Rabbi's Update 10/16/26
Dear Friends:
The comedian and TV host Bill Maher has a segment of his show called “New Rules”. He starts with four or five quick one liners and then segues into a longer and more serious segment which is his main commentary for the night.
The nature of discourse over Israel and the Middle East in our country demands, in my opinion, a “New Rule.” Anyone who spouts off opinions about the Middle East or Israel has to answer two questions if they want to be taken seriously:
Protesters often chant “from the river to the sea.” What river and what sea?
What was the Sykes-Picot Agreement and what is its relevance to the situation today?
Earlier this week Keleigh and I watched a BBC documentary called “The Real Lawrence of Arabia.” It documented, among other things, the PTSD and depression that T.E. Lawrence suffered after the end of the First World War.
Lawrence was sincere in his desire to help the Arabs shake off the domination of the Ottoman Empire and gain independence. He was sent by the British Army to organize the Arab rebellion against the Ottoman Turks because Turkey was an ally of Germany. But towards the end of the war Lawrence came to realize that the British and their French allies had no intention of allowing the Arabs to gain independence. The Sykes-Picot Agreement decided which parts of the former Ottoman territories would come under British rule and which under French. The British promised the same territories to the Hashemite Dynasty (which today rules Jordan) and the House of Saud. The three Ottoman sub-districts which became British Mandatory Palestine (and ultimately Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan) were simultaneously promised to the Jews and to the Arabs.
Realizing that he and his Arab proteges were betrayed by His Majesty’s Government, Lawrence handed his resignation to General Allenby and fell into a deep depression from which he never recovered. He died in a motorcycle accident in 1935, riding at extreme high speed on a winding country road that was not designed for this type of activity.
When you read about instability and political violence in Lebanon, realize that this is a result of the Sykes-Picot Agreement which continues to work precisely as it was designed to. Under the Ottoman Empire, Lebanon was part of Syria and not a separate entity. What is today Syria and Lebanon came under French control after World War I. The French carved Lebanon out of Syria on behalf of their Maronite Christian allies. But the French wanted to make sure that the Maronites would continue to be dependent on their French benefactors, so rather than carve out a territory with a strong Christian majority they drew the borders to include large numbers of Sunni and Shiite Muslims as well as Druze. Communal strife and instability in Lebanon is no accident; it is a direct and anticipated result of decisions the French government made more than a century ago.
You likely know that Israel is scheduled to have parliamentary elections on Oct. 27. On Thursday Oct. 22 my “History of Zionism” course will look at the various parties running in the election and how they relate -- if they do -- to the historic approaches within the Zionist movement. I’ll explain briefly how the Israeli electoral system works and speculate on what the results might be.
Through January I will be adjusting the timing of my Thursday drop-in hours. I’m enrolled in a Certificate Program in Jewish Innovation and our class meets Thursdays from 1 to 2:30 pm Eastern time. Therefore my drop-in hours will be from 2:45 to 4:30. Please remember that these are not the only hours I am available to you -- I am happy to meet you in person, over Zoom or by telephone at a time which is convenient for you.
If you or someone you know is in need because of having been laid off, or has lost benefits of some type and needs immediate help, please let me know. I can access limited funds through the Jewish Federation almost immediately. The Jewish Federation has set up a hotline to access assistance at 703-JCARING.
For longer-term help, the Hebrew Free Loan Society will loan up to $18,000 interest-free. These funds can be accessed for any need, such as creating a family or opening a business or any other need. They are not just for people who have lost government benefits or employment.
As a reminder, I am having drop-in hours on Thursday afternoons from 2 to 4 at the shul. For my drop-in hours, you do not need to make an appointment -- that would negate the whole point of drop-in hours -- but I’d urge you to check and make sure I am there regardless as sometimes there are unavoidable pastoral or other emergencies which might take me away from the building.
As always, if I can do anything for you or you need to talk, please contact me at rabbi@kehilatshalom.org rather than through the synagogue office. I am happy to meet you at the synagogue by appointment; if you want to speak with me it’s best to make an appointment rather than assuming I will be there when you stop by.
Additionally, if you know of a Kehilat Shalom congregant or another member of our Jewish community who could use a phone call, please let me know.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Charles L. Arian
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