JANUARY 25 • 2024 | 9
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with the writings of Rabbi
Avraham Yitzchak Kook,
considered the spiritual
father of religious Zionism
and an inspiration for many
religious settlers, whom I, as
a supporter of the two-state
solution, find problematic.
In another lecture, I found
myself similarly moved by
writings of Palestinian citizens
of Israel on the disorientation
and loss they feel as strangers
in their own land. Instructors
on more than one occasion
disagreed with each other,
sometimes themselves.
Contrast that with what is
passing for context in recent
weeks — the stuff that neatly
explains why Israel is to blame
for Oct. 7 or, conversely, why
the Palestinians are simply
an imaginary people who
should find somewhere else to
live. Jews are commanded to
accept the entire Torah, even
the parts we don’t like.
One more contradiction:
Jews are, institute President
Donniel Hartman noted
during the seminar, a people
of deeds, not creeds. That
is particularly true now, as
thousands of Israelis take
part in dangerous combat
and millions more volunteer
to help feed and house
displaced victims. The
beautiful Jerusalem stone
campus where we studied
has, in recent weeks, hosted
schoolchildren displaced from
the Gaza border.
Here in the United States,
there’s also an irresistible urge
to do something. We’re raising
money, marching, hanging
posters, calling members
of Congress, hopping on
planes to Israel. This is
understandable and laudable.
What I learned over the
summer though, remains true
now: Jews, even those who
aren’t traditionally observant,
need to explore and at times
question what we believe, so
that those beliefs may guide
how we live. “We need our
flags, our creeds,” Hartman
said.
I’m not here to tell you what
to believe in these difficult
times. To be completely
honest, I don’t always know
what I believe: Like so many
Jews, both here and in Israel, I
find myself vocally supporting
a war while feeling guilt and
sadness over its destructive
toll; trusting a government
I intensely oppose; praying
for a return of our hostages
while fearing the potential
price; balancing visceral anger
at what was done to us and a
fear of where that anger may
take us. The lectures, deeply
sourced in texts ranging from
the Bible and Talmud to
Israeli children’s songs, often
took us to contradictory and
uncomfortable places.
Remembering the warmth
and vibrance of my time in
Jerusalem, I can only suggest
that we all continue to learn,
and to be open to context.
Hartman is one place to get
some right now. The institute
has stepped up its popular
English-language podcasts —
For Heaven’s Sake, Identity
Crisis and Perfect Jewish
Parents — and its scholars
frequently visit U.S. cities,
including Detroit.
David Zenlea is a magazine editor
and father of two daughters. He lives in
Huntington Woods.
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