5 local rabbis sign letter supporting J Street efforts

More than 60 American and Israeli rabbis, including nine former presidents of the Reform movement’s Central Conference of American Rabbis and five Bay Area rabbis, have signed a letter in support of J Street. The letter comes as direct talks begin between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Titled “Seek Peace and Pursue It,” the letter reads in part:

“As rabbis, we are enjoined to work to ensure that peace, justice and security flourish in our beloved Israel. And precisely because we are immutably committed to Israel’s survival as a democratic Jewish homeland, we support a peace process that will achieve a two-state solution, which we believe offers the best hope for the futures of both Israel and the Palestinian people, as well as bolstering regional stability and American strategic interests in the area.”

Local signatories to the letter are Rabbis Martin Weiner, Stuart Kelman, Sheldon Lewis, Judy Shanks of Lafayette’s Temple Isaiah and Julie Saxe-Taller of San Francisco’s Congregation Sherith Israel. The letter can be read in full at http://www.jstreet.org/blog/?p=1214.