Eight months later, how have things changed? How are we different? Or not?
Readers noted that a conversation I had eight months ago with Rabbi David Ingber of 92NY and the Romemu community in NYC just got uploaded to YouTube. We revisit it, to see what's changed.
A few readers wrote me recently to note that a conversation I had eight months ago with Rabbi David Ingber of 92NY and Romemu in NYC just got uploaded to YouTube. It had been on the 92NY site for a while, but the new YouTube link made accessing the video much easier.
I hadn’t thought of mentioning its new appearance on YouTube until I saw this screenshot on social media. Brianna Wu’s change of heart about the war in Israel, particularly regarding her understanding of how progressives betrayed American Jews, was exactly along the lines of the conversation that Rabbi Ingber and I had.
That led me to wonder how much our views, worries, or hopes might have changed in the past eight months.
Eight months ago, I said with a certain degree of surprise, “it’s been ten weeks, and they’re still firing rockets.” Back then, we couldn’t believe that they were still firing rockets, but that they’re still firing rockets almost a year into the war no longer feels very surprising.
Eight months ago, the notion that we would have been attacked by Iran’s sending hundreds of warheads our way, but that we’d respond with a slap on the wrist (we had no other US-sanctioned choices), would have been unthinkable.
Eight months ago, the idea that Yemen could successfully send drones into Tel Aviv, permeating all our defenses, would not have crossed our minds.
Eight months ago, most of us didn’t imagine that we’d see what it looks like to be brought to the Hague to face charges of genocide, Israel’s become “a nation that dwells apart” in the international community.
Eight months ago, we were celebrating a newfound unity that had emerged among the people. That’s long since gone. Just consider this comment by MK Yuli Edelstein, once widely respected, reported in today’s Israeli Hebrew press (Google translation is not elegant, but it will give you the sense):
Whatever one thinks of the protesters’ demands for a deal (and reasonable minds can and do differ on that), that’s how a leader of the Israeli government refers to people who have daughters and sons in Hamas’ tunnels? Yes, these days, that is exactly how people speak about them.
Eight months ago, Rabbi Ingber and I spoke about the crisis facing Jews in America, but neither of us could possibly have imagined what would unfold on Columbia’s campus just north of where we were sitting or on dozens of campuses around the country.
Eight months ago, I mentioned the war in the north, reminding our audience that relative to Hezbollah, “Hamas is the cub scouts.” Beepers or no beepers (the operation was a stunning intelligence success, but obviously will have close to zero impact on a wider war if one breaks out), Hezbollah is a massive force just to our north, and the rumors are that there have been serious, angry divisions between the PM and the army, between Gallant and the government, over whether or not Israel is actually equipped to go to war with Hezbollah. Or with Hezbollah and Iran. Or with Hezbollah and Iran and Yemen and Iraq and Syria.
Eight months ago, in short, things were very different, but in some ways, they were also very much the same. For eight months ago, I reminded our audience that Israel had one overarching objective in this war—to survive.
Harrowingly, that latter challenge has not passed. And if the last few days are any indication, surviving may become much more complex.
With my thanks once again to Rabbi Ingber, whose courage as a progressive rabbi in acknowledging that much of his worldview had to change set him apart from almost every other Jewish progressive leader in America, for the invitation to be in dialogue, and for making our conversation accessible to everyone. (NOTE: the video was uploaded at a fairly low resolution, but it’s still more than adequate.)
So this particular segment nailed one of my struggles as a novice In the practice of meditation and mindfulness. There are now even groups that are "Jewish" mindfulness
Judaism is a particularistic religion. A careful reading of the Kiddush is all one needs to remind oneself of this fact.
Of late I wonder on my cushion, how does one square the mindfulness and Buddist practice of sending out of kindness and light to the entire world with the inescapable fact that evil people are trying to kill us now? Cannot do it, just cannot, Hamas is not worthy of my regard.
And what does one do about the pursuit of equanimity in the face of the desperate struggle to save the state of Israel?
Edelstein,still widely respected for his candid ,honest ,fearless portrayal of a pitiful abuse of the hostage situation by ‘enlighteneduseful idiots which your self ,Gordis,can be included in spreading false hopes