#2

Let me start at the end of our day. Our rabbinic group visited the National Library of Israel.  Interestingly, they not only understand their mission as being the official Library of the State of Israel, but the Library of the Jewish people. For the "people of the book," that is no small matter.  What interested me most on the tour was a rare book that we were shown. It is a 13^th century book written in Germany of the Tosafot. These are glosses, complex interpretations written for the Talmud, which now sit on the page of the text itself. The most famous of these were written by Rashi's grandchildren. This book heartens back to a time when these commentaries formed a separate book. While the calligraphy is still beautiful and legible 700 years later, what interested me were the spaces on the page.

Our guide commented that the editor left room on the page for the next scholar to print their remarks. In other words, the writers of the Tosafot did not believe that they had the last word, that they knew the truth. They remained open to other opinions. In many ways our group saw a side of Israel previous to our visit to the National Library that reflected this medieval book. We met people who had very different opinions yet remained open to one another, listening and engaging in thoughtful conversation. The topics under discussion were difficult ones regarding Israel's present and future. This is not to suggest that the people speaking did not feel passionate about the subject matter. It is just that like that book from the Jewish Middle Ages, they were willing to leave the page open to others with different thought and engage in thoughtful dialogue.

Today we visited the Knesset and met with two of its members, Merav Michaeli and Yehudah Glick. The one thing that they have in common is that they both recently became Members of the Knesset. Meray Michaeli was well known as a journalist and a media personality before coming into the Knesset as part of the Zionist Union. This is a center left party which focuses attention on economic inequities, as well as restarting peace negotiations with the Palestinians.  She spoke passionately about her hope that peace was coming and the responsibility that Israel has to help create leadership in the Palestinian community open to such negotiations.  As she was finishing, the door opened and the next member of Knesset entered. Yehudah Glick is a tall very traditional man with a long red beard.  He is a member of Likud which is the party of Prime Minister Netanyahu. He has made a name for himself in Israel as one who would like to see equal worship on the Temple Mount. Moreover, Yehudah Glick is passionate about the creation of a one state solution for Israel. The two could not be more different, but there they were joking and showing the other respect. There was no name calling, vitriol or challenging the other's Zionist credentials. 

We left there to meet with two other people whose thinking is far apart, but who are willing to sit together in a thoughtful dialogue. Neva Bigelman started an organization called: Breaking the Silence. According to their literature: "Breaking the Silence is an organization of veteran combatants who have served in the Israeli military since the start of the Second Intifada and have taken it upon themselves to expose the Israeli public to the reality of everyday life in the Occupied Territories." Their stories are challenging to the moral base of the IDF. Matan Katzman, another member of the IDF, started a counter organization called: My Truth. 

Essentially, Matan offers a very different narrative of the action of the soldiers of the IDF. As the organization's website states: "My Truth is a grassroots, non-profit organization comprised of IDF reserve soldiers who seek to share the values and experiences of Israeli soldiers and show the high moral standards they strive to meet." Again, two people with views that could not have been farther apart sat together and challenged each other with respect. Each made space for the other, not on the page of an ancient book, but on the spectrum of Eretz Yisrael. 

Standing in the National Library of Israel I thought of American Jewry and longed for a day when we emulate that book. I look forward to a time when Jews stop judging each other's commitment to Zionism based upon their position regarding Israel.  It would appear that Israelis have a much easier time disagreeing with each other without being disrespectful. How much better we would be if we followed the example of two new Members of Knesset or two IDF veterans who, like a very old book, make room for other opinions on the page?