Report on Kehillah Conversation #3: Israel
The third Kehillah Conversation took place on February 9
after Kiddush, and was attended by about 45 members. A perfectly appropriate D’var
Torah by Rabbi Julia Appel during the service drew upon her experiences in
Jerusalem and Bethlehem with people coming from widely diverse backgrounds;
this was a perfect way to set the stage for us by emphasizing the value of
respectful listening and dialogue with each
other as we engage with Israel. She also invited us to not allow the mystique
of “expertise” to intimidate us from freely expressing our personal feelings in
grappling with the difficult issues that Israel faces.
Our conversation was launched by Eric
Caplan, who provided an insightful opening statement pointing out that
discourse on controversial Israeli policies often reveals underlying
assumptions and fears that need to be addressed (rather than be left unspoken) in
order to build meaningful understandings. Neil Caplan moderated the discussion which,
he hoped, would provide the shul leadership not only with a sense of the range
of opinions that exist in our community, but also, eventually, practical ideas to
help guide them in decision-making on these often contentious issues.
Some of the opinions expressed emphasized the following:
·
The need to continue our
shul’s longstanding tradition of welcoming a variety of opinions rather than promoting
one “side” only – whether on the Israel-Palestine conflict, religious-secular
tensions, or social justice issues.
·
Several participants spoke
of not wanting to jeopardize the precious “safe space” the shul provided for
people to expound on their different and sometimes sharply conflicting views.
·
The importance of keeping a
long-range perspective on guests and topics, rather than expecting a one-to-one
ratio of presentations from the right and left of the spectrum.
·
Members would benefit from
more and continuous learning about historical, legal and political aspects of
Israel’s position, as well as activities that deepen of our understanding of
the Palestinian and Arab “other”.
·
The need to clarify which
organizations and individuals can be endorsed or supported officially by our
shul, and which can be invited for educational purposes without such official endorsement.
·
The question of setting
“red-lines” under which our synagogue’s engagement with Israel should operate,
including the question of whether “love of Israel” as a country needs to be a
pre-requisite for participation.
·
The desirability, but also
the drawbacks, of drawing up written guidelines for acceptable Israel-related
activities, to orient the leadership and members.
·
The need for more
discussion and sharing of views among our own members in the spirit of
respectful conversation.
·
Possible outcomes of this
discussion include: (a) a task force working on the formulation of guidelines, (b)
intimate kumsitz-type gatherings to learn more about each other, (c) follow-up
conversations about our programs that satisfy or displease various members (including
ex-members), (d) engaging in one or more “compassionate listening” training sessions,
and learning other skills for effective dialogue, (e) an effort to attract more
members to Adult-Ed sessions to view and discuss the Hartman Institute’s excellent
iEngage DVD series, “Engaging Israel: Towards a New Relationship”.
Our fourth Kehillah
conversation will take place on Wednesday, May 1 on the topic of Simplicity and
Money Issues. All shul members are warmly encouraged to participate. Your
comments on this or any past or upcoming Kehillah conversation can also be emailed
to the Rabbi at: rabbiron@dorshe-emet.org or to Rosana at: president@dorshei-emet.org
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