Jewish Federation of Cincinnati

Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC)

More and more, I find myself sharing the following memory: In high school, I was the president of my school’s Model UN. At one convention, our group was representing Israel, and we succeeded at brokering peace in the Middle East and a two-state solution. And it wasn’t even that hard.

I find new relevance in this story—which I had forgotten until recently—in recalling how easy it was to create “peace.” Specifically, I have been reflecting on how the less skin you have in the game, the easier it is to pretend that everything can be solved simply.

Much local and national discourse relating to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas features a refrain cut from this cloth: We just need a ceasefire now, details be damned. But, for those actually in the conflict, the details matter. It’s why the relevant parties—Israel and Hamas—have failed to broker lasting peace, let alone a temporary ceasefire, even though doing so may seem patently simple to Westerners.

If we want to have impact, our efforts are best spent where we do have skin in the game—our local community. That’s why our team has been busy continuing to meet with local partners, finding ways to build relationship here. Some of that is easy—even fun—like attending the installation of Rev. Canon Kristin Uffelman White as Southern Ohio’s new Episcopal Bishop. Other times it’s challenging—like having strained, painful conversations with community partners with whom we are at odds regarding Israel and antisemitism.

In all cases, our work is most efficacious when it identifies partners who are local and goals that are realistic, which can be accomplished by us and our allies, right here in our region. Such aims may feel more limited or even sometimes accommodationist, but that’s how progress really gets made—one step, one goal, and one relationship at a time.