I consider myself to be an open-minded person. Liz Lerman once told me that I was the most opinionated open-minded person that she knew. But Jimmy Carter's latest book is one that I am content to judge by its cover, as well as by the many reviews I have read.

Peace, Not Apartheid. Carter defends the title by saying that he is referring to Palestine, not Israel. Perhaps he should be referring to Saudi Arabia where there are neither churches, synagogues nor Palestinians--all are illegal. Carter, from the quotes that I have read, gets it wrong regarding Israel and the Palestinians on every count.

Rabbi David Forman, founder of the Israeli organization Rabbis for Human Rights and one of the most active peaceniks/civil rights activists in all of Israel, expressed the sentiments that many of us feel when he wrote in his review:

"We are not talking about one country, Israel, where citizens are denied basic rights, but of one country, Israel, with rights for all its citizens, and one aspiring Palestinian nation, trying to cast off the yoke of Israeli occupation by means so brutal that they defy the human imagination (an aspiring nation that has so far displayed no semblance of human rights or democracy). This is not apartheid...

"Citizens who vote for Hamas whose charter is anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic should expect repercussions, especially when that charter is realized through continual acts of terror."

You can find Rabbi Forman's complete review at www.cvspeaks.com.

The most egregious sin of Carter's book, and I use that word deliberately, is in his use of the separation barrier as a metaphor for apartheid. The barrier is there to protect Israeli citizens from suicide bombings. Israel built the barrier as a last resort to try and protect its citizens, and Israeli leaders are well aware that the barrier is only a temporary, defensive measure. They know the day will come when terrorists will find a way-- through tunnels or other means--to circumvent the barrier and the protection that it provides.

If such a book had to be written, so filled with errors and prejudices, I wish that it had not been this former president's. Jimmy Carter, after all, is the hero of the historic Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt. Now, in regard to Israel at least, he has sullied his own name. Who knows why Carter wrote the book? He has to deal with his conscience just as I have to deal with mine--in fiercely disliking and disagreeing with a book that I have not read.

There is no better way to get a feel for the complexity of Israel's reality in the world today than by being there. Visiting Israel never ceases to be a thrill. In Israel, you touch Jewish history even as you watch it unfold. Plans for Temple Micah's December trip are well under way. We will spend time in Haifa with our sister congregation, Or Hadash. We will visit regions damaged in last summer's war. We will explore Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. It will be an amazing trip. Space is limited so please sign up now. The trip is open to all--singles, families with children, as well as those without.

Finally, it is Pesach--Season of our Freedom. How we need to appreciate that gift and how we need to embrace the religious obligation that is at the heart of the Passover message: to work to redeem others from their enslavement. Those in this country with no access to medical insurance are in bondage. Those who immigrated to this country illegally and are cut off from their families are in bondage. Those held in Guantanamo without recourse to legal representation are in bondage. Those in Darfur are in bondage.

The Torah says that God heard the cries of our ancestors to redeem us. We are God's partners. Passover's command calls us to be messengers of God's great liberation and to hear the painful cries of slaves today. May God's command echo around your Seder table and through your hearts so that we are all called to action.

Chag Sameach!