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Social Action Column

The Annapolis Peace Conference, initiated by President Bush and Secretary Rice, took place on November 27, 2007. It restarted a peace process between Israel and the Arab states and between the Israelis and the Palestinians, a process which had lain fallow for most of 7 years and which today is still alive, though barely. A bus load of New Yorkers were among those traveling to Annapolis that day.  We were there to publicly demonstrate support for the restarted peace process, which many of us see as critical to the well-being of our Israeli cousins. Our congregation, like much of the American Jewish community, appears not to overtly support the peace process. If this is to change –  suggest that such change is necessary if peace is to come to Israel – we need to understand better why this is the case. I would like to hear from you on this.  Just to get a discussion going, here are some of my speculations:
  • Many of us may feel that pursuing peace and a two-state solution to the conflict is no longer realistic, hence not worthwhile. The obstacles to peace are too great to be overcome.
  • Many of us may feel that we can’t make a difference, so why bother.
  • Many of us perceive that the situation and many of the most critical issues involving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process are extremely complex. Often it’s hard to know which direction is right and which counterproductive. This itself can be debilitating.
  • Some may object to the international community and the U.S. pressuring Israel in a direction it is not ready to go (though at this time at least Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, is committed to the Annapolis process).
  • Some may see this conference as part of a more general criticism of Israel, to which we take exception.
  • We stood up for the victims in Sudan, sending a bus full of congregants to the Save Darfur Rally in Washington, DC. Is it that trying to identify victimhood in Israel/Palestine is confusing or upsetting?
  • Some of us may be driven by fear, fear of terrorism, of 9/11, of anti-Semitism. Such fear can make us turn inward, not outward and overseas, circling the wagons, emphasizing national security.
  • Some of us may be turning inward for cultural, family, economic or psychological reasons.
  • Some, both here and in Israel are driven by the fear of nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorist states, such as Iran, with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seen as another Hitler. Do some of us believe we should focus on Iran’s existential threat to Israel instead of on Israel making peace with the Palestinians?
  • Many of us are not engaged with Israel at all, or only peripherally.
  • Some of us may not feel comfortable with Israelis in general, or with large sections of Israeli, such as the ultra-orthodox.
  • Do some of us feel uncomfortable with Israel as the Jewish homeland?
  • Some may be critical of other aspects of Israel, its institutions or culture, hence disengage from Israel.
  • Some of us perceive Israelis not caring for or respecting American Jews, so we reciprocate.
  • Some of us may shy away from Israel because we don’t want to deal with the issue of dual loyalty.
  • Some of us (my wife) are just tired of hearing about the Middle East; enough already.

Many of us feel like we can't make a difference, so why bother? But we, individually and collectively, can make a difference. The U.S. Administration is key to advancing the peace process, and it is, after all, our Administration.

  • We can commend and thank Secretary Rice and President Bush for their outstanding support for this effort and we can request them to do more, to play more of a role, to be present more.
  • We can request the U.S., for example, to facilitate providing each of the two governments with more maneuvering room vis-ŕ-vis its populations and provide each leader more room vis-ŕ-vis its government.
  • We can request our members of Congress to support those congressional efforts, like last fall’s Ackerman-Boustany letter to Secretary Rice, that advance the peace process.

—Frank Bamberger

Frank Bamberger is chair of The Village Temple Social Action Committee.
If you have comments on opinions that Frank expresses, wish to find out more about Social Action at The Village Temple or to volunteer, please contact Frank at 718-858-3171 or frank_bamberger@compuserve.com.