blogs/brentspodek

While I was in Jerusalem just a few weeks ago, I had the incredible opportunity to hear Rabbi Jill Jacobs, the executive director of T'ruah, the rabbinic call for human rights.

Rabbi Jacobs is an old friend of mine and one of the most important leaders which the Jewish people have in this moment. 

Right now, there are two large camps in the Jewish world - those who believe that "Never Again" means that "never again" will the Jewish people allow ourselves to be defenseless and powerless in the face of oppression and those who believe that "never again" means that "never again will the Jewish people stand by in the face of oppression, no matter who is targeted - Jews, Muslims, LGBTQ folks, Mexicans or anyone else. 

Rabbi Jacobs is a clear and powerful leader of the second camp. She lays it out beautifully in this talk, when she says "Living our lives according to moral and spiritual imperatives means that we refuse to allow someone else to hand us our history. It means refusing to cede our Torah to fundamentalists. It means rejecting defeatism and doubling down on ensuring that both of these places [America and Israel] live up to a vision. It means claiming both our authority as religious leaders and the authenticity of our Torah. It means partnering with Israelis to defeat the anti-democratic forces that threaten us both. Because it’s our [obligation] --we have to be here."

For those of us who care about Jewish values living in America and in Israel, It is well worth 18 minutes listening to Rabbi Jacobs here

When people suffer - often for our benefit and in our name - the central religious question we face is “how do we live up to our obligations and responsibilities?” The idea of obligation - so central to Jewish thought, yet so alien to so many contemporary Jews - is a powerful lens through which to see this moment.