July/August 2000 Peace Is More Than Slogans By Rabbi Alvin Kass I bid you shalom as you set out for your summer vacation. Shalom, of course, is the best known and most popular word in the Hebrew language. It means "peace" as well as hello and good-bye. The longing for peace is the most pervasive theme of our prayers. Indeed, shalom is so important that it is often used in our sacred literature as a synonym for God. The search for peace is undoubtedly more urgent now than it has ever been, given the sobering fact that the world has never been a more dangerous place in which to live. Weapons of incalculably destructive potential are acquired every day by an ever larger number of nations, including many that are notorious for their loose trigger finger. Unfortunately, it is a lot easier to extol peace than to achieve it. Indeed, there are leaders who declare their allegiance to the goal of peace even as they hypocritically and cynically foment acts of violence. It is also possible to desire peace so much that you are willing to pay too high a price for it. That's what happened in the 1930's when Neville Chamberlain sold out Czechoslovakia to the Nazis. Although the misguided British leader boasted that he achieved "peace in our time", he only whetted Hitler's appetite for further aggression. The twentieth century is a vivid reminder that peace by itself will not endure. In order to last, peace must be coupled with justice, freedom and respect for human dignity. That is equally true of peace within our own borders as it is of our relations with other countries. The elusiveness of peace is further complicated by the finiteness of our capacity to foresee consequences. Even with the best of intentions, one can never be sure that particular policies will enhance the likelihood of peace or further exacerbate the situation. Take, for example, the current debate raging in Israel over whether the actions of the Barak government will bring about a lasting peace between Jews and Arabs or make things worse. Is the Israeli army's hasty withdrawal from Lebanon good for the country or not? Does it send a message to the surrounding Arab countries that Israel is "wimping out," thereby making the country more vulnerable to aggression than ever? Or will the retreat from Lebanon leave Israel with a tighter fist and a more unified public ready to do whatever it has to do to protect its borders? Similar differences exist over plans to return the Golan Heights to Syria and the amount of West Bank land to be given to the Palestinians. Both sides make plausible arguments in defense of their respective positions. What troubles me are American Jews who sit in the comfort and security of their living rooms, telling the Israelis how much blood they should be willing to spill to protect themselves. Let American Jews who claim to know what's good for Israel put their bodies where their mouths are by going over there to live. The truth is that Israelis know better than we do what's good for them. As interested parties, it behooves us to know as much as we can about what goes on in the Middle East. But the wisest counsel we could follow is to support whatever choices the Israeli people make through their democratically elected representatives in their efforts to achieve authentic shalom with their Arab neighbors. We ought to renew our determination to achieve peace everywhere in the world with all the energy, creativity and passion that we can muster. At the same time, we need to acknowledge that we don't have all the answers. It's a lot easier to spout slogans for peace than to achieve the genuine article. I look forward to continuing our dialogue on these issues in the fall. In the meantime, have a good summer and shalom!