Dear Kehillah,

Wanting violence to end and peace to come to Israel is something we hope we all agree upon. Our initial messaging (below) in response to the escalating conflict in Israel was not intended to be “all sides” as a way of avoiding the strong statement that we want Israel to thrive in peace. 

As educators, we cannot condone violence or intolerance of any kind. We do firmly stand with Israel and that support manifests itself differently for different members of our community. As our messaging speaks for our entire community, we strive to speak in a way that includes everyone’s voice and encourages unity rather than division—especially at a time like this.

We agree with what one parent expressed — “We as a community stand with the Jewish state, including its non-Jewish minorities, who are under attack this week.” We are grateful to this parent for providing words we did not. 

We are heading into Shabbat and the holiday of Shavuot. Shabbat is a time for rest and reflection. Shavuot commemorates the Jewish people receiving the Torah and is a time for study and learning. The Talmud teaches us that this is also a time to remind ourselves of our deep personal and current connection to Jewish tradition and the Jewish people. 

Let us focus our prayers and studies as a rededication to our commitment to the actualization of peace in the Holy Land.

L’shalom,

Daisy Pellant, Patti Carbery, Sarah Canfield-Dafilou, and Cody Bahir

View our previous statement below

Our hearts go out to all of those affected by the recent violence in Israel. Yom Yerushalayim and Ramadan—times of religious devotion and celebration meant to bring people together—have been marred by violence, division, and increasing animosity. While this may be happening on the other side of the world, many of our faculty and families have friends and loved ones currently living in fear. 

As events continue to unfold, please know that you are not alone. We are in this together as a true kehillah—a community. 

We will be holding space for our students to discuss these events directly after our Shavuot celebration on Wednesday, May 11th at 11:00 a.m., and as we come together during our weekly KabShab gathering on Friday, May 14th. Both of these sessions will be supported and guided by our educators. 

We will also be offering support to our parent community during our coffee hour on Thursday, May 13th at 9:00 a.m. Register HERE

We will come together with love and concern for one another as we continue to hope, pray, and work towards peace.

Daisy Pellant, Patti Carbery, Sarah Canfield-Dafilou, and Cody Bahir

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While this is only a starting place, we’d like to share two recommended resources, from Stanford Hillel:

https://www.jta.org/2021/05/10/israel/the-fighting-in-gaza-jerusalem-and-across-israel-explained

https://unpacked.education/sheikh-jarrah-the-story-behind-the-story/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=weekly-21-05-10&utm_campaign=ued-reengagement

Community Voices

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Below is the statement issued by the JCF: