MERCAZ Newsletter — FALL 2007

PRESIDENT'S COLUMN — DR. STEPHEN S. WOLNEK

The "Three Weeks", which fall between the Fasts of the Seventeenth of Tammuz and the Ninth of Av, define a period of national introspection for the Jewish People as we recall the destructions of the First and Second Temples. These sad events were not, as we have been taught, the product of simple geo-politics. Rather, we are to see the Lord's hand acting behind the scene, using the historical political processes to impart a strong lesson to the Jewish People: either cleave wholeheartedly to the divine message and live or be subject to heavenly wrath and human destruction.

On the basis of this logic, the Rabbis were able to justify the destruction of the First Temple, because Jewish life during the First Commonwealth was rife with idolatry, adultery and social injustice. But what was the sin of Second Temple Jewry? Answered the Rabbis: their sin was "sinat chinam", the baseless hatred of one Jew for another.

I am reflecting on this situation, having just returned from Israel for the annual June meetings of the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency. During these two weeks, one saw numerous reminders of how divided the people of Israel are. For example, President Moshe Katsav was forced to resign in disgrace as part of a plea bargain, while Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's popularity seems to be hanging by a thread awaiting the final report on the government's handling of last year's war in Lebanon.

Similarly, political storms could be found taking place within the World Zionist Organization. Although everyone agrees that the WZO needs renewal in order to spend less on salaries and more on programming, when discussions turn to the practical question as to which positions to eliminate, they become a situation of "whose ox is being gored?" Needless to say, much more discussion will need to go on with the other political parties before we know what new structure will emerge.

One major accomplishment was the passage of the MERCAZ-authored resolution calling for equal WZO funding for the major religious streams around the world to replace the current situation where the Orthodox receive twice what the Reform and Conservative share together. Successful implementation of this resolution will have a major impact on our Masorti communities in Latin America and Europe. As Chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee, it will be my responsibility to insure that the resolution is carried out in the budget.

While the general picture can be troubling, one sign that the Jewish People can come together was evidenced in the very positive response we received to our modest appeal on behalf of the children of Sderot. Our initial goal was simply to cover the costs of one bus to provide a "fun day" for these children who live under the daily threat of Qassam rockets from Gaza, but with your help, we are sponsoring three buses, plus have enough left over to subsidize the tuition for two children from Sderot to attend the two-week summer camp at Netzach Israel, the Masorti congregation in Ashkelon. My appreciation to one and all!