The Jewish Way: Lessons from Tel Aviv

When Itzik, the tour guide at Israel's Independence Hall, noticed some people shivering and whispering underneath the A/C vent during his talk, he knew they were uncomfortably cold and made a little joke.  He invited them to move to a different spot or to respond "In the Traditional Jewish Way," which he explained was to suffer and accept it while murmuring to ourselves.

In reality, we learned throughout the day, the real "Jewish Way" is best exemplified by Tel Aviv and what happened here on May 14, 1948.  At every turn, those involved with the Declaration of Independence made pragmatic choices to best serve the end goal.  They overcame obstacles and never let inflexible commitment to traditions or grand plans stop them.  There was fear of an air attack so they held the ceremony in a safe room partially underground.  There was only about a day's notice to prepare the room and no budget, so the building superintendent borrowed chairs from the cafes in the surrounding neighborhood and convinced a recording studio to lend them sound equipment in exchange for advertising space on the mic stand. Jerusalem was the biblical and eternal capital of the Jewish world, the natural place for such an event, but the siege of the city blocked the leaders from the ancient city. Tel Aviv would have to do.  The text of the Declaration had been finalized only an hour before the ceremony so the signers affixed their names to a blank piece of parchment with the declaration text on white paper clipped to the top.  The calligraphy script was added later above the signatures.  The Jewish Way was not and is not to suffer quietly, to accept our lot and to murmur only amongst ourselves.  The Jewish Way is to overcome obstacles, to embrace flexibility, and to get it done.


Tonight we join with the Israeli Reform Congregation Beit Daniel for services and dinner at their Jaffa Center - Mishkenot Ruth Daniel. We will be meeting with Rabbi Talia Avnon Beniste and Rabbi Meir Azari before the services to learn about the work of the Reform Movement in Israel and the struggle for religious pluralism here.


Shabbat shalom,