Israel's beauty shines brightest in its diversity. The country possesses one of the most culturally and physically diverse societies on the planet. No matter the kind of Jew, from Yemenite to Ethiopian to Polish, from Orthodox to Reform to secular, there is a place for you under the Mediterranean sun. Yet there is at least one group of Jews who is excluded from the Zionist mosaic. They are the Messianic Jews --- a religious community that follows a Torah inspired life-style while believing in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah.

The Messianics view themselves as returning to the roots of early Christianity as aMessianic Jews Rally For Israel: Israel doesn't return the favor Jewish sect. According to Paul Liberman, author of The Fig Tree Blossoms, a messianic Jew is "a person who was born Jewish or converted to Judaism, who is a 'genuine believer' in Yeshua [Jesus], and who acknowledges his Jewishness." Practicing bi-spiritually, as it were, the Messianics stand outside the theological and historic spheres of normative Judaism and Christianity. Yet according to their own beliefs, they are engaged in an authentic expression of Judaism. In fact, they consider themselves "complete Jews."

Around the world the Messianic Jewish community number roughly 350,000. In Israel they stand at 15,000 and have over 120 different congregations. Not surprisingly, from their inception the Messianics have managed to rouse the ire of the ultra-Orthodox and (to a lesser extent) secular communities in Israel. That anger has frequently turned into aggressive physical and verbal confrontations precipitated by religious radicals (Jews and Arabs) who oppose the presence of what in their view are dangerous missionizing Christians (in contrast to the fact that not a single Messianic Jew has ever stood trial for illegal missionary activity --- e.g. forced conversion, or conversion of minors). Most recently, in the settlement of Ariel, a bomb planted under a Purim gift-basket left a 15 year-old boy belonging to a prominent family of Messianic Jews in critical condition.

In addition to being targets of persecution at the hand of religious radicals, theIsraeli Messianic Jews Dedicate A Cemetary Messianics have also faced state-sanctioned discrimination. The Ministry of the Interior, with the backing of the Supreme Court, has rejected the appeals of Messianics for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return. The argument being that since Messianics believe in Jesus, they either belong to another faith, or in the case of Jewish-born Messianics, have willingly converted into another faith, and therefore have forfeited their right to make Aliyah as Jews. In addition, the government has also discriminated against Messianic Jews who have migrated to Israel by refusing to renew their passports, register their newborns, firing them from government posts, and in some cases revoking their citizenship.

While historically some Messianics have been gentile "philo-Semites" who have used the cover of Judaism as a Trojan horse to enter Israel with the purpose of turning it into a Christian nation, for the most part the Messianic community in Israel is made of upstanding citizens (most of whom were born Jewish) who go into the army (unlike most of their haredi antagonists), pay their taxes, vote, are peaceful, and lead a quite Jewish lifestyle. Their situation forces us to ask the uncomfortable question: Should people who have chosen to practice and interpret their Judaism differently from the majority (which itself was never hegemonic or monolithic), live in a (Jewish) state of fear and persecution?

It seems that the unholy alliance between state and the ultra-Orthodox establishmentIsrael Defense Forces: Messianic Jews serve in the IDF, but do not have the same rights as Haredim who do not has created the absurd reality of inverse crypto-Judaism: Where in the medieval era Jews who had converted to Christianity kept their Judaism in secret, today many Messianics feel compelled to hide their beliefs from the rest of Israeli society. The price of disclosure may not be a visit to the Israeli equivalent of the Spanish Inquisition, yet social ostracism, harassment, bullying, and state-sanctioned discrimination is enough to keep many (though not all) living secret lives.

From its beginnings the twin purpose of Zionism has been the creation of a safe haven for Jewish people(s) and culture(s). Likewise, the Declaration of the establishment of the state of Israel promises to "open the gates of the homeland wide to every Jew," and guarantees freedom of religion to all. Yet when organs of the state and its citizens discriminate against certain Jews for their beliefs, they are betraying the very core of the ground on which they stand on.

Take for example Law of Return as it applies to Jewish-born Messianics. The notion that a Jew who accepts Jesus as the Jewish Messiah loses his/her right to make Aliyah is in complete contradiction with the purpose and logic of the law. It is bad enough to deny citizenship to a Jew who willfully converts to another religion (as the 1970 amendment to the law stipulates). It is something else all together to deny it to a Jew whose self-identity remains Jewish. Surely, antisemites do not care wither or not a Jew believes Jesus was the Messiah, or whether he/she is a Jew who converted to another faith. And from the perspective of the Law of Return, shouldn't the ubiquitous gaze of the antisemite be the deciding factor of whether or not someone is Jewish?

Of course Israel can define for itself who counts as a Jew, but it should be consistent. Yes, the Messianics stand in two worlds. But so do many Israeli Jews. If you can be a Jew and an atheist, a Jew and a Buddhist - why can't you also be you a Jew who believes that Jesus was the Jewish messiah? If we are going to accept Jews whose self-identity does not snugly fit into one mold, then we need to make room for the Messianics as well. If we are going to say that Hitler and not Halacha determines who is a Jew, then we need to make room for Jews who also believe in Jesus --- as Hitler would have done.

In the end, the existence of Messianic Jews is good for Israel. It forces us to stretch the boundaries and re-think the definition of an Israeli Jew. The sad truth is that anyone who has a bone to pick with the Orthodox/state monopoly (the list is long) does not want to make cause with the Messianics. To align with them is to commit political suicide. But make no mistake: today it is the Messianics, and tomorrow it will be you.

For the last seven years musicians Gabriel Meyer and peace activist Elias Jabbour have been doing what politicians have repeatedly failed to do: bringing Jews and Arabs together in the spirit of reconciliation and peace. They do this through the Sulha Peace Project --- a coexistence endeavor based on the indigenous Middle Eastern tradition of mediation and conflict resolution, Sulha.

The Sulha Peace Project consists in a large annual gathering that features three days of dialogue, shared meals, traditional art, music, and inter-faith rituals. Beginning with 150 people in the troubled days of the second intifadah, the event has grown to host over 5000 participants at a time. In addition to the annual occasion, the Sulha Peace Project also provides Israeli and Palestinian youth a rare opportunity to gather together, exchange narratives and ideas, and prepare to be tomorrow’s peacemakers.

Gabriel MeyerThe Sulha initiative has been lauded by the likes of the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu as a significant and fundamental contribution to peace in the Middle East. Based on the idea that true peace must be built from the ground up, through the people and traditions that make up the landscape of the conflict, the Sulha Peace Project is paving the way for a new reality in the Middle East.

Recently, I had a chance to talk to Gabriel Meyer (son of the late prominent Conservative Rabbi Marshall Meyer) about the organization he co-founded, the difficulties inherent in the making peace, and the role of religion in peacemaking.

What is the goal of the Sulha Project?

The main goal of the Sulha Peace Project is to build trust between Palestinians and Israelis, prepare the two people for peace, and complement the diplomatic efforts, beyond a specific political agenda, stereotypes, cynicism and despair. We are a grassroots effort for peace and one of our purposes is healing, to make the Middle East and the Holy Land of the Prophets, reach its full potential of hospitality, justice, compassion, beauty and creativity.

What is the process by which forgiveness and peace between enemies takes place?

The first condition is trust. Without trust, there can’t be reconciliation. The main thing is to create an atmosphere where people can listen to the claims, pains, and hopes of each other. If you can realize that the other is a human being, then there is a big field of trust that is created and anything can be achieved. There are so many stereotypes that need to be overcome, not least of which is the reality generated by the media. We are trying to manifest and create a new type of reality. An alternative reality that goes beyond all that is put out by the media and daily news.

What is most challenging about the process of reconciliation?

Most challenging is that we are being bombarded by the media with bad news all the time. The media is painting a situation of constant war and suffering. Little attention is given to more positive efforts at coexistence created by people who are exhausted with war. This leads to large-scale despair, cynicism, and fatigue. So I would say that overcoming the negative impact of the media on people’s consciousness, not taking responsibility and handing over the perception of reality to media and politicians represents one of the biggest challenges to reconciliation.

Does the Sulha project champion any political formula to end the conflict? For example, one-state, two-state, or no-state solution?

That is not our job. We complement the diplomatic effort. We do not try to come up with a political blue print for a solution. We are working on creating trust. There are enough people who are creating solutions. They have the plans. Our work is to prepare the people so that when someone does sign a successful treaty there will be people to support it.

Music plays a really important role in the Sulha project. Can you speak to role of music in peace making?

I am a musician originally. I use music constantly as a tool to create sacred space from which to build trust between people. Music and the arts in general are a great means of transformation and healing. Music can reach the ears, minds, and hearts of people in a way that words often fail to do. Whenever you come to a place and hear music that is familiar, music that you heard your grandmother sing, you feel different. When that music is being played by people who are supposed to be your enemy, then it is even more profound. This is how I met many Palestinians and Arabs. I started singing songs from their culture, not mine. It was a real shock which broke the distrust --- all of sudden I am singing La illah illa la (There is no God but God in Arabic), and my Muslims partner breaks and thinks to himself “he can’t be so bad.”

Many people see religion as an inflexible force that perpetuates the conflict between the Arabs and the Jews, yet at the Sulha Peace Project religion is harnessed as a force for peace and unity. Can you speak to the use of religion as an instrument for peace?

There a saying in Hebrew: hadinim nimtakim beshorsham, which means “stern Acoustic Guitar For Peace: artist's conceptionjudgment is sweetened from the root.” I believe that religion is at the root of both the conflict and the solution. At our gatherings, we have all kinds of people – religious & secular - but we do use the gems of religion as possibilities for healing. I think that one of the problems with the Oslo peace process for example was that the religious were kept out of the discussion. There was zero mention of the root of peace in the Koran and Torah, for example. Something was missing. For most of the people who are involved in this conflict, religion matters. If you touch the positive part of religion, it has highly medicinal power.

On your website, you say that the goal of the Sulha Peace project is to heal and reconcile the children of Abraham. Why the emphasis on Abraham?

Abraham is our common father. Likewise, Sarah and Hagar are our mothers. We all come from the same family, the same tribe.

I am sure that such recognition goes a long way --- but isn't Abraham also the father who is willing to sacrifice his children in the name of God? Isn't Abraham’s relationship with his children also an apt metaphor for the willingness of authority figures in this conflict to blindly sacrifice their children on the altar of some religious or secular ideology?

I personally think Abraham is an archetype. I realize that he is a very complex figure. We can go into a discussion about the binding of Isaac/Ishmael, or how he let Hagar and Ishmael go out into the desert (though he made a point to visit them there), but I see him as a figure of compassion and humanity. He opened his tent to the four directions, and provided hospitality to strangers. Legend goes he would wash the feet of pilgrims and feed them. He defended the innocent at Sodom and Gomorrah. In the Kabbalah he’s related to unconditional loving-kindness, as the creator of the morning prayers, as flowing water.

Some people see what you are doing and say, “This is all very nice. People eating, dancing, singing, praying, and talking together. But how is that going to solve anything? The occupation continues. The terrorism continues. People go back to their homes and they are faced with the same reality. Are you really making any difference?”

The people who come to our gatherings are also crying the pain of their lost ones. There are a lot of people who have suffered. We have settlers and Palestinian ex-militia men. We are not outside of the reality here; we are just choosing to manifest it in a different way. We do not want to perpetuate the same negative feelings. Everyone knows that the problems are out there. We do not give more energy to them. We have CNN, BBC, and al Jazeera; they are doing a good enough job portraying the sickness. We want to portray the medicine.

Are we making a difference? Well, we started with 150 people in 2001, and now, in 2008, we are over 5000 strong. We also have partnered with an organization in the West Bank that teach non-violence resistance in the way of Martin Luther King. Now in our seventh year, we also have youth gatherings --- the Sulhita Youth Project which gathers one hundred Palestinian and Israeli kids for a five-day leadership and reconciliation retreat. So I think that we in fact are making a difference.

To date, what has been the greatest failure and greatest success of the project?

The failure is that it is not attracting 100,000 in both sides yet. People in Israel and Palestine are still skeptical and still cynical. But the biggest failure is that people still believe there would be more security without peace. The blindness of people who still think that security will come with war. They don’t understand that for one to be happy the other has to be happy as well. There’s also a lack of justice that needs to be resolved, but it will not be resolved through violence, we have tried throughout history and it has never worked.

The biggest success is that here the Sulhita Youth is fully happening and it is growing. This year we have three youth and three family gatherings. And we found a partner in the Palestinian side that we believe in. We have the explicit support of elders of the stature of His Holiness the Dalai Lama (link to youtube vid) and Archbishop Desmond Tutu among others and also a strong intuition that the framework and way of the Sulha Peace Project is making its mark on society at large.

What can expect from you this year?

Next week we are holding our fifth sulhita gathering with a hundred Palestinian and Israeli kids. In August, we are having our annual Sulha gathering that should once again take place at the Latrun monastery (about 15 kilometers west of Jerusalem and 14 kilometers southeast of Ramla). All are invited.

By mid-October, I will be arriving with my band Amen. Which is also composed of musicians like Amir Paiss from the Israeli band Sheva. In addition to the playing Sulha inspired music we will be screening the new Sulha movie. If you want to support Sulha you can come in August to Israel, or email us to book US tour dates at amen.sulha@gmail.com.

Finally, what message do you have for those Jewcy readers (Jews and non-Jews) whose heart have been broken by the conflict and who have given up on the hope for peace?

Never give up hope. You need hope to be Jewcy. If I did not have hope, I wouldn’t live here. There are still some beautiful beings in Israel and Palestine who are trying to make this place a Holy Land. A broken heart is a full human heart, but you can’t let that lead you to despair. We can’t lose hope. We can't live without hope. As long as you can breathe, there is still hope. Before we die we need to shine our special light. That’s what we are here for.

In an effort to boost the quality and quantity of Israel's sex life, Tel-Aviv recently hosted the country's first ever sex festival. The 'Sextival', as it is called, was co-sponsored by Playboy and organized by ex-model Nitzan Kirshenboim. The event featured an array of stalls, workshops, toy sales, erotic shows, Playboy bunnies, and art exhibitions.

The highlight of the Sextival was a contest crowning the best stripper in Israel (broadcast live on Israel's digital cable channel Ego) and a raffle with a trip for two to Hugh Hefner's legendary Playboy mansion. Although the event brought out a few protesters, for the most part the three-day affair went without any problems.

Of course no major event in Israel is without political significance. A sex festival, much like the gay pride parades, is a unique phenomenon in the region. You will not find one in Palestine, Egypt, Iraq, or Iran. As Nitzan Kirshenboim, the woman behind the festival jokingly pointed out: "Tel-Aviv can now brag about a new record. We have the largest number of vibrating dildos in all of the Middle East."

Continue reading...

The Pope: An ancient prayer is causing modern controversy A few years ago he pissed off Muslims around the world when he suggested that Islam was a religion of the sword. Today, Pope Benedict XVI has enraged the rest of the monotheistic family.

In a move that must have given both Ann Coulter and Mel Gibson hard-ons, the Pope has re-sanctioned an ancient Good Friday prayer which calls on God to illuminate the hearts of the Jews that they might recognize their savior Jesus Christ. To his credit, the Pope did choose to remove passages from the ancient Latin rite which referred to Jewish "blindness" and the need to "remove the veil from their hearts."

To the surprise of nobody, Jewish groups have got their knickers in a twist. The Italian Rabbinical Assembly has suspended its decades-long dialogue with the Church. And the Anti-Defamation League issued a statement which read:

"While we appreciate that some of the deprecatory language has been removed ... we are deeply troubled and disappointed that the framework and intention to petition God for Jews to accept Jesus as Lord was kept intact."

Walter Kasper, the Cardinal in charge of the Catholic Church's relations with Jews, has vigorously defended the Pope's decision. Kasper (who happens to be German) is perplexed by Jewish touchiness:

"I must say that I don't understand why Jews cannot accept that we can make use of our freedom to formulate our prayers. We think that reasonably this prayer cannot be an obstacle to dialogue because it reflects the faith of the Church and, furthermore, Jews have prayers in their liturgical texts that we Catholics don't like."

To those of us less naive about Jewish sensitivities, it is obvious that reintroducing this prayer into the liturgy would reopen old wounds. It harkens us back to a time when Christians looked at Jews the way Tom Cruise looks at a car accident.

Continue reading...

Army logic: CabelIsraelis are abuzz over a proposed law which would equalize its military conscription, provide the option of national service (Sherut Leumi), and punish those who refuse to serve.

Labor Minister Eitan Cabel, with the backing of Defense Minister Ehud Barak, recently proposed the law in an effort to shrink the growing rift in Israel between those who serve and those who do not.

It is estimated that 25% of all Israelis do not serve in the army—a percentage which includes Arab-Israelis, Ultra-Orthodox Jews, conscientious objectors, married and religious women, and individuals with physical and psychological disorders.

This phenomenon has created a serious problem. In a society where militarily service and citizenship are interlinked, those who sacrifice their time and talents to serve end up resenting and socially marginalizing those who are exempts. A popular bumper sticker in Israel actually reads "Army dodgers are not Israelis."

 To solve this problem, Cabel’s law would require any Israeli who won’t serve in the army to devote equal time to Sherut Leumi work in hospitals, special education, disadvantaged communities, immigrant assistance, environmentalism, etc.

Cabel also proposed that those who refuse to join the army or national service will be punished. Examples of potential punishment include losing the right to vote, study and practice one’s chosen profession (e.g. medicine or psychology), and drive a car.

The proposed law has many supporters, despite the fact that it is illegal in Israel to discriminate against people who do not serve in the army.

 I think the law is well-intentioned but misguided. Giving people multiple ways to actively participate in the welfare of the state is indeed a step in the right direction – a trajectory leading to a society in which sizable minorities (like Arabs and Orthodox Jews) are not disconnected and alienated from the whole.

But this cannot be done with a sword hanging over people's heads. Part of the problem in Israel is that we suffer from an excess of army logic: Stick before carrot. Perhaps this law is a reflection of a society in flux—one that recognizes that the army is not for everyone but still uses draconian measures to carry that insight forward.

Soldier boy, tell 'em: The cover of Life after the Six-Day WarPeople behind this law explain that the punishment is simply a preventative means. Yet it seems to me that what we have here is an old style herem (excommunication), aimed at appealing to the large segment of Israeli society that resents and wants to punish those who do not go to the army. It is the labor party's way of saying: "We are just as tough, pro-army, and patriotic as Likkud."

If you are going to disregard people's fundamental rights, why stop at taking away their right to vote, choose a profession, or drive a car? Let’s go for the gold – why not chemically castrate or make infertile those who refuse to play nice with the state? That way they won’t produce any rebellious children.

It is clear that this law, in its suggested form, is a half-baked and dangerous. I am not calling for a society in which there are only rights without obligations. Nor am I calling for laws to be enacted without some type of enforcement mechanism. But to punish folks in such a disproportionate fashion for refusing to serve the state in such a manner is harsh and cruel.

Lets open up the options of national service (which I am for) without the threat of this stupid herem. This is our duty to our country as well. Inspire people to serve their country; reward them with incentives; don't threaten them into being patriotic.