Pulling Apart at the Seams

Since Shavuot ended last weekend, we've entered into an odd window of time. Part of the magic of our Jewish calendar is that Jewish communities around the world are typically aligned when it comes to holidays and the weekly Torah portion. There are a few exceptions to this rule, though. The most frequent and well-known calendar discrepancy is that certain Jewish holidays (definitely not all, but many) are celebrated for a single day in the land of Israel* but two days in the Diaspora, or for seven days in Israel and eight in Diaspora. (*In general, the Reform movement follows the Israeli calendar, and doesn't add the extra Diaspora day.) Shavuot is among these: it's a one-day holiday in Israel, and a two-day holiday for traditionally observant Diaspora Jews. 

Usually, the difference would end there. This year, however, the way that Shavuot fell out on the calendar -- beginning, as it did, on a Thursday night/Friday -- meant that some Jewish communities continued observing Shavuot through last Shabbat, while others did not. The implication is that for the coming six Shabbatot, Jewish communities around the world will actually be out of sync with one another, reading different Torah portions. Eventually, Chukkat-Balak -- a pair of parshiyot that can be read either separately or together -- will bring us all back into alignment before July. May 16th was the Shabbat of Parashat Bamidbar everywhere and July 4th will be the Shabbat of Parashat Pinchas.

The window of misalignment that we're experiencing this year feels significant and symbolic. Recently, a Kavana partner asked me to reflect on trends that I'm seeing in my work as it relates to the broader Jewish world. My first answer was that -- for many years already, but in an accelerating way since Oct 7, 2023 -- Israeli Jews and American Jews have been on divergent paths, with very different day-to-day realities, concerns, and political beliefs, and it's a leadership challenge to try to figure out how best to steer through this time of divergence.

We already know, of course, that the views of our own community about Israel -- and this is true whether we're looking at the Kavana community, the Seattle Jewish community, or the American Jewish community as a whole -- are complex, diverse, and shifting quickly. Data from Seattle Jewish Federation's recent Community Study demonstrates some of this complexity: large numbers of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with statements like "It is important to me that Israel is both a Jewish and democratic state" (81%) and "I feel emotionally attached to Israel" (68%), but fewer than half agreed that "In general, Israel makes me proud to be Jewish" (49%). Solid pockets of the community "feel like the American Jewish community is too hard-line in support of Israel" (43%) or "feel like the American Jewish community is not strong and outspoken enough in its support of Israel" (34%). A solid majority of respondents (73%) agree that “I sometimes find it hard to support actions taken by Israel or its government.”

A Jewish Voter Resource Center poll released this past week makes this last point even more sharply. A headline in The Forward summarizes: "Nearly half of young U.S. Jews want to replace Israel with binational state, poll finds. The new data reflects generational shift and growinggulf between American and Israeli Jews." You can click here to read the whole article, but this data doesn't feel particularly surprising to me in the wake of all that's transpired in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel over the last few years.

At such an intense moment of divergence, it's tempting for us here in the American Jewish community to either to look away and disconnect from Israel completely (avoidance), or to retreat to talking points but without real engagement. If you know me, you won't be surprised that I am advocating for continued engagement. At this moment when we perceive the fabric of the worldwide Jewish community to be pulling apart at the seams, I believe it's our obligation not to give up on this relationship. Even and especially when the Israeli government is moving in ways that rightfully horrify our community, now is not the time for us to look the other way, but rather to actively engage to counter the harm, and to seek out our counterparts in Israel/Palestine who are values-aligned and potential allies for us in a longer-term way. 

Although it might have been easier to steer clear of these "hot" topics, over recent weeks, two of Kavana's youth education programs, Moadon Yeladim and Middle School Program, have leaned into curricular modules about Israel's history and contemporary realities. And, over the coming week, there will be two more opportunities for anyone in the Kavana community to connect in a more direct way with Israelis who are tied into what's happening on the ground there. 

First, Shira ben Ami -- Director of the New Israel Fund in Israel -- will be speaking this coming Tuesday evening in Capitol Hill. (Kavana is a co-sponsor for this event and many of our folks are already registered - others are welcome to click here to register.) Amidst the multiple crises of the past few years, NIF and its grassroots partners have continued to fight for the Israel that we believe in -- "a more just, equal, and democratic society that guarantees dignity and safety for all Israelis and Palestinians." Shira will share how NIF is thinking strategically about the upcoming election, building a stronger ecosystem of activists and organizations, and creating the conditions that make peace and democracy possible.

And then, next Thursday night at 7pm, Kavana is hosting the Zamru Ensemble for a special Song Circle (click here to register) This talented group of musicians who will be joining us from Jerusalem connect music, creativity, identity and Jewish prayer, drawing on liturgical poetry (piyutim), traditional melodies (nigunim), and more. Participating in this event is a reminder that at the same time that the Jewish people are experiencing divergence around identity and politics, a vibrant Jewish cultural revival is happening that transcends geographic boundaries and has the power to weave us together into a single community of meaning.

Given the timing of Shavuot, the American and Israeli Jewish communities will indeed be reading different Torah portions this Shabbat. However, we already know that this lectionary calendar misalignment won't be permanent; in just six more weeks, our Torah readings will come back into sync with one another. In thinking about the Jewish people at this inflection point in history, my hope is that, similarly, the pulling apart we are currently experiencing will also not turn out to be a permanent rupture. Ultimately, I hope we will be able to bridge the chasm of experience and outlook that is driving a wedge between American and Israeli Jews. The only way to achieve that re-alignment in the longer-term is to actively cultivate and tend to this relationship now. 

Parashat Nasso (the Torah portion I'll be reading this Shabbat), includes the Priestly Blessing. After its three famous lines ("May God bless you and keep you. May God deal kindly and graciously with you. May God bestow favor upon you and grant you peace."), the section around the blessing concludes with one final verse, set off visually from the rest of the text:

וְשָׂמ֥וּ אֶת־שְׁמִ֖י עַל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַאֲנִ֖י אֲבָרְכֵֽם׃ {ס}        
Thus they shall link My name with the people of Israel, and I will bless them.

Ibn Ezra, a 12th century Spanish commentator, unpacks the final phrase of this verse, writing: 

"'AND I WILL BLESS THEM.' It is possible that the mem of avarekhem (I will bless them) refers to the kohanim who utter the blessing. It means they will bless Israel, and I will bless those who bless. It is also possible that the mem of avarekhem refers to all of Israel. Its meaning is, if the kohanim bless Israel, then I will bless Israel; that is, I will fulfill the blessing of the kohanim. In my opinion, the mem of avarekhem refers to all of them."

Ibn Ezra considers two possible readings of the text, but then communicates his own favored reading, which is that "I will bless them" means "I will bless all of them." As I read this verse this week, I echo that sentiment -- that with these words of blessing conveyed in Parashat Nasso, we are asking for blessing for "all of them" -- that is, for the portion of the Jewish people both here and there.

With prayers for a Shabbat of peace and harmony, even during this period of tension and divergence -- and may we work to re-stitch the tapestry of Jewish community in a way that makes a future of peace and democracy possible, here, there and everywhere, 

Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum