Dear all,
That awesome feeling of approaching Israel always engraves itself as a special moment in time. The arrival into Ben Gurion airport over Tel Aviv evokes emotions that are often overwhelming.
I serve on the Board of Governors for the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR). HUC-JIR prepares leaders in Reform Judaism, including Rabbis and Cantors, Educators and Executive Directors. The Board is here for the Ordination of the Israeli Rabbinic Program (training Reform Rabbis to serve progressive Judaism in Israel).
The mood in Israel is complicated. On the one hand, it’s heavy. Tourism is almost non-existent. The airport was a ghost town. Posters are up everywhere to bring the hostages home.
On the other, people are working their jobs, walking on the beach, and sitting in cafe’s. I got a haircut from the guy I’ve been going to for over thirty years whenever I am there.
And the two realities come together each day. Ron and I were walking in the marketplace when an air raid siren went off, and we had to duck into a shelter. Indeed, missiles from Lebanon made their way to Tel Aviv. Ten minutes later, we were back walking in the marketplace.
This is just how life is.
Israelis all want to know my thoughts on the recent US elections. They want to know how things are on college campuses. They want to know when we will be returning next. They want to know that they are not alone.
For two thousand years, whenever Jews have gone to Israel, we have never spoken about how we visit. Rather, we speak about our return. This is the land of our ancestors.
This is our extraordinary, invigorating, spiritual, complicated land. We pray for a path forward where ALL people in the region can live in safety and freedom. And we deepen our commitment for a Jewish homeland so that our children and grand-children have a place to which they can return – even if they are here for the first time.
With love and shalom,
Rabbi Zach Shapiro
