May 13, 2021
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Over the course of this past year, I have spent countless hours leading conversations about Israel using a curriculum called iEngage Israel. The program which was offered in a half dozen Minneapolis synagogues was sponsored by the Minneapolis Jewish Federation. Rather than discuss the history or politics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we discussed Jewish values […]
Continue readingMay 13, 2021
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Tired, scared, isolated. That’s how it’s felt in recent days with the current round of violence in Israel. Even though we aren’t under threat of actual rockets or airstrikes here in Minnesota, it can often feel like we are. I’m accused of supporting ethnic cleansing, white supremacy and genocide against Palestinians by the left. The […]
Continue readingMay 11, 2021
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The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC), Minneapolis Jewish Federation, and St. Paul Jewish Federation released the following joint statement: We stand in solidarity with the people of Israel who are under attack by Hamas, an Iranian-backed genocidal terrorist enemy. The all-too-familiar escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza is deeply upsetting […]
Continue readingSeptember 3, 2020
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A better way to talk about Israel than the conversation that often dominates Jewish life.
Continue readingSeptember 1, 2020
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We invite you to broaden your horizons from the comfort of your own home, to journey across narratives. Take a deep dive into complexity. Join a 21st-century conversation. The vehicle for that conversation is a short, powerful book by Yossi Klein Halevi, Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor: With an Extensive Epilogue of Palestinian Responses. The slim volume is a […]
Continue readingJune 16, 2020
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We speak unanimously as the 42 rabbis of the Minnesota Rabbinical Association (MRA) to oppose any unilateral annexation of the West Bank.
Continue readingJune 16, 2020
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Hi from my couch (Poland) – Magda Rubenfeld!” “Hello from St Petersburg, Russia – Nadia Bezuevskaia!” “Rehovot is here:) – Pola Barkan!” “Hello from Majorca Island, SPAIN – Dani Rotstein!” The chat screen lit up with places all over the world. Everyone was gathered for the 248 Community Action Network (248) Global Summit on Sunday, […]
Continue readingJanuary 21, 2020
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Rabbi Michael Latz quotes Hamilton when asked why he wanted to be on the Hatikvah: Progressive Israel Slate for the World Zionist Congress elections: “’We need to be in the room where it happens.’ Especially with a billion dollars at stake.” The World Zionist Congress is the legislative body of the World Zionist Organization, which […]
Continue readingJanuary 7, 2020
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I hadn’t been to Israel in 17 years, since going on Birthright with a group of fellow students from UW-Madison, on a trip lead by Benjie Kaplan, the current University of Minnesota Hillel director. Since that trip, Israel just sort of existed in my memories as a place I had enjoyed, the homeland for the […]
Continue readingJanuary 7, 2020
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Fourteen years ago, I left Minnesota for Richmond. I watched the greenery of Minnesota disappeared beneath my feet. I left behind the tundra, tough-loving state for another state, it wasn’t my choice. Fourteen years later, I returned and Minnesota never felt like home. No matter where I’ve lived (and I’ve lived in many states – […]
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