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Jewish Community News
Columns: April 2004
My sabbatical in Israel: simply living
By
Rabbi Eitan Julius
It was always clear to me that when I took my sabbatical, I would be going to Israel. Having lived in Israel for extended periods of time in the past, I was excited to see how the country has changed since the year we spent there ten years ago. I had big plans for this four-month “break” from the hectic duties of a congregational rabbi. I was going to study to be a mohel, a ritual circumciser. I was going to apprentice with a senior mohel, who would teach me the trade, show me the short cuts and what to do with the tips! As I prepared for my trip, all that fell away very quickly.
As I called around looking for someone to teach me, I found
that the
conversations ended abruptly after I blurted out my terrible secret: I
am a Conservative rabbi! Naively, I thought that as a rabbi, my credentials
were sound. Alas, the religious establishment in Israel couldn’t
care less that I represented a formidable segment of Jews in America,
had studied for six years for ordination (three times as long as most
Orthodox smicha programs in Israel), or that I had medical training in
the Israeli army! Not being Orthodox meant that I was treyf, untrainable,
and unworthy of being a chain in the link of this important tradition.
What did they think? That I would go out and circumcise mamzers on Shabbos?
Instead of brooding, I decided in good Northern California form that it
wasn’t meant to be. Instead, I took a couple of classes at the neighborhood
institute, found a guitar teacher, a Hasidut study partner and did some
yoga with my wife.
And so, I spent four months simply living in Israel. Never once did I feel unsafe. I took the time to talk to people, to listen to the radio, to read the newspaper, and to think about our nation. I must admit that things are not going well at all. Aside from the daily security challenges, and the economic/socio/demographic/religious crisis, there is a type of siege mentality stronger than ever before. Israelis feel isolated and misunderstood. Paradoxically, there is a growing sense that better days must lie ahead.
I was talking to one of my cousins, who pointed out to me that people don’t even like to use the term matzav (situation) anymore as it is too tepid to describe the level of despair. Pop songs lament the daily violence on both sides of the fence, as politicians flip flop long-held political ideologies in the name of demographics and democracy. My uncle simply said, “We’ve been down so long the only way is up!” Thank goodness for good old Israeli optimism, or was that sarcasm?!
All of that hope rests on one thing: The United States, and in it, us, the American Jewish community. The U.S. is now, more than ever, seen as Israel’s savior. Whether in the court of public opinion, or as worthy patron, America remains Israel’s sole soulmate. And we need Israel, too! There is no question in my mind that the most urgent questions facing the Jewish people can only be addressed in our homeland. Israel and we need each other now more than ever. She needs us to lobby, we need her to remain a secure haven for all Jews. She needs us to give, and we need her to keep her culture thriving. But more than anything else we both need to prove our love face to face. Israel needs us there! Unlike Jacob, I can’t wait another seven years!
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