From Jerusalem with Love

jihad, jihad, jihad

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"In the course of actual fighting, everyone wants to go on living, to come through it all; they all want to survive, to remain alive. Noting to do with Zionism."

- from The Seventh Day - Soldiers Talk About the Six Day War

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"We know only one word: jihad, jihad, jihad. We have a long struggle ahead of us.  I call upon each and every one of you to bring into this world at least twelve children and to give me ten of them in order to continue the struggle."

- Yasser Arafat, terrorist extraordinaire

 

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Yesterday I saw World Trade Center, the new Oliver Stone film about two New York City policemen trapped beneath the collapsed Twin Towers. Fortunately, Stone did not go his usual "conspiracy theory" route with 9/11; instead, the film focused on acts of heroism and the struggle to survive amidst the carnage.

Only once during the two hours of World Trade Center did I hear mention of  "revenge." Stone showed Americans at their finest hour, creating a celluloid eulogy for the hundreds of police officers and firefighters who rushed into the burning towers before they came down. The effort to locate survivors trapped amongst the ruins was extraordinary. Though only 20 survivors were pulled from Ground Zero, their rescue was a symbolic victory over those who murdered thousands of Americans that day.

Before the movie, I was reading a book of interviews with Israeli soldiers following 1967's Six Day War (see quote above). I was surprised to learn that most soldiers' battlefield motivation had nothing to do with Jewish revival, Zionism or hatred of the enemy. The will to live prompted these men to fight for their country's survival, and the survival of their families. These soldiers launched Israel's war machine hesitantly, and with regret. World Trade Center echoed a similar message: Americans do not seek to invade other countries or bring hardship to other people; above all, they value life and freedom.

This mentality is a sharp contrast to a jihad terrorism that encourages parents to send their children to die. Each month, thousands of people are slaughtered in the name of jihad. Though not a "traditional" war with boundaries and battlefields, jihad has claimed many thousands of lives in a score of countries. Though the enemy was identified many years ago, jihad continues to gain supporters and threaten our world.

There can be no "proportionate" response to those whose fondest desire is to annihilate non-Muslim infidels. Terrorists and their state sponsors have turned human life into the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. In a few decades, will only Muslims remain on our planet? If you find this prospect far-fetched or excessively "doomsday," you do not understand the resolve of our enemy. Will the free world overcome its queasiness (and knee-jerk liberalism) to win this war of ideology?

(Internet photos of children training for jihad)

In Exile, a Bit

A few hours ago I landed in New York after another glorious flight with Israir, whose motto is, "Israir - Fun is in the Air!" Not so much...

I will be in the US for two months, including a six-week stint in Boston doing Israel-related organizing and community relations. Don't expect this blog to be exiled, just because I am. For starters, you can check out the "Protest Against Hatred" album to see photos and a description of yesterday's WorldPride capstone event outside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City. The participant at left is holding a sign that says, "The Road to G-d Isn't Always Straight."

After the Storm Comes the Rainbow

This week’s Jerusalem WorldPride has been long in the making. Initially scheduled to take place last summer, the event was postponed due to Disengagement from Gaza. Though some of the city’s holiest leaders tried their hardest to prevent the program this week, WorldPride is here and – you guessed it – quite queer. Due to the war, the parade component was (appropriately) cancelled. In its place, the community will hold a “Protest for Tolerance,” expressing outrage toward the hate heaped upon it during recent weeks.

Take a look at this text from an Israeli newspaper to see what king of hate-mongers we are up against:

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In a letter dated July 20, Jerusalem District Police Commander Tzion Shai noted that tens of thousands, and possibly even hundreds of thousands of people were planning to disrupt the parade and physically attack the marchers and suggested holding the event indoors.

Last year, an ultra-Orthodox man stabbed three people during the city's pride parade, which attracted 10,000 locals. Last month, posters in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim offered a NIS 20,000 reward to "whoever causes the death of one of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah." (HaAretz, Aug. 9)

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This week’s WorldPride programs attracted hundreds of supporters from around the world. Far from the “naked parade” many would falsely stereotype Pride events, the week has focused on GBLT health, human rights and youth support (www.worldpride.net). A slew of films, art exhibits and performances have filled every corner of the city, all aiming to promote a message of tolerance and “love without borders.” A sharp contrast from the words and actions of the “religious” leaders mentioned above, no?

Last night, I attended the first-ever international gathering of GLBT clergy from the three monotheistic faiths, entitled Reclaiming Our Faith and Our Heritage. “We are all created in G-d’s image” was a major theme of the evening, as was the unique role GLBT people of faith have to play in the war against genocidal fundamentalism plaguing our world. “In the margins there is profound truth,” said Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, of New York City’s Congregation Beth Simchat Torah. Quoting Jewish teachings, Kleinbaum reminded attendees that “the stone the builders rejected became the cornerstone.”

Last night reminded me how deeply some people have distorted the teachings held sacred by millions of Jews, Christians and Muslims; however, if GLBT individuals – so long the target of persecution – can bear witness to G-d’s work and heal the world, there is hope for all of us. After the storm comes the rainbow.

(Above, Bishop Zachary Jones of Brooklyn's Unity Fellowship Church addresses attendees at the Interfaith Convocation.)

Sweet Illusions

"Cognitive dissonance is the perception of incompatibility between two cognitions, which can be defined as any element of knowledge, including attitude, emotion, belief, or behavior. The theory of cognitive dissonance holds that contradicting cognitions serve as a driving force that compels the mind to acquire or invent new thoughts or beliefs, or to modify existing beliefs, so as to reduce the amount of dissonance (conflict) between cognitions."

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Last week, I met a recently baked muffin named Hadar (left). To distract her from hunger-induced pouting, I offered this sing-song admonishment: "You may know what you need but to get what you want better see that you keep what you have." It's doubtful the fresh muffin understood what I meant, but she will one day. Sometimes, sweet words and thoughts can help us battle harsh realities attempting to intrude.

As I fell asleep last night, I almost let the reality demons scare me into submission. Two-hours' drive north from my apartment, 2,000 rockets have been raining down into Israel for the past three weeks. Death, injury, destruction and terror hold one-third of the country hostage. Hundreds of Lebanese civlians have been killed because Hizbollah fires rockets from their homes, knowing some will perish during Israeli self-defense actions. Surrounding my city Jerusalem, countless Palestinians continue to plot suicide bombings and other attacks. Every day in the news I read about bombers caught on the way to an attack, a terrorist supply line interrupted, or funders of terrorism arrested.

The size of New Jersey, Israel faces genocidal extremists on all fronts - from the north, east and south. Fortunately, the Mediterranean Sea is the western border, and the Arabs don't have many submarines. Because the war against Israel has lasted for six decades, cognitive dissonance has developed here like no place on Earth. No other country faces threats to its daily existence like Israel. No other country has lost so many soldiers and civilians (proportionately) for the right to survive.

I watch the news on TV, in both English and Hebrew, and read about it from sources around the world. I speak with Israelis who've fought in Lebanon, lost friends there, and survived terror attacks. Almost every major street in Jerusalem has a small plaque next to some cafe or building commemorating a terror attack that took place there. What to do?

To lead an ordinary life here, the dissonance between harsh reality and the joy of everyday life must be resolved by every individual desiring sanity. Ignore it, laugh at it, cope with it, obsess over it, run from it. Just make sure to pick one or more methods and stick to them, or living here will become unbearable. So much for the "Jewish Switzerland" envisioned by Herzl when he wrote about his Jewish state.

Yesterday I took a tiyul (trip) with a friend southwest of Jerusalem. The green Judean Hills are sparsely populated (by Israeli standards), filled with farms, winding roads and forests planted by the Jewish National Fund many decades ago. Our first stop was a highly touted cheese farm. The restaurant was closed and no one was around, so we helped ourselves to wine and cheese, leaving a thank-you note with money. An hour into our feast, a man (apparently the owner or manager) walked onto the scene. He couldn't care less that two tourists were eating his cheese and drinking his wine - uninvited! - and he walked off the scene after doing something in the kitchen. Very Israeli.

After the self-led wine and cheese tour, we drove to the Sorek Cave. Filled with dazzling stalactites and stalagmites, the cave was discovered by accident 30 years ago. Nature created the scenes inside during the course of many thousands of years, unhindered by man. Interestingly, many of the formations closely resemble man and G-d-made creations, from a wedding cake to a sitting monkey.

At one point during yesterday's tiyul, we called a close friend in the US. The friend was quite depressed by the news coming from Israel and felt guilty she was not here, and powerless she could (seemingly) do nothing to help. We - who were actually in Israel - were enjoying a relaxing day of exploration, cheap wine and cheese, and natural beauty. The rockets continued to fly into Israel just two hours north, and terrorists continued to plot attacks in the surrounding hills. For us, yesterday was just another day of dissonance in this Holy Land of war.

See the "Cheese Farm" and "Sorek Cave" photo albums.