Fulfilling the Dream of Peace

Boston Jewish Advocate
May 2005
By Raphael Ezekiel and Beth Wasserman

Only two weeks ago, Israel celebrated the 57th anniversary of its independence. As American Jews, we joined Israelis in celebrating the amazing achievements of the Jewish State.

Israel's Declaration of Independence, which David Ben Gurion read to the world, announced that the new country would extend its hand "to all neighboring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighborliness, and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land."

We in the Boston chapter of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, with nearly 800 members and over 2000 additional supportesr, continue to celebrate this vision of Israel's founders. We are committed to supporting Israelis in fulfilling that dream by achieving a lasting peace. Like 70 percent of American Jews recently polled , we believe that a lasting peace is possible and that it will inevitably invovle the negotiation of an independent Palestinian state. Like the majoirty of Boston-area Jews, we want to help strengthen Israel. We choose to do so by standinga longside her in her peacemaking efforts.

Our slogan sounds simple: "Pro-Israel! Pro-Peace! Progress!" The message in it resonates with the vast majority of American Jews. But it's not a simple message, just as peacemaking is never simple.

Israel has reached a pivotal moment as it prepares to disengage from Gaza and four West Bank settlements this summer. This will mark the first time Israel will have ever completely evacuated territory to be handed over to the Palestinians. We hope it will be carried out without turmoil on th Israeli side, and that Palestinians will respond by continuing their progress in internal reforms and in the suppression of violence. A successful precedent will make it easier for Israelis to contemplate the additional pullbacks that will ultimately be necessary in order to allow a viable Palestinian state to exist alongside a secure Israel.

President George Bush has pledged that a viable Palestinian state will be established before he leaves office in early 2009. To fulfill that promise, the U.S. must offer full support for the Gaza withdrawal, in conjunction with additional economic assistance to the Palestinian Authority. And it must oppose any unilateral actions by either side that might prejudice further negotiations. In short, U.S. support for the Gaza withdrawal must be combined with strong and clear initiatives aimed at bringing the two parties back to the negotiating table.

After all, that is the hope of the majority of American and Boston jews. We, the 26,000 members and supporters of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom across the U.S., are going to make sure that hope finds a loud and clear voice. During the week of May 31-June 3, during our national grassroots Advocacy Week, many of the 30 chapters, including our own in Boston, will bring this message to members of Congress in their home district offices. We will ask our elected leadership to continue their ongoing support for Israel and the American Jewish community by promoting forward-looking policies that recognize that a negotiated, two-state resolution of the conflict is the only means to bring true peace and security to Israel. A month later we will take the same message to Capitol Hill in meetings with key congressional leaders and representatives of the Bush Administration.

At this critical juncture in Israel's history, it is imperative that pro-Israel, pro-peace American Jews support efforts towards peace and make sure that our collective voice is heard.

Raphael Ezekiel and Beth Wasserman are co-chairs of the Boston Chapter of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom (The Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace).