On Being An Unabashed Zionist Rabbi- Rabbi Bonnie Koppell

        I grew up in a conservative Jewish home in Brooklyn, NY.  Camp Ramah, USY, I even studied in the Teacher’s Institute at the Jewish Theological Seminary.  Yet when it came time for rabbinical school, back in 1976, the conservative movement was not yet ordaining women.  That wouldn’t happen until Rabbi Amy Eilberg graduated in 1985. 

        So- the options were Hebrew Union College, HUC,  or the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, RRC.   Reconstructionism was founded based on the philosophy of Mordecai Kaplan, a long-term faculty member at JTS.  HUC was pretty far to the left in those days in terms of religious practice, while RRC felt more familiar.

        Since my graduation in 1981, I have never actually served as the rabbi of a Reconstructionist affiliated congregation.  I had a long-term position with a United Synagogue, that is, conservative congregation in the east valley, and have been happily ensconced here at Temple Chai for almost 20 years.  I am a proud member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis- the professional organization of Reform rabbis, and I have maintained an associate membership in the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association until this moment.

        Yet- I am strongly considering abandoning that affiliation of 44 years, as the movement has increasingly come to be associated with the imponderable, imponderable to me, notion of anti-Zionist Judaism.

        Disagreement with policies of the Israeli government- I get that.  Frustration with the status of non-Orthodox Jews in Israel- I get that.  Heartache over the relationship with the Palestinian community- I get that.

        But a Jew who no longer identifies as Zionist?  A Jew who denies the right of Jews to live freely in our ancestral homeland? A Jew who does not support Israel as a sovereign state?   For me, this is a bridge too far.

        It was one year ago that I became aware of a group of Reconstructionist rabbis who had formed a new organization, calling themselves, ourselves, Beit Kaplan, in honor of the founding thinker.  Beit Kaplan, per its mission statement, “unequivocally supports the right of Israel to exist, and to exist as a Jewish state.” The statement continues with the assertion that in the face of “persistent antisemitic oppression, Jews need the power of communal self-determination and self-defense.”  We are reminded that while we “yearn for peace, security, and self-determination for all.  It is our particular obligation to advocate for and affirm the Jewish people’s right to national, cultural and political self-determination in the land of our ancestors.”  The text concludes that as rabbis we absolutely must be concerned with the safety and survival of half the international Jewish community who reside in Israel.

        At a recent RRC graduation ceremony, the Israeli and American flags were surrounded by plants so that they were obscured from the vision of participants.  Zionist students have withdrawn from the school due to the harassment they experienced as a consequence of their pro-Israel views.  Reconstructionist rabbis are disproportionately active in Jewish Voice for Peace, an organization which has called on the United States to enact a full weapons embargo on military support for the Jewish state, defining the response to Oct 7th as 15 months of genocide directed towards Palestinians in Gaza.  Reconstructionist rabbis have founded congregations that define themselves as “anti-Zionist,”  who seek to “uncouple Zionism from Judaism.”

        Last month I had the opportunity to hear Yossi Klein Halevi, a senior fellow at the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, speak at the Zeichick Family Lecture on the theme of- The End of the Post-Holocaust Era: How Oct. 7 Changed Everything. 

        It was his words and his perspective that encourage me to share my heartache with the emergence of this anti-Zionist trend in contemporary American Jewish life.  HaLevi framed his talk with the understanding that in one generation we as a people moved from our greatest nightmare- the holocaust- to the fulfillment of our greatest dream- the establishment of the state of Israel. 

        Without apology, he applauded the power of Israel’s military.  Don’t revel in that power, he urged, but don’t be squeamish about using it either.  Without denying that war can bring out the very worst of human instincts, he emphasized the Israel Defense Forces continued protection of civilian, and this in the face of unprecedented enemy strategies, including the 100’s of miles of tunnels and the thousands of booby trapped homes the IDF must contend with, noting that with countless demonstrations demanding the immediate return of the hostages, there have been zero demonstrations against the morality of the war.

        HaLevi is clearly no fan of the current government, calling it a “government of divisiveness.”  But he drew a hard boundary at anti-Zionist Jews, saying that “anti-Zionists upset me.  Anti-Zionist Jews appall me.”  He was incredulous about the notion that Jews in general and Jewish leaders in particular, would be willing to place 7 million Israelis into a permanent Oct. 7th situation.

        I refer you to Beit Kaplan’s statement in response to the events of Oct 7th, which is too long to read but which I offer for your consideration. 

        I have joined Beit Kaplan.  I have not, yet resigned from the RRA, but I am strongly considering it.  I know that within our Temple Chai community we have diverse perspectives on the Israeli government and its behavior- both in the conduct of war and in the treatment of its own population.  I am cautiously optimistic that we, as a community, support the right of the State of Israel to exist as a Jewish homeland. 

Responding to October 7th and its aftermath- Statement from Beit Kaplan

We deplore and denounce the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and its tragic consequences. We are horrified by the brutal events of October 7th, the continued captivity of our hostages, the necessity of fighting an existential war that leads to death and devastation, the constant Hezbollah attacks on Israel’s north, and the rise in antisemitism worldwide.

In the face of this all, we affirm our support for the State of Israel’s existence and its legitimate right to defend its borders, guaranteeing the security of its citizens and all its inhabitants.

We do not want others to suffer. We support every effort to avoid dehumanization, torture, and disregard for civilian life.

We insist that Israelis and Jews be afforded these same dignities.

We are deeply troubled that leaders of Reconstructing Judaism and its institutions do not share this insistence, even in the wake of October 7th, when our own people were so viciously attacked.

Zionism is not accidental to our Judaism, it is integral

We hold to the vision of Reconstructionist Judaism that is bonded with the larger Jewish world. Connection with Israel and love for Israel are core components of a Jewish life, because Israel is interwoven with all of our people, customs, practices, and prayers.

We acknowledge that this can be complicated, for example, when there is concern about the actions of the State of Israel’s government.

Our response, then, is to reaffirm our commitment to and love of Israel and the Jewish people, and to advocate, work, and pray for better decisions and better days. In this, we are guided by the “Prayer for the State of Israel,” as found in the Reconstructionist prayer book Kol HaNeshamah.

“Rock and Champion of Israel, please bless the state of Israel, first fruit of the flourishing of our redemption. Guard it in the abundance of your love. Spread over it the shelter of your peace. Send forth your light and truth to those who lead and judge it, and to those who hold elective office. Establish in them, through your presence, wise counsel, that they might walk in the way of justice, freedom and integrity. Strengthen the hands of those who guard our holy land. Let them inherit salvation and life.

“And give peace to the land, and perpetual joy to its inhabitants. Appoint for a blessing all our kindred of the house of Israel in all the lands of their dispersion. Plant in their hearts a love of Zion. And for all our people everywhere, may God be with them, and may they have the opportunity to go up to the land. Cause your spirit’s influence to emanate upon all dwellers of our holy land. Remove from their midst hatred and enmity, jealousy and wickedness. 

“Plant in their hearts love and kinship, peace and friendship. And soon fulfill the vision of your prophet: ‘Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Let them learn no longer ways of war.’

“And let us say: Amen.”