Peace and Reconstruction
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Mark J. Pelavin is the Associate Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. He is one of the Jewish community's leading legislative strategists, and one of its senior lobbyists. |
Rabbi David Ellenson, President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (the Reform Movement’s seminary), has a charateristicly terrific essay in the Forward.
Rabbi Ellenson comments on the debate which has developed on the decision of United Jewish Community (the Jewish Federation system) to “to appropriate a percentage of the special donations it has collected to help Israel recover from this summer’s Hezbollah rocket attacks to Israeli Arabs and Druze.”
Rabbi Ellenson weaves together rabbinic, Talmudic, and contemporary sources to argue that “In displaying concern for Jews and gentiles alike through its recent actions, UJC has conducted itself in accord with the highest elements in our tradition. This act of hesed [kindness] deserves praise, not critique.”
Gary Rosenthal, Editor of the New York Jewish Week, makes the same point in his “Editor’s Column” this week. It, too, is well worth reading.