Our Israel Committee helps nurture our connection to Israel by fostering education and promoting meaningful engagement with the Jewish homeland through programs, activities, and fundraising.
If you have a question about Israel and our congregation, or if you’re interested in getting involved in the committee, please reach out to israel(at)societyhillsynagogue.org.
Israel Dialogue and Engagement Subcommittee Listening Circles
June 8 (4-6 pm) or June 9 (7:30-9:30 pm) or 10 (7-9 pm) pending respondents’ availability
Sign Up to Join a Listening Circle
Our Israel Dialogue and Engagement Subcommittee (IDEC) invites you to participate in a Listening Circle — a small-group gathering designed to foster respectful, compassionate dialogue about how recent events in Israel and Gaza have impacted our lives. These circles are not debates or lectures; they are spaces for deep listening and reflection.
Sessions will take place on June 8, 9, or 10, depending on respondents’ availability. Trained congregant facilitators will guide each group in creating a safe, caring space for sharing.
You can review the Code of Conduct for the listening circles and a Summary of our Israel Survey Results, which shaped this program.
Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzma’ut
Wednesday, April 30
We came together to observe Yom Hazikaron, Remembrance Day for Israel’s Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism, and to celebrate Yom Ha’atzma’ut, Israel’s Independence Day.
Different from how most Americans experience Memorial Day and Independence Day, in Israel, Yom Hazikaron immediately precedes Yom Ha’atzma’ut — a profound, emotional acknowledgement that freedom isn’t free. The somber nature of Yom Hazikaron is juxtaposed with the joy and exhilaration of Yom Ha’atzma’ut.
As the State of Israel marks its 77th year of independence, we will sought to channel this unique blend of emotions with a 25-minute Yom Hazikaron ceremony, including letters, songs, and prayers in memory of the fallen, which concluded with the siren heard throughout Israel on Yom Hazikaron, as everything stops, and people stand at attention.
We then celebrated Yom Ha’atzma’ut with an Israeli dinner, backgammon, Israel bingo, and a giant Israel map puzzle, soundtracked by Israeli pop music. Am Yisrael Hai!
Shabbat Lunch ‘n’ Learn — Making a Difference: My Volunteer Experience in Israel
Saturday, Jan. 25
It was wonderful to be together with so many congregants and friends at our recent Shabbat Kiddush Lunch ‘n’ Learn, sponsored by the Israel Connections Subcommittee!
David Levine moderated an inspiring and moving conversation with panelists Holden and Felise Nagelberg, Val and Mike Yasner, Rob Einhorn, and Rafi Licht (pictured), who shared their experiences volunteering with various organizations in Israel before and since October 7, 2023.
Here are links to some of the organizations and volunteering portals discussed at the Lunch ‘n’ Learn:
Read some of Rabbi Kamesar's Divrei Torah (words of Torah) about Israel:
The Power of Gathering
Dear Friends, It goes without saying how heavy a toll this month has taken: on our souls, our spirits, our psyches—to say nothing of the direct devastation wrought on the lives and the communities in Israel and in Gaza. We
Ongoing Response to War in Israel and Gaza
Dear Friends, What a horrendous week and a half it has been in Israel, Gaza, and around the world. We mourn deeply the loss of all innocent life—from the more than 1,400 Israelis that Hamas terrorists killed on that devastating
Response To Tragedy In Israel on October 7
SINGULAR MOMENT IN ISRAEL As we now know, what took place this past Shabbat and Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah holiday in Israel was not the standard cross-border skirmish we have grown all too accustomed to, where Hamas militants fire rockets from
How Exile Shows Up In Our Lives
Starting Wednesday night and continuing through Thursday, we honor Tishah B’Av, the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av, the date which commemorates numerous tragedies over the course of Jewish history, including and especially the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, the Temple in
The Special Time of Jewish Weddings, Tragedy in Philly, and Turmoil in Israel
Dear Friends, I just got back from a brief vacation in Portland, Oregon where Caroline and I attended my sister’s wedding, which I was honored to officiate. Jewish (and presumably all) weddings are aimed at capturing an experience that can
Yom Hazikaron | Israel at 75 | Yom Hashoah
Yom Hazikaron – Memorial Day This evening, Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, (whose full official name is Yom Hazikaron Lehalelei Ma’arkhot Yisrael Ul’nifge’ei Pe’ulot Haeivah/Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers of the Wars of Israel and Victims of Actions of