"I
am the Eternal; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations" (Ieshaiahu / Isaías 42:6)
We very
much like to say that we, Jews, are a light among nations. However,
reading the text which was registered thousands of years ago by the
prophet
Isaiah makes it clear that we “are” not but that we “have”
the potential to be so.
Achieving
this potential depends much more than simply respecting the differences.
Illuminating humanity demands valuing it. It requires internalizing
into our hearts
and minds – and accepting fully – that there exists more
than one way to walk
together with God.
Only in
this way will we be a pact among the peoples.
The great
majority of Jews live today in democratic countries, under the empire
of individual responsibilities and of the right to choose. The societies
that
welcome us as full citizens and to which we contribute are open. There
are no
obstacles, either for being a Jew or for no longer being one.
Many are afraid of the assimilation that a permeable environment permits.
Some propose segregation in modern self-imposed ghettos as a remedy
to contain this threat.
We
do not propose isolation
We distinguish integration from assimilation and naturally experience
Judaism
without losing our integration into the modern world. The strictness
in ritual
observance is not the only way to be Jewish and to fully experience
Judaism.
And more
than that: we know that integration is the best answer to the
spectrum of anti-Semitism that has incredibly risen again. We learned
the
lesson of Purim and we know that Mordechai and Esther were only capable
of saving the Jews in the court of King Achashverosh because they
were
integrated without having assimilated.
And it
is based on this train of thought that we act, establish our programs,
build bridges among the reform and liberal communities in Latin America.
If you
agree with our vision of the world and with our Jewish mission, join
us.
Participate in our programs. Visit the website www.wupj-latinamerica.org
to get to know a little more about what we do.
Fully
experience the activities of your community
Make 5772 a special year!
Le
Shaná Tová Tikatevu
Are the wishes of the WUPJ - Latin America
