November/December 2023
VOL. L No. 6
Liberal Judaism is a constituent of the World Union for Progressive Judaism
www.liberaljudaism.org
ljtoday
Israel - responding to this moment By Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy, CEOs of Progressive Judaism
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HAT should have been a day of joyful celebration – as Jews in the UK, Israel and around the world marked Simchat Torah – instead became one of horror, fear and sadness. The barbaric terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israel have left us all in mourning. Liberal Judaism and The Movement for Reform Judaism stand in solidarity with the people of Israel. We pray for the immediate return of those taken hostage, the safety of those still under attack and members of the IDF, which includes those we love. We share in the pain of those who have been injured and bereaved. Through our tears and our personal grief and fear, we also look to those innocent civilians in Gaza who are suffering. We know that recognising the agony of others does not diminish the reality of our own pain.
At home we have seen a rise in antisemitism and a need to increase security at our synagogues and our schools, and we are grateful for the support of CST and the police, with whom we have met and spoken regularly over these weeks. We have also seen the whole Jewish community come together as never before, at vigils at Downing Street and JW3, and in the extraordinary gathering to focus on the plight of hostages that took place in Trafalgar Square. At our meetings with the most senior leadership in the Jewish world, since that attack on 7 October, there has been only one word to describe everyone, us included… exhausted. We are all feeling a level of responsibility for our communities and our constituents, in a way no one could have imagined or even really prepared for. At the same time, as we all well know, from whatever place we are coming, this also feels deeply deeply personal. Were we not supporting thousands of members, we would still not be sleeping.
Rabbi Charley Baginsky recites a prayer at the London rally in support of the Israeli hostages
This copy of lj today went to print on 27 October 2023. For updated information on Israel, visit www.liberaljudaism.org
This moment asks of all of us that we use our words gently, in ways that allow the silences between the words to be heard; that we are there for one another and find ways to hear each other’s voices so we can be a source of support for each other in these moments of trauma and pain. Our phones and inboxes are full of requests for statements from communities, individuals and the press. These times require statements of this sort - clear, unequivocal words to express the need of the moment. They also ask of us that we use our influence more quietly behind the scenes to express a diversity of views to those in power, and to build the relationships with others that will allow us to live together after this crisis has passed. Progressive Jewish leadership is being in the midst of the particular and the universal in the same moment. It is about being able to hold the suffering and fear of those who look to you. It means recognising we are Zionists; who are committed to Israel and the values upon which she was founded and wanting her to be true to those. It means that we are committed to continuing to live meaningful Jewish lives in the country we call home. Alongside this, it is also about seeing, naming and highlighting the suffering and tragedy of others, or to paraphrase Elie Wiesel, to hear the call of Judaism as being committed not to making the world more Jewish but more human. It may be that this is not yet the moment for dialogue, that it’s too painful to contemplate, but we can acknowledge pain without trying to compare and proportion indiscriminate blame. We can be the voices of nuance. We can connect and grieve and commit again to live and love and build community.