By Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz
Soon after the news broke of Hamas’ terror attack in Israel, I received an electronic notification from our First Selectman, Fred Camillo:
Today’s unprovoked attack on innocent civilians in Israel is another reminder that the world must remain vigilant, prepared, and defiant in the face of and response to terrorism. Whether 9.11 on our own soil, or an act of aggression on the homeland of an ally and or peaceful nation, there can be no justification for cowardly acts of violence. I and all Greenwich residents condemn today’s attacks and stand withIsrael and its people as they deal with this latest attack. Solidarity has never been more called for, or needed than it is in today’s world.
Similarly, I received calls and notes from over twenty of my Christian clergy colleagues, and friends expressing their concrete support offers while we confronted this recent horror afflicting Israel and world Jewry.
President Biden’s timely offering statements of support grounded within unambiguous moral clarity are also consistent with the best of what leadership can offer during times when unadulterated evil is unleashed within our world:
...There is no justification for terrorism. There is no excuse.Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination. Its stated purpose is the annihilation of the State of Israel and the murder of Jewish people.They use Palestinian civilians as human shields. Hamas offers nothing but terror and bloodshed with no regard to who pays the price. The loss of innocent life is heartbreaking. Like every nation in the world, Israel has the right to respond — indeed has a duty to respond — to these vicious attacks…
Terror hopes to provide an incubator for fear and hate.
Our responsibility is to validate our feelings of sadness and anger.
Simultaneously, we need to find the strength to support the most effective resolution by which the crisis in Israel can be addressed, a safe return of those kidnapped, and, ultimately, a lasting peace can be pursued by which innocent lives can best be protected.
All our great religious traditions assert the reality that each human being is created equally in God’s image, and we want to promote understanding, mutual respect, and a culture that provides respectful dialogue.
There is no upside to utilizing hateful language.
We might have political disagreements, but we can utilize the opportunity to remind ourselves that there is no value in blaming others; instead, we want to seek out how best to build bridges of compassion and understanding between all communities.
Evil seeks to blot out co-existence and harmony.
Morality seeks to block out any room for hate, instead furnishing the perpetual strength of sharing love and kindness.
This past week has been extraordinarily challenging for Israel, world Jewry, and our entire world.
Israel, like all Western democracies, including our Nation, is imperfect.
But, anyone who might wish to blame Israel and justify terror brings no justice to a complex situation.
What can we do?
First, carefully research the information you read, and only share if vetted by trustworthy sources.
Refuse to validate moral equivalencies and insist that empathy is present when discussing the suffering of all innocents. Israel is home to the majority of world Jewry.
When enemies shout for Israel’s destruction, they call for a 21st-century Holocaust.
No person should be permitted such “freedom of speech” without facing an unambiguous moral rebuke.
Israel is strong, but it cannot and should not stand alone.
As Americans, we cannot sit comfortably in our homes and country, bury our heads in our hands, and choose apathy or ignorance.
Zionism is a Jewish movement of liberation and self-determination.
Zionists wish that Jews should have the right of all people to live in their land, safe and secure.
Palestinians also have a right to live in their land, safe and secure.
It is why a Two-State solution must always be proactively pursued.
Americans overwhelmingly support a Jewish, democratic state in the birthplace of the Jewish people, the land of Israel, and support the Jews’ right to live safely, with sovereignty, and in peace.
When the right of Israel to exist or defend herself is called into question, it should be an anathema to all fair-minded people.
Let’s be unambiguous in support of Israel while remaining committed to the ultimate hope for a fair and secure peace for all.
Additionally, as a Rabbi with the privilege to serve in our Greenwich community for the last twenty-nine years, I want to thank my non-Jewish friends and colleagues who stand with us and recognize that we are each other’s brothers and sisters.
This week, I pray that we grieve for the brokenness within our world and offer our loving embrace by which we can foster healing of the body, mind, and soul.
May we access the power of love to overcome hate.
The pursuit of the faith that helps us build a world free from violence and makes us wholly reject injustice, or worse, the death and injuring of innocent bystanders.
May God give us all the strength to be instruments of peace.
Amen.
Temple Sholom’s Senior Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz is a scholar, teacher, community activist and preacher, and is recognized as one of the prominent religious leaders in the Greenwich area and beyond. A frequent guest speaker at synagogues and churches, study groups, community institutions and universities, he is a charismatic personality who engages individuals and stimulates hearts and minds. His teachings can be found in Greenwich Sentinel and in other local and national publications.
