- About Us
- Connect
- Learn
- Jewish Life
- Music
- Events
- Give
- Join Us
The uncomfortable middle
03/12/2024 03:34:51 PM
Author | |
Date Added | |
Automatically create summary | |
Summary |
“I can’t talk with my adult kids about what’s happening in Israel and Gaza. We will just end up in a fight.”
“I was afraid to ask my cousin what she thinks about the war. This topic can be so polarizing.”
“I worry about what will happen when we get together for the upcoming seder. I don’t know if we will be able to avoid the subject altogether.”
Do these fears sound familiar? I hear regularly from grandparents who do not want talk about Israel and Gaza with their grandchildren, or adults who don’t want to talk about this with their siblings. They fear that any conversation will turn into a fight.
But the stakes are too high. We cannot just say “let’s not talk about it.” We should be able to talk about things that matter, and this certainly matters.
One thing that may be holding us back is the fear that our feelings are not shared by family members or others in our Jewish community. We might think that others have firm beliefs that are completely opposite to the ones we hold.
Recently one adult told me that she finally worked up the courage to ask a cousin about her thoughts on the war. Her cousin replied that she is “in the uncomfortable middle.” While she grieves for the victims of the brutal Hamas attack on civilians in Israel, and she recognizes the real threat of rising antisemitism around the world, she also has compassion for the Palestinians who are suffering so terribly in the catastrophe that is Gaza.
Most of the people I have talked to are also somewhere in the “uncomfortable middle” on this topic. Few would say that whatever Israel does is justified because Israel can never be wrong, and few would say that Israel has no right to defend herself at all.
Yet because many of us hesitate to talk about it, we can feel that we are alone. We might assume that everyone around us thinks one way or another. We might believe that no one else has conflicting and confusing feelings about the war.
If you want to talk about your thoughts and feelings in a safe and supportive environment, please reach out to me. I am happy to speak with you. If there is enough interest, I would also like to facilitate conversations in small groups in our community. If you find yourself in “the uncomfortable middle,” please know you are not alone.
Sun, May 5 2024
27 Nisan 5784
Temple israel Happenings
-
Sunday ,
MayMay 5 , 2024Israel Engagement committee meeting
Sunday, May 5th 9:15am to 10:15am
The Israel Engagement Committee will meet to continue a discussion of the committee's main objectives and begin planning programs/discussions around Israel engagement. -
Sunday ,
MayMay 5 , 2024A First Hand Account of the War in Israel with Speaker
Sunday, May 5th 10:15am to 11:15am
Please join us for a conversation with Ido Yaaran, a young adult Israel emissary and IDF soldier. Ido was raised in Herzliya, Israel and came to the United States for a year of service to the Jewish community in 2019-2020 through the young emissary program of the Jewish Agency of Israel and the Jewish Federation of Fairfield County, Ct. Read more... -
Sunday ,
MayMay 5 , 2024Yom HaShoah Memorial Candle Lighting (Virtual)
Sunday, May 5th 6:30pm to 7:00pm
We will gather on Zoom for a brief ritual as we light our Yom HaShoah memorial candles to honor all who perished at the hands of the Nazis. -
Saturday ,
MayMay 11 , 2024Brotherhood-Sisterhood Movie Night: The Apartment
Shabbat, May 11th 7:00pm to 9:30pm
"The Apartment". From 1960, the story of a young New York insurance company employee, trying to get ahead by “loaning” his apartment to other executives. His life becomes complicated with unintended consequences when he falls in love with the office-building elevator operator. Directed by the legendary Billy Wilder it stars Jack Lemmon & Shirley McClaine in one of their best roles. The movie is a beautiful and funny love story but also a pointed commentary on office politics, morality and how certain men treat women, circa 1960. The Broadway play “Promises, Promises” is the musical version of this wonderful film.
Events
Today's Calendar
: 9:15am |
Women's Journal Group : 10:00am |
: 10:15am |
: 11:00am |
: 6:30pm |
Friday Night
: 7:00pm |
Candle Lighting : 7:45pm |
Shabbat Day
: 9:30am |
: 10:30am |
: 7:00pm |
Upcoming Programs & Events
May 5 |
May 5 Women's Journal Group Sunday, May 5 10:00am |
May 5 |
May 5 |
May 5 |
This week's Torah portion is Parashat K'doshim
Shabbat, May 11 |
Candle Lighting
Friday, May 10, 7:45pm |
Yom HaShoah
Monday, May 6 |