|
Dear Shir Tikvah,
Our tradition is meant to call us towards each other - to keep us compassionate, to help us articulate our grief and our rage and channel even our most broken-hearted moments towards love and service. Our tradition teaches, “In a moment when people are dehumanized and dehumanizing, try to be human.” As we grieve the many deaths and ongoing violence and destruction in Gaza, Israel/Palestine and the West Bank - specifically facing the senseless deaths of families in their tents in Rafah this week - and the ever-more elusive possibility of returning hostages to their families, we reach for language, for collective action, for our shared humanity.
We have spent the last many months creating containers at Shir Tikvah for us to stay open with each other, with the hope that if we maintained connection, curiosity and compassion for each other, we would be able to deepen our practice of tikkun (healing and transformation). We know it takes trust to keep learning, it takes courage to keep trying new things and we are grateful for the hundreds of you who have engaged and wrestled together over these months.
Today we are writing to share and reflect on some of the soulful and intentional deliberations we have had as a Board in shaping Shir Tikvah’s communal response to the devastation of October 7 and the continued military violence since. And we are writing to invite you into a closer relationship as the Board considers taking a public stance as a congregation on ceasefire at our next meeting on June 6. In advance of that meeting, we want to share a bit of where we’ve been, where we are, and what comes next, including how you can engage.
Where we’ve been
Since October 7, the Shir Tikvah Board of Trustees has been in an ongoing process of discernment about our role in relation to Israel and Palestine, both in terms of our responsibility as Jewish communal leaders and, more generally, how Shir Tikvah's board should speak in a collective voice while affirming our rabbis’ freedom of the pulpit. Rabbi Arielle has encouraged us to turn towards each other and take care in how we move together while centering our community's Core Commitments in how we engage with Israel/Palestine at Shir Tikvah after October 7.
As a Board, we have had robust, challenging conversations. As individuals, we have led and attended storytelling events and political education at Shir Tikvah. We have been transformed by the approach that these commitments have made possible - one that is relational, thoughtful, and grounded in our values and in the sanctity of life.
A few weeks ago, a group of Shir Tikvah congregants and community members requested that the Board formally and publicly take a position on ceasefire on behalf of the congregation. This request sparked the Board to continue wrestling with two questions that have been with us since October - what could or should move us as a Board to make a public statement, and if we did, what would it say?
Board members Howard Orenstein, MJ Gilbert and Jonah Rothstein raised their hands to write a potential statement. That process yielded the statement we are considering. Afterwards, while reflecting on their process, Howard, MJ, and Jonah said:
“The three of us approached this drafting with very different personal views on the conflict. From our multiple perspectives, we truly discussed every word with open hearts and open minds. We sought to coalesce around a set of principles that we believe represents not one person or group’s point of view, but rather represents a consensus of the vast majority of Shir Tikvah congregants and that is true to our synagogue’s values and mission. We are proud of and believe in where we landed. Our hope is that each congregant will see yourself and your loved ones reflected in the ruach (spirit) of the statement.”
Where we are now
We feel called to consider speaking with collective voice as a next step together - to allow us to continue to organize, pray and learn through this time. In the spirit of transparency, we have decided to share the statement we are considering at our next meeting, on June 6:
“At Shir Tikvah, we represent a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences regarding Israel/Palestine. We are dedicated to the value of B’tzelem Elohim (the sacredness of all human life). We lift our collective voice to support, advocate, and pray for an immediate ceasefire by all parties and the end to all hostilities in Gaza, Israel and Palestine, including:
- The immediate release of all hostages
- The unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza
- The restoration of food, water, electricity and medical supplies into Gaza
- The return of people displaced since October 7 to their homes, and assistance in rebuilding destroyed homes and infrastructure
- Respect for International Law and the Geneva conventions
- A negotiated resolution that honors justice, freedom, security, and self-determination for all innocent people”
Any public statement can seem woefully inadequate in the face of the suffering and catastrophes, both humanitarian and political, that we are currently facing. And we know that no statement can fully hold Shir Tikvah's relationship with Israel/Palestine, our vision for justice, nor our collective sense of the multivalent crisis of this moment. That is why we would not view any public statement as an end, but rather an outgrowth and continuation of these last eight months of passionate, heartfelt communal organizing in the face of horrific violence.
What comes next
We recognize that reaching out to the congregation prior to a Board vote is a nontraditional approach. We know that we cannot vote until we open this process to the fullness of our community and invite your engagement. We honor the diversity of perspectives and experiences of our community and hope that you will share your voice and perspective. We trust you, our congregation, to meet us in this moment.
As we move towards this Board conversation and decision next week, we want to hear from you:
- How have you engaged with Shir Tikvah’s Israel/Palestine organizing approach in the past 7 months? What has your engagement meant to you and what does it tell you about how we should move forward together?
- What do you want the Board to know as it considers taking a public stance on behalf of the congregation towards ceasefire?
If you would like to share your perspective with the Board, please click here and use this form by next Tuesday, June 4th. This form includes the questions above and the option to request to meet with a board member for a 1:1 conversation.
With kavod,
Ben Goldfarb, President, Board of Trustees
Abbie Shain, Vice President, Board of Trustees
| 
