Many Jewish people have spent the last several days feeling very alone. It seems, in moments of crisis, that the world is against us, or indifferent to the suffering of Jews, especially in "strong" Israel.
But as of Monday evening, support is pouring in from around the world. First and foremost from the Abraham Accords allies -- the UAE and Bahrain. Then from -- of all people -- Barack Obama.
Obama's support was very important because it wasn't just about peace, or mourning the loss of life. Obama explicitly endorsed the idea of "dismantl[ing]" Hamas. That's a big change for him.
It also guarantees victory. It means that there will be bipartisan support for Israel in the U.S., and little space between U.S. and Israeli policy. The alliance, in spite of everything, has come through.
Trump gets credit for setting the example: stand with Israel, and our shared enemies fall. Support Israel in war, and reap the benefits of peace. Biden has belatedly come around (as in other areas).
Many people are attending mournful prayers -- and there is much to mourn. But after crying off and on for the past few days, I feel that victory is certain, and peace inevitable. It will be hard, but it will BE.
On Sunday, I left my desk to go back to the synagogue to participate in the hakafot -- the parades in which we carry the Torah scrolls to celebrate completing Deuteronomy and starting anew in Genesis.
One of the parades traditionally leaves the synagogue and heads outside -- in our community, to the beach. I usually love that one; one year, I carried a Torah scroll half a mile away, down the sand.
Side note: I actually found some Jews way down there, who did not know it was the holiday of Simchat Torah. They asked to hold the Torah; they kissed it. It was a little miracle that I found them there.
This year, I did not feel like singing, or dancing, or even carrying a Torah. But I brought an Israeli flag and unfurled it at the side of the Pacific Coast Highway. I held it up, tears streaming down my face.
And the cars honked. And the people waved. And the motorcycle engines revved and roared in approval. And the people of liberal Los Angeles California showed their love and their support for Israel.
And the people of our little congregation, who felt so embattled, carried the Torah scrolls back to our synagogue with pride, because they felt loved. And so we witnessed another little miracle. Onward.
The story of Noah is familiar; the details, less so.
Noah is often seen as an ambivalent figure. He was righteous -- but only for his generation. What was his deficiency?
One answer suggests itself: knowing that the world was about to be flooded, he built an Ark for the animals and for his own family -- but did not try to save anyone else or to convince them to repent and change their ways (the prophet Jonah, later, would share that reluctance).
Abraham, later, would set himself apart by arguing with God -- with the Lord Himself! -- against the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that they should be saved if there were enough righteous people to be found (there were not).
Still, Noah was good enough -- and sometimes, that really is sufficient to save the world. We don't need heroes every time -- just ordinary decency.
Hi all -- as I noted last month, I'm going to be closing down my Locals page, at least for tips and subscriptions -- I may keep the page up and the posts as well, but I'm no longer going to be accepting any kind of payment.
Look for cancelation in the very near future. Thank you for your support!
An interesting weekend -- one of the last of Daylight Savings Time -- in which there is much to celebrate, much to contemplate, and a bit to worry about.
The Gaza peace deal is shaky, but holding, after the living hostages returned; the shutdown is still going on, with no end in sight; the China trade war is heating up; and the confrontation with Venezuela continues to escalate.
The "No Kings" protest was a dud, despite the media's attempt to inflate it. What I find fascinating is that the Democrats have basically stolen the rhetoric and the imagery of the Tea Party protests, circa 2009. They claim they are defending the Constitution -- just like the Tea Party did.
On the one hand, this is good. How wonderful to have a political system in which both sides, bitterly opposed though they are, articulate differences through the Constitution -- and not, as in so many other countries, outside it.
On the other, this is sheer hypocrisy for the Democrats. Not only did they malign the Tea Party as ...
