North Shore Rabbi to Israeli and Palestinian Teens: Keep Listening to Each Other

As violence rages between Israel and Hamas half a world a way, a group of Israeli and Palestinian high school students are visiting the North Shore this month through the Hands of Peace organization.

Friday evening, they’ll visit Congregation Solel in Highland Park. Rabbi Evan Moffic has a message for them: keep talking to each other; keep listening to each other.

He gives a preview of the talk he’ll give Friday in a blog post.

“Here you are—talking with one another, building a community of true diversity. You are addressing, unpacking and learning about the differences that really matter,” he writes.

He uses the bible story of Zelophehad’s five daughters, who under the law of the time, were not going to inherit any of their father’s land because they were women. So they went to talk to Moses, Moffic writes, to explain their point of view. In the end, Moses changed the law.

“Moses changes his mind. He shifts his point of view,” Moffic writes. “He experienced the power of dialogue, of meaningful conversation. He also experienced the power of hearing multiple voices. This openness reflects his love of his people and his ability lead.

You can read Moffic’s full blog post here.