Sermon

Subject: Gaza Flotilla

Metuchen 2010/5770

Rabbi Gerald L. Zelizer

The coverage this week of flotillas, attacks on boats, innocent civilians dying, reminds me of other, former times of disaster, other boats and other circumstances. Remember the ship Exodus when the boat carried Jews who were the victims on the high seas? Remember in that maritime event when the world's sympathies were much different? How topsy-turvy that seems today the portrayal of Ari ben Canaan portrayed by Paul Newman in the film “Exodus.”

Also, not so long ago. Does anyone remember when the United States declared a sea embargo against importation of arms and rockets deemed threatening against the U.S? Not only did we announce that no ship could pass through that blockade, but we as a nation were prepared to go to war against the USSR and their minions? The world did not object to that blockade either!

In our Sidrah we read about good guys versus bad guys; good spies versus bad spies. The bad spies – pessimistic spies – return to Moses with what the Sidrah calls “Dibat Haaretz”, a lot of negative talk about the Land of Israel. This week we have heard a lot of “Dibat Haaretz” about Israel’s actions on the high seas. You have read the same accounts that I have read. You have seen what I have seen. So let’s not go over the same points regardless of the different points of view which may exist in this room.

In my words this morning I want to speak, not based on any press reports or editorials that we all have read. I would speak to you, understanding that others might feel differently, based on reports and reactions I receive from colleagues of mine. One lives in the State of Israel. After all, he is the one, not me or us who put themselves and their children and their grandchildren on the line because they concluded and acted on a greater value to them is residence in the State. The bottom line I hear from my friends there - even my dovish ones - is that Israel was totally justified to intercept the ships. At the same time they believe the specific tactic that was taken was poorly thought because Israel fell into an obvious trap. As we hear “Dibat Haaretz” – lots of negative talk re: Israel. I urge you to keep both parts in mind – both the right of Israel as to defend themselves and take this action and on the other hand the disastrous results.

In saying that I want to read you two communications and tell you from whom they are. The first one is from a rabbi friend of mine whose name is Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb. He has resided in the State of Israel for over thirty-years. He is a Conservative rabbi, and after rabbinical school graduated Columbia Law School and went on to a successful career as an attorney in a prominent New York law firm. Daniel gave all that up because he decided decades ago that living in the State of Israel as a Jew was his primary value. He worked for the government in various legal civil service roles and now is the academic director of our Yeshiva, our school of higher studies in the State. His children and now his grandchildren have served in the Israel Defense Forces. Daniel writes:

“Don’t listen to me, read the papers here -- Agreed – the goal of the flotilla was to provoke, you’d have to be an idiot not to realize that, and still Israel fell into the trap the whole world saw was being laid, with both hands and feet.

And with soldiers who were “not prepared for the level of violence they met.” Well, who did they think were out there on those boats – RHR and its women’s auxiliary? This flotilla has been preparing for months. Israeli intelligence has been following it, perhaps even has agents on the boats. There were no doubt some “well-intentioned” humanitarians on those boats who would do no one harm, but certainly also some rabid anti-Israel activists who welcome the opportunity to hit or kill Israeli soldiers. If the IDF did not know that and plan for that contingency, that’s dumb.”

Rabbi David Goldfarb continues on the blockade:

“Let’s face it, the blockade of Gaza, introduced after the Hamas takeover and the kidnap of Gilad Shalit, has not worked. Gilad is still there and Hamas showing no signs of giving in on him, despite the blockade. And Hamas is getting plenty of rockets and weapons through the tunnels.”

We had all the time in the world to think about the options, the plusses and minuses, and the chances and consequences of something going wrong. And we blew it. and the people who made the decisions must be accountable.

So if beating the drums of patriotism makes some people feel better, beat away. But for those of us with kids and grandchildren here, we owe it to them to try to prevent such mistakes from happening again.”

The second reflection is from another rabbi. His name is Jeffrey Marker who is more local, in the New York area. His thoughts are very different than Rabbi David Goldfarb. But both of their thoughts, though different, come from a profound love for and commitment to the State of Israel. He writes:

“The veiled critique that Israel’s action will create “increased scrutiny on the siege of Gaza, which will inevitably result in renewed calls and pressure to end it”, is to my mind misleading. Such calls cannot be renewed because they were never stopped. In fact, it was the very reason for the flotilla in the first place, which already had overwhelming support from the international community, including some Jewish organizations, for its “humanitarian” mission to the people of Gaza. If anything, I believe that the Israeli military has successfully exposed the flotilla’s organizers (the humanitarian and peace activists) to be nothing more than front groups and human shields for the propaganda and terror war against Israel. I believe that this has seriously weakened their position internationally, especially among those who claim that supporting their propaganda war against Israel is somehow in Israel’s own interest.”

So as one person and one rabbi what do I conclude? 1. The purpose of the flotilla was to provoke in the process of bringing aid. 2. Israel fell into the trap, and the results were probably what the organizers hoped for. 3. The organizing group IHH is a fanatical Turkish Moslem group with contacts to Hamas. 4. Gaza is ruled by Hamas committed to the destruction of Israel. 5. The IDF had no original intention of injuring anyone as proven by the low level military character of the takeover and probably underestimated the real threat.

One last thought on the real suffering of civilians in Gaza – I confess to being a bleeding heart liberal, and I share the settlement of a third colleague of mine, also a bleeding heart liberal. His name is Rabbi Jack Moline, a rabbi in Alexandria, Virginia. “Short of a wholesale slaughter, this kind of suffering is the only way to protect genuinely innocent human beings – Jews especially, for whom I have another acknowledged bias – from the murderous intentions of some very bad people. The loss of comfort is sad, of dignity is tragic, of life is reprehensible. I would be very worried if (like our enemies) I did not feel the dissonance of causing those circumstances.

But until Israel has neighbors willing to affirm the same protections for its children as they are demanding for the children of Palestinians’ children, when it comes to suffering in Gaza or eventually in Iran, I will let my heart break and keep my mouth shut, as I did during the US embargo in Iraq (for much inferior reasons).”

Israel is always judged under a magnifying glass. Turkey itself is guilty of the Armenian genocide and slaughtering the separatist Kurds but the United States and other countries pussyfoot around that one. One of my friends has only a little in jest suggested that Israel should launch a flotilla to Turkish occupied Northern Cyprus! Speaking of “Dibat Haaretz” another news event occurred this week in the Far East far from Israel, with collateral damage connected to a legitimate and justified military mission. I refer to the CIA killing by drone the third ranking officer of Al Queda, including children and his family! Innocent by-standers – collateral damage. But the world hardly seemed to notice! “Adonai Oz L’amo Yeten” – May God give strength to our people.

God bless the State of Israel, its citizens and its defenders.