Passover is the holiday of spring and renewal, both here and in the land of Israel. While in recent weeks we have seen much news of turmoil in the Israeli government, difficulties in the Palestinian Authority, and violence between Palestinians and Israelis, the coming of spring reminds us of the imperative to hope for better days and to search for ways toward peace. From April 16-25 I will be traveling to Israel with a group of paired rabbis and Christian clergy under the auspices of Interfaith Partners for Peace, whose co-director is our own Rabbi Emeritus Leonard Gordon. We will be meeting with leaders and ordinary people on many different sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, listening for the different narratives they articulate, the hopes and fears they carry, and the ways they are finding to work toward peace even in these difficult times. I will be posting about my travels on my Facebook page as well as on my blog so you can follow along, and I will be bringing these experiences back to share with the GJC community when I return. May we all learn much together!