Israel / Palestine

A collection of T'ruah's resources for Pesach/Passover 2024.

This is the work before us this Pesach. We must abandon our worship of the false idol of correctness. We have to start with what we know. We know that all people need peace to survive. We know the liberation of Israelis is bound up with the liberation of Palestinians and vice versa. We know being traumatized is not a way to live. We also know that clinging to the crumbs of winning an argument only takes us further away from peace.

The supplement includes reflections and conversation starters about the Israel-Hamas war that can be used as additions to the traditional haggadah texts or in place of them.

For many rabbis, it’s not easy to talk to your congregation about your evolving perspective on this war. Here are two examples, generously shared by Rabbi Mosbacher and Rabbi Grabelle Herrmann, of how they shared their evolving positions with grace, compassion, and honesty.     Watch Rabbi Grabelle Hermann giving her sermon:

A missile cannot tell righteous from wicked.

In this moment, we do not know how things will turn out, in Israel or the U.S. But if Torah and history have anything to teach us, it is that whatever happens is not inevitable, and the catalyst will not be something we could have predicted in advance. This moment, like all moments, is full of possibility. It will be those with proactive vision who will move history, just as it always has been.

Peace is difficult. It requires understanding, listening, and a great deal of courage. May we have the courage to speak this truth to power, and may those in power have the courage to hear our message.

Since the attacks on October 7, T'ruah has offered public webinars for prayer and mourning, to engage with the moral challenges of the war, and to hear from staff who traveled to the region.

What I think is needed in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories today is the will to break the chain of the blame-game. We need a new generation of dreamers — those who can imagine a future of peace and prosperity for both Palestinians and Israelis together.

As we continue to watch the unfolding events in the war in Gaza, we need to distinguish between suffering and accountability.