It's hard to escape the irony that the Israeli government plans to end the moratorium on building new homes in disputed parts of Jerusalem during the festival of Sukkot. This is the time when we Jews build temporary structures in the form of the sukkah in order to remind ourselves of the short-term dwellings in which our forefathers lived during their exodus from Egypt. It is a time for us to consider the contrast between transience and permanence.
Everyone on earth has a right to a home, and it is a terrible tragedy that so many people are without a roof over their head. Of course, every Jew deserves to have somewhere he or she can call home. At this time when we ponder over the impermanence of the sukkah, we should rejoice that after 3000 years of wandering, the Jewish people do now have a very real and permanent homeland called Eretz Y'Israel.
But we must all learn to understand that the long-term security of this priceless homeland cannot depend on tall concrete walls with barbed wire and a strong defence force, which is sadly such a central component of this nation. Israel's stability requires peace with its neighbours, and this means that all those living in this shared land must be treated equitably and fairly. I do beleive that the struggle to find common ground with the Palestians is the last chapter in the story of the establishment of a peaceful and secure modern Israel.
As Israelis dismantle their sukkas, I really hope that the leadership will put pragmatism before populism and not jeapordise the present, fragile peace talks with the Palestine Authority by provocatively restarting the construction of Jewish homes in sensitive, disputed neighbourhoods of Jerusalem.
Grandpa Jonathan
Prague, Czech Republic
