Northern California Jewish bulletin (San Francisco, Calif.), Volume 137, Number 42, 21 October 1988 — EAST BAY Kehilla endorses Palestinian state, Israel-PLO talks [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

EAST BAY

Kehilla endorses Palestinian state, Israel-PLO talks

By TAMAR KAUFMAN Of the Bulletin Staff

In what may be the first such move by an American Jewish congregation, Berkeley's Kehilla Com-munity-Synagogue has endorsed the establishment of a Palestinian state and negotiations between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The 58-to-l vote, with two abstentions, culminated an eightmonth process for the 150-member congregation, and is a reaction to the 11-month-old Palestinian uprising in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. According to Rabbi Burt Jacobson and board member David Cooper, the secret bal.ot was not purposefully timed to coincide with the current campaign on Berkeley's Measure J, a proposal to adopt the Palestinian refugee camp of Jabaliya

as a sister city, or San Francisco's Proposition W, which would endorse the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. "It wasn't planned that way at all," Jacobson insisted. "|But| whatever it can contribute toward the dialogue would be good. I hope it will have an effect." Added Cooper, "We're a nonprofit religious organization and, as such, we won't endorse candidates for political office or any propositions or resolutions before the voters. On the other hand, 1 think that our resolution is very similar to Prop W." The Kehilla resolution reads, in part: "We urge the Israeli government and the Palestine Liberation Organization, or whatever representative the Palestinian people themselves select, to recognize each other's legitimacy as representa-

tives for their respective peoples and commence negotiations for a peaceful resolution to this conflict. It is imperative that steps be taken to realize the peace process. The right of the state of Israel to exist within safe borders must be assured. At the same time, the right for a Palestinian state must also be assured." In the resolution, the congregation also pledges to continue educating its members on the IsraeliPalestinian conflict and empowers its board of trustees "to make endorsements and resolutions in accord with this document.. ." According to Cooper, that last item was the immediate impetus for the resolution. "Since the intifada [uprising] began, we've felt restrained because we had no real guidance from the membership," he said.

Cooper explained that, alter a lengthy process of writing and rewriting draft resolutions, a final draft came up for a vote during a general membership meeting in late August. But those attending decided that even though they had a quorum, the question was so sensitive they wanted the largest participation possible. They also required a two-thirds majority of those voting for the resolution to pass. So a mailing went out to Kehilla's entire membership, and the ballots were due back Sept. 16. They were not counted until Wednesday of last week, however, due to the High Holy Days and Sukkot. The count yielded not only the required super-majority but almost universal approval. Reported Cooper, "People wrote comments like, '...this [wording] is clear about its support for Israel

at the same time that it's supportive ot the rights of the Palestinians. Therefore, I can vote tor this resolution.' " Some worried about the document's unequivocal support for a Palestinian state and negotiations with the PLO. "But they abstained," Cooper pointed out. "They didn't even vote against."

"Most (respondents] were appreciative of the process," he said. "This was the closest thing I've ever seen to a consensus process in the context of a vote. We really worked hard to make sure everyone had a chance to be heard." Kehilla, also known as "the synagogue without walls," meets in various locations; it has earned a reputation as an social issue-ori-

ented congregation on the political lot t Cooper said Kehilla examined the latest issue in various contexts. He noted, for example, that the congregation's communal Passover seder was dedicated to the national liberation of lews and Palestinians. "And |Rabbi| Burt (Jacobson], during the High Holy Days and other times, has raised questions of how we work with our moral vision, so it's been a spiritual as well as a political process." Jacobson agreed. Discussion of the proposed resolution "became an opportunity to educate the congregation about Israel, the history of Zionism, the relationship between Israel and the Arabs," he said. "We had many forums and discussions. This resolution came out of our Israel committee, but it was drafted by a consensus of people on all sides of the issue.” Nevertheless, he added, "to what extent |the resolution) will affect the mainstream I don't know, because Kehilla is perceived as off to the left somewhere. But I believe on this issue we do represent the center in terms of what most American Jews feel." The rabbi said he based that belief on a Los Angeles Times poll that was conducted several months ago.

Rabbi Burt Jacobson didn’t time it to ‘J’