Aspen Jewish Congregation

How Do We Love Israel?

How Do We Love Israel?
A discussion workshop with Rabbi Shira on Zoom

For thousands of years, Israel was a yearning — a dream we got to build perfect, in our minds and hearts. Today it’s a state. Is it a state like any other, or one with special aspirations? For those of us who love Israel and choose to live outside it: how do we support it from afar? Do we hold the dream, or face the complexity of statecraft? When we have critiques, do we say them aloud — and to whom? What’s our goal here, and what’s our role?

We’ll meet to discuss, argue, reflect, and build on these questions together — as a small group, in real time, on Zoom.

Sessions: Oct 29, Nov 5, Nov 12, Nov 19, Dec 3 from 10:00 AM- 12:00 Noon MT on Zoom only. 

This class will be limited to 15 people. 

REQUIREMENTS:

  1. While this class is free, given that we are attempting to build an ongoing community of trust and dialogue, you must be a current member of the Aspen Jewish Congregation to take this class. (No one is ever turned away from AJC membership for financial reasons.)
  2. This class is open to ohavei medinat yisrael — people who love the State of Israel, however that love shows up, including sharp critique of its policies. We want real diversity of opinion in the room.
  3. You need to be able to tolerate dialogue across difference. If this class works, there will be people in it who have different understandings of how best to support Israel in 2026. We expect you to enter the class knowing that will be the case.
  4. You have to have been to Israel in order to take this class. If you have not (yet), let’s work to get you there sometime soon!
  5. People who take this class should have a working knowledge of Israeli politics and history. If you don’t know the following names or basic facts about the following historical events, this workshop is not for you this time around: 
    • Historical events: First/Second Intifada; 2005 Gaza disengagement; Camp David, Oslo, Abraham Accords; Rabin assassination
    • Historical/current political figures: Ze’ev Jabotinsky; Golda Meir; Ariel Sharon; Naftali Bennett; Yair Golan; Yahya Sinwar; Bezalel Smotrich
    • Institutions/terms: The Law of Return; The Green Line; Basic understanding of the Israeli parlimentary system; The 2023 judicial reform crisis
  • You must be able to attend all sessions, live, on Zoom. We’re building trust as a group, and that only happens if everyone shows up every time. 
  • There will be approximately 90 minutes of homework in preparation for every class. 
  • In addition to the homework, if you register for this class you agree to:
    • Have at least one 1:1 conversation (on video or in person) with one person in the class who you do not yet know about the topic at hand.
    • Write and present a case study about something that is live in your life pertaining to Israel and/or the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
REGISTER HERE