Fighting for Peace

More than a year ago, I was invited by the Church of Sweden to speak at their conference in Lund on the auspicious date of September 11^th (this year.)

Ironically, I gave no thought to the significance of the date but as I prepared my presentation, I realized how timely it was. My paper on the topic “Peace-Making in Judaism” is based on sources from the Book of Deuteronomy, the parsha of Ti Tetzei, which we read on Shabbat. I felt that it was bashert (destiny).

Then, the war broke out. Many Israeli academics had their invitations to conferences cancelled. I was concerned that this would also be my fate. My topic felt like an oxymoron after months of fighting and the failure of yet another peace-deal for the return of the hostages.

I wrote a letter to the organisers, offering to change my topic to speak about the work of Women Wage Peace, (nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize,) – a topic perhaps more in keeping with the overall theme of the conference, “Applying the Christian Concept of ‘Love’ to Contemporary Political and Sociological Challenges” – but they confirmed that I was still very much wanted and that there was great interest in my presentation. So, despite the complications of travel in times of war, I booked my flight and arrived on time.

From the outset, I recognized the importance of my presence. I was not only the only Jew but I was the only overseas speaker. The Bishop of Lund, who had invited me after hearing me speak at the Swedish Theological Institute in Jerusalem, is a Judeophile in a church and country that has strong anti-Israel lobbies and policies.

I had a very uncomfortable moment in the opening session. The topic was introduced as how the Church could respond to the forces that are fighting against peace and justice: Putin, Hamas and Netanyahu were the three examples chosen. I knew that I would have an opportunity to respond and I certainly took it, for although I am an opponent of Netanyahu, I would never put him in the same category as Hamas or even Putin.

The throw-away line helped keep me focused on why I was there.

One of the speakers was a retired military general who is active in the Church. When he suggested that soldiers could fight out of love for principles or ideals, the audience was not impressed and the interviewer pushed him to acknowledge that most problems do not have military solutions.

Later, in a private audience, the Bishop explained to me why he included this perspective. His father was a young man when the survivors of the concentration camps arrived in Sweden. He was horrified. After asking himself what he could do to prevent this happening again, he signed up for the Swedish army, determined to fight if another Hitler should emerge.

It was a shame that he did not share this story with the plenary but I was privileged to be moved by it – without pointing out that Sweden’s neutrality during the war did not make their army an instrument of good.

The two following speakers were former Foreign Minister, Margot Wallström, on a Zoom hook-up from Washington, and Kerstin Bergea, President of the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society.

Photo used with permission

These women shared enormous wisdom, including the importance of the inclusion of women in the peace-making process, and the reality that wars rarely solve anything. Kerstin used the example of Afghanistan. After years of fighting and thousands of deaths, the situation of women there is no better now than it was before the war.

I identified with her words, her principles and her determination and asked my interpreter and host, the marvellous Gunilla Hallonstrn, Dean of the Church of Sweden in Malmo, if I could meet with her. Of course, she made it happen, and I was not only able to convince Kerstin to sign onto Women Wage Peace’s Mothers’ Call but had an unexpected bonus. Every year, the Swedish media ask Kerstin for her opinion on who should win the Nobel Peace Prize. After our conversation and the bond that immediately formed between us, she committed to nominating Women Wage Peace and Women of the Sun.

Photo by Peta Jones Pellach, 11th September 2024

Throughout the day, I learnt about the serious social problems in Sweden – something which we do not hear about here – and about some of the wonderful people who tackle them. The following morning, I went to hear about “Abraham’s Tent”, a collaborative pedagogic program in Malmo between the Synagogue, the Mosque and the Church.

My own presentation – the only session in English on the program – was well-attended by bishops and pastors. As I was reminded by one of the Swedish ministers who had participated in a program at the Hartman Institute, Christians often call on each other to pray together; Jews call on each other to study together. This is what we did.

But not everyone had come because they were convinced that Jews in Israel had a commitment to Peace. The issue of Jewish extremism was raised in the question time and I had to emphasise that is was a rare phenomenon without a sound institutional basis – something that I hope I can continue to assert with conviction.

I began with the ideal of Peace and reminding participants that every time we pray, we conclude with a prayer for peace. I quoted the Prophets and the Christian ministers began to lose their scepticism that Judaism promotes peace. However, my next point was far more contentious: we have to fight evil. In the same parsha that we are told to call for peace before engaging in war, the Torah tells us that it is our duty to fight “Amalek” – pure evil. In the question time, this was taken up by a priest asking if there are Jewish pacifists. My answer was that a Halakhic Jew has to respond to evil. We are not allowed to stand idly by while someone else is threatened. I reiterated this by citing the law of the pursuer, whom we are allowed to kill, but tempered it with the difference between our permission to attack someone who breaks into our house at night and the prohibition to do so in the day, when other methods can be used to subdue him and life is not likely to be threatened.

photo used with permission

All these principles and examples contribute to a body of Jewish law on War and Peace.

Unlike on previous occasions when I have taught this topic, I added a brief section on the dilemma of redeeming captives, not hiding my own view that it is a halakhic obligation.

The climax of my presentation is about Women in Peace-Making. I cite Beruriah and her wisdom that it is sin we have to eliminate but not the sinners. Beyond Jewish role-models, I diverge into the secular world and speak about the evidence that women are more successful in peace-making than are men. Of course, I promote Women Wage Peace, my membership in which is driven by a religious motivation.

My final slide is an artistic image of the Shechina, the peaceful, female Presence of the Divine.

Ultimately, my message was and is to keep faith that peace will come; to hold onto the conviction that Peace is the Divine will.

Several weeks ago, some of the members of Women Wage Peace were on a Zoom call and we were asked what gives us hope. I spoke about the vision of the Prophets. What was heartening to me was to hear how many secular women were also driven by a “religious” or “spiritual” faith that peace will come.

We find ourselves in a time in history when Peace seems very distant but if we can nurture allies who recognize that to support Palestinian rights to dignity and justice does not necessitate negating those same rights for the Jewish people, we can move forward. We need faith and we need energy – because it won’t happen by chance and there is no military solution.