CBI Blogs

September 25, 2024/22 Elul 5784
Rabbi Stephen Wise

I spent two weeks in Israel this summer. This was my second visit since October 7. The first was to bear witness to the massacre. At that time I noticed a bond of solidarity among Israelis over fighting back against Hamas and rescuing hostages. Grassroots charities sprung up across the country to help take care of others and put aside past grievances. Over the past 8 months that phenomenon slowly eroded with the continued war, despair, and frustrations with the current government. In Tel Aviv we noticed three different protests at the same time a few blocks apart.

While we might not be able to fix the world’s problems, we can find paths towards each other, one relationship at a time. In one particularly emotional moment in Jerusalem, my wife and I helped prepare dinner for a group of soldiers who had finished their army service in Gaza and had a ceremony of closure before going back home. Their deep connection to each other was clear, despite differences of age or political bent. When the commander ended the ceremony by asking for forgiveness for any times he made a mistake and put them in danger, there wasn’t a dry eye. If he could admit to his limitations maybe each of us can find the space to acknowledge we might not always be right and see the goodness in everyone around us, even those we disagree with, and perhaps find ways to rebuild the rifts in our hearts and our country.