[Peace-discuss] Jewish Peace News: Patronizing Our Youth

[David Green]

[JPN Commentary: The following letter, signed on
August 15th by forty-eight North American Jewish
students who are college and high school leaders of
Reform Judaism, suggests that many religiously
affiliated Jewish youth do not accept an "Israel
right-or-wrong" attitude towards the Middle East
conflict. While the students commend the Reform
movement's condemnation of Hezbollah and Hamas rocket
attacks on Israeli civilians, their letter also
indicates grave concern that Jewish organizational
leaders absolve Israel of responsibility for the
wanton destruction of infrastructure and civilian
deaths in Lebanon and Gaza. The students' letter --
the tone of which is measured and cogent -- elicited
an immediate response from the Reform movement's
president, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, who dismissed their
concerns about Israel's behavior. "No side is
completely blameless in a war, but I am confident that
the government of Israel has taken all reasonable
precautions to avoid civilian casualties," Yoffie said
(his full response is included below).

It is deeply dismaying that the Jewish students'
reasonable and carefully expressed concerns would be
discredited out-of-hand by the leaders of the Jewish
movement to which they belong. At the same time, the
very fact that these students have chosen to speak out
offers hope that a new generation of Jewish
organizational leaders is forming -- and that these
leaders may well advocate policies unlike those that
have contributed so much to the current political
impasse and ongoing violence. The students' judicious
letter, which calls for "sustained bilateral ceasefire
and peace negotiations in the Middle East," is
followed by an opposing response letter, written by a
different and smaller group of students, who fully
support Israel's military actions in Lebanon and Gaza.
--LS]


Reform Youth Battle Over Conflict


http://jta.org/page_view_breaking_story.asp?intid=4200



FIRST LETTER:

Matt Adler 8022 Inverness Ridge Road Potomac, MD 20854

Adrian Shanker 2400 West Chew Street, Box 1134
Allentown, PA 18104

August 15th, 2006

Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, President Robert Heller,
Chairman of the Board Union for Reform Judaism 633
Third Avenue New York, NY 10017-6778

Dear Rabbi Yoffie and Chairman Heller,

We, the college and youth leaders of the Reform
Movement, urge the Union for Reform Judaism to take a
stand for the Jewish values of peace and justice by
declaring its support for a sustained bilateral
ceasefire and peace negotiations in the Middle East.

As the future leaders of the Reform Movement, we heed
the call of Rabbi Hillel to be from the students of
Aaron, love peace and pursue peace. As we see events
unfold around us, we look to fulfill our religious
obligation by speaking out on the moral issues of our
day. As Jews, we declare our commitment to protect our
historic homeland, Israel, and to ensure the safety
and well-being of its inhabitants. As Jews, we also
believe that upholding the sanctity of all human life
is of the utmost importance.

In a month of war in Lebanon, over 700 civilians, both
Lebanese and Israeli, were killed. During the same
period of time, while the world was focused on
Lebanon, over 150 Palestinian civilians were killed in
the Gaza Strip as well.

In light of these facts:

 We applaud the Union for condemning Hezbollahs and
Hamass violent and terrifying rocket attacks on
Israeli civilians, who have been put in grave danger
by the ongoing conflict. We support the Unions
denunciation of these groups destructive behavior,
which has harmed the lives of thousands of innocent
Israelis and Arabs. We express solidarity with our
Israeli brothers and sisters, who are bravely coping
with the mental and physical hardships of war. We
support and appreciate the Unions ongoing efforts to
ease the trauma of Israelis in this difficult time, as
well as provide for their safety, security, and
well-being.

 We urge the Union to likewise condemn the Israeli
Defense Forces killing of unarmed Lebanese and
Palestinian civilians, as well as its premeditated
targeting of civilian infrastructure, which has put
additional lives at risk and hampered relief efforts.
As we recall, in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, God
agrees to spare the cities if Abraham can find even
ten innocent civilians. In light of this, we implore
the Union to make clear that these actions violate our
religious values, and are morally unacceptable
responses to Hezbollahs and Hamass provocations.
Furthermore, we ask the Union to support humanitarian
aid efforts underway in Lebanon and Gaza, in the same
spirit of chesed which has guided its support for
relief work in Israel.

We are proud to be part of the Union, a movement that
has declared its support for the principle of peace
negotiations. As indicated by the resolution Support
of the Peace Process, the Union called on the United
States Government to continue to lend its good offices
to the ongoing negotiations for peace (General
Assembly - November 30 - December 3, 1995 Atlanta).
The precedent for the Union to advocate for diplomacy
in the name of peace has already been set.

We therefore call upon the Union for Reform Judaism to
declare its support for a continued bilateral
ceasefire and renewed peace negotiations in the Middle
East. Only dialogue, diplomacy, and mutual
understanding will bring a lasting peace and guarantee
the security of all peoples. We recognize that there
are a variety of opinions within the movement on the
current conflict. As is appropriate for our Reform
tradition, we embrace a diversity of viewpoints.
Unfortunately, we feel that our voice has been
excluded from Union statements and materials, and we
ask for inclusion. We look forward to beginning a
healthy and meaningful dialogue in the name of peace,
here and everywhere.

Bshalom,

--

RABBI ERIC YOFFIES RESPONSE

August 15, 2006

Dear Matt and Adrian,

Thank you for your passion and your commitment to the
State of Israel. We appreciate your desire to give
voice to your beliefs and to participate in
determining the direction of the Reform movement.
Obviously, our KESHER and NFTY programs have
encouraged you to ask hard questions and to be
concerned with justice in our world.

The loss of innocent lives is terrible beyond words.
As I said in a speech on August 1, let us not think
for a momentthat we can be indifferent to the death
of innocents. The death of any child, Israeli or Arab,
Muslim or Jew, is an unspeakable tragedy that rends
the heart. It is not possible, however, to equate the
unprovoked attacks by Hezbollah and Hamas with the
actions of the Israeli Defense Forces. The IDF, as has
been well publicized, warned the citizens of Lebanon
of impending attacks and did everything in its power
to avoid the loss of civilian life. Hezbollah, in
contrast, operates from civilian areas and uses
Lebanese civilians as shields while firing missiles at
Israels cities. It does this knowing that in order to
protect its own citizens, Israel will be forced to
endanger the lives of Lebanese civilians, and the
result will inevitably be to increase civilian deaths,
no matter how precise Israels weaponry. And these
deaths in turn will be used to ratchet up the violence
and hate.

No side is completely blameless in a war, but I am
confident that the government of Israel has taken all
reasonable precautions to avoid civilian casualties. I
am confident too that when we review all aspects of
this conflict, justice clearly resides with Israel.

We all are grateful for the recent ceasefire. We hope
and pray that the ceasefire will hold and the killing
will stop.

Thank you again for sharing your views with me.

Rabbi Eric Yoffie

President

Union for Reform Judaism



--

OTHER STUDENTS RESPOND



Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Dear Rabbi Yoffie and Chairman Heller,

We are a group of students, led by members of the
KESHER-ARZA Fellowship and other campus leaders, who
are distraught by the recent letter sent out by our
peers surrounding the issues in Israel. While we agree
with many of the issues that they have presented, we
disagree with their call for an unconditional
bilateral cease-fire and equivalency made between the
Israeli Defense Forces and Hizbollah.

We would like to applaud the Union for Reform Judaism,
its leaders and affiliates, for its support of the
State of Israel during this time. We would like to
urge the URJ to keep its trust in the Israeli
government as it decides the best path for Israeli
security. The decision to refrain from military
escalation while attempting diplomacy shows their
willingness and eagerness to achieve peace. They have
also expressed a willingness to support an
international force in Lebanon.

We are concerned about the equivalency made between
the tactics of Hizbollah and the Israeli Defense
Forces. We understand that civilian casualties are a
horrible effect of war. We hope that no civilians
would be caught in the cross-fire; or more deplorably,
directly targeted. Israel has shown that she cares
about civilian life. We applaud her efforts to protect
civilians, both Israeli and Lebanese. She warns
Lebanese civilians of impending attacks while trying
to keep her own citizens safe and has expressed sorrow
for the loss of civilian life in Lebanon. Hizbollah
shows complete disregard for civilians, even their
own, using non-combatants as shields while directly
and indiscriminately targeting Israeli civilians.

Diplomacy and negotiations are one of many darchai
shalom, paths of peace. However, an unconditional
bilateral cease-fire at this time is not a true derech
shalom. When Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000,
Hizbollah claimed victory. In the last six years they
have continued to be rearmed by Iran and Syria, in
preparation for this war. We cannot let this happen
again. A true stand for peace and justice would not
place Israeli citizens, both Jewish and Arab, at risk
to more attacks by Hizbollah. The world must call for
Syria and Iranto end their wanton aggression towards
Israel through their supply of weapons and training
for Hizbollah. A lasting peace cannot be achieved
until militant groups in Lebanon, specifically
Hizbollah, are disarmed as the UN has already
resolved. The true stand for peace is to call the
world to support the government of Lebanon to protect
its citizens from the violence initiated by a group of
terrorists.

We would also like to urge the URJ to continue
supporting the Israeli government and non-governmental
organizations that are helping Israelis who are being
hurt, emotionally and physically, by this lechima. Kol
Yisrael arevim zeh lzeh; we need to support ourselves
and our movement first and foremost, until we as a
people are no longer in need.

Lastly, we urge the URJ to not forget the three
kidnapped Israeli soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad
Regev, and Gilad Shalit, and to do all in its power to
have the soldiers freed by Hizbollah and Hamas and
returned to Israel.

We thank the Union again for its continual support of
Israel and her people during this difficult and
unnecessary war. We also continue to urge the URJ to
continue to support the actions of the Israeli
government and not to put Israeli into a position that
could prove detrimental to her security and the safety
and wellbeing of her citizens. We hope that Israel and
her neighbors soon realize peace and the casualties
will cease on both sides. Vnatata shalom baaretz
vsimchat olam lyoshveiha.

Lshalom,



Members of the ARZA-KESHER Fellowship:



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