For the past eight years I have had the pleasure of working alongside Rep. Keith Ellison, who represents the congressional district of our congregation Shir Tikvah.
While T’ruah does not take a position on the race for DNC chair or any other elections, we have been concerned by attacks on Rep. Ellison or comparisons between him and active supporters of white supremacy.
I know Keith well. He believes in peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians through a two-state solution, and traveled to Israel several times to learn about the situation firsthand. Let there be no mistake about it: Keith fully supports Israel, wants peace negotiations to resume, is committed to stopping terrorism, seeks an end to the expansion of settlements, and calls for a fully independent Palestinian state side-by-side with Israel.
Keith has actively spoken out against anti-Semitism, including denouncing the anti-semitism of Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam. As the first Muslim member of Congress, he has sustained attacks from those who falsely smear all Muslims as supporters of terrorism. Today, when both Jews and Muslims are under attack—along with members of other minority groups—we must stand together even more strongly than before to reject stereotyping.
While I haven’t agreed with every single vote of his—namely his 2014 protest vote against funding Israel’s mobile air defense system known as Iron Dome—Keith is a stalwart champion of Israel. Keith holds a similar position on Israel as those held by Secretaries of State John Kerry and Hillary Clinton. While one can argue about the merits of the Democratic Party platform on Israel and Palestine over the past decade, one cannot legitimately claim that Keith’s position is a departure from it. Any claims that Keith is anything but a friend to Israel and to the Jewish people are unsubstantiated.
Rabbi Michael Adam Latz leads Shir Tikvah Congregation in Minneapolis, Minnesota.