Here in Israel these past few days I find the country in a state of depression. This is, I believe, the most challenging time Israel has ever faced. Yet the American Jewish community has been virtually silent. No major demonstration on behalf of Israel has been organized during these trying times.
No one knows for sure the goal of Israel’s Arab neighbors, but in Israel there is talk of war. It is possible that an all-out attack is being planned with Syria advancing from the north, Iraq marching through Jordan into Israel from the east and Egypt, recently armed to the teeth, on the southern flank. Israel has successfully won wars that were fought on its borders, but victory was never achieved while simultaneously facing insurrection from within. Today, the Palestinian military arm has a well-equipped army of 60,000 that can wreak havoc inside Israel’s borders — and the loyalty of Israeli Arabs is now in question. Simultaneous fighting from within as well as on the borders is a challenge that Israel might not be able to meet.
There is a sense in the American Jewish community that the survival of the Jewish state is guaranteed. Not so. I believe in Israel with all my heart and have deep confidence that it will thrive, but from a purely theological perspective there is no certitude concerning Israel’s viability. Nothing is for sure.
In my travels around the United States speaking about the present crisis, I have noticed that mostly older people demonstrate on behalf of the Jewish state. They come because they remember when there was no Israel. The wisdom of age and their memory of a world without a Jewish state allow them to understand Israel’s vulnerability. The young, however, don’t turn out in large numbers for Israel. For them the existence of the state is a given. They do not remember when there was no Israel.
The idea that Israel can be destroyed is not a comforting thought. It’s far easier to believe that Israel will by definition endure. Once one raises the specter that something could happen to Israel it challenges all of us to do our share to keep the state strong.
Despite all these dangers, the reaction of the American Jewish community has been a whimper. There have been no mass gatherings as there were in the old solidarity days for Soviet Jewry, when 400,000 came to Washington on behalf of their brothers and sisters thousands of miles away. The gathering in New York this week of about 1,000 mostly Orthodox people, showing support for Jerusalem, is a noble show of concern, but it is not enough. It’s too parochial, and falls far short of a mass rally uniting all denominations.
Indeed, now that Natan Sharansky has led a mass rally for Jerusalem in Israel, it is time for the U.S. Jewish leadership to follow suit. This is the time for simultaneous rallies to be held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and similar facilities in Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and elsewhere.
We should take a lesson from Arafat. He has consulted Palestinians worldwide as well as Arab nations before making a decision on Jerusalem. Jews living in the diaspora should similarly be consulted by the Israeli government on an issue that is at the core of Israel’s spiritual being — Jerusalem. Jews living outside Israel have a right and a responsibility to be part of the process and speak out.
Moreover, in recent months when Jews in Israel are being killed just because they are Jews, anti-Semitism around the world has risen. A soft policy rendering Jews vulnerable in Israel sends a message around the world that Jews are fair game. The upshot is that the actions of the Israeli government affect Jews everywhere.
Despite the clear necessity for this kind of rally, it is not taking place because of pressure by the Israeli government on the Jewish establishment. The argument is that any mass show of concern would be viewed as taking sides in the upcoming elections in Israel. But a united Jerusalem and the safety of Jews around the world transcend politics.
The American Jewish leadership should bite the bullet regardless of orders received from Israel. In the end, the establishment represents its constituencies and at the core, the grassroots wants a large nonpolitical demonstration uniting right and left, declaring Jerusalem is ours and Jewish blood is not cheap.
Whenever I read about the binding of Isaac I’m struck by the fact that the angel gets there just in time to tell Abraham not to sacrifice Isaac. But it has been noted that while angels always get there on time, people don’t.
The knife is now on the collective neck of the Jewish people. Our challenge is to get there and to get there on time.