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This past week marked several important events in recent Jewish history.

First, it is hard to believe that two years ago today, 30 Portlanders traveled to Washington, DC to join the historic "March for Israel" rally. The goals of the rally were to support Israel, call for the release of the hostages taken by Hamas, and to combat antisemitism. What made the day so special were the 290,000 people who attended the rally in person and an additional 250,000 joining via livestream. The March for Israel was the largest Jewish gathering in US history. 

While the DC rally was all about support for Israel, on November 10, 1975, the United Nations emboldened its assault against Israel. Fifty years ago, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 3379, declaring that “Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination.” With a vote of 72-35 with 32 abstentions, Resolution 3379 passed.

Spearheaded by the Former Soviet Union, its satellites, and anti-Western Third World countries, the resolution was intended to delegitimize the State of Israel. 

Chaim Herzog, then Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations and later the country’s sixth president, stood before the UN General Assembly and stated, “Zionism is nothing more -- and nothing less -- than the Jewish people’s sense of origin and destination in the land linked eternally with its name.”

Isaac Herzog, Israel’s current President and son of Chaim Herzog, wrote this week, “The tools and rhetoric may have evolved since 1975, but the core impulse remains: to deny the Jewish people the moral right to self-determination, to cast the very existence of our state as a transgression, and to portray Israel as a racist entity undeserving of security or peace…Zionism is not racism. It is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people; a return to an indigenous homeland after millennia of persecution.”

Resolution 3379 was not merely a criticism of an Israeli policy or action. It rejected the legitimacy of Israel’s foundational concept as the homeland of the Jewish people.

In September 1991, President George H.W. Bush told the UN General Assembly that repealing the resolution was critical. America was clear -- Zionism is not racism.

Three months later, by a vote of 111-25 with 13 abstentions, the General Assembly revoked Resolution 3379. Even the Soviet Union voted to repeal the resolution it pushed forward 16 years earlier -- one of its last acts before dissolving two weeks later. 

Wednesday happened to be 46 years since the passing of former Prime Minister Golda Meir. Born Golda Mabovitch on May 3, 1898 in Kyiv, she faced antisemitism from an early age. Her family would soon immigrate to Milwaukee. It was following high school that she became a leader in the local Zionist organization.

In 1921, Meir and her husband, Morris Meyerson, went to live in Palestine, where she ultimately was elected Israel’s first (and the world’s third) female Prime Minister in 1969.

Golda Meir was famous for her “thoughtful bluntness.” Here are some of her famous quotes:

• “There cannot be quiet on one side of the border and shelling on the other. We will either have peace on both sides or trouble on both sides. I understand the Arabs wanting to wipe us out, but do they really expect us to cooperate?”

• “Israel’s secret weapon is that we have no alternative.”

• "It is true we have won all our wars, but we have paid for them. We don't want victories anymore." 

• “Hitler took care of six million Jews. If we lose a war, that's the end forever -- and we disappear from the earth. If one fails to understand this, then one fails to understand obstinacy. We intend to remain alive. Our neighbors want to see us dead. This is not a question that leaves much room for compromise.” 

Golda Meir resigned as Prime Minister of Israel on April 10, 1974, taking personal responsibility for the government's mistakes and the resulting heavy casualties during the Yom Kippur War. 

Now to current events:

It is deeply problematic to see settler extremists in the West Bank attack villages, people, a mosque, factory, and more. The Jewish Federation of Greater Portland condemns these attacks. Israeli President Isaac Herzog, senior commanders in the IDF, and senior settlement officials have all spoken out against these individuals. The question now is if/when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition will speak out against the violence.

It is good to see the federal government opening up. I am proud that we were able to partner with the Oregon Board of Rabbis and Jewish Family and Child Service to provide food gift cards to those who needed them during the shutdown.

Last week, our Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) hosted a summit -- “Addressing Antisemitism in K-12 Schools” -- for 55 superintendents and other school leaders from 16 districts and several private schools across the metro area. The event, made possible with a grant from the Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation, featured panels of Jewish students, parents, and teachers who spoke about their experiences dealing with antisemitic incidents, anti-Israel “curriculum,” and marginalization by teachers union leaders. The afternoon sessions included presentations from Facing History on teaching contemporary antisemitism, the JCRC on Jewish identity and the normalization of antisemitism, and the Oregon Department of Education on Title VI. The JCRC is now following up with attendees to discuss possible next steps.

Finally, in today’s climate, conversations about Israel can feel complicated – even among family, friends, and co-workers. Join the Jewish Federation and Meir Zimmerman, an experienced Jewish and Israel educator, for an engaging and practical talk about how to navigate these conversations with confidence, empathy, and clarity. The program will be held on December 3 at 7:00 p.m. at Congregation Neveh Shalom. Register here.

Shabbat shalom.