Introduction: Dear
Friends,
I
am thinking about the importance of words at this time. A lot of angry words are being spoken, many
motivated by altruistic, passionate concern for the innocent and outrage over
the loss of life and the violence. Some have been simply abusive words by
ignorant and even drunk individuals. A man screamed “Allah Akbar” at me in the
middle of Bankstown.
I
write these words with the threat of renewed hostilities in the air. There are very
small things I can do to try to prevent the on-going killing in the Middle East.
I am doing these quietly. As Joe Wakim of the Arab Council said about another
bridge builder, this “role is to prevent this kind of stone throwing, not
engage in it”. This
is a small meditation regarding words and people of different backgrounds getting
along in Australia.
All
the very best,
Zalman
 |
| An example of the power of positive words. The wonderful Paul Benett's book that I launched. A real example of living with light. http://thecrankyguru.net/ |
We saw a victory this week for collaborative
efforts between communities. The Australian government accepted their joint
calls against the humiliation of people on the basis of ethnicity or “race”.
Yet
a dark cloud hangs over community harmony in Australia. Yes, there is an elephant
in the room that is a matter of life and death.
The burning question is how to stop the killing, violence and the suffering?
This is a vital question that I care passionately about. Our tradition teaches that “to kill” is to diminish the “image” of
the King, namely God, in whose image ALL humans are created (1). This question must
be answered, in certain contexts, not by me in this public context. This is
because I sincerely believe I might do more harm than good. Every blame claim, justification, refutation
and counter argument that I can imagine,
has already been shouted endlessly, motivated by a mix of anger, hatred, as
well as sincere desires for justice and to protect the innocent.
Here is another question: What will be the
impact of all this death and conflict here in Australia, where we Australians
of Jewish, Arabic, Muslim, Sunni, Shia, Ukrainian and other backgrounds live?
An
old Rabbi was attacked in Perth this week. School children were terrorized in
Sydney. Shia Muslims have been copping it for many months, Muslims generally,
for years. Less significantly, yesterday, I walked through a state school playground filled
with Arabic teenagers. When they saw
me, an identifiable Jew, they chanted at me: “Free, free, Palestine”. A
sheikh, who had been working with me and a group of students at the school,
walked alongside me to support me as I walked quickly to my car.
Students in Australia should be encouraged
to care about the world they live in and engage with the pursuit of
justice. However, chanting at a Jewish man reflects a generalized
hostility to the “Jewish people”, rather than advocacy for aggrieved
Palestinians. I don’t blame the kids. The distinction is not an easy
one. A Muslim who works with me, made the point that what I felt in that
playground is very similar to how she feels when people shout out “terrorist” to
her. “It has nothing to do with me,” she said.
Perhaps,
of equal importance, was the raising of this very painful and difficult topic
in our group that has been working together regularly from the beginning of
this year. The question about the current situation was raised by a student in
one word, “Palestine?” It was a
useful conversation to have. At the same time it reflects a growing tendency to
talk and think in slogans rather than fully developed ideas with any nuance. A
lot of the “dialogue” about Gaza and Israel has been via Facebook and Twitter - images of dead children, other images with
captions or slogans.
I accept that, in some cases, one may
insult, provoke, polarize, simplify and ridicule as part of agitating for
change. The Biblical prophets resorted to exaggeration, simile and ridicule to
argue for change. On the other hand, we need to get along in Australia. If we
can’t do it here, where our lives are not under direct threat, how can the
people who have lost relatives and their sense of security, not lose hope?! To
some extent, hope has been another casualty of this terrible situation. It must
be restored.
Words
matter. According to the Jewish sages, humiliating another person to the point
where the colour drains
from his face is equivalent to spilling his blood. I think that is hyperbolic,
but reflects the seriousness of the harm caused by denigrating speech, suggesting
a psychological death. Perhaps, more to the point, if people with authority
engage excessively in denigrating groups, younger people and less educated
people will take that as a licence for violence and a signal that they have a
right to be “bigots”.
I
don’t have a formula for preventing murder, killing or war, but I know that listening
from the heart, goodwill and nuanced conversation are part of the answer. Polarization
is usually less helpful. We cannot banish darkness by beating it with sticks. We
can only overcome it with light. I pray for the preservation of life, dignity,
justice and peace.
1 1) Mechilta
