Interfaith Support Call for Teaneck, NJ 06/14/2020

Shalom and Hello to everyone from Harduf, Israel. It is a great honor for me to participate in this Interfaith call to healing. It’s quite amazing that I am able to be with you even though I am 7,000 miles away so that despite how far apart we are in distance, we are still together. 

I want to take this time to talk about Judaism’s wisdom on hope and inner strength. Judaism has many great verses of biblical wisdom and prophecy that has provided Jews a spiritual strength to persevere and survive for thousands of years. As you are likely aware, Jews are a people familiar with difficulty and hardship. So I want to discuss a bit about a Judaism of hope. 

Judaism is ultimately, a faith that by its very structure holds out to hope for the future. Rabbi Johnathon Sacks of Great Britain brilliantly points out that what makes the Hebrew Bible different than most other works of literature is that it has an amazing beginning but no satisfactory ending. There is no “and they lived happily ever after.” It ends with the Jews in exile in II Chronicles. That’s because the Jewish story has yet to end. We believe that we are constantly and regularly adding to our story of what it means to be a Jew and every single Jew is adding to the Jewish story regardless of where they were in Diaspora or whether they remained in the Holy Land. And it also means that God is still with us as we work to build a better world. Our story does not have to be in the Bible for it to be relevant to us. I find that understanding to give me a lot of hope for the future. That my story is not complete and that I have a chapter to add to the Jewish story. 

But while our story is ongoing, the Hebrew Bible still has plenty of relevance. Not only does it describe the origins of Judaism, it also provides plenty of wisdom to deal with a multitude of challenges. The Torah provides wisdom. The Nevi’im or Prophets provide wisdom. And the Kethuvim or Writings provide wisdom. And it has a fascinating way of providing comfort when needed. I want to share some words from each of the 3 sections of the Hebrew Bible in hopes that it will provide for you some comfort and strength regardless of your faith. 

Every week Jews around the world read a portion of the Torah which is called a Parshah. This practice has helped keep the Jewish story alive. It keeps the Torah on our mind as we think about it, discuss it, argue about it, and wrestle with its deeper meaning. 

Last week, Jews around the world read the Parshah Nasso, in the Book of Numbers, which holds what I believe to be one of the most beautiful blessing in the Torah. 

Numbers 6:24-27 ‘May the Lord bless you and watch over you. May the Lord cause his countenance to shine to you and favor you. May the Lord raise his countenance toward you and grant you peace. They shall bestow My Name upon the Children of Israel, so that I will bless them.’ 

God conducted this blessing through Moses as the Israelites were crossing through the Sinai Desert. 

In the Prophets, Isaiah reminds his audience about who God is and tells them to have hope and faith in God. This is Isaiah’s message of hope and strength: 

Isaiah 40:28-31 ‘Do you not know-if you have not heard an everlasting God is the Lord, the Creator of the end of the earth; He neither tires nor wearies; there is no fathoming his understanding. Who gives the tired strength, and to him who has no strength, He increases strength. Now youths shall become tired and weary, and young men shall stumble. But those who put their hope in the Lord shall renew their vigor, they shall raise wings as eagles; they shall run and not weary, they shall walk and not tire.’

At last, I want to conclude by sharing a portion of a Psalm. It is believed that David wrote the Psalms with every Jew in mind so that when tough times come, the Psalms will help provide hope, comfort, and strength. 

Psalm 91:9-16 ‘For you said, “The Lord is my refuge”; the Most High you made your dwelling. No harm will befall you, nor will a plague draw near to your tent. For He will command His angels on your behalf to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you, lest your foot stumble on a stone. On a young lion and a cobra you will tread; you will trample the young lion and the serpent. For he yearns for Me, and I shall rescue him; I shall fortify him because he knows My name. He will call Me and I shall answer him; I am with him in distress; I shall rescue him and I shall honor him. With length of days I shall satiate him, and I shall show him My salvation.’ 

These are powerful words that have provided a lot of comfort, strength, and hope to Jews across the centuries no matter where they were. I find that they not only help me in finding hope but also in looking deeper into who I am as a human and as a Jew. 

I hope these words have brought you some comfort, strength, and hope. I know we will get through these difficult times and what I hope is that our suffering and loss was not in vain. That we learn from this so that we can better protect each other and our society in the future. May the memories of those we lost forever be a blessing. May God grant us the strength to get through this difficult time and make a better world. May we carry with us strength, courage, prayer, and hope. 

Amen. 

The Siren Heard Across the Land - Yom HaShoah

Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day. 

10:00 am. A siren sounds across all of Israel. We know this siren comes annually. Today is a day that we take to remember who we lost. An interesting question can be asked: why should we not only remember, but be reminded once every year? Does the history of the Holocaust not cause us some kind of deep pain? It does. 

There are many reasons to remember but one that sits on my mind is that it’s not just my history, it’s not just a recent history, it’s human history and its lessons are valuable to the contemporary. 

One thing I hear people say a lot is that “people are inherently good.” I don’t believe that. As a Jew I don’t believe it and as a descendent of survivors and victims, I can’t believe that. To be good is to do good. And sometimes, to do good requires a bravery greater than the average person can summon. What comes to mind when discussing the Holocaust is not just those who partook in the atrocities but also those who made excuses to remain silent. It comes to mind because there is silence towards great pain today. People remain silent about atrocities and agony across the world. Whether it be in Central America, Syria, Myanmar, China, or anywhere else - we should not have to wait for the situation to be like that of the Holocaust for us to care about those being victimized. Jews may spend the remainder of their lives remembering the Holocaust but the Holocaust is not just about the victims. It is about those who can become perpetrators and bystanders when situations arise to allow such behaviors. But also, the Holocaust is about those who in spite of all that was stacked against them, became the righteous among the nations. That’s what makes being a human being a worthy cause. It is because humans are not inherently good that it is so uplifting when humans do such amazing good. We might not be inherently good but we are capable of doing so much good. We can prevent future atrocities. I believe that since we can do so many great things despite our capabilities of doing such great evil reveals the beauty and complexity of being a human being. 

When I hear the siren of Yom HaShoah in Israel, I think of those who came before me and sacrificed so much so that I can be where I am today. I think of those who had their whole lives disrupted and were forced to rebuild. I think of the stories I need to share so that on the day there are no more survivors, I can carry the mantle and keep their stories alive. But perhaps most of all, I think of those who didn’t make it. 6 million Jews and 5 million other people who had their lives stolen from them and never truly received the justice worthy of their sacrifices. 
So let the siren sound so that we can take this moment in time, to silence the noise of our lives, for just one minute that we can pay respect to our forefathers and foremothers who sacrificed so much that we can be where we stand today. 

May we use the memory of the Holocaust to build a better future.

May we never again allow hate to destroy.

May we love the neighbor.

May the memories of those we lost forever be a blessing. 
Am Yisrael Chai.

This Year in Jerusalem? Maybe Next Year.

For many generations, Jews have concluded their Seders with the saying “לשנה הבאה בירושלים״ translated as “Next Year in Jerusalem.” Many Jews dreamed of returning to Jerusalem over the generations and sadly most were never able to go. I am currently enjoying a great privilege which is to be in a land where Jews are safe and can express their faith openly without concern. This year, I happen to be in Israel during the holiday of Passover and I really wanted to celebrate the holiday in Jerusalem. I didn’t want to just celebrate this for myself; I wanted to celebrate the holiday in Jerusalem for those before me who never made it to Jerusalem. Unfortunately, my dream went unfulfilled. Because of the coronavirus and the quarantine imposed upon us, I was unable to make it to Jerusalem. So close and yet I might as well be so far away. I will be honest, it hurt. But as with every challenge in life, lessons and ideas can come from it. My ancestors prior to my grandfather never made it to this land and were never able to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem. This year, I did not make it to Jerusalem for Passover either. But, I came close. 

Sometimes, we have to come to terms with what is impossible but we should also acknowledge how close we got. So, this year I don’t get to pray for those who didn’t make it. Perhaps next year - I will. 

Election Day in Israel

I love a good election! But 3 times within the span of a year might be a bit much. Nevertheless, it has been very interesting to talk to Israelis about their thoughts on this problem. The results of the previous two elections show that Israelis are quite divided on what they want for the future of their country. Essentially, you have a strong right, a strong center, and a weak left. It also seems that in Israel, the right and the left are on two very different issues.

For the right, they see the main threat to the State of Israel as Iran.

For the left, they see the main threat to the State of Israel as the on-going and seemingly never-ending conflict with the Palestinians.

The centrists in Israel tend to be more right-leaning towards security and left-leaning on human rights and social services. At least that is what they have been telling me. That is also what Benny Gantz, the #1 pick for Kachol Lavan (Blue and White party), has said many times. 

There are plenty of other concerns that Israeli voters have in mind as they go to the ballot boxes. Cost of living in Israel is increasing. There is an intense debate on whether or not very religious Jews can avoid going to the Army if they remain in a yeshiva to study Torah. And so much more that you likely would not hear much about outside of Israel. 

There is also much concern about the Israeli political system itself. Despite Netanyahu’s corruption charges, many Israelis are still keen on voting for his party, Likud. To an outsider, this may seem confusing and cause some frustration. But looking in from the inside, there are reasons why some Israelis still vote Likud and those reasons are not irrational.

Netanyahu has two major political elements that he can take credit for (or at least have that credit be accepted by voters). Under the Netanyahu Prime Ministership, Israel has a strong security apparatus and improved relations with foreign nations. Being able to own having a secure country is certainly a great chip to have, especially in the Middle East. He has spent a lot of time traveling to Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Gulf states where relations have improved in recent years. And having some countries relocate (and declare to relocate) their embassies to West Jerusalem is big plus to his political ambitions. 

As upsetting as it may seem, it makes sense that some Israelis will overlook his corruption charges and infidelities. One Israeli told me, “I don’t care what he does in his personal life, I only care that he keeps us safe.” 

I cannot emphasize how important the feeling of safety is for Israelis and for being in the Middle East. Whether or not his decisions will keep Israelis safe in the long run is an intense and divisive debate but only the future has the answer to that debate. 

But however you feel about the right or the center, it is important to understand that Israel has a multi-party system so to judge all Israelis because of whatever the election results will be is simply unfair. 

I also want to share a big difference between the Israeli election and the American election. In Israel, most businesses are closed and public transportation is free. Many Israelis enjoy the day off. They get to sleep in. Many will vote in the morning and then take a day trip or go on a hike. 

In the US, well vote if you can. Maybe get up early or go during your lunch break. 

Having the day off seems to help with turnout (as common sense would suggest) so even with two frustrating elections, Israelis are still showing up to the polls. 

I also think this election frustration shows how fragile democratic institutions can be. There is much to be frustrated about but whatever the results of any election, in the U.S. and Israel, let us hope that those governments serve the will of the people. I think about the issues in the U.S. and Israel a lot and the radical politics and gridlock are frustrating. But, I still have hope that moral and democratic values will prevail in the long run.

As I conclude this, I have no clue who will be the Prime Minister of Israel or the Democratic nominee in the United States, but what I do know is that so long as we protect democratic values, they will hold. And if you can, get out and vote!

Happy Election Day. 

Return to the Holy Land - the Promised Land

I am often told that I cannot sit still for too long. I must agree that it true. I cannot sit still. It does not matter what way I am going as long as I am moving in the process. That is why I travel and when an opportunity arose to spend an extended time in Israel, I could hardly pass it up. However, the unfortunate reality is that this is a very controversial place and to make an honest reflection is very difficult and even risky. The problem as I understand it is that there are many sides to the argument, not just two sides. It is not in my interest nor is it my desire to make anyone angry. I am a traveler and a young writer. My job is to explore new (and old) places, meet new people, eat great food, have honest dialogue, and write my thoughts and reflections. So far in this travel blog I have written about Poland, South Africa, and El Paso. None of my posts changed any facts on the ground. My writings did not end antisemitism in Poland, poverty in South Africa, or the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. However, they did something special. They revealed stories and information to people who had not been much exposed to these topics. My goal is to continue sharing stories and information and for the next 5 months, I will be writing about the Holy Land.

What comes to mind now is a small experience I had on the plane ride to El Paso. I was struck with motion sickness and went to airplane lavatory. A stewardess heard me vomit and when I got out of the lavatory, she made a comment that I am a "loud vomiter" (as if anyone can vomit quietly). She asked me why I was going to El Paso and I told her I was going to learn about the complexities of the U.S.-Mexico border. She asked me if I was going to approach the topic in an unbiased way. I told her I would try.

This memory comes to mind because I expect people will want me to try and keep my biases out. That is certainly a fair request but in a way, that would go against what I am trying to do here. Much has been written on the conflict and there are many great books out there to read from and learn about the conflict. My goal is to write my own thoughts and reflections about what I see and hear so inherently, my biases will be presented in my writings.

So then, if all you know about the Holy Land is what I write about, you will be missing many big pieces of this complicated puzzle. I believe I have a voice to add, but I certainly do not have the only voice that should be listened to. I want that you take what I write and include it the wider range of stories and discussions about the Holy Land. I will write about my experiences and judging based off of what is in my itinerary, it will make some people uncomfortable (probably to say the least of it) but I do not believe in hiding stories so I will share them the best I can in the best of hopes and intentions. I am leaving the comments section open and I encourage questions and thoughts. These can help me write and reflect more clearly. 

So you know where I am coming from, please allow me to provide some background. I am an American Jew. I am the first person in my family to be born in the U.S. Most of my family members live in Israel (and other countries because I have an exciting family with a complicated past). Since I have graduated from university, I have read plenty of books on Judaism, Israel, Palestine, and I plan to continue doing so. I am greatly invested in what happens in the Holy Land. Because of my background, I have a worldview that is shaped by 3,000+ years of peoplehood, religion, trauma, and stories. I consider myself a Zionist. I am a Zionist because I believe in my people’s deep connection to the Land of Israel. I almost a Zionist because I am aware of my people’s history - a history of wandering and displacement - but always facing towards Jerusalem praying to someday return home. I am a Zionist because I know my own familial history. If you want to know a little bit about that, I suggest you read my post on Auschwitz-Birkenau (a hyperlink is below the blogpost). I had family murdered there and it isn’t lost on me that I am so very fortunate to have the opportunity to even exist and this is not a fact I take lightly. I believe that for Jews to live in safety, there has to be a state for the Jews. Part of having safety then would be to have peace with the Palestinians. What that will look like I do not know but what is clear is that neither Israelis or Palestinians are erasable so I support a peace that acknowledges the dignity and rights of both people. As we see a rise in antisemitism across the world, the importance of a state for the Jews has become increasingly more important and I hope that one day, Jews and Palestinians can live in peace and I would be so honored if this blog even slightly contributes to that. 

"You shall neither take revenge from nor bear a grudge against the members of your people; you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:18)."

I try to live up to this command in Leviticus.

In my attempt to live up to this, I will try to gain a deeper understanding of the Holy Land. In doing so, I will have the difficult task of stepping outside of myself and seeing the complexities in other people’s shoes. That is the hard part. But here is an easier task I will complete. I will sit down and break bread with any person who is willing to speak with me.

For those of you who will be following my journey, I ask that you have patience and understanding. I am not writing to convince you of any form of nationalism. I am writing in hopes of bringing some clarity. I will share my stories as well as the stories of others. Some stories might make you uncomfortable. Discomfort is a part of life and I ask that you stick around. To say this again, I will leave the comments section open and I strongly encourage that you ask questions, leave thoughts, prayers, and comments. I will seek to answer them. Questions help in clarifying the situation.

So please, take my hand and let us go on this journey together - in peace.

Noah Goldman

Personal Reflection of my Visit to Auschwitz-h

Reflection on El Paso

There is only one thing we can all agree on in regards to the immigration debate. Our immigration system is broken.
A question that pops up is what does an efficient  immigration system look like? It depends how you want out of it. I would say there is no such thing as a moral immigration system. The two extremes are closed off borders and open borders. Both are immoral because both would cause a lot of harm to many people. As our border becomes more and more closed off, we are seeing the harm that comes from it. As of today, four kids who migrated here have died in the custody of the U.S. Government. Not moral by any means. Open borders is immoral because it ignores that there are bad entities out there that would take advantage of such. Civilians would be hurt due to this.
Now I must say that both are extreme positions and it would be dishonest to say those are our only options. There are many different ways to make a good immigration system. I like to think the two approaches listed above are a small minority of thought. I hope so. We need to see immigration as the complex topic it is and we should not expect a perfect result or perfect people.
We also have to acknowledge who is coming and why. Today, people are coming to the U.S. from the Northern Triangle - Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. They come for different reasons ranging from droughts to intense violence. Gang violence plagues the region and is responsible for the gruesome violence that has killed thousands of people. If I lived in such conditions I would leave. Many people come through El Paso. It serves as a flashpoint in the immigration debate. We saw many migrants coming through in search for safety.
But I find that to understand why many people are coming from Central America, we need to take a look in history. Back in the Cold War, the U.S. government was so terrified of communism that we overthrew democratically-elected heads of state and replaced them with dictators who were friendly to the U.S. In Guatemala, this sparked a genocide that killed 200,000 people and left 50,000 missing. We don't know where they are, we just know that they are no longer alive. In El Salvador, we trained death squads at the Schools of the Americas who then used their counter-insurgency training to massacre thousands of people. Look at the Massacre at El Mozote. There's a book that describes what occurred and what role the U.S. government had in it.
This is not to say the U.S. is a terrible place.
I love the United States but I believe that out of love for my country, we have to talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly. Our government, while it does not have sole responsibility over the outcome, played a role in throwing the Northern Triangle into chaos. And today when refugees from south of the border come asking for help, we put up a wall. The wall we are putting up is not a solution to the problem. As the region goes further into crisis, more and more people will flee up north. It is very dangerous to try and come up north but coyotes lie to many desperate people telling them that the U.S. will treat them well. If we can't counter that narrative south of the border, more people will try to come here and more will die along the way. I would encourage our embassies in the Northern Triangle to do more to discourage people from trying to come up North.
I got a little political up there and you might not like what I said. I have a comments section below here and I would love to hear your thoughts. Be nice.
In regards to what I saw and the conversations I have had, I have come to see the complexity of immigration with my own eyes. I encourage you to remember that the people coming here are human beings made in the image of God. *If you're an atheist, well, they're still human beings like you.*
How we are treating our friends south of the border is not how we treat friends. There is a lot of potential in Latin America but bad politics is holding it back. Our government should help improve safety and well-being in these countries. Remember, we had a part to play in destabilizing the region. This may be a difficult thing to grasp but to make amends, we should try to help. I have spoken to many Guatemalans and migrants. No one I talked to wanted to leave their homes. The country they left was the home of their ancestors. But who am I to tell someone to stay if they will get murdered? I want Guatemalans to stay in Guatemala and help make it a better place and because brain drain is a real problem. But I won't make someone stay if it will cost them their lives. If we can help make these countries better, less people will leave. We won't save the day with walls, fear, racism, or any of the like. It's a complex problem that requires a complex solution - maybe solutions.
I hope some day we can see the humanity in each other and work to make the world a better place.
May we hold the memories of the four kids who passed away in our custody be of blessed memory and may we solve our problems so that no more kids will pass away.

Day Five - ICE and Ethics

This was quite the religious day. We started the day meeting with the rabbi and concluded with Catholic mass.

We met with Rabbi Ben Zeidman of Temple Mt. Sinai. He gave us a tour of his beautiful synagogue and talked a little bit about the history of the congregation and Judaism's stance on immigration. One thing I got out of the discussion was that whatever stance we come up with on the immigration topic is up for much fair debate but what cannot be up for debate is how we treat the stranger. It is said many times in the Hebrew Bible. I get that we have separation of church & state but many people get their values from the Bible. 

We need to keep the stranger in our midst safe. We can debate their status afterwards. 

We then visited Father Rafael's church. It was a beautiful church and it was great getting to see inside what it looked like. He was such a nice guy and I am so thankful to have met him. Not many people are even half as nice as he is. 

After lunch we went to witness a mass at an ICE detention facility. What struck me first about the facility was that I did not see a single ICE agent in the facility. Some private corporation was contracted out to provide guard services. There may be some problems with that but who's to say? 

There were two masses conducted. One for the men and one for the women. The one for the men went fine. I got to talk to some of the people. They were nice upon impression.
The mass for men went on fine and I shook many hands on the way out. One can't easily generalize from up close.
Next came the women. Father Rafael asked how many of them were mothers. I don't have an exact percentage but I would say about 90% of the women raised their hands. They were not with their kids so families were obviously separated. I really can't imagine what it would be like to have your kids taken away from you by the government and then lost in the process. I get shivers just thinking about it.
Towards the end of mass, I noticed the woman behind me started crying. At first I thought it was because she was moved by the spirit but then she grabbed her head and said it hurt really badly. I recall the two women next to her had to hold her up. I stood up and flagged down the guards. It felt like they took forever but I must say looking back, that was probably just time moving super slow for me in my head in the heat of the moment. I will say that the medics took a while to get her and how they put her on the gurney was a little strange. It seemed like they just tossed her on. I then looked around and saw that many people were crying. I really could just tear up but they would not fall. Don't judge my sadness based on tears. I was really hoping she would be okay. The mass concluded and we then left the facility. That was the only quiet ride on this entire trip.
We later learned she had a severe anxiety attack. I do not know why but I can't help but believe that it was due to her being separated from her kid(s) and Mother's Day was just a few days away.
I hope she and everyone get reunified with their families.
How strange that his be what we experience on our last day in El Paso.
But that is what makes it real. We can debate policy all day long but we have to understand that these decisions affect human lives. How we can do the least harm is another debate.
I am thankful to have gone with the group that I went with. I must say when we concluded our trip and arrived at Charlotte-Douglas airport and people started parting ways, it hit me that this was my last Queens adventure. I teared up a bit.
If you get the chance, go to the border and learn for yourself.