Makom

25/09/2022

05/05/2022

Makom wishes you a joyous Yom HaAtzmaut!

This year, as Israel begins its 75th year, our thoughts turn to the challenge of telling our story. More and more, it seems to us, Jews both in Israel and beyond are finding that the stories we have told about ourselves are no longer working.

Is the creation of Israel the “rebirth of the Jewish people in its ancestral homeland?” Or does that story not do justice to the vitality of Jewish life before its creation, to the continuing vitality and dynamism of Jewish communities around the world, to the many places the Jews have called and still call “home”? is Israel the righting of a great historic wrong? What of the wrongs entailed in its founding, or the violence entailed in its preservation? Is our story the triumph of a small, oppressed people? Or is it instead the story of an oppressed people oppressing others?

This is no small matter. The Jewish people lives or dies by the stories it tells about itself. As it is written in Misheli (the Book of Proverbs), "Where there is no vision, the people perish."

Segments of the Jewish people today tell very different stories. But what of the overarching story? As The Backyard, an Israeli band, sang a few years ago: “The big story has gotten lost / the big story which knows everything.” On this Yom HaAtzmaut, we recommend you use this wonderful text and video guide to “The Big Story” (2013) to explore the question of how we tell our story.

https://makomisrael.org/songs/the-big-story/

The limits of the story of Israel was the theme of a stinging speech delivered on Yom HaZikaron by Yuli Novak, the 40-year-old former head of Breaking the Silence, at the annual joint Yom HaZikaron service held this past Tuesday night. The speech was a powerful articulation of a far-left point of view on Israel, convicting Israel of being attached to a narrative of fear and victimhood that justifies it "living by the sword." We have prepared a translation of the speech (along with a link to Novak delivering it) and some questions for use in educational settings. It is not appropriate for every community of learners, but can be a valuable tool for some. The speech and study questions are here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b4r85hgTA5Cfjmki7uX8CUiVOh61fhyXSGEEGw8l9-s/edit?usp=sharing

We at Makom are deeply engaged in the project of retelling our story — articulating a story that “knows everything” and has a place for all of us — not just one segment of the political spectrum, and not just one community. The story must be broad enough to encompass the inevitable and necessary diversity of views and values within the people; it must contain within it terms of self-critique and self-correction; but above all it must inspire — it must touch our hearts, call on us to take our place alongside others, and strengthen us to take responsibility for our common future.

The Torah itself is a model for such a story — in particular, the Book of Deuteronomy. That book is framed as a great act of telling or retelling (this is what “Deuteronomy” means) — Moses, about to take his leave of the people, addresses them as they stand on the cusp of entering the Land of Israel. He recounts to them their story to date. He charges them with the holiness of their mission. He urges them to be brave and resolute. He warns them of the dangers attendant in sovereignty. He reminds them of their past misdeeds. He assures them that they are loved.

(Micah Goodman’s “Moses’ Last Speech”, forthcoming in English, is must-reading on this; you can watch a series of lectures Goodman delivered in English based on his book here: https://tikvahfund.org/course/deuteronomy-the-last-speech-of-moses/)

As we look toward Israel’s 75th birthday, Makom will be hosting, in partnership with the Union of Reform Judaism, a year of learning on the great questions of Jewish national life. We hope, through learning with Jewish communities across the globe, to begin to find a new way of telling our story, one that we can tell to our children and they to theirs. Watch this space for more information soon.

Chag HaAtzmaut Sameach to one and all!

27/04/2022

The memory of pain is also a source of pain. For this reason, we naturally tend to avoid, at all costs, calling to mind the most painful parts of our pasts. The Jewish people are commanded to remember the evil that Amalek did to us, when it attacked the weakest and most vulnerable among us. And then we are commanded to “blot out” that memory, and not to forget. (See Deuteronomy 25:17-19) Somewhere in these contradictory commandments we see the knot of pain and memorializing pain.

Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah, begins this evening, 27 Nisan. Israelis will attend public ceremonies, the TV will air only Shoah-themed programming, and businesses will be closed as we remember the third of our people, men, women and children, who were exterminated within living memory. A siren will sound tomorrow at 10 am for two minutes, during which all activity will cease and millions stand quietly and lower their heads.

And yet this terrible and holy day was not officially added to the Israeli civic calendar until 1959. This is because it was not at all easy for Israel to remember and memorialize the Shoah. The Shoah was the catastrophe political Zionism since its inception had dreaded — and to some extent, foreseen; and it represented, for that first generation of Israelis, all they repudiated: what they viewed as victimization, cowardice, weakness. It was not until the 1980s that Israeli popular culture began to come to grips with the Shoah and the pain of coming to grips with it.

According to Noah Efron — the host of The Promised Podcast and an utterly captivating chronicler of Israel’s collective memory — “Ashes and Dust”, Yehuda Poliker’s 1988 collaboration with Yaakov Gilad was the first popular album to deal with this excruciating topic. The story of Israel’s struggle to remember what had befallen us, to accept and embrace the victims and especially the survivors, to grow in compassion — told through the life stories of Poliker and Gilad — is the theme of Efron’s magisterial episode, “Ashes, Dust and Compassion.” It is a modern custom to read, watch or listen to Shoah-related material on Yom HaShoah. We cannot recommend these eighty minutes strongly enough:

https://tinyurl.com/yy9p9meh

Makom will be collaborating with Noah on a series of podcasts exploring the ways the music of Israel illuminates this endlessly complex, beguiling and dynamic place. Look for them in the fall. It is a great honor to work with such a brilliant, original and compassionate creator.

May the memory of all who perished in the Shoah be a blessing; and may their souls be bound up in the bond of life.

Pictured: Chief Rabbi Isaac Herzog, commemorating Yom HaShoah at Yad VaShem in 1957.

Photo by David Rosenblum

15/04/2022

Chag Pesach Sameach!

“In every generation, we must see ourselves as though we ourselves are going out of Egypt.”

This instruction from the Haggadah is the most profound dimension of Pesach. We not only recall the Exodus, we must relive it.

The Egypts we must leave are places of intellectual and spiritual confinement: We must find ways of expanding our horizons, opening our hearts and minds to the new and unfamiliar, shaking off old casts of thought that inhibit us.

This year, we fulfilled the Haggadah’s injunction by bringing an extraordinary group of Israeli school principals out of Israel, to New York City, to learn from our sisters and brothers about the reality and vitality of Jewish life in the greater New York area, and in the United States.

Osnat Fox, Director of the Institute for Global Jewish Voices at Makom, along with Joe Schwartz, director of Makom and Educational Innovation at The Jewish Agency for Israel led 38 Israeli school principals and Ministry of Education senior professionals for “Same Sea” — a week-long seminar. The seminar is a core part of an in-depth, three-year process for school principals run by the Ministry of Education, the Posen Foundation Israel, and the Institute for Global Jewish Voices at the Jewish Agency for Israel in partnership with BINA: The Jewish Movement for Social Change and מכון שיטים .

Over the course of the Seminar, we met with prominent educators, leaders, and rabbis from diverse backgrounds; we explored the ways in which the Jewish experience in America has forged a unique, deep, and complex Jewish identity; we visited schools, synagogues, and educational centers; and we spent time understanding the complex factors that have allowed the American Jewish community to thrive.

The seminar also addressed the challenges facing the American Jewish community both in its relationship with Israel and internally.

At every turn, we asked how Israel can learn from the rich mosaic of American Jewish life; how to translate the insights we gained to the Israeli context; and above all, how to strengthen and deepen the ties between the two great centers of Jewish life. Stay tuned for more updates...

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy and healthy Passover!

05/04/2022

Check out this short animation of "The Brothers' House" - an allegorical tale exploring the relationship between world Jewry and Israeli Jewry.

It's one of the stories featured in "Stories for the Sake of Argument," written by Abi Dauber Sterne and Robbie Gringras, created at Makom, and on sale on Amazon from May 5.

The book is already available for bulk orders of over 10.
Interested? Email: [email protected]

31/03/2022

It’s been a devastating week in Israel, as we face the deadliest wave of terror since the second Intifada.

Four terror attacks in Beersheva, Hadera, Bnei Barak, and Neve Daniel have claimed the lives of eleven innocent men and women:

Menachem Yehezkel, 67
Laura Yitzhak, 43
Rabbi Moshe Kravitzky, 48
Doris Yahbas, 49
Shirel Abukart, 19
Yezen Falah, 19
Amir Khoury, 32
Avishai Yehezkel, 29
Yaacov Shalom, 36
Victor Sorokopot, 38
Dimitri Mitrik, 23

May their memory be a blessing.

We mourn the tragic loss of life and wish all those who have been wounded a full and speedy recovery.

Praying for more quiet and peaceful days.

Shabbat Shalom

27/03/2022

Are you a rabbi? Are you interested in acquiring practical tools that will help you discuss, teach, and explore Israel and the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict in your community?

If so, we have the perfect course for you!

Launching on May 31, the next cohort of Makom's acclaimed Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Education Course is directed at rabbis who want to develop a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the conflict.

🔹Deadline for applications: April 26, 2022

🔹Learn more about the course here >> https://makomisrael.org/programs-services/israeli-palestinian-conflict-program/

23/02/2022

Last chance to apply for our online education course on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict starting March 9!

If you're a Jewish professional working with teens or young adults, and you'd like to deepen your understanding of the conflict, this is the course for you!

Learn more here >> https://makomisrael.org/programs-services/israeli-palestinian-conflict-program/

Apply here >> https://bit.ly/3JQzdjQ

Deadline for applications: February 24

‘Exploring Settlements, Territories, and Green Lines’ is an online, cohort-based course that enables people involved in Jewish and Israel education to develop a more nuanced and multi-dimensional understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Through the course, participants: Engage in live,...

17/02/2022

A brilliant new book, incubated at Makom, by master educators Abi Dauber Sterne and Robbie Gringras. Coming out in May 2022!

Stories and workshops to get you arguing with your family, friends, and communities. And that’s a good thing!

14/02/2022

Are you interested in exploring diverse perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Do you want to gain new tools, skills, and knowledge to help you confidently talk about the conflict within your own community?

Next month, in collaboration with RootOne, we're launching a new track of our online education program, "Exploring Settlements, Territories, and Green Lines," especially for Jewish professionals working with teens and adults.

Through live interviews and conversations with Israelis and Palestinians and immersive videos and tours, you’ll gain a more nuanced understanding of the conflict. You’ll also get to hash out new ideas and share challenges and questions with other professionals in your cohort.

For more details >> https://bit.ly/3I1Ejcw

Don't miss out! Applications close on February 21

‘Exploring Settlements, Territories, and Green Lines’ is an online, cohort-based course that enables people involved in Jewish and Israel education to develop a more nuanced and multi-dimensional understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Through the course, participants: Engage in live,...

24/01/2022

Shalom! I'm Rabbi Danny Weininger, and I recently joined Makom as the Program Manager for the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Education Course. I made Aliyah from New York with Garin Tzabar ten years ago and have since been working at various Jewish institutions in Israel and the United States.

One of the things that most excite me about my work at Makom is my engagement with educators, rabbis, lay leaders, and professionals from across the world and our joint efforts in forming the building blocks of meaningful Jewish life everywhere. We ask each other how we can make it work? What are the ideas that might re-shape and affect our communities? What contribution might we be able to make? All the more so as we learn about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict together, talking with and hearing from individuals from varied backgrounds, who often hold distinct and clashing views.

In the coming year, I look forward to expanding our circle of partners-in-learning – to Federation professionals, Hebrew school teachers, synagogues-wide groups, and more. At the same time, we're building additional content and materials for the over sixty alumni who have completed our programs until now.

I believe Makom has succeeded in creating something unique through our Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Education Course and I'm thrilled to be a part of it.

Do you want to join us in this challenging and multivocal learning experience? Check out our 2022 schedule and register today to secure your spot >> https://bit.ly/3tOh7dM

‘Exploring Settlements, Territories, and Green Lines’ is an online, cohort-based course that enables people involved in Jewish and Israel education to develop a more nuanced and multi-dimensional understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Through the course, participants: Engage in live,...

16/01/2022

This Sunday night and Monday marks Tu Bishvat, the 15th of the month of Shvat. The holiday is mentioned in the Mishna (c. 200 C.E.) and marks the beginning of the calendar year for calculating tithes (in essence, taxes) on fruit. Those accustomed to the seasons in Europe and North America tend to think of the winter months as a time of deadness. Think of T.S. Eliot, who describes winter as “dead land,” “dull roots,” and “forgetful snow.” But in the Land of Israel, when rain falls only from Tishrei (September / October) through Nisan (March / April), the wet winter months are a time of blossoming. Citrus is in flower right now.

When the Jews lost contact with the agricultural cycle of the Land of Israel, the holiday of Tu Bishvat fell out of use. However, following the Spanish Expulsion in 1492, when mystically-inclined Jews began to return to the Land of Israel, there was a renewed interest in this all-but-forgotten holiday. The circle of mystics who gathered around Rabbi Isaac Luria (1524-1572), known by the acronym “Ha’ari” or “Arizal,” gave renewed attention to the holiday. It was they who established the “Tu Bishvat Seder” which many celebrate today.

One of the more striking dimensions of Jews’ return to the land of Israel is the renewed relevance of an ancient calendar ordered specifically around this land, and the rediscovery of linkages between traditional Jewish liturgy and the land’s agricultural cycles. Outside of the land of Israel, Jews pray for rain at the end of the summer months — during which, depending on where they live, there may have been many summer rain showers. Here, however, the land is parched and the fields yellow by the time Sukkot comes around. This realignment between nature and Jewish time is one of the reasons for the revival of interest in Tu Bishvat.

Read the rest of the piece by Makom's Director, Rabbi Joe Schwartz, here >> https://makomisrael.org/reflections-on-tu-bshvat/

In the photo: Planting trees in the Gilboa mountains, c.1960