Not Far Away - Page 3

Not Far Away - Page 3

Peacemaker and Rabble Rouser

Far Guide, Rabbi Ben Learned, passed on last year at the ripe old age of 93. He had been a family friend since my boyhood days and 10 years ago, presided at my father's funeral, where he gave comfort and wisdom to the mourning. Good grief is what we called it. In his final year, Far Guide gave a High Holy Days sermon, in which he blasted Israeli Army tactics during the summer's war in Gaza. Far Guide was a vocal critic of Israel, a rabbi who built bridges with Muslims and promoted inter-faith relations. A US Marine in World War II, Ben Learned went to Jerusalem to study for the rabbinate, and joined the Jewish underground army to battle Arabs. What he had seen made him an ardent pacifist. As he said, "People transformed to just hating, hating, hating – it's no way for humankind to survive."

Far Guide angered many Jews by calling for a two-state solution in Palestine and Israel, and forbade the Israeli and U.S. flags from flying above his temple. When he left us, he too had laid down a foundation of faith, like the bedrock of Jerusalem stone. Far Guide stayed with me on this trip, 'not far away' and gave vision and voice to the conflicts of the day. He was truly a man who spoke truth to power.