Barbara Green has been a volunteer for Americans for Peace Now for many years.   She lives in Washington, DC.      

 

"Kol ha-hatchalot kashot," as every Israeli school child learns, means "All beginnings are hard."  We know this to be true in our everyday lives but the Torah gives new meaning to the concept.  

            God  gave us the ultimate new beginning when he created the world, but within 3 short chapters the inhabitants of Paradise were expelled and in the next chapter we have the world's first fratricide. Before long God realizes He made a major mistake when His creation scheme included human beings.  He vows to end the entire enterprise.

Sunday night, September 27th, the Jewish holiday of Sukkot began. During the week-long holiday, Jews build a special kind of home to dwell in for the week, called a sukkah. The sukkah is a deliberately temporary house, which can have no more than one permanent wall, and whose roof must be open to the sky, covered only partially by natural materials such as branches. Over the course of the week, the Sukkah is supposed to be one’s home: to eat meals in, to celebrate, and even to sleep in.

This week, Alpher discusses whether there is even the possibility of progress regarding Syria at the UN; how to characterize Putin’s “take” on the region; how this approach contrasts with Obama’s; assuming Russia and the US do not join forces in Syria, what Russia’s military options are; where Israel is in this picture

Although the High Holidays have concluded, we have an obligation to continue reflecting on our thoughts, words and actions - not just as individuals, but as a Jewish community. I hope that during this time of continued contemplation, we can take an honest accounting of the current state of the land of Israel - not only its many accomplishments and gifts, but its frightening move towards intolerance and violence. Former APN chair, Martin Bresler, has eloquently made the case for this self-examination in his essay below; APN makes the case every day for the imperative to act against this danger. We ask that during this holiday season you support our critical work. It's not about right and left, it's about right and wrong.

B'Shalom,
Debra DeLee, President and CEO, APN

On Wednesday (Sept. 23) as Jews end their Yom Kippur fast, Muslims will begin the Eid al-Adha holiday. Imam Haytham Younis and Rabbi Alana Suskin met for coffee and then exchanged the following email dialogue about the two holidays’ convergence and the meaning of a shared story that lies at the intersection of both faiths.

Suskin: It is a rare occurrence for Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) and Eid al-Adha (the Feast of the Sacrifice) to fall back-to-back, but seems appropriate somehow. Just a week ago, on Rosh Hashanah, we read the Torah portion relating the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of his son — the Jewish perspective of the same story that underlies Eid al-Adha. For Jews, this is the story of the sacrifice of Isaac at God’s command (stopped, of course, at the last moment, by an angel sent by God).

Younis: Yes. Eid al-Adha similarly commemorates the obedience of Abraham and his son to the command of God in fulfilling the sacrifice, as well as the observance of the pilgrimage to the House of God (the Kaaba) in Mecca, which, we believe, was established by Abraham. According to the Quran, the son involved in the sacrifice however, was Ishmael, not Isaac.

Beginning tonight and continuing through Wednesday night, the holiday of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, will be observed by Jews throughout the world.  Throughout the season leading up to Yom Kippur, Jews engage in the accounting of one's soul -cheshbon hanefesh: we examine our behavior,  taking an honest measure of ourselves and our community in the year that has passed.  This self-reflection reaches its pinnacle on Yom Kippur.

Update: this action, now closed, ran from August-September 2015.

You did it! For weeks you and your fellow activists across the country have been telling your elected officials to support the Iran deal – and last week, enough members of the House and Senate stood together to ensure the Iran deal will be implemented. This is an historic achievement of which you should be enormously proud!

These members of Congress stood up for what is right for America and right for Israel by supporting the Iran agreement. Now they need to hear from you once more, to let them know they did the right thing. Click here to thank them.

At the same time, every Republican in Congress and a small number of Democrats opposed the Iran deal. Click here to let them know you think they did the wrong thing – and to put them on notice that further efforts to kill the Iran deal are unacceptable.

This week, Alpher discusses how Russia’s military buildup in the Syrian coastal city of Latakia and the consequent American and Israeli concern has this played out since last week; if we are witnessing escalation into a third intifada in Jerusalem and the West Bank; what triggered the escalation; and at the strategic level, what the dangers are for Israel of this “mini-intifada.”

Washington - Following the last failed effort in the Senate today to kill the JCPOA before the end of the 60-day review period (which expires at midnight), APN President and CEO Debra DeLee issued the following statement:

"APN welcomes the success of Obama Administration-led diplomacy in achieving a diplomatic agreement that, when implemented, will dramatically roll back and limit Iran’s nuclear program and prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear program in the future. This agreement is tangible evidence that determined diplomacy, backed by resolute leadership and concrete, sustained engagement, has the potential to overcome and resolve even the toughest challenges in the international arena. APN commends the Obama Administration and its international partners on this historic achievement. APN likewise urges opponents of the JCPOA – in Congress, the Israeli government, and U.S. organizations like AIPAC – to stand down from their efforts to undermine and kill the deal. All who are truly concerned about the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran should now focus on ensuring rigorous implementation of the agreement by all sides.

This week, Alpher discusses the pros and cons of Israel taking in refugees from Syria; if there is a Palestinian angle to the Syrian refugee crisis; and what are the potential consequences for Israel of the arrival of Russian military forces in Syria.