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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