Rabbi Dr. David Hertzberg - Israel @ 78: Yonah for Yom Kippur

uh our dear friend by Dr. David Herzburg who's responsible for what happens on Tuesdays at 9:00 am right after JM here on the NHL Seagull Network. He's with us live via telephone. That's right. In addition to all of his leadership responsibilities at the Yeshiva Flapush, he is uh really an amazing expert for us on Jewish history, especially modern Jewish history. And many of you are enjoying his show that we've entitled Israel at 78. Rabbi Dr. David Herzburg, happy, healthy, sweet new year to you and welcome back to JM in the AM. >> Thank you, and to you as well. >> It was actually great seeing you before the So, yes, Shaata. All right. So, you've been doing a series on great speeches and uh I found it interesting, especially since you've been concentrating obviously on the more modern Jewish history the last hundred years or so. I found it interesting that you've actually uh gone ahead and prepared a show for today. Uh that goes back a while. Uh we're going to be reading about it on Monday uh in Safe for Yona during Mina. Um and it's actually uh what you what you are calling I believe you'll tell us a speech from Yona himself. And based on the length of Safe for Yona, I have to assume that it's a pretty lengthy speech. Am I right or wrong about that or am I Herzburg? So actually as I figured you know we are going back a little in the history but uh what I'd like to argue it's the shortest and most successful speech in history five words and he gets an entire large city to at least two temporary chuva. So I figured that the series was winding down and I'm going to start a new series. So I figured let's do a special one. It's a speech. It's not modern Israeli history, but it certainly had a major impact on uh on Jewish history, and the message is uh relevant to us today as well. >> Oh, yeah. I'm I'm all for it and looking forward to it. And I don't want to give away I don't want you to give away the majority of it, but um maybe just hint to us right now with our audience tuned in. Why would such a short speech that directly is simply uh admonishing and warning a community, why do you think it was so effective? >> I think like with speeches in general, a lot of it has to do with the timing, the tone, the moment, and sometimes a speech could work when it's given at the right time and a different time it might not work. And I think all the uh it was the opposite of the perfect storm, meaning everything just came together at that moment to uh to make it to make it work. >> Interesting. Um before this series ends or did it happen already? You'll be speaking about the uh Oslo Accords. And it's funny because and I didn't know this before you had given me a preview of this morning's conversation. Uh, I didn't realize that you were up to that, but um, on the second day of Yantiff, there's a from where I dive in, there's literally a clock on the wall right next to me. And on that clock, there's a date. And and on the second day of Yantiff, it says September the 13th. And I say to myself, my gosh, if I'm not mistaken, it was September the 13th, 33 years ago, uh that uh the Oslo speeches, the accords were signed on the White House lawn. And it is amazing how certain dates do stick into certain people's memory. And that one was, you know, for me was a significant one in uh in upto-date modern Jewish history. So what's the story with the with the speech or speeches from the Oslo Accords? So we're going to to wind down the series actually taking a looking at that speech and also uh Ariel Chiron's uh explanation we'll call it of the he not at least his perspective or his version >> the disengagement >> the disengagement plan correctly not uh at that point and also those were two very contro two very controversial uh things that were still living with the consequences of silling with the consequences of them. And uh I think it's important to note that with the speeches that we zeroed in on that not all of them do we have to a agree with. Uh not all of them have necessarily happy endings. But that's not the definition of impactful speeches. Speeches that made a difference whether that difference is interpreted as good or bad or moving the ball forward or backward. And I think that with the the as I'm going to take a look at look into it, the 1993 speech of Rabin uh was a very painful speech and you could see on his face the pain of that speech >> um at at that moment and unfortunately we all know uh things didn't quite work out as even Lishi Tatau even according to how he might have envisioned it at the at the time. >> Yeah. September the 13th if I'm not mistaken. Um >> I think I think so as well. >> Certain certain dates you just don't forget. >> Um and now and finally uh and this is interesting uh with all the different things and obviously you've covered so much in the last 78 years for us from different angles in this case the speeches. Uh you're going to take a an interesting direction and spend some time talking about the 1982 Lebanon war. And if you would ask, especially the young people, but in general, people who follow Israel, uh, and the news from Israel, uh, they could cite for you, you know, years and significant dates of certain wars, but 1982 Lebanon war, I don't know if that's among those that's got the same type of notoriety. Why spend time on that specific war? >> So, that's really a great question. And the 1982 war has actually been something I've been thinking about for a couple of years of doing a series on it, and always have pushed it off. And it's precisely like you're saying, it's a war that is not so well known. I mean, people our age, uh, it was very significant and our friends, our aids are were actually there in in in SAR at the time in the in in Lebanon. >> Um, but the more I thought about it and and it really is so consequential in terms of everything that's happening today and it's back in the headlines. And when I was initial a couple of weeks ago, right at the time I was at a wedding of all my KBY friends and it was right the day before uh that Juda Cats's body was whatever term you want to I don't want to say released because it was it was freed after >> was brought back to Israel, >> right? Um and it really brought it up. That was right when I was there. >> Wow. And the next day our WhatsApp chat was like on fire with that with that uh painful happy news so to speak. I I to describe an oxymoron. I said, you know, now's the time. It's back in the headlines. Um and it's consequential. Let's do the series on it. and a certain generation, as you just noted, our generation of Israelis, my gosh, the losses and the pain that so many of them went through, especially in the uh in the armygoing religious Orthodox community. Um the Tilumi, what we would call that Tumi community was was really significant. Um so you'll take an opportunity and that I assume will start right after Sukus. >> Right after Sukus. Yes. Yes. >> Tuesdays nine o'clock Israel at 78 with Herzburg. All right. You don't even have to answer this question. Uh if you say to me that, you know, you're you that you need to be on the spot in Israel to even get a uh a feel for what's going on, I accept that. Uh just curious, you have any feelings as we stand six weeks away from the election. You have any feelings one way or the other? Are you picking up that there's a certain theme with this election going on in Israel? Well, here's an interesting uh observation that the uh you know the nila shar talks about humility toward the end of of such an important trait and one thing I've noticed is that listening to all the different podcasts that I listen to and analysts there's a new humility nobody fully you know people who get paid to be you know to say definite things and then apologize the next day when they're wrong are suddenly hedging their bets. So, I've said at least one positive thing that's coming out all of this is that humility is uh back on back on the table. >> You mean it's the only time that the experts are saying I know nothing. >> I don't I can't no one's willing to right. You know, that's like a common theme. >> That is a very very funny point, but you're right. >> So, uh >> so that's it. >> We'll all wait and see. Six weeks from tonight, we'll start to have an idea. Actually, I should say in this part of the world, six weeks from this afternoon, we'll start to have an idea of what the future of Israeli politics are. Uh, Rabbi Herzburg, thanks so much for all your efforts. >> To you as well, >> and we're looking forward to you and Yona at 9:00 today. >> Thanks for everything. Have a great day. Nothing. >> A pleasure. Thank you so much. More coming up. That was a great line. That was a great line. It's the one time the experts are saying I don't know anything that's going on. Yeah. Uh more coming up. You're listening to Yehuda Green here at JM in the AM.