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Special to The Jewish News
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L
AMERICAN
CANk
gr y,
R
N
he sedra recounts the
final hours that the
children of Israel spent
in the land of Egypt. The
most grievous of the plagues,
the slaying of the first born,
befell the Egyptians.
Pharaoh, in despair, called
upon Moses and Aaron and
declared, "Arise, go forth from
among my people. Leave the
land?'
An astute commentator
points out a singular phrase
in the text: "Depart, both of
you and the children of
Israel?' Up until that mo-
ment, the ruler of Egypt had
referred to the Hebrews by
the word am, people or
masses. This was the first
time that Pharaoh called
these slaves by their name —
Children of Israel. Pharaoh
finally recognized their iden-
tity. They were persons; they
had an ancestry; they were
b'nai Yisroel.
An important insight is
compressed in that comment,
illuminating aspects of con-
temporary life. In 1947, the
British evacuated Palestine
and the State of Israel was
declared in 1948. But the
British government was not
ready to recognize the in-
dependence of that state, so it
sent messages addressed to
"the Jewish authorities in Tel
Aviv."
Forty-four years later, Arab
spokesmen continue to refer
to the 3.5 million people who
are their neighbors as did the
British in 1947. In the United
Nations, one hears references
to the "Zionist entity" as
though a whole generation of
Israel's independent ex-
istence had never occurred, as
though there is no State of
Israel.
The greatest difficulty in
bringing peace to the Middle
East is deeper than the issues
of boundaries, treaties or
refugees. The nations of the
world must say to the Arab
countries, "The State of Israel
exists. You must recognize
her identity and call her by
name."
As we look at our people's
past, we see another dimen-
sion of this truth. Although
the identity of the Jewish peo-
ple has, through the cen-
turies, been a mystery to
others, the Jew was always
aware of who he was. He
Irwin Groner is senior rabbi
of Congregation Shaarey
Zedek.
knew his name. The Jew
never forgot his origin, his
lineage and his mission as a
member of am kodosh, a
sacred pepole. He had a
responsibility to lead a life of
purity and holiness. No mat-
ter what the czar said, or the
peasants believed, or the
church declared, no one could
deprive the Jew of his most
precious possession: his iden-
tity. If you cherish your
heritage, no suffering or
tribulation can crush your
spirit.
Challenged by the impact of
modernity, ours is the only
generation in the panorama
of Jewish history that has
asked the question "Who is a
Jew?" It was not asked in the
period of the Talmud, in
the Middle Ages, in the many
Shabbat Bo:
Exodus 10:1-13:16,
Jeremiah 46:13-28.
lands of the Diaspora. But in
the last 40 years, this ques-
tion has been asked repeated-
ly. It continually surfaces in
a free society where Jews
have integrated extensively
in every aspect of collective
life. "Who are we?" forces us
to confront our relationship
with our past, our distinctive
way of life, our unique
existence.
Before a couple gets mar-
ried they usually meet with
the rabbi, who discusses with
them aspects of the wedding
ceremony. One of the ques-
tions asked is "What is your
Hebrew name, and the
Hebrew name of your father
and mother?" (In the course of
the ceremony, the Ketubah,
or marriage contract, is read,
identifying the bride and the
groom by their Hebrew
names.) At that point of the
interview, a look of puzzle-
ment often appears on the
faces of the couple and an em-
barrassed pause ensues.
These young people know
they are Jews, and they are
proud to be Jews. But they are
not sure of their own names.
To know one's name is to
know one's individuality, uni-
queness and the fact that one
is different from others. Such
knowledge should be high on
the agenda of the American
Jewish community. For it is
this knowledge that con-
stitutes the necessary condi-
tion for the redemption of our
people, for the revitalization
of our faith and for the
renewal of our spirit. ❑