Slichot for the Status Quo

On the Eve of Yom Kippur I went to the Western Wall and apologized.

Last night I said my last Slichot (from the root of the Hebrew word for apologies) before the Day of Atonement.

According to The Complete Artschroll Slichot, the tradition dates to the 9th Century and commemorates the Israelittes atonement standing idly while the Golden Calf was erected and worshipped.


When I said my Slichot last night it was not for alowing people to worship idols but for standing idly by while a culture of fear and mistrust between Israelis and Palestinians remains and grows in the Holy Land.

The second part of Slichot is to resolve to a new action. In the case of the Golden Calf, the Israellites made a covenent with God to never allow idol worship in theri ranks.

Similarly we must promise to overthrow the culture of isolation that builds walls and divisions between Abrahamic brothers in Israel and Palestine.