Or Shalom’s Statement of Values on Israel and Palestine

Since our inception, Or Shalom Jewish Community has strived to live up to and embody our name — a diverse Jewish community, unified around our commitment to being an Or Shalom (light of peace) in the world. We have aimed that light of peace toward struggles here at home, as well as struggles in the wider world, including in Israel and Palestine.

The term “Israel” is complex and multidimensional, with different culturally-laden meanings over time, including:

• Am/Klal Yisrael: The people/community of Israel (i.e. the Jewish people), as mythically descended from our common ancestor Jacob, renamed Israel.
• Eretz Yisrael: A physical land, whose approximate boundaries are detailed in biblical texts. This is a land where Jews established a kingdom in approximately 1200 BCE, and, despite repeated exiles and dispersions, where some Jews have lived continuously or returned to since. This land has had many different names throughout time in addition to Eretz Yisrael, including Palestine.
• Medinat Yisrael: The nation-state of Israel — “a national home for the Jewish people” [Balfour Declaration]— established in 1948.
• Yisrael shel Maalah: The spiritual ideal of “Israel,” which functioned as the object of Jews’ longing for return (metaphysical and/or physical). Metaphysically, it is understood that this return would be a part of the onset of olam haba (the world to come) — a perfected world — as referenced in our theological and liturgical texts.

Or Shalom community members have differing relationships — including no relationship — to these different “Israels.” We value this diversity, for one of our primary guiding principles is diversity and inclusion. All who, too, believe in diversity and inclusion, are welcome and celebrated, regardless of their theological, spiritual or political beliefs, including their perspectives on Israel and Palestine.

Yet, despite our diversity, we share common values that inform our discussions about Israel and Palestine. These shared values include:

Klal Yisrael (Jewish Peoplehood): Jewish people have faced oppression and threats to our existence for thousands of years, including discriminatory laws, expulsions from many lands in which we have lived, pogroms and genocide. Thus, we recognize and uplift the genuine Jewish need for safety. We commit ourselves to working toward a world in which Jewish people are safe and Jewish religion, tradition, culture, and values survive, thrive, and evolve.

L’dor vador (From generation to generation): Just as we commit ourselves to passing on the beauty and wisdom of the Jewish tradition from generation to generation, so too do we commit ourselves to the work of personal and communal trauma healing so that we do not pass down to our children that which does not serve them. While we acknowledge that there are real threats to Jewish safety in our time, may our trauma healing enable us to differentiate the real threats from our trauma response so that we, and our children, can act in the world from a grounded, values-aligned place.

Avadim hayinu bemitzrayim:  As it is written in our Torah, “We were slaves in Ancient Egypt” [Deuteronomy 6:21].  We recite this line at the Passover Seder and retell this mythic origin story year after year to engender empathy for the plight of all oppressed people. We honor our history of oppression — both mythic and historic — by striving not to oppress others, and by working for the liberation of all peoples.

Pikuach nefesh (Preserving life):  Jewish tradition teaches us that the commandment to save a life supersedes all other commandments. We view all human beings as created in the image of the divine (b'tzelem Elohim) and worthy of dignity (kavod habriyot). Therefore, “saving a life” is about both rescuing the physical body and creating conditions for the soul to thrive. As we are taught in the Talmud, saving a soul means saving a whole world [Talmud Yerushalmi, Tractate Sanhedrin 37a].

Darkhey shalom (Paths of peace): Or Shalom translates as light of peace. At Or Shalom, we don’t just advocate for a negative peace (the absence of violence), but a positive peace (a society free of structural violence and designed to create equity for all). As we follow the path of peace, we strive to respect all beings, overcome prejudice, and be open to other views.

Democracy: We are committed to protecting and strengthening democracy by standing for free expression and the right of all inhabitants of a land to conduct free and fair elections and govern themselves equitably, fairly and responsibly. We believe a democracy should safeguard the rights of all people subject to its rule of law.

Questioning & Emet (Truth): Rabbinic Judaism is a tradition that values questions over answers. In that lineage, Or Shalom, since its founding, has been a community that questions everything, and takes nothing for granted — not G-d, not Torah, and not Israel. Therefore, we refuse to accept any narratives at face value, and commit ourselves to generative inquiry and the pursuit of justice through truth-seeking and aligning our actions with truth.

Ladonay ha’aretz umelo’o (“The earth and all that is in it belong to God”)  [Psalms 24:1]:  
Jewish tradition teaches that land does not belong to people, but rather, people belong to land. With this belonging comes the responsibility of stewardship. Therefore, belonging to land is conditional upon living in reciprocal, caring, non-exploitative relationship with a land and, we believe, all its peoples. When we apply this principle to Israel and Palestine, we aim, along with Palestinian partners, to invoke the value coined by Rabbi Toba Spitzer: ahavat yoshvei ha’aretz (love for all those who dwell in The Holy Land).

Tochecha (Moral rebuke): The Torah teaches that it is our duty to engage in moral rebuke if we witness our fellow causing harm. As their fellow, it is our obligation to hold up a mirror to the harmful action and its impact in a way that does not cause the person shame, but rather points a way toward the path of teshuvah (accountability).

Teshuvah (Accountability): Jewish tradition teaches that it is a moral imperative to make things right when we have caused harm, whether that harm is on an individual, communal, national or systemic scale. While we acknowledge that there are many countries and non-state actors to blame in the unfolding harm occurring in Israel and Palestine, the value of teshuvah compels us to engage in an honest moral reckoning with our part, both personally and collectively, and commit to the unfolding process of accountability.

Tikkun Olam/Tzedek (Repair of the world/Justice): Our tradition teaches that we have power to heal the universe through our just action. Therefore, we are committed to improving the world by working for peace, economic security, health, equality, and justice for everyone, at home and around the world. 

Chesed (Loving-kindness): We strive to respect our different perspectives and hear each other with open hearts, even when we disagree.