A nation divided?

By Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin

After spending a few days in the holy land of Israel on our Land and Spirit community trip, a friend from Tucson checked in. “Hi Rabbi,” he wrote in a text message. “I hope you and your group made it safely to Israel, what with all the political demonstrations and the terrorist event in Tel Aviv.” think I don’t know what’s going on in Odessa? The purpose of my question was to hear in which ‘Odessa’ you live!” history in the Western Wall Tunnels and modernity on the streets of Tel Aviv. We witnessed agricultural devotion on a kibbutz neighboring Gaza and heard about technological innovation. We walked on Caesarea’s Roman ruins and Safed’s rebuilt mystical city.

He wasn’t wrong in describing the fragile climate and the internal and external challenges the country has been facing.

That is the choice we thought we faced upon arriving in Israel. Which Jerusalem will we see, and do we even have a choice as to what will be etched in our memory?

EDITOR

Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin

COPY EDITOR

Suzanne Cummins

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Feigie Ceitlin, Libby Herz, Menachem Posner, Mordechai Schmutter, Benjamin Weiss

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Jacqueline Soffer Studio

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Note: “G-d” and “L-rd” are written with a hyphen instead of an “o .”This is one way we accord reverence to the sacred divine name. This also reminds us that, even as we seek G-d, He transcends any human effort to describe His reality.

In the lead-up to our trip in March, I shared his concern about the future of the land and its people. The reports coming out of Israel depicted a divided nation, bitterly torn over societal differences and nonnegotiable issues. Shortly before I landed at the Ben Gurion International Airport, an anti-government protest blocked access to incoming and outgoing roads.

But I was reminded of a Chassidic tale about two residents of the port city of Odessa who came to visit their Rebbe, a spiritual leader they deeply respected and followed. When the first resident went in for a private audience, the Rebbe asked him: “Nu, what’s going on in Odessa?” His answer was an upbeat report about the camaraderie, kindness, and sincerity of the community. The Rebbe was very pleased by the update.

Overhearing the conversation, the second resident was disturbed by how his fellow had sugar-coated the situation and resolved to reveal the truth. When the Rebbe asked him: “Nu, what’s going on in Odessa?” he went into a full-scale description of the dire reality of the community. He didn’t hold back from detailing the locals’ selfishness, greed, and indulgence. The Rebbe responded with displeasure.

The second resident couldn’t understand what he did wrong. “I gave you an honest report of what’s going in Odessa!” he exclaimed. The Rebbe replied, “Do you

For the next few days, we crisscrossed the country on coach buses and bulletproof buses. We visited museums of war and peace, Zionist landmarks, and anti-Zionist enclaves. We touched on

We discovered there weren’t two Odessa’s - or Israel’s, in our case - to choose from. Sure, there were plenty of differences and disagreements among the people. And as we’ve seen at two of the protests, Israelis can get very loud and brash when making a point. But the underlining attitude was an undeniable passion and commitment to the country.

Israelis - similar to the sages of the Talmud - argue not because they hate each other. They argue because they care. That is why, as the author Daniel Gordis pointed out, there wasn’t looting, violence, or police brutality during the protests.

Instead, you had people open their homes for protesters to use their restrooms. When secular protestors descended on the religious city of Bnei Brak on March 23, residents welcomed them with love. “Refreshments and drinks to our Tel Aviv brothers,” one sign announced at a free food stand. A black-hatted religious man was seen offering a lite to a protestor’s cigarette.

What Israel is experiencing isn’t a divide among the nation. It is a disagreement in the family. And this family, however conflicted, will be sitting together around the Seder table and celebrating Passover. In commemorating our Exodus from Egypt, we will be reminded that we’ve been through worse and that we always strive for better.

- Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin is the Outreach Director of Chabad Tucson. He will be leading the next Land and Spirit - JLI Israel Experience on April 1-8, 2024.

Chabad centers in Southern Arizona are preparing to host over 10 community-wide Passover Seders—the festive ritual-filled dinner on the first two nights of the holiday—on April 5 and 6.

Passover is the most observed Jewish holiday in America and traditionally begins with the Seder, which is celebrated with extended family and friends. To meet the needs of those looking for a place to observe this tradition, Southern Arizona Chabad centers are having seders all over the community, welcoming all who wish to sign up to attend.

The Seder takes participants through the story of the miraculous liberation of the Jewish people from bondage in ancient Egypt and shares the relevance and beauty of the age-old festival in the modern world.