Last night, Moriah and I attended the aforementioned Tu B'Shevat seder, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace and, in particular, their Young Jewish Proud group. It was a completely, completely amazing event. I encourage absolutely everyone to visit the YJP website, and take a look in particular at the Young Jewish Declaration and the video of young Jewish protesters disrupting a speech by Netanyahu at the Jewish Federation General Assembly in November 2010. It's so profound and so inspiring to know that there are Jews out there - in particular, young Jews - who are challenging the paradox of Jewish notions of peace and justice and tikkun olam* generally, and the treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli government.
More about the seder. Tu B'Shevat is the "birthday of trees," kind of a Jewish Arbor Day. The focus last night was on the Jewish National Fund (JNF), "established in accordance with the 1922 League of Nations Mandate for Palestine that included the establishment and recognition of a 'Jewish agency' comprised of representatives of world Jewry to assist in the 'establishment of the Jewish National Home. . . in Palestine.'" The JNF has served as a mechanism by which the Israeli government could "sell absentee lands. . . 'left behind' by former Arab owners." The JNF has thrived in large part thanks to money collected from Jews around the world, especially on Tu B'Shevat. They planted European pine trees that, though not well suited for the soil, prevented Palestinian planting (in part because the acidic soil resulting from dropped pine needles made other agriculture very difficult) and ensured land reserves for new and expanding settlements.
As a group at the seder, we discussed some of the sad, unjust implications of Tu B'Shevat historically and how we can instead celebrate the holiday to speak up about the importance of land and agriculture for ALL people. I can't overstate how moved I was to have this conversation, bridging in so many ways the spiritual connection I feel to Judaism and the concerns and anxiety I have about Israel. It may seem naive, but I had no idea that there were enough Jews with a similar internal conflict to fill a whole room for a seder. Clearly, I need to spend more time with this community.
I may have more to say about the seder and these ideas generally as I continue to reflect, but for now I think it's best to close this post with the same sentiment that closed last night's event.
All land is holy. All people are chosen.
*The responsibility of Jews to actively contribute to repairing our world
Rachel, I enjoy reading your posts and hope you are well. I encourage you, as it seems your interest in Judaism continues, to consider a conversation with us from time to time. It seems interesting that Judaism is playing a central role in your life, but you have not spent time speaking with us on holiday, G-d or Israel. To read a book by Jimmy Carter and yet not search for literature that shares the beliefs of many zionists seems to only paint a partial picture. Regards, Raquel
ReplyDeleteHi, Raquel. I'm sorry if you got the impression that my exploration of Israel was going to end after finishing my current book. I welcome any additional books you'd recommend. If you'd like to have a phone conversation about any of this, definitely let me know!
ReplyDeleteRach,
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad we got to share this experience. The seder did a wonderful job of contextualizing historical events, and also of bridging some very deep parts of Jewish identity that sometimes can feel separate because of the discourse around Israel. The leaders also did a great job of connecting historical events to current ones. I look forward to continuing to explore these issues with you!
MC