Dear Friends,
Much has been written this week about the recent Salute to Israel parade in New York City.
The parade is an opportunity for many different groups to show their support for Israel.
Undoubtedly, there are always people who try to disrupt the parade. Rarely, however, are those members of the Jewish community. Sadly, that was the case this year.
Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) is a group that has as its mission the ending of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and peace with the Palestinians. JVP advocates for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) of Israel, in the hopes that if Israel feels the pressure economically, it will be forced to make peace for all who live there.
I am personally not a fan of the BDS movement, as I feel it inappropriately singles out Israel for responsibility for the situation, and also because companies who get targeted because they operate in the West Bank are not responsible for setting military or strategic policy and shouldn't be punished for it, to say nothing of the fact that closing factories and businesses in the West Bank actually harms the Palestinian workers of those companies. Sadly, there is too much anti-semitism pervading the BDS movement, and I don't find much benefit to it.That said, JVP's insistence that Israel can and must do more to make peace is a message I can understand and agree with. I do think Israel makes mistakes (like every other country, including our own), while at the same time I know that the Palestinians and the rest of arab world leadership also bear much of the blame. Israel's not perfect, Palestinian and arab leadership has been a seemingly total disaster when it comes to peace, and who knows how the situation will ever improve.
Amidst all of this comes the annual Salute to Israel parade. Youth groups, school groups and representatives of many major movements and Jewish organizations take part in the parade. When I was a student at a Jewish Day School in New Jersey, we'd go march every year. The parade is a big day in New York, with tens of thousands of people turning out to support Israel's right to exist and celebrate the magic that is the state of Israel.
What happened at the parade?
JVP organized over 100 protesters to disrupt the parade, including blocking New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio's motorcade, and targeting a group of marchers from an organization called Jewish Queer Youth (JQY). JQY seeks to provide a safe space for Jewish youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer. Many of these youth have fled their ultra-orthodox homes to find support and acceptance. In a time when too many people are still demonized for their sexuality, JQY provides a haven for people who need a welcoming home in the Jewish world.
Some JVP protesters are also members of the LGBTQ community and disrupted the JQY contingent of marchers, unplugging their speakers, unfurling banners with anti-Israel slogans, and shouting down the JQY marchers. 7 JVP protesters were arrested, but the damage was done.
For the life of me, I can't understand why JVP thought that targeting JQY would be wise.
Of all the Jewish organizations JVP could have targeted, attacking JQY was bound to turn many people against JVP.
I will admit, I'm not a protester. I don't walk in marches, and I've only rarely participated in protests of any kind. I'm grateful for those who do participate and show support for their convictions. I just choose to be an activist in different ways.
That said, the only sense I can make out of JVP's decision to disrupt the JQY marchers is that the suffering that they wish to end by raising awareness of Israel's misdeeds is so great that it trumps even the suffering of other organizations. In short, my suffering is greater than your suffering, and I don't care who I have to step on to prove that my victimization is the most serious.
There's an expression I learned from one of my teachers, which says that hurt people, hurt people. When people do bad things, I try to remember that they are wounded inside, and just expressing that wound in an unhealthy manner. I think that's what happened here. JVP members felt that the pain and suffering of the Palestinians is so great that they (JVP) must stop at nothing to get the Jewish world to convince Israel to change. I can understand the logic, even if I disagree with it, and I abhor their tactics.
The only way to heal the world is to meet suffering with love, to understand each others stories in new lights, and create new partnerships of meaning and understanding. How does anyone benefit from one group attacking another in this way? JVP could have stood along the side of the route and expressed their displeasure. They could have taken out an ad in major newspapers and instead they chose to disrupt another group, only compounding the problems. Bullying someone to get what you want is not helpful. Attacking innocent marchers just because they hold a position you disagree with is a cowardly approach that signals to me that JVP is not willing to listen to those who march and instead just want their views to be foisted upon everyone else.
When will we learn that causing more suffering can't heal suffering? When will we learn that only love can heal this world and move us forward? I'm not saying that everyone has to love everything everyone else does. We're all entitled to be individuals. We're not, however, entitled to stomp on the hopes and dreams of others to get what we want. We're not entitled to see anyone else as less important than ourselves. We're not entitled to demand loyalty from others to our own opinions. One would think an organization that advocates for peace would understand that their methods ought to be peaceful. Sadly, great suffering resulted from JVP's short-sightedness. I hope the JQY marchers weren't traumatized by JVP. I have to imagine if I were in their shoes, I would've been hurt greatly by this. When I was 16 I went to Poland and Israel with United Synagogue Youth, the Conservative movement's youth group. While walking in Poland, we encountered a few neo-nazis who marched through our group shouting terrible things at us. I carried that scar with me for years. That JVP would choose to act in such a way that would cause other scars to JQY is a sign of how far we have descended from civility and kindness towards all.
Suffering can't be healed by more suffering. Only love can help us heal. Only reaching beyond ourselves to see the light of everyone we meet can bring us to healthier place. I yearn for a time when we recognize the divinity and humanity found in everyone. Let us all be the ones to lead by example. Let us be God's emissaries on earth, spreading love and light to all those we can.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ilan
PS Speaking of love, thanks to all of you who wished me a mazel tov on my engagement to Sherri. We're very excited about what the future holds for us, and can hardly wait until we get married sometime in the fall. Sherri is the kindest and best person I know. I am incredibly blessed to have her in my life. Given the journey I've been on for these last few years, I don't take love and friendship for granted. Grateful for healing, and for finding hope, joy, peace, and love. May we all be so blessed.
PPS This coming Wednesday I'll be teaching a one-time class on the laws, history, and customs of keeping kosher - everything you wanted to know in two hours or less. Please join me at 7 pm on Wednesday for this fun session.
