Biennial

Welcome to Shabbat Awakenings, a weekly reflection as we move toward Shabbat.

I am participating in our Reform movement’s Biennial gathering held here in Boston joined by dozens of TI folks. It’s a wonderful equation for a vibrant and actively engaged present and future.

At the same time, we all are paying close attention to Israel. The Union for Reform Judaism released this statement. I share it here.

The statement below is issued by Union for Reform Judaism President Rabbi Rick Jacobs on behalf of the organizations of the Reform Jewish Movement, the largest movement in Jewish life:

President Trump’s ill-timed, but expected, announcement affirms what the Reform Jewish Movement has long held: that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Yet while we share the President’s belief that the U.S. Embassy should, at the right time, be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, we cannot support his decision to begin preparing that move now, absent a comprehensive plan for a peace process. Additionally, any relocation of the American Embassy to West Jerusalem should be conceived and executed in the broader context reflecting Jerusalem’s status as a city holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike.

The President has said that achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians is “the ultimate deal.” Just this weekend, his advisor Jared Kushner noted the importance of such an agreement to regional stability overall. While the President took the right step in announcing that he would sign the waiver, as have his Republican and Democratic predecessors, the White House should not undermine these efforts by making unilateral decisions that are all but certain to exacerbate the conflict.

We urge the President to do everything in his power to move forward with efforts to bring true peace to the region and take no unilateral steps that will make that dream more distant. We welcome the opportunity to work with the White House to realize the day when Jerusalem truly becomes a beacon of peace.

In declaring formally U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, President Trump has affirmed an age-old dream of the Jewish people and of all who care about Israel. Jerusalem is, in fact, the capital of Israel. That is how it should and must be. The President correctly noted that a sovereign state is entitled to name its own capital. The Reform Movement has also long held that the U.S. Embassy should be moved to Jerusalem.

Yesterday, we expressed our serious concern about the timing of these actions. We still believe that they ought to be implemented in a manner that enhances the peace process and contributes to ensuring the safety and security of Israel. We continue to have significant concerns. In separating today’s decisions from a broader strategy, they may well undercut the Administration’s peace process efforts and risk destabilizing the region. We do, however, commend the President for affirming the importance of moving the peace process forward, and clarifying that these decisions are not intended to restrict final status decisions of the Israelis and Palestinians — including the borders of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem and border issues generally.

Join together tonight for a shortened Qabbalat Shabbat due to the Biennial at 6:00 p.m. sharp to 6:45 p.m.  Live stream HERE. Tot Rock for children 5 and under begins at 5:00 p.m. Torah study begins tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. with a brief service and an engaging Torah study.

Connect with me directly and confidentially HERE with your thoughts and reflections.

Shabbat Shalom!