T’ruah brings North American Jewish clergy to the occupied Palestinian territories to bear witness to the effects of the occupation on Palestinians. We meet with Palestinian and Israeli human rights activists and civil society leaders to learn about facts on the ground and the work being done to bring about systemic change. Rabbis and cantors return to their home communities empowered to be stronger moral leaders – with new knowledge, new Torah, and new relationships that they can draw upon to continue working for a more just future for Israelis and Palestinians.
Sample Day Trip: A visit to al-Walaja
- Gather in Jerusalem to begin the day with brief introductions and a chant/niggun
- Board the bus and meet our guide for the day, a human rights expert from a local NGO.
- In transit, our guide will give a historical overview of the situation in al-Walaja, a village in East Jerusalem threatened with extensive housing demolitions.
- Tour Al-Walaja with village leaders to get a better understanding of the current facts on the ground
- Return to T’ruah’s meeting space at Hamiffal in Jerusalem for dinner and a post-tiyyul discussion and text study
- Close with a chant/niggun
“Before traveling to the South Hebron Hills with T’ruah, I knew intellectually that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank was unjust…However, seeing with my own eyes the attempt to drive Palestinians out of Masafer Yatta, the rural area surrounding the West Bank Palestinian city of Yatta, brought the harsh reality home to my kishkes (my insides).
I am grateful to be a T’ruah rabbi, in the ongoing effort to shine a light on the tikkun Israel must undertake to vouchsafe its future and save its soul. What I witnessed in the South Hebron Hills with T’ruah will enhance my advocacy to end the West Bank occupation.”
Congregation B’nai Israel
Little Rock, AR
Plant Two Trees for Justice
Plant seeds of justice in Israel and the West Bank, to honor or remember a loved one.
When rabbis visit the West Bank
Rabbi Lisa Gelber reflects on her trip to the South Hebron Hills this summer with T’ruah.