By Caren Leven
Last Thursday night, Dec. 12, Baltimore Hebrew Congregation hosted an event that has deeply divided our community here in Baltimore. As executive director of the Baltimore Zionist District, I’ve been at the forefront of the conversation, expressing concerns about the nature of the discussions and the speakers involved.
In the lead-up to the event, our team at BZD did everything we could to communicate our concerns to BHC’s leadership with no communication returned from BHC. We sent letters, posted on social media and emailed our community members, explaining why we believed the speakers invited were spreading divisive and misleading information about Israel.
Their use of terms like “apartheid state” and “ethnic cleansing” isn’t just disturbing. It’s harmful. These words fuel global antisemitism and paint a one-sided picture that can severely damage Israel’s image.
Despite our best efforts, the event proceeded.
From reports and feedback, it was as troubling as we feared. One particularly poignant moment involved an Israeli woman from the audience who stood up, tearfully demanding answers about the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks and the Israeli hostages.
The panel’s response was reportedly inadequate, sidestepping the heartfelt issues she raised.
This situation has left many of us feeling betrayed. The decision by BHC’s rabbis and leadership to proceed with this event has not only damaged the congregation’s reputation but also deeply hurt those of us who support BHC. It’s led to serious reflection within the community about our values and the platforms we support.
Moving forward, the BZD is committed to healing our community from this episode. We’re not interested in silencing conversations, but we insist that they be grounded in truth and respect, not in rhetoric that endangers our community. We plan to intensify our educational efforts to hopefully bridge the divides this event has undoubtedly deepened.
This situation has reinforced the delicate balance we must maintain in supporting Israel while engaging in meaningful dialogue. It has shown me that the need for respectful, informed discussions is crucial, and we must be vigilant about the platforms we provide.
As we look ahead, I remain dedicated to fostering a community that supports Israel thoughtfully and inclusively, ensuring we stand united in the face of challenges. The work isn’t easy, but it’s necessary. I am hopeful that through continued dialogue and education, we can emerge stronger and more united.
The road ahead will require patience, understanding and a lot of hard work, but I believe in our community’s resilience and commitment to upholding our Jewish values while supporting the State of Israel.
Am Israel Chai!
Caren Leven is the executive director of the Baltimore Zionist District.
Wrestling with Ideas
In response to criticism and concerns about the Dec. 12 event, BHC’s leadership issued the following statement to its membership and the community at large on Friday afternoon:
Last night, we hosted Alon Lee Green and Rula Daood, co-directors of Standing Together, an Israeli non-profit organization working toward a peaceful and just resolution to the seemingly intractable reality that engulfs Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.
Some in the Baltimore Jewish community lobbied an effort to shut down the program, beginning by attempting to persuade synagogues not to co-sponsor and then by rallying individual people to make phone calls, send texts and emails to anyone and everyone.
By the end of last night, 20 BHC staff, including some who have retired, our Facilities Operations Coordinator and some of our preschool teachers, had received more than 1,000 emails generated by a single automated link.
We are grateful to our IT providers for moving most of those emails out of our inboxes so that we could address the needs of our congregants.
Nevertheless, the relentless campaign all week meant that BHC leaders and staff were unable to do much beyond responding and parrying unjustified attacks, while trying to also do the sacred work of our congregation.
Worse than the volume of attacks was the tone. In voicemails, we were told that we should rename our congregation “Baltimore HAMAS Congregation.” In emails we were accused of hosting speakers akin to the KKK. On Facebook, we were compared to Kapos (Jews who collaborated with Nazis during the Holocaust).
The vitriol on display in no way matched the messages of the speakers. It was a campaign to shut down discussion and discourse.
As we all know so well, our world has become tremendously polarized with voices on the extreme ends of any spectrum feeling emboldened to drown out any real engagement with the complexities and nuances of the most serious problems facing us.
Our Jewish heritage is to wrestle with ideas as did our ancestors in Torah, our ancient Rabbis in the Talmud, our teachers and rabbis and deep thinkers in every generation.
Our commitment as a Reform Jewish congregation in these polarized times is to engage American Jews and others who care deeply about Israel and also hold a complex set of views about what supporting Israel means in a time of war and intense rhetoric.
That is why in the months since the horrors of Oct. 7th, we have helped lead the community effort which raised thousands of dollars for mental health assistance to our brothers and sisters in Ashkelon.
During this past year, BHC donated three Torah scrolls to Israeli congregations, including the congregation serving the Gaza envelope.
Our rabbis and leadership have traveled to Israel multiple times since Oct. 7th building on BHC’s numerous missions to Israel over the past decade. And we have replaced our high-profile sign on Park Heights and Slade avenues half a dozen times after it has been vandalized.
If you have concerns or questions about the decision to host this program, the rabbis and leadership are happy to talk with you. We wish you and our entire community the peace of Shabbat.
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