From the Desk of Rabbi David Lyon

by David Lyon

6-18-2010

When we arrived in Israel, May 30^th, our eyes and ears were open to everything around us. Tel Aviv was far from Houston, and there was evidence of the fact everywhere around us. No humidity. No Texas accent. Just lots of Hebrew, falafel and Mediterranean air. When we boarded the bus to our destination, the guide began to prepare us for our first stop.

Along the way she pointed out lush fields where orchards of fruits and vegetables were growing. She explained that before Israeli pioneers began to work the land, there were nothing but marsh lands. Swamps. They drained the fields and controlled the water so that crops would grow. She also pointed to the tall buildings going up in the distance. They were apartment buildings that sold like condominiums. The growing population including immigrants required the new construction. She cautioned that among the new buildings were what they called “ghost communities.” In some cases, Americans bought up the apartments with intentions to visit Israel a few weeks each year. They thought they were doing the right thing by investing in Israel real estate, but their absence during the majority of the year didn’t sustain neighborhood stores, restaurants and businesses. So, in the absence of residents there was a dearth of business, thus a ghost community. We felt informed and forewarned.

Our guides, Lyana Rotstein and David Leshnick, answered all of our questions with great care and depth. They were true fonts of information, historical, political, modern and cultural. We depended on them for the broadest and deepest views of the Land. And, when we stumped them only because our questions became more intricate, they were not embarrassed to admit, “Israel is complicated.” It became a mantra we began to repeat to ourselves. In America, we have our own pundits who slice and dice the news into bits of information. We look for conclusions we can bank on; but, in Israel, where answers are also sought, sometimes the answer is simply, “Israel is complicated.” What’s unique about Israeli culture is that it is perfectly normal to live with tension between opposing views, ideas and outlooks. Like the culture of Talmud study, the dialectic nature of conversations on many topics shaped and refined thoughts and opinions into sharply honed conclusions. And when it didn’t, sometimes it was the most authoritative or the loudest voice that prevailed. There was ample evidence of both in Israel.

At the end of each day, we were full of information. I can’t say that we always reached conclusions, but we learned to say on our own and without any prompting, “Israel is complicated.” To live with a bit of tension between competing ideas might be the key to peace. Israelis live with tension everyday and to look at them is to observe resolve and resilience.

The way to peace can’t be one way or the other, black and white with no gray areas; often times it has to be two ways that exist together at the same time. The rabbis used to teach, “Eilu va-eilu,” these and these; that is, both views have truth. How do we pursue peace in a contested region? We can take our cue from Israel, where life is complicated and it works.

From my family to yours, Shabbat Shalom.

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