‘Embrace our shared humanity’ - One Rabbi’s message to pro-Palestinian student protestors

Rabbi Dan Levin, senior rabbi at Temple Bethel in Boca Raton. Rabbi, welcome, Sir. I’m glad you’re here. First question, what prompted you to write this letter? I’m curious. Was it out of frustration? Was it pain? Was it fear? And to whom was this letter sent? Well, thanks so much for having me. I think it was all of those things. This period of time has been so incredibly painful for so many, And what I think was so difficult for us in the Jewish community to experience in the wake of these protests was the idea that the experience of what it was to be Jewish, what it was to be an Israeli since October the 7th was completely whitewashed and forgotten. And one of the things that we really wanted to try to convey, hopefully to those students who are protesting, but also to those who are watching those protests and wondering, do the Jewish people have a place in America anymore, is the idea that this is so complicated and so complex? And we hear you, We understand that the things that you’re seeing on television, the stories that you’re being told are painful to watch and to see. But the complexity behind those incidents and what is causing those terrible things to happen requires a much deeper investigation. And the reaction to the letter, Sir, has been what? Well, it’s been overwhelmingly positive. It’s been fun to read all of the different comments from people from all over the world who were able to see that letter. Most of the people that responded were saying thank you, that the letter was able to articulate the complexity and the the the terrible challenges that so many of us are feeling by watching people champion what seems to be so diametrically opposed to the values that I think these students actually hold. When you think about what Hamas did on October the 7th, what they’ve done for decades, what they stand for, what they continue to promise to do. And to see so many wonderful young people standing shoulder to shoulder with those who hold diametrically opposed values and principles to us is very difficult. And at the same time, watching them espouse ideas that are so dangerous is even more challenging. And I wanted to try to help people understand the complexity and to help them rethink their positions. What is your advice to Jewish students who feel threatened in the midst of these protests? Well, I think one of the things that we tell students is to remember that we are so blessed as a Jewish community that we live in America, a place where we can gather peaceably, where we can express our ideas, where we can say what we think. And that’s what a protest is supposed to be. It’s not supposed to be a place that calls for violence. It’s not supposed to be a place that others people who are curious. It’s not supposed to be a place that intimidates. It’s supposed to be a place where, like on a university campus, we’re able to express curiosity, we’re able to try to learn. And So what I try to tell the students in our congregation is to stay with your community. Be at Hillel. Join the opportunity to learn more about what is happening in Israel and the complexity and the challenges of what’s happening there, so that you can better understand and have meaningful conversations with those who are willing to have meaningful conversations with you. Rabbi, you conclude your letter with your vision for a path to a solution. I’m going to read part of it for our viewers. Call for Hamas to surrender, to lay down its weapons and disarm and return all the hostages to their homes. Call for Iran to renounce its pursuit of nuclear weapons and to cease exporting war and terrorism to its proxies without the throughout the region. Call for Israelis and Palestinians to turn to the future rather than litigate the past and you end with millions of Palestinians and millions of Israelis call this same land home. It is time for new leaders to rise, to lead us forward, to embrace our shared humanity, to respect our religious and cultural differences, to relinquish bigotry, hatred, and violence, and use our collective creativity and ingenuity to fashion a future where we dwell together in peace. So the tough question is this. Do you support A2 State Solution? And how can disputed land lead to a peaceful coexistence? Well, so long as those who live in that land seek maximalist claims or want to erase the history of an entire people, we’re never going to get anywhere. There are 1,000,000 and millions of people who are going to have to find a path forward and to look beyond the rhetoric and beyond the extremism to realize the shared humanity. And to say the way we’ve looked at each other in the past can’t be the way we look at each other in the future. And when we’re able to let go of all of that resentment which is so toxic, and to look across the border and to say enough is enough, what I wish the protesters would do would be to call for Hamas to surrender. If Hamas surrendered and returned the hostages, this war would be over. What we forget is that there was a ceasefire on October the 6th, and Hamas, in one of the most brutal attacks of this century with unspeakable acts of barbarism and horror, attacked the state of Israel. And Israel had no choice but to somehow find a way to repel and Vanquish that threat. It’s awful to see what’s happening in the midst of that war, But I wish that we could get to a place where we could look across with each other and be able to say, let’s move forward. Let’s find a way for us to share this land so that we can live and maximize what it is to be a human being. I’m sure it’s something that you pray about and think about and talk about all the time. And I want to thank you so much for doing so here on the broadcast. Rabbi Dan Levin, I appreciate you. Thank you. It is a beautiful. Thank you very much. It’s a pleasure.