In today’s highly charged political environment, it is vital that we, as the inheritors of the Talmud, due our utmost to follow this teaching. We must listen carefully to each other, and work hard to find the element of each other’s teaching that is worthy of being cited, even before our own. That does not mean that we will reach the same conclusions, or change each other’s minds. But we will create the conditions for a more respectful dialogue, which is itself a necessary step on the path to peace.
And I want to make clear that I respect you and your passion for Jewish life. You are united by your desire to advocate for policy changes that you believe will advance the two state solution and bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians. For many of you, this is not just a political mission, but a spiritual one as well. I honor that commitment.
This weekend we entered the Jewish month of Elul, the month that precedes the High Holidays. Elul is a special month. It is a month in which we begin to take stock of our lives, assess our behavior over the past year, and prepare for the moment, which will be here before we know it, when we will stand together and seek to wipe the slate clean for the New Year. There is no better time to reflect on what we can each do to help pursue peace within the community.
And I invite you to join Shevarim Elul Blast, our daily Elul e-mail reflections.
That’s why I am so grateful that you have welcomed me to speak with you today during the month of Elul. By inviting me here, someone with whom you have not always agreed in the past, you are showing me the respect that must be at the core of all of our engagements in the Jewish community, and giving me the opportunity to wipe the slate clean.
As is well known, the Mishna teaches us that Yom Kippur atones for transgressions between a person and God, but for a transgression against one’s neighbor, Yom Kippur cannot atone, until one seeks forgiveness from one’s neighbor. (Mishna Yoma 8:9). Therefore, if I have done anything to cause personal hurt or pain in this past year to anyone in this room, I ask that you forgive my transgression.
Now I want to spend a few minutes talking about Israel—the core mission of J Street U.
The vision of Israel living side-by-side in peace and security with its neighbors is one that you and I share, together with Jews all over the world. My personal experiences have profoundly impacted how I see the questions you are grappling with.
I have been blessed to witness first-hand the great progress that has been made toward the goal of peace between Israel and its neighbors during my lifetime. I took my first trip to Israel during the summer between my freshman and sophomore years in college. Among the many things I did on that trip was camp out in the Sinai desert. I’ll never forget it. That fall, when I was back at college, Anwar Sadat made his historic trip to Jerusalem. I remember as clear as day sitting in my dorm room, watching President Sadat being greeted by Prime Minister Menachem Begin and escorted through the streets of Jerusalem with the people cheering, waving Egyptian and American flags, and crying with happiness.
A year later, Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in exchange for the first peace treaty with an Arab country. Even though students like me could no longer camp out in that vast desert, we all understood that Israel’s leaders had done the right thing. Fast forward to 1993. As a congressman from the great State of Ohio, I found myself on the South Lawn of the White House, witnessing Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat shake hands under the watchful gaze of President Clinton. I joined with Jewish colleagues, Jewish religious and communal leaders, and peoples of all faiths, in cheering peace and singing songs of peace. I was exhilarated by the hope and the potential of that moment.