We just finished an intensive family time; sharing tradition and food with our loved ones. Some of us were hosting and some were hosted, and like in every family, relationships can be complicated. But that’s family – the friendly and the unnerving are all part of the same package.

This July, fourteen members of TBE, and upwards of thirty members of Ohel Avraham, traveled, learned, and explored ideas together for a week in Israel. We, Congregation Ohel Avraham at Leo Baeck Center in Haifa, and Temple Beth Elohim chose to invite each other to the table.

We chose each other as family because we share the same values. We are two communities that want to be a meaningful spiritual home to our congregants, that look at innovative ways to connect with our tradition, that feel called upon to speak truth and promote justice.

Being family isn’t just about the commonalities. We are also very different. We speak different languages and our daily reality is very different. You, as American Jews, are a minority – we, Israeli Jews, are a majority. You as Reform Jews are the majority, while we, as Israeli Reform Jews, are a minority.

In order to promote the Judaism in which we believe, to develop the Israel in which we believe, we need to walk together. Sometimes we will walk the same paths and sometimes we will support each other as we journey separately. That’s what families do.

As the Jewish people, we began as one family many years ago. Now, inviting each other to the table, sharing food and laughter, values and action, is a choice that we make every single day. The table is set, we look forward to sitting down together. Come join us!