Compromising times

It is awesome to witness hundreds of Johannesburg Jews descend on the Indaba Hotel for the annual Limmud experience. I looked around me on Friday evening as Shabbat was about to begin, and I saw so many different people, ages, contrasting perspectives, divergent attitudes, varied political leanings, views on Israel, levels of religiosity, and I could go on. It was uplifting and inspiring.

The point is, Limmud is a melting pot of South African Jews, and, in that, it’s simply beautiful. What’s more is that there is such a variety of fascinating people giving talks and holding panel discussions, that the most difficult decision on the weekend is which talks to choose.

And every year, I suffer from terrible FOMO (fear of missing out) as I choose one talk over another. I generally focus on international guest speakers because I feel like I won’t get another chance to hear what they have to say. Also, I assume they are going to give me information I wouldn’t otherwise have access to.

The only problem with that way of thinking is that the local speakers are generally experts in their fields, and they have done massive amounts of research before giving these talks. So, missing out on them is seriously missing out! Our own chairperson, Howard Sackstein, fills an auditorium at the same time as the “What the hell is happening in Israeli politics” panel discussion with journalists from the far left to the far right. And those happen to be only two of the eight sessions held at the same time.

I mean, the thought of missing out on hearing the inimitable Gus Silber convincing me how ChatGPT is actually Jewish, or the erudite Dr Jordan Moshe speaking about Agatha Christie and the Jews, is a real tough ask.

Don’t think for a moment that the speakers are there to preach to the choir. Nope, many of them challenge the very core of our beliefs and knowledge base. I spent time in therapeutic discussion with the wise journalist, writer, and peacemaker, Ittay Flescher, after listening to Haaretz journalist Nir Hasson speaking about Gaza, Jerusalem, and the tough issues Israelis face right now.

It’s not easy to get our heads around facts that tamper with the very core of our beliefs about Israel, however important they are. The reality is that however you look at it, tens of thousands of people have died in this war. Gaza has been destroyed, infrastructure and all.

As we all know, nothing is simple or clear in the murk of war. However, no matter who you are, it is not easy to hear about the devastation wrought in Gaza at the hands of Israel. No matter that Israel is faced with so many “choiceless choices” – a term I heard used by South African Jewish Board of Deputies chair Karen Milner in our discussions over this – it’s still not easy.

And having access to knowledgeable people to thrash out the issues you are battling with is yet another of the joys of Limmud.

While listening and learning about what was happening in Israel, on Sunday, Israel was brought to a veritable standstill – or so it was apparent in the news – because of a nationwide strike. About one million people got involved in the strike or protests throughout the country. They were calling for an end to the war, and a deal to secure the release of the remaining 50 hostages, at least 20 of whom are still alive.

It’s believed to have been the largest protest in Israel in 22 months of war. I appreciate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the protests, saying they could harden Hamas’s stance and slow down the release of the hostages. However, Israelis are gatvol. They are desperate for the war to end now. They want to be able to recover and find a way back to their old lives. They don’t want their sons, husbands, and fathers to go back to Gaza.

Many of them haven’t even got to the point of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because they are still in the trauma. There’s too much death and destruction in this war. Too many people have been killed, lost homes, and are living indefinitely with trauma. It’s just too much!

I appreciate that politicians may not have secured all they want in their end-of-war negotiations, but as human beings, most Israelis believe this war has gone on too long. It’s enough!

Going back to Limmud, a term that kept coming up for me was “compromise”, and how that is the only way we get through so many difficult situations. Compromise isn’t easy because it implies that both sides give a little of what they don’t want to give in order to reach a worthwhile solution.

Compromise is uncomfortable because it doesn’t mean getting all that you want, it means getting a fair amount of it by giving some of it away. It has to come from both sides.

I’m not sitting in the negotiations, and I don’t know in truth who is actually holding up the end to this war or why, but I have no doubt that compromise is the way to a real solution. And the time is now!

Shabbat shalom!

Peta Krost

Editor