HERE? WHERE IS HERE?

  Zelensky made a brave statement, one which does not surprise anyone knowing the history of the Jewish people throughout the centuries. Chased from pillar to post, burned, racked, denied recognition as human, denied all rights, they always and forever remained 'here'.

Edward II expelled the Jews from England because he wished to renege on his monetary debts to them. The Jews were expelled, brutally, from Spain and Portugal, persecuted in those countries afterwards. France joined the 'club' too, all the while the Jewish people remained 'here'. They remained in existence, often quite blatant existence, as they managed to climb the ladders of success in many areas despite oppression and repression. Even in modern times, the Soviet Union, Poland, and other countries, even after WWII and its unspeakable horrors inflicted on the Jewish people with a goal of extinction and extermination - the 'otherness' continued to be promulgated. 

Ukraine, awash in Jewish blood over centuries, the land soggy with that blood, shocked itself by actually welcoming the Jewish people, by allowing room for them to serve their country's political financial, entertainment, etc. worlds. Even the worst can change. The 'here' positional quality changed, allowing for a Zelensky to appear at the right moment for this beleaguered country.

 Jews have always been 'here'. They stubbornly refused to die, to hide themselves and their identity. Yes, some did, and there is no blame attached to that, for survival is a natural imperative. But the Jews did remain. They educated their children, even the poorest among them. They pushed and hoped and worked for a better future. Iconic songs, covered by many talented singers took their place, became anthem songs of 'here'. Meyer Rothschild sings plaintively of his hopes when he sings "In My Own Lifetime", a plea for a world where the Jew was free from oppression and existential threats. Leonard Cohen wrote Hallelujah. Listen to the words, understand where they are coming from and how they got 'here'. 

Yes, Jews have always been here despite efforts to deny them that presence. They made their contributions to the world in so many areas. Today, there are myriad numbers of organizations sending funds over to Ukraine, sending people, to aid the over 200,000 Jews in that country, many elderly, poor, and the remaining and declining numbers of Holocaust survivors. Nor does the aid stop there. It flows out there, to the here where all Ukrainians are. History is amazing and the "wheel of time" does indeed roll around delivering danger and safety. We are left with the task, over and over again, of meshing the 'there' of the moment to a 'here' meant for eternity, to make a choice, to opt for one thing or another. Most of Jewry opts to remain 'here', wherever their here is. They became and become still, loyal citizens of their respective countries. They support Israel, a state which openly declares to the world - We are Here. Like it or not.  We are here. So we shall remain.

Zelensky, in stating, "Listen, I am here." as he spoke to his nation, was simply reiterating a theme that runs throughout Jewish history. When man and G-d had to meet, the seeking by G-d, asking "A'yecka?", where are you, the response, the only possible one, was Hineni - I am here. When G-d sought Abraham, he answered with a simple Hineni. When Moses was tasked by G-d to meet his responsibilities towards his people in Egypt he had to understand. He had to accept the truth - Hineni was the proper, sole response, voiced or unvoiced. When the Jews of Persia were targeted by Haman, Esther stepped up to the plate, for Hineni she had to be. Despite and in spite of danger for herself. When the Jews of Europe needed aid during the Holocaust, brave young Jews from the 'there' that was then called Palestine, to the 'here' of war-torn, blood-soaked Europe. Hannah Senesh was one. Hineni was her answer to the needs of her people, wherever their 'here' was. Though times dying for their efforts, Hineni they were.

Thus, it is not a surprise to us, the Jewish people, certainly those who know their history, that a Jewish leader in a violated country, standing against a giant, a vicious, violent giant, can and will stand up, openly declaring "Listen, I am here.".

This attitude is inborn in the nature of any Jew. It is to be found in many surprising places. In Los Angeles there is a strange juxtaposition of old and new, of eternal faith, of eternal strength, of an almost defiant tone, of 'here we are, and here we shall remain - wherever here is'. Alongside the magnificent building of the oldest Jewish congregation of Los Angeles, is a new, very modern building. One that does not clash with the other. Instead, it follows the theme of 'here'. Into the future and back to the past, into a present fraught with existing very real danger - the Jewish people are here. Here. Wherever here is. We allow room for the old, the traditional, along with the new, for hope, for a future, giving us, the world, room for thought, for introspection, for presence.

Yes, Here we are and Here we shall remain, despite all efforts to deny that truth. Where is here the title asks. Here is wherever we choose to be, always making the 'there' of the moment, of the century, our Here, our assurance to ourselves and to the world that wherever here is - we shall always answer - Hineni. I am here and ready.