The key to understanding why Rabbi John L. Rosove wrote his latest book, (Ben Yehuda Press), is found in a single crucial phrase that appears in the subtitle of his new book: 鈥渢he millennial generation.鈥�听

鈥淚 hope to stimulate conversation and dialogue between parents and their grown children,鈥� he explains in the preface, 鈥渁s well as in synagogue communities, chavurot, teen programming, Hillel chapters, and university classes.鈥�

Rosove, the senior rabbi emeritus of Temple Israel of Hollywood and a prominent voice in the Reform movement, looks at Israel from the stance of someone who proudly calls himself a progressive and an activist. He understands that the case for Israel must be made for American Jews who embrace these values and believe the pursuit of social justice is a core value of Judaism. For Rosove, as for the State of Israel and the Zionist world, the problem to be solved is the gap between Israel and the Diaspora, and millennials are the ones who must close the gap.

鈥淗ere we鈥檝e been called to see our own face in the face of the stranger, to honor the rights of others, to value social justice and compassion,鈥� Rosove insists. 鈥淭he distance between here and there 鈥� the Israel that is and that ought to be, and the America that is and ought to be 鈥� is vast, and you and your generation will be the ones to carry that vision into the future.鈥�

鈥淲hy Israel Matters鈥� is a sequel to 鈥淲hy Judaism Matters,鈥� which was reviewed in the Journal in 2017. Rosove adopts the same approach in both听books 鈥� he makes his arguments in letters addressed to his grown sons, David and Daniel, that are signed, 鈥淟ove, Dad,鈥� and they respond to their father鈥檚 letters in an afterword. Each chapter includes a short list of 鈥淒iscussion Questions鈥� that are meant to inspire the readers to think and speak for themselves.

鈥淎s you listen to and read the news about Israel, have you at any time felt that your liberal 91传媒 values are in conflict with the choices and the military of Israel have taken?鈥� Rosove asks the reader in one such question. 鈥淚f so, what specific actions have challenged you and your values?鈥�

To his credit, Rosove does not understate or oversimplify the tensions that exist in the 91传媒 world. 鈥淎t its best, Israel is filled with intellectual vigor, a spirit of self-criticism, and the particularly 91传媒 habit of constantly questioning itself,鈥� he writes. 鈥淸T]here鈥檚 also a growing intolerance among some sectors of the population, especially from the religious right wing that is threatened by honest criticism and debate.鈥� But he insists that 鈥渨e can maintain our connection with Israel even when the Israeli government behaves in ways we find morally objectionable.鈥�

For Rosove, as for the State of Israel and the Zionist world, the problem to be solved is the gap between Israel and the Diaspora, and millennials are the ones who must close the gap.

Rosove enlivens his arguments with recollections of his own engagement and commitment over a long and distinguished career. He was studying Hebrew in Jerusalem in advance of his first year of rabbinical studies when he heard the air raid sirens that signaled the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. He volunteered to take the place of young Israelis who had been called to the fighting front by working on the night shift at a commercial bakery during the blackout hours.听

鈥淚 remember thinking for the first time in my life that from the center of the 91传媒 world in the holiest city in Judaism, I was participant in 91传媒 history,鈥� he recalls.

Many of Rosove鈥檚 memories hark back to his own education as a Jew and a Zionist here in Southern California. The late Rabbi Leonard Beerman of Leo Baeck Temple, a pacifist and a human rights activist, became 鈥渁 rabbinic model and a cherished friend.鈥� Shlomo Bardin, founder of what is now called the Brandeis-Bardin Institute, bestowed upon Rosove 鈥渁 less intellectual and more visceral cultural sense of 91传媒 identity.鈥� And he eventually came to think of himself as 鈥渁 liberal Reform aspirational Zionist鈥� whose 鈥渓iberalism demands acceptance of the other.鈥�

Rosove is equally vigorous and exacting when it comes to debunking the 鈥渋ncendiary statements tossed into conversations about the Israeli-Palestinian situation,鈥� including what he calls 鈥渢he 鈥榋ionism is Racism鈥� Argument,鈥� 鈥渢he 鈥業srael is an Apartheid State鈥� Argument鈥� and 鈥渢he 鈥楯ews were never there鈥� Argument.鈥� But he also insists that criticism of a specific policy of the government of Israel 鈥� 鈥渁nd especially with regard to the occupation of the Palestinians in the West Bank鈥� 鈥� is not equivalent to anti-Semitism. Indeed, he argues that 鈥渂eing pro-Israel also means being pro-Palestinian,鈥� and that 鈥渏ustice for the Palestinians is essential for a lasting peace.鈥�听

Like all progressives, Rosove is an unabashed optimist. 鈥淚鈥檓 not blind to the truth that Israel, like all democracies, is imperfect,鈥� he writes. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 excuse the occupation of another people for a minute. 鈥� But all things considered, Israel is an extraordinary success story, an experiment that has inspired hopes and dreams not just of the 91传媒 people, but of many peoples around the world. Even Israel鈥檚 enemies esteem what it created.鈥�

The book ends with an argument for 91传媒 exceptionalism. Is the 91传媒 state just one country among many countries, all of which assert the right to act solely in their own best interest? Or does Israel hold itself to a higher authority? His answer will come as no surprise: 鈥淚t鈥檚 clear that Isaiah鈥檚 vision that the 91传媒 people ought to be an or lagoyim 鈥� 鈥榓 light unto the nations鈥� (42:6) 鈥� is manifesting itself in a thousand rays of light.鈥�听

One such ray of light is 鈥淲hy Israel (and Its Future) Matters.鈥� Crucially, Rosove seeks to open, rather than change, the minds of his readers, to 鈥減rovoke conversation between American liberal Jews and Israelis.鈥� But the conversation must start here in America, where Israel has become a volatile subject to bring up among Jews with different points of view. If Rosove鈥檚 challenging but also compelling book allows us to find a way to speak to one another, his optimism will be justified.

Jonathan Kirsch, attorney and author, is the book editor of the 91传媒 Journal.