Dear Friends,
It seems that everyone wants to talk.
We’ve been talking with the Russians. They want us to talk to the Syrians. The Syrians want to talk to us. The Israelis and the Palestinians are talking. Even the Iranians now want to talk! What’s going on? It must be a full moon or something. (Actually, there was a full moon last night – coinciding with the beginning of the festival of Sukkot.)
No one knows where all this dialogue will lead. Many among us are cynical. We see the Syrians and Iranians as trying to stall for time and ward off any military attacks, while continuing to engage in their development and use of weapons of mass destruction. Others among us are hopeful. Weary of war we hope that the evil regimes in Damascus and Teheran have come to their senses and will negotiate in good faith to get rid of their WMDs. In truth, only those privy to negotiations and intelligence on the highest level, including back channels, can really assess the situation with any validity. And, even they may not really know whether this dialogue is worthwhile.
On the other hand, for those of us who are not dealing in the world of realpolitik, dialogue is not only worthwhile but essential in order to understand the world around us and build positive, peaceful relationships with those from other communities. On Sunday September 29th at 9:30 a.m. at Temple Sinai we will have a remarkable opportunity to engage in this kind of positive dialogue. Rabbi Dr. Ron Kronish, Director of the Interreligious Coordinating Council of Israel and Kadi Iyad Zahalka, Chief Justice of the Shar’i Court in Jerusalem, will be our guests at a Brotherhood Breakfast, co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey. The program is called, “The Other Peace Process: Interreligious Dialogue in the Service of Peace.”
Rabbi Kronish is a Reform Rabbi and the former Director of the Israel Office of the American Jewish Committee, having received degrees from Hebrew union College, Harvard Graduate School of Education and Brandeis University. Kadi Zahalka is an accomplished judge, author and activist, having received an L.L.B. from Tel Aviv University and an MA from Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
We do not know what will happen when it comes to negotiations with Iran, Syria or between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. There is little we can do to impact such negotiations. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t take actions that will help us understand those of other faiths and from other communities, actions that can help build a more peaceful world.
Shabbat Shalom U’M’vorach – May you have a blessed and peaceful Shabbat – and Chag Sameiach – Happy Sukkot!
Jordan
No comments:
Post a Comment