On 5786, A Protocol for Action in This New Year

In this season of our renewal, where should we turn? In this moment we are operating in the betweens, those uncertain spaces where we find ourselves bereft of clear choices and future directions. 

As we enter 5786, this New Year we each are struggling with the many challenges before us. How ought we to engage with Israel? Can we reclaim the Zionism that we had once embraced? In what ways can and should we respond to the anti-Jewish rhetoric and anti-Semitic actions being directed against us? What will be the future of this democracy and do we as Jews have a place in this changing society?

Returning to the work at hand, we need to confront the major elements of both the Israel story and our own American Jewish experience. Acknowledging that these elements are bound together, informing our identities and defining our destiny. 

As we face the future, we need to remind ourselves not only about the pace of change but also the scope and depth of the transformational process around us. What will we require moving forward? I have had occasion to write about the underlying factors creating this new point in time. As a society, and more directly, as an ethnic community, there will be essential structural and policy components requiring our attention and action.

Where do we begin? In an environment of discord and disunity, it is imperative to start by initially turning inward. Being grounded in our own reality and clear about our sense of self will allow us to affirm our identity and advance our priorities. 

We need to confront the deep and real divisions that today separate us. Where once we defined ourselves as part of a collective and shared voice, today we acknowledge that we are living amidst divided communities and disparate expressions. When dealing with isolation, loss and disconnection, Judaism itself offers us an extraordinary set of texts and resources designed to provide both an anchor and a direction forward. Yet, we must take up the significant and essential tasks before us.

The Primacy of Community:

At a time of extreme isolation and uncertainty, we must reclaim the added value of community. In so many ways, the sanctity of the collective is where we find comfort and support. We must move from the noise and the anger of the public square into the quiet of our communal sanctuary, drawing solace, hope and vision from within our own circle of unity.

The Centrality of Leadership:

We come to this moment feeling a sense of loss — as a society we are experiencing a series of cultural and policy disruptions. The transformative changes abound all about us, as values, principles and practices are being reconfigured. What will be required is a serious investment in exploring new models of leadership and governance in an age where many folks have lost confidence in and belief about the ability of organizations or governments to solve problems and bring peoples together. 

Resetting a Climate of Civility and Respect:

As a society we must find some common threads, allowing us to engage with one another.  Absent such lines of discourse, we as a nation will cease to exist. The search for the common ground must drive this quest for some measure of wholeness. As Jews we know only too well the failed outcomes when we find ourselves divided and in discord. Drawing upon our own story, we must model a framework of connection and engagement.

Reimaging our Democracy:

Judaism must be seen as a natural and essential counterweight to authoritarian behavior. Jews have encountered authoritarian rulers over the course of their long history, developing mechanisms providing them with the means to protect and manage their communities. In dark and uncertain times, Jews always returned to their tradition, finding a sense of solace and connectivity. Jewish texts offer profound messages of consolation and hope from the Tanakh to later rabbinic and mystical writings. These texts address themes of suffering, national tragedy, personal grief and the promise of redemption and renewal. 

“Brokenism” has become the unifying idea, as citizens search for those shared values that once defined their belief in community and provided social cohesion.

Joining with others, we have a unique opportunity to reenvision our national story. Drawing upon our rich history, reclaiming our civic values, and capturing our collective aspirations and dreams, this then becomes the moment in consort with others to construct the new American platform.

Rethinking the Diaspora-Israel Relationship:

As Israel and we move beyond Gaza, will we be able to undo the images and pain of this conflict? What will be required of Israelis and of Diaspora Jewry will be nothing short of a fundamental remake. It will begin with a remake of Zionism and how we both understand and relate to what it may represent in a post-Gaza environment. Yet, well beyond Zionist ideology, what will be the defining characteristics of the Jewish state moving forward? Will we experience a radicalized Zionist nationalism or are we likely to see the reaffirmation of a democratic, Jewish Israel?

Rebuilding the “Case” for Israel:

In the aftermath of these difficult two years, much will need to be repaired. We will be tasked with advancing a possibly different Israel storyline as we move to rebuild partnerships and connections with potential allies and seek new ones as well.

Reframing the American Jewish Agenda:

This is not a time to surrender our broader civic concerns. Our collective interests begin with the healing and embracing of America democracy, even as we continue to advocate for our particular policy interests. This is a time where we need to project how our agenda also enhances the broader political space.   

All of this and more sit before us as opportunities and tasks awaiting our attention and action. In this New Year, we will find ourselves called upon to carry forward the responsibilities of leadership, the obligations of community building, the requirements of advancing Jewish civic interests. There is no space here for delay — the welfare of our community is dependent upon our mutual action and the demands of our society require our hearts and hands to be present in rekindling the American democratic framework. 

Steven Windmueller, Ph.D. is an Emeritus Professor of Jewish Communal Studies at HUC-JIR, Los Angeles. His writings can be found on his website, www.thewindreport.com