ISRAEL, HAMAS, AND SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES

I would like to write this column with all my cards facing up:

First, I was adopted by a Jewish family when I was six months old.

Second, my father and mother were certainly not strictly observant Jews. For example, we did not keep kosher. However, my father was deeply moved by the Jewish prophets who emphasized the importance of social justice and high levels of ethical standards.

Third, after going through a period of atheism/agnosticism from the ages of 17 to 24, I had several profound spiritual experiences which led me back to Judaism.

Fourth, while I obviously made the switch from Judaism to Unity, I have always been very proud of my Jewish roots.

Fifth, I do not believe that Jesus’ goal was to found another religion. I believe that Jesus’ first intention was to revitalize Judaism. Many leading modern biblical scholars support this conclusion.

Sixth, I wish we lived in the world where it was not necessary for some nations to adopt a state religion. I believe very strongly in the American constitutional provisions that provide for both the “freedom of religion” and the “separation of church and state.”

Seventh, despite my views as stated in the sixth point above, humanity has not so far developed a consciousness where “state religions” can be a thing of the past in all parts of the globe.

Eighth, I strongly believe in the necessity of there being a “Jewish state” to protect the survival of Judaism – – which has added (and continues to add) so many positive things to humanity.

The current reality is that there are only very few places in this world where it is safe to practice Judaism. Even in the United States antisemitism has recently been on the rise. My oldest son and daughter-in-law are conservative Jews, who belong to a synagogue in Austin, Texas. It has been necessary to have a wired fenced and armed guards protecting their house of worship.

And if you don’t believe that it is only safe to practice Judaism in very few countries, come and speak to me. I will tell you the story of my daughter-in-law‘s family that left the old country by the skin of their teeth and emigrated to South America— where they faced serious antisemitism. Fortunately, they were able to come to the United States.

And lastly, I believe that we should be able to apply our spiritual principles to the challenges that we face in the real world. After all Charles and Myrtle Fillmore called Unity “practical Christianity.” This doesn’t mean that if we all really apply our spiritual principles to the issues of, say, Social Security funding or climate change and the environment we will all come up with the same solution. But I believe that when we remember our spiritual grounding, we are much more likely collectively to produce a better outcome.

So, given all of the above, I have really been trying to apply spiritual principles to the Israel-Hamas conflict. My heart really has gone out for the deaths that have occurred on both sides.

I am reminded of an observation made by Oliver Wendell Holmes: “For every problem there is a solution which is neat, simple, and wrong.” New York Times, columnist Thomas Friedman, who is a leading expert on the Middle East, recently said that he is sick and tired of hearing simple-minded solutions from Americans, who really know next to nothing about the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

So, I have been praying for wisdom and understanding concerning the conflict. What has come back to me is a sense that Spirit does not want me to be just another American mouthing simple minded solutions that have no applicability in the reality of the Middle East.

Let’s face it, I live in a place where no enemy troops, missiles, or drones are going to be coming in over the Blue Ridge Mountains and hitting my home. And the worst “supply side” crisis that I have ever lived under is where there was no diet caffeine-free soda in the stores for several weeks.

I really felt Spirit— or my higher self— saying to me that I should learn more about this crisis, and not just mouth my biases. Let me share with you two things that have really had a big impact on me:

Yossi Klein Halevi

The first is a podcast (The Ezra Klein Show produced by The New York Times). It featured an interview with Yossi Klein Halevi, who is a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. His most recent book is entitled Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor.

Dr. Halevi had been active in the Israeli peace movement. But he saw right wing Israeli leaders make it more difficult for Palestinians to accept Israeli peace overtures. At the same time, he saw Palestinian leaders – – like Yasir Arafat – – walk away from genuine peace proposals offered by moderate Israeli leaders, such as the late Prime Minister Rabin.

Dr. Halevi said that currently there really is no Palestinian group that Israel can negotiate with. Negotiating with Hamas is out of the question for even liberal Israelis after what they did on October 7. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority, which controls the West Bank, is very corrupt and ineffective. Even within the Palestinian community, the Palestinian Authority lacks legitimacy to negotiate. This is a situation where I think Oliver Wendell Holmes’ observation (stated above) really applies. The best we can hope for is an ending of hostilities. In the long run, a lasting peace deal is realistically way down the road.

Amos Oz

The second thing that has really moved me is a memoir by the award-winning Israeli author Amos Oz. The book is entitled A Tale of Love and Darkness and it is about Oz’s childhood growing up in Jerusalem in the 1930s and 1940s. This was the period of the Nazi holocaust, the ending of the British rule in Palestine, the founding of the Jewish state, and Arab-Israeli war following the United Nations proclamation, which tried to create a two-state solution in Palestine.

In the face of over 6 million Jews being slaughtered, one can understand the hopes and dreams of a Hebrew state. Oz shows the miracles of the Israeli kibbutz movement and turning desert into productive farmland. He also describes the joys of seeing a once almost dead language – – Hebrew – – come alive in so many cultural forms. Oz also depicts the founding of a democracy in a part of the world that was not known for these values.

However, at the same time Oz is also a master of showing the contradictions often experienced by Palestinians. Israel is not a land of “milk and honey“ for all who live there. And these serious contradictions live on to this day.

Oz blends the diminishing of the “land of milk and honey” dream on a national level with a crisis in his own personal life. Oz’s mother dies when the author is only 12 years old. Some have argued that this was a jolt that Oz never really recovered from.

I wish I could tell you that all the above has produced some grand solutions in my mind. Quite frankly, I doubt that such a simple solution for the Middle East exists. But I do believe that we can pray for – – and work for– – steps that move us in the direction of peace and justice.

I also think that it is very important for us to attempt to apply our spiritual principles to the myriad of challenges that we face in the real world. We can see these challenges as opportunities for more spiritual growth.

As we sing at the end of every service at U7H: “Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me.”