My friend Judy asks great questions. Should we be focused on all the small things that keep happening in our community? Are we missing the point when focus on being hyper-alert to local threats? Can it make a difference if we are vigilant and speak out against antisemitism and anti Israel tactics?
The questions keep multiplying.…
As we try to put out each small fire are we getting distracted from the actual problems we are facing? Have we missed the proverbial boat?
Do we actually need to look at the bigger picture and address the larger issues of what is happening in the United States to American Jews?
Or…….
Are we already too late?
These are questions that keep me up at night. They are hard to write about. They are hard to think about. WHAT ABOUT YOU?
I spent my morning trying to consider her questions as I went about my regular activities.
First I spiraled downward.
I sipped my coffee or maybe more accurately gulped it and burnt my mouth. Darker and darker scenarios raced through my mind. What if everything I am trying to do is actually too little too late? If I allow doubt to cloud my focus and only fight the small battles am I being hoodwinked.? Is putting out the small fires just serving to distract me from facing the big picture? What is the big picture anyway? Are we facing the unthinkable? Is it possible that our liberal approach to respecting everyone else’s causes has created a mechanism to destroy Jews in America? Is this actually assimilation in action? Could this actually bring about the demise of Jewish life in America?
No. No. No……..
It has only been a few weeks since I left Israel feeling energized, even optimistic. I still feel optimistic for Israel. I wish I could feel as sanguine about the issues we face as American Jews. Frankly, it all feels incredibly daunting.
As some of you know I am a docent at our local art museum. Currently, The MFA ( Museum of Fine Arts) has a special exhibit called The Nature of Art. The exhibit’s ambitious aim is to explore the consequences of human behavior on the world we live in. The premise is that while we may love and value nature as a society we fail miserably at protecting what we love. While we enjoy consuming we forget to protect precious natural resources like clean water, air. Our efforts to protect what we live, our environment have been inadequate. The artists are using images of modern life that we easily recognize. And they are asking us to consider what is the future our actions are creating? Are we already living in that future ?
Heavy stuff…….
Every time I visit the exhibit the pieces speak to me in new ways about human behavior leading to destruction of what we truly value. It seems symbolic of how I feel as a Jewish person living in America in 2024.
As we American Jews love and enjoy many aspects of Jewish life, be it humor, food, Israeli TV shows.
Two pieces in the show that I especially am drawn to. First let me describe the pieces, an oil painting and a photograph. You see in the photo I am in front of the painting by Alexis Rockwell, The Calms of Capricorn. The painting has an incredibly smooth surface. There are no visible brush strokes. I am drawn into a dreamlike calmness. A ship is stranded, grounded on a sandbar and a horse has escaped from the ship. The horse is swimming through the pale yellow toxic sea. We only see the head. A determined looking head. Has the body already dissolved into the toxic environment? The horse looks so determined. Every time I look at this painting I am rooting for the horse to make it. I hope the horse can escape the destroyed environment and safely get to the other side. I root for the horse to get to a safer place.
The second is a large scale photo of a model constructed scene, Landscape with Houses, by James Casebere. At first it looks like a normal American community houses, near yards, a baseball field. Then it looks like anything but normal. There are little fires popping up everywhere. Even the sky is red. Normally we can “read” the time of the day when we look at a scene. But this photo can not be understood the “normal” way. Visually the environment has shifted. Everything’s looks kind of normal but it is totally not normal. It seems apocalyptic and yet so much like the red sky I saw last summer that was caused by forest fires in Ontario. I was hundreds of miles away in Boston and the fires made the sky red and the acrid air felt like a harbinger of environmental disaster. In this photo the well intentioned wind turbines appear to not be adequate to prevent the overheated landscape from combusting. The photo brings me back to my question, is it too little too late? Is an apocalypse sudden or incremental? Would one ever recognize it in real time?
I wonder as I look at this art exhibit with my group of 6th graders how do they begin to understand the issues of war, environmental destruction etc. There are so many issues that these kids are starting to comprehend. I greatly enjoy my task, to give them a glimpse of what is possible. I hope I can help shape their futures by giving them an opportunity to look, observe, describe, question. If they can do it with art I hope they will be able to apply these skills to all their endeavors. I wish for them life long growth. I wish they will grow up to be people who seek knowledge and will create a world of possibility.
But what I really am thinking about each day since Oct 7th?
I always conspicuously wear my “bring them home” dog tag which calls for the return of all the hostages being held by Hamas. Every day I hope the hostages will return so I wear the message as a personal reminder. There have been days the tags trigger lingering look and spark conversation. Today not one sixth grader appears to recognize the tags or maybe some do, but they choose to be politely silent.
Is it the same as being politely silent about environmental degradation.
Maybe the most important question I must ask myself today is personal. Why do I tenaciously teach respect of diverse beliefs and cultures? Why do I show utmost respect for others while the world ignores the survival of Jews and that means my survival?
Why do I look at art with children when the International Court continues to examine the actions of Israel? Why look at art with these children when country after country calls for Israel to basically surrender when Israel is not being defeated?
I understand that I must continue to put out the little fires as well as try to address the bigger long term issues.
I must help the next generations to appreciate art because it is one of my strategies to remain human and humane. I know that I by sharing art and beauty with children I can contribute to subtle change.
It is one way I personally defy Hamas. This is how I defy the Hamas vision for a world without value for human life. If I do not defy their strategy, they succeed at neutralizing me. They may try to extinguish us but we cannot let them succeed.
So back to the earlier question……small issues vs bigger long term strategies. I believe we need both. We ( American Jews) must educate our children/grandchildren and we must continue to educate ourselves. If we combine our energy as Jews in our communities we will compound and grow our impact. The challenges we face are too big to go it alone. I think we must continue to grow as a community. We must be vigilant to not become isolated from others. Together we have the most potential to make a difference.
0Comments
Add Comment