TBE News

Dear TBESOC Community,

For many of us, events and rhetoric in the Middle East and our country weigh heavy on our hearts. For me, the grief and horror that our Israeli brothers and sisters are going through with many loved ones still held hostage under unspeakable conditions, coupled with the thousands of innocent lives lost in Gaza, can feel overwhelming. And if that is not enough, the anti-Zionist rhetoric around the war, the validation of claims of UN support for Hamas, and the rise of antisemitism in this country is truly alarming.

At the same time that we are experiencing this profound darkness, I want to draw your attention to an important beam of light here in Orange County, offer an invitation to come together as a community around these challenges, and share with you a poem that reflects my process during these times.

Countering Hate Summit at UC Irvine
On February 8th, our Jewish Federation in partnership with the UCI School of Social Ecology, held an invitation-only afternoon summit to involve Orange County civic leaders, school board superintendents and officials, Senators, and members of Congress. There were panels that included prominent scholars and practitioners in criminology and sociology who presented perspectives on how antisemitism and hate manifests in schooling and society,  and local OC leaders who shared their ideas about how we can address antisemitism through our community partnerships. I attended the summit and was encouraged to hear strong messages about the priority of addressing antisemitism from OC District Attorney Todd Spitzer, Irvine Police Chief Michael Kent, UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman and others. In the midst of a nationwide lack of leadership on this issue from college administrations, the UC Regents have shared strong and clear messages of their intolerance of anti-Jewish activity on campus and moral clarity of Hamas as a dangerous terror organization.

While it was so encouraging to hear concrete support and commitment to address this issue from so many of our Orange County leaders, it is clear that strengthening these community partnerships is ongoing work that we can all take part. Our Kulanu group - a synagogue initiative of the Anti-Defamation League will be meeting soon to discuss an educational event beyond the walls of our synagogue. If you are interested in helping make something like this happen and have not yet contacted Ellen Prince - ellenprinc@aol.com or Mark Adler - mvguy2000@yahoo.com, please do so, and they will contact you when we determine our next meeting.

Drawing Strength From Queen Esther: A Community Prayer and Sharing Circle
Thursday, March 21st - 12:00 PM
Packer Family Library 

With the current rise in antisemitism, the horrific war in Gaza and the Middle East, many of us are grieving innocent lives of Israelis and Palestinians, and uncertain about the future and safety of the Jewish people. Our Purim Megillah tells us that thousands of years ago, the Jewish people found themselves in a similar situation about a possible dark future and Queen Esther led them in a communal fast and prayer for a hopeful outcome.

Please join us on Taanit Esther, a communal fast day that always falls right before Purim, as well as the Spring Equinox,  to come together as a community to share what’s on our minds and hearts and sing together in prayer for peace for all people and specifically the safety and well being for our Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel and this country. Whether or not or not you choose to fast on this day, you are welcome to join this communal prayer and sharing. This gathering will not be a place for debate and discussion, but instead a place to be heard and join our voices together.

Poem
I’ve been deeply disappointed and frustrated when I try to dialogue with people in my life about the Hamas-Israel war who either hold Israel as primarily responsible for the war or view Israel as an apartheid genocidal state. While some people’s perspectives are driven by antisemitism either conscious or unconscious, others are clearly ignorant, absorbing a narrative of the political group they identify with, reinforced by numerous media sources. I’ve been wrestling with how to move forward from these experiences when words and dialogue create more confusion than clarity. This poem expresses that process: