Last year, Beth Israel had the pleasure of welcoming Former President of South Africa, F.W. DeKlerk, to our sanctuary. After his address, I had the honor of interviewing him before the 700+ people in attendance. In his comments about Apartheid, he spoke about how two separate peoples came to a new agreement. He made clear that apartheid ended because “reasonable” people came to the peace table. By “reasonable” he meant those who were willing to speak and to listen. They had to speak about reasonable means to peace which included the ability for the other to live peaceably and to co-exist. And, they had to listen to reasonable wants and needs from others whose existence was vital, too. Only between reasonable peoples who were ready to cede something would a semblance of peace and order emerge.
DeKlerk’s comment was also his way of explaining why peace had not happened in other places around the world. When I asked him about the Middle East, he said that reasonable people had not come to the table and that without them there would be no possibility for real peace. In the Middle East, today, real peace is hard to imagine among peoples whose most conservative hopes have been dashed repeatedly. What’s worse, the extremists are at work in Israel and among the Palestinian people. The builders of settlements don’t give peace talks a chance before they make their next moves. The agitators in Gaza only know bombs and bullets and their leaders, new and old, only perpetuate their misery. As long as Hamas rules there will be no chance for peace. Their call for Israel’s destruction surely leaves them far from the negotiation table where reasonable people meet.
Torment and sadness are felt on many levels. But, to find a way to the peace table, some grievances will have to be left behind. New opportunities will have to be embraced. Moderate voices will have to prevail, and reasonable expectations will have to be accepted. Can it happen? There are surely many examples in history, including apartheid in South Africa, that demonstrate real possibilities for peace between warring peoples. However, the unique difference that makes this conflict so unforgiving is the Biblical basis from which the disagreement stems. The rabbinic principle “Elu vaElu” these and these, by which both parties can be right, does not apply here. Some Jews and some Arabs in the Middle East see a solution that must always make one party right and one party wrong. As long as this is the case, there will never be peace.
F.W. DeKlerk, whose own father led during apartheid, later told his father how he would over-turn the very laws his father once wrote. In the end, his father came to see the wisdom of his son’s leadership and the virtues of a land that served all people in freedom. It’s hard to know if DeKlerk’s formula will win the peace in the Middle East. Probably not. But, I have to believe that DeKlerk’s principle of reasonable-ness can be part of a larger formula that can bring us closer to real peace.
In recent days, the bloodshed in Israel reminded us of the fragile peace there. The news media told us what happened, but they will never get it entirely right. We have to be good judges of truth and reasonableness. I urge you to browse the Internet for reliable sources of information. Don’t rely on CNN and Fox News for your daily dose of information on the Middle East. Check Beth Israel’s website for links to important sources of news on Israel. Where you can, help others in your home and among your friends to recognize the importance of being reasonable about expectations. It’s as true at home as it is in the Middle East. Our deepest desires are sometimes things we are unwilling to compromise on; but, if others’ desires are at stake (and they are) we have no choice but to meet them somewhere in the middle where “Elu vaElu” these and these, make it possible for peace to exist.
From my desk to yours, Shabbat Shalom.
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