I am first a human being; then a Jew; and finally, an American. Being Jewish has always meant and will always mean supporting Israel -- this has been implicit since I started Jewish pre-school at the age of two.I'm Jewish, and Israel is the Jewish state.
What else is there? I learned: Oh, long we've been in Diaspora! The Jewish people have wandered the Earth since 70 CE when the second temple was destroyed by Roman legions. My ancestors made their way to Eastern Europe where they lived for a few hundred years. When things got bad again, they immigrated to the United States in 1903. Three generations later here I am; here we are: a people in exile. Oh, but in 1948 the land was returned! Conceived in the aftermath of World War II and forged by the deaths of thousands of Zionists and concentration camp refugees, Israel came to life from a dream 2000 years old. This Israel, taught to American youngsters, has always been perfect in my mind. Israel today, however, and for the past week especially, is soberingly disappointing.
Today's violence is not without its history. Months of grueling effort by Barak and Arafat in the past year with mediation by American diplomats nearly led to nothing. The negotiations broke down creating a feeling of uneasiness on both sides. Amidst and despite the surrounding political volatility, Ariel Sharon decided to visit the Temple Mount, or Al-Haram Al-Sharif, as the Muslims call it. It is important to remember that the Temple Mount is considered by Jews to be the holiest place in the entire world. It is the spot where God touched his finger to the Earth during creation; and the spot where Abraham brought his own son as sacrifice before God. The Qur'an, too, tells that there Mohammed ascended to heaven. For Muslims, Jerusalem is the holiest city only after Mecca and Medina. Two thousand years ago the great Jewish Temple stood there. Today, and for the last 1300 years, the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque have served as a holy prayer site for Muslims. Without hyperbole, it is the most holy site in all the holy land.
So what was Ariel Sharon doing there? He is the warhawk leader of the right wing Likud party, the former general who permitted the massacre of thousands of Palestinian refugees near Beirut during Israel's invasion in 1982. At such a precarious crossroad in the peace talks, why would he stridently visit the Al-Aqsa mosque? Yes, technically he is allowed to go there under Israeli law. But it's like showing up to a funeral with a birthday cake -- maybe you're allowed by law, but you just don't do it.
As you can imagine, the Palestinians were furious. They responded with a series of riots and shootings. Members of the Israeli government claim the riots are a response to faltering peace talks. Others claim Arafat himself ordered the riots to create a blood pool catalyst to strengthen his position in the waning negotiations. The first response came on Rosh Hashana eve, the Jewish New Year. Protestors from the Al-Aqsa complex threw rocks down onto religious Jews as they prayed at the Kotel, the Western Wall, the only remaining wall of the old temple. Naturally, Israeli troops intervened to stop the violence at the holiest of places but the Palestinians were still upset. Riots broke out in the West Bank, in Gaza. Understandably, they weren't happy about Israeli troops and police officers moving into the holy Al-Aqsa complex. Understandably, the Israeli government didn't want riots, so they sent in the troops. With live rounds. And tanks. And antitank guns. And helicopter gunships. Not understandably.
The most recent death count is 82. More than 48 are Palestinian, of whom many are civilians and children. Even as I write this now, I am confident that more are dying.
This is not understandable. I do not accept this. As a human being, as an American and especially as a Jew, I am shamed by the Israeli government's reckless use of unnecessary force against civilians. There is no excuse.
I am home now, in the quiet suburbs of Philadelphia. My plane leaves for Israel Oct. 18. I'm going to study and volunteer there for the next two terms. Today I wait, hopeful that war does not break out.
There is a song I learned about peace when I was six. " Lo yisa goy el goy cherev, lo yilmadu ohd milchama." It is the vision of the Prophets that one day "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, and man will study war no more." It's always been one of my favorite songs to sing, and I do believe in this time. Today Israel stands far from this vision, and I don't see the required discipline or efforts to even move in the right direction. Today I see Israel as torn, bloodied and shamed. I do, however, maintain fervently this vision of peace, as well as the hope that it may one day be realized.
