A Message From Israel - March 15, 2004
Shalom M'yisrael
(shalom from Israel). I thought that I'd write a little update on how our
Albuquerque Community Solidarity Mission has been progressing. While Sue, Ethan,
Elana and I have been in Israel for a week, the entire group has been here for 4
days and as a result, most of us have recovered from Jet lag and are now
experiencing acute over stimulation due to a) the extraordinarily busy itinerary
that we are attempting to follow, b) too much food (you know that Israel is a
country populated by Jewish mothers and grandmothers who are insulted if we
don't eat everything put in front of us…), c) the complexity of the military,
political, social, economic and spiritual conundrums which Israel faces on a
daily basis, d) the beauty and awe of spending time in this amazing country.
As I'm sure most of you know, yesterday the port of Ashdod was
attacked by two Palestinian terrorists. 10 Israelis were murdered. We were in
Jerusalem at the time - far away from the attacks, but that doesn't mean that we
didn't feel the effects of the blast. This afternoon (Monday) we visited Kiryat
Malachi - a development town that is in partnership with our Albuquerque
community federation. While the experience of visiting Kiryat Malachi was
remarkable in and of itself (more on that later), our hostess, Karen, shared
with us that one of the casualties, a 56 year old father of 6 named Avi Suissa,
was her neighbor - she knew him well. The truth is everyone in Israel today has
been touched by the "Matzav" (situation) - as it is known here - either directly
or indirectly.
Over the past two days we have visited the security fence that
is currently being erected by the Israeli Government. While there is a great
deal of political turmoil in Israel today, the one thing that unites practically
every element of Israeli society is strong support of the erection of the fence.
Simply put, no one is under the illusion that there can be peace with the
Palestinians in the near future. The most apt metaphor that I have heard is that
Israelis are not looking for a good marriage with the Palestinians - they want
an amicable divorce.
Not every aspect of the trip has been taken up with issues of
security, however.
This morning we visited Yad Vashem - The Holocaust Martyrs' and
Heroes' Remembrance Authority. No matter how many times I come here, I am deeply
moved. Rabbi Flicker and I led a Yizkor (memorial) service in the Valley of the
Lost Communities. Andy and Sylvana Siegel laid a commemorative wreath at the
service.
This afternoon, as I mentioned above, we visited our partnership
2000 community, Kiryat Malachi. While we were there, we observed several
institutions that are remarkable in both mission and the scope of activities. We
saw young Ethiopian Olim Chadashim (new immigrants) receiving tutoring and love
from dedicated teachers and volunteers. We met with a therapist who uses animals
to treat young children how to cope with and heal from the aftermath of terror
and abuse. We saw a day-care center that provides consistency and love to
children from broken homes - these are just a few of the institutions that our
contributions to the annual Federation campaign help support.
We have met with and learned from several powerful and
fascinating teachers and speakers on subjects ranging from:
-- "Israel and the media"
-- "A Jewish State or a State for Jews"
-- "The People's Voice" - grass roots peace effort
-- "War and Peace in the Jewish and Christian Tradition"
These are just a few of the perplexing and fascinating topics
that we have covered - and the trip is not even half over!
One of the highlights of the trip for me, personally, has been
the opportunity to officiate at the wedding of Acey Debois and Milton Lasoski -
prior to the group's arrival. To be able to celebrate with such a wonderful
couple at a simcha in the middle of Jerusalem was truly remarkable.
There is much more to write and I hope to be able to send at
least one more communiqué before we return. Know that we all are safe and happy.
Everyone in Israel has expressed their friendship and appreciation of the fact
that we are here showing our love and support of Israel. For those of you who
considered joining us on this trip but were unable to do so this time - I
promise you, there will be other opportunities that will arise. Take them. Your
life will be changed forever.
I conclude with a list of those who were killed in Ashdod
yesterday. Keep them and their families in your prayers.
* Gil Abutbul, 38, of Ashdod
* Danny Assulin, 51, of Ashdod
* Avraham Avraham, 34, of Ashdod
* Zion Dahan, 30, of Ashdod
* Ophir Damari, 31, of Rehovot
* Moshe Hendler, 29, of Rehovot
* Mazal Marciano, 30, of Rehovot
* Avi Suissa, 56, of Kiryat Malachi
* Maurice Tubul, 30, of Ashdod
* Pinchas Avraham Zilberman, 45, of Tel Aviv
I look forward to seeing you upon our return.
B'shalom V'yididut,
Rabbi Black
