Repair
May 15, I moderated a panel at the Jerusalem conference on the concept of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. The organizers of the panel posed the question this way: "Repairing the World--Mission or Pretension [or, in another translation, Impudence]?" Here's what I said:
The Jewish people are a house of argument. We are also a house of justice, not because we have achieved justice, and not because we are the house of justice--to claim so much would be (in the official description of this panel) "impudent"--but because we measure our success by our commitment to justice.
We do not measure our success by the munificence of our palaces or the sleekness of our electronic devices, or our gross domestic products, or the sacrifices that our states demand of our citizens,* but by our care for a single humanity.
I think there is little or less consensus on this panel about many things, but perhaps we would agree about this: Our commitment to justice is not a fillip to wear like a lapel pin or a ribbon. A commitment to justice does not take the form of a speech or a beautiful sentence. It is a way of life. If it is not manifest in action, it does not exist.
This much is the easy part. Now it gets harder and more interesting. To repair the world, where do you start? The mandate to repair the world, does it mean to repair the whole world? The Jewish world? The nearby world? The remote world? Our speakers will have a range of views.
Here are my two shekels. There is a particular obligation to repair what you yourself, we ourselves, have broken. And this, for Israel, pertains to the Palestinians--not because they are spotless, not because there is no blood on their hands, and even when they have badly used by others; but because it is a matter of justice. Israel is obliged, in particular, to repair the world by ending the illegal occupation and close the settlements, proving once again that the impossible is possible.
Rabbi Tarfon said: It is not granted you to complete the task, but you may not give it up.
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* I refer to Henry Kissinger's speech, which I blogged about on Thursday. He admired, central among the achievements of the Westphalian state, its ability command sacrifice from its citizens--surely a rather chilling achievement to get excited about.
Good post.
How would you apply what you said to the question of the United States' "obligation" to fix Iraq?
May 16, 2008 8:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Very well put Mr. Gitlin.
True justice is the underpinning of any civilized and peaceful society.
Know justice, know peace.
No justice, no peace.
May 16, 2008 8:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
It is chilling only if the call of one's people to sacrifice is somehow understood to be more authentic than, say, the call of the State, which is always already suspect ... as always, there will be some consideration the State has not not bothered to explain fully, whereas the call of one's own people seems nearly always to be a call to fulfill one's own destiny as explained by and understood from lessons learned since birth.
Pity that so many of the lessons learned at mother's knee turn out to be as suspect as whatever nonsense the State relies on to secure our allegiance.
The Zionist project is one among many that deserves better than what we've managed to bring to it.
May 16, 2008 8:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
I agree that a priority for Israel on Palestinians in terms of repairing the world makes a lot of sense. Little talked about are positive measures that many different interests could contribute to -- such as massive solar/wind power generating projects, part of which could be used for desalination. The entire environmental issue should be front and center for ANYONE who speaks of repairing the world.
At the global level, that goes for global warming. Leading US Climatologist Jim Hansen has recently taken the lead on this issue, noting that CO2 levels are ALREADY past key tipping points at present levels of ~385 parts per million and need to be lowered -- NOT EMISSIONS MERELY BUT GREENHOUSE GAS (GHG) ATMOSPHERIC LEVELS LOWERED -- and that means NET NEGATIVE GREENHOUSE GAS (GHG) EMISSIONS GLOBALLY, and soon.
This in turn is something I am seeking to get progressive groups to embrace. Already there's at least one group on this specific aspect of the global warming issue (350.com), and some others are stirring.
The notion that somehow the environment we have may get damaged, but will somehow muddle through OK is a LOUSY presumption to make. IT IS URGENT that we recognize the danger posed, and in particular how what even 'progressives' advocate, such as an 80% reduction in GHG emissions by the US by 2050 is massively and catastrophically insufficient.
May 16, 2008 1:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
"How would you apply what you said to the question of the United States' "obligation" to fix Iraq?"
I believe it is better to think in terms of mending or repairing Iraq. I suspect that one of President Bush's (many) problems is that he thinks in terms of "fixing" things!
May 16, 2008 1:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Todd Gitlin writes:
The good news about the Jewish-American progressives is that they offer Israel plenty of very inexpensive (sometimes free!) advice.
The bad news? You get exactly what you paid for.
May 16, 2008 1:59 PM | Reply | Permalink