Temple Isaiah Member Since: 1981
What Israel Means to Me
I grew up in a Zionist home. My mother was very active in NA’AMAT USA, the Labor Zionist organization that does so much to support women and children in Israel; I am a life member. So it seems natural to me to want to stand up for Israel when it is under attack. This past summer Chuck and I went to a community-wide memorial service sponsored by CJP and JCRC for the three Israeli boys kidnapped and killed, and we went to Boston City Hall Plaza with 40 others from Temple Isaiah to join 3,000 at a Rally in Solidarity with Israel in the face of rocket-attacks and terror tunnels by Hamas.
And yet I am very aware that much must still be changed in Israel for it to live up to its founding values. My heroine is Anat Hoffman, leader of Women of the Wall and Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism. The legal advocacy and social justice work of Anat and the IRAC make me feel confident that Israel can live up to democratic ideals of gender equality, religious pluralism, and civil rights for all citizens even as Israel continues to fight for a peaceful existence in a very rough neighborhood.
What I Do to Support the Jewish State
I read each week “The Pluralist,” the e-newsletter from the IRAC, and whenever a matter in Israel needs a lovingly critical voice from Diaspora Jews, I sign online petitions to the Prime Minister of Israel. I also contribute to the New Israel Fund (NIF—which supports grass-root organizations in Israel that work to develop progressive change).
What You Can Do to Support Israel
Everyone should understand the wide spectrum of political positions in Israel and know that one can support Israel without having to accept uncritically policies of the Israeli government. Take time to learn about organizations whose goals are a liberal, pluralist, and just society for Israel. You can start online with www.irac.org and www.nif.org.