Though the theme was “Jewish pluralism,” the hottest topic at a panel discussion last week was the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation’s new policy regarding Israel-related programming.
And in the hot seat was San Francisco Jewish Film Festival Executive Director Peter Stein, who seemed none too pleased with the federation’s new dictum.
Though he did not comment directly, he appeared to allude to the policy when he decried “fear-based boundary making.”
In addition to Stein, the Feb. 25 panel, held at San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum and attended by approximately 75 people, included Rabbi Lavey Derby of Tiburon’s Congregation Kol Shofar; Carole Zawatsky, associate director of arts, ideas and Jewish life at the JCC of San Francisco; and Karen Kushner, executive director of the Jewish Welcome Network. Susan Berrin, editor of the Jewish monthly Sh’ma, moderated.
Berrin intended to cover multiple bullet points, including educational and denominational pluralism in the Jewish universe. But with the community digesting a new federation policy that may deny funds to grantees if they partner with those who espouse certain anti-Israel positions, the dialogue centered on the boundaries of political pluralism.
Derby noted that concerns over pluralism deepened recently due to “terror over the fate of Israel. We are afraid for them, so we create a stricter boundary. That’s where ideas become incredibly dangerous.”
That would explain the outcry over the S.F. Jewish Film Festival’s screening last summer of the documentary “Rachel,” its invitation to speaker Cindy Corrie and its inclusion of Israel critics Jewish Voice for Peace as a co-presenter. As the festival’s top dog, Stein took flak for programming the event, as did the federation for its annual $35,000 allocation to the festival.
Berrin asked panelists whether the new policy signals “worry for a vibrant array of voices” and whether Jewish institutions can guarantee a “safe space for difficult conversations.”
Stein said “funding institutions are now making definitions [of Jewish peoplehood], and any arbiter of Jewish identity is a matter of consensus, particularly when there is fear-based boundary making.” He also rejected the notion of silencing certain voices, saying pluralism is “predicated on whether we are exposed to the voices of pluralism.
“We can now silo ourselves into sections of belief. Through the Web and cable, you can live in a bubble.”
Derby concurred, adding, “The notion that we are better off hearing only the opinions that make us comfortable denies us the opportunity of greater growth.”
Stein declined to state his official response to the policy, or whether the film fest will abide by the guidelines, until after he meets with federation officials in the weeks ahead.
During an audience Q&A, Cecily Surasky, deputy director of Jewish Voice for Peace, said when she speaks out against “Israeli occupation, we are excommunicated,” adding that after reading the federation guidelines 10 times, “they seem to be a crude McCarthyism” that decide “who is allowed to be Jewish.”
In response, Derby said he “didn’t read them to say anyone is not Jewish or cannot be part of the community. [The guidelines] have sharp ideas about ideas, not people.”
At one point, JCRC Executive Director Rabbi Doug Kahn stood up at the back of the auditorium to defend the federation policy, which he helped write. “Every organization has a right and a responsibility to make boundaries based on its core values,” Kahn said. “I would argue the policy is more likely than not to ensure a more vibrant dialogue than if we did not have them.”
Former S.F. Jewish Film Festival Executive Director Janice Plotkin was having none of it. During a reception following the panel, she said, “The federation guidelines are putting a chill on programming decisions. It’s very frightening.”