I landed in Madrid this morning at the invitation of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. He is convening a meeting of religious leaders from around the world as he enters the global conversation between people of faith about how their beliefs can contribute to creating a safer and more humane world. I cannot escape the tension of being pulled in two directions, neither of which make me comfortable, as the proponents of each flood me with e-mails, voice mails, and just about every other form of communication.
One the one hand, I am told that I should not even be at this meeting. The Saudis are "our" enemies and this conference fuels their nefarious plans. On the other hand, I am told that this meeting is a breakthrough moment which heralds a new moment for peace and justice in the world. Frankly, I am saddened by the fear of the first group and annoyed by the naivete of the second group. Each seems to know the end of a story whose introduction is still being written.
I simply believe that the more we know each other, the more effective we will be when we either create the genuine relationships for which so many of us long, or have to actually fight those who turn out to be enemies of decency, openess, and respect for all people.
And the complexity of this meeting is only heightened by this morning´s images from the Lebanese border with Israel, where right now two coffins carrying the bodies of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, are being exchanged for five palestinians including the notorious Samir Kuntar, and 199 bodies of Hizbollah fighters. But I think that the scenes from that border offer a powerful lesson to anyone being asked to take a chance or make what seems to be a "bad deal". I mean what possible rationale is there for swapping five murderers and 199 corpses, for the bodies of "just two" Israeli soldiers?
But that is precisely the point. The deal is not equal and it may even subvert some definition of justice. But even the family of Kuntar´s victims support this deal because it reflects the awareness that symmetry should be trumped by compassion, even when it may empower your opponents in the short term. In the long term, and with the caveat that not all of one´s eggs be placed in the "compassion basket", Israel believes that this deal strengthens the nation and its spiritual-ethical foundations. I could not agree more and it is with just that attitude that I am attending the Madrid Conference.
Of course there is the risk that this conference will allow some of its delegates and the nations from which they come, to take victory laps not unlike those being ridden by Hizbollah gunmen in front of the reviewing stands in both Nakoura and Beirut. But it also creates a precedent for meetings that have never before happened and about which no one will ever be able to say again, can not happen. This morning we begin to make history, and it will take time to see what will come of it. But I can think of no time when not taking such chances for peace, was not a greater mistake than taking them - especially when all the other options remain.
When I landed this morning, I was met by the side of the plane and driven by private car across the tarmack. On the way, we saw an huge rainbow over the airfield and I was struck by the brilliance of this happening (I just can´t call it a coincidence). I pronounced the blessing traditionally said when seeing a rainbow, a blessing which praises God for remembering and keeping the covenant, symbolized by the rainbow, not to destory the earth as in the flood story found in Genesis.
God remains God in the story, but also pledges to take a chance on human kind once again. And this time the chance is backed up by a pledge to keep us in play no matter what. That spirit of enduring hope about people is what animates me at this conference. If God can take a chance on the entire human race forty days after having been so evil that they were all destroyed, can we do less?
I am proud of the State of Israel this morning, and I am proud to be in Madrid.
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Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of 
I am grateful to you Rabbi Hirschfeld for your faith in God and humanity. I could not have done the task, I regret to say. I work for someone who at times claims to be Palastinian, though so seldom has she claimed such, I did not think of her other than Haitian, the country from which she emigrated. She has terrorized me for 4 years and it had now reached fevered pitch due to a Human Rights Complaint that I registered. And, sadly after being the object of harassment by two other Arab Muslims during the same period, my former pollyanna self is no longer. I cannot trust them to be humane, to behave justly. I could not have made such an unequal deal for Israel. I may be forced to make an unjust deal for myself, but Isreal is more important than a single person. It breaks my heart that the people I have had to deal with treated me so cruely and robbed me of my innocent trust and open heart. It is those who still trust in humanity who have somewhat of a chance to bring about peace. Shalom Rabbi!
I applaude your comments that you are saddened by those who want no contact with enemies, and annoyed by the naivete that we can find a peace breakthrough.
I have just returned from a wonderful visit to Israel with my husband. I have become good friends with a Palestinian who lives in Ramallah. He invited me to vist his family. My husband would have none of it--too dangerous. It seems to me that the whole effort to find a way out of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict suffers from Israelis and Palestinians who want no contact with one another. Palestinians never see Jews, save the Israeli soldiers who venture into Gaza and the West Bank territories. Jews never see Palestinians. During our wonderful trip, not ONE mention was made of the Palestinians, the Palestinian territories, or people. Yes, a lot was said about Lebanon, Syria, Jordan...but there was definitely a danger flag set up around the word Palestinian.
Additionally, those Western countries who are naieve enough to believe in the establishment of two different countries makes me sad; nothing could be more impossible to achieve with so little satisfaction on both sides. I have done a lot of research, and am convinced that there were atrocities committed on both sides. Arabs killed Jewish settlers, and, through Plan D, Israel performed the "cleansing" (perhaps necessary) of Palestinian villages. I also know that, although no one wants to admit it, Palestinians want the "right of return," not a peacemeal country. It seems to me that we will never get to first base unless both sides discuss 1948 frankly. There may be no solution, but unless we go there, we will never know.
I envision, as a dreamer, one territory where Jews and Arabs live together peacefully. Arab and Jewish women would share childcare, gossip, and pride themselves on obeying similar dietary laws and modest dress. Jewish and Arab men would lunch and work together. I am one of those foolish dreamers, but I am starting from a different place.
Rabbi Brad, I am Susan Phillips Moskowitzs; siste-in-law. I bought your second book when I heard a review of it on NPR, and realized that it was you. You are walking the walk and talking the talk. If only the rest of the world could reach the level of selfknowledge, understanding, love and compassion that you exemplify!
It is an honor to be "related" to you even though most remotely.Cordially, Anne
Kol HaKavod, Rabbi! You have the great courage to take up an "enemy" challenge. Wasn't it Ben Gurion(?) who said that in order to talk peace one has to talk to one's enemy?
Good luck
Raygork
B"H
A pity the Saudis will allow a Jew to attend a conference such as this, but this is their rare exception. Even when the USA came to Saudi Arabia's aid in the Gulf War, Jewish soldiers stationed in the oil capital of the world, were issued false ID tags which removed any Jewish identity of these personnel, since they would NOT have been permitted to enter the country.
When Muslims accept the fact that the Jewish people have the inalienable right to live in peace in our homeland, without the Muslims from the 22 countries around desiring their extinction, then and only then, will there be peace.
The Arabs (Palestinians) who left their homes in 1948 were not expelled by Jews...they were told by the ARAB nations to evacuate temporarily, so these Arab armies could do a "neat clean" job of sweeping into Palestine and perform their massacre of all the Jews, G-d forbid. The Palestinian residents were only too happy to comply. Sorry guys, but you LOST! and you LEFT! The miraculous victory given to the Jews by G-d ensured that we had possession of our land, after 2,000 years.
This conference, sadly, is only a token gesture which can have no positive results, until, as Golda Meir so poignantly stated, "the Arabs love their children more than they hate us."
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