need to do it, for fear that we will be unwitting bystanders in a system that encourages our politicians to belittle us, condescend us, and avoid us, for fear that we may actually demand that they lead.

The major theme of the Zoot Perspective’s evaluation of the next 15 months of the Presidential race is that we need to elevate the level of debate. We need to be asking the right questions and demanding that our politicians give us real, honest answers. I only get one vote, but I am going to make you earn it, Mr(s). Soon-To-Be-President.

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August 2nd: Baseless Hatred

Separated by only a few hours, two acts of terrorism, committed by Jewish Israelis, left the entire country begging to know why peace is a notion so far away from us.

The first occurred at Jerusalem’s Gay Pride Parade, where six people were stabbed by a man who had just been released from jail for committing the same crime ten years prior. The man is an Orthodox Jew who was determined to personally end what he believes to be the wrong of homosexuality, trying to end lives because of who someone loves.

Later on Thursday night, a Palestinian family’s house was burned, again by Jewish terrorists, resulting in a dead infant and a family both physically and emotionally devastated. The events led the Palestinians to declare Friday as a “Day of Rage.”

As an American coming to live in Jerusalem, I was all too familiar with the fear of terrorism and the baseless hatred that ran rampant in this beautiful place. What I wasn’t expecting was for it to come from people who identify as I do, as Jewish.

I refuse to call them that, though. They are not true Jews, according to any understanding I know. Jews are not ruled by hate, nor do they look to take life. Jews do not destroy life in an attempt to maintain their own existence, and do not denigrate others to the point of inhumanity because of the lives they live.

For the first time, I truly identify with the millions of Muslim Americans who are forced every day to answer for the atrocities carried out by the tiny minority who use their faith as a rallying cry for destruction. I know the feeling of wanting nothing to do with those who claim to use my God as the excuse for their actions. I know the feeling of embarrassment, of shame at knowing that Jewish people were the ones inflicting suffering on a child, on men and women celebrating the joys of freedom. I know the feeling of wanting to stand up and say “No, they are not like me. They are not what my faith is.” I only hope that we can use that feeling to come together in comfort, rather than to increase the gulf between us.

To not expect this kind of violence is sadly ignorant, though, especially coming from America. This is no different than the life we are leading right now at home. It seems every day we are faced with another act of violence and devastation, committed by individuals who use their own faith and skewed version of morality to destroy the lives of other Americans. Who am I to judge the Israeli conflict when my own country is tearing itself apart?

It is on days like this that it is nearly impossible to see any light in the world. Our own hatred as a global community is suffocating, choking us off from our ability to find the beauty that is all over the place, but we choose to ignore because someone else’s attempts at happiness fill us with discomfort and rage.

But we have no choice. We, as a society, have no choice but to keep moving forward, to keep spreading understanding and love in the world. We have no choice but to use these acts of destruction as the building blocks for change, and the inspiration for new understanding. We have to band together, to publicly denounce even our own people who choose to highjack our faith and our principles for their own hateful means. And we have to use this as an excuse to come together, to not inspire days of rage, but to inspire days of shared love and comfort.

May the shadow of hatred be forced out by the light of love, and may we all come together to better understand one another and pursue true justice and peace.

If you enjoy the work of the Zoot Perspective, please visit my GoFundMe page, to help support me on my journey. Thank you very much.

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July 7th: Past Their Time, Not Prime

This year was the first time that I was out of the country for the 4th of July. Independence Day is my favorite holiday, so it was a little sad to be missing the festivities.

As the few dozen Americans with whom I am studying gathered together, we looked for ways to remind ourselves of the significance of the day for our homeland. Two moments caught my attention and challenged me in almost identical ways.

First, my cohort marked the day by singing “America the Beautiful.” This happens to be one of my least favorite patriotic songs, but it was very nice to hear a song of home in this new and different place.

As we approached one particular line of the song, a classmate made a quick addition, instead singing “and crown thy good, with Brother AND Sister hood…”

The second instance was when a classmate read a portion of the Declaration of Independence. She too made an edit to this American staple, saying “that all men, women, and those who identify with any other pronoun, are created equal.”

Two almost identical adaptations of America’s expressions of patriotism that left me with an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. On one hand, I appreciate the sentiment very much. The inclusion of gender equality in our nation’s dialog is not only positive but necessary.

The complication comes when we add this language to pre-existing historical artifacts. These media are windows to the past, giving us incredible understanding of how we, as a country, have arrived at this moment in time.

This isn’t always a pleasant image. Thomas Jefferson, one of America’s most famous, eloquent minds, had many slaves. How could something so modernly unacceptable have come in such close contact with a visionary of his caliber?

One close example of this in another historical context is Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain’s book is an incredible text that most certainly has a place in our literary history. Yet, many uses of the N-word in the text make it uncomfortable for modern readers. Rather than changing the text, though, academic institutions use the presence of this challenge as an opportunity for education, to give young readers a perspective on where our history was and how and why it has changed.

Much the same can be said about the gender language in early American works. In fact, there is an incredible lesson to be learned from 1776. At that time, the writers of the document were visionaries, radicals in the notion that all men are created equal, deserving of the same rights, regardless of religious identification. To make that statement at that time was a moment that changed the entire history of governmental discourse, and created freedoms that hadn’t existed to that point. It wasn’t the end of the road, but it was a monumental first step to getting us on the road to equality for all.

When I have children, I want them to ask me why the Declaration of Independence only says “all men” instead of “all people”. I want them to ask why the line isn’t “Peoplehood.” I want them to ask, because I want to tell them with pride that the history of this country has evolved as times have changed, and that we have grown and adapted to allow for the freedoms of today. I want my children to see proof of the past, and to be able to know that they too have the power to change the way we understand songs written yesterday, let alone hundreds of years ago.

We need to make sure that the documents we create for today are updated to reflect the values we want to show as representative for future generations. But we owe it to our past to maintain what they have to teach us, and to maintain the status of these artifacts as a representation of where we’ve come from, so that we can be prepared for where we're going.

If you enjoy the work of the Zoot Perspective, please visit my GoFundMe page, to help support me on my journey. Thank you very much.

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July 1st: A Journey, Years In the Making

I’ve been waiting for this day to come for a very long time. Today, I move to Jerusalem to begin Rabbinical School at Hebrew Union College. It is the first step toward a dream that I’ve wanted for as long as I can remember.

Just hours away from boarding my 11 hour flight, I’m a little overwhelmed by all of the emotions that come with such a monumental moment in my life. I’ve been telling people for weeks that I am incredibly excited to go to Israel, but I am not excited at all about leaving America, and all that comes with it. If I’m completely honest with myself, I’m absolutely terrified. I’m moving away from my family, my girlfriend, and the lifestyle I know to go chase my dream. That isn’t easy, no matter how excited I am for my adventure.

Yet, I am reminded constantly of why I am doing this in the first place. I am actually going to Rabbinical School. In 10 days, I begin classes to learn the valuable information necessary to begin my career and continue to hone the leadership skills I need to guide a congregation and my Reform Jewish movement. As scary as it is to be moving to the other side of the world, it is an incredible opportunity to learn in the epicenter of Jewish life, and to experience a culture and a lifestyle that is so important to my heritage and my people.

As I get on the plane, I’m getting ready for an amazing adventure, and I’m sure I will have hundreds of stories to tell. While I am away, I intend to very thoughtfully and thoroughly document my experience, using my blog, The Zoot Perspective, as a home base. The content that has been standard on the blog will remain the same, but throughout the year, I will make a concerted effort to incorporate posts at least twice a month that address specific issues or experiences that I have in my year in Israel.

I also intend to keep up the work I’m doing on my video blog, The Zoot Perspective: Web Congregation, because where better to take an in-depth look at the Torah portion than in the holy land? There will, of course, always be new and innovative ways to share my journey, from Instagram campaigns to Twitter and beyond. I’m even working on a book that gives insight into what it is really like to live in Israel. The possibilities are endless, as are the incredible stories I cannot wait to tell.

I’m about to move to the other side of the world to study in one of the most incredible places on earth, and to drive my education forward toward my dream. I am so incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to take this adventure, and to share it with my family and friends. I cannot wait to use this site as a vehicle to tell the story. I’m not exactly sure what I will find over the course of the next 10 months, but I know it’ll be a journey like none other.

If you enjoy the work of the Zoot Perspective, please visit my GoFundMe page, to help support me on my journey. Thank you very much.

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August 4th: Long Road to Peace

In the seven weeks since I went to camp, the world seems to have broken. Thousands of rockets have been hurtling back and forth between Israel and the Gaza strip, and everyone wants to know why.

There is a boiling point for everyone. Mine came as I read what must have been the hundredth article about “picking sides.” I finally hit the point where I could no longer sit quietly and take in all of the information and “facts” that have been given out by the media and the public at large.

The first “fact” that I can’t possibly tolerate is the fallacy that this is a conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Is there conflict between these two groups in Israel? Sure. But this isn’t it. This is a conflict between Israel and Hamas, a terrorist organization. While many describe themselves as ‘pro-palestinian,’ no rational people would identify as pro-Hamas. Hamas is single-mindedly looking to destroy, to wreak havoc, and to kill and maim as many innocent people as possible to push their agenda. Let’s not confuse that for a government seeking recognition or a people looking for rights. These people want death and destruction. Nothing more.

This is paramount in understanding the most inappropriate statistic that is being shared on a daily basis by nearly every news outlet in this country: the death tolls of the two sides. The number of Arabs killed during this period of conflict is measured in the thousands. The number of murdered Israelis is in the 50s. Does this mean that Israel is doing more to hurt others? Does this make Israel the less humane participant?

Not in the slightest. The death toll, as a raw statistic, fails to carry the weight of knowing that Israel has done everything possible to protect it’s own citizens (as well as, in most cases, the innocent in Gaza), while Hamas has done everything in it’s power to use the innocents of Gaza as shields, as tools to manipulate the media hailstorm that is raining down on Israel.

Israel has gone so far as to drop leaflets, send “dummy” rockets, and even go out into Gaza to help warn innocent citizens about impending attacks. Israel has done everything reasonable to save innocent lives. The ruling powers of Hamas, however, have prevented these aids from getting through, and thus put people’s lives further at risk.

This, more than ever I’ve ever seen before, is a war being fought in the news just as much as it is in the Middle East. One of the challenges, though, is that we don’t even know what is real. Multiple times, powerful speeches have been “given” by world leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that have been proven to be a hoax. Even comedians like Dennis Miller have been credited with making bold statements that are, for lack of a better term, fan fiction.

With all of this mis-information, Americans have an incredible challenge on their hands. On one side, we have a country that has served as our primary ally for years, a country that both our government and theirs has spoken about as a partnership of good-faith. On another level, we are being fed information that suggests that Israel is oppressing, abusing, and killing innocent people on a daily basis.

Let’s get one thing straight, though. The double standard that the world sets on Israel has to stop. Hamas, as a terrorist organization, does not deserve the same rights that any nation would enjoy, despite the many opportunities for them to be treated better than they deserve. You see, every cease-fire Israel has offered has been greeted by a maelstrom of rockets. No other country in the world would stand for that. No other country would be asked to. If so much as a thrown rock were to land in America, the culprit would have hell to pay. Yet, Israel is asked to demonstrate patience, even to share their technology with Hamas. Israel has been chastised for having a low death rate.

There is so much that makes up this conflict. There is more than any one of us will ever understand. But the biggest tragedy of all is the need to pick sides. This ridiculous notion that it is even possible to decide who is “more right” in a death match is what proves just how far away we are from peace.

When my family went to synagogue this past Friday night, we prayed for peace. We prayed for the safety of all of those involved in the situation. We said the Mi Shebeirach, the prayer for healing, for all of those who have been injured. We said the Kaddish, the prayer of mourning, for all of those who have died. This was not solely for the Israelis or for the Jews. This was for all people. We prayed, at it’s purest form, for peace.

May it be God’s will, that peace not be far from our grasp.

January 17th: A World Away

Friends and family alike, when I told them of my upcoming trip to Israel, wished me the same sentiment: “Be safe.” While the thought was based on caring and affection, I couldn’t help but be disconcerted. My trip was through Birthright, an opportunity for 18 to 26 year old Jews to go to the Holy Land to experience all of the magic of what the Jewish homeland had to offer. Falling off a beautiful mountain should have been the only real risk to my health and wellbeing.

Unfortunately that isn’t the picture in the minds of most Americans when thinking of Israel. The images of war, conflict, and hate are all-too prevalent. Israel is almost always the first two syllables, followed swiftly by “Palestinian Conflict.”

This was, though, not my first trip. I had been to Israel once before, although in a far less structured function. It was especially difficult to reconcile what I knew about Israel with what others knew, or at the very least claimed to know. I felt myself as conflicted as the land supposedly was.

It was on the very first day that this conflict was challenged outright. As part of our tour, we had the chance to go to an olive oil manufacturing plant, where they harvest the olives and produce a wide variety of products from the plants, from food oils to skin creams and more. The owner was there to greet us, and he did with a smile and a demeanor that didn’t seem unlike everyone’s favorite Jewish uncle.

He spoke for a few moments about the process of making his products and the idea behind his creation of the company. Quickly, though, he changed the subject.

“I’m sure you will find, in your travels in this beautiful land, that everyone you meet is nice to you, friendly, and helpful.” He said. He went on to say that these people were trying to show us the real Israel.

“You don’t make a 65 year investment in hate. We are making an investment into a land where we can be a people, where we can put down roots and grow. We make that investment in love. There is this belief that we wake up in the morning full of hate, grabbing our guns. You can’t survive like that. You don’t make an investment in hate. It would kill you.”

I was instantly struck by his words. I rolled them around in my head for the remainder of my ten day trip, and for the week since my return. He was absolutely right. Everywhere we went we found happy, helpful people who wanted to show us how incredible Israel is. The land is beautiful, and the people are as well.

We have such a skewed idea of what it means to go to and live in Israel. We paint a one-dimensional picture. Yet, that fails so wholly to appreciate the complexity of it. There isn’t a single person living in Israel who doesn’t know someone who has lost their life fighting for their country. Conflict and war definitely exists.  Our tour showed countless locations where battles, armaments, and the picture of war still very much stains the earth. But the land is also filled with craftsmen, painting over that beauty.

People greeted us with open arms, offering to teach us about their country and help us with the language barrier. We found kindness running through the streets, history rich with culture, and a modern society that just doesn’t look that different from any American city. In fact, there were a great many places I would rather be in Israel after dark than downtown Chicago.

These people are making a commitment to the land. They want to create homes, make businesses, and raise children to live in the land. They want all of the same things that Americans of all people should understand. The notion of winning freedom is an equally American concept, which is one of the reasons that I believe American-Israeli relations have always been so important. We, in the United States, though, can’t really honor our end of the friendship if we believe that Israel is a cruel, dangerous place. We need to understand our allies if we are to truly call them our friends.

Not once on my trip did I feel scared for my safety. I felt like, if my health were in jeopardy, I would have 7.9 million family members waiting to help.

Guitar Hero

Rick Recht is one of the most prestigious singer/songwriters in Jewish contemporary rock music today. He has created dozens of songs to prayers, hymns, and ideals that are sung in congregations all over America, and even globally.

Today, I got the opportunity to play with him in a concert he gave at Temple Beth-El. This was, simply, one of the most meaningful musical experiences of my life.

Let's start with some back story. When I was about 10 years old, I heard that, at my temple, a young performer was coming to sing for us. It sounded like fun, so I went to temple early to get a close seat. It turned out it didn't matter, because Rick called us all up onto the lower stage to be closer to him and to the music. From that first song on, I was in love with his music, and I wanted so badly to be able to create it.

I began to pick up a guitar that my dad had purchased, and never got good. It sucked. It was hard, I couldn't get the notes to sound right, and I wasn't making the songs I had in my head.

I saw Rick a few more times, and every time he would tell me that I should play with him. I always politely came up with some reason to say no. The real reason was that I stunk. I never had the guts to practice hard enough to get any good.

Well, through some hard work and forced practice, I began to get better. I only really started working hard a year ago, when I was elected to my youth group position in which I felt obligated to be able to play songs and prayers that I was leading.

After a year of practicing, I was again presented with the opportunity to play with Rick, this time in front of all of my youth group friends. I decided to take the chance, and play. It was, in simple terms, amazing.

Now lets be realistic. I still didn't know how to play almost any of his songs, and definitely not well. But it didn't matter. Songleading is only about 10% guitar. Its really 90% excitement and enthusiasm. I sang my heart out on every song, played what chords I knew, and faked what I didn't, and bounced and smiled to the music. To hear that I was leading a group in song, no matter what notes I was playing on the guitar, was incredible. It was amazing to be able to be part of a community and create something with the person that inspired me to pick up Jewish music in the first place. I am forever grateful to Rick for inspiring in me that excitement. Now, it is my job to pass it on to the next Jewish musician.