Opinions

V’yichazak lev paroh. “And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard.” In the story of Passover, as the people of the land of Mitzrayim suffer through 10 plagues, their leader grows more callous. Over and over he has the opportunity to soften his heart and avert the next calamity, but instead he allows his heart to grow hard and ensures further suffering. In this particular moment of history, I wonder: How have our own hearts grown hard toward the people in Gaza?
Yes, I know it is easy to clench up just at the mention of Gaza; that our minds might go to Hamas and terrorism and repeated wars. But, let me tell you about the time I spent there, of the people I met and the things I saw.
I work for a small Swiss think tank, researching humanitarian needs and measuring the effectiveness of aid and development response, and ran a project in Gaza for three and a half weeks in November and December 2016. I was there to assess the lingering damage to houses from the war of 2014, so that United Nations offices and non-governmental organizations could appropriately direct assistance to those still in need. In my time there, I had the opportunity to regularly interact with a large number of Gazans, including my team of 65 very polite and professional staff, dozens of earnest and hardworking NGO employees, some overworked U.N. employees, a number of families who generously welcomed me for tea and tours of their still-damaged homes, a few excited shopkeepers, and five very funny taxi drivers.
I was nervous: It took hours of questioning by Israeli authorities before they believed my work was not insidious and let me pass; then I had to lie to Hamas authorities about my Jewish heritage and beliefs in order to gain the necessary paperwork for a multi-week stay in Gaza.
Once I made it in, there were other things that tempted me to grow small and afraid: Israeli fighter jets leaving S-shaped steaks in the sky as they practice bombing runs; at night the sound of wedding fireworks at the fancy hotels on the beach being dwarfed by the boom of homemade missiles test-fired out over the Mediterranean; the silhouette of an Israeli surveillance balloon hanging in the sunrise every morning; the walls at the office reverberating automatic gunfire during Hamas war games.
But most of my time inspired softness and connection: talking over mint tea and shisha with young men who want to travel the world and grow their careers and raise families in a land that is safe and prosperous; laughing every morning as my crew of drivers joke and slap each other on the backs; seeing the loving sadness in the eyes of my falafel guy, the one with my favorite pickled turnips, when I tell him I do not have any children; a letter of gratitude from my staff, thanking me for coming to Gaza, for honoring their home with my visit.
Other moments inspired sorrowful compassion: turning on the sink or shower and feeling the salty, untreated seawater tingle against my hands and eyes and lips; walking to work past daily street vigils of older people, wool shawls wrapped tight against the cold ocean breeze, mourning and protesting the imprisonment or death of their children; standing in a rubble-strewn apartment, two years after an airstrike removed a wall and part of the roof, with a family that still lives there and is struggling to afford supplies to rebuild; looking at a photo of a woman’s granddaughter in the spot in the house where an airstrike killed the girl; watching a man from the power utility unlock and flip an enormous switch on an electrical pole, shutting down electricity to the neighborhood for the next 16 hours, a duty he performs every day because the power grid is stretched too thin.
And then still there were moments that gave me hope for Israeli response. I have friends and a large extended family in Israel, including a number of cousins currently serving in the IDF. I was nervous that my work would be judged and scolded by them. But in my visits with them after I left Gaza, I was met primarily with curiosity, as none of them had much of an idea of what was going on there. They just wanted to know what life was like for their neighbors and were a bit shocked to realize how little they knew.
So, now that we are confronted with grave violence on the border between Gaza and Israel, I wonder what are we choosing to focus on, and how that affects our hearts? Do we consider the fear Gazans feel for their children, brothers and wives? Do we acknowledge the frustration they hold as their industries and public services collapse? Do we share the hopes they have for a future when their businesses can prosper and their children can experience the outside world?
Frankly, I’m shocked it has taken so long for Gazans to organize large-scale protests. Their patience with the worsening conditions there has been mighty. Israel’s government holds incredible power over the conditions in Gaza and is using them as a political pawn under the guise of security. Meanwhile, the people of Gaza are suffering as they just try to live their lives. Of course there is blame to be held on all sides. But blame is just another form of callousness, of hearts grown hard. To avert disaster, in the lives of Gazans and in state of our own hearts, we must step out of our fear and excuses and take responsibility for improving the situation.

Max Gibson is a graduate of the HBHA and an Eagle Scout through Troop 61, with degrees from Naropa University and the University of Colorado — Denver. He currently lives and works in East Africa.

Defamatory attack misguided

Once again, the Chronicle has provided space for Lee Levin’s defamatory attacks on our community’s leaders (May 24, ‘The state of the Jewish people’). As a longtime member of Congregation Beth Torah and a regular attendee at his Saturday-morning class for over two decades, I can personally attest to Rabbi Mark Levin’s love of Israel. It is true that Rabbi Levin is not an enthusiastic supporter of Israel’s current government, but his criticisms are based on his concern that the country he loves is headed in the wrong direction, not on animosity toward the nation itself.
Stu Lewis
Prairie Village

Praising Gov. Colyer

As CEO and founder of the Unity Coalition for Israel, I sent a letter expressing our appreciation to Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer for his proclamation in honor of Jerusalem Day as noted on the Whitehouse.gov website:
“In honor of today’s historic embassy opening, I am proud to have signed a proclamation declaring it Jerusalem Day in the State of Kansas. Thank you @POTUS for making this day happen!” — Gov. Jeff Colyer (R-KS)
Kansas was also well represented, through the Unity Coalition for Israel, at last week’s celebration in the Knesset of the U.S. and Guatemalan embassy moves to Jerusalem. To learn more about our work for Israel, we encouraged him, and Chronicle readers, to visit our website, unitycoalitionforisrael.org.
Governor Colyer’s bold proclamation and stand for Israel is paralleled only by the great former senator of Kansas, Bob Dole, and by his predecessor and current Ambassador of Religious Freedom Sam Brownback. The three of them together will be remembered, along with President Trump, as some of Israel’s staunchest allies.

Esther Levens
The Unity Coalition for Israel

“I am a sophomore, a member of the debate team, a player on my lacrosse team, and a survivor of the Valentine’s Day Massacre.”
These words echoed through the sanctuary at Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook, Illinois, on Friday, May 4. Three hundred congregants and community members listened in awe as Sari Kaufman and Bela Urbina, two students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, came to speak to our community. The program had a follow-up the next morning for teens only, facilitated by our assistant rabbi, Ari Averbach, and me.
Sitting and listening to the stories of these teens — so poised and passionate, speaking so maturely beyond their years, left an impression on everyone. As the weekend drew to a close, I knew this would be one of the most important programs I had been a part of in my six years as a youth director. 
The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas on Feb. 14 hit very close to home for me. As a youth professional, I stay up to date with today’s trends, playing “HQ” and “Fortnite,” going bowling and to baseball games with our USY teens; to name a few examples. As a Jewish professional, it is also my job to be up to date with modern issues and what Judaism has to say about them. When United Synagogue Youth announced they would be participating in the March for Our Lives rallies across the nation, I was fortunate to be able to accompany our teens to the rally in Chicago. We were “praying with our feet,” as Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel did with Martin Luther King so many years before. Following the march, we had a discussion with teens and parents about what Judaism has to say concerning guns, violence and the second amendment in our society.
Still sensing that our teens wanted more, I set about finding other ways to address this issue. I decided to “bring Parkland” to our community. Through a series of mutual connections, Sari and Bela came to our congregation to relate their stories and bring a glimmer of hope for the future.
Per chance, Sari and Bela’s visit came the day Lag b’Omer. Historically, during a period of sadness and death, Lag b’Omer served as a glimmer of hope for the Jewish people. The world is still mourning for Parkland but hearing the incredibly touching stories of teens like Sari and Bela gives us hope in a time of darkness.
Looking back on the weekend, I have two messages I feel need sharing. The first is that our youth should not be ignored. Sari and Bela spoke to our entire congregation, making it very clear that their ages do not silence their stories or their voices. They challenged our congregation and teens to use their voices to make change in whatever way feels right.
This brings me to the sad reality of the second message. Our discussion with Sari and Bela was not about political affiliation. It was about spreading the word that our teens should not be afraid going to school, to the mall, to movies and even going to synagogue.
But our teens ARE afraid to go to school. They wake up every morning with the thought, “could this be the day that Parkland happens at my school?” On Shabbat morning, I sat in a room of 45 Jewish teens who finally felt they had a place to express themselves. The students from Parkland answered questions as our students shared their own stories of fear and insecurities of going to school every day. As prepared as I thought I was for our discussion, I was not prepared for the harsh realization that our teens live in a constant state of fear. Surprised, I asked them to raise their hands if they felt scared, even before the Parkland shooting. Every single hand raised. With all these students being born after Columbine (1999), every one of them has grown up with active shooter drills held regularly in their schools.
I asked Sari and Bela to leave our teens with a final message and this is what they said: “Don’t be afraid to talk to administration. They are here to listen, and you deserve to have your voices heard.” Everyone shook their heads in agreement and understanding, and this message needs to be spread. It is time for our teens to speak up, and for us, as professionals, to help them do so.
As a Jewish professional, how can I help my teens feel safe? How can I make them feel like their voices and needs are being heard? It is up to clergy and Jewish communal professionals to have these discussions and reach out to our teens. The synagogue has to be a place they feel comfortable, knowing they can find inspiration and direction through Jewish values.
Every week at Congregation Beth Shalom, we bring in 50-60 high schoolers for our USY programming. Having experienced this special Shabbat with Sari and Bela, I gained a deeper appreciation that while our teens feel comfortable coming into our synagogue, there is still concern about the reality that is teenage life today. These conversations need to be had in all of our synagogues and communities, and now more than ever before, we need to be there for our youth.
As I was wring this article yet another school shooting was reported, this time in Texas. We need to have these important conversations, and we need to take the steps needed to stop shootings in schools. This has to happen NOW. No child should ever have to wake up with fear in the back of their minds.
I hope this article inspires you to look into the culture of your own community. Ask the hard questions and be there for your teens. Synagogues and schools should always be a safe space for our youth. Now is the time for us to step up as dugmaot (examples) and mentors.
     
(Matt Rissien is the director of youth activities at Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook, Illinois. He is a graduate of Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy and the University of Kansas.)

The state of the Jewish people

I have heard Rabbi Mark Levin speak many, many times, and have read his articles, including the most recent “No Palestinian State — now or ever” published in the May 17 issue of The Chronicle.
Never, ever has Rabbi Levin had a good word for Israel. He appears to be very sad there are no protests, no mass demonstrations, in Arab capitals about the American embassy in Jerusalem. This is a good thing, isn’t it? Not according to the rabbi. He expresses sorrow at the lack of rioting in the Arab world. He also expresses regret that the Arab world seems to have abandoned the Palestinian cause. This, too, would seem to be a positive, except, of course, to Rabbi Levin.
Based on his oft-expressed opinions, the Palestinians are always right, Israel is always wrong. Whatever the Palestinians demand should be granted. If he has any exceptions about this, I have never heard them or read them.
He decries the bill declaring Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people. I thought this was the whole point of the existence of Israel. If Israel is not the nation-state of the Jewish people, what is it?
But that isn’t all. He then goes on to make the absurd declaration this bill permits Netanyahu to, and I quote, “declare as enemies of the State anyone who disagrees.” He also states this bill would allow the State to move toward fascism. It is hard to imagine how even a fervent, fanatic J-Streeter could arrive at such ridiculous conclusions.

Lee Levin
Overland Park, Kansas

I know Rabbi Mark Levin to be a compassionate person from my personal experience with him and from the activities for peace and understanding in which he has been engaged for many years. I am moved to engage him as he made known his compassion for Palestinians in the article “No Palestinian state — now or ever” published in The Chronicle May 17. He states Palestinians have been abandoned by Arab counties and have no hope for a state of their own. He made the statement that no one cares about the Palestinians, “not the Arab countries and not the Israelis.”
I, too, have feelings for the Palestinians but from a different perspective. They have been misled by their leaders that attacked Israel at its birth, rejecting the partition of Palestine, one state for Arabs and the other for Israel. Many fled from their homes as they were urged to do because of the false promise that they could return after they succeeded in defeating the new Israelis.
So many attempts at peace have failed as Palestinian leaders did not accept peace overtures from Israel. The rejections were followed by intifada uprisings and terrorist attacks on Israeli citizens. The most recent peace plan (2007) was proposed by then Prime Minister Ehud Olmert who wrote in his memoir that his plan “offered the relinquishing of the entire West Bank and East Jerusalem (as the capital of Palestine),” along with other concessions. That over generous plan was rejected to the detriment of ordinary Palestinians, who have my sympathy.
One might ask “why are these people behaving this way that leads to their despair?” I propose that the answer lies in what they and their children are made to believe. The song from the musical South Pacific explains it well, “you have to be taught!”
It is not the Israelis that make the lives of the Palestinians and their wish for a state of their own hopeless. It is the consistent failure of their leadership to accept the reality of Israel’s existence and the rejection of peace between them and the Jewish people of Israel. Palestinians are encouraged to act against their own interests by their self-destructive behavior, like the blowing up of fuel lines into Gaza and the blocking of trucks from Israelis bearing aide. Even when the Israeli trucks could again pass through, Hamas refused to accept shipments of medical supplies for Gaza hospitals. Palestinians, you have my sympathy.
Perhaps now with some Arab states becoming ready to begin relationships with Israel, the weakening of their support might encourage the Palestinian leadership to change. The outlook for the immediate future is bleak as Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas has spewed anti-Sematic speech (for which he has apologized) revealing his true feelings about Jews. Hamas is again engaging in the use of human shields at its border that have resulted in the deaths of 60 demonstrators, at least 50 of them Hamas admitted be members of their terrorist regime. The “peaceful” demonstrations at the Gaza border fence is an attempt at mayhem, according to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar who declared, “We will take down the border and we will tear out their hearts.” Nonetheless, they have garnered the sympathy of many individuals and countries. Hamas is wallowing in the deaths of those victims as it gains support from individuals, countries and the United Nations. This, even though women and their children are put at risk at the volatile scene. Palestinians, you have my sympathy.
As those gathered at the border barrier, many of whom are armed with a variety of lethal weapons, sending kites with fire bombs to ignite Israeli crops, Israeli children have flown hundreds of kites with messages of peace and love. They, too, have sympathy for the manipulated Palestinians.
Rabbi Levin wrote that he has a problem with Israel declaring that it is a Jewish state. I am puzzled that he seems upset at that prospect. Countries of the world fly flags with religious symbols, the cross of Christianity and the moon crescent of Islam. There are 29 flags with Christian crosses and 21 with the crescent of Islam. There is only one flag with the Star of David, a symbol of the Jewish state and in my opinion, of the Jewish people. People of many religions live under these flags, so why not Israel?
The rabbi expressed concern that Israel may become a fascist state. That comment really shocked me. In contrast with the Arab states led by dictators and the Palestinians, Israel is an Island of democracy in its part of the globe. There are a dozen Arabs in the Israeli parliament (Knesset). An Arab sits on its supreme court. Arab students and professors attend Israeli universities. Arab states caused the exodus of 850,000 Jews from their countries. The Israelis that lived in Gaza were not allowed to remain there. Mahmoud Abbas has declared that no Jews would be allowed to live in a Palestinian state, where as Israel’s Arabs constitute 20 percent of its population. Are these the indicators of a fascist state?
There is no doubt in my mind that Rabbi Levin is absolutely committed to Israel and that he loves that state. I fear his concern about issues he has with some of Israel’s actions and the domination of the ultra-Orthodox has tempered his feelings and judgments. I have confidence his love of Israel will overcome his concern for the Palestinians and Israel.

(Sol Koenigsberg is executive director emeritus of the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City.)
 
  

There will be no Palestinian State because no one cares about the Palestinians, at least no one who matters.
The truth is that no entity, no government, ever cared about the Palestinians: not the Arab countries and not the Israelis. The Palestinian leadership under Arafat’s PLO was bolstered by Arab nations to say “no.” The Palestinians built an insufficient governmental infrastructure to govern effectively, and now under Abbas, a sick old man, there is not even a succession plan.
But now, with Iran an existential threat to Saudi Arabia and Egypt in particular, with the Israelis combating ISIS on the Sinai alongside Egypt, with Saudi Arabia building economic ties to Israel as rapidly and cautiously as possible, the surrounding nations have abandoned the Palestinian cause that they used as a cudgel to beat Israel.
This is the reason that there are no protests in Arab capitals about the American embassy in Jerusalem, no mass demonstrations sponsored by Arab governments and styled “the street speaking.” NO ONE CARES. Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are fighting a common enemy. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” The Palestinians no longer serve a useful purpose, and their cause is being abandoned.
Netanyahu has triumphed, and Trump has seized the day. I predicted these alliances in an article in The Chronicle in December 2015. And here we have the fruition. Trump can move our American embassy without significant political consequences.
The truth is except for the common Palestinians — the people in the street who have been taken advantage of for decades — this new development will likely lead to better relations in the Middle East. The Palestinian leadership, unwilling to admit to the weakness of their position and relying upon that weakness to triumph with the backing of the governmental powers surrounding Israel, has been abandoned and has no internal power to fall back on. Hence the tragic demonstrations in Gaza. There is no rioting in Arab capitals, no support for the cause, no protests that will unite the Arab world.
Netanyahu has taken advantage of the weakness of the Palestinian position, and now he will attempt to consolidate his power at their expense by further making them second class citizens in their own country, so that their demographic power will be undercut by new laws, like the: “Basic Law proposal: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People is an Israeli bill which seeks to determine the nature of the State of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people.” (Wikipedia)
If this passes it will make Israel officially a Jewish State by law as a part of what passes for an Israeli constitution, its basic laws, and will be used to pass laws that will further degrade the position of Palestinians, and very possibly other non-Jews.
These events exist in a much broader context that reflect the changing power structure in the Middle East. That is giving Netanyahu a free hand to make bias against Palestinians officially the law of the land and declare as enemies of the State anyone who disagrees and claims that these changes are making Israel not only into less of a democracy, but moving the State toward fascism.
The Israel we love is moving away from the democratic values of her declaration of independence, and we are entering a very scary time in which the Jewish state is rapidly embodying values that will make us choose between democracy and love of the Jewish people.

(Rabbi Mark H. Levin is founding rabbi of Congregation Beth Torah.)

Distorted value system
needs to be fixed

Most of us are saddened by the recent violence in the Gaza region. Propagated by Hamas and its tyrannical supporter, the Iranian fascist regime, many lives have been lost. They fixate on the one ideology — that anything “Jewish” must be vanquished from the face of the earth. There is no room in their distorted value system for co-existence. Israel must therefore vigorously defend itself. Unlike opposing forces, historically we (Jews) take no pleasure in defensive actions that result in any devastation. Led by Moses in escape from slavery in Egypt and so many other times in history, we answer a call to defend ourselves and our existence.   
Many years ago Elizabeth Alex, a former local news anchor, asked me to care for a 4-year-old Palestinian child from Gaza who was brought here for humanitarian reasons by the television network for medical treatment. The child needed orthopedic treatment as well as dental reconstruction. I agreed without hesitation to treat her mouth pathology. After all, as a Jew this might be a small opportunity at detente. Knowing she was being treated by a Jew, I hoped maybe it would make her and others think twice before strapping on a bomb vest. Instead I hoped they would think about kindness and about getting along.
We are all fashioned by the same creator. Golda Meir stated, “We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.”

John Fasbinder, D.D.S.
Lenexa, Kansas

Despicable law

Kansas lawmakers voted early on the morning of May 4 to send a bill to the governor for signature that will allow the state to provide contracts and funding to private adoption agencies that discriminate by refusing to place children with LGBT families or anyone else whose lifestyle runs counter to their “religious beliefs.”
As a retired professional with years of experience in our community’s child welfare system and as a Jew who believes that government-sanctioned discrimination by faith-based organizations is extremely dangerous, I am deeply saddened by this move in our state.
I want to thank Joy Koesten (R-House District 28); Jan Kessinger (R-House District 20); and Brett Parker (R-House District 29)  for their strong leadership in trying to prevent this travesty from occurring in Kansas.  They fought long and hard to try to help our most vulnerable children and protect the rights of every family in our state.
As everyone who reads the Kansas City Star knows, the situation for children and teens in the Kansas child welfare system is harrowing — and getting worse. There were more than 7,200 children in out-of-home placements in our state in December 2017, up 43 percent from five years ago. Last year, 108 kids slept in the offices of child welfare agencies, because no in-home beds could be found. There are more than 400 children in Kansas registered on the Adoption Exchange with no identified adoptive resource.
In the face of these appalling statistics, our state needs every safe, appropriate family who is willing to take in foster children and to adopt these kids into safe, loving homes. Horrifyingly, there are religious agencies that would rather see these children languish in foster care than allow LGBT individuals and couples the opportunity to care for them. And now, the state of Kansas will be able to provide contracts and funding to these discriminatory agencies.
It is not a stretch to imagine one day these same agencies will decide that Jewish individuals and couples are not “religiously appropriate” to foster and adopt. Or families who have faced divorce. Or are inter-racial. We should be very concerned about allowing our state to fund agencies that choose to discriminate on any basis.
Please join me in supporting Joy Koesten, Jan Kessinger and Brett Parker, elected officials who fought against this despicable outcome. They will face challengers in the Republican primary and they need to be re-elected. And let’s vow together to continue to fight for our community’s abused and neglected children and those who are willing to help them.

Martha Gershun
Retired Executive Director
Jackson County CASA
(Court Appointed Special
Advocates)

An open letter to Natalie Portman

Dear Natalie Portman:
I am not angry with you for your refusal to accept and attend the award ceremony as a recipient of Israel’s 2018 Genesis Prize, known by some as the Israeli Nobel Prize. Your behavior saddens me since it is full of judgements that are unexplained and ignore certain facts.
Apparently, you are reacting to your perception that Israeli soldiers are shooting at and killing defenseless Palistinian protestors at the Israeli Gaza fence. I do not know why you are ignoring what is taking place there. I believe we ought to sympathize with those protestors who are being exploited by Hamas. It is being reported that Hamas is asking these people not to fear death but to welcome martyrdom. In doing so they have gained your sympathy and that of much of the world. You are aiding them as they gain still another propaganda victory. They are very good at that! 
You maintain that you do not wish to share a platform with Prime Minister Netanyahu. A more appropriate way of dealing with your feelings about him would have been to air your grievances.
The JTA story in our Kansas City Jewish Chronicle quotes Josh Block of the Israel Project as follows: “The better approach for her would to go to Israel and give a speech ... to the people she wants to persuade.” Yes, you could and should. I strongly disagree with those in Israel who suggest that your Israeli citizenship should be revoked. All of who care deeply about Israel should not push you away. We should draw you to us.
Do think about Golda Meir’s statement so many years ago: “We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We will only have peace when they love their children more than they hate us.”

Sol Koenigsberg
Overland Park, Kansas