Israel, Israel-Palestine

The state of Israel is filled with symbols and hopes for Jews everywhere: it is a link with the covenantal relationship between God and the people, a vibrant center of Jewish culture, and a haven from persecution for Jews from many countries. We are dedicated to the survival of Israel as an independent Jewish state in which Jews can live in dignity, continue and revive their traditions, and shape their own future. Our need to see a secure Israel, however, must not blind us to the suffering of the Palestinians, who also have ties to the land. The perpetuation of this suffering violates the Jewish commitments to justice and compassion. Jews and Palestinians must recognize and support one another's rights to national self-determination in the land they share and revere. Without this, there can be no peace and no security for either people. We therefore support those groups and individuals within Israel who are working for a just end to the conflict and long-term solution based upon mutual recognition.

April 2024 Statement:

After an agonizing six months of suffering, starting with the atrocities committed in Israel, followed by relentless destruction in Gaza, Mishkan Shalom calls on all parties for an immediate sustainable ceasefire.

It is past time to count the dead. Gaza is being demolished, and its people and culture destroyed. We are Jews with a profound love of our traditions and our people, and a profound dedication to justice born of our own history as an enslaved and slaughtered people. Now we are forced to witness grave injustices, massive killing, displacement, and an imposed deliberate famine for the entire civilian population in Gaza. We cannot turn away. We cannot stand by.

We can and must stand on the side of all humanity and cry out for peace, now and going forward.

We call on Israel and Egypt to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza immediately from all borders without restriction. We call on Hamas to release all the hostages taken on October 7th. We call on the international community to urgently demand an end to this violence, and to protect the sacredness of every soul, every life, in Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank. All of these must happen, but first, the killing must end.

• Please see as background the recent statement from HIAS, one of the most respected nonprofit International Jewish Organizations

• Given the ever-changing situation, for more resources and places to contribute, please go to Mishkan Shalom’s Israel-Palestine resource document, or the Reconstructing Judaism movement's website.

October 2023 Statement

Mishkan Shalom condemns the recent attack on Israelis by Hamas and joins in solidarity with the people of Israel. We hold the leaders of Hamas and other militant groups responsible for this senseless loss of life, and we demand international accountability for these actions. We pray for the safety of all those taken into captivity and call for their immediate release.

"We also acknowledge the preceding decades of loss of life of Israelis and Palestinians and that violence often leads to more violence. Over two million Palestinian civilians in Gaza, have lived in oppressive conditions for years, and thousands have been killed and many more displaced. Families across Israel, in the West Bank, and Gaza are terrified and in mourning.

"We pray for a swift end to this violence and humanitarian aid corridors, and we hope that even further conflagration and suffering for Israelis and Palestinians can be prevented. Given the ever-changing situation, for more resources and places to contribute, please go to the Reconstructing Judaism movement's website Reconstructing Judaism and Mishkan Shalom's Collection of reflections.

Israel-Related Programming

Israel-related programming at Mishkan Shalom evolves in relation to the needs and concerns of our community.

Our congregation has a range of opinions regarding Israel and Palestine, but we are united in standing against inhumane actions. We are also guided by the core message of Passover: liberation, freedom, ending oppression and connection to the cycles of the earth.

We are taught, “Do not stand idly by while your neighbor bleeds.” We live in a global world, with many “neighbors” in many places. As we do here against decisions of our own government that undermine our democracy and challenge human rights, we challenge the decisions of the Israeli government when they contravene these principles.

5786 Program Offerings

Expanding the Conversation 

We are a co-sponsor of this collaborative effort led by Reconstructionist rabbis on Israel/Palestine. Guided by the values of justice and the dignity and equal worth of all human life, we seek to promote discussion of the histories and current conditions of Israel/Palestine that challenge the boundaries of current Reconstructionist approaches to Israel/Palestine and re-examine customary assumptions about the role of Israel in diaspora Jewish life. The collective opposes Israel’s domination of the Palestinian people in all its forms and hopes to deepen its members’ relationship with Jews and Palestinians seeking a future of justice and equality in Israel/Palestine. The organization is committed to conducting a series of discussions with open hearts and minds, respectful listening, and acknowledgement of our shared commitment to the Jewish values of tzedek ve-chesed (justice and compassion) for all.

Previous Offerings

An Evening with Peter Beinart

In March 2025, Mishkan hosted an evening with journalist and author Peter Beinart, when he discussed his new book, Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: a Reckoning, in an interview with his friend, author Ahmed Moor. Beinart is a professor of Journalism and Political Science at City University of New York, Editor-at-Large of Jewish Currents magazine, and a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times and Non-resident Fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace. Rabbi Nancy Fuchs Kreimer moderated the discussion.

Community Connections and Conversations on Israel/Palestine

In September 2024, we held a community conversation on Israel/Palestine, facilitated by Rebecca Subar and Noah T. Winer from Dragonfly Partners. Together, our community entered a space of curious and grounded communication to help us towards a path of listening, understanding, and healing on the subject.

Israelism

In 2024, Mishkan collaborated with If Not Now and hosted a screening and panel discussion of the documentary, Israelism. Israelism traces the journey of two young American Jews as they become aware of the Occupation and Israel's dehumanization of Palestinians and begin to question whether support for Israel should define their Jewish identity. The film features a range of American Jewish thinkers, community leaders and activists, and asks how Israel became the cornerstone of American Judaism, what the consequences have been, and what will happen as divisions continue to grow.

In 2024, Mishkan collaborated with If Not Now and hosted a screening and panel discussion of the documentary, Israelism. Israelism traces the journey of two young American Jews as they become aware of the Occupation and Israel's dehumanization of Palestinians and begin to question whether support for Israel should define their Jewish identity. The film features a range of American Jewish thinkers, community leaders and activists, and asks how Israel became the cornerstone of American Judaism, what the consequences have been, and what will happen as divisions continue to grow.

Graphic Novel Seminar

In 2024, the Israel/Palestine Committee, Education Committee, and the Library Committee collaborated to present together a series of discussions intended to create a space for dialogue around events in Israel/Palestine based on graphic novels, Not the Israel My Parents Promised Me and Palestine.