Friday, January 09, 2009
Of BlackBerrys and War
I went to shul tonight. Instead of the normal sermon (our Rabbi was off this week), our Cantor lead a discussion about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
OK, I want Israel to win. Hamas is a group of terrorist thugs who do more to enslave their own people than to assist them in bettering their lives. And shooting bombs at Israel on a consistent basis doesn't help, either.
But what was interesting was two comments which were made during the discussion. The first was one by our Cantor that lead to further discussions, that we should do what we could to continue to promote moderate Palestinians in the region. That lead to a quick discussion of my visit a couple of weeks ago (with my good friend Hal) to a local mosque.
The visit to the mosque was wonderful. The service was very similar to a Jewish service, although the prayers were in a different language. I felt very comfortable there, and know that I would be welcomed back in the future. It was the feeling of common experience that made me, again, recognize how close our two religions really are.
It really did speak to me about not so much promoting moderate Muslims, as giving each other the chance to learn from each other, and see how much we are alike. How much we value our G_d, our families, our communities. If only those in the middle east took the time to do the same, I think it would so help everyone. The differences between Jews and Muslims would fade as our similarities became more apparent.
The other comment was a person saying that people needed to take more of a stand with our government officials because President-elect Obama was a pragmatist...and that a pragmatist might not always side with Israel.
Now that's one I have trouble understanding. Is siding with Israel always the best thing to do, even in Israel's best interest? Can we not stand with Israel and still disagree with some of their policies?
That thought then brought me to another idea. There are many who are trying to stop Barack Obama from using his BlackBerry. He is resisting and good for him. As long as he is connected to the outside world, he will hear all the differing voices on this and all other subjects.
Then his pragmatism will be well-informed, and I pray that the decisions will be wise and will benefit all, no matter where they come from.
OK, I want Israel to win. Hamas is a group of terrorist thugs who do more to enslave their own people than to assist them in bettering their lives. And shooting bombs at Israel on a consistent basis doesn't help, either.
But what was interesting was two comments which were made during the discussion. The first was one by our Cantor that lead to further discussions, that we should do what we could to continue to promote moderate Palestinians in the region. That lead to a quick discussion of my visit a couple of weeks ago (with my good friend Hal) to a local mosque.
The visit to the mosque was wonderful. The service was very similar to a Jewish service, although the prayers were in a different language. I felt very comfortable there, and know that I would be welcomed back in the future. It was the feeling of common experience that made me, again, recognize how close our two religions really are.
It really did speak to me about not so much promoting moderate Muslims, as giving each other the chance to learn from each other, and see how much we are alike. How much we value our G_d, our families, our communities. If only those in the middle east took the time to do the same, I think it would so help everyone. The differences between Jews and Muslims would fade as our similarities became more apparent.
The other comment was a person saying that people needed to take more of a stand with our government officials because President-elect Obama was a pragmatist...and that a pragmatist might not always side with Israel.
Now that's one I have trouble understanding. Is siding with Israel always the best thing to do, even in Israel's best interest? Can we not stand with Israel and still disagree with some of their policies?
That thought then brought me to another idea. There are many who are trying to stop Barack Obama from using his BlackBerry. He is resisting and good for him. As long as he is connected to the outside world, he will hear all the differing voices on this and all other subjects.
Then his pragmatism will be well-informed, and I pray that the decisions will be wise and will benefit all, no matter where they come from.
# posted by Kevin @ 10:41 PM 
