Havurah Shalom Israel-Palestine Committee

• Havurahniks, you can reach out by email to the Havurah Israel-Palestine Committee chair, Harriet Cooke. (Log in to your Havurah member account to access the Member Directory.) 
• If you are a Havurah Shalom member who would like to be added to the Havurah Israel-Palestine Committee Google Group, email Tara Anderson, Havurah Participation & Publications Coordinator, at tara.anderson@havurahshalom.org.
• Also, Havurah members, please send announcements and events that you would like to have posted to this committee's Google Group to the chair and co-chair team: Harriet Cooke (chair), Nancy Becker, Lee Gordon, and Gretta Siegel. (Log in to your Havurah member account to access the Member Directory.) 
• The Havurah Israel-Palestine Committee meets on fourth Sundays at 7 pm in Zoom Room Dalet (see Havurah Zoom room info; log in to your Havurah member account to access the Zoom info page). Check the Havurah calendar in advance for any changes to the normal meeting schedule.

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Havurah Shalom Israel-Palestine Committee

sited in Limud

Final Charter

The Havurah Shalom Israel-Palestine Committee promotes compassionate engagement, education, and discussion of issues surrounding Palestine-Israel with a view to understanding the histories of the land and its peoples, deepening our relationship with the peoples connected with the land, and exploring issues in the present, including challenges to the local, national, and global Jewish Community. Informed by conversations and writings within the Reconstructionist movement, we are guided by the values of justice, the dignity and equal worth of all human life, and respect for the ecology of the land.

Acknowledging that the earlier incarnation of this Committee found some members to be reluctant to join the conversation, and acknowledging that discussions about Israel & Palestine are sometimes difficult and fraught with emotion, we will make every effort to ensure that discussions of Israel-Palestine be conducted with open hearts and minds, respectful listening, and acknowledgement of our common bond as members of the Havurah Shalom community and of the Jewish people. We will do so by:

i. Nurturing a welcoming community of people who are interested in Israel-Palestine and wish to learn, and understanding the issues involved;

ii. Supporting skill building for mindful and compassionate listening, speaking, and behavior within our community;

iii. Being a support body for events about Israel-Palestine that are generated by the congregation, including, but not limited to, short-term project groups, Steering, staff, and members of this committee;

iv. Being an educational resource to Havurah on issues of Palestine-Israel;

v. Honoring our congregational Brit Kavod;

vi. Building inclusivity into our core workgroup for all perspectives seeking truths and an equitable end to the conflict.

vii. Being a catalyst for making discussion of Israel-Palestine an ongoing part of the life of Havurah Shalom.

(This charter was approved by Havurah's Steering Committee on July 15, 2025.)

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