beyondzerosum

JACPAC (the Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs) a wonderful group of politically active women (and a few men) whose issues center around Israel, women’s rights and now, gun control, have come out with a list of ten modern day plagues to think about this Pesach [Their list follows at the bottom of this post – unfortunately, I couldn’t get the very cool green frog background to copy over].  Their hope is that:

As you gather with your families around the seder table and retell the story of Passover, remember that oppression, hunger, discrimination and violence still plague us all.

However, I thought that given their goal, they left out two of the most important things that we Jews should be thinking about.  So, I wrote them the following:

To Marcia, Dana, Janna and JACPAC:

With respect, I believe that you have left out two extremely important plagues:

–          The Occupation and the treatment of the Palestinians

–          Failure to reach a two state solution

The occupation is one of the most important plagues because of the threat it presents to Israel remaining both a Jewish and Democratic state.  It also tends to corrupt a society. I have witnessed this personally when visiting the West Bank and I assume that you have as well.  The attitude towards the Palestinians is simply shameful.  And it is clearly appears to be an overall policy of the government and military.  If this were happening in the US, I am sure that JACPAC would be the first to speak out against it.

For myself, one of the most important aspects of the Seder is the fact that the Haggadah emphasizes the fact that “you” – the Seder participant him/herself – were a slave in the land of Egypt.  I think that this is profound.  The Haggadah is asking each of us to put ourselves in the shoes of someone that is enslaved and oppressed.  It wants us to feel what it is like to be the one who is powerless – as we Jews have been for 2000 years until quite recently.

Now however, the miracle of the success of the State of Israel has put us in an unfamiliar position.  The Jewish State (we shouldn’t need the Palestinians to have to bless this description) is now in control of the West Bank and controls access to Gaza.  Whether you want to call it” occupation” or not (a la Sheldon Adelson), Israel is controlling the lives of 2.5 million people in the West Bank.  How we as Jews handle this situation is a test of Jewish values. The lesson I take from the Haggadah is to remember what it is like to be powerless and oppressed – and if the tables are turned so that Jews are in power, to use that power wisely.

And, I believe that “Treatment of the Palestinians” should come ahead of “BDS” – because there is a connection.  BDS scares many of us precisely because we have seen the effectiveness of this tactic before particularly with South Africa.  As a matter of fact, many of us Jews were in the forefront of the BDS movement against South Africa.  While some of those who promote BDS have the goal of destroying the state of Israel, there are many others who are simply protesting the very real abuses of power and justice that do occur.

The question I would like to contemplate for this Pesach is this:  If we keep the land, but lose our ethics, where are we?

I think the Haggadah is telling us that that puts us back wandering in a moral desert.

_______________________________

So, yasher koach, on the list of plagues.  It provides much for all of us to consider at the Seder table.  I simply wish that you would challenge your membership even further.  There are very real facts on the ground in Israel that are hard to look at.  But, hiding our heads in the sand, doesn’t change the reality on the ground.

Best wishes to you and your families for a chag kasher v’sameach — a meaningful and sweet Pesach.

JACPAC’s Email: