In Kansas City, Backyard Issues Higher on Agenda Than Israel
Image by kurt hoffman
For my congregation, Israel is not the most important matter on the agenda. Oh, members care about Israel, want it to succeed, pray for it, support it and sometimes visit it. But it’s not our central focus.
Jacques Cukierkorn
So when people ask me how I handle the many divisive feelings around Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I invite them to travel to Israel and make up their own minds. If they find they are absolutely in love with Israel, I tell them they should consider moving there and being part of its life firsthand.
But before they go — whether with me or alone — I tell them that Israel’s existence is a daily miracle that needs to be nurtured and protected. And I tell them that when we can, we should stand with Israel, though there may be times when the government of Israel does things or adopts policies that we simply can’t support.
For me and my congregation, though, the larger issue is living out our Jewish values wherever we are, whether in Israel or in Kansas City. I tell my people that they need not move to Israel to be true Jews. In fact, I tell them that if they can’t be committed Jews in Kansas City, they can’t be committed Jews anywhere, including in Israel.
Jacques Cukierkorn is the rabbi of Temple Israel of Greater Kansas City.
Read the rest of our special coverage of how rabbis talk — or don’t talk — about Israel in synagogue.
Andy Bachman writes Congregation Needs To Be Involved in Israel To Make a Difference
Jacques Cukierkorn says In Kansas City, Backyard Issues Higher on Agenda Than Israel
Valerie Cohen warns Don’t Allow Views on Israel To Overwhelm Congregation
Asher Lopatin says Make Israel a Personal Issue for Congregation
Sam Fraint writes that Rabbis Must Speak About Israel, Warts and All
Ellen Lippmann advises building A Wide Tent on Israel, of Respectful Tension
Pinchas Allouche encourages shuls to Use Israel To Build Bridges Not Walls
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
