AIPAC, Purim and You

AIPAC, Purim And You

By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

Sitting at the airport on my way home from the AIPAC conference, I am surrounded by a large number of fellow travelers, all of us vigorously exchanging ideas, thoughts and opinions, all of us brimming with excitement spilling over from an incredible gathering.  More than 16,000 of us crowded into the Washington Convention Center for three days, a fantastic event that was amazingly well planned, organized and carried out.  The program was incredible, the presentations moving, the discussions and panels stimulating.

Of course the guest speakers were the highlight of the whole conference, none more so than Israel's Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, who without a doubt is one of Israel's best orators ever.

As always, we learned much about technological and humanitarian innovations that Israel is so famous for, but arching over the whole conference were two large themes:  1) The Iranian nuclear threat; 2) the strained Israel-US relationship.

I am not sure that at the end of three days, these issues were resolved.  The fallout from Netanyahu’s speech before Congress will continue to resonate in the media for days, weeks and perhaps months.  The elections coming up in Israel will be viewed with a similar microscope.  No other country in the world is so watched and analyzed by so many people and pundits than the State of Israel.  A week after the elections in Israel, the deadline in the Iran-US nuclear talks will arrive, and once again the results will be discussed and scrutinized to no end.

One thing, however, remains clear:  Israel and the US remain close friends and allies.  This was Netanyahu’s third speech before Congress.  The only other world leader who was similarly invited was Winston Churchill.  And no matter who attended the speech today and who conspicuously didn’t, the reception was incredible.  Those who were there were not only supporters of Netanyahu, not only those who relished what they perceived as a political jab in Obama’s eye, but also those who understood the important, deep and indestructible relationship that exists between Israel and the United States.

It isn’t only security issues that unite us.  It’s also economic and technological ties.  And above all, it’s our shared ideals and values. 

The close ties between America and Israel were strained many times over the past few decades.  President Truman was reluctant to recognize the nascent State of Israel, yet the United States was the first country that did recognize Israel, a mere eleven minutes after David Ben Gurion proclaimed its Declaration of Independence. In 1956, 1967, 1973 and many other times the United States criticized Israel for “intransigence.”  An article published in Foreign Affairs spoke of “The Coming Crisis in Israeli-American Relationships.” The author was George W. Ball, and the article appeared in the winter 1979/80 issue.

And yet the friendship flourished and the alliance has only grown stronger.

The current crisis will pass like the others, not because it isn’t serious, but because there is something that far outweighs the tensions and disagreements.  And that is the understanding that Israel’s existence represents, above all else, historical justice.  The American people understand this.  The Jewish state understands this.

What AIPAC showed all 16000 of us is that Americans and Israelis—along with many of other nationalities—are doing everything they can to ensure that Israel will survive despite the enemies that surround it.  The current hatred shown Israel in many places around the world isn’t merely political; it isn’t about “the settlements.”  It isn’t about the supposed mistreatment of the Palestinians.  It’s about the traditional, age-old hatred known as anti-Semitism.  It’s a scourge we Jews know only too well.

This week we celebrate Purim, an ancient holiday that celebrates our redemption from Persian persecution more than 2000 years ago, when an evil man named Haman attempted to vilify us before his king and wove a genocidal plan that would have made Pharaoh and Hitler and countless other tyrants proud.  Yet Haman and all the others are gone, while we, the Jewish People, are still here.  Our current enemies will similarly disappear.

But for those who expect divine miracles, the Book of Esther has some serious lessons.  Miracles may be ordained by God, but they are carried out by human beings.  Our current enemies will fall as have all their predecessors, but not by any act of God.  It will take the resolve of all of us, the dedication and hard work of each and every freedom-loving individual, to ensure that the Jewish People and the Jewish State will survive.

AIPAC is one of our strongest tools.  Its reach and embrace extend beyond nationality, beyond party lines, beyond color, race, creed or belief.  Its goal isn’t only the survival of Israel; AIPAC believes in the values that America and Israel share.  Its aim is the preservation of human rights, of freedom, of dignity and respect, indeed of humanity itself.  That’s what 16000 of us cheered and vowed to support as the Conference closed this afternoon. That’s what we couldn’t stop talking about even as we boarded flights taking us back to our homes and daily lives.

I have already signed up for next year’s Conference.  Won’t you join me?

© 2015 by Boaz D. Heilman