Conference on future of Jewish people

A number of delegates attending the Jerusalem Conference on the Future of the Jewish People were surprised to find that Jewish-Muslim peace was not even on the agenda for debate.

Rene Shmuel Sirat, the former chief rabbi of France, protested that the word "peace" seemed to have become a four-letter word in Jewish public discourse.

"Without peace the Jewish people have no future," Sirat said in an interview with Haaretz.

"It is unacceptable that peace should not be included in the plans for the future of the Jewish people."

Public figures, political functionaries, academics and journalists attending the conference - organized by the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute - took part in debates on how to deal with threats to the future of the Jewish people. Sirat is the only Orthodox rabbi at the conference. A former Bible and Hebrew lecturer at the University of Paris, he is known to be liberal and moderate.

Sirat was critical of how a conference about the Jewish nation’s future was not being held in Hebrew but in "Shakespeare's tongue," for the convenience of the venerable guests from the United States. A member of the discussion group on Identity and Demography, Sirat had to make use of simultaneous translation services.

Yesterday's discussions dealt with formulating ways of combating anti-Semitism, assimilation, and dealing with the possible loss of the Jewish majority in Israel. Not only was advancing peace not on the agenda, it was also not mentioned in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's speech to the conference on Tuesday night. Olmert chose to tell participants that he felt more Jewish than Israeli, and admitted that he had nothing new to tell them.

Sirat burst out and challenged the participants during one of the discussion groups, asking how such a fundamental Jewish issue as pursuing peace was not even raised for discussion.

"I thought I was going to explode," he told Haaretz. "Has peace become a rude word among us Jews? How can you plan a future for the Jewish nation without addressing the peace issue?"

Sirat says the replies reflected mostly despair and indifference.

Sirat said he was not naive, and was aware that the chances for peace in 2007 were slim. "I understand the threats and am aware of the effects of terror," he said. "My brother was killed in a terror attack in Algiers in 1962 as he was coming out of the synagogue after prayer on Sabbath eve. I saw the grief my parents suffered. But it seems to me that we have forgotten that pursuing peace is a basic Jewish value. It's a commandment that is not conditioned on Abu Mazen's capabilities, or how good are the chances to reach an agreement."

Sirat believes that despite the unlikelihood, there is still room for optimism regarding the peace process. A year and a half ago he visited Jordan and took part in an inter-religious forum headed by Prince Hassan bin Talal. During his visit he visited a Jordanian refugee camp.

"I told the young Palestinians that on the other side of the Jordan (river) there are hundreds of thousands of young people who are interested in making peace with them, and I was applauded," he said. The conference will close today as the various discussion groups present their recommendations. President-elect Shimon Peres will deliver the closing speech.

The independent Middle East News Service concentrates on providing alternative information chiefly from Israeli sources. It is sponsored by the Australian Jewish Democratic Society. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the AJDS. These are expressed in its own statements

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