SPECIAL
COMMENTARY

Time To Lead

New York

W

hen Moses transferred
his leadership to Joshua,
the new leader faced
major challenges. Not
only would Joshua be measured in
comparison to Moses' stellar job per-
formance, but he
faced the twin
challenges of fur-
thering the vision
of his predecessor
as it related to
the Land of Israel
and preserving
the identity of
the people as
they experienced
RABBI JEROME new opportuni-
M. EPSTEIN
ties.
Special to
Joshua's fol-
the Jewish News
lowers were sensi-
tive to the enor-
mous responsibil-
ity faced by their leader and seized the
opportunity to bless him with a
unique statement: Hazak v'ematz —
"Be strong and courageous." His peo-
ple knew that it was not only the
strength to fight the external enemy
that was necessary. They realized as
well that self-doubt and criticism by
his followers could impair his judg-
ment and mitigate his effective leader-
ship. Thus, their words were intended
to bolster Joshua's confidence.
Our Jewish community today is simi-
larly challenged. Israel is in danger, fac-
ing enemies who seek nothing less than
her destruction. In addition to these per-
ilous external forces, however, Israel
must confront internal forces that pre-
sent a parallel danger. The general apa-
thy of the diaspora community towards
Israel is overwhelming. Although emo-
tional ties certainly exist, there is often a
reluctance to translate feelings into
behavior.
As Israel faces the reality of attacks
— verbal and physical — from ene-
mies within and outside her borders,
that nation also requires concrete sup-
port from those who profess their
love. Yet most diaspora Jews withhold
that support. We find excuses to avoid
participating in rallies. We refrain
from writing letters to politicians and
the media that would passionately

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TIME TO LEAD on page 44

Rabbi Jerome M. Epstein is executive
vice president of the United Synagogue
of Conservative Judaism, the association
of Conservative congregations in North
America.

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