We look to synagogues to help us deepen our humanity and broaden our empathy, so we are troubled by the tribalism and parochialism expressed in slogans, prayers, and symbols that focus exclusively on “our side" of a binary Israel or Palestine. We are likewise troubled when synagogues use "we" statements to collectively affirm solidarity with Israel, to the implicit exclusion of Palestine.

If I am not for myself, who will be for me. But when I am only for myself, what am I?
--Mishnah Avot 1.14

We value the familial bond that all Jews share, and we appreciate that Jewish particularism has a place within our prayers and synagogue life. But it must be ethical particularism, mindful of those with whom our wellbeing is inextricably intertwined. Not only is the Holy Land inhabited by both Jews and Palestinians, but the State of Israel undeniably exerts military, civil, and legal control over millions of Palestinians, whether with just cause and methods or not. To suppress, ignore, or minimize their existence or their suffering is unethical.

What would be loathsome to you, do not do to others.
--Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 31a

We disapprove of rhetoric, actions, and fundraising in the name of synagogues that would implicate an entire community in political projects that contradict the Jewish values we hold dear. Different Jewish denominations and individual synagogues have their own standards for membership qualifications; we hope that specific views on Israel are not among those qualifications. Across the denominational spectrum, there are Jews who feel solidarity with Palestinians, grief and anger over Israel’s conduct, and anguish over Jewish responsibility for Palestinian suffering, displacement, and death. Some of us are seeking not only solace for Jewish and Israeli suffering, but a means of exploring Jewish accountability and repentance for Palestinian suffering.

Rava, and some say Rav Ḥisda, said: If a person sees that suffering has befallen themselves, they should examine their actions, as it is stated: [Lamentations 3:40] “We will search and examine our ways, and return to God.”
-- Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 5a

1. PRAYERS: To the extent that prayers for Israel are customary in a given synagogue, those prayers should include all of the inhabitants of Israel and Palestine. When praying for the peace, safety, and freedom for the inhabitants of the Holy Land, those wishes should not be assigned only to the Israeli population, leadership, or armed forces. Besides honoring and praying for any specific community members or their loved ones who have been killed or injured in Israel and Palestine, prayers should not be for only “our” side. "My house shall be a house of prayer for all the nations." (Isaiah 56:5)
2. SERMONS: Sermons and speeches should respect the broad range of views on Israel and Palestine among congregants and potential congregants. Specific political or military strategies should not be offered, promoted, or critiqued as such. Sermons and speeches should guide us, whatever our political proclivities, to find wisdom, morality, and Godliness in Jewish tradition. "You have been told, mortal, what is good, and what God demands of you: only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)
   
3. ANNOUNCEMENTS: We need to recognize the intertwined fates of Israelis and Palestinians. When circumstances entail a recitation of an Israeli death toll, the corresponding Palestinian death toll should also be included. "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples shall issue from your body." (Genesis 25:23)
   
4. FUNDRAISING: To the extent that synagogues support fundraising and promotions outside of the synagogue itself, they should be for humanitarian and communitarian causes. Synagogues should not advertise, promote, or urge members to support any organizations that are sponsored by states or armed forces. "'Those that turn the many to righteousness' [Daniel 12:3] -- these are the charity trustees." (Midrash Sifre Devarim 47:5)
   
5. ICONOGRAPHY: Synagogues throughout history have included a vast array of symbols and texts, and there is no one category or style that can claim the mantle of “tradition.” While many synagogues wish to include the iconography of the modern State of Israel within that array, we oppose that choice. There are nearly endless alternatives available from within our tradition. Synagogue signage, décor, and communication, should not include symbols of the State of Israel, slogans of solidarity with the State of Israel, or the language of Israel advocacy. “King David said: May I merit that my words be mentioned, in my name, in synagogues and houses of study." (Jerusalem Talmud, Berakhot 2.1)
   
6. FLAGS: We believe that religion should not be conflated with nationalism and geopolitics. Israeli (and American or Canadian) flags should not be present in our sanctuaries and prayer spaces. Our attention in such spaces should be drawn to symbols that expand, rather than restrict, our allegiances and empathy. National flags are the products and symbols not of communities or geographical spaces, as is so often argued, but of political boundaries. Lands are symbolized by such things as flora and fauna of a particular area; flags, in contrast, represent states, and our sacred spaces should transcend such identities and affiliations. “Guard yourself… lest when you have eaten and been satisfied and have built fine houses to live in… and you say to yourself: My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me.” (Deuteronomy 8:11-17)
   

We, the undersigned, wish to see these principles and practices of Israel Palestine Pluralism enacted in synagogues throughout the Jewish diaspora and across denominational lines.