The “I” In AIPAC: Reflections On Policy Conference 2017

The “I” In AIPAC

Reflections On Policy Conference 2017

By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

I just returned from one of the most exhilarating experiences I’ve had in a long time.  I’m speaking of the three days I spent in Washington, D.C., participating in the AIPAC Policy Conference 2017.

Even without considering the content of the Conference—which was all at once edifying, heartening, moving, and inspiring; even without all that, what really reinforced in me the essential need to be there was the crowd that gathered across the street from the Washington Conference Center.  There was a small group of sweet, fresh-faced, naïve, Jewish young men and women—they looked college age—singing sweet Jewish songs and simulating waves with long blue plastic sheets they held.

And the other group that they were standing right next to, which unfurled a huge banner that read: “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free.”

“From the river to the sea.”  Forget “The Settlements;” forget the 1967 or the 1948 armistice lines.  Forget any of it.  Not even the thinnest sliver of the Land of Israel could be a Jewish state. 

I was surprised not by the anger but rather by the pity that arose in me for those naïve, young Jewish demonstrators.  For in the book of the pro-Palestinian group, their fate was already sealed. Pray God they would never have to face the consequences of their naiveté.   

As for me, a Second Generation Survivor of one of the greatest evils human beings ever perpetrated, I am not willing to give any of them half a chance.  And that’s why I was there. 

Inside the Convention Center, one of the first presenters to take the stage was a ten-year-old Arab boy from Gaza, born with a heart defect and who would have died if it weren’t for the Israeli surgeons who operated on him as a newborn infant at the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.  Speaking about Yousef as well as of hundreds of other men, women and children injured in the war in Syria, the commanding officer of the IDF Medical Corps, whose work today includes running emergency field hospitals for these victims, reminded all of us that the Arabs “think of Israel as their enemy, when we are not the enemies.  We are their surgeons, doctors, nurses and social workers.”

Taking the stage one after another were political leaders from around the world, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (by live video), former Prime Ministers Toni Blair of Great Britain and Stephen Harper from Canada, as well as the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame. 

African American presenters spoke about the shifting landscape in Israel-African American relations, inspiring heartfelt and meaningful dialogue that must and will continue. Representatives of the Hispanic American community likewise spoke of strong bonds with Israel, bonds that go both ways.

Needless to say, there was no shortage of American leaders, both Democrat and Republican.  There were quite a few entertainers, among them Alan Dershowitz—OK, strictly not an entertainer, but certainly one of the most entertaining and brilliant lawyers in America or anywhere else around the world for that matter; and Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff, co-producers, writers and stars of the Fauda, the highly acclaimed Israeli political thriller TV series (now available on Netflix).

The list goes on and on (You can see the full list of speakers here). 

But the speaker who brought the house down, receiving the longest and loudest standing ovation in AIPAC history, was the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki R. Haley.  She spoke to the heart of all of us, addressing our deepest frustration: The shameful, incredibly biased bashing of Israel in the United Nations. 

Among the chief topics of discussion that speakers and panels addressed were: Iran’s threat to the Middle East and the world; the campaign to delegitimize Israel; the BDS (Boycott, Divest and Sanction) movement that employs bullying and harassment tactics mostly on college campuses; and the need for ongoing military aid to Israel—America’s best and most reliable ally in the world today. 

But it was the personal stories and testimonies that touched us most.

One of these was the story of Amnon Weinstein, a violinmaker from Israel who has been restoring the Violins of Hope—instruments used by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust, whose sweet melodies were silenced when their owners were murdered.  On the stage, virtuoso Hagai Shaham, playing one of those violins, improvised a soul-moving interlude that slowly transitioned into Israel’s national anthem, Hatikva (The Hope).  Silently, 18,000 spectators rose to their feet and one by one joined in singing the anthem.  I am not exaggerating when I say that there was not a dry eye in the entire convention center.

To see this video, among others from this incredible conference, click here.

On the final day of the conference, many of us took to Capital Hill to lobby our House and Senate representatives.  I had the great honor of voicing my concerns before New Hampshire Senator Maggie Hassan.  The Senator’s empathy and understanding were matched by her brilliant and warm Senior National Security Advisor, Harlan Geer.

Some forty-five minutes later, as I left Senator Hassan’s office, I was thinking what an incredible privilege this was.  Here I was, walking down a long hallway lined with the offices of U.S. Senators, playing a part—a minute part indeed, yet a part nonetheless—in the political machinery of the most powerful nation on earth.  I had the amazing privilege of representing not only Israel, but also my congregants in Temple B’nai Israel of Laconia, NH.  I spoke for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I spoke for my grandparents—both those who didn’t survive the Holocaust, and those who did.  I spoke for the children who were denied life; and for my children in America, and for my brother’s children in Israel.

I spoke for Arab children who deserve to live in peace, a basic human right, but who—terrorized, miserable and hungry—live instead in war-torn countries and soulless cities and who seek shelter from constant—and intentional—bombardment carried out by their own leaders.

I spoke for them all because so many around the world would rather blame Israel for anything bad that happens, rather than reach a hand in peace and together build a better, safer and saner world.

By myself, my voice doesn’t carry very far.  But get together 18,000 others who feel and think as I do, and your voice resonates powerfully.  That’s what AIPAC really is all about.  AIPAC isn’t only about Israel; AIPAC is about progress and humanity.  AIPAC is a coalition of voices, parties and opinions, all gathered for the cause of sanity, dignity and peace.

That’s why I went, and why—with God’s help—I will go again next year.  I have already registered, and I encourage each and every one of you to join me.  PC 2018 will be held March 4-6; IF YOU REGISTER NOW YOU WILL SAVE $200 OFF THE PRICE OF REGISTRATION.  Click here to register.

You will be grateful, as I am, that you did.

Lessons In Leadership: Vayak’hel-Pekudei

Lessons In Leadership: Vayak’hel-Pekudei

By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

March 24, 2017

When it came time for me to decide on a topic for my rabbinic dissertation, the choice was easy.  I recognized it early on, when I was yet a first year student at Hebrew Union College.  It would be about chapters from the Midrash—the rabbinic teachings of the first millennium—dealing with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

In retrospect, I understand now why that choice was so clear.  My experience as a second generation Holocaust survivor had prepared me.  As a child growing up in Israel, just about every adult I knew was a Holocaust survivor.  Everyone I knew was trying to rebuild his or her life, starting from scratch.

Later, as I grew older, I realized it wasn’t only true for the people I knew personally.  It was true for the whole Jewish People—in fact, for the entire world population, Jewish and Gentile like.  World War II and its horrors changed us forever.  We had witnessed the most terrifying cruelty, the most evil acts ever perpetrated by humanity, and we were no longer the innocent human race we were before.

Reconstructing humanity, rebuilding civilization from the ashes, is no simple matter.

In the Midrash, the Rabbis viewed similarly the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple.  Jerusalem was the heart of world Jewry.  Though Jewish communities existed elsewhere, the Kingdom of Judea was the epicenter of Jewish sovereignty.  With that gone, spiritual renewal became crucial if Judaism and the Jewish People were to survive.

Perhaps the wise rabbis, authors of the Midrash, looked to the Exodus from Egypt as their model.  The second book of the Torah, Exodus, actually contains two parts:  First comes the story of the redemption from Egyptian slavery.  But the entire second half of the book takes place afterwards, in the Sinai wilderness. Now its focus is not on the Hebrews as slaves, but rather as free builders of the Tent of Meeting—the Tabernacle—the temporary temple that the Israelites carried with them during their wanderings in the Wilderness.  Instructions and blueprints for the Tabernacle are given and repeated in minute detail.  In this week’s double portion, Vayak’hel-Pekudei (Ex. 35:1—20:38), the story comes to its conclusion with the assembly and completion of the Tabernacle, replete with the magnificent gold menorah, the Holy Ark of the Covenant, and the splendid tapestries woven with expensive and colorful thread and material.

As slaves, the Israelites were not able to build or structure their own lives.  The orders came from Pharaoh and his taskmasters. Everything was dictated: So many bricks per day, so many buildings and storehouses every week, month and year. The kingdom of Egypt was built by slaves, many of whom did not live to see the end of the day in the harsh desert sun.  Added to this was the genocide we suffered at Pharaoh’s decree:  With every newborn male that was thrown into the Nile, we saw our future swept away by waves of hatred, misery and oppression.

Rebuilding the nation was not going to be easy, but Moses had the wisdom that this project required. 

First, Moses gave us hope.  Moses reassured us that God had not forgotten us; that the time was coming when God would fulfill the pledge made long ago, to lead us out of slavery and take us—on eagles’ wings—to the Promised Land.  With hope rekindled, we found new spirit within us to face the future, no matter how bleak life was at the moment.

Next, Moses gave us faith. 

An invisible God is not easy to believe in.  All around, people were worshipping idols.  Egyptian mythology is filled with fantasy creatures that people actually believed in, half-animal, half-human creatures that led their own lives, detached from humanity, all involved in their own problems and mysteries.  These were images of gods and goddesses who required sacrifice—often enough human lives—to appease their insatiable lust for power and pleasure. In fact, Pharaoh himself was a god, which permitted him to do anything he wanted to: he could decree war or peace; he could issue laws and appoint judges to benefit himself or anyone else he wished to favor.  He was provider of food and water, shaper of global history. Why, he could even command life and death!

Moses taught the Israelites a different faith.  He taught us to believe in a supreme God characterized by justice, compassion and fairness; a God before whom all human beings are equal, and who judges all beings by set rules of what is holy and what is evil. The God that Moses taught us about is not fickle, like those worshipped by the Egyptians, but rather a God of consequences: to each according to his or her own deeds.

Thirdly, along with hope and faith, Moses gave us something to do, presenting us with a project that each individual, big or small, young or old, could participate in.  He gave us instructions for a Tabernacle to be built with materials and goods we supplied of our own free will, with everyone contributing of his or her talent, ability and means.  Response to this was overwhelming—so much so, the Torah tells us, that the offerings brought forth far exceeded the actual need.

Similarly, after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, the rabbis of the first millennium gave us hope again.  They taught that the Messiah would restore Jerusalem to its former glory and reassemble our exiled people from all corners of the world.  The rabbis reinforced our belief in a God who was supreme to any earthbound ruler, albeit a God whose vision lay far beyond our mortal grasp and understanding.

Like Moses, the rabbis, too, then presented us with a building project.  They instructed us to build not one temple, but many tabernacles and temples. They showed us how to construct houses of worship and study that would accompany us along our journeys and which would be our spiritual homes during throughout our wanderings in the Diaspora.  They taught us about tikkun olam, encouraging us never to give up hope, never to stop believing, to continue offering our free-will donations and to persist in our endeavors to turn the entire world into a holy dwelling place for God.

Post-Holocaust, today we find ourselves in a similar quandary.  With our own eyes we have seen the collapse of mighty empires, with new nations rising and once-oppressed peoples re-asserting their lost identity.  In the wake of destruction, hope for a new world order, for world peace, returned.

For the Jews, there is no greater miracle or proof of God’s power than Israel restored, with its heart still beating in our ancient—now-rebuilt—capital, Jerusalem.

But problems persist and abound.  Waves of anti-Semitism have been cresting both globally and locally.  Israel is again—or perhaps still—under physical, legal and moral attack by its enemies.

Tensions all over the world are rising. Global alliances are falling apart.  More countries than ever now possess nuclear power and are intent on developing the means and technology to use it against others.  Our fragile environment continues to be eroded by greedy corporations. Affected by climate change, entire regions of the world are reeling from the effects of massive storms, drought and famine, while new plagues and diseases ravage whole populations.  And yet people still worship false, corrupt gods of money, lust and power, denying responsibility, believing themselves to be beyond reach, unaccountable for their words or behavior.

Facing enormous problems, it would behoove world leaders today to review the lessons taught by Moses and the ancient Rabbis.  Tweeting insults in the middle of the night; denying health benefits to the most vulnerable among us; turning against the stranger, the refugee, the impoverished; returning to past norms of prejudice and persecution—these are not the markers of the path to the Promised Land, but rather back to the dank and miserable past we had left behind.

Moses taught us to have faith in a just and loving God.  From the rabbis we learned about tikkun olam. Throughout the ages, we have not lost our hope to see and live in a better world.

These lessons are important to remember especially today, in an age of uncertainty and change, an age when ethics and morality are challenged daily by unbridled greed and corruption.  The most important lesson our leaders can internalize today is that a great leader is not recognized by the gold and ivory with which he surrounds himself, but rather by the hope he inspires, and by the unity and purpose he brings to his people. These are the signs of true leadership.  These are the signs of a great civilization.  May we all benefit from these eternal lessons, so that our nation will truly once again shine as a beacon of hope for the whole world and all its inhabitants.

© 2017 by Boaz D. Heilman

Joy And Vigilance In The Month Of Adar

Joy And Vigilance In The Month Of Adar

By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

March 2, 2017

The Talmud teaches: “When the month of Adar enters [March/April in the Hebrew calendar], we increase in joy.”  Rashi explains: “Because they are days of miracles, like Purim and Pesach.”

Miracles are wonderful, and certainly reason for rejoicing; however, they also imply rescue from past or impending disaster.  Passover celebrates our redemption from slavery in Egypt, but not before the genocide that Pharaoh perpetrated on our people. Purim, too, reminds us of the last-minute turn of events when Haman’s plans to exterminate all Persian Jews were overturned, and sorrow turned to joy.

The memory of these miracles is why we celebrate Purim and Passover (in fact, the exodus from Egypt is a miracle we remind ourselves of every Friday evening, during Kiddush).  But the fact is that had a miracle not happened, the Jewish people would not be here today. Both Passover and Purim are thus preceded by a day of fasting, to remind ourselves how close we came to actual destruction. 

The popular adage about Jewish holidays is, “They tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat.” I’ve never felt comfortable with this glib comeback.  Yes, eating (in fact, feasting!) is definitely associated with the holidays. But when we look only at that, when we focus on the feast and not the fast, we miss the entire purpose of the holiday.  With food and wine comes relaxation, even forgetfulness. When the cause for alarm is gone, it’s OK to return to life’s easy, carefree pleasures.

This message, however, is misleading.  For us Jews, the danger is never completely gone. In the decades since the Holocaust, American Jews have perhaps gotten too complacent, and so now, as we hear about renewed threats and violence, we are shocked.

The fact is, in the last few weeks and months we have seen a sharp rise in anti-Semitism, both globally and locally. The phenomenon has become so alarming that Malcolm Hoenlein, who heads the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, recently spoke of anti-Semitism as “taking on potentially ‘pandemic’ dimensions.” In an interview with The Times of Israel, Hoenlein continued, “We saw anti-Semitism in Britain, we saw it in France, and now we see it’s spreading everywhere…  Look at the numbers of incidents in Germany, Scandinavia and other parts of the world.  And now we see in America swastikas being painted, other expressions [such as phoned-in] threats or aggression against kids on campuses.  So it spreads.  It’s not isolated to one geographic locale.  It’s like a virus that spreads. And you have to declare it for what it is.”

Hoenlein spoke only hours before scores of headstones were kicked over and desecrated in a Jewish cemetery in his own hometown, Philadelphia.

Coming a mere 72 years after the Shoah, the greatest calamity to befall the Jewish People in centuries or even millennia, many Jews now feel that there is cause for alarm. 

The question is what to do about it.

In the United States, these threats come from several sources.  Not restricted to just one political party or another, they come from the liberal left as well as from the conservative right. 

Sadly, the social and political picture in America today is one in which whole communities are riven.  There is little or no center ground.  Friendships, alliances and even families are torn along deep ideological divides.

This does not bode well for the Jewish community.

In the story of Purim, as Queen Esther prepares herself for the dangerous step of appearing unsummoned before the king, she calls upon the entire Jewish population to fast.  For the Jewish people, fasting has always been associated with national mourning. In ordering the entire community to fast, Esther hopes to unite them, to prepare them for whatever might befall next.

A similar unification might be appropriate for Jews today, both in the United States and globally.

Armed self-defense hasn’t always been an option for us, and hopefully we won’t have to resort to such extreme behavior any time soon (the Jewish community in the State of Israel excepted, of course).  In the rest of the civilized world, we have legal and social recourse that we can rely on.  Now, today, before the threats turn to actual violence, is the time for us to call, write or email our government representatives and other community leaders.  As one, we must all declare: There is no room in America—or anywhere else on earth, for that matter—for anti-Semitism.

This is our strength:  In America we may not always agree with one another, but at times of trouble we are there for each other.  We saw that recently as Muslims, Jews, Christians and many others gathered to repair the vandalized Jewish cemetery in St. Louis.  We feel encouraged by the quick response taken by the FBI in launching an investigation of the vandalism at the cemetery in Philadelphia.  We applaud the response of the President of the United States in his recent speech before Congress, addressing this kind of vandalism within the first moments of his address.

New Hampshire Jews, perhaps more than others, have enjoyed relative safety in our beautiful state.  That is, until recently.  Well, we can no longer sit quietly and pretend that what we are seeing all around isn’t happening here, to us. 

That, more than any other, is the biggest message of Purim for me. When Mordechai urges Esther to step up in defense of the Jewish people, he cautions her against the delusion that, due to her high position at the court, she would be spared when others of her faith are attacked.  Our entire history bears witness to the terrible and tragic fate of countless Jews who felt that remaining quiet and keeping a low profile would keep them safe.

“They tried to kill us, we survived, let’s eat.” 

Not so fast, people.  “They” haven’t stopped trying, and now is not a time for us to feast and forget.  Rather, now is a time for unity, for action and prayer.

The Scroll of Esther, for all its buffoonery and mischief, may be a satire.  But hidden behind the laughter is an important message.  Miracles are indeed wonderful; but without constant care and vigilance, without courage and heroism, I doubt there would be much of a story to tell our children and grandchildren.

May we learn to follow the heroic example of Mordechai and Esther, and may the month of Adar continue to bring joy and light to all of us, today as in the past, and for many generations to come.