On this Sunday immediately following Yom Kippur, Eran - a member of our Unitarian Community links the spiritual significance of this Jewish holy Day of Atonement with the events of October 7th, which triggered the escalating war between the State of Israel, Palestinians and some neighboring States. Out of the maelstrom of the ongoing political conflict, Eran laments missed opportunities and failed initiatives for peace in the Middle East. However there is also an unbroken thread of hope within the fabric of despair: unheralded peace initiatives from both Islamic and Jewish peacemakers, working together to weave a new fabric of hope.
Expanding Horizons
Yom Kippur
On this Sunday immediately following Yom Kippur, Eran - a member of our Unitarian Community links the spiritual significance of this Jewish holy Day of Atonement with the events of October 7th, which triggered the escalating war between the State of Israel, Palestinians and some neighboring States. Out of the maelstrom of the ongoing political conflict, Eran laments missed opportunities and failed initiatives for peace in the Middle East. However there is also an unbroken thread of hope within the fabric of despair: unheralded peace initiatives from both Islamic and Jewish peacemakers, working together to weave a new fabric of hope.
- Broadcast on:
- 13 Oct 2024
- Audio Format:
- other
(inspirational music) ♪ But they knew ♪ ♪ I love thee, me ♪ ♪ To the Lord ♪ ♪ King of the Lord ♪ (inspirational music) - The entire world is God's message of love to us. Yom Kippur is the time when we are most open to receive this message. (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) You're listening to Expanding Horizons, the podcast of the Unitarian Church of South Australia, a home of progressive spirituality and free religious thought and action since 1854. The views expressed in these podcasts are those of the speaker and are not intended to represent the position of the church itself or of the worldwide Unitarian Universalist Movement. For more information, visit unitariansa.org.au. (inspirational music) ♪ Don't let me know ♪ ♪ They'll hold on ♪ ♪ They'll move on man ♪ (singing in foreign language) - Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. Today is the Sunday after Yom Kippur, which started at sunset on Friday and concluded at sunset on Saturday. For this entire time, around 25 hours, observant Jewish adults followed the five prohibitions of Yom Kippur, no eating or drinking, no wearing of leather shoes, no bathing or washing, no anointing oneself with perfumes or lotions and no sex, Yom Kippur concludes a 10 day period known as the Days of All that begins with the Jewish New Year, which is called Rosh Hashanah. Rosh had Hashanah of the Year, head of the year. Jews around the world are to face their misdeeds and sins over the past year through worship and prayer so that they may atone for their wrongdoings. With fear and wonder in facing God's judgment, Jews seek forgiveness. In doing so, people are called to self reflect on their failings and flaws. No matter how you spend the day, it's time to atone in your own way, whether in a synagogue or at home. Synagogues hold religious services throughout the day for practicing Jews to come pray introspectively, either asking for forgiveness or expressing regret of sins committed in the past year. Once you atone, it's thought to be starting the Jewish New Year with a clean slate, absolved of past transgressions. In today's service, we imagine a future, Yom Kippur, in a very different Israel, one in which peace has been achieved and the Prime Minister issues a national apology for past injustices. This is hard to imagine in the midst of the current war, and yet, as we will see, a distinct possibility. Israel and worldwide Judaism are endowed not only with war launchers, but also with peacemakers. A key element of atonement at Yom Kippur is that prior to asking for God for forgiveness for wrongs inflicted on other people, forgiveness must be sought from those people themselves. Good morning and welcome to our service of worship. My name is Eran Binenbaum. I'm not the Minister of this Church that's Chris Hannah. I welcome you on behalf of the generations of Unitarians from South Australia and from all over the world who have worshiped this is fellowship for over 150 years. We acknowledge that this is the traditional land of the Ghana people, that we respect their spiritual relationship with our country. For this Church is likewise a spiritual community. The community that supports you in seeking and following your own spiritual path, any path that encourages you to see more clearly, to love more abundantly, and to work toward a better world. Please do join us after today's service for coffee, tea, and conversation. (gentle music) (gentle piano music) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) ♪ On earth good will to all ♪ ♪ Of base on earth ♪ ♪ Of base on earth ♪ ♪ Good will to all ♪ (gentle piano music) This is an excerpt from Martin Boomer's Tales of the Hasidim, the early masters, the Commandment to Love. The disciple asked Rabbi Schmilke, "We are commanded to love our neighbours, ourself. "How can I do this if my neighbour has wronged me?" The Rabbi answered, "You must understand "these words are right. "Love your neighbour like something which you yourself are "for all souls are one. "Each is a spark from the original soul, "and this soul is wholly inherent in all souls, "just as your soul is in all the members of your body. "It may come to pass that your hand makes a mistake "and strikes you, but would you then take a stick "and chastise your hand because it lacked understanding "and so increase your pain? "It is the same if your neighbour, "who is of one soul with you, wrongs you "for lack of understanding. "If you punish him, you only hurt yourself." The disciple went on asking, "But if I see a man who is wicked before God, "how can I love him?" "Don't you know," said Rabbi Schmilke, "that the original soul came out of the essence of God "and that every human soul is a part of God. "And will you have no mercy on him "when you see that one of his holy sparks "has been lost in amaze and is almost stifled?" The parents' circle, Families Forum PCFF, is a joint Israeli-Palestinian organisation of over 600 families. It was founded in 1995 by Yitzhak Francantal and a few Israeli families. It supports the bereaved in a variety of ways. It is a forum for sharing personal stories and promotes dialogue and peaceful coexistence as opposed to revenge. And there it says in Hebrew, "In my heart, Israel, "the Palestinian-eute, Palestinian-eute, "Israeli and Palestinian mothers, "the shalom beat a whole bere root "for peace, safety and freedom." They support victims and their mutuals support them and they treat each other as Jews and Palestinians, always shoot as human beings. From the early days of Zionism and the founding of Israel, there have been voices promoting peace and dialogue. What happened in Israel, actually basically in Israel, Palestine, is the following that if the common humanity had been emphasized from the outset, that's actually what not happened very sadly. And as I showed, it's possible to emphasize the common humanity and it's still happening and Jews and Palestinians are doing it. And this was Martin Boober's early Zionist approach. His vision of Zionism was grounded in his philosophy of dialogical existentialism. His famous work, I and Thou, was first published in German in 1923 as Ichundu. It stresses the contrast between two ways of relating to the other, I it versus I Thou. The I it relationship is one of treating the other as an object. It can be a useful object or an obstacle or hindrance to be overcome. The view of the other is limited by habits and preconceptions. The I Thou relationship is one of treating the other with respect as a fellow human being to be engaged in dialogue. This view of the other is informed by listening. Boober's philosophy has a theological dimension. And I quote, "When two people relate "to each other authentically and humanly God "is the electricity that searches between them. "He realized that looming conflict "with the Arabs would be projected and bitter. "This was the inevitable result of the us or them approach. "Better to treat them with respect as fellow human beings "and engage them in dialogue." Boober advocated for a bi-national Jewish Arab state on this basis. And after Israel's founding he kept advocating for peace in the form of a federation of Israel with Arab states. So as it was much better to treat the Arabs with respect as fellow human beings, engage them in dialogue, they actually could overcome the adversarial barrier to coexistence. And on this basis Jews and Arabs could share Palestine as a bi-national state. Now actually in the current context it could be two states, might well be two states, who are existing on a peaceful basis, each with their own Jewish and Arab minorities. So he envisaged a single bi-national state. After Israel's founding he became a professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and kept advocating for peace in the form of a federation of Israel and Arab states. So unfortunately Boober's vision was not realized. A bitter conflict followed with multiple wars. This led to much suffering on both sides. And here's the point, there are actually Jews and Palestinians, in fact real white in their diasporas as well as in Israel Palestine, that engage with each other in this idol way and respect each other and promote peace in a peaceful way in a completely harmonious way. So had the Zionists pursued this from the outset, they could have avoided these conflicts. Something went wrong with the Zionism of the founding generation. I am Guri, part both of the generation, expressed this inner torment in the poem Civil War, which he wrote in the 1950s. - I am a civil war and half of me fires to the last, at the walls of the vanquished. I'm a court martial, working in shifts, its lights never dimmed. And those in the right fire on others in the right. And then it's quiet, a calm composed of fatigue and darkness and empty shells. I'm nighttime in a city, open to everyone who's hungry. - When asked about the origin of this poem, it was not so easy for Guri to answer as it was emotionally charged. So as he finally got around to answering that question, with tears in his eyes, he said that the line about those in the right, firing on the others in the right, was the most important line written in his life. It was about one half of Guri, firing on the other half of Guri, and then the memories began to spill out. His personal civil war had originated in an event from his childhood, and had never really ended, he said. This was in mandate Palestine. One day, his mother had come out of the house and saw an Arab on a donkey, talking cheap, fine quality tomatoes and cucumbers. Two Jewish youths came by and told the vendor to clear off. Designists were trying to promote Jewish labor and produce. The Arabs stood his ground, so the youths tipped his vegetables out of the crates onto the street. My mother was extremely zionistic, Guri recalled. But when she saw what had happened, she ran to pick up the tomatoes and cucumbers and returned them to the vendor. She didn't stop crying for two weeks. There was a terrible contradiction, he said, between the Zionist ideal of Hebrew labor and the socialist humanistic need for Arab laborers to have a livelihood. We have inherited that strife on the previous generation, he said. That was the civil war. Best designists adopted an us versus them approach with terrible consequences. When Israel came into existence, it was a haven for Jews fleeing persecution and fulfilled Zionist dreams. But from a Palestinian perspective, it was a disaster, the so-called Nakhba. When I spent a year in the kibbutz in the early 1980s, I was told that Palestinian Arabs had fled the country of their own free will and were encouraged by Arab fighters to do so in contrast to what they told me in the kibbutz. In fact, Arabs have been forcibly expelled from their homes by militant Zionists in order to create Israel as a state with the Jewish majority. In Israel, the so-called New Historians helped expose this truth about what happened in Israel's war of independence. Later, I discovered that many Jews from Arab countries had undergone their own Nakhba, equivalent to the European programs. Many of the Jews arriving in Medad Palestine were desperate refugees. Israel was created as a safe haven for them. So are the Israelis and Palestinians doomed to perpetual conflict? Definitely not. It would seem so with the most right-wing government in Israeli history and with the extremist terrorists of Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis, supported by the Iranian fundamentalist theocracy, all fighting it. And with all this going on, there are several initiatives wrote in peace and mutual support and understanding. The music played in the Intrelude and Postlude are part of the Compassion album, which features ancient Hebrew and Arabic texts, wisdom promoting compassion and peace. If actually both sides would follow this ancient wisdom, this ancient Arabic and Jewish wisdom, there would also be peace. Postlude will be Avinu Malkaynu, which is actually a traditional prayer for Yom Kippur. So bring together ideas, bring together wisdom and bring together people. Boober's "I, Thou" approach is followed by Israelis and Palestinians and other Middle Eastern people in many ways. The Israeli musician and conductor Daniel Baumboim brought together Israeli, Palestinian, Iranian and other Middle Eastern musicians in the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. Beethoven, monumental, emotional, despairing and full of hope. He gave humanism a sound. His dream was for all men to become brothers. Today, the young musicians of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra play his music. And for them, it is far more than a sound. Beethoven becomes a model for community, for joy and for a way to discuss one's differences. - Stop, stop, stop. I said, there is no such a thing talk about peace. Please, music, is that possible music? - Why? - I don't, I don't participate. No, I don't. In the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, arguing is not just allowed, it is encouraged. Since 2002, it is based in Andaluthia, Spain. Every summer, the musicians meet here for an intense four-week workshop. - I will do whatever you expect me to do for it, but play the full bow. Play the full, I will bring you flowers. I will take you to dinner. I will take you dancing. I will do whatever you like. But please, play the full bow. - Not only is the new programme rehearsed to perfection, the workshop also offers an opportunity to discuss and learn from one another. - The difference is not fair. - We're not being told what to think and how to express ourselves. No, somebody who doesn't like to talk about politics simply says nothing. And the others can carry on discussing the history of the Middle East until the morning. It's absolutely nothing, it's forced. Nothing is planned or simply it would be artificial not to talk about politics. It's such a central part of our lives. I mean, it's not the main part. You know, we don't do it during rehearsals. But obviously you want to do it. You have the curiosity to see what they think, how they think. - The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. Since his foundation, the young musicians have travelled the world over. The highlight so far was their concert in Ramallah in 2005. In spite of personal concerns, the musicians came together on adventurers' itineraries, all in the cause of music and understanding. - (speaks in foreign language) - (speaks in foreign language) - If I want to go, I have to feel very comfortable to go and come back as I didn't go. I mean, I don't want to have problems. Everybody's courage and determination have paid off. Time after time, the musicians from Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iran and Spain demonstrate to the world that music is a way to become closer to one another. They overcome hate and prejudice through dialogue and the ability to listen to one another. Their concerts are celebrated. And through them, Beethoven's humanistic spirit. And sometimes it seems, at least for one short moment, as if all men could truly become brothers. - The organization, Standing Together, founded in 2015, is a joint Israeli-Palestinian grassroots initiative. (dramatic music) (dramatic music) - These are harrowing times of destruction and war. We are witnessing a massive humanitarian process in Gaza, destruction of civil life, Israeli hostages still in captivity, families being turned apart, millions displaced from their homes and an entire region in turmoil and despair. - And what is our political leadership offering us? More of the same, more bloodshed and a war with no end in sight. Peace appears to be a distant and fleeting dream for so many in Israel, Palestine. But amidst the chaos, at Standing Together, we are working tirelessly to change this helpless and hopeless reality, proving that within this despair, there is hope, resilience and the commitment to continue fighting together towards a better future. - We've opened new local chapters to strengthen the solidarity between Jews and Palestinians in Israel. We've opened a hotline to provide support to Jews affected by the war, racism and incitement. We've organized mass rallies. - There are several initiatives people working together. There's also a new movie. And he has a trailer for the movie and you can just watch it on YouTube because we're almost at the end of the service. - This news is funded by viewers like you. Please support our work at democracynow.org/give. This is democracynow.org, the War and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. As we continue to mark the one year anniversary of the Hamas October 7th attack on Israel and the star of Israel, the beginning of Israel's relentless assault on Gaza, we turn now to the path forward, a new short film that features the stories of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists who joined together calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the occupation. This is a trailer for the path forward. - Yeah, so this trailer is another 10 minutes and I recommend you watch it. And actually here's one of the ideas that I have that as an event, we could show the whole movie here and bring together Israeli Palestinians. One of the ideas I have to follow this up is that would be something good to show. So worth checking out that trailer. So imagine these initiatives catching on and combining their efforts to jointly negotiate a lasting peace, proposing it to the respect of voters and defeating the extremists in the Israeli and Palestinian elections. And the key point here is that there are big diasporas. Both sides have big diasporas worldwide. Many Israelis and many Jews have chosen not to live in Israel, actually there's been quite a big brain drain since these days of development. Somebody who can find a good job somewhere else very well qualified can live in a peaceful place and take their family there. They had this big brain drain from Israel like that with many reasonable people having left. So there's a voluntary Jewish diaspora and an involuntary Palestinian diaspora. Many of the very reasonable people who can gather long fine. Suppose these initiatives actually happen worldwide. And at some point, the Israelis realize, hey, this is actually happening worldwide. We can make peace. Suppose the diasporas making peace. We can also do it. Moreover, we should have done this right away from the start so they can work out a solution like that. Actually, the diasporas can work out a solution. How to set it up, how the boundaries work, who the citizens, where and so on. So now imagine a future Yom Kippuris that we hate with the Israeli government saying, well, we have finally achieved peace. We should have realized this right away that this was possible. So Martin Buber was right. And it was a great missed opportunity. So very good reason for future Yom Kippur for a national apology, Allah Kevin Rudd. (gentle music) (gentle music) (singing in foreign language) (gentle music) (singing in foreign language) (gentle music) - There are many Israeli Palestinian peace initiatives. Unitarian universities support them via Unitarian universities for justice in the Middle East. Anyway, that we can help this move with this welcome. And there are several ways to promote peace. For example, a different kind of demonstration. There's a lot to demonstrate against on the other side. It would be great to jointly demonstrate against the extremists on both sides, holding up signs, no to violence and extremism. And on one side, no to illegal settlers, no to terrorists. And we can do better than this. We can live together peacefully and Israel and Palestine both have a right to exist. It's something completely different from the demonstrations that you see. They're both right. The problem is the wrong guys are in charge. Using the words peace be with you and also with you, let us now offer each other a sign of that peace we all seek. (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) We hope you've enjoyed this Expanding Horizons podcast. These podcasts are the intellectual property of the presenter. They can be used only with the express permission and appropriate acknowledgement of the presenter. This permission can be obtained by emailing admin@unitariansa.org.au. Please feel free to leave a comment or visit us on Facebook or Twitter by searching essay Unitarians or by visiting our website at unitariansa.org.au (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) (piano music) [BLANK_AUDIO]