Did you know if you’re traveling to Israel that Federation offers concierge services to our community and its partners? We recently coordinated with Temple Solel and arranged a special visit to our sister city of Sha’ar HaNegev. You can read about their trip below. For more information about what Federation can do for your trip, contact Jane Fantel at janef@jewishfederationsandiego.org or call 858-737-7122.

By Rabbi David Frank

That is the question I asked myself on this recent visit to Israel. Spending three weeks studying with top Israeli scholars at the Shalom Hartman Institute, in personal meetings with the heads of our Israeli Reform movement, and traveling with our Temple Solel tour group, I was seeking signs of hope.

The Israel news we receive here in San Diego is bleak and yet, in many ways, accurate. There is little opportunity for advancement of the peace process. The Palestinian and especially Hamas leaders are locked in a cycle of violence and despair. The Israeli administration sees little opening to pursue talks and is primarily focused on maintaining the status quo to protect its civilian population from harm. They see the ISIS inspired terrorism engulfing Europe and the West and say, "welcome to our reality."

But, this is only part of the picture - the headlines, if you will. Beneath the radar of media and internet are a whole lot of hopeful little moments. In Sha'ar HaNegev, San Diego's sister region located on Gaza's border, amazing things are happening. Our tour group was within spitting distance of Gaza as we stood at the security fence looking over at the Gaza Strip. Yet, we met with kibbutznikim who have lived in that spot for sixty years and, despite the fifteen second warning the sirens provide for incoming rockets, have continued to adapt to life there and refuse to abandon their homes. Instead, they have reinforced their structures and created a bomb proof school, placed shelters strategically throughout the kibbutzim, and ensured their safety. But that is not all. They are also actively engaging in creative programs and dialogue with the neighboring Bedouin community. Yael Karrie, the Reform student rabbi who serves this region, has built substantial rapport between the kibbutzim and a population that self-identifies as Palestinian, yet is now building bridges of peace and cooperation with their Jewish neighbors.

Earlier, I also visited the city of Lod near Tel Aviv and could not believe what I encountered. Arabs and Jews have come together to revive a community center that had been closed down for ten years. Two powerful women, one Jewish Orthodox and the other traditional Muslim Arab, have become best friends despite all the communal pressures that discourage their relationship. Together, they have rallied their communities, petitioned the government, and secured funding to rebuild and repurpose their community center. Arabs and Jews are filling the same building, sharing in programs, and learning tentatively how to co-exist.

I could go on, but you get the picture. While the view from above seems to offer little hope, the picture on the ground offers significant hope. Courageous Israeli Jews and Arabs are taking control of their own destinies to build the kind of future that national leaders may be incapable of shaping.