The Israel Committee is a vibrant group of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue members who love Israel and work to promote the ideological and spiritual bonds that connect us to the Jewish homeland. We sponsor programs and lectures and encourage active participation in Israeli activities.
Our programs support our “LEAP” goals:
Learn: To learn with our fellow congregants about the history, challenges, and accomplishments of the State of Israel and about the moral and historical foundations of Zionism.
Engage: To inspire a deeper engagement by our congregants with the people and the land of Israel by connecting to Israel, Israelis, and Israeli institutions.
Advocate: To advocate for the security and well-being of Israel and to participate in communal action relating to Israel.
Promote: To promote the connection of Jewish peoplehood to the land of Israel and to promote the principles of Zionism among our fellow congregants and the broader Jewish community.
Resources on the Current Conflict in Israel
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch’s Message to Our Congregation
Special briefing with Ambassador Michael Oren, recorded on May 11, 2021 (30 minute video)
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, press page
Joint Arab Jewish Public Statement from school principals in Haifa
Jerusalem Clashes: How Palestinians Rallied Behind Sheikh Jarrah, Nir Hasson HAARETZ
This Has Nothing to do with Sheikh Jarrah, Bassem Eid TIMES OF ISRAEL
Israelis, Palestinians and Their Neighbors Worry: Is This the Big One?, Thomas Friedman NEW YORK TIMES
“I cannot just put my anger aside until things are quiet” Donniel Hartman TIMES OF ISRAEL
“Welcome to the Israeli Rollercoaster” Shalom Hartman Institute podcast with Donniel Hartman, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Elana Stein Hain
Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor, Yossi Klein Halevi
Catch-67, Micah Goodman
My Promised Land, Ari Shavit
Side by Side: Parallel Histories of Israel-Palestine, Sami Adwan, Dan Bar-On, Eyal Naveh, Peace Research Institute in the Middle East
The Zionist Ideas, ed. Gil Troy
