Thoughts on Israel

From The Desk of Rabbi Jamie Gibson

1 Kislev 5777

Israel and Gatlinburg, Tennessee would not appear to have anything in common.  But this past week, they both suffered the grievous effects of wildfires.  The fires consumed property and took lives and left their survivors shaken. Yet despite the destruction and sadness, both communities are being supported by neighbors who love them and even people from far away who don’t know them at all.  Donations to rebuild Gatlinburg and aid the survivors are pouring in from all over the country.

Israel, facing the worst spate of fires in the North and Center parts of the country in its history, received support from all over Europe and the region.  Even the Palestinian Authority sent fire fighting equipment to battle the blazes.Thankfully, those close to me in Israel were not affected.  But their relatives and neighbors were.  When I visit Israel next month I plan to go to the North and view the situation for myself and get a better idea of how I and other might provide help. In case you didn’t know, I love Israel with a passion.  Its glories are, well, glorious.  Its challenges are challenging.  Its pains, some self-inflicted, are painful to me and others who do not even live there.

If you want to assist the victims of the Gatlinburg fire, please contact the Red Cross and give generously.  If you want to assist the victims in Israel, please give either through the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh or ARZA, the Association of Reform Zionists of America. I am giving through ARZA.  Why?  Because one of the most wonderful Reform congregations in Israel, in the city of Ra’anana, was vandalized and threatened by ultra-Orthodox hoodlums this past week.   I want my donation to assist those who have suffered from the fires in the north and those who fear the fires of hatred and intolerance by some Jews in the rest of the country.

Are you free this June?  Come with me to Israel from June 25-July 6 with an extension to Eilat and Petra, Jordan until July 9^th.  We have a rollicking good time and when you come back, you’ll have your own stories to tell!  Come with me to Israel this summer.  I promise you won’t regret it for a moment.