Yesterday our middle son Elijah returned from six weeks in Israel. It was early in the morning when we picked him up but he was full of life and ready to talk my ear off about his life-changing trip. He told me about Shabbat in Jerusalem, hiking up Masada at sunrise, visiting remote Arab villages, snorkeling in the Red Sea, shopping at the ever-frenzied Carmel Market in Tel Aviv and hiking through the stretch Negev. He clearly grew closer to his friends, closer to his Judaism and closer to this complicated place called Israel. I am so proud of his courage, openness and patience. I can tell that he grew up a bit this summer, which is somehow fairly bittersweet. 

So often we reduce Israel to the most political talking points. I get it. We should all be profoundly concerned about what’s happening in Gaza and the West Bank. I certainly am. We should all be deeply concerned by the far-right leanings of the Netanyahu government and the havoc it is wreaking on prospects for peace. We should all be deeply concerned about the politicians here in America that are rising in the ranks not in spite of their anti-Zionist rhetoric but precisely because of it. I also find this deeply distressing. I know you do too.

My challenge to all of us is to try to go beyond the political machinations of the State of Israel, now 78 years old. Have you read about Israel lately? On my nightstand right now is The Future is Peace. Have you watched an Israeli movie or show recently? Have you supported Israeli causes in your giving? Would you consider going with me on a mission to Israel in the coming months, to see it up close in all its complexity? I’m considering a brief, highly focused trip that allows us to see the beauty and heartache up close. Interested? 

Our Torah portion, Re’eh, opens this week with a series of choices: blessing or curse, life or death. Life is all about choices. When it comes to Israel, the choices or endless: tune out or tune in, lean out or lean in, educate yourself or choose willful ignorance, aim for a diversity of opinions or stay in a decidedly narrow mind-space. Join me in leaning in, tuning in, engaging as much now as ever before. Maybe more than ever, Israel needs our allyship, not our blind allegiance, but our staunch commitment to a bold, beautiful, democratic and inclusive Homeland for all of us.