When Portland charities condemned Israel, Jewish philanthropy was put to the test
This Passover, Rabbi Michael Cahana urged his congregation to use the portion of the seder commemorating the bread of affliction to “call out the hunger of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.”
Such a message “reflects the values of this congregation, of this community,” Cahana, who serves Congregation Beth Israel in Portland, Oregon, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “The fact that civilians are suffering in wartime is real and terrible, and I think it’s important that we, as a Jewish community, recognize that suffering.”
Two weeks later, the Oregon Food Bank — which, for years, has received financial and other forms of support from the congregation — drafted its own statement about hunger in Gaza. This one called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war; accused Israel of perpetuating a “war against Palestine,” and said the Israeli military was “indiscriminately” targeting bakeries, aid workers and hospitals, along with otherwise hindering relief efforts in the region.
While the draft did not accuse Israel outright of genocide, a common allegation among pro-Palestinian activists, it referenced “colonial ideologies” and said the food bank would work “to keep policymakers accountable and press them to refrain from enacting foreign policies that contribute to genocide, warfare, famine, and hunger.”
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Good for them!
= new reply since forum marked as read
