Dear Stephen Wise Temple community,

Yesterday we heard the following statement from our President:

“And I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.”

We write to you in our capacity as leaders of the Wise community. We are taking the unusual step of responding to these deeply divisive words, words that seek to define our loyalty, our patriotism, and our love for Israel on the basis of party affiliation. While there are those on the left, including some members of Congress, who shamefully seek to delegitimize Israel and even question its right to exist, we must remember that the majority of both parties continues to support an independent homeland for the Jewish people, and a very strong US-Israel relationship.

We are Republicans, Democrats, and independents. But we should all share the belief that we can disagree with each other about matters of policy or political ideology and, at the very same time, respect and love one another and the State of Israel.

Stephen Wise Temple has always been and will remain a “big tent” that can (and must) accommodate a wide-range of voices, beliefs, ideologies, and practices. We believe that one can be a committed, engaged Jew and vote for candidates affiliated with either party.

The complex issues that our country, Israel, and the world face do not fit within a single ideology. Good faith and respect for the views of others are hallmarks of American democracy and core Jewish values.

The Talmud teaches that, despite their deep disagreements about matters of Jewish law, Hillel and Shamai “behaved with affection and friendship toward each other in order to fulfill the teaching of the Bible: ‘one should love truth and peace.’ (Zecharia 8:19).” Even as we argue about what is right, we must always treat one another with affection and friendship, striving for shalom in our community.

To call the loyalty of any Jewish American into question, as the President of the United States did this week, because of party affiliation, offends our most cherished beliefs about our democracy and concerns us deeply. We must never allow support of Israel to become a partisan issue.

We are one People, one community—we will not be divided.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback
Cantor Nathan Lam
Rabbi David Woznica
Rabbi Ron Stern
Rabbi Sari Laufer
Rabbi Josh Knobel
Cantor Emma Lutz
Rabbi Eli Herscher, Senior Rabbi Emeritus
Janine Kolodny, President
Pamela Balton, Past President
Mark Berns, Past President
Lynn Bider, Past President
Warren Breslow, Past President
Rick Corleto, Past President
Steven Fink, Past President
Steven J. Fishman, Past President
Steven Fogel, Past President
Mel Gagerman, Past President
Ken Gross, Past President
Eve M. Kurtin, Past President
Albert Praw, Past President
Ken Ruby, Past President
David Smith, Past President
Glenn Sonnenberg, Past President