We are now marking Yom Ha-shoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, and soon we will bless the new month of ’Iyyar, which includes Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror — both of them days replete with pain and collective trauma. For years I have experienced discomfort regarding the way in which these days are framed. Trauma that goes untreated becomes a shadow and a destructive force — both for the “other” and for ourselves. And we, as a people, suffer from untreated PTSD. Appropriation of that trauma by our national identity and for political aims can be discerned in how we are prosecuting this cruel war.
These wars are the result of untreated wounds suffered by both post-traumatic peoples, the Israelis and the Palestinians, as our sadistic leaders take advantage of our pain to incite hatred in order to exert control. In effect, we are captive under a “leadership” that does not lead, but rather immortalizes retraumatization.
’Iyyar (איר) is an acronym for ’Ani YHWH rof’ekha, “I am Adonai your healer.” The hidden meaning of this is that we are the healers of the divine shekhina that dwells within each human being. And healing will become possible when we understand that pain is not a uniquely Jewish phenomenon. When we recognize our common human pain, will we find a political solution and true healing.
