Think.
With an open mind

You can watch a recording of this sermon on our YouTube channel.

לֹ֥א נָשׁ֖וּב אֶל־בָּתֵּ֑ינוּ עַ֗ד הִתְנַחֵל֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אִ֖ישׁ נַחֲלָתֽוֹ׃

We will not return to our homes until the other Israelites are in possession of their portion.

כִּ֣י לֹ֤א נִנְחַל֙ אִתָּ֔ם מֵעֵ֥בֶר לַיַּרְדֵּ֖ן וָהָ֑לְאָה כִּ֣י בָ֤אָה נַחֲלָתֵ֙נוּ֙ אֵלֵ֔ינוּ מֵעֵ֥בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּ֖ן מִזְרָֽחָה׃ {פ}

But we will not have a share with them in the territory beyond the Jordan, for we have received our share on the east side of the Jordan.”

Numbers 32:18-19

This morning’s Torah reading foretells the relationship between those Jews who live on the Land of Israel and those who are hutz l’aretz, outside of it. The Reubenites, Gadites and the half tribe of Manessah all choose to form a diaspora community on the east side of the river Jordan. Our ancestor Abraham was the first to be called an Ivri, a Hebrew, literally the one who crosses over. Was he called this for crossing the Euphrates or the Jordan we do not know but does the name imply a sense of perpetual journey, of one’s home being where one happens or chooses to be; or is it to cross over onto or into the Land?

Having just turned 19, I sat for hours at Ben Gurion Airport – the old terminal – trying to work out which kind of Ivri I was. Was I to be an Israeli or a diaspora Jew? I crossed over, not to the east but back to what is my home in the west.

But that nine-month sojourn and previous visits with Mum, Dad and Ruth, had solidified an intense relationship. I was not Israeli yet I am bereft without being in deep relationship to Israel. My relationships with the People of the Land, those who are Jewish of many descriptions and those of other faiths and peoples have only grown and strengthened. Similarly, Rabbi Lea and our new Rabbi, Andrea Kulikowsky, who has spent the last few weeks in Israel, have their own stories about how they formed essential relations both to Israel and to many of its citizens.

It meant that when Israel experienced the deepest trauma on 7 October 2023, we, on behalf of all our members of The Ark Synagogue, engaged as fully as we could to support our Colleagues and friends in the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism and other progressive organisations. We have enabled four groups to visit Israel since then and plan another early next year. We are not people of arms but we used our arms to hold, comfort and support ‘us in Israel,’ to do the work of progressive Jews. We have crossed over and keep doing so if not in person then at the minimum on a weekly basis to communicate our love and support.

Yet our despair with the Prime Minster and the government of Israel is so intense.

This week, the Co-Leads of Progressive Judaism, Rabbis Charley Baginsky and Josh Levy, wrote an open letter to members of Liberal and Reform Synagogues that you can see in its entirety on the Liberal Judaism website and I do encourage you to read it.

At its core, they write:

We continue to cry out for the safe return of the hostages. Their captivity is an open wound in our people’s soul. But it is not in contradiction to cry out also for the people of Gaza who face famine and sickness with no protection. We refuse to see justice and security as opposites. We must hold fast to both. We also stand with the many thousands of Israelis who are taking to the streets, week after week, calling for a better way forward, for democracy, peace and human dignity. Their courage strengthens our own.

Rabbi Lea and I are not ones to sign lots of open letters. We generally choose to show up on the ground to do whatever we can, consistent to our Liberal Jewish values and our understanding of what God asks of us as human beings, as Jews and as Rabbis. Yet this week we, as well as our multiple communications in support of our Israeli Colleagues and friends, we have joined, as of now almost 800 Colleagues representing a variety of different denominations, in writing to the Prime Minister and the government of Israel:

To respect all innocent life;

To stop at once the use and threat of starvation as a weapon of war;

To allow extensive humanitarian aid, under international supervision, while guarding against control or theft by Hamas;

To work urgently by all routes possible to bring home all the hostages and end the fighting;

To use the forces of law and order to end settler violence on the West Bank and vigorously investigate and prosecute settlers who harass and assault Palestinians;

To open channels of dialogue together with international partners to lead toward a just settlement, ensuring security for Israel, dignity and hope for Palestinians, and a viable peaceful future for all the region.

Our voices come from across the river, from the Diaspora, but with deep love and relationship with Israel. Rabbi Arthur Green, one of the initiators of the letter wrote in his 2010 book, ‘Radical Judaism: Rethinking God and Judaism:’

The need for ongoing human participation in the quest for redemption … means a reframing of our contemporary perspective on the great questions, a leap forward that shows we are not afraid to be challenged by contemporary reality, while we remain devoted to hearing the greater challenge of God’s voice calling out “Where are you?”

This is the deepest challenge to our humanity and our Judaism that my generation and many others have faced. The Reubenites and Gadites of our Torah reading, disappeared, deported by the Assyrians in the 8th century BCE. Some suggest that they might be the ancestors of the Beta Israel, Ethiopian Jewish Community but who knows? We do not face a physical foe such as the Assyrians but a challenge to the moral fibre of our People.

Eternal One, our God, give us the strength and courage to stand with our sisters and brother of the Jewish People, those whose homes are built on the Land and we, the Jews of the world; to hold up our arms to them and in turn to all who need them. Grant us the wisdom to perceive and hold sometimes conflicting thoughts, yet enabling us to only act for good. May there soon be peace for all Israeli and Palestinian citizens of Israel and may we then be at peace.

Oh and one final thought:

Whilst sending my Friday morning message to all our friends and colleagues in Israel and Ukraine, our metaphoric weekly hug, a note of joy or hope or prayer; my heart was heavy. Yet, being in relationship often leads to unexpected gifts: one of my Israel Tour leaders from 1986, Claire King-Lassman responded to me:

Btw, last night in Tel Aviv a seriously orthodox man started the protest with prayers. He said that it’s our obligation as Jews to end the war and the suffering on all sides. Gives me hope. Shabbat shalom.

Shabbat Shalom

Since this sermon was delivered on Shabbat 26 July 2025, the Board of Deputies have issued a statement which can be found here.