The Abraham Accords have produced a whole new world many of
us could have only dreamed of. Indeed,
there are political and business benefits that will be gained, but more
importantly there is a movement of the people – a social group – with an eye to
the future. Individual conversations and
group forums have developed resulting in a laboratory of social experiments and
academic collaboration not seen before with any other Arab government; certainly
not with previous agreements (be that as it may peace or normalization agreements),
not with Egypt and not with Jordan. The conversations
following the accords are generating a genuine interest on both sides, over
50,000 Israelis have already visited the UAE and Bahrain in the last couple
months alone. Like a first date leading
to another, the conversations continue, we are now in the “getting to know you”
stage.
As part of a recent conversation I’ve taken part in involving
religion and its use to spread either light or darkness, part of a response I had
shared: “As an observant Jew, Zionist, and Rabbi, I too seek to focus on the
positive, on the light, and on those actions that will perpetuate a beautiful
world for us and our children.” The reaction
to my comment, specifically on being a Zionist, resulted in an interesting conversation,
part of which produced The Abraham Accords Educational & Cultural Exchange
Facebook group. The reaction to my comment on being a Zionist
also led to a 1:1 conversation I had with a new Emirati “friend”. The individual admitted that the only
knowledge he had about Zionism was negative, as many do, not only in the Arab
world but across the West. Having the
opportunity to speak with me, learning about me and maybe considering me a “good
guy”, the gentleman was interested in Zionism is.
We all know that Zionism has evolved over the years (making
Aliyah, the belief of the Jewish People’s right to self-determination in their
ancestral homeland, supporting/standing with Israel from afar, visiting Israel
periodically and so on), the definition I shared with this individual was: “Zionism
is the physical manifestation of the Jewish soul with Israel at its heart.” Sure, it is an ambiguous explanation, but for
the world I live in it makes the most sense.
The Emirati gentleman likened my response to Jihad. I thought to myself, if anyone screamed Jihad
anywhere in my vicinity I would be found running in the opposite direction.
After all what is Jihad?
Many of you may know this, I admittedly never considered finding out. Turns out, Jihad means a few different thing. It could mean:
- a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious
duty
- a personal struggle in devotion to Islam especially
involving spiritual discipline
- a crusade for a principle or belief
Jihad in Arabic literally
means striving or struggling, with a praiseworthy objective; And then I thought of
Israel, the Jewish People’s namesake. Israel
is the essence of our existence, our practice, our outlook on life, and who we
are as a collective. It was only after our
patriarch, Jacob son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, and his wrestling with
God’s presence on earth, that Jacob’s name changed to Isra-el, as it was explained:
“…for you have struggled with God and with humanity and have prevailed.” (Beresheet/Genesis
32:28) Jacob underwent a transformation through a striving or struggle with a
praiseworthy objective in mind. We all
strive for something greater than ourselves.
Though worlds apart, we share common interests. Who would have thought that citizens from the
UAE, Bahrain, or Morocco, and Israelis would be considered part of the same Social
Group and Interest? Whereas Social
Identity brings together individuals with similar backgrounds, cultures and
religions, this is something else. Not
of the same ethnic background nor religious affiliation, we are certainly attracted
to a social identity and strategic interest that brings us together, an
interest that serves as our common denominator.
2020 has certainly been challenging, uncertain. Insha’Allah, may it be Gd’s will, that 2021
will be a year upon which we strive to build upon this common denominator, writing
a new chapter for our peoples who have seen enough darkness to last a
generation.
