Rabbi's Message

Rabbi Elyse Wechterman
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February 2006
The shock of Hamas Victory

As I write this, the world (or at least those of us concerned with the future of Israel and Palestine) is in shock over the landslide victory of Hamas in Palestinian legislative elections. Many of us are still trying to sort out the implications of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s quick exit from politics last month after a massive stroke.

These two nearly simultaneous events are as earth shattering and as potentially devastating to the region as a major earthquake or hurricane. Jews all over the world will sit at Shabbat tables the next few weeks expressing anxiety, worry and fears for the future of the Jewish state. And the nature of these political upheavels makes predictions of the future nearly impossible and foolish at best.

In order to understand the current situation in Israel and Palestine it is important to look at both the Hamas victory and Sharon’s illness in context. While many Palestine watchers expected Hamas to do well in the legislative elections, the degree of victory (73 of 136 legislative seats) is a landside that has taken the world by surprise.

Hamas, a fundamentalist Islamic terrorist organization that advocates the destruction of Israel, is a distasteful and scary partner in any possible peace process. Nobody outside of Palestine wanted them to win. However, inside Palestine, the existing government headed by Fatah has been unable to improve the quality of life for its citizens and has been rife with corruption and criminal elements throughout its history. Hamas came to power on a platform of ending corruption and by providing much needed social services to the citizens of the West Bank and Gaza. Hamas was not elected because of its terrorist tactics and anti-Israel stance – most polls demonstrate support for accommodation and peace with Israelis among Palestinians. Hamas was elected because they can provide better medical care, education and nutrition for the people. In that context, their election, while still upsetting, makes sense.

The question the world is asking is: now that Hamas is in a position of leadership, how will it transform itself from radical terror organization to a legitimate government – can it and (more importantly) does it want to? The answer to that question will become apparent over time from the actions of the Hamas leaders themselves. No one – not the Israeli government, not the United States, the European Union nor even other Arab governments have any real influence or control over that process. Thus, the waves of shock, fear and anxiety rippling through those who seek to create a peaceful solution.

On the Israeli front, Ariel Sharon’s demise came only a few short months after he broke away from the Likud Party which he had headed for a number of years to form a centrist “third way” party called Kadima. Many had hoped that Sharon and Kadima could push the peace process along and make the necessary concessions to the Palestinians from a position of strength – something that the right wing Likud was unwilling to do and the more left Labor party unable to do. But Kadima was created around the personality of Sharon. It is still not clear who will be the next leader of that party and whether or not it will have the political strength to win enough seats in Israel’s March elections and carry on with Sharon’s vision.

Given the fears Hamas’ election is spreading in Israel, the electorate is likely to move further right for the sake of security. If Kadima does not gain control of the government, the power will likely go back to Likud and Benjamin Netenyahu. Netenyahu has never been a supporter of a negotiated settlement and is likely to reverse the course Sharon set with the pull out form Gaza last year. The uncertainty about Israel’s political future, in turn, makes Palestinians more nervous then ever as well.

This is a moment of incredible danger and trepidation – but it may also turn into a moment of incredible opportunity for the two nations. It is possible to think that two sets of leaders – further apart now then they have been almost since 1967 – with strong stances regarding security and territory – could actually be the ones to come together and work toward a solution. Students of American history note that it was Nixon – a staunch anti-communist republican – who could go to China. It may be that hope for the future lies in the balance of strength between the hardest lines of both Palestinian and Israeli society.

But what are we American Jews and friends who care deeply about Israel and its future to do with this mess and how can we support whatever efforts exist to move us toward a better world in the Middle East?

For one, we stay engaged. We will continue planning our congregational trip to Israel – Scheduled for February 2007 and open to families with children of all ages. We plan this trip not because we are ignorant of the dangers but because we have to act as if we know it will be safe. We have to manifest our love and support for Israel in this way to let them know (and ourselves) that we are still paying attention and still committed.

And secondly, we American Jews must activate the voice we have (albeit a small and diffuse one) in the internal deliberations of Israeli society. For the first time ever, the Jewish Reconstructionist Movement is fielding a slate of candidates to the 35th World Zionist Congress. The WZC will meet in Jerusalem next year to debate critical political, religious, and educational issues affecting the Jewish people and to allocate funding for many important causes at this crucial time in Israel's history.

Founded in 1997 by Theodor Herzl, the World Zionist Congress is the mechanism though which world Jewry meets and addresses a variety of issues confronting the state of Israel and makes recommendations and funding decisions about the disbursement of money sent to Israel through the Jewish Agency. This is place where the money from UJA campaigns and the “little blue boxes” gets spent. It is imperative that the voice of liberal American Jews who care about the democratic and pluralistic character of Israel are represented at this forum and you, as a member of an American Jewish community can vote to make that happen.
Elsewhere in this newsletter you will find information to register to vote and participate in this process. I encourage you to do that, to stay informed of events in that part of the world, to continue discussing our planned trip and asking questions about it (come to some of the preparation sessions we will offer like “conversational Hebrew,” attend our Middle-East Book group that meets one Saturday per month and confront the upheavals of our time with a renewed commitment to maintaining our connections and working toward a peaceful Middle East and world.

Oseh Shalom Bimromav, Hu ya’aseh Shalom Aleynu v’al kol yisrael, v’al kol yoshvei teyvel. May the One who grants peace above make peace for us, for all Israel and for all who dwell on earth and let us say, Amen.

B’Shalom
Rabbi Elyse

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