Blog

January 27, 2025

Dear Friends,

It was an inspiring afternoon for many of us at today’s Legislative Luncheon. We had a robust turnout both in person and on livestream, and were able to hear several of our legislators speak about many of the issues that are on many of our minds, including safety and rights for trans people, immigrant rights, climate justice, reparations, education funding, and antisemitism. We are so grateful to our legislators for their time, their persistence, and deep care for the wellbeing of all who live in Massachusetts.  

On this last topic, we are grateful in particular to Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, who opened her welcoming words with a message of care for the Jewish community and a clear stance against antisemitism.  

Her words, and the support of our elected officials meant so much more this week, as we recently learned that Cafe Balagan once again experienced an act of targeted vandalism. This is not the first time that Balagan has experienced actions like this over the past year. We want to be clear: Singling out an Israeli-owned business as accountable for the actions of the Israeli government is an act of antisemitism. It is not an appropriate or effective way to advocate for Palestinian freedom, which we believe is not mutually exclusive with Jewish safety, and also important to fight for. It is cruel to target a business and its owners because of their national and/or religious identities.  

As a Jewish community that contains political diversity, we can hold varied opinions about the Israeli government and its actions and also recognize when activism crosses a line and causes harm. As the leaders of CBI, we emphatically denounce these acts of antisemitism that are deeply harmful to us all.  

We appreciate the support of the City of Northampton in responding to the matter, and want to make it clear that Cafe Balagan is a beloved part of our Jewish community, as well as our city’s community.  

Relatedly, a small group of us, including the rabbis, presidents, and a few community members have a scheduled meeting to speak with Senator John Velis who is Chair of the Special Commission for Combatting Antisemitism in Massachusetts (and unfortunately was unable to attend today’s lunch). We look forward to sharing some of our thoughts with him, including our hope that we will see clarity around responding to antisemitism while also protecting legitimate protest and activism. We know that many other community members continue to be involved in local efforts around antisemitism as well. 

Today marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. As Rabbi Ariella shared earlier during the Legislative Lunch, this day is a reminder that we have had to face many Pharaohs in many generations, and we don’t ever want to have to do it alone again. May we continue to stand together in community, and continue to strengthen our ties with our neighbors so that we know we can truly work together to make this place a safe home for all. 

B’shalom, 

Rabbi Ariella Rosen, CBI Interim Lead Rabbi 

Rabbi Jacob Fine, CBI Assistant Rabbi 

Barbara Black, CBI Co-President 

Pamela Schwartz, CBI Co-President 

Dear Friends, 

Please read on below for a rather long note from me. I'm grateful that Rabbi Jacob and our co-presidents, Barbara Black and Pamela Schwartz, have signed on as well. I welcome further conversation with you. 

With blessings for a Shabbat Shalom,

Ariella

What We Stand For  
 
by Rabbi Ariella Rosen, co-signed by Rabbi Jacob Fine, with the support of CBI Co-Presidents Barbara Black and Pamela Schwartz 

What is this document? 

This document distills many months of thought and conversation, summarized into a few key points, explained and expanded upon below. The key points will be displayed in signage and other graphics as part of our decision to share more publicly our values and beliefs.  They are: 

Release the hostages 

End the war/ceasefire deal now 

Jewish and Palestinian safety and sovereignty are intertwined 

These statements, like all sound bites, can be misunderstood without context. This document clarifies what I/we mean when we use these words.  

Why/Why now?  

In full transparency, it has been hard to figure out how to lead this year, to respond to the depth of grief and anger in our community, including several among us with family members and friends who have been killed or taken hostage, or have had to flee their homes.  Serving somewhat unexpectedly as interim rabbi, there has been a lot of learning on the job. I have never worked in a community with such a wide range of perspectives, and we don’t have many models in the broader Jewish world. This diversity is a point of pride, and also brings with it deep challenges. I would not trade us for anyone else, and still the leadership path has not felt clear.  

In trying to understand the nature of our community, I have done a lot of listening, which has been invaluable in better understanding who we are, what our perspectives and needs are around having our Jewish identities and values seen and acted upon. I have also gotten the message loud and clear that listening alone is not enough. CBI also needs a clear stance and public message from leadership. I am prepared to provide that now, and I am grateful to be joined by Rabbi Jacob and our CBI Co-Presidents in doing so. 

My starting point: 

I hold deep love and care for everyone in this community, for all of you. And I have been absorbing your hurt and pain, confusion, and often competing asks and needs. So these words are shared in love as well, as an attempt to chart a course forward. It might not be the course you would have chosen, and it’s possible that this course will change. I hope this can be a foundation for further growth, learning, and action for us all.  

As I shared in my sermon on Rosh Hashanah, living through this time is to live in contradictions. There are many conflicting truths that I and many of us have been striving to hold over this past year (and truthfully, for much longer than that) with regards to Israel and Palestine. [When I say "Palestine," I refer to Gaza and the West Bank, territories that are called by that name by most Palestinians. My use of "Israel" refers to the State of Israel exclusive of those territories.]  

It is likely that you will find something you appreciate or agree with below. It is also likely that there is something here that does not align with your values. May this be an opening to further conversation, and an opportunity to arrive at clarity.  

So who are we and what do we stand for? This is how I would answer that question.  

Some personal background:  

I have not shared much of my own feelings and perspectives on Israel and what has transpired since October 7th. At times it did not feel like it mattered- our job has been to support our community, to hold the feelings and perspectives of others, and my pastoral training taught me to be aware of and push aside my own feelings to be present for others. And yet, we are in community together, in relationship with one another, which means I share myself with you, too 

This is just a snapshot of some of what informs and motivates me: 

My experiences with Israel started from a young age: I learned from Israeli teachers at Jewish day school, watched my father officiate at the funeral of a rabbinical student from our community who was killed in a bus bombing, I heard stories of my parents’ experiences living in Jerusalem in college. After several youth trips, I followed suit, spending a year of college at the Hebrew University and then a year in rabbinical school in Jerusalem as well. I felt like a sponge in those years, soaking up the language, music, poetry, food, and traveling as much as I could. Israel is still a place where some of my favorite restaurants, hiking trails, and people are located, and I am regularly awed by the beauty of the spoken Hebrew language, and the layers of meaning that come from the physical land’s place in Jewish history and spirituality. During that second year of study, I also had the opportunity to learn more about Palestinians and their lives, experiencing home hospitality, checkpoints, and the separation barrier in Bethlehem with Encounter, and touring Hebron with Breaking the Silence. I coached ultimate frisbee with Ultimate Peace. I began to better understand the Occupation and how unsustainable it is as a strategy to build long-term safety and stability for both Israelis and Palestinians.  

These days, I have found additional sources of guidance, learning, and hope in the incredible activism of people on the ground, on both sides of the ocean. I have been inspired by the work of Standing Together, who are steadfast in their work to shift the narrative inside Israel, calling for a ceasefire, return of hostages, and an end to the occupation. I’ve also found solace and alignment in the messages from T’ruah, and have signed onto several of their letters in the past year. I have found role models in colleagues such as Rabbi Sharon Brous and Rabbi Amy Eilberg, who speak courageously from a place of moral conviction and love for the Jewish people. And I have learned from so many of you, who advocate, push us, and live your values clearly and proudly.  

So after much thought, here are three statements that feel clear and true. I want to be clear that these are not recent realizations or sentiments for me. It is the direct articulation of them in this format that is new, something I know many of you have been waiting for. They cannot tell the whole story- there are not enough words for that- but they can ground us as we move forward.  

1. Release the hostages- Pidyon Shevuyim 

I have been living in anguish knowing that fellow Jews have been in captivity for over 400 days. Because of the interconnectedness of the Jewish world, there are several taken hostage with whom I have only a couple of degrees of separation. (Including Omer Neutra z"l, whose death on October 7th was confirmed this week.) I know that for some of you, that degree of separation is even smaller, and you have been suffering immensely as a result. 

Rambam (Maimonides), wrote that “there is no greater mitzvah than the redemption of captives.” (Gifts to the Poor, 8:10) This is echoed in prominent law codes such as the Shulchan Arukh, which continues on to say that “Every moment that one delays redeeming captives, where it is possible to do it sooner, it is as if one is spilling blood.” (Yoreh De’ah 252:3) 

While debating the specifics, Jewish law is clear that when fellow Jews are in captivity, it is our absolute priority to free them. We have a clear responsibility to work toward the safety of members of our own community.  

In this moment where all words can be understood in different ways, we need to be clear about what we mean when we use these words.  

In North America, the phrase “Bring Them Home” has often been used in contexts that do not differentiate between support for the hostages and support for the actions of the Israeli government. As such, the phrase has sometimes been rejected as not leaving room for acknowledging the tremendous loss of innocent life in Gaza that has been a consequence of this war. This humane and moral issue then becomes political, regardless of intent.  

Instead, when we call for the release of hostages, we use these words in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who take to the streets regularly, feel that the government has abandoned the hostages, and are demanding a deal that brings them home and ends the war. They saw the release of 80 of those hostages as a result of negotiation in November 2023, and believe strongly that the continued bombardment of Gaza is not the path toward their loved ones returning home.  

Quoting the Israel Prayer we have been reciting weekly for over a year, we raise our voices alongside all those who call to “return all those who are kidnapped safe and sound to their homes, without the spilling of more innocent blood, without any more souls being tarnished by horrific acts.” (by Hannah Ellenson) 

2. End the War/Ceasefire Deal Now 

October 7th was a horrific day, and Israelis are still living in its aftermath. Grieving the 1,200 lives lost that day, continued war, tens of thousands displaced from homes across the north and south, 101 hostages still in Gaza (only some confirmed still living), and fears of further harm from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, are among the challenges. There is plenty of reason to share in the suffering of fellow Jews. 

As Rabbi Sharon Brous writes in her book “The Amen Effect,” “validating someone else’s suffering does not diminish our own.” While still carrying the pain and trauma of these events, we have ample room in our hearts for Palestinian suffering as well.  

And life for Palestinians has been absolute hell. Gaza has been destroyed (a majority of buildings have been damaged or destroyed), over 40,000 people have been killed, most of them civilians, including 13,000 children. People are starving and have nowhere safe to go when issued evacuation orders. West Bank settlers have acted with even more impunity than before, causing harm to Palestinians, their homes, and their lands.  

I have read many arguments over the past several months blaming Hamas, blaming the Netanyahu government, pointing fingers at those who had the power to direct a different reality. As Jonathan Polin, father of Hersh Goldberg-Polin z”l who was killed in captivity said at the DNC, “in a competition of pain, there are no winners.” Rather than be distracted by arguments over cause and fault, my focus remains on the millions of people across the region who are deeply suffering right now, and have no power to change their circumstances. 

For their sake, and with concern about the stability of the current ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, we call for a ceasefire agreement that ends the fighting in Gaza, releases the hostages, and enables all people in Israel and Gaza the opportunity to rebuild their lives, and for so many, their literal homes.  

3. Jewish and Palestinian safety and sovereignty are intertwined 

I remember watching the handshake between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat on the White House lawn on TV as a second grader, watching my teachers cry tears of hope. That moment had a tremendous impact on me, and my subsequent experiences with Israel. I became a two-state solution advocate, having formative conversations with Israelis and Palestinians, volunteering with coexistence NGOs, traveling into the West Bank to better understand the Occupation in action, and learning from activists who love their homeland and were fighting for the future they believed in.  

A two-state solution and the end to the Occupation felt farther away than ever before October 7th, and all the more so now. The trauma of this moment will be with both peoples for generations. And yet, I hold firm, with millions of others, to this truth: Israeli and Palestinian safety and sovereignty are mutually dependent and inextricably connected. All people deserve to live in safety and without fear.  

I yearn to see in my lifetime an independent Palestine alongside a secure State of Israel that does not feel forced to operate from fear of harm.  

What’s next? 

For all of the reasons outlined above, as leaders at CBI, we are committed to displaying at CBI the following statements as a summary of our values: 

Release the hostages 

End the war/ceasefire deal now 

Jewish and Palestinian safety and sovereignty are intertwined 

Thank you for continuing in this journey with us. We are so grateful for our community. 

Written by Rabbi Ariella Rosen 

Co-signed by Rabbi Jacob Fine 

With the support of CBI Co-Presidents Barbara Black and Pamela Schwartz 

Dear Friends,

I love tashlikh. Even though it will be different this year, we have developed a tashlikh experience that will be both safe and meaningful.

For this year we are offering a hybrid communal and Do-It-Yourself experience that we hope will be meaningful and give us all some connection to each other.  You should feel free to take part in this community Tashlikh experience on the afternoon of Sunday, September 20, the Second Day of Rosh Hashanah from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM, when CBI staff and lay leaders will be in the parking lot to greet you, or by yourself on any day after.  

To learn more about the history and traditional ideas behind Tashlikh, feel free to read this article, courtesy of My Jewish Learning. 

Here are steps of our Tashlikh experience, which in total should take about an hour and a half.  Please feel free to adapt it as you wish.  Here is a link to reflections, prayers, and songs for the Tashlikh ritual.  Later this week, we will send you an email with all of the links you will need to participate in our offerings on Rosh Hashanah.

1. Start with a walk through the synagogue grounds.  This can be your “makom kavua,” your place of rootedness, where you feel your yearnings, check in with dear people, and confront the spiritual and moral questions that confound all of us.  Notice the energy of Abundance Farm, where you will see crops ready for harvest; an acknowledgment of those who lived on the land for centuries before we arrived; the spaces where we gather, pray and play.  

2. After you have walked through the synagogue grounds, walk out to Prospect Street and take a right toward Child’s Park, but stay on Prospect (the reason will be revealed in a moment).  Walk up the short hill on Prospect to the crosswalk.  Now turn around, and look back toward the synagogue.  You should see Mt. Tom in Easthampton in full view.  Take a moment of silence, and breathe in this awe-inspiring sight.  Mt. Tom, and the Holyoke range, really aren’t supposed to be here.  Mountain ranges generally run north to south, but this runs east to west, as the range was essentially dumped on our doorstep by glaciers as the ice caps retreated.  

         Take a moment to say She’he cheeyanu (blessing provided in Tashlikh link )

3. Turn left off of Prospect into Child’s park, and once you link up with the main ringed path, take a left and then your first right. You may also turn right and make your first left. In about 100 feet, you’ll come to a narrow path that takes you to the pond in Child’s Park.  If you want to walk a little more before going to the pond feel free to walk the full ring around Childs Park - it should take about 10-15 minutes.  As you do, perhaps consider the words of the biblical Book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), “All rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is never full.”

4. Once you are at the pond, feel free to take as much time as you like to consider the pond.  It is an ecosystem unto itself, and in Spring, it becomes noisy with frogs.  Maybe there are still frogs in the pond, but I would imagine that on the leaves are the beginning signs of Autumn.  With its naturally flowing water, this can be a site to symbolically cast away all that which we regret or are trying to move beyond: quickness to anger and judgment; the penchant to criticize and miss the inherent beauty of people and creation; callousness and apathy.  And in doing so, we let in an awareness of the Hesed, the kindness and compassion that Jewish tradition promises is part of the structure of God and creation.

When you are ready, feel free to consult the sheet with blessings, prayers and songs to perform the ritual of Tashlikh, of casting away and letting in.   Here is the link again.  A reminder, as you cast your burdens away, only a few crumbs please - we don’t want to feed any animals who don’t need to be fed.  In place of crumbs, consider casting away dirt, sand or pebbles - they too scatter and sink, and do not interfere with the local ecosystem.

5. Feel free to make your way back to CBI at your own pace.  We’ll be her to greet you and wish you a good and sweet New Year.  

L'Shanah Tovah u'Metuka!

Warmly, 

Rabbi Justin David