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Kol Nidre And Jabotinsky: The Season For Jewish Unity
I
a “Jewish Unity Challenge” that
t can be claimed that no sin-
comes to mind again as we
gle day in the Jewish liturgi-
celebrate the High Holidays.
cal calendar is clearly meant
This “Challenge” is a personal
to showcase the unity of the
call to all Jews, including you,
Jewish People than Yom Kippur.
to start reaching out across the
And during Yom Kippur, no
aisle — to create one united
single service symbolizes that
Jewish people. Just because
unity more than the famous
Kol Nidre. A short declaration
Joshua Goldstein Jews come from many different
backgrounds and hold different
made with a call that we all
beliefs doesn’t mean that we
stand together is made near the
cannot show love and respect
start of the service:
for one another.
“By the authority of the
Our diverse types, colors and
Court on High and by author-
traditions should be seen as
ity of the court down here, by
a strength for all of us, rather
the permission of One Who Is
than foster exclusivity, elitism,
Everywhere and by the permis-
selectiveness and even superi-
sion of this congregation, we
ority.
hold it lawful to pray with sin-
Ahavat Yisrael — the uncon-
ners.”
ditional
love of our fellow Jews
So, all Jews, regardless of
Moshe Phillips
— should not be seen as some
religiosity and regardless of
unattainable dream. In our
their mistakes, are all to stand
time, we can make it a reality.
together, in prayer together, as
We should not have to rely on
one united congregation at Kol
the threat of anti-Semitism and
Nidre.
impending dangers affecting Israel as
And if that is not clearly a goal of
the only things.
the day, then why are so many of the
The lack of love and unity was con-
pronouns used in the liturgy in the
sidered by the ancient Jewish sages of
plural, such as “We” and “Our,” includ-
the era of the Mishnah to be the root
ing the well-known and beloved Avinu,
Malkenu (Our Father, Our King) prayer? cause of the destruction of the Second
Holy Temple in Jerusalem, the Temple
We are each praying for ourselves and
we plead with God to allow us to
for each other: for all Jews, everywhere
rebuild throughout the High Holidays.
in the world.
If we can re-introduce ourselves
Also on Kol Nidre night, we plead:
“May all the people of Israel be forgiven, and start the process of accepting one
another, in the spirit of Ahavat Yisrael,
including all the strangers who live in
we can again grow as individuals — and
their midst ...”
as a collective nation.
We in Herut North America, as part
The Jewish Unity Challenge is
of the Herut World Movement, conduct
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designed to spark a conversation
between diverse types of Jews, so that
we can achieve greater things for the
State of Israel and the Jewish people.
It is time to put aside differences
that we may have with other Jews and
focus on the wonderful, time-honored
things that unite us as Jews. This is
your individual challenge. And this is
our collective challenge as a commu-
nity.
What we are talking about is simple,
yet we call it a challenge because it is
not so easy. When it comes down to it,
many of us have a knee-jerk reaction
to leaving our comfort zones. It is time
to look at the bigger picture, to let go a
little and to reach across the table. The
High Holidays force us to re-examine
our biases and to change our thinking.
The Herut World Movement is dedi-
cated to the values of Ze’ev Jabotinsky
(1880-1940), who was a key leader of
world Zionism before World War II;
he was a mentor of Menachem Begin
and a champion of Jewish unity. And
in Jabotinsky’s honor, we conduct this
campaign.
Let us discuss what we believe may
be best for Israel and the Jewish people.
Let us argue, but as we discuss these
opinions, we must remember that all
Jews are responsible for one another
— no matter our backgrounds, beliefs,
colors, etc.
Late last year, we marked the 30th
anniversary Freedom Sunday for Soviet
Jews. That Dec. 6, 1987, rally saw more
than a quarter-million American
Jews unite on the National Mall in
Washington to stand up for Soviet Jews
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at what was the single largest gathering
of Jews in U.S. history.
In decades past, U.S. Jews instinc-
tively knew that the High Holiday
period was the time to concentrate on
Jewish unity.
On Oct. 6, 1943, three days before
Yom Kippur, 400 rabbis marched
in Washington, D.C., to call for
Allied action to save European Jews.
Organized by the Jabotinsky move-
ment activist leader Hillel Kook (under
his pseudonym Peter Bergson) it was
the only effort of its type during the
Holocaust in America.
Later in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s,
an annual Simchat Torah Rally for
Soviet Jewry was organized through-
out the U.S., including in Philadelphia
and Washington, D.C. For example,
in 1968 and 1971, rallies were held at
the Washington Monument. Natan
Sharansky’s Philadelphia speech at
the rally in 1986, just half a year or so
after his release from the Soviets, was a
remarkable highlight of these rallies.
Let us show that we can all love each
other in Jewish unity during this High
Holiday season and always. The Talmud
Bavli introduces the Aramaic phrase,
Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh, meaning
“All of the People of Israel are respon-
sible for each other.” Let each of us
meditate on that idea, grow from it and
take action. •
Joshua Goldstein is the chairman of Herut North
America and a board member of the American
Zionist Movement on behalf of Herut. Moshe
Phillips is national director of Herut North
America’s U.S. section. Herut is an international
movement for Zionist pride and education.
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September 13 • 2018
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