Cliffnotes: Join me for a special Ask the Rabbi at 12 pm on Thursday at the food court of Menlo Park Mall to discuss JStreet

Dear Hevreh,

I try as best as I can to schedule my day according to the different roles I want to play in life, including community builder, spiritual leader, father, husband, pastor, and some others. Though following a schedule based on these roles is often aspirational, it helps me remember my own personal mission and the goals and the values that are most important to that mission. One of these roles is to be “an American,” which means I try to spend time working on projects that connect my own mission to the values of pursuing freedom and the pursuit of liberty that are at the foundation of our country. As such, I found it interesting that during my “American time” today I was researching the history, principles, and positions of the political action group JStreet.

JStreet is a unique, American-Jewish phenomenon in that it stemmed from the desire of some American Jews to use their role as Americans to lobby the American government to actively promote a two-state solution in Israel. Yet, its role in the American Jewish community has been challenged, most recently by its rejection from entrance into the Conference of Presidents of American Jewish Organizations, which I discussed a couple of weeks ago on Friday night. This discussion led to a broader conversation with some members about JStreet and has led me to schedule a special Ask the Rabbi at 12 pm on Thursday at the food court of Menlo Park Mall to discuss the history, principles, and positions of JStreet. This is not only an important for a conversation for us as Jews, but for us as American Jews who see our Judaism (and our love for Israel) through the prism of an American lens.

Kol Tuv,

Rabbi Ari Saks

Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal
Tag : america ask the rabbi conference of presidents of american jewish organizations israel j-street jstreet rabbi rabbi's journal