When It Gets Hard, Get to Work

Rabbi Chaya Rowen Baker, Dean of the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary, delivered our D’var Torah at the May 6 Torah Fund Stands With Israel Program. Rabbi Baker, who holds degrees from Hebrew University and the Schechter Institutes, served Kehillat Ramot-Zion in Jerusalem for 16 years and coordinated Practical Rabbinics for eight. She also broke a glass ceiling as the first woman Masorti rabbi invited to teach Torah at the Israeli President’s residence.

Joining us by pre-recorded video (it would have been 2:30 a.m. in Israel!), Rabbi Baker opened with a question: Why is shmita (the sabbatical year occurring every seven years when land is unused, agricultural work ceases and debts are forgiven) taught at Har Sinai, when the people were still in the desert? She explained that “there is no revelation without the details.” Even laws not yet relevant must be articulated, because they create a framework for the future.

She then connected this idea to Yom HaAtzmaut. Once seen as a holiday of pure joy, it has become harder for Israelis to shift from daily struggle to celebration. Security concerns, financial pressures, violence, hatred, polarization, and debates over military service all weigh heavily. Israel’s Declaration of Independence begins by explaining why the Jewish people deserve a state, then outlines a long-term program of action to build a society rooted in peace, justice, and equality. “When things are bad — you get to work.”

Returning to shmita, she cited Rashi: it matters precisely when it feels irrelevant, when it is still in the future, when we have time to imagine something better. “We stay in the mud when we can’t imagine a better future.” Jewish history teaches that big moments come only after sustained effort. Leadership must be cultivated. Rabbi Baker closed by thanking Women’s League and Torah Fund for embodying the Jewish DNA of hard work. Our mission is to build a better future despite the challenges. She wished us “a good year of work until the next Yom HaAtzmaut.”

Israel at a Crossroads: Navigating Threats, Truth, and Turbulence

Our featured presenter, Tsach Saar, Deputy Consul General of Israel in New York, plays a central role in managing the consulate’s work, building relationships with elected officials and community leaders, and serving as Acting Head of Mission when needed. He shared his background — four years as a parliamentary advisor in the Knesset, diplomatic posts in Albania, Berlin, and now New York, which he described as “the most difficult” assignment of his career.

Tsach offered a candid overview of the Middle East. Iran, he said, is “the big elephant in the room.” For Israel, Iran is an existential threat; for the United States, a strategic one. Iran maintains “a very organized plan to destroy Israel.” Israel’s priorities are preventing Iranian nuclear weapons, eliminating ballistic missile capabilities, and neutralizing proxies such as Hezbollah and the Houthis. He noted the global implications of Iranian aggression, including rising insurance premiums for ships in the Strait of Hormuz and the involvement of Russia and China. Even if 95% of missiles are intercepted, he warned, the remaining 5% can cause devastation “equal to a nuclear bomb.”

On Hezbollah, Tsach emphasized that Israel has no territorial dispute with Lebanon and seeks peace, but Hezbollah refuses to disarm and continues rebuilding. If sanctions on Iran are lifted, support for Hezbollah will grow.

Turning to Gaza, he noted that Israel currently controls 50% of the territory militarily and that Israelis are relieved all hostages — “dead or alive” — are home. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, he reminded us, “and they attacked Israel in 2023.” The peace plan is in “phase two,” but Hamas refuses to disarm or relinquish its ideology. A deadlock persists as Hamas uses its taxing authority to rebuild.

With regard to Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza, Tsach sees Israelis becoming “much more of one mind,” more united, and “much nicer to each other.”

Asked for good news, he pointed to Syria, where the threat has weakened.

When asked what American Jews can do, Tsach urged us to be “overtly proud and vocal” as Jews and Zionists. We can criticize the government and still be Zionists. “Talk to people! Stand up for what you believe in!”

He acknowledged concerns about violence in the West Bank, calling it a real problem driven by “mostly young extremists and criminals,” and said Israel must address it.

Tsach said he has not met with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani but described Mamdani’s “rhetoric as dangerous and antisemitic for attempting to separate Jewish identity from Israel.” He also noted that he was “smart and charming.”

Tsach also spoke about his engagement with Masorti communities, his awareness of Kotel issues, and his conversations with the president of JTS. With 40% of American Jews living in the states he oversees, he sees direct dialogue as essential and remains optimistic.

We are grateful to Rabbi Chaya Rowen Baker and Tsach Saar for their frank, thoughtful presentations, offering clarity, context, and hope as Israel navigates profound challenges and possibilities.