Israel Rabbi Aaron Goldstein

Committed to peace, co-existence and religious pluralism

Why does supporting aid to Palestinians have to mean that you do not support Israel, and why does donating to Magen David Adom mean you are hard-hearted, turning a blind eye to suffering? It is this kind of blinkered approach that leads to intransigence, the fostering of positions that inevitably lead to friends falling out, enemies being reinforced and, ultimately, to conflict.

We have collected a mountain of resources about the current situation in the Middle East. These resources portray many differing view points and different sides of the political spectrum. We present them here with the idea of providing enough information for you to form your own informed opinions on the matter. Apart from the political implications of the conflict, the need for humanitarian aid for all parties involved is quite evident. We have therefore included websites where you can give your contribution.

We are grateful to our Israel Committed Group who work to support Israel as a critical friend and to provide opportunities to celebrate our relationship with the State of Israel. Thanks to their guidance, NPLS concentrates its energies on supporting coexistence projects in Israel and on the development of Progressive Judaism there. You will therefore find links here to such co-existence projects which we as a community support or have supported in the past, as well to the different bodies fighting for the equality and growth of Progressive Judaism in Israel.

Click the coloured names or links below to visit the websites

Liberal Judaism – Where we stand on Zionism

Information Centres

•    BICOM – Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre.

•    B’tselem – the Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories

Reputable Israeli News Services

•    Haaretz

•    The Jerusalem Post

Reputable Palestinian and Arab News Services

•    Ma'an is a Palestinian website which offers independent news and opinions.

•    Al-Jazeera

Aid

•    Faiths Working Together is a fund for rebuilding civilian lives in Gaza and relieving suffering in Israel through the joint work of Christian Aid, Islamic Relief and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel.

•    Jewish National Fund

•    Disasters Emergency Committee

•    Leket - Israel (Table to Table), Israel’s Food Rescue Network (beneficiaries of our High Holyday Appeal 5769). Rabbi Aaron and his family visited Leket in 2012 and Leket visited NPLS. Click here for photos of visit to Israel

•    Magen David Adom

Other Organisations and Institutions in Israel that NPLS supports

•    Rabbis for Human Rights

•    New Israel Fund

•    The Abraham Fund Initiatives

•    Physicians for Human Rights

Progressive Judaism in Israel

•    Israel Religious Action Centre of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism.
 
•    The Congregations of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism

•    NPLS funded a Torah Scroll for Brit Olam, Kiryat Ono (beneficiaries of our High Holyday Appeal 5768)

•    NPLS supported Kehillat Sulam Ya’akov, Zichron Ya’akov to move into their landmark, State-sponsored Synagogue caravilla Also read their new year update and message for 5770
 
•    The Leo Baeck Education Centre, Haifa (beneficiaries of our High Holyday Appeal 5770). Read report on Music Makes Us One, Leo Baeck's Arab-Jewish Summer Camp 2010. the productive use of NPLS support. Also read the report on the 2011 camp, featured on Israeli TV (click)
Read the press release on Step by Step Sauwa Sauwa 2012; Click here for BBC World report
Click here for Performance; Click here for Interview with participants

•    The Sir Charles Clore Jewish-Arab Community Center, Acco
Please send any messages to rabbiaaron@npls.org.uk to be forwarded to Fahili and Claire King-Lassman

•    One Voice is a grassroots Israeli-Palestinian organisation, which seeks to promote peace through working with communities in both Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
 
•    The Interreligious Coordinating Council of Israel

Interfaith in Israel

This interview with Fr. Davis Neuhaus, vicar of Hebrew and Russian speaking Catholics with the Jerusalem Patriarchate, one of the outstanding Christian theologians and teachers in Israel, discusses the nature of Christian-jewish dialogue in Israel. Click here