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| Raising the Black Flag: Open discourse as Sacred Obligation in American Jewish Life by Reb Lynn Gottlieb Israeli soldiers are instructed to raise a black flag if they are given orders that they consider immoral. Unfortunately, the American Jewish community is instructed to keep the black flag hidden away no matter what their misgivings about current Israeli policy. The order to be silent about all Israeli State policy toward Palestinians living within the green line as well as those living in the West Bank, Gaza and southern Lebanon has become the 11th commandment: “Thou shall not criticize Israel in public.” In Albuquerque, one local rabbi prioritized this sentiment as the primary spiritual commitment that a Jew should take in preparation for the High Holy days. Many rabbis, the traditional voice of Jewish values, along with secular Jewish organizations such as the Anti Defamation League, Federations and AIPAC all warn us to keep any doubts about the wisdom of Israeli state policy to ourselves. Does the 11th commandment have any basis at all in Jewish thinking? Is the demand to be silent no matter what one’s conscience requires have any place in Jewish life? Elie Wiesel, the iconic spokesperson for the Holocaust, passionately expressed his view that we have a moral obligation to speak and give witness to human suffering wherever and to whomever it occurs. “Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant.” Unfortunately, large segments of the Jewish community have chosen not apply this cornerstone of post-Holocaust Jewish ethics to a process of self-reflection in relationship to one of the greatest tragedies of our time: the failure to secure peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The demand for silent loyalty would have perplexed and outraged the prophets and rabbis that shaped Jewish spiritual sensitivities in the classical period. In fact, the essence of Jewish practice according to our prophets and sages required open and free discourse in the service of the quest for justice and compassion. The Talmud reminds us that not only are we obligated to speak out about the misdeeds of one’s household, city, rulers and officials of one’s party or nation, and even to the ends of the earth, we are implicated in the misdeeds if we fail to speak out. “That ever we attempt by clear and forthright speech and action, to prevent from happening that which should not occur.” (Talmud Shabbat 54b-55a) As citizens of the United States of America, and as Jewish people who support the state of Israel and the citizens living within its boundaries, we are obligated to have a respectful and open discourse about the aspects of Israeli state policy that raise ethical concerns about “that which should not occur.” Here is a list of questions I believe we need to wrestle with that fall within the domain of “that which should not occur.” First and foremost, can intensive militarism provide meaningful security for Israel? Second, are there limits to methods of warfare when practiced by Jews in defense of the homeland? Is the well-documented intentional wounding of civilians, administrative detention, the use of torture, the operation of death squads, the practice of home demolitions, or the bulldozing of civilians underneath their homes justified? What about the Wall of Separation, the destruction of hundreds of thousands of olive and fruit trees, and the construction of “Jewish only” bypass roads? Are these justifiable actions? Do the Palestinians have any legitimate grievances? How should we respond to those grievances? Who are the peacemakers on both sides, and what are they saying? Is the demand to be silent really a protection against anti-Jewish attitudes and actions? I write this piece several weeks before another pilgrimage into the midst of bottomless sorrows. I will spend two weeks in Israel, Palestine and Southern Lebanon listening to the sorrows of people who live under the weight of decades of brutal military occupation and its social, educational, emotional, and physical impact on Israeli and Palestinian societies. I will be listening to former Israeli and Palestinian combatants, bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families, health officials, artists, activists in the field of human rights, women who work with domestic violence victims, educators and religious leaders from both sides of the green line. I hope that when I return, people in the Jewish community as well as in the broader Albuquerque community will be open to my witness. I know that bottomless sorrows can easily cast us into despair or denial. What can we do? I believe the first steps toward building peace requires thinking outside the usual mind ghettos we erect around ourselves for protection against bad news. I believe we have to reject the binary thinking that pits ‘us against them’ and learn for ourselves that there are real people on the other side who have something to say to us. I believe that traditional Jewish values demand that we question the legitimacy of militarism as the principle method for securing peace. I believe we must privilege open and respectful discourse and dialogue over the value of blind patriotism. Blind patriotism only allows for one version of history. Blind patriotism feeds on ignorance and stereotypes that allow us to hate the other. Blind patriotism prevents us from taking responsibility for the vast wasteland of horror that implicates us all. The only way to move forward is to embrace traditional Jewish wisdom that requires us to be publicly active in seeking peace. In seeking peace beyond the usual narratives we allow ourselves to hear, we will find things we do not like about others and ourselves. But what is the alternative? Rather, let us embrace the covenant of justice and compassion as the only true pathway to lasting peace. And, let us talk respectfully to one another and pray that our children will enjoy the fruits of our labors. | ||||||||
