Rabbi Larry Englander is a Member of the Order of Canada (for community service) and is on NIFC’s Rabbinical & Cantorial Cabinet. This interview is part of a series highlighting NIFC supporters and their stories.
What Jewish and progressive influences shape your worldview today?
My progressive Jewish values stem from my perspective as a Reform Jew. While holding fast to my own ideas, I also believe that we should expose ourselves to multiple viewpoints, including those with which we disagree, because it can be dangerous to crawl into a silo where everything we see coincides only with our worldview.
In this regard, I believe that Diaspora Jews must understand the Israeli/Zionist narrative, the Palestinian narrative, and those of the surrounding Arab nations in order to gain a deeper perspective on the current conflict.
How did you first hear about the New Israel Fund of Canada?
I’ve been rabbi of Solel Congregation of Mississauga since its inception in 1973. Regarding Israel, I could not always agree with the mainstream narrative and so I looked for an organization with a more critical view, while at the same time doing progressive work on the ground. NIFC really fit the bill. I’ve been very satisfied with its work ever since, specifically its focus on creating a vibrant civil society in Israel. I also felt NIFC was closely aligned with my own values as a Reform Jew.
How would you describe your relationship with Israel and its society?
Post October 7th, I’ve wavered between hope and despair. As someone who teaches about Israel, many of my audiences feel the same ambivalence. In terms of what makes me despair, it’s the occupation that has gone on for much too long, as well as the policies and outlook of the current Netanyahu government. Looking at the relationship of the major players in the Middle East, namely the Israelis and Palestinians, the leadership is lackluster on both sides. Even though the two-state solution often seems remote – even impossible – I still maintain that it is the only realistic hope for both peoples. And I support NIFC in promoting that position.
And where do I find hope? First, I find it with my many progressive friends in Israel. My congregation in Mississauga has a twin Reform congregation in Ramat HaSharon (north of Tel Aviv). For several years they’ve been engaging in dialogue with their neighbouring Palestinian village of Taibeh. Even after October 7th that dialogue has continued, albeit somewhat strained; but they’re still talking with each other.
Second, one of my passions is to research and teach Israeli poetry and music. I’ve come to believe that if you are looking for a vanguard of social change, you will find it among the Israeli artistic community.
The third element of hope is what’s happening at the World Zionist Congress (WZC) in Jerusalem. The WZC is the parliament of the Jewish people, meeting right now. Delegate seats are determined by worldwide elections. From Canada, the progressive contingent includes ARZA Canada (the Reform Zionist party) and Hatikva, both endorsed by NIFC. Although the Canadian progressives won 10 of the 19 seats, the general international makeup of the Congress is much further to the right.
Tell us more about how you see what’s happening at the World Zionist Congress right now.
It seems our progressive group in the WZC, although a minority, has succeeded in sharing two key chairmanships over the next five years. For the first two-and-half years, the Jewish National Fund will be chaired by a member of Yesh Atid, part of our progressive group. Meanwhile, the World Zionist Organization will be chaired by a Likud member for two-and-half years, followed by a Yesh Atid member for the last half of the five-year term.
This is excellent news because it means our progressive movement is gaining strength in the national institutions. This is important for two reasons: first, that we have gained influence in forming policy; and second, we can ensure that progressive organizations in Israel receive a fair share of the annual $5 million allotment.
Why did you feel it was important to help start NIFC’s Rabbinical and Cantorial Cabinet?
From a professional perspective, it gives our clergy a safe space to air their opinions without fearing negative feedback. These spaces are few and far between these days. It’s also important for us to find out what each of us is thinking, what we fear and what we hope for.
It’s my hope that NIFC’s Rabbinical and Cantorial Cabinet can ameliorate the polarity that exists between the extreme left and right and reclaim a middle progressive ground. I think that we have a leadership role to play here by deepening our people’s perspectives through education. We can also trade our ideas and activities, so we can all learn from each other.
What is the most important thing that you would like other Canadian Jews to understand about navigating a relationship to Israel since October 7th, 2023?
We all listen to podcasts and the daily news to give us the soundbites in the present moment, but what we must understand regarding the Middle East and its issues are its deep historical roots. Canadian Jews must give themselves a deep historical perspective on how things came to be the way they are now in order to develop a realistic picture of the future.
While we do that, we must also understand that Israeli and diaspora Jews are not in the same place, geographically or in time. In Canada, we’re looking at the aftermath of October 7th attacks in Israel, compounded by the rife antisemitism that we face here at home. In Israel, many people are still locked into October 7th, 2023, as they haven’t recovered from that one event yet. I heard an Israeli psychiatrist who said there is no such thing as PTSD in Israel since there is no ‘post’ – it was a profound statement.
I’d also say to Canadian Jews that we must keep in mind our ambition of seeing Israel as both a Jewish and democratic state and these two things must not be separated. We are guided by our own Jewish values: justice for all, peace, compassion for all human beings and remembering we are all created in God’s image. To stay true to these ideals, I suggest that the best way to implant those ideals into Israeli society is to give targeted donations to those organizations which promote those ideals. For me, NIFC and the Reform movement are the best choices. Money talks, and this is a good way to make it talk.
What gives you hope for Israel’s future?
If we look back to the peace treaty with Egypt in 1978-79 and the one with Jordan in 1994, we notice that these agreements came to pass due to strong leadership on both sides who took the risk of engaging in dialogue. At present, we see no evidence of this within either the Israeli or Palestinian leadership. Rather than assigning blame only to one side of the conflict, we should advocate a shared, mutual responsibility to live in harmony with each other.