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Dear Members and Supporters,

We ask you to support the Reform Movement's position linking negotiations to the Gaza withdrawal. In an August 3 letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell on behalf of 1.5 million American Reform Jews, Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, stressed "the need for withdrawal [from Gaza] to be directly linked to a return to the negotiating table." He also expressed concern about terrorism against innocent civilians and "the troubling humanitarian conditions of the Palestinians." The Reform Movement urged "the American government to stay actively involved in moving the peace process and negotiations forward toward a two-state solution." Click here to read the full text of the letter.

Please take a moment to add your voice to that of the Reform Movement, the largest synagogue movement in America. Write to Secretary Powell in support of renewed negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians as well as supporting the Sharon disengagement plan.

If you are a member of a Reform synagogue, please also write to your rabbi and your regional office of the Union for Reform Judaism (formerly Union of American Hebrew Congregations) applauding the Movement's breakthrough "Resolution on Unilateral Withdrawal, Security Barriers and Home Demolitions." cited in Rabbi Saperstein's letter.

We urge you to respond to this action alert and make your voice heard.

Please share this action alert with family, friends, and colleagues, and tell them about Brit Tzedek v'Shalom. For background information, click here.

B'Shalom,

Steve Masters and Diane Balser
Chair and Co-Chair, Advocacy and Public Policy Committee
Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace

Take Action

Write to Secretary of State Colin Powell, and if appropriate, your Rabbi and Regional Movement Office

If you are a member of a Reform synagogue, applaud the Movement's breakthrough "Resolution on Unilateral Withdrawal, Security Barriers and Home Demolitions." cited in Rabbi Saperstein's letter. You may wish to provide your rabbi with a copy of the language of the resolution which can be found by clicking here. For a complete list of Union of Reform Judaism Offices click here. A sample letter you can cut and paste is included below:

Sample Letter to Secretary Powell:

Subject: Secretary Powell: Please Support the Reform Movement Dear Secretary Powell, As an American Jew, I write to you in support of Rabbi David Saperstein's recent letter citing the stand of Reform Judaism on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I, too, support a negotiated two-state solution of the conflict. Together with Rabbi Saperstein, I urge you to condemn terrorism against innocent civilians while directing U.S. and international attention to the dire humanitarian conditions of the Palestinian people. Thank you in advance for your efforts to seek the path of peace. Sincerely, [SIGN YOUR NAME]

Sample Letter to your Rabbi:

Dear Rabbi, I am writing you to affirm my support for the courageous stance taken by the Union for Reform Judaism and its Religious Action Center through its Resolution on Unilateral Withdrawal, Security Barriers and Home Demolitions. Our movement is offering us a new path to support Israel's security and well-being. I hope that the adoption of this Resolution will translate into increased dialogue on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within our congregation. "Seek peace and pursue it: Seek peace within your own place and pursue it in other places." Talmud Yerushalmi, Peah, 1:15 Sincerely, [SIGN YOUR NAME]

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Background Information

In June 2004, the Board of Trustees of the Union for Reform Judaism, representing over 900 congregations and 1.5 million Jews in the United States and Canada, adopted the groundbreaking "Resolution on Unilateral Withdrawal, Security Barriers and Home Demolitions." This resolution links unilateral withdrawal to the resumption of negotiations, calls for a freeze on all settlement construction, supports construction of the security barrier on the Green Line as closely as possible, and urges the active alleviation of troubling humanitarian conditions resulting from occupation policies on the Palestinian population subject to Israeli military rule, particularly home demolitions.

The adoption of this resolution by the largest American Jewish religious denomination is a significant breakthrough given the widespread uncritical support for Israeli government policies by mainstream Jewish organizations.

Write to Secretary of State Colin Powell, and if appropriate, your rabbi, and your Reform Movement's regional office now. Applaud the Union of Reform Judaism's recent "Resolution on Unilateral Withdrawal, Security Barriers and Home Demolitions."

Additional Links:

High Stakes Gamble by Rabbi David Saperstein, Reform Judaism Online, Summer 2004

Reform Presses U.S. to Increase Role in Peace Process: Group Urges More Balance from Congress by Ori Nir, Forward, August 6, 2004

Risk Seen in Mideast as White House Sidelines Issue by Mary Curtius, Los Angeles Times, August 4, 2004
NOTE: The Los Angeles Times requires users to register for free to view their articles.