What is a "just peace"?

Letters

Editor: Rene Goldman judges me guilty of tarnishing Israel's name and invokes Isaiah's prophetic wrath against Jews like me. ("What is a 'just peace'?" Bulletin Letters, Aug. 29) Prof. Goldman accuses me of "travelling to Kelowna for the purpose of rousing against Israel an audience of poorly informed students" and of showing "contempt for our religious tradition." His letter mischaracterizes the event, the audience, the nature and spirit of my journey and the causes for which I work.

I visited Kelowna during the pilgrimage festival of Shavuot. I came at the invitation of a local peace group, People for People, who asked me to attend a showing of Jonathan Pilger's controversial film Palestine is Still the Issue, and to speak briefly and take questions afterward. As I remarked to the small audience (about 75) gathered there, Hillel taught that the central tenet of Jewish Scripture is: "That which is hateful to you, do not do to another." I felt that it was appropriate during the festival commemorating the giving of the Divine Law on Sinai to consider the implications of that teaching for us today.

The audience was diverse in age, ethnicity and political persuasion, judging from the range of their probing, insightful questions and comments. I estimated that about a third of those attending were fellow Jews, who arrived in an organized contingent with pamphlets and signs and who stayed for an eager, respectful discussion period and for animated conversation over refreshments afterward. While at times there was strong disagreement and palpable tension in the room, I was moved by the shared spirit of engaged, deep listening and discussion that characterized the evening.

Prof. Goldman asks "What do Jews like Aberle,... mean by a 'just peace'?" Pursuing that question was central to my visit to Kelowna, as it is central to the work of groups like Jews for a Just Peace. Briefly: By a just peace, I mean a peace founded on the principles of human rights and self-determination for all. And while Prof. Goldman may disagree with my interpretation, it is precisely my reverence for and understanding of my religious tradition that drives me to stand up and speak out for such a peace.

Stephen Aberle
Vancouver

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