IFTAR, EARTH-SHATTERING AND POWERFUL

Many of us on the East coast have been preoccupied with an earthquake at the beginning of the week, and now a hurricane, Hurricane Irene, approaching us at the end of the week. This got me thinking about the fact that hurricanes get names and earthquakes don’t. That’s not fair—is it? Anyway, buried beneath the earthquake and the hurricane is a story that deserves widespread attention and on some level, it’s as earth shattering as an earthquake and as powerful as a hurricane.

We are in the midst Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting all day, a time when the values of humility, patience, and submissiveness to God are emphasized. It is regarded as an auspicious month for it is at this time of year that the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. At sunset, the family will gather to break the fast at a meal known as Iftar. Prayers are recited after which there is a festive meal beginning with the eating of three dates, a custom that apparently dates back to Muhammad.

I mention all this because this year, on Thursday, August 25, 2011, the Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, hosted an Iftar dinner at his home, attended by some 60 people, among them imams, rabbis, and representatives of the White House. Islamic and Jewish prayers were recited at the dinner and the food served was certified hallal, which as you know, is the Islamic equivalent of kosher.

You may think the ambassador’s hospitality strange at this time. The Palestinians are seeking to establish a state via a United Nations declaration rather than face the hard work of negotiations. Hamas terrorists have again been lobbing deadly rockets into southern Israel sending thousands into bomb shelters for coverage. And with popular revolt continuing in a number of Arab countries, Israel’s future relations with those countries remain deeply uncertain. Is this a time for the ambassador to break pita with the Arabs?

I think the answer is that there is probably no better time to break pita with the Arabs, as the Israelis, embodying the best of Jewish values, remain committed to shalom, to the peaceful, negotiated resolution of this conflict. I can’t imagine the ambassador easily deciding to host an Iftar celebration. But as is the case with Michael Oren, he never takes the easy way out. What is easy right now is to become cynical and jaded about the prospects of peace. A great leader will resist that poisonous temptation and opt, instead, for its polar opposite—hope, optimism, and faith in a God who will help us reach our goals. Iftar comes from an Arabic term meaning conclusion, similar to our word for the end of the Torah reading or maftir. Let’s pray that Ambassador Oren’s Iftar will not only bring an end to the fasting, but an end to the violence and an end to the hatred, after which we can all celebrate at a meal of dates, milk and honey.