Tamrurim תַּמְרוּרִ֔ים

Tamrurim (Guideposts) are brief thoughts about Israel.

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  • The Attempted Un-Coupling of Zionism from Judaism

    I have been so distraught over educated, connected Jews (like rabbis and educators and Mandy Patinkin) calling for unilateral ceasefire, using words like “genocide” and similar (all against Israel).

    1/ Zionism began in 586 BCE. Read Psalm 137 for documentation on such. We (global Jewry) are known biblically as B’nei Yisrael (and the Quran even calls us this 20+ times). More modern (although also long history) is us being called K’lal Yisrael and Am Yisrael. Our central prayer – Shema – is specifically about being a part of this.

    • I saw one stat list that says:
      • Israel is mentioned over 2,500 times.
      • Zion is mentioned in the Tanakh at least 150 times.
      • Jerusalem is mentioned 669 times.

    2/ As such, Zionism a a central Jewish value. However, just like with other core Jewish values, people pick and choose. In some cases (like kashrut) our community has come to accept that as a relatively neutral choice. However, there are other core Jewish values (like taking care of the stranger among us, not murdering, not accepting another god) that when a member of our community outwardly rejects this value and acts on that rejection, the rest of the mainstream community looks down on them, may start to exclude them in some ways, removes them from the “mensch” list, etc. Zionism falls into the latter category. And in fact, Natan Sharansky refers to antiZionist Jews as “un-Jews.” The linked article is three years old but more relevant than ever.

    3/ I want to ask these folks: are you sure you are an antiZionist? Do you reject that the State of Israel has a right to exist, in HaEretz, for the purpose of providing a safe haven for Jews on our ancestral land? Or do you just have contention (as many of us do) with how many things have been handled the last 76 years? And if it’s the latter, you aren’t antiZionist and may need the option to connect with more like-minded people who want an amazing Israel in which all peoples have equality, dignity and freedom. Reach out to me and I can point you to them.

    You don’t want to be a Zionist, your choice (just like your choice to not keep kosher) but you don’t go out proselytizing folks to eat pork, so stop taking to the streets and social media to try and stop folks from being Zionist! Stop giving credence to the JewHaters who use this b.s. line of thinking to justify their behaviors.

  • Naqba

    Today is the commemoration of what the Palestinian community calls Naqba.

    I have written many times how I feel the UN and UK have great responsibility in the events that unfolded and yet Israel is solely blamed.

    I also feel one failure of Jewish education is not teaching this event in any way. Ignoring it completely. But that is ignorant because we cannot ignore the inherited trauma of those who descend from the people whose lives were destroyed in the events of Naqba. And those people are our neighbors, our citizens, our potential partners in peace.

    Years ago, Rabbi Evan Traylor made reference to the two poems on his post of this day.

    What stands out to me most:

    In Darwish’s second stanza, he says not to forget those who seek peace when you are in the midst of war. I deeply urge people to follow the work of Roots/Shorashim/Judur, Tag Meir and Standing Together. These are the groups who have been in the work of pursuing peace for years.

    In Al-Qasim’s poem the message of “my country” acknowledges the historical, religious, and emotional ties for many peoples to haEretz. Why is this so hard for so many?

  • Rafah Invasion

    When anti-terrorism Muslim scholars (who are Palestinian rights activists) “get it” more than some Jewish leaders (who align supremely far left)….

    I can’t wrap my head around how some of my colleagues are fully blaming Israel for the tragedies within Gaza instead of holding Hamas accountable.

    I don’t deny that there is terrible suffering in Gaza and that entering Rafah will be a terrible. bloodbath.

    I don’t deny that Israel needed to handle civilians differently knowing Hamas uses them as human shields (I had some ideas, and I may write about this in the future, but not sure “hindsight is 20/20” is helpful right now.)

    I don’t deny that there are some wayward IDF soldiers and their COs doing unspeakable things.

    AND, I hold Hamas responsible that the IDF is there and that there is terrible suffering. And that they could have ended this (even not started this) at any point by surrendering hostages and either turning themselves in or negotiating an exit to somewhere else (if anyone would take them).

    My tent of pluralistic thought is pretty wide, but folks who don’t “get it” the way anti terrorism scholars do, I feel may need to ask themselves what they may be missing or why their beliefs may have shaped the way they have and could their thinking be flawed?

    Link to Eid’s article in Newsweek.