Trust a Jewish Israeli couple, parents of a hostage in Gaza, to launch a “Week of Goodness” in the midst of unimaginable parental suffering.
I first read about it in the newsletter of an Australian synagogue, and then in the Times of Israel: “Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin are launching a “Week of Goodness” campaign [14-21 July], with the hope that extra kindness, good deeds and generosity in the world could help bring about the release of the 116 hostages remaining in Gaza, among them their son Hersh Goldberg-Polin.”
According to Jewish tradition, acts of loving kindness can redeem and humanise the world.
From Sunday to Sunday (14-21 July), the Polins, together with other families whose loved ones are held hostage in Gaza, are calling the Jewish world to sing, pray, study Torah, volunteer, give money to charity, bake challah, and help dedicate a new Torah scroll.
All I can do is shake my head in wonder and think: How typical of the Jews, of every Jewish community I have ever met, at home and abroad, over years of interfaith relating. They are not angels; they are flawed mortals like the rest of us. Yet somehow, even in the most impossible of situations, they manage to find ways to meet inhumanity with humanity.
Take, for example, the Jewish community in my homeland, Australia. For nine months they have endured the crushing impact of the October 7 massacre, including their people held hostage in Gaza and unprecedented antisemitic displays in their own city streets.
So, what do they do? Launch angry protests in their home cities? No. Organise a motorcade to menace the streets of Muslim-populated neighbourhoods? No. Rip down pro-Palestinian posters? No. Scream obscenities and smear the offices of politicians in red paint? No. Deface sacred public memorials? No. Chant ‘f… the Arabs’ in the shadow of the Sydney Opera House? No. Publish the names of Palestinian creatives, exposing them to harm? No. Graffiti the schools and residences of another minority group? No. Encampments on university campuses? Nope, not that strategy either.
Rather, they choose the path of resilient, dignified respect – for themselves and for others. They support their members in their grief. They advocate for their community through legitimate, peaceful channels afforded by a democratic nation to which they have so admirably contributed. They get on with their religious traditions and their daily life, which includes regular giving to the wider Australian society and outreach to other religious and cultural groups. This is what Jewish communities have been doing in response to the unprecedented pressure they have been under since October 7. And it should make us ‘think again’ before we uncritically accept every accusation we hear touted in the media about how Israelis conduct themselves in the war in Gaza.
And now this: the voices of Israeli hostage families calling for a “Week of Goodness”.
May its spiritual power lead not only to the return of hostages but spur every person of faith and goodwill to take a clear stand against antisemitism, including the genocidal antisemitism of Hamas.
Closer to home, my ardent hope is that, as a signal of respect for the Jewish people, and conscious of the antisemitic frenzy unleashed in the past nine months, Australians will express solidarity with this “Week of Goodness”.
It is the least we can do for the Jewish community who has contributed so generously to all that is good, indeed best, about our nation, Australia.
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Teresa Pirola, ThD is a Sydney-based writer and author of Catholic-Jewish Relations. Twelve Key Themes for Teaching and Preaching (Paulist Press, 2023)
Join an online prayer campaign for the release of the hostages: https://chng.it/6MYGtqwD4H
Image: Depositphotos.com - Haifa, Israel June 29, 2024: View of a wall with images of the hostages, kidnapped by Hamas. Haifa, Israel — Photo by RnDmS