Vol. 1 No. 24, April 2025, Nisan 5785
- Spirit of the Galilee
- May 1
- 13 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Spring Greeting from our Directors
This April, three different festivals converged, as the holy month of Ramadan came to a close: the Jewish celebration of Passover, the Christian celebration of Easter, and the Druze Festival of Nebi-Shweib.
All three are holy, with many similarities and differences. But what they all have in common is they emphasize the blessing of hope, freedom, redemption and wisdom.
Another thing they have in common is that they are all celebrated here, in the Galilee in the Holy Land. The Galilee is a mosaic of traditions, cultures, languages, and beliefs. It is also a symbol and a model of how these diverse groups can live side by side and create new experiences and friendships.
In this holy month, we wish all those who live in the Galilee and beyond, peace and security and the ability to celebrate your own culture while learning about others, just as we do in the Galilee.
Blessings to all!
Father Saba Haj and Rabbi Leora Ezrachi-Vered
Condolences on the Death of Pope Francis
Spirit of the Galilee sends its condolences to Roman Catholics around the world on the loss of the leader of the Church, Pope Francis I. Pope Francis was a singular voice for compassion, humanity, and peace. His humility and ability to connect to people from all over the world and his commitment to tolerance towards all religions will be sorely missed in our world.
SOG member Father Rafiq Nahra presided over a moving Holy Mass in suffrage for the soul of the Holy Father, at the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth. Father Naoki Atarashi and others from SOG were in attendance.
Please consider donating to SOG so we can continue to raise a religious and spiritual voice of peace in our war-torn land
Thank you for your support
SOG Participates in Interfaith Conferences
In this month, when we celebrated Eid el Fiter, Passover, Easter, and the Festival of Nebi-Schweib here in the Galilee and in other parts of the world, SOG members participated in two interfaith conferences – one in Jerusalem, and one in the northern city of Sfat.
The conference in Sfat was organized by SOG member Professor Itamar Theodor, who runs the interdisciplinary department at Sfat College, where the conference was held. SOG member Rabbi Sigal Asher organized a panel for the conference on Activism and Faith, in which three other SOG members, Rabbi Haviva Ner-David, Buddhist monk David Goren, and Muslim activist Kefaia participated, as well as Christian humanist activist Suheil Diab, and Druze Sheikh Wazeer Said Amun.
Each speaker on the panel shared how their faith influences and is in dialogue with their social action work, and as a group, we discussed how religion can be part of the solution to the world’s conflicts instead of exacerbating them.
David Goren, speaking in the name of Buddhism, defined activism as “determined, intentional, and continual action we take to make the world a better place for all.” He defined faith, at least in a Buddhist context, as “an anchor deep inside human beings that helps decrease the inherent suffering that is part of being human.”
Activism on a collective level decreases suffering in the world, and being involved in activism decreases individual suffering in that it helps us retain hope and not give into despair. Faith that the world can be a better place for all fuels activism. Without it, we would have no motivation to do this work.
Rabbi Haviva Ner-David spoke of how she sees her activism as an act of partnership between humanity and man to repair the world (the Jewish concept of "tikkun olam") and how we cannot rely on God alone to do this work. She quoted Etty Hillesum, who was murdered in Auschwitz at age 29 but left an enlightened diary behind:
“One thing is becoming increasingly clear to me: You, God, cannot help us. We must help You to help ourselves. And that is all we can manage these days and also all that really matters: that we safeguard that little piece of You, God, in ourselves. And perhaps in others as well. Alas, there doesn’t seem to be much You Yourself can do about our circumstances, about our lives. Neither do I hold You responsible. You cannot help us, but we must help You and defend Your dwelling place inside us to the last.”
The second conference, in Jerusalem, was organized by Professor Benjamin Ish Shalom, under the title, “A Theological Interfaith Paradigm for Building Bridges of Peace”. The central question of the conference was whether, despite our different theological approaches, spiritual and religious leaders can find common moral ground that can bring people together in peaceful co-existence rather than creating conflict and strife.
SOG member and Muslim activist Ghadir Hani spoke about how her faith drives her activism. SOG Director Rabbi Leora Ezrachi-Vered shared about Spirit of the Galilee’s goals and activities, and other SOG members were present in the audience as participants as well.
Said Rabbi Sigal, who was present at both conferences: “This is an important subject for our times, and these gatherings to discuss it in serious depth will hopefully reverberate throughout our broken society and bring some hope for a better future here of cooperation and peace.”
Rabbi Nathalie Lestranger Leads Passover Seder at Hostages Square
This year, we “celebrated” a second Passover since this bloody war began, a second Passover with hostages still in the tunnels of Gaza. And like last year, thousands flocked to Hostages Square on the first night of the holiday to participate in a huge communal seder at the Square and be with families of the hostages – some who already returned and some who are still there over 500 days after they were taken captive.
SOG member Rabbi Nathalie Lestranger led the seder this year. She is the rabbi of the Conservative synagogue in the northern town of Kfar Vradim. The family of former hostage Romi Gonen are members of her synagogue, and she and the community have been a huge support to the family. Many members of the community came to the Square for the seder, too.
At one point in the seder, Rabbi Nathalie stood in the middle of the circle of tables and called out, “Next year we will be free? No! Not next year. Tomorrow! During this Passover holiday, let them be free! All of them – NOW!” And everyone joined in, chanting – “All of them – NOW!” Rabbi Nathalie read the names of the 59 hostages still in Gaza and took a moment to thank all those who risked and gave their lives on October 7th and after so others could be free.
Said Rabbi Nathalie about the experience: “In the heart of such a lack of order (seder means order in Hebrew), we held a seder. It was my honor to lead it, a feeling of a mission that came from a very deep place of obligation – first of all, to the families of the hostages. But also to us, to our society. So that we don’t despair, so that we don’t lose hope. So that we could look one another in the eyes on this seder night and not feel alone, after 554 days of lack of order (seder).”
This seder was part of a larger project run by the Masorti (Conservative) movement in Israel, holding prayer circles and other rituals at the Square, every day since October 7th. “It did not cross our minds that we would still be doing this over one and a half years later,” Elisheva Barak, who runs this program, said. “We need them all home now. But we will not abandon their families until that day comes. We will be here until they are.”
SOG Members Participate in Vigil for Children Killed in Gaza War
SOG members Rabbis Ian Chesir-Tiran and Haviva Ner-David participated during Chol Hamoed Passover in a vigil, held at the main traffic circle of the Arab town of Maghad, for the children killed in Gaza during the current catastrophic war.
Many Jewish Israelis are not aware of the extent of the destruction, death, and devastation in Gaza, as Hebrew language media covers this much less than Arabic, English, and other language media. Many Palestinian Israelis feel a lack of awareness and sensitivity around this among Jewish Israelis. The main message of the vigil was that all war is terrible, all death in war is sad, and all death of civilians in war is tragic – especially that of children.
Rabbi Haviva found it especially moving how many people from the town who were driving by honked in support, gave a thumbs up, or called out their gratitude. “One shop keeper even brought water bottles to all the participants and had tears in his eyes while thanking us for coming out,” she said.
Said Rabbi Ian about his decision to participate in the vigil: “Judaism values the sanctity of life. As an Israeli citizen and a rabbi, I feel I have a moral duty to raise awareness about the consequences of our government’s actions - and to tell the Israeli government to end the war now.”
Rabbi Leora Leads Kabbalat Shabbat as Part of Tzipori Stream Spring Festival
SOG Director Rabbi Leora Ezrachi-Vered led a spirited Kabbalat Shabbat service as part of a Spring Festival this year, designed to bring together the varied populations living along the newly renovated Tzippori Stream.
Rabbi Leora led the service, accompanied by Ataf Bisharat, a Christian Arab musician playing the oud. Together they sang prayers for peace and solidarity, bringing together Hebrew and Arabic, ancient texts, and contemporary Israeli music. The service was part of a four-day festival showcasing Israeli Jewish and Arab musicians and the varied shared society projects around the area of Zippori Stream.
SOG Co-Sponsors Interfaith Mimouna Gathering after Passover
A Moroccan Jewish tradition that has taken off in Israel during the past few decades is the Mimouna festival. The tradition is to gather the night right after Passover is over and eat sweet leavened foods, as a contrast or even antithesis to the bitter unleavened foods eaten during Passover. Most exemplary is the mufletah, which is baked like matzah, with the same ingredients, but for just a bit longer, so that it comes out more like a fluffy pancake. And instead of eating it with maror, bitter herbs, it is eaten with honey.
Another contrast is the way Passover can cause separation between Jews and those around them, as they cannot eat food with their non-Jewish neighbors. In the Passover story itself, the night of Passover was one of separation, when the Jews closed their doors and put blood on their doorposts, so God would pass over and not kill their first born sons. Although some make a point today to invite people who are not Jewish to their seders, this is a more recent custom and was, it seems, not the case in Morocco.
So, on the night Passover ended, Moroccan Jews made a point to celebrate again with their Muslim neighbors. It was the custom for Muslims to bring wheat flour to their Jewish neighbors to bake the mufletot, which they would eat together. In this spirit, SOG held our event, which was co-sponsored by congregation Nigun Halev and the women of the neighboring Bedouin town of Manshea Zabda.
The atmosphere was festive, with a mixed Arab and Jewish ensemble performing during the delicious meal. The spirit of Mimouna, celebrating life, hospitality, friendship, and co-existance, was felt through dancing and singing together in Hebrew and Arabic. We learned about the symbolic foods and celebrated with people of all ages and religious backgrounds.
We hope this is the beginning of a new tradition!
Member Spotlight: Father Naoki Atarashi
Naoki Atarashi, 61, was born and grew up in a small city in Japan, between Tokyo and Osaka, near the headquarters of Toyota, an agricultural area surrounded by rice fields. His father had a real estate business and his mother sold cosmetics door to door. He and his older sister walked almost an hour to school every morning with the neighborhood kids and came home to an empty house; they were “latch-key kids”. Naoki’s parents were not religious, but there was polytheistic folk religion in the house – Shintoism and Mahayana Buddhism. He and his sister went to Sunday school, more as a place to be with friends than as a place to be converted to Christianity.
Naoki was attracted to Christianity, though, and he continued going to Sunday school and even to church after elementary school, unlike most of his friends. That is when he met adults who were involved in the church; he went to sleepover camp through the church as well. He considered himself a Protestant Christian. When he completed university, he felt lost, did know what he wanted to do next. He knew only that he did not want to stay in Japan – which he calls “a monolithic and conformist culture” – and wanted to experience other cultures and see the world.
His pastor mentioned working on a kibbutz in Israel, which is what he did. He stayed in Israel for 2.5 years and worked on three different kibbutzim. He studied Hebrew in Ulpan and was curious about different places of worship, such as mosques, synagogues, and Catholic churches, which he visited. This was in the late 1980s, during the first intifada.
After his time in Israel, Naoki knew he did not want to go back to Japan yet. He spent time in Argentina, Germany, England, Switzerland, and Italy. It was in Italy he was introduced to St Francis of Assisi and the Franciscan order of Catholicism. Naoki had been hitchhiking around Europe, living off cheese and bread he would buy in supermarkets; he had not had a proper cooked meal in weeks. A Franciscan friar picked him up one day and invited him to the friary for mass. Naoki enjoyed the service, although he did not understand much of it, as it was in Italian. But he enjoyed the atmosphere and the delicious meal afterwards.
“I knew I was searching for something, and I asked if I could come back,” Father Naoki says. “The friar took me to his friary, where I stayed for ten days. I felt embraced there, accepted, and loved. I felt like I was coming home.”
Naoki spent more time in the friary, learning more about Catholicism, the Franciscan order, and studying Italian. When he returned to Japan, he joined a Catholic church, received the Catechism, was baptised, and converted to Catholicism. “I found what I had been looking for all those years of wandering and searching,” he says.
Then it came full circle when he decided he wanted to go abroad again and volunteer at an NGO project in Africa. But that did not work out because of family obligations, and he decided to pursue a religious vocation. That is when he decided to join the Franciscan order. He decided to try out the friary for three days, which became three weeks, which became three months.. Then years. In 2010, he was ordained as a priest through the Francisan order.
His life then really came full circle when he realized he was homesick for Israel, where his seeking journey had begun. So, he asked to be sent to the Holy Land. His first assignment was at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in the Old City of Jerusalem, but he found the formality and Latin challenging and stayed there for less than a year. His next stop was in Ein Karem, Jerusalem, where he stayed for three years. And then Akko, where he stayed three years as well.
Next, he was sent to Nazareth, where he remains to this day, five years later. Because his Arabic is limited, it is hard for Father Naoki to serve the local community, so he mostly takes care of the parish and sanctuary and welcomes Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land, who make Nazareth a stop on their pilgrimage. He speaks many languages well enough to play this role. Japanese is his mother tongue, but he is also quite fluent in English and Italian, and his Hebrew is good enough, too, to get by, as is his Spanish; he speaks some French, and some Portuguese as well, as it is similar to Spanish.
When asked if he is in the Galilee to stay, he says he asks himself this often. While he does not feel he belongs in Japan anymore, he feels he does not fit in Middle Eastern culture, either. He appreciates the more multicultural nature of life in the Galilee, but he misses the order, consideration, and politeness of the Japanese. He finds the lack of regard for public spaces in Nazareth challenging. On the other hand, he appreciates the straight-forward approach of Israelis, who tend to speak their minds.
He finds he contains pieces of various cultures within himself that have been brought out through the time he spent in various places. For example, he likes to dance to Latin-American music, and he craves the green and moist climate of Japan, which speaks to his polytheistic roots, where spirits are located in nature. The dry, harsh climate of the Middle East invites one to look for the divine beyond what one sees in nature, he explains.
What he has found especially difficult living in the Middle East is a fear of the “other” that has become exacerbated because of the growth of religious extremism in the region. “We need to spread love, acceptance, and tolerance,” he says.”But all the wars and violence here, the organized crime and murders, it all makes it harder for people to be open to love. People are so busy protecting their own.”
The drain of Christians from the Holy Land saddens him, too. Because Christians tend to have fewer children than Muslims, they have naturally become a small minority in the Arab sector here. And so many are leaving. They send their children to study abroad, and then their children end up finding work there, marrying, and settling down outside Israel. “I am afraid our churches are becoming museums,” he says. “That makes me very sad.”
Another phenomenon he finds troubling is when people in the church close themselves off from Muslims and Jews here instead of getting involved in building bridges. But he also feels humbled as an outsider to try and understand the culture here. So he tries mostly to listen.
When the war started, Father Naoki began looking for groups who were working for peace. He found Standing Together, and through clergy who are involved in both that movement and Spirit of the Galilee, he found SOG. “I feel blessed I found these groups of people who are trying to bring people together in these polarizing times,” he says. “Especially, but not only, through faith. Anything that can build bridges now is so important. And this, I believe, is what God wants from us here.”
Please consider donating to SOG so we can continue to raise a religious and spiritual voice of peace in our war-torn land
Thank you for your support
We want to hear from you, so please email your comments or questions to Rabbi Leora Ezrachi-Vered, leora@spiritofthegalilee.org or U.S. Liaison Rabbi Haviva Ner-David, haviva@spiritofthegalilee.org.
Until next month, shalom, salaam, peace!
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