editorials
Stop the War Crimes
A s we gather around our seder
tables this week, we encourage
serious discussion about the reported
atrocities being perpetrated by
the Russian war machine against
defenseless civilians in Ukraine.

According to reports, Russian
forces have left a shocking trail of
death in their wake. The Russian
army’s retreat from the Kyiv area
— and particularly from Bucha —
left disturbing evidence and hor-
rific stories of massive execution of
civilians. Russian missiles have tar-
geted hospitals, schools and places
where civilians are known to shelter
— including the graphic images we
have all seen of the pregnant woman
being carried out of a maternity hos-
pital that had just been bombed. The
woman and her baby both died. And
last Friday, another missile struck
a train station where thousands of
people, mostly women and chil-
dren, had gathered. The Russian
war effort’s apparent careless dis-
regard for human life is profoundly
troubling. If the reports are credible — and
we have no reason to distrust them
— they paint an ugly picture of geno-
cide in our day and of atrocities that
cannot be ignored.

Our government must continue
to lead world outrage with mean-
ingful action. Last week, the Senate
at a later date. We encourage quick
passage in the House and an imme-
diate presidential signature.

We also support the ramping up
of sanctions against Russia and the
continuation of significant funding
for military and humanitarian aid for
Ukraine. These efforts are the right
This year, let’s put ourselves in the
shoes of our brethren in Ukraine.

And let’s be part of their salvation.

unanimously passed the Ukraine
Democracy Defense Lend-Lease
Act of 2022 — similar to the lend-
lease act designed to help Britain
against Nazi attacks before the U.S.

entered World War II — which would
enable the U.S. to provide military
equipment and other resources that
Ukraine could use now and pay for
thing to do, and prompt action will
help us avoid anything similar to
the painful guilt and recriminations
many feel from knowing that the
U.S. fell short in the 1930s and ’40s
by not admitting more Jewish refu-
gees during the Holocaust and from
reluctance to bomb railways lead-
ing to Nazi concentration camps. So
now, we are proud to see America’s
quick and meaningful responses to
Russia’s Ukraine outrages and U.S.

leadership in the unification of our
allies. But we add a word of caution:
In discussing the horror of Russia’s
behavior and callous disregard for
human life, be careful what you call
it. What is happening in Ukraine is
unforgivable. But it is too glib to label
the war crimes being committed in
Ukraine as “another Holocaust.” It
isn’t. It is its own horrible thing,
and the inhuman behavior deserves
vilification and condemnation. But
comparing Ukraine to the Holocaust
is unnecessary, and doing so dimin-
ishes the unique suffering of the
Jewish people during the Holocaust
and the Ukrainian people now.

During Passover, we imagine our-
selves to be with our ancestors on
the night of their redemption. We
make their story our story. This year,
let’s put ourselves in the shoes of
our brethren in Ukraine. And let’s be
part of their salvation. JE
Government in Limbo
J ust when we were starting to get
comfortable about the prospects
for Israel’s politically diverse
and razor-thin majority coalition
government led by Prime Minister
Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister
Yair Lapid, the expected happened:
The delicate balance collapsed.

Yamina MK Idit Silman announced
that she was resigning from the
coalition, leaving the Bennett-
Lapid team without majority control.

Speculation about next steps has
been dizzying.

While Silman’s defection to former
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
Likud party could inaugurate a race
to the exits from others in the coali-
tion — and there seem to be several
leaning in that direction — there are
those who believe that such a move
is less likely since the remaining
coalition members and their parties
16 could conclude that they have more
to lose by leaving than by staying.

In order to bring down the cur-
rent government and replace it with
another, at least 61 MKs must vote to
dissolve the government and go to
new elections. Or a majority could
vote to replace the government with
another governing coalition (without
an election). The Knesset is in recess
until next month, so it will be several
weeks before lawmakers can act.

And no one knows which way things
will go.

All eyes seem to be focused on
Netanyahu, the current opposition
leader, who stands to gain advan-
tage if the government falls. But
Netanyahu needs the support of at
least 61 Knesset members — some-
thing he was not able to do with
this same group of MKs in the past
— in order to return to the Prime
APRIL 14, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
Minister’s office.

And there is an added complica-
tion. If the Knesset is dissolved, the
current agreement stipulates that
centrist Foreign Minister Yair Lapid
would automatically become prime
minister until a new government is
sworn in. That would give him and
his Yesh Atid party the power of
incumbency going into the elec-
tions and in forming any new gov-
ernment. If Netanyahu wants to replace the
Bennett-Lapid government without
an election, speculation focuses on
his need to cut a deal with Defense
Minister Benny Gantz (and his
eight-member Blue and White party)
whereby Gantz would become the
next prime minister, to be followed
by Netanyahu in some agreed rota-
tion arrangement. But Gantz’s pre-
vious deal with Netanyahu didn’t
end well, and he’s not likely to agree
to any Netanyahu promises without
some ironclad assurances.

Which leads to the possibility that
continuing political gridlock will
enable the existing government to
continue in place for the next year,
until March 2023, when a state bud-
get must be passed, or new elec-
tions will be triggered by law.

Nothing about these develop-
ments is unexpected. Indeed, it is
surprising that the Bennett-Lapid
coalition government was able
to stay together for the past nine
months. Yet, we found comfort in
the careful compromises that were
being pursued and the hope for
political stability going forward.

Perhaps some further compromise
or accommodation can be negoti-
ated. If not, we will be back in the
messy mix of political chaos. JE



opinions & letters
Here’s Why I’m
Sticking to the Basics
on My Seder Plate
BY RABBI SARI LAUFER
O lives. Tomatoes. Oranges. Artichokes.

Dates. Cotton balls. And, now, sunflowers.

This list might seem like a setup for a logic
puzzle or a grocery run. But it is, instead, a
(non-exhaustive) list that I have seen of addi-
tions to the seder plate, items to highlight
and include stories and histories that are not,
at least explicitly, part of the Passover seder.

On its surface, it is a noble goal — why
shouldn’t we consider the plight of Ukrainians
in spring 2022 (sunflowers), or remember the
American history of slavery (cotton ball)?
Wouldn’t we want to honor the farm workers
who put food on our tables (tomatoes), or
intertwine the story of the Palestinians along
with our own (olives)? In my own family, my
mother insists on the orange on the seder
plate, regardless of its apocryphal origin as
feminist symbol.

But I won’t be adding anything to my plate.

As a rabbi, teacher and mother, I’m sticking
with the traditional items.

My decision to eschew seder plate innova-
tion stems from the thinking about inclusion
that I do all the time in my work. Both in
encountering ancient text and modern com-
munity, I am always asking: Who is not in the
room? Whose voices are not being heard? I
know that the language I use, that we use,
matters; I think carefully about the stories I
tell, the translations I use, and the questions I
ask. When I preach, when I teach, my hope is
always that anyone, regardless of how they
identify, sees themselves in the text and in
the message.

At the same time, I am always aware that
by naming one story, or one identity, I might
be excluding another.

One of the great tensions of Jewish life
in the 21st century is between universalism
— the central themes and ideas of Jewish
wisdom that speak to all of the human expe-
rience — and particularism, the doctrines
and injunctions meant to distinguish Jewish
practice and ritual from that of the rest of the
world. And of all of our stories, it is perhaps
Passover that best embodies this tension.

It is a story embraced by Jews, by Black
Americans, by Christians the world over. It is
our story, to be sure. But it is also a story for
anyone, and everyone, who has ever known
AIPAC Off the Rails
The recent actions of AIPAC are disgusting (AIPAC’s Defense
of Extremist Candidates Is Indefensible,” March 31).

It has clearly forgotten the adage, “When you lie down with
dogs you get up with fleas.” In cozying up to white suprema-
cists, it is reminiscent of misguided Jews in early the ‘30s in
Germany who cozied up to Hitler in the hopes of becoming
“honorary Aryans.” We all know how that worked out.

AIPAC should remember the words of Martin Niemöller,
the last of which (to paraphrase) were “but when I looked
around for help there was nobody left, they had all been
taken.” When the extremists are finished with the LBGTQ
community, the Black and brown communities, who do you
think they will come for next?
One can only hope that there will be an upwelling of
communal outrage and ecclesiastical leadership to consign
AIPAC to the dustbin of history where it so rightly belongs.

The state of Israel deserves better.

Richard Saunders
Chincoteague, Virginia
AIPAC Unfairly Blamed
After reading Jon Greenwald’s op-ed about AIPAC’s
endorsement of what he calls Republicans who undermined
American democracy and deniers of free and fair elections
(AIPAC’s Defense of Extremist Candidates Is Indefensible,”
March 31), I was stunned by his one-sided and unfair analysis
of AIPAC’s actions.

First, AIPAC tries to be evenhanded since it knows that
being as biased as Greenwald’s wishes would be very bad
for Israel.

Second, did Greenwald miss Stacey Abrams’ refusal
to concede in her election defeat for governor? How about
Hillary Clinton’s claim, with absolutely no evidence provided,
for her belief that her 2016 presidential bid was stolen? The
icing on the cake is several Democrats’ attempt to not certify
See Laufer, Page 20 Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential win.

Greenwald’s calling that extremism is an indictment not of
his Republican targets but rather of him.

Steve Heitner
Middle Island, New York
diligent / iStock / Getty Images Plus
New Exponent Format a Hit
We greatly enjoy the new format that is the Jewish Exponent.

It’s especially informative and refreshing to read about peo-
ple in or connected to the Jewish community reaching out to
make a positive impact on society.

In the April 7 issue alone, articles on the new regional
director of JAFI, Jefferson doctors contributions to a space
mission, “Progress Blooms in the Desert” and your opinion
piece centered on the recent historic meeting of the signers
of the Abraham accord were excellent examples of this.

In light of the plethora of negativity and dissension so
prevalent in our society, these articles are a breath of fresh
air. JE
Sharon and Bob Altman
Yardley Letters should be related to articles that have run in the print or online editions
of the JE, and may be edited for space and clarity prior to publication. Please
include your first and last name, as well your town/neighborhood of residence.

Send letters to letters@jewishexponent.com.

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