What Next | Daily News and Analysis A Rabbi’s Plea for Peace
7 snips
Aug 6, 2025 Sarah Reines is a rabbi at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan and a signatory of a significant letter urging Israel to end starvation as a weapon of war. In this discussion, she shares her emotional journey connected to Israel, addressing the moral complexities within biblical narratives and their implications on modern conflicts. She reflects on the delicate balance of loyalty and critique towards Israeli policies, navigating the grief in her community while advocating for hope and humanitarian aid amidst the ongoing struggles in Gaza.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Biblical War Text and Gaza
- Rabbi Sarah Reines delivered a sermon on a difficult Biblical war passage showing Israelite violence commanded by Moses.
- She connected this ancient text ethically to the modern reality of starvation used as a weapon in Gaza without explicitly naming it.
Personal Israel Experience
- Sarah Reines felt both distant and connected to Israel growing up and only visited as a graduate student.
- While living in Israel in 1992-93, she built relationships with Palestinians, Druze, and Bedouins, which shaped her understanding of the conflict.
Talking About Israel's Pain
- Rabbi Reines only started speaking about Israel publicly about six months before the October 7th attacks due to fear and emotional complexity.
- After the attacks, she described community grief as profound, likening it to an extended period of Shiva, a week of mourning in Judaism.