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In
This Issue
Rep.
Barney Frank speaks to Brit Tzedek activists during National
Advocacy Days
Rep. Frank's letter of July 6 included the following
message of support for Brit Tzedek's work:
"I
am very pleased to hear from American Jews who, like myself,
believe that serious efforts in the current negotiations
towards achieving a two-state solution are very much in the
best interest of Israel. ... I agree with all of the points
you make about how we can help move the peace process
forward."
Contact
Us
boston@btvshalom.org
Link to the
National Organization
www.btvshalom.org
Work
Groups Contacts
Outreach to Synagogues
boston@btvshalom.org
One-to-One
Networking
bethwasserman@yahoo.com
Working With the Press & Media
sgoldfless@post.harvard.edu
Educational Forums
Dkatz125@hotmail.com
Advocacy & House Parties
boston@btvshalom.org
To
join or renew your membership
www.btvshalom.org/join
Boston Chapter Media
Spokespeople:
Beth Wasserman
David Matz
To read published letters or
articles by Brit Tzedek Boston Chapter members or about Brit
Tzedek in the Boston-area press, go to: http://btvshalom.org/
chapters/boston#press
To
find out more about the Media Committee, contact: Donna
Spiegelman
donna@btvshalom.org
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Dear
Readers,
Best wishes to you from the Boston Chapter of Brit
Tzedek for a Happy and Healthy New Year,
with hopes that the coming year brings us closer to
a just and peaceful resolution of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Since our first newsletter this spring, Boston
chapter members have initiated and participated in
many activities promoting peace through a
negotiated two-state settlement of the conflict. We
planned carefully to make the most of our meeting
with our representatives in Congress and presented
Brit Tzedek's positions to them in Washington as
well as here at home. We also made progress in
making our voice heard in the local Jewish
community, an important aim of the chapter.
Increasing our grassroots support bolsters our
message. Join us and become an active member of the
largest chapter of Brit Tzedek v'Shalom.
National
Advocacy Days
Members of the
Boston Chapter were among the 60 activists who
convened in Washington, DC on June 27-28 to train
with leading advocates and policy makers, and
deliver the organization's message to Senators,
Representatives, and Administration officials. Rep
Barney Frank was one of the Members of Congress who
gave a legislative briefing to the whole group on
June 27. The next day, a delegation of Boston Brit
Tzedek members had the opportunity to meet with an
aide of Senator John Kerry.
We were encouraged and impressed by the great
interest in our message. Elected officials, policy
makers, and staff members were eager to hear from a
moderate Jewish peace group. We learned that in
order to sustain an effective advocacy campaign, we
need to send delegates to the Hill regularly; make
frequent visits to elected officials in their home
districts; speak in public and write letters on
issues of concern; and praise public officials when
they stand with us.
To read more on DC Advocacy Days, go to:
http://ga3.org/btvshalom/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=3395996
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Home
District Advocacy
The National
Advocacy Days anchored the series of home district
advocacy meetings that the Boston Chapter has been
pursuing with Congressional representatives or
their staff. These meetings have been a great
opportunity to present Brit Tzedek's pro-Israel,
pro-peace message. So far we have met with:
- Sen. John Kerry.
On January 11, Diane Balser, Rafe Ezekiel, and
Beth Wasserman visited Senator Kerry's
Massachusetts office and spoke with two of his
aides who are responsible for foreign affairs
and liaison to the Jewish community. Both were
knowledgeable about Brit Tzedek and very
interested, giving us 45 minutes, more than the
scheduled time. They urged us to keep them
informed about topics related to Brit Tzedek's
positions.
- Rep. Barney
Frank, 4th Congressional District. On
February 28, five representatives of the Boston
chapter met with Rep. Frank to discuss his
engagement with issues related to recent
developments in the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, and support within the American Jewish
community for a two-state solution to that
conflict. Plans for another home district
meeting were postponed as Rep. Frank became
active in Brit Tzedek's Advocacy Days held in
Washington, D.C. in late June. In late July, at
a Congressional debate on Mideast aid, Rep.
Frank led 100 members of congress (including 7
of the Bay State's 10 reps) to vote for direct
aid for the Palestinian Authority.
[Attending the Feb. 28 meeting: Diane
Balser, Deborah Fogel, Deborah Katz, Len Lyons,
David Strauss]
- Rep. Ed Markey,
7th Congressional District. On May 25, we
visited the district office in Medford and met
with Joe Dalton, the District Director. At the
meeting, which lasted almost 45 minutes, we
introduced Brit Tzedek and described our
presence in the district. We thanked the
Congressman for having voted against an
amendment to the Foreign Relations Authorization
Bill (HR 2601) that severely limits the
Administration's ability to support projects by
sending funds directly to the Palestinian
Authority, a position supported by Brit Tzedek.
We also talked about current events and their
relevance to reaching agreement on a two-state
solution. The visit concluded with a request for
a meeting with the Congressman later this
year.
[Delegates: Raphael Ezekiel, David
Grinstein, Rabbi Toba Spitzer]
- Rep. Michael
Capuano, 8th Congressional District. On the
morning of June 2, six chapter members met with
Rep. Capuano and an aide for our chapter's third
meeting with the Congressman. We planned the
meeting to hear from the Congressman about his
recent trip to Israel and to discuss prospects
for getting Congressional support for our
positions. It was clear to us that Rep. Capuano
is both well-informed about Israeli-Palestinian
issues and holds views that are supportive of
Brit Tzedek's work. In explaining the current
mood in Congress, Rep. Capuano pointed out the
importance of building up our New York chapter.
Please tell your friends in New York to join
and get active in Brit Tzedek!
[Coordinators for the meeting were Marya
Axner and Beth Wasserman. Other attendees were
Diane Balser, Mark Niedergang, Larry Rosenberg,
and Donna Spiegelman]
- Rep. Martin
Meehan, 5th Congressional District: A small
delegation, including Rafe Ezekiel and Rabbi
Toba Spitzer, met with the director of the
Representative's local office in late June, a
few days before National Advocacy Week. We
thanked him for having supported the Capps
resolution (direct aid to the Palestinian
Authority.) The meeting laid groundwork for
closer contact.
- Sen. Ted
Kennedy. On August 10, eight members of the
Boston chapter met with Thomas Crohan,
Congressional Aide to Senator Kennedy, in his
office in Boston. The delegates, who are
residents of different cities and towns in
Massachusetts, spoke individually of their views
on peace in the Middle East and their desire for
a greater U.S. engagement in moving the parties
to the negotiating table. We provided Mr.
Crohan, who was impressed by the dynamic growth
of our organization, with written materials
about the topics of discussion. At his request,
we added him to our national and local mailing
lists. We left encouraged about a possibility of
a meeting between Sen. Kennedy and a larger
delegation from Brit Tzedek.
[Delegates: Diane Balser, Bob Baseman, Herb
Kelman, David Matz, Rabbi Barbara Penzner, Donna
Spiegelman, Joel Spiro, David Strauss]
- Rep. William
Delahunt, 10th Congressional District. On
August 30th, Bill Gamson, of the Martha's
Vineyard chapter, met with Rep. Delahunt on the
island. The meeting was set up on short notice
and there was no time to assemble a delegation.
Gamson reports that the meeting turned out to be
very fruitful. As a member of the House
Committee on International Relations, Rep.
Delahunt is a knowledgeable and sophisticated
observer of issues we care about. He grasped
quickly the positions we promote. His advice to
us is to work in a broader coalition to make our
voice heard. He also suggested that we keep in
touch with the Committee on International
Relations to receive early notification of
hearings on resolutions related to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As follow-up,
Gamson will contact a staff member specializing
in international relations, sending him timely
analyses on selected issues. In addition, the
Congressman suggested that we work jointly on a
forum, called tentatively "A Dialogue with Rep.
Bill Delahunt on the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict," to be held at the Martha's Vineyard
Hebrew Center sometime in November.
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Our
Local Presence
This spring, Boston
became the first Brit Tzedek chapter to be accepted
as a member organization of the local Jewish
Community Relations Council, which has further
legitimized Brit Tzedek as an equal partner in the
Boston Jewish community. The Boston chapter
continues to participate in Jewish community events
to articulate our group's message of peace and to
demonstrate our strong presence in the
community.
On June 19, a group of 18 chapter members
participated in the annual city-wide "Walk, Talk,
and Rock for Israel" event in Boston that
included a rally, a march, and a concert. Clad in
T-shirts with a peace message, waving signs, and
holding a banner, our group attracted a lot of
attention. The T-shirts, with Brit Tzedek logo and
the message 
[Bakesh Shalom ve-Radfehu] "Seek Peace
& Pursue It", were a big hit and received many
positive comments.
[left to right] Brit Tzedek
activists: Jonathan Jacoby, Margot Blank, Beth
Wasserman, Hava Yaseen, Judy Musnikow, Marya Axner,
Steve Vogel, Ken Brociner, Naomi Isler, and the
Karchmer family.
Several people who attended the rally asked for
more information about Brit Tzedek. Boston Chapter
chair Beth Wasserman adds that the rally shows our
success in joining the Jewish community's support
for Israel while also raising our voice to back
disengagement from Gaza as the first of many steps
required to achieve peace. It also shows that
people with diverse positions can express their
views without worrying about divisiveness in the
Jewish community.
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Featured
Work Group: Media
Media relations is
one of the vehicles we use to ensure that print and
broadcast outlets reflect the true range of
opinions among Boston-area Jews. A committee of ten
members has been researching issues, preparing
materials, and submitting articles for
publications. Products include:
- Publications:
Just in the past month letters to the
editor, written by committee members, were
published in the Cambridge Chronicle,
Somerville Journal, Newton TAB, Jewish
Advocate, Brookline TAB and the
International Herald Tribune. The Boston
Globe published an op-ed piece on the
disengagement from Gaza by Herb Kelman, co-chair
of the Middle East Seminar at Harvard University
and a member of the Boston Chapter. A press
release announcing the appointment of Diane
Balser as CEO of Brit Tzedek was published in
the Cambridge Chronicle and Jewish
Advocate. An article on the high holidays
and peace was submitted to a synagogue
newsletter.
- Media Resources:
A Boston chapter media kit is now available as
an introductory resource for journalists. It
provides background information on Brit Tzedek
and Boston chapter activities. The kit spells
out the resources we offer, such as
spokespersons, reactions to events, updates,
etc. It lists David Matz, a member of the
national board, and Beth Wasserman, chair of the
Boston chapter, as contacts for further
information. We have also prepared a resource
for members who are ready to call in to "talk
radio" shows. The list identifies the stations,
days, and times of all such shows in the Boston
area.
- Research: The
efforts of the media committee are supported by
the ongoing research of the Media Research and
Action Project (MRAP) at Boston College. During
2004, MRAP examined 23 Boston Globe
articles that covered the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. Among 20 spokespersons for American
Jewish organizations quoted in these articles,
there were virtually none from groups identified
with a negotiated two-state solution. MRAP will
continue such analyses, making results available
to the public and the press.
We need your help to raise our media profile.
You can write a letter, make a phone call to a
radio program, take a photograph, or connect
with someone you know at a media outlet. To get
involved with the media committee write us at
donna@btvshalom.org
or call Donna Spiegelman at
617-835-5119.
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Recent
Chapter Events
- "Gaza Disengagement
and the Prospects for Peace." On July 27,
some 50 people turned out for a Brit Tzedek
Chapter Gathering to hear Herb Kelman,
professor emeritus of social ethics and co-chair
of the Middle East seminar at Harvard
University, talk about the Gaza disengagement
and prospects for peace. The lecture, held at
Congregation Eitz Chayim in Cambridge, was
preceded by a light dinner and a brief update on
the chapter's activities. In his extensive
remarks, Kelman's assessment was that prospects
for progress after the disengagement were not
promising, that the Israeli public did not think
that now is the time for final status
negotiations, and that the peace camp in Israel
was in a kind of paralysis. Given these
circumstances, Kelman emphasized the need to
create a sense of possibility in order to
counter pessimism and fatigue. He proposed two
priorities: First, strengthen the hand of
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, by showing
progress toward a Palestinian state; and second,
advocate a return to negotiations for a
two-state solution, negotiations which should go
beyond the Geneva initiative to include an
explicit framework that validates the national
identity of both sides.
- "Cheshbon HaNefesh:
Rabbis Reflect on Israel at a Time of
Decision." September 13, event sponsored by
Brit Tzedek at Temple Beth Shalom in Cambridge.
Rabbis Norman Janis (rabbinic advisor to
Harvard Hillel's Worship and Study congregation
and director of its intergenerational programs)
and Toba Spitzer (Congregation Dorshei
Tzedek, West Newton) gave thoughtful and
inspiring talks on the place of the High
Holidays within the Jewish community and how
they can help us to think about the current
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Rabbi Janis began by reminding us that Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur are two of the least
"Jewish" holidays in our tradition. The High
Holidays are quite worldly in their perspective
and encourage us to think of others and our
relations with them. Rosh Hashanah is considered
to be the birthday of the whole world.
Similarly, on Yom Kippur, we atone for the sins
of all. We don't focus on specifically Jewish
sins, like breaking Kashrut or not keeping
Shabbat, but rather, atone for larger sins
against humanity. Because of this, Janis wants
us to think about our quest for justice in
regard to the larger world community. He quoted
the famous passage, "Tzedek, Tzedek,
Tirdof" and suggested that the reason behind
the repetition of the word Tzedek, "Justice,"
was to remind us that it refers to justice for
all, not only justice for the Jews.
Rabbi Spitzer spoke about the constant tension,
often highlighted around the holiday season,
between individuals and the larger community.
She pointed out that the high holidays are a
time for us all to take communal responsibility
for one another; we do not atone only for the
sins that we as individuals have committed but
rather, for all of the sins committed by our
community and by mankind. The holidays remind us
that as much as we'd like to, we cannot
disassociate ourselves from acts committed in
our name. We should speak up and proclaim our
disapproval. Spitzer finds it tragic that we
cannot come together as a community to discuss
the Israeli-Palestinian situation openly and
honestly. She praised Brit Tzedek for being able
to hear the difficult facts when discussing
Israel, something we need to continue to do.
Spitzer encourages us to use the concepts of the
High Holidays as we reflect on the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, helping us to
consider the situation with both Din
(Judgment) and Rachamim (Mercy).
- Latest events to be
described in next newsletter:
Land of the Settlers: Video Diary of a Worried
Israeli Journalist." September 28.
Discussion, and a screening of excerpts of the
acclaimed documentary, with the director,
veteran Israeli news anchor Chaim Yavin.
Co-sponsored by Workmen's Circle; Brit Tzedek
v'Shalom; the Tikkun Community; Americans for
Peace Now; Temple B'nai Brith (Somerville);
Congregation Dorshei Tzedek (West Newton); and
Temple Hillel B'nai Torah (West Roxbury).
Two events with Eliezer Yaari, Director
General, New Israel Fund Jerusalem Office.
September 29. Brown bag lunch at the Jewish
Community Relations Council on
"Post-Disengagement: Israel Confronts Its
Cultural Divide", co-sponsored with the NIF
by the JCRC and Brit Tzedek v'Shalom; and
evening event on "Maintaining a Civil
Discourse After Disengagement" at Temple
B'nai Brith (Somerville), co-sponsored with the
NIF by Temple B'nai Brith and Brit Tzedek
v'Shalom.
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Chapter
Elections
Voting closed on
September 29 for the elections for members of the
Boston Chapter Steering Committee. The following
Steering Committee Members were voted back for a
new term: Rafe Ezekiel, Sandy Goldfless, Larry
Rosenberg, Sarit Shalhevet, Donna Spiegelman,
Elizabeth Vernon, Beth Wasserman; and Deborah Katz
joins the Steering Committee as a new member.
Congratulations!
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Boston
Chapter News