While there's "a lot that needs to be done," the leader of Bloomington-Normal’s Jewish community hopes the ceasefire deal halting the war in Gaza leads — finally — to a lasting peace in the Middle East.
Rabbi Rebecca Dubowe leads the Moses Montefiore Temple in Bloomington, the community's only synagogue.
She said Monday the deal is just the first step toward peace.
“It’s a big relief that the hostages are coming home and at the same time, we must continue to learn how to sit at the table and have conversation and continue to be open-minded and be educated,” Dubowe said on WGLT's Sound Ideas.
NPR reported Monday the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages were released by Hamas, just over two years since the Oct. 7 attack. Israel has freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Dubowe said she was relieved to see the hostages come home.
“I was in disbelief because it’s been a long two years, but then again I was very cautiously optimistic and very hopeful that it was actually happening,” she said.
Part of Dubowe’s struggle to believe the hostage release was finally happening was because of the previous failed attempts at reaching a deal. One larger setback was in July when President Trump ended negotiations early with Hamas.
“There’s been a number of them, so you don’t believe it until it actually happens,” she said. “Finally, this one, it actually happened and the proof of seeing the hostages coming home, that reaffirms to what was actually happening.”
Dubowe described seeing the hostages as emotional for her and many she knows, adding it was like finally being able to take a breath.
“People can find a way to believe in hope, that things can be for the better even though this is only the first step, but the very most important first step,” she said. “Because it’s a lot that has to continue. Dealing with trauma and dealing with war and dealing with different points of view and views. There’s a lot that needs to be done.”
Dubowe said she doesn’t know all the answers in terms of the next steps for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the best way to move forward in the region. What she does know is many people on various sides of the war want peace.
“I think that there are people who are Palestinians or Arabs or Israelis or Jews, they all can be in one community where they are actually actively working for peace. That group of people, that community has been around for years, it’s not brand new,” she said.
“Then there are those who are may be representatives of the Israeli government and also Hamas, which is a terrorist group. They do not speak for all Palestinians, there are many Palestinians who do want to live with their neighbors.”
Common ground
Dubowe said finding common ground from the Middle East to Bloomington-Normal is important.
In her congregation, she is hearing congregants come to terms with the war.
“I’ve been hearing people are struggling with the fact that there are certain things Israel may have done that really leave them with the question whether or not it's being fair, or how they treat others other than themselves,” she said. “And then there are others that are very passionate and connected with the land of Israel because it is our story, but it’s not only our story. It’s also other peoples' stories.”
Dubowe said despite different opinions, it is important for American and Bloomington-Normal Jews to feel they have a safe space to celebrate their culture and to worship.
“Israel is a very important part of that, but I do recognize, and it’s not for me to judge, we want to create a community where everybody feels welcome in terms of whatever their points of view are,” she said.
Outside of the congregation, Dubowe said it's important for others to understand those of Jewish faith do not hold one uniform opinion, and also are working to understand the conflict.
“I have encountered a number of people that are saying, ‘What can we do?’ and I think the most important thing is to be educated, to be informed just like with what’s happening in our country,” she said. “There’s a lot of misinformation, so just make sure that they know what they’re looking at.”
Dubowe said anti-Semitic threats and violence remain a concern in the U.S. and likened it to other marginalized communities.
"How many faith communities have security on top of their agenda?" Dubowe asked. "It's not just what's going on in Israel, it's how our country is defining anti-Semitism and what's happening on [college] campuses and what's happening in the workplace."
The progress to the ceasefire has been a difficult one, but Jews have always believed peace will come to fruition, she said.
"God willing, will it be in my lifetime? I want to believe that," Dubowe said.
