Social Justice Core Positions

Core Position on Antisemitism

Temple Beth El stands against all forms of antisemitism, including hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against a Jewish individual or the Jewish people as a whole.  Acts of antisemitism are a direct attack against our identity and our right to exist as Jews. We will work towards a future free from discrimination against the Jewish people. 

Inspired by our values

• “All of Israel is responsible one for another” inspires us to confront antisemitism wherever it manifests. 
• “Justice, justice you shall pursue” inspires us to stand up and demand justice for Jews around the world.
• “You must not remain indifferent” inspires us not to turn a blind eye on any vulnerable Jewish community.

Acting on our Jewish Teachings

“And this [promise] is what has stood by our ancestors and us; for it was not only one man who rose up to destroy us: in every single generation people rise up to destroy us.” Passover Haggadah

Antisemitism is both a historical and contemporary concern. We will work not only to combat historical prejudice against Jews, but to defend ourselves in our time against those who would seek to do us harm. 

“Mordecai had this message delivered to Esther: ‘Do not imagine that you, of all the Jews, will escape with your life by being in the king’s palace. On the contrary, if you keep silent in this crisis, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another quarter, while you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows, perhaps you have attained to royal position for just such a crisis.’ Esther 4:13-14 

Just as Queen Esther summoned her bravery and recognized her unique opportunity to defend and protect our people, we will use our unique talents and resources in our time to do the same.

“Jews cannot fight antisemitism alone. The victim cannot cure the crime. The hated cannot cure the hate. It would be the greatest mistake for Jews to believe that they can fight it alone. The only people who can successfully combat antisemitism are those active in the cultures that harbour it.” Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z”l, in Future Tense, pp. 108-109

Combating antisemitism is a communal responsibility. We will work to cultivate meaningful partnerships that serve to benefit and protect our community. 

Partner Organizations

• Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
• American Jewish Committee (AJC)
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
• United States Holocaust Memorial and Museum

Core Position on Immigration

Temple Beth El believes in dignity, honor and humane treatment of all immigrants and refugees, regardless of their origin. As a people, we have wandered the desert in Canaan, were strangers in Egypt, and sought refuge after the Holocaust. We made our way back to Israel, the land of milk and honey, and to America, the land of opportunity. We are compelled to help others just as others helped us along our journey to redemption. 

Inspired by our values

• “You shall love the stranger” inspires us to hold in our hearts the welfare of immigrants.

• “Justice, justice you shall pursue” inspires us to advocate for clear immigration policies that are justly enforced.

• “You must not remain indifferent” inspires us to respond to the mistreatment of the most vulnerable.

Acting on our Jewish Teachings

“You shall not wrong or oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Exodus 22:20 

“When strangers reside with you in your land, you shall not wrong them. The strangers who reside with you shall be to you as your citizens; you shall love each one as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I the Eternal am your God.” Leviticus 19:33-34 

These two teachings remind us of our collective historical experience as a people in a foreign land, oppressed by Pharaoh, and our command to meet those foreign in our community with love and humanity. 

“Rav Huna the son of Rav Yehoshua said: It is quite clear to me that the residents of one town can prevent the resident of another town [from setting up in competition in this town], but not, however, if he pays taxes to that town; and that the resident of an alley cannot prevent another resident of the same alley [from setting up in competition in his alley].” Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 21b 

Rav Huna teaches us that while communities are justified in setting borders, they are also commanded to welcome those who wish to integrate themselves as neighbors. 

“God gathered the dust [of the first human] from the four corners of the world – red, black, white and green. Red is the blood, black is the entrails and green for the body. Why from the four corners of the earth? So that if one comes from the east to the west and arrives at the end of his life as he neared departing from the world, the land will not say to him, “The dust of your body isn’t mine. Go back to where you were created.” Rather, every place a person goes, a part of him is from there and a part of him is returning there.” Yalkut Shimoni 13 

This medieval rabbinic teaching reminds us of the divine connection between all human beings, regardless of their place of birth or the color of their skin, reinforcing our responsibility to treat all with dignity and respect. 

Partner Organizations

• HIAS (Originally founded to assist Jews fleeing pogroms in Eastern Europe, today HIAS works around the world to assist displaced people of all backgrounds)
• Faith in Public Life
• Caridad Center Free Clinic
• Florida Immigration Coalition
• Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC)

Core Position on LGBTQ+ Rights

Temple Beth El welcomes all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals and families to engage fully in the richness of Jewish life. We will respect and advocate for their freedom, safety, and inclusion, free from discrimination and harm.

Inspired by our values

• “All of Israel is responsible one for another” inspires us to show our concern for the LGBTQ+ members of our Jewish community.

• “Justice, justice you shall pursue” inspires us to defend the rights of all LGBTQ+ people.

• “You must not remain indifferent” inspires us not to ignore the plight of this historically marginalized community. 

Acting on our Jewish Teachings

“And God created humankind in the divine image.” Genesis 1:27 

Even before gender was introduced to humanity, our divine origin was established, teaching us to appreciate the holiness of every human being. 

“And for the sake of peace among people, that one should not say to his or her fellow, ‘My parent is greater than yours;’ and that heretics should not say, ‘There are many powers in Heaven.’ Again, to declare the greatness of the Holy One, blessed be God, for one stamps out many coins with one die, and they are all alike, but the King, the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be God, stamped each person with the seal of Adam, and not one of them is like his or her fellow. Therefore, each and every one is obliged to say, ‘For my sake the world was created.’” Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5 

One of the beauties of humanity is the diversity with which God created us. Each and every individual, regardless of who they love or how they identify, contributes to a diversity of humanity that we ought to celebrate. 

“Rabbi Yirmiyah ben Elazar said, “when the Eternal created Adam initially, he was created as both genders; thus is it written, “male and female did God create them.” Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said, when the Eternal created Adam initially, God created him with two faces, one on each side, and then God split him along the middle, forming two backs.” Bereshit Rabbah 8:1 

This midrash, responding to Genesis 1:27, suggests that humanity was formed inclusive of all genders, and later divided. We learn from this not to privilege one gender expression over another, but to see all as the result of the way in which humanity was created. 

Partner Organizations

• Keshet/For LGBTQ+ Equality in Jewish Life
• Compass LGBTQ+ Community Center
• A Wider Bridge

Core Position on Child Protection

Temple Beth El is committed to improving the welfare of vulnerable children and teens, helping them to reach their fullest potential and share their divine spark with the world. Protecting children and youth from abuse or neglect is a duty that all of us share. Every child deserves physical and spiritual health, educational opportunities and a sense of worth and identity.  

Inspired by our values

• “Justice, justice you shall pursue” inspires us to act whenever we see a wrong committed against a child.

• “You must not remain indifferent” inspires us not to ignore those who are vulnerable and easily silenced.

• “As my ancestors have planted for me, so do I plant for my children” inspires us to have special concern for the generations who come after us. 

Acting on our Jewish Teachings

“You must not cause pain to anyone, but particularly not to any person with limited means of defending themselves against you, such as a widow or orphan.” Exodus 22:21

“Learn to do good. Devote yourselves to justice; Aid the wronged. Uphold the rights of the orphan; Defend the cause of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17

“By the breath of children God sustains the world.” Shabbat 119b 

These and similar verses in the tradition call upon us to have special concern for the vulnerable in our society. The widow and the orphan are poignant examples, but children who are powerless should also demand our concern.

Partner Organizations

• Guardian ad Litem
• Florence Fuller Center
• The Giving Tree of Temple Beth El
• Best Foot Forward
• Sweet Dream Makers

Core Position on Economic Insecurity

Temple Beth El believes that helping those living in poverty or with economic insecurity is a matter of responsibility, righteousness, and justice. Economic insecurity disproportionately affects vulnerable populations and hinders their ability to access basic needs and opportunities which can provide advancement via education, jobs or the ability to access healthcare. 

The Giving Tree of Temple Beth El has long worked to help those in need in our community. We will continue that important work and advocate for long-term systemic change. 

Inspired by our values

• “You shall love the stranger” inspires us to act with generosity towards all who are in need.

• “Justice, justice you shall pursue” inspires us to confront the underlying societal causes of economic insecurity.

• “You must not remain indifferent” inspires us to open our hearts to all who are economically insecure. 

Acting on our Jewish Teachings

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I Adonai am your God.” Leviticus 19:9-10

“If, however, there is a needy person among you, one of your kin in any of your settlements in the land that your God Adonai is giving you, do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy kin. Rather, you must open your hand and lend whatever is sufficient to meet the need.” Deuteronomy 15:7-8

These verses from Torah establish our communal responsibility to care for those who are economically insecure. We are instructed to give tzedakah, to give some of what we have to those who are in need. 

“You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow Israelite or a stranger in one of the communities of your land. You must pay out the wages due on the same day, before the sun sets, for the worker is needy and urgently depends on it; else a cry to Adonai will be issued against you and you will incur guilt.” Deuteronomy 24:14-15

We are instructed to create rules for society that are fair and not to allow the powerful to take advantage of those who are economically vulnerable. 

“It is taught in a baraita: Rabbi Meir would say: An opponent may bring an argument against you and say to you: If your God loves the poor, for what reason does God not support them? In such a case, say to him: God commands us to act as divine agents in sustaining the poor, so that through them we will be credited with the performance of mitzvot and therefore be saved from the judgment of Gehenna.” Bava Batra 10a

This teaching in the Talmud makes clear the plight of the poor is not God’s to care for, but humanity’s, giving us the responsibility for their well-being. 

Partner Organizations

• The Giving Tree of Temple Beth El
• Boca Helping Hands
• Ruth and Norman Rales Jewish Family Services
• Jacobson Family Food Pantry
• Sweet Dream Makers

Core Position on Environmental Protection

Temple Beth El is committed to protecting our natural resources, and preserving our beloved Florida coastline, fresh air, and natural ecosystem. We will take action to prevent climate change and its effects and help those most impacted by climate crises. 

Inspired by our values

• “You must not remain indifferent” inspires us to seek local solutions to this overwhelming, global issue.

• “As my ancestors have planted for me, so do I plant for my children” inspires us to strive for an environment for future generations better than the one we inherited. 

Acting on our Jewish Teachings

“God Adonai settled the Human in the Garden of Eden, to till it and tend it.” Genesis 2:15

The Holy One instructed our ancestors to care for the Garden of Eden, so too we as their inheritors have the holy responsibility to care for all the earth. 

“When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human to withdraw before you into the besieged city?” Deuteronomy 20:19

We must respect and revere our natural resources, even while engrossed in our most grave pursuits. By prohibiting the destruction of trees in times of war, the Torah makes clear their importance. 

“Samson Raphael Hirsch in the nineteenth century gave the most forcible interpretation of biblical law. The statutes relating to environmental protection, he said, represent the principle that “the same regard which you show to man you must also demonstrate to every lower creature, to the earth which bears and sustains all, and to the world of plants and animals.” They are a kind of social justice applied to the natural world: “They ask you to regard all living things as God’s property. Destroy none; abuse none; waste nothing; employ all things wisely…. Look upon all creatures as servants in the household of creation.”” Essays in Ethics, “Reih,” Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, z”l

All of God’s creatures are our responsibility to care for and sustain. While we are empowered to utilize the natural world for our purposes, we must do so without waste, abuse, and with all of our wisdom.

Partner Organizations

• Dayenu
• Tikkun Hayem/Repair the Sea
• Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
• Nechama/Jewish Response to Disaster

Core Position on Gun Violence Prevention

Temple Beth El unequivocally supports commonsense solutions to end the tragedy of gun violence in our communities and our nation. While respecting our rights to defend and protect ourselves, our tradition calls upon us to minimize violence wherever possible. 

Inspired by our values

• “All of Israel is responsible for one another” inspires us to consider the unique challenges of ensuring the safety of the Jewish community from the risks of gun violence.

• “You must not remain indifferent” inspires us not to despair in the face of repeated trauma.

• “As my ancestors have planted for me, so do I plant for my children” inspires us to learn from those who came before and build a safer world for those who come after us. 

Acting on our Jewish Teachings

“When you build a new house, you shall make a railing for your roof, so that you do not bring blood on your house if anyone should fall from it.” Deuteronomy 22:8

When we as a society create anything new, we are responsible to consider the damage it might do and therefore must take all necessary precautions so that we will be as safe as possible.

“One may not sell to certain people weapons nor the auxiliary equipment of weapons, and one may not sharpen weapons for them. And one may not sell them stocks used for fastening the feet of prisoners, or iron neck chains, or foot chains, or iron chains.” Avodah Zarah 15b

While our tradition recognizes the need to protect ourselves with arms, it also demands that we have a responsibility to guard against those who ought not be entrusted with them.

“There is no difference between a roof or anything else that is dangerous and likely to cause death to a person who might stumble. If, for instance, one has a well or a pit in his courtyard — he must build an enclosing ring ten handbreadths high, put a cover over it, so that a person should not fall into it and die. So too, any obstruction that is a danger to life must be removed as a matter of positive duty and extremely necessary caution.” Mishneh Torah, Murdered and the Preservation of Life 11:4.

Rabbi Moses Maimonides, in his Mishneh Torah, teaches that it is a positive duty- a moral obligation- to create protections around anything that could bring danger to life.

Partner Organizations

• Moms Demand Action
• Everytown for Gun Safety
• Rabbis Against Gun Violence

Core Position on Protecting Democracy

Temple Beth El supports the constitutional civil right to vote. We believe that all citizens’ voices should be heard and counted and that it is essential to uphold the pillars of our representative democracy. 

Inspired by our values

• “Justice, justice you shall pursue” inspires us to advance a democratic system that encourages wide participation and protects access for all.

• “You must not remain indifferent” inspires us to advocate for the rights of others.

• “As my ancestors have planted for me, so do I plant for my children” inspires us to pursue democratic values not just for ourselves but for our posterity. 

Acting on our Jewish Teachings

“You shall neither side with the mighty to do wrong—you shall not give perverse testimony in a dispute so as to pervert it in favor of the mighty.” Exodus 23:2

“If, in your opinion, the majority are about to commit an error in judgment, do not remain silent because they are the majority, but state your view. This applies even if you know beforehand that they will not accept your viewpoint but that of the majority.” Rabbi Shmuel ben Meir (Rashbam), commenting on Exodus 23:2

A thriving democracy requires an open and free dialogue within society, where all are able to share their opinions, be they popular or not.

“Rabbi Yitzchak taught that ‘a ruler is not to be appointed unless the community is first consulted.” Brachot 55a

In our society, free and fair elections are how the community is first consulted to fulfill this responsibility.

Partner Organizations

• League of Women Voters
• National Council of Jewish Women
• Jewish Council for Public Affairs

Core Position on Racial Equity

Temple Beth El believes in the rights of all races to live free from discrimination. We will follow in the footsteps of the American Jewish community during the Civil Rights Movement to advance the civil rights of all racial minorities and work towards equity for all.  

Inspired by our values

• “You shall love the stranger” inspires us to express our concern for the wellbeing of others.
• “Justice, justice you shall pursue” inspires us to seek meaningful solutions to societal injustice.

• “You must not remain indifferent” inspires us to make the world more just for others. 

Acting on our Jewish Teachings

“And God created humankind in the divine image, creating it in the image of God.” Genesis 1:27

Each one of us, regardless of the color of our skin, was created by God to look the way that we do.

“Thus [first man was created alone] for sake of peace among humankind, that one should not say to another, ‘My father was greater than your father.'” Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5

“God created humanity from the four corners of the earth – yellow clay, and white sand, black loam, and red soil. Therefore, the earth can declare to no part of humanity that it does not belong here, that this soil is not their rightful home.” Pirkei De Rabbi Eliezer 11:5-6

These teachings remind us that every human being is created to look the way God wanted them to, and that every human being is descended from a single common ancestor. No one can say that, by merit of birth, they are better or worse than anyone else.

Partner Organizations

• DISC of Pearl City (Developing Interracial Social Change)
• Spady Cultural Heritage Museum
• Ebenezer Baptist Church of Boca Raton
• BRICA (Boca Raton Interfaith Clergy Association)

Core Position on Reproductive Freedom

Temple Beth El believes that the decision to keep or terminate a pregnancy should be made between a woman, her partner, her doctor and her religious beliefs. Access to abortion care is a fundamental human right that our Jewish tradition protects. Limits on abortion accesses, grounded in religious teachings, are a threat to religious freedom, for Jews and others. 

Inspired by our values

• “All of Israel is responsible for one another” inspires us to advocate for our religious liberty which demands access to abortion care.

• “Justice, justice you shall pursue” inspires us to advocate for laws and a legal system that protects reproductive rights.

• “As my ancestors have planted for me, so do I plant for my children” inspires us to advocate for reproductive rights for our generation, and those who will follow. 

Acting on our Jewish Teachings

“When men fight, and one of them pushes a pregnant woman and a miscarriage results, but no other damage ensues, the one responsible shall be fined according as the woman’s husband may exact from him, the payment to be based on reckoning.” Exodus 21:22

From this verse in Torah, we learn to distinguish an unborn fetus from a human life. The fetus has value, to be sure, but not the same as living beings.

“If she is found pregnant, until the fortieth day it is mere fluid.” Yevamot 69b

“What is the reason for Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi’s position [in the above conversation]? He holds that a fetus is considered as its mother’s thigh [that is, as part of its mother’s body].” Gittin 23b

“If a woman is having trouble giving birth, they cut up the child in her womb and brings it forth limb by limb, because her life comes before the life of [the child]. But if the greater part has come out, one may not touch it, for one may not set aside one person’s life for that of another.” Mishnah Oholot 7:6

““Its head came out:” With a women that is experiencing difficulty giving birth and is in [mortal] danger. And it is taught in the first section [of this teaching], “the midwife extends her hand and cuts it up and extracts [the pieces];” as the entire time that that it has not gone out into the air of the world, it is not [considered] a soul, and [so] it is possible to kill it and to save its mother. But when its head came out, we cannot touch it to kill it, as it is like a born [baby]; and we do not push off one soul for the sake of another.” Rashi on Sanhedrin 72b

These teachings illustrate our tradition’s various opinions on when a pregnancy begins and at what point a fetus takes on the same rights as a human being.

“This, indeed, is one of the negative mitzvot – not to take pity on the life of a rodef (one who seeks to kill you; self-defense, then, is regarded as a commandment.) On this basis, our Sages ruled that when complications arise and a pregnant woman cannot give birth, it is permitted to abort the fetus in her womb, whether with a knife or with drugs. For the fetus is considered a rodef of its mother. If the head of the fetus emerges, it should not be touched, because one life should not be sacrificed for another. Although the mother may die, this is the nature of the world.” Mishneh Torah, Murderer and the Preservation of Life 1:9

Maimonides, in the Mishneh Torah, establishes that a pregnancy that threatens the health of the person carrying it, the pregnancy ought to be terminated. Once the fetus has emerged, however, it takes on equal value and should not be sacrificed.

“The questioner asks about an adulterous married woman (who is pregnant) is a good question. It appears to me to permit her (to abort)…And even in the case of a legitimate fetus there is reason to be lenient if there is a great need, as long as the fetus has not begun to emerge; even if the mother’s life is not in jeopardy, but only so as to save her from woe associated with it that would cause her great pain…” Rabbi Jacob Emden, Responsa She’elat Ya”vetz 1:43 (1739-1759)

“We see clearly that this permission of Rabbi Yaakov Emden is even when it is not a matter of saving the mother’s life, and it is only to save her from great pain because of the child, and that in general there is room to be lenient for great need. …And suffering and emotional pain in great measure are greater and more painful than physical pain.” Rabbi Eliezer Waldenberg, Tzitz Eliezer 13:102 (1978)

These two teachings establish that, beyond threats to a woman’s physical wellbeing, abortion may be permitted because of emotional pain and suffering as well.

Partner Organizations

• EMA (Emergency Medical Assistance of Palm Beach County)
• NCJW (National Council of Jewish Women)
• Men4Choice
• Meadows Reproductive Health and Wellness

Core Position on Separation of Church and State (Religious Freedom)

Temple Beth El believes firmly in the right of all Americans to practice religion freely and to not have others’ beliefs imposed upon them or their children.  We are opposed to the movement to infuse religious beliefs into public school education, public policies, or into public spaces.   

Inspired by our values

• “All of Israel is responsible for one another” inspires us to advocate for the religious freedom of all Jews, individually and collectively

• “Justice, justice you shall pursue” inspires us to pursue protection for all religious freedoms, alongside the freedom from religious coercion.

Acting on our Jewish Teachings

“Shmuel says: The law of the land is the law.” Nedarim 28a

This teaching from the Talmud suggests that as Jews we ought to follow the laws of the civil authorities under which we live.

“The citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy — a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.” Letter from President George Washington to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, 1790

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” First Amendment to the US Constitution, 1791

These texts from the American tradition underscore the importance of the separation of religion and state, in particular for the benefit of religious minorities like the Jewish community. At the same time, President Washington’s contemporaneous letter suggests that the needs of the Jewish community were prominent in the minds of our nation’s founders.

Partner Organizations

• Jewish Council for Public Affairs
• Interfaith Alliance
• Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Core Position on Women’s Rights

Temple Beth El unequivocally supports women’s full and equal participation in society and, in Jewish life, in America, Israel, and abroad. We stand opposed to discrimination against women, responding to generations of gender-based discrimination. Further, gender-based violence is rooted in unjust power relations, structures, and social and cultural norms, and as a result, worldwide, women are disproportionately harmed by gender-based violence.   

Inspired by our values

• “Justice, justice you shall pursue” inspires us to advocate for the equal treatment and protection of all women.

• “You shall not remain indifferent” inspires us not to ignore the plight of women unknown to us.

Acting on our Jewish Teachings

“And God created humankind in the divine image, creating it in the image of God—creating them male and female.” Genesis 1:27

This verse in the first chapter of the Torah suggests that each person’s connection to the Holy One is established even before humanity is separated into genders.

“You shall not have in your pouch alternate weights, larger and smaller. You shall not have in your house alternate measures, a larger and a smaller. You must have completely honest weights and completely honest measures, if you are to endure long on the soil that the Eternal your God is giving you. For everyone who does those things, everyone who deals dishonestly, is abhorrent to the Eternal your God.” Deuteronomy 25:13-16

“Anyone who robs another of an item worth one peruta is considered as though he takes his soul from him, as it is stated: “So are the ways of every one that is greedy for profit; it takes away the life of the owner thereof”” (Proverbs 1:19). Baba Kamma 119a

Each of these economically oriented teachings guide us to the conclusion that we have a responsibility to treat everyone with whom we interact equally to everyone else. For generations women have been treated differently- usually worse- as a result of their gender, most blatantly in areas of compensation. These teachings compel us to advocate for the equal treatment of women.

“And the Eternal said to Moses, “The plea of Zelophehad’s daughters is just: you should give them a hereditary holding among their father’s kinsmen; transfer their father’s share to them.”” Numbers 27:6-7

The story of Zelophehad’s daughters, who advocated for their family’s benefits despite there not being a male heir to receive them, is celebrated as a victory for women’s rights at that moment in our people’s history. In our time, inspired by the heroines of the story, we advocate for full equality for all women, not just reasonable accommodations.

“There was an incident involving a certain man who set his eyes upon a certain woman and passion rose in his heart, to the point that he became deathly ill. And they came and asked doctors what was to be done with him. And the doctors said: He will have no cure until she engages in sexual intercourse with him. The Sages said: Let him die, and she may not engage in sexual intercourse with him. The doctors said: She should at least stand naked before him. The Sages said: Let him die, and she may not stand naked before him. The doctors suggested: The woman should at least converse with him behind a fence in a secluded area, so that he should derive a small amount of pleasure from the encounter. The Sages insisted: Let him die, and she may not converse with him behind a fence.” Sanhedrin 75a

As this teaching illustrates, there is no justification for sexual violence. Nor should women be held responsible to manage or accede to anyone’s desires other than their own.

Partner Organizations

• Women of Reform Judaism
• Religious Action Center
• Jewish Family Services
• Israel Religious Action Center
• National Council of Jewish Women

Core Position on Zionism

Temple Beth El is proudly Zionist and unequivocally supports the State of Israel as an inseparable part of our Jewish identity and heritage.  

Zionism, the movement for national self-determination of the Jewish people in our ancient and historic homeland, and Ahavat Yisrael, love of the people, land, and State of Israel, play an integral role in our Jewish identity and our Temple’s mission, consistent with our history of supporting Israel.  

Inspired by our values

• “All of Israel is responsible for one another” inspires us to champion Zionism and Israel as an essential element of the Jewish people’s national well-being.
• “Justice, justice you shall pursue” inspires us to advocate for Israel through just means, while confronting those who question the justice of Israel’s existence.

• “As my ancestors have planted for me, so do I plant for my children” inspires us not to continue to Zionist vision of over a century into the next generations.

Acting on our Jewish Teachings

“And turn in compassion to Jerusalem, Your city. May there be peace in her gates, quietness in the hearts of her inhabitants. Let you Torah go forth from Zion and Your word from Jerusalem. Blessed is Adonai, who gives peace to Jerusalem.” Weekday T’fillah

This blessing, as part of the Amidah, reminds us of our eternal connection to the Land of Israel and to Jerusalem.

“As long as in the heart, within,
The Jewish soul yearns,
And towards the ends of the east,
The Jewish eye gazes toward Zion,

Our hope is not yet lost,
The hope of two thousand years,
To be a free nation in our own land,
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.”
Hatikvah

Hatikvah, the national anthem of the State of Israel and the Jewish people, articulates our desire to inhabit our ancient homeland in our time as a free people.

“We are committed to the State of Israel, and rejoice in its accomplishments. We affirm the unique qualities of living in the land of Israel, and encourage immigration to Israel. We are committed to a vision of the State of Israel that promotes full civil, human and religious rights for all its inhabitants and that strives for a lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors.” A Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism, 1999

This statement of our Reform movement articulates our commitment to protect and rejoice in the State of Israel as the fulfillment of our national destiny, and our responsibility to make the State of Israel the fulfillment of the teachings of our tradition.

Partner Organizations

• ARZA (Association of Reform Zionists of America)
• AJC (American Jewish Committee)
• AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee)
• StandWithUS