"Hanukkah and Religious Freedom"

A Sermon by the Rev. Daniel Charles Davis

For the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Winston-Salem

December 17, 2006

Imagine a single flame, burning on an altar – a single flame burning where there was only desecration. Everything that symbolized your spirit has been destroyed. The words that held your nation together have been torn apart, the rituals that define your family have been outlawed.

What are individuals when removed from their context? Who am I without my family? Who am I without my friends, without my culture, without my beliefs, without my nation?

Who are you?

Imagine a single flame, burning with your hopes of renewal, burning with all your history. A precious flame, a precarious flame. This is what Judas Maccabeus started on that first Hanukkah. It is said that one day’s worth of oil burned for eight days. A miracle happened there, and it is celebrated. The miracle ceased as soon as the oil was recompiled. Then it became an ordinary flame once again in a place sacred to the Jews.

But that place did not remain in their control. The Judeans lost their country to the Romans 63 years before the Common Era. The temple itself was destroyed in the year 70. By 135, all Jewish rebellions had been crushed. Almost all Jews were exiled from the land that the Romans name Syria Palestina. In the seventh century, Arabs following the new faith of Islam take over the territory and build mosques there that remain to this day. In 1099, the Christians take over the land during the Crusades. In 1187 the Sultan Saladin regains control of the Holy Land for the Muslims. In 1516 the Ottoman Turks – also Muslim – gain control over the area and retain control until the Ottoman empire falls in World War I. 1n 1917 Britain is in control and makes the Balfour Declaration, stating that they would create a Jewish state. After WWII, the state of Israel is formed after years of fighting among the people living in the land.

The holy mountain is sacred. Jews worship at the Western Wall of the temple, Muslims in the golden dome. Who does this mountain belong to? It is small, as mountains go, less than 2,500 feet high. But it looms large in our history and casts a shadow over our future.

Having read about the history of this region, I could go into a long and detailed explanation of what conflicts have arisen, and what is behind each one. But in its simplest form, it can be summarized in the following phrase: "We have a right to attack them because they attack us."

Both sides say that they will be peaceful if the other one goes first. On the rare occasion that either side makes a real attempt to hold its fire, some faction within subverts the process. Every time there is an attack, someone says, "See? I told you peace would not work." And they return to war as if that has worked well.

I am convinced that it takes little courage to fight. Violence is a primitive impulse when one’s families are being destroyed. And families are being destroyed on both sides. And both sides are wrong to kill. Yet it is because I am observing from this safe distance that I can be so moral. I feel moral in that they should stop fighting, yet powerless to make them stop fighting. Even if a two-state solution is reached, that is only a partial solution. It gives up on the notion that the people could live together in peace. The best they can do is go to their separate rooms. Isolation may bring the cessation of war, but it will not be peace.

Unitarian Universalists have given our opinion on the conflict, most recently at our 2002 General Assembly:

"Therefore, be it resolved, that the 2002 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association urges the following principles as a basis for action by the governments of the United States and Canada:

"Freedom from occupation and equal rights for all, including the right to exist in peace and security;

Opposition to Israeli settlements, land confiscation, house demolitions, and other violations of international law;

Opposition to all attacks on civilians, whether by suicide bombers, F-16 or helicopter gunships, or any other means;

Support for a central United Nations role in efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace."

The resolution made some recommendations for our government, but more important, it made recommendations for us, and for our congregations, to:

1. Become educated on Middle East issues and engage in honest conversation;

2. Redouble their efforts for peace based on the goal of justice and human rights for all;

3. Support actions of the anti-occupation Israeli peace activists, including Rabbis for Human Rights and the Israeli reserve officers who refuse to serve in the Occupied Territories;

4. Encourage Jewish Americans and others who support Israel but oppose its occupation of Palestine; and

5. Condemn and oppose expressions and acts of anti-Semitism and acts of terror against Jews, Palestinians, or Arabs and their legitimate institutions wherever they may occur.

Honest conversation can be difficult when opinions are so strong. What I like about this statement is that rather than taking sides, our faith calls us to respect the humanity of all people involved. How can we as people help all people recognize the humanity of all of us?

Rabbis for Human Rights was founded in 1988, in response to serious abuses of human rights by the Israeli military authorities in the suppression of the Intifada. The indifference of much of the country’s religious leadership and religiously identified citizenry to the suffering of innocent people seen as the enemy was a cause of concern to Rabbis for Human Rights organizers. Rabbis for Human Rights demonstrates to both the religious and non-religious sectors of the public the need to be reminded that Judaism has another face. Human rights abuses are not compatible with the age-old Jewish tradition of humaneness and moral responsibility or the Biblical concern for "The stranger in your midst" – even in the face of the danger to public order and safety, which the uprising represented.¹

Rabbi Michael Lerner has formed a group called The Tikkun Community. "Tikkun" comes from the Hebrew word meaning "to heal, repair, and transform the world." Rabbi Lerner seeks a policy that is both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine and believes that the breakthrough necessary to free Palestinians from occupation will only come when the Israeli people feel enough safety to contemplate arrangements based on trust. Just as Israelis must demonstrate that they see Palestinians as created in the image of God and deserving of full respect, so the Palestinians must demonstrate that they see Israelis as created in the image of God and deserving of full respect. Both sides need to recognize a need for repentance for past deeds that were hurtful and oppressive. All the fancy agreements and all the political maneuvering are secondary to developing an open-heartedness and generosity in both peoples to the legitimate needs of the other.²

Kamal Nawash is leading a similar group from the Islamic side, called "Free Muslims Against Terrorism."³ They define themselves this way:

"We believe in the re-interpretation of Islam for the 21st century where terrorism is not justified under any circumstances. We believe in the separation of religion and state.

We believe that democracy is the best form of government. We believe in the promotion of secularism in all forms of political activity. We believe that equality for women is an inalienable right. We believe that religion is a personal relationship between the individual and his or her God and is not to be forced on anyone. The Free Muslims are asking the Palestinians to reach out to their Israeli and Jewish partners and say the following:

"We understand why the state of Israel is important to you. We are fully aware of the persecution that Jews suffered throughout history and the necessity of having a safe haven for Jews. We also understand that Jews have historical and religious ties to Israel/Palestine. We believe that every Jew shall have the right to move to Israel and become a citizen immediately. We also welcome Jews to visit and to reside in the West Bank and Gaza. We want the Palestinians and Israelis to live together as neighbors, friends, and countrymen. In return, what we want is freedom, liberty, and equality for the Palestinians. Will you meet us halfway?"

The Free Muslims are also asking Israelis and Jews to reach out to their Palestinian partners and say the following:

"We understand why Palestine is important to you. We are fully aware of the suffering the Palestinians have experience over the last 100 years and the necessity of having a safe haven for Palestinians. We also understand that Palestinians have historical and religious ties to Israel/Palestine. We believe that every Palestinian shall have the right to move to Palestine and become a citizen immediately. We also welcome the Palestinians to visit and to reside in Israel. We want the Palestinians and Israelis to live together as neighbors, friends, and countrymen. In return, what we want is permanent security, liberty, equality, and the total freedom to be Jews. Will you meet us halfway?"

It is good to know such voices are out there from people with whom Unitarian Universalists can work. We have a faith tradition based on human rights that allows us to affirm the right of Israelis to be safe from terror. But it should also hold Israelis accountable when they violate the human rights of their neighbors. If we look beyond the labels of Christian, Jew, and Muslim, we may find a human solution that is humane for all involved.

The light of our chalice is a fragile flame, it is a precarious flame, for we are a young religion barely recognizable on the world stage. But we have a precocious flame, young and energetic, not bound by past oppressions. We react to the human condition in the present day. Who is hurting in the Middle East? Who needs healing? Do we have the strength to carry a message of hope to an embattled world?

If we can place our light on the altar of the world, maybe a miracle could happen here.