By Rabbi Yonatan Neril and Elana Frank of The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development
“You are with God to the extent that you can recognize God in another person.” – Dr. Alon Goshen-Gottstein
The winds of war have returned to the Holy Land, and with it the strengthening and amplification of those who support violence. In order to reveal an alternative voice that exists on the ground here, I am pleased to share with you about events and teachings that relate to an ‘us and them’ instead of ‘us versus them’ mentality. On July 2, 2014, five members of the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development team– three Jews, a Muslim and a Buddhist– participated in the “Rally against Violence and Racism” in Jerusalem. The rally took place because the night before, hundreds of right-wing Jewish extremists marched on the streets of Jerusalem calling for revenge against Arabs. Tag Meir is a coalition of 30 organizations to give voice to those who oppose violent and racist acts and support co-existence and tolerance. Tag Meir (meaning ‘Light Tag’) is a Hebrew play on words of the extremist campaign “Tag Mechir”, which means “price tag”. The rally was organized to show that revenge is not the Jewish way and that Palestinian Arabs and Jews can and should live together in peace in the land.
At least a thousand people came to the peaceful rally to show their support, and it received news coverage in the Israeli media. Many people held signs saying “No to Racism” or “Love the Stranger”. Rabbis led prayers for peace and chanted verses of Psalms. After the rally, around 400 people marched to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s residence. As the Times of Israel reported, “Speakers at the event included Knesset (Israeli parliament) opposition leader Isaac Herzog, Member of Parliament Nitzan Horowitz, Jerusalem council member Rachel Azaria, and Rabbi Benny Lau of the city’s Ramban Synagogue.” To read this press release about the event, click here. It was encouraging to see all of these people come together in the name of peace, and to show that the right-wing extremists are only a minority of the population. With all of the recent violence and riots by both Israeli and Palestinian extremists that we see in the news, it was gratifying to attend an event with people showing just as much passion but about co-existence, and without the use of violence.
Part of the work of The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD) is to reveal that many faith traditions share similar views on issues of common concern. This is the case with environmental sustainability, and it is also the case in regards to violence and hatred. This week, Jewish and Muslim members of the ICSD team will be a co-organizer of a joint ‘hunger strike’ and Muslim-Jewish joint break-fast that takes place on the Jewish fast day of 17th of Tammuz and the Muslim fast day/month of Ramadan. More information about that is available on the ICSD Facebook page.
Here are some examples of teachings from a range of faiths in this regard:
O you who believe! Enter into peace whole-heartedly; and follow not the footsteps of Satan (the evil one); for he is to you an avowed enemy.”
Koran, 2:208
The narrow-mindedness that leads one to see whatever is outside the bounds of one’s own people…as ugly and defiled is a terrible darkness that causes general destruction to the entire building of spiritual good, the light of which every refined soul hopes for.”
Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook[1]
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
To develop the drop of compassion in our heart is the only effective spiritual response to hatred and violence.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
With blessings for peace from Jerusalem.
[1] Musar Avikha, p. 96; English translation in Ish Shalom and Rosenberg, eds, The World of Rav Kook’s Thought, Jerusalem, Avi Chai, 1991, p. 212
