8 | APRIL 7 • 2022
student corner
Mind and Soul Together
F
or the last few years,
the United States has
been polarized with
conflict. Both politically and
philosophically, it is a fact that
the U.S. makes
for a country of
disagreement
in the present.
However, this is
something that
can be fixed and
adjusted. Now is
the time to do it.
As a Hillel student, I have
learned so much about repair-
ing the broken and healing
the vulnerable. In addition,
Hillel has taught me ways to
think critically to help my
community both positively
and effectively, using my mind
and my soul. As I embark into
my final weeks at Hillel, I am
grateful for the experiences
that the school has given me
and the lessons for life that I
have learned.
One of those treasures was
our trip to Washington, D.C.,
where we spent hours learn-
ing about important history
and facts about America. We
visited monuments, museums
and memorials to expand our
knowledge on the history of
our country. We also had deep
conversations in which we
learned a lot about each other.
Finally, we shared laughs with
each other throughout our
meals, on the bus and in our
rooms.
Throughout these events,
Hillel was educating our minds
by teaching us lessons and
developing our souls by letting
us build connections with each
other. Hillel has nurtured us
into capable and intelligent
young adults who can use both
their minds and souls to move
forward to the next step and
into tomorrow. And by stim-
ulating our minds and souls,
Hillel has ensured us that all
of us can grow to be the lead-
ers of our community. This is
how Hillel has instructed their
students in the classical genera-
tional tradition of Hillel.
Today, as I continue to watch
the tragedy that is happening
in Ukraine unfold, I can use
Hillel’s mind and soul lesson in
order to help all Ukrainians. I
can use the tools Hillel has gift-
ed me to make a difference, an
effect, an impact on Ukraine.
And it doesn’t necessarily have
to be large, but something to
help the situation. It is vital
that we do not simply look the
other way and think that it is
not happening to us, but that
we feel bothered and disturbed
by the crisis. Because I feel
unsettled, I feel motivated to
help and make a difference in
any manner possible.
It is not just me that must
apply the “Hillel lesson” to
himself. It must be our whole
community, extended-com-
munity, state and ultimately
the country. We must, togeth-
er, look at what real tragedy
and conflict is and move
beyond ours. If we do this, we
can bring peace to the world
and bring justice to all civil-
ians, including Ukrainians.
I challenge all of my class-
mates to apply the “mind and
soul” lesson to themselves.
We must listen to the words
of Golda Meir, “It isn’t really
important to decide when you
are very young just exactly
what you want to become
when you grow up. It is much
more important to decide on
the way you want to live.”
As we listen to these words,
we realize that it is our time to
make a difference. Forward,
with mind and soul, better
together.
Zeev Maine is an eighth-grader at
Hillel Day School of Metropolitan
Detroit.
Zeev Maine
PURELY COMMENTARY
target was hit, and the control-
ler fills out an Excel sheet, and
they move onto the next target.
The other path, which is the
total opposite of the banality
of the job, is the feeling of a
real hatred for the enemy. It’s
natural to feel that you hate
someone who wants to kill you
… but if we think about it, there
is a fine line between the will
to go into battle and beat your
opponent and hating him as a
person. From my perspective,
there is no reason to hate an
entire population of any orga-
nized group (such as a state
or any other governing body)
just because their leaders have
decided to go to war. This is
an especially important point
when thinking about how sol-
diers express themselves within
the civil discourse.
CIVILIANS IN ISRAEL
I recently attended a briefing
by an Israeli official, who
told us that there are Russian
and Ukrainian teens that live
together in a boarding pro-
gram in Israel. He shared the
complexity they now have
between them. For me, this
is very saddening. Why on
earth would two teens, living
in Israel, become enemies just
because their states are at war?
Don’t get me wrong, I am not
so naive. It’s natural to feel con-
nected to your country’s narra-
tive, but extrapolating conflicts
just creates more conflict.
When we dehumanize peo-
ple from the other side, just
because they are from the other
side, we dehumanize ourselves.
You don’t need to look hard to
find ordinary people writing
memes on social media, cursing
and demonizing Russians (civil-
ians or soldiers).
I was fortunate to serve in the
Israeli Air Force, which relies
on the Israeli Defense Forces
Code of Ethics. This code gives
an unproportionable weight
toward the decision making
of soldiers in the battlefield,
regarding the morality of their
actions and the importance of
innocent lives.
I truly hope this war will
end today. It’s horrible, it’s sad,
it’s devastating. Unfortunately,
it seems like it will continue
longer than we wish. While
it is happening, our morality
comes into effect as we try to
stop the invasion and the kill-
ing of innocent civilians while
staying humane ourselves in
the way we think, speak, write,
and educate ourselves and
others, about the situation.
Yiftah Leket is Detroit’s communi-
ty shaliach (emissary) from Israel.
This essay was first published by
Federation’s Israel and Overseas
Department.
Maintaining Humanity in War continued from page 4