Shabbat Shalom from Russia!
Shabbat Shalom from Moscow!
From the PAS Israel Trip
Dear Friends,
Minutes ago, I walked by my favorite street in Jerusalem: Mendele Mocher Sefarim Street (Mendele the Book Seller Street). There are not beautiful homes or attractive landscaping on the street. In fact, it is a short street that connects one major street to another. The reason I love this street (and it is true of so many streets in Jerusalem) is because of the story it tells.
Mendele the Bookseller was the pseudonym of Sholem Yankev Abramovich, a Russian Jewish author and one of the founders of modern Yiddish and Hebrew literature. His work ultimately challenged the Haskalah (Enlightenment) position that Jews needed to give up aspects of their identity in order to be accepted by Christian society. In one of his most famous works, Di Kliatshe (The Mare, 1873), a powerful satire, Mendele allegorically depicts the Jew as a despised beast of burden, suffering as the world’s scapegoat. It is, in many ways, a forerunner to the belief that the only answer to the “Jewish Question” in Europe was that Jews needed to emancipate themselves, become actors in their own historical narrative, and take control of their own destiny. Whenever I walk by that street I wonder if Mendele the Bookseller could ever have dreamed about the modern miracle we call the State of Israel. He is part of our historical consciousness, for sure. But as Israel continues to mature, there is a new and fascinating narrative being written.
Last Sunday night, 31 members of the Park Avenue Synagogue community set out to reflect on that narrative and learn more about the nature of Zionism in the 21st century. Using Ari Shavit’s book My Promised Land as a springboard for discussion, we have met with members of the Knesset, educators, venture capitalists, rabbis and scholars who have dialogued with us. We have travelled to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Lod, Sederot, Bethlehem, and Gush Etzion, each place leaving a deep impact on all of us. In these moments before Shabbat, there is simply too much information to absorb and process to share with you, our community, what we have learned. There will be plenty of opportunities to do so when we return.
Until then, I will paraphrase what I posted on my Facebook wall earlier today. Rabbi Charlie Savenor and I are privileged to be leading this group of people who journeyed to Israel to challenge and be challenged, and we have all been opened up by this experience. We want to thank Nan and Howard Rubin, our chairs, for all their hard work and leadership. As I travel from place to place, reflecting on the blessings and opportunities that are to be found in the State of Israel, I never lose sight of just how fortunate we are to live in a moment in history where there is a sovereign Jewish nation. People like Mendele the Bookseller dreamed about it, and his dreams formed the foundation that allow us to walk by a street that carries his name, and share his story.
Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem.
Rabbi Neil Zuckerman