A Call to Clergy

In less than two weeks, we will celebrate Yom HaAtzma’ut and Israel’s 75th anniversary. This is a monumental occasion. The establishment of the State of Israel is, without doubt, the greatest achievement of the Jewish people in the modern era. And yet, this anniversary comes in the midst of overwhelming political violence, as well as the brazen attempt by the most extremist government in Israel’s history to turn the country we love into a fascist theocracy. And it comes amid the most sustained protest movement in Israel’s history.

Our message to our communities is that this is the moment to engage, not disengage from Israel, and that this engagement must take the form of supporting democracy in Israel and human rights for both Jews and Palestinians. Loving Israel does not mean looking away. 

Resources

• Updated and timely Israel talking points (below)
• Parshat Tazria-Metzora sermon ideas (Read here)
• Rabbi Ayelet Cohen’s 75th anniversary prayer for the state of Israel (Download here)
• Starter texts on the number 75 in Jewish tradition, prepared by Rabbis Ian Chesir-Teran and Lev Meirowitz Nelson (Download here)
• J Street’s resource “Jewish Texts: Speaking About Israel and Threats to Its Democracy” (Download here)
• More T’ruah resources for responding to violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories (Read here)

Talking Points

• In this tenuous and difficult moment, we must not turn away — we have a responsibility to be in relationship with the State of Israel and help ensure that it upholds and protects the human rights of all its residents. Our tradition compels us to address these contemporary issues and hold ourselves and Israel to this standard. 
• This government is the most extremist in Israeli history, and anyone who cares about the future of Israel must speak out against their dangerously anti-democratic aims. The governing coalition desires a judicial overhaul not as an end in itself, but because it would make possible their goal of establishing a fascist theocracy with no regard for the rights of LGBTQ people, women, Palestinians, and other marginalized groups.
• The events of recent weeks, including the murder of Rina, Maia and Lucianne Dee, police beating Palestinians in Al-Aqsa Mosque, the horrific pogrom in the Palestinian village of Huwara, the effective de jure annexation of the West Bank, and the legal permission to settle the northern West Bank did not happen in a vacuum, but rather as a byproduct of an Israeli military occupation that has existed for over five decades. We must recognize and name that deadly attacks on Israeli Jews are not increasing because of some inherent Palestinian tendency toward violence. Rather, the cycle of deepening occupation, settlement expansion and pseudo-annexation is destructive for all Israelis and Palestinians. This certainly does not excuse terrorism, for which there is no excuse. But we will not have an end to violence until there is a lasting peace agreement based on the human rights of both peoples. The Israelis who continue to protest this government know that it will not keep them safe. 
• As Jewish clergy we have an obligation to raise our moral voices against injustice being perpetrated at home and abroad. We stand in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have continued to protest in the streets of Israel and in the diaspora, even after the temporary judicial overhaul freeze that went into effect in late March.
• The creation of the state of Israel is the most significant development in recent Jewish history. Protecting Israel’s independent judiciary is essential for maintaining the country’s democratic soul. As Israel reaches its 75th year, we celebrate the organizations and individuals on the ground who are working tirelessly to end division, maintain democratic order, and protect the civil and human rights of all Israelis and Palestinians.
• American Jews must voice our opinions about injustices being perpetrated in and by the State of Israel. If this moment — when countless American Jewish communities and organizations have used their voices to express deep concern for Israel’s democratic future — has taught us anything, it is that we have a role to play in supporting those voices on the ground who are advocating for democracy and human rights and in shaping Israel’s future as a democratic Jewish homeland. It is clear from this moment that right-wing American Jews have been shaping Israel’s policies for decades; if we walk away, we only concede to them.
• As part of the negotiations that led to freezing the judicial overhaul, the Israeli cabinet authorized plans for a militia sought by religious extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. We can only assume that this militia, which Ben-Gvir has said would deal with civil unrest in Palestinian communities in Israel, means that more violent days are on the horizon. Now is not the time for silence; we must continue using our voices and raising concerns about this coalition’s judicial plans and treatment of the Palestinian people.