10/15/10 Rabbi's Weekly Teaching

Weekly Teaching By Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz rabbimitch@templesholom.com
Parashat Lech-Lecha October 15, 2010 Teaching by Rabbi Mitch rabbimitch@templesholom.com This weekend we are blessed to host scholar-in-residence David Keren. David is an incredibly experienced tour guide, and a passionate Jewish educator. He has coordinated and facilitated Israel experiences for thousands of American teenagers over the last 15 years, and serves as the Director for our Conservative movement's youth activities in Israel. David is a certified tour guide with an extensive background in the archeology and history of Israel and Jerusalem in particular. He served as our 2009 Temple's Mission guide, and will do so again with our December 2010 congregational trip. David's presence at Temple Sholom is part of our ongoing initiative for Israel education and advocacy. This initiative is co-chaired by Marshall Cooper and Amy Lipton. They have provided below a note regarding our ongoing efforts. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Mitch It's the Relationship..... "Support us as we grapple with... towering challenges. Back us in our efforts to defend ourselves from terrorist rockets. Uphold us if we have to make painful sacrifices for peace or if we decide that the terms of the proposed treaty fail to justify those sacrifices. Stand with us as we resist Iran's efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. Respect the decisions we take through our democratic system and respect the risks that we, more than any other nation, take." Thanks to Betty Steinberg for sending us Michael Oren's stirring Yom Kipper sermon, of which the above is an excerpt. Oren makes clear, as Rabbi Mitch did throughout the High Holidays, that Israel needs the support of American Jews and of the United States. Rabbi Mitch stressed that the Jews are a people, and that Israel, the Jewish State, is the Jewish homeland.... our homeland. In the past few months, the media and others have focused on settlements, as if settlements were the only impediment to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. If only this were the case. In fact, settlements are just one of many issues that need to be resolved in "final status" negotiations. We don't know when, if ever, those final status negotiations will occur. If negotiations fall apart, surely the world community and many in the media will blame Israel, which has made unprecedented concessions in its constant quest for peace, and Israel will need our help more than ever. Please, this year, support Israel. If you haven't already and you are able to, visit Israel. Learn more about Israel's history. Come to Temple Sholom and UJA/Federation educational events. Join a pro-Israel advocacy group. "IM" ("Israel Message") your friends and neighbors: let them know Israel matters to you and the United States and tell them why. Pro-Israel activists Ellen Keats, Cindy Masters and Betty Steinberg recently suggested that those concerned with Israel's safety and security: 1)subscribe to the dailyalert.org (to ensure that they stay informed); 2)write to letters@camera.org (to request alerts of biased media coverage); and 3)consult the aipac.org website for clear summaries of current legislative issues and talking points on issues relevant to the pro-Israel community. The peace talks are just one aspect of the US/Israel relationship. Even if those talks fall apart, our relationship with Israel must not. We wish you all a happy, healthy and peaceful new year. Marshall Cooper & Amy Lipton
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