Tag: leadership

Leadership is doing what’s right no matter the cost

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

Ever since October 7th, I have wanted to go back to Israel.  I was supposed to go in November 2023, but the trip was cancelled, and my family was uncomfortable with me going to volunteer.  Every day I would struggle with the deep desire to be in my homeland, doing my part to help.  Serving in the IDF is not an option at my age and without any military background.   But I can cook, clean, pick fruits and vegetables, and do whatever is needed.  The needs of my family for me not to go overrode my need and desire to go.  It has not been easy or comfortable, being in the US and my heart and soul in Israel. 

This changes on Saturday night when my flight departs for Israel.  I have the opportunity to go both for my own needs and for work related business.  It is getting me there which is what I need.  To be with my Israeli friends who have been serving in the IDF.  To visit the kibbutzim that were attacked on October 7th, go back to Sderot, also attacked.  To pay tribute at the Nova music festival site.  To spend time in Hostage square in Tel Aviv. 

There is a saying that ‘Leaders lead’.  You take risks.  You do the right thing regardless of the consequences.  For me, going to Israel right now falls into that category.  As a Jew, as a proud Zionist, it is my obligation to be there, to be part of my homeland, to give back, and to support my Israeli brothers and sisters.  Too many leaders in our world are so afraid of the backlash of doing the right thing that they do nothing.  As a result, they are merely a leader in name. 

We saw that today when President Biden said, “if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities — that deal with that problem.”  Going into Rafah is a necessity to both rescue hostages and defeat Hamas. 

This came a day after he said, “My commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel, and its right to exist as an independent Jewish people and Israel is ironclad, even when we disagree.”

Yesterday’s statement caused him potential electoral issues in Michigan and Minnesota and with the Progressive wing of his party.  Rather than do what is right, supporting our ally, fighting against terrorism and evil, he backtracked and tried to play both sides.  Yesterday he was against terrorism, hatred, and antisemitism.  Today he was in favor of terrorism, hatred, and antisemitism.  That’s not what leaders do. 

This isn’t a partisan take.  Representatives John Fetterman and Ritchie Torres are leaders.  They have taken a position with our ally, in support of good over evil, against terrorism and hate.  They haven’t forgotten the hostages and aren’t afraid to speak out, even when they take incredible criticism.  Doing the right thing is more important than poll results. 

Senator Fetterman’s office has posters of the hostages hanging on the walls
Senator Fetterman remains Pro-Israel, wants the hostages back, and is anti-Hamas and terror

We live in a world where our “leaders” are more concerned with being liked and tracking their approval ratings than actually leading.  We see this in our Jewish community, in our local community, in our states and in the federal government.  They aren’t trained properly.  They aren’t mentored properly.  Many don’t want it and think they know what it means and what it entails. Others want it but can’t find it.  The vast majority of our leaders have not had anybody provide them with the guidance and instruction needed.

I often think back to the people who trained and mentored me.  One was very hard on me.  Very critical.  I used to say that he was ‘crusty’ on the outside and ‘gooey’ on the inside.  You had to deal with the crusty exterior to get to the gooey interior.  He wouldn’t take excuses from me.  He wouldn’t accept anything but excellence.  He didn’t sugarcoat anything.  He told it like it is and didn’t try to soften it up to save my feelings.  He made me a better professional and a better person.  He would often challenge me about my own personal desires.  Did I want to be excellent, or did I want to be mediocre?  If I wanted to be mediocre, then he didn’t have to spend time with me.  If I wanted to be excellent then I had to do things differently.  I learned tremendous lessons from him.

The other mentor I think about was much softer and nicer in his presentation.  He explained things and sent the message in a kinder way.  He also wouldn’t take excuses.  He wouldn’t let me off the hook from doing things the right way.  He challenged the way I thought and the reasons behind my thought process.  He laid out his expectations if he was going to invest his time and if I wasn’t willing to do what we required to meet them, he would invest his time elsewhere.  He shared his own personal experiences and what went right and where things went off the tracks.  He wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable about the times he wasn’t successful and what he learned from those times.  He would listen as I would share the things I learned from my mistakes and share in the joy of my successes. 

Throughout my career, I have leaned on these lessons.  Both men made a significant impact on my life.  They taught me about integrity, especially as a leader.  They taught me that at the end of the day, I have to live with myself, my choices, and my actions.  They taught me that it’s better to do the right thing and get negative consequences than to do the wrong thing and get positive recognition.  I’ll always be grateful to them for their time and their investment in me. 

It is something that I strive to do for others.  Just in the last week, I have had former employees reach out to say hi, send me a picture of them together, check in on me, ask for help with career changes, to work on an exciting project together, to pick my brain as they prepare for job interviews, and to just say thank you.  It is incredibly gratifying to know that I am paying it forward from what these two men did for me.  I look at it as an obligation that I have to make the world better by helping train leaders.  I have the privilege of working with a friend to do leadership training for college students through taking them to Israel.  Together we are working on a young leadership training program in Israel for February 2025.  If we want better leaders, we have to take action to develop them. 

Leadership trip for 19-26 year olds. Highly subsidized. An amazing experience. Sign up now!

I also have the privilege of working as a mentor to a younger professional who reminds me a great deal of myself when I began working with my first mentor.  I get a lot of gratitude helping him grow, helping him see things differently, challenging him to be excellent instead of mediocre, just as I was challenged.  It’s incredibly rewarding as I watch him grow.  Each time he ‘gets it’ and understands the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’, I get a lot of joy.  I can only imagine that my mentors felt the same way when I finally ‘got it’. 

We live in challenging times.  We need our leaders more than ever and true leaders are in short supply.  It brings me back to my trip to Israel.  I want to show my children what it means to be a leader.  What it means to do what you think is right despite the risks.  I want them to understand how important it is to do what is right no matter what.  They have seen me live my values throughout the years.  Doing what was needed for my dad during the last few weeks of his life.  Being there for my mom during that time and afterwards.  Staying true to myself and my values, morals, and ethics in spite of situations with others that it would be easy to abandon them for personal gain.  Being there in DC as one of the 300,000 people there for the big rally in support of Israel.

I can’t wait to go to Israel.  It’s only a few days and it feels like an eternity.  I will get to see my friend Grace.  My friends Margot and Tamar and their children.  My friends Yaron and Yoni who are volunteering and speaking to us.  I plan on going to East Jerusalem and having a long coffee and conversation with my Palestinian friend Mahmoud.  I hope to see my friend Noam who lives in Boston but as it happens in the Jewish world, will be in Israel for a few days when I am there.  I’m having dinner with my friend Tamara and her kids.  I’ll get the personal meaning that I need in Jerusalem, at the Nova site, at hostage square, and at the Kibbutzim in the south.  I’ll give back by picking fruits and vegetables and having dinner with IDF soldiers to say thank you.

Paratroopers in the IDF running up Masada to finish their training. What a celebration. Something I will never forget. Incredible personal meaning for them and for those of us who joined their celebration.

I’ll lead by following my values, morals, and ethics.  I’ll lead by taking the time to learn and grow.  I’ll lead by spending time with friends from America on the trip, talking about our lives and the challenges we face along with the experience we are having.  I’ll lead by writing about the experience and sharing it publicly to inspire others.  And I’ll lead by showing my children not only what it means to be a leader but also how important it is to do it with grace.  To stay true to your values, morals, and ethics.  To do what’s right no matter what. 

At the Passover Seder we end with “l’shana haba’ah b’yerushalayim, Next Year in Jerusalem”.  I’ll end this blog by saying “Next Week in Jerusalem”. 

Responsibility and Leadership go hand in hand. We need both and have far too little of each.

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

I’ve been thinking a lot about responsibility lately.  Personal responsibility, parental responsibility, spousal responsibility, family responsibility, community responsibility and worldwide responsibility.  What about the responsibilities as a leader and of our leaders?

I was inspired to think about this by a number of different things happening right now.  The lack of leadership being shown by University Presidents both in their testimony in front of Congress and recently with the pro-Hamas demonstrations on many campuses.  Columbia University gets the most attention, but they are going on at 40 campuses, highlighted by Harvard, Penn, Brown, The University of Michigan, Yale, MIT, Cal Tech, Northwestern, and George Washington. We have also seen University Presidents and administrators break up these protests at University of Minnesota, University of Texas at Austin, University of Southern California, Emory, Princeton, and Emerson College.  The difference in the two groups of campuses is entirely based upon the University’s leadership.

Columbia University has turned into a cesspool of antisemitism and Jew hatred. Much of this is due to a lack of leadership from the University President.

There is little doubt that had these encampments been created to protest any other ethnic group in existence, all of the Universities would have shut them down.  An anti-LGBTQ+, anti-Muslim, anti-Black, anti-Christian, anti-Hispanic, or anti-woman protest with racial/sexual epithets being shouted at these students and threats of violence along with actual violence would not be tolerated.  So, what is the difference?  Why is it ok when it’s Jews being targeted?

Many people say it’s the influx of Arab money, specifically from Qatar.  Others cite the latent antisemitism that has existed for generations at many of these schools.  Still others cite the woke movement in which Jews are considered white and privileged and not deserving of protection.  While all these play a part, I think it is entirely about a lack of leadership at these Universities.  The leadership of those Universities are choosing not to protect Jewish students and instead protect the racists, bigots, and those assaulting other students.  Columbia actually created an arguably apartheid situation where Jewish students must take classes and final exams online while those who harass and attack them are allowed to take them in person.  The lack of leadership enables and encourages bad behavior.  The lack of leadership means there is no consequence for inappropriate actions.  After giving a midnight deadline for the encampment to be taken down, Columbia President Minouche Shafik promptly did not enforce it and a few days later, nothing has happened.  That’s a serious lack of leadership.  USC cancelled graduation ceremonies because they can’t control the protestors.  That’s a serious lack of leadership.  At the Universities where there were involved leadership, these encampments were taken down, often by law enforcement, those not following the campus rules and regulations were arrested and face consequences.  Their graduation ceremonies are not in jeopardy of being cancelled. In a country ruled by law, this is how things need to be handled. 

Compare that to the University of Florida, where the Chabad Seder had over 1,000 in attendance, including UF President Ben Sasse. President Sasse addressed the crowd, stating, “What is happening on campus at Columbia and Yale the last few days is grotesque, and we don’t want anyone here to be confused.  We are delighted that the University of Florida is the most Jewish campus anyplace in North America.  We don’t want anyone to be unsafe, or to feel unsafe….”  That’s leadership.  Two sentences is what it took.  And there is no doubt that had he been speaking to any other group that was facing similar situations that he would have said the same about and to them. 

UF President Ben Sasse at the 1000+ person Chabad Seder on campus. He continues to show great leadership.

This week, an anti-Israel, anti-Jewish protest happened on the campus of University of Florida.  Why is it not in the news?  Because the leadership of UF did what leaders do.  They led.  They set in place the enforcement of their campus rules and regulations THAT WERE ALREADY IN PLACE.  They promised to hold students, faculty, and anybody else attending the rally accountable for their actions.  Look at the rules that UF published for everybody to see and follow.  There was no encampment at UF, no violence and calls for death of Jews. Free speech is being permitted.  That is how leaders act. 

University of Florida shared the existing rules for any gathering and the consequences for not following them. This should be the expectation for all Universities.

It’s not just on the college campuses where leadership is missing.  President Biden finally made a big deal about the hostages held by Hamas on Thursday April 25th when he issued a statement along with leaders of 17 other nations calling for their release.  Why it took over 200 days of captivity for this to happen is beyond me. 

How we still have members of Congress calling the war between Hamas and Israel “Bibi’s War” or “Netanyahu’s War” is beyond me.  Hamas began the war on October 7th with their attack.  If Hamas released the hostages and surrendered, the war would be over.  This is Hamas’s war.  This is Iran’s war.  Israel is doing what is needed to protect herself but has not nor been the aggressor.  While we have seen some of our leaders being very public about the war and antisemitism on campus, particularly Senators John Fetterman (D-PA) and Rick Scott (R-FL) along with Rep Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Hakeem Jefferies (D-NY), Cory Mills (R-FL), and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), many others have been silent or playing both sides for election politics.  That’s not leadership.  Hamas and Iran are evil.  The people of Gaza and Iran want regime change.  Instead, we get Rep Nancy Pelosi and Sen Chuck Schumer calling for early elections in Israel, which is totally inappropriate for an ally and another democracy. 

President Eisenhower is the example of what is needed.  Jason Riley in the Wall Street Journal says it best:

“In 1957, white mobs in Little Rock, Ark., in defiance of the [Brown vs. Board of Education] ruling, were preventing black students from safely attending school. President Dwight Eisenhower decided to do something about it. In a prime-time television address, the president explained that ‘demagogic extremists’ and ‘disorderly mobs’ were thwarting the law and that he had an ‘inescapable’ responsibility to respond if Arkansas officials refused to protect black students. ‘Mob rule cannot be allowed to override the decisions of our courts,’ he said. Then Eisenhower sent in the 101st Airborne Division. The particulars then and now may differ, but the same principle is at stake. The federal government was obligated to come to the aid of an ethnic minority group being threatened by mob violence. Jews in 2024 deserve no less protection than blacks in 1957. And if university officials can’t handle the situation, or won’t let police deal properly with the unrest, Mr. Biden needs to step up.”

When will our leaders actually lead instead of worrying about re-election campaigns?  I’ve said for a long time that I want leaders who lead and will support them for doing it.  And when they worry about being re-elected instead of doing their job, I won’t.  It goes back to the classic line in the movie, The American President, when Michael Douglas as President Andrew Shepard, says the following line, “I was so busy keeping my job I forgot to do my job.”  It’s time for our leaders to remember to do their job instead of being busy keeping their job.

The full speech that includes the line above. Inspired leadership.

Recently, Representative Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), an avid antisemite, began accusing those who disagree with him and are supporting his primary opponent, George Latimer, of only doing so because of his race.  We cannot tolerate this any longer.  Rep. Bowman has a history that is being attacked which has nothing to do with his race or ethnicity.  He has taken public stands that people disagree with and that’s why he is being targeted in the primary and that’s why he will hopefully lose the primary.  When our leaders fall to this level of excuse, it minimizes the situations when it is real.  When students are targeted on college campuses.  When a Jewish woman is raped in France to ‘Free Palestine’.  When people are attacked for being Jewish or wearing things that identify them as Jewish, Muslim, or a member of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Even J Street finds Jamaal Bowman not worthy of being in Congress

Our Jewish communities struggle with leadership as well.  The time when significant leaders went through a serious training process and there were being mentored and trained by significant and serious leaders is gone.  In some communities there are still roles and a pathway to leadership positions.  In most there is not.  Whoever is willing to take the board leadership position often gets it, whether they have the training, experience, and knowledge or not.  The serious involvement in the National Young Leadership Cabinet of JFNA is no longer emphasized by most Jewish organizations. 

Our Jewish professionals are not getting the training they need either.  There are some excellent programs available however not enough of them nor are there enough participating.  I was lucky to have an incredible mentor/coach when I was first beginning my career.  He spent a week a month on the road with me for an entire year and we spoke weekly when we were not together.  I learned at his feet, and I will always appreciate his mentorship and teachings.  I still think of the lessons he taught me and hear his voice in my head on a regular basis, guiding the decisions that I make.  As I have now taken on that role for others, it is a combination of my profession and paying it forward.  If we want to have excellent Jewish communal leaders, investing in our volunteer and professional leadership training and development is essential.  Great leaders don’t just happen.  They are taught.  They are given experiences and responsibilities to build upon and grow and develop.  I talk with a number of my friends and former colleagues about the challenges in the Jewish world and leadership is one of the big ones. 

I always think of the stories I heard about the old guard in Seattle.  The “triumvirate” of Seattle, Jack Benaroya, Sam Stroum, and Herman Sarkowsky, would make sure that the people they did business with who were Jewish were investing philanthropically in the Jewish community.  They would make sure that anybody who was going to ‘make it big’ in a deal with them, understood that part of their new wealth included a responsibility to philanthropy and giving back.  If people didn’t want to follow their lead, they would do business with other people instead.  They taught many of the large philanthropists of today about the importance of giving.  Some of those they taught also taught others.  Far too few people do that today.  Without the guidance and training from ‘the old guard’, there will be no ‘new guard’. 

Which brings me to my favorite leadership development program, The Jewish Leadership Institute (JLI).  Founded more than 30 years ago by Rabbi Mayer Abramowitz (z”l) and now run by his son and my friend David Abramowitz, this is the premier leadership training program in the country for college students.  Taking students to Israel for 2-3 weeks for an immersive and intensive leadership development program, they get results.  I admit I am biased.  I had the privilege of sending students on this trip for the 15 years that I ran University of Florida Hillel and got the benefit of the experience when they returned.  It changed their lives.  It changed our campus.  And it continues to change the world as the students who had the experience are now adults and making a difference in the world.  There is going to be a trip in July 2024 (July 2-16) and this incredibly subsidized trip (only $395 INCLUDING AIRFARE FROM MIAMI) will change lives, change college campuses, and change the world.  I encourage Jewish student campus leaders to apply and go. 

JLI participants. This program changes lives and changes the world.

In addition, we are working on a JLI young leadership trip in early 2025.  This will also be a highly subsidized trip and I can’t wait to share more information about this as it is developed and confirmed.  As somebody who believes in leadership development, believes in leadership training, mentoring, and role modeling, I am excited to work on this with David and make it into a reality. 

Leadership and responsibility go hand in hand.  We have many people who have the title ‘leader’ but are not.  In the words of Winston Churchill, “The price of greatness is responsibility.”  Many of our ‘leaders’ merely think they are great but shirk their responsibility.  Those who are truly great, embrace the responsibility.  I found this quote by Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus about great leaders and believe it to be true. 

“While great leaders may be as rare as great runners, great actors, or great painters, everyone has leadership potential, just as everyone has some ability at running, acting, and painting.”

Leadership potential doesn’t become true leadership without training, mentoring, and guidance.  The same is true with responsibility.  People don’t understand responsibility and how to act that way without training, mentoring, and guidance.  We’ve seen enough of our ‘leaders’ exhibit no leadership and no responsibility.  It is time for us to change that by investing in our future leaders.  By holding our current leaders accountable for their actions.  For not settling for what we can get but demanding what we desire.  It’s only through our efforts to improve our future leaders and to hold our current leaders accountable that we will get the change we so desperately need.

Happy Birthday Ariel Sharon and Yitzhak Rabin – 2 complex Israeli heroes

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

As most of you know, I am a passionate and unapologetic Zionist.  Being a Zionist simply means that I believe that the Jewish people have a right to their own country and their own self-determination.  No matter what else you may THINK Zionism is or means, that’s what it really does.  The rest is simply propaganda created and spread by those Jew haters who want no Jews to exist and those who aren’t willing to actually learn something about Zionism.

As a result of my love affair with the State of Israel, I got connected with Dr. Ken Stein and the Center for Israel Education (CIE).  Each week, CIE puts out ‘This week in Israeli history’.  Some weeks there are nuggets that I learn about and other weeks there are monumentous events.  This week it’s of the monumentous variety.

On February 27, 1928, Ariel Sharon was born is born in K’far Malal (near Hod Hasharon).  For those of you who know much about Israel, Hod Hasharon is the home of the Alexander Muss High School in Israel.  My cousin Eric attended there in 1984 and I have many friends who have attended as well. This would have been Ariel Sharon’s 96th birthday.

Sharon, like many of that generation, took an Israeli last name, changing his birth name of Scheinerman to Sharon.  A true Zionist and patriot, he joined the Haganah in 1945 and served in the War of Independence.  His reputation, which continued through his life, was having a lack of restraint and being very aggressive.  He served as a paratrooper commander in the 1956 war, a Major General in the Six Day War (1967), and the commander of an armored division in the Yom Kippur War (1973).

Ariel Sharon in 1982 at the Suez Canal after peace with Egypt

Already a hero, Sharon was appointed the Israeli Defense Minister in 1981 by Prime Minister Menachem Begin.  He launched the Operation Peace for the Galilee (1982) and was forced to resign after being found negligent in failing to prevent the massacre of Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps by the Lebanese Christian Phalange troops.

Sharon was elected head of the Likud party in 1999 and became Israel’s 11th Prime Minister in 2001.  As Prime Minister, he approved construction of the security fence, advocated for settlements in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and despite his reputation as a military hawk, oversaw the disengagement from Gaza, hoping it would jump start peace talks with the Palestinians.  In 2006, he suffered a stroke that left him incapacitated and was no longer Prime Minister.  He passed away in January 2014 after spending 8 years in a coma.

Ariel Sharon is a complex figure and a good lesson in the complexities of Israel and the region.  Most of his career, he was considered a far right, war hawk.  He was a military hero whose leadership was critical to the victory in the Six Day War.  His leadership and actions in the 1973 war were essential to Israel turning the tide and capturing the Suez Canal and almost marching to Cairo before America and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger stepped in to stop the war.

His resignation after being found negligent in the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps by the Christian Phalange troops have many branding him a war criminal.  He certainly did not use good judgment at the time, doing nothing to stop Christian militiamen allied with Israel from entering the camps, despite fears they might seek to avenge the killing of their leader the previous day.  War criminal or not, it was a poor decision that helped define his life, career, and legacy.

In 2000, he went to the Temple Mount and visited the Al Aqsa Mosque.  To many people this would be seen as no big deal.  It’s the historic site of the ancient first and second Jewish temple.  The ‘Rock’ in Dome of the Rock is supposed to be both the rock that Abraham bound Isaac to, prepared to sacrifice him, as well as the rock that Muhammad rose to heaven from.  It’s also a flashpoint for violence as Jewish access is limited and many attribute the 2nd intifada to this visit.  It’s a place I have never been to and hope that one day I will be able to have access.  I remember this visit and wondering why he chose to do it as it was clearly going to incite violence.

Ariel Sharon on Temple Mount – this is considered by many to be what incited the 2nd intifada

In 2005, he made the decision to withdraw all Israelis and Jews from Gaza, returning it to Palestinian control, as an effort to jumpstart peace.  The settlers and many Israelis were very upset that he would take this action as 21 Israeli communities were forcibly removed from Gaza and relocated inside Israel.  His hopes for peace as a result never materialized, his stroke a few months later meant that he never had the opportunity to follow up on his vision.  The Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, is tied back my many to this action in 2005 which led to the creation of modern Gaza.

The removal of Israelis and Jews from Gaza in 2005 was highly controversial. In the end, it didn’t accomplish the goal of peace and resulted in the Hamas massacre of October 7th

Sharon is an Israeli hero that I have always struggled with.  My grandparents loved him because after the Shoah, he was the face of an Israeli and Jewish warrior.  He kept safeguarding the Jewish people as his top priority and his actions were very public and visible.  From 1957 through 1973, he played key roles in winning wars to ensure Israel’s existence and inspiring Jews in Israel and the diaspora.  When I look back on those years, I see a headstrong officer who I can say thank you to for ensuring Israel exists. 

A young Ariel Sharon with Moshe Dayan, another of the great Israeli leaders.

The Sabra and Shatila massacre cause me great pain and challenges.  While he didn’t actually murder anybody and it wasn’t IDF soldiers under his command who committed the massacre, he had the opportunity to stop it or at least intervene, and he didn’t. From what I know of Ariel Sharon, I believe it to be a tactical choice that he made.  I cannot reconcile the Jewish hero I wrote about with the man who would allow this to happen.  I remember struggling with his being elected Prime Minister because of this.  This struggle was enhanced by that 2000 visit to Temple Mount.  As I’ve said, it’s a place I have always wanted to go and have never been able to visit.  While there have been times when it has been permitted, the access is limited and as meaningful as it would be to pray on the Temple Mount, that is forbidden to Jews.  Most people don’t know of this prohibition.  It is hard to believe that his visit was not intended to incite violence.  At the time the impeding visit was discussed with this being the likely outcome.  Yet he did it anyway.  Just like Sharon in battle, who did what he wanted, and thought was right, he did it with this visit, with the 2nd intifada as the resulting outcome. 

And then there was the withdrawal from Gaza.  I grew up being taught that when we finally got to the point of land for peace or money to release the Jewish people from oppression (like in the USSR), the battle was won.  We would always give up land for peace just as we would pay for the freedom of our people.  21 Jewish communities were relocated.  I hated seeing the families uprooted from their homes and forcibly removed.  I hated seeing their crying and outrage.  Yet I was hopeful that it would be for the greater good and that perhaps, the Palestinians would create a ‘Singapore of the Middle East’ in Gaza, and we might have peace. 

As Israel faces all sorts of calls from countries around the world for a ‘Ceasefire Now’ and the creation of a Palestinian State without conditions.  It’s worth remembering what President George W. Bush said in his August 27, 2005 radio address about the withdrawal from Gaza and the hope for a different future and what was required. 

During the past two weeks, Prime Minister Sharon and the Israeli people took a courageous and painful step by removing Israeli settlements in Gaza and parts of the northern West Bank. I congratulate the Prime Minister for his bold leadership.

Now that Israel has withdrawn, the way forward is clear. The Palestinians must show the world that they will fight terrorism and govern in a peaceful way. We will continue to help the Palestinians to prepare for self-government and to defeat the terrorists who attack Israel and oppose the establishment of a peaceful Palestinian state.

We remain fully committed to defending the security and well-being of our friend and ally Israel. We demand an end to terrorism and violence in every form because we know that progress depends on ending terror. And we will continue working for the day when the map of the Middle East shows two democratic states – Israel and Palestine – living side by side in peace and security.

It is obvious this didn’t happen.  There was no Palestinian fight against terrorism, nor did they govern in a peaceful way.  The demand for an end to terrorism and violence remains a key requirement for peace and security.  The withdrawal from Gaza was an abject failure even before October 7th.  My hopes didn’t come to fruition and while I respect Sharon’s efforts to find peace, it turned out to be yet another failure of his leadership decisions. 

Ultimately, I find myself viewing Sharon as a Lion of Israel, one of the key people who ensured the survival of the Jewish state, but also one who struggled with political leadership.  He isn’t a role model, there is far too much that is troublesome, but he is an icon in the history of the modern State of Israel and one worth studying and discussing to learn from.

Remember that in the start of this post, I used the work momentous.  The birth of Ariel Sharon in a week is significant but not momentous.  On March 1, 1922, Yitzhak Rabin was born.  They celebrated their birthdays just a few days apart.  Two amazing leaders of the Modern State of Israel and the Jewish people. This would have been Rabin’s 102nd birthday!

When I read about Rabin, I’m always shocked that he was Israel’s 5th Prime Minister.  I forget that he took over for Golda Meir in 1974 and think of him much more during his 2nd term of Prime Minister from 1992-1995.  I also am always shocked at how short his second term was as it seems he accomplished so much during that term. It speaks to how young the country really is that somebody who played a prominent role in virtually all of Israel’s history is somebody that I recall so vividly.  In many ways it would be like experiencing George Washington, Thomas Jefferson or Ben Franklin in the US.

Rabin in his Palmach uniform in January 1948

Rabin, the first Israeli Prime Minister to be born in Eretz Yisrael (Palestine at the time), served in the Palmach and as a commander in the 1948 Independence War.   As Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), he was in charge of the 1967 Six Day War. Following the War, he was appointed Israel’s Ambassador to the United States from 1968 until 1973. Fifty years ago, he was already an icon.  After returning to Israel, Rabin was elected to the Knesset and became Prime Minister Golda Meir’s Minister of Labor. Upon her resignation in 1974, Rabin became Prime Minister.

Being Prime Minister in Israel means you live in interesting times and your leadership is constantly tested.  As Prime Minister, Rabin signed an interim agreement with Syria in May 1974 and one with Egypt over the Sinai in 1975.  One of his most famous actions occurred in 1976 when terrorists hijacked an Israeli plan and flew it to Uganda.  Rabin ordered the  rescue of Israeli, Jewish, and other hostages from Entebbe in Uganda in 1976.  

The raid on Entebbe was a huge success and raised the profile of the Israeli military further beyond the 6 day war. The only casualty was Yonatan Netanyahu, Bibi’s older brother.

Israel is an interesting country with some interesting laws and scandals.  In 1977, it was discovered that he and his wife, Leah, had maintained an American bank account from their time in the US as the Israeli Ambassador.  Leah publicly confirmed that she opened and operated the account alone however, then Attorney General Aharon Barak decided to prosecute both Leah and Yitzhak for this violation which normally only incurred a civil fine.  Named by the media as the ‘Dollar Affair’, Rabin chose to resign over the lapse.  When we look at our leaders today, it’s hard to imagine them taking such a moral and ethical stance over such a small infraction when they are involved in much larger scandals and choose to deny, minimize, and deflect.  Unlike Ariel Sharon, Yitzhak Rabin chose to live his values, morals, and ethics, no matter the cost.

Rabin returned to the Knesset and also served as Minister of Defense from 1984-1990.  In 1992, he again assumed leadership of the Labor party, and was elected to his second term as Prime Minister in June of 1992.

The 1992-1995 years of his second term as Prime Minister, Rabin oversaw some amazing breakthroughs that most people hoped would be transformational in the peace process.  The Oslo Accords were negotiated and signed by Rabin with Yassir Arafat.  In 1994 Rabin was able to negotiate with King Hussein of Jordan on a peace treaty that remains in place 30 years later. These efforts inspired the world and in 1994, Rabin, Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East.” 

The 1994 Nobel Peace Prize winners
The famous picture of Rabin and Arafat shaking hands with President Clinton

Sadly, on November 4, 1995, Rabin was assassinated by a right wing, nationalistic Israeli who didn’t want peace.  The assassination came minutes after Rabin gave a pro-peace speech in Tel Aviv to more than 100,000 people cheering and hopeful about a different future.

I remember when Rabin was assassinated and the shock that was felt around the world.  The fact that it was a fellow Jew who murdered him made it even worse.  Hope for a brighter future seemed to disappear and in the 28 years since, has never recovered. 

Every time I am in Israel, I seem to find my way to Rabin Square, the location of the pro-peace speech and his assassination, named for him after his murder.  I’ve been there for Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations and for concerts.  It’s an empty space until there is a reason to gather.  I can imagine the energy that night and the power of hope.  In the back, there is the area where he was shot.  It’s preserved as a mini-museum documenting what happened.  You can see where everybody was standing and even stand in their footsteps.  You can see where Rabin’s security failed, allowing the murderer access to shoot Rabin.  You can learn about the chaos that happened after the shooting, resulting in him being taken to the wrong hospital, wasting key time that may have been able to save his life.  I am always humbled when I stand there and find myself dreaming of what could have been. 

The memorial where Rabin was assasinated.

I read the David Horovitz biography of Rabin, Shalom Friend, and was deeply moved by the man.  Similar to Ariel Sharon, he was there from the beginning in the War of Independence and throughout all the wars that came after.  Rabin remained committed to his core beliefs throughout and unlike Sharon, didn’t waver.  Rabin was complicated in the fact that he was both a man of war and of peace.  While Sharon faced significant questions related to his sincerity for peace, Rabin was seen by the world as the bringer of peace.  I often wonder if Yitzhak Rabin was the last politician I will see in my lifetime who truly acted on his morals, values, and integrity rather than his electability.  While I don’t doubt what I think Sharon would say and do after October 7th, I am challenged by what Rabin would say and do.  As a Zionist who did everything he could to ensure Israel won every war, he also did everything he could to ensure Israel could win the peace.  Would he bring clarity to the world at a time when it’s so greatly needed?  Would he be able to unite Israel at a time when we are seeing divisions again about the hostages, finishing the war in Gaza, Bibi as Prime Minister, and so much more. 

Despite the Oslo Accords not working the way we hoped, Rabin is a true hero.  Unlike Sharon, a Lion of Israel, Rabin was a true statesman.  He was a true leader.  He had a clear vision for what Israel could and should be.  He had a vision of a world where Israel lived in peace with her neighbors.  Rabin understood America and diaspora Jews just as he understood Israelis.  Perhaps the only thing he didn’t understand was the power of hatred, which cost him his life and has resulted in the Hamas massacre of October 7th.  That’s a shortcoming I’d be happy to accept in a leader of Israel and the US. 

As we celebrate the birth of two icons of the Modern State of Israel this week, we have a chance to learn from them both.  Both taught and continue to teach us important lessons about moral character, about hatred and the short term and long term impacts of it, of leadership and of hope.  Although both died before accomplishing their goals due to a stroke and an assassin, both died with hope in their hearts and in their efforts.  Let’s not let the sacrifices of these two great men go to waste because we lose hope.  Even in times of despair, we must hold onto hope for a brighter future.  It is that hope which will sustain us through the difficult times and allow us to reach better ones. 

Pictures of Rabin and Sharon. The last one also has Shimon Peres. These are the founding fathers of the Modern State of Israel.