Reflections for 2013

Editorial

Though Jews celebrated the new year a few months ago now, the opportunity presents itself again, at the end of December, to reflect back and look forward, which is always a welcome opportunity.

We have recently been reminded in the most grievous terms of the power of violence to destroy lives and reverberate across society. For our American neighbors, the coming weeks will bring perhaps the most introspective discussion yet of the role of violence in society.

The clamoring defence of the pro-gun movement in the United States in the days since the Newtown tragedy has been to argue not for fewer guns, but for more; to arm teachers and practically anyone else with the hope that armed good people will counter armed bad people. This logic has disaster written all over it. There is certainly no conclusive solution to this problem. No country is likely to completely eliminate gun violence, but the horror in Connecticut was a last straw for many people who until now had always contended there is simply nothing that can be done.

As President Barack Obama said last week, “The fact that this problem is complex can no longer be an excuse for doing nothing. The fact that we can’t prevent every act of violence doesn’t mean we can’t steadily reduce the violence.”

A Jewish teaching comes to mind in this regard.

“Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” This, from the Talmud, seems especially suited to the moment. We cannot eliminate violence, but we must strive to reduce it. We must commit to moving in the direction of peace, not accepting that violence is inevitable.

From one seemingly intractable challenge to another, the continued violence facing Israel and its neighbors is always front of mind. To varying degrees, the entire region is in turmoil, from Syria, on one side, which is on full boil, to Egypt, on the other, which seems to be in a period of rapid, unpredictable change. The conflict between Israel and Hamas this year, which was followed by an unprecedented rapprochement between the “moderate” Fatah and the “hardline” Hamas is enigmatic. It is generally seen as a negative sign that Fatah, Israel’s best hope for a negotiating partner, is making overtures to the Islamist terrorists. What appears to be a potential radicalization of Fatah could, conversely, bring moderating influences to Hamas. While we may not rest many fond hopes on the latter, the status quo has not been satisfactory, either, so at least if the Palestinians unite behind a combined entity, Israel will know what it is dealing with and can plan accordingly. In the spirit of optimism, we invoke the precedents of previous seemingly intractable conflicts – the Cold War and apartheid – which ended comparatively peaceably and, by the standards of historical progress, quickly.

Within this context, Israel is, comparatively, a very young country. Nonetheless, at the end of 2012, its accomplishments are too numerous to count, and they continue to come amid innumerable challenges and against many odds. And, still, there is more to do. While keeping a close eye on developments across its borders and within its territories, Israel must also renew its commit to looking inwards, to improving standards of living across its citizenry, to ensuring gender equality and to bringing about a more just and equitable society in order to fully capitalize on the immense power of its people’s diversity and talents.

A review of our pages this year offers plenty of opportunities for local pride as well. The Independent has highlighted so many individuals and organizations who are truly trying to make the world better, by increasing cross-cultural understanding, by their achievements in important fields of research and study, and by working to improve the lives of Jews and non-Jews alike the world over. As we look forward, we encourage community members and organizations to invest even more deeply in the value of inclusivity and to continue to cultivate creative and courageous leadership as well as an openness to the wide variety of opinions and ideas and the enormous potential that they offer for the future.

It is easy to fall back on the old Yiddishism, “Schwer zu sein ein yid,” “It’s hard to be a Jew,” but it is necessary to mark the positive, too, and recognize that, in Canada, in 2012, while not without our significant challenges, it has been pretty good to be a Jew, too.

^TOP