Testimonials & Endorsements
What Jewish Leaders Say About Us
“The Coalition embodies some of the best Jewish values which need to be affirmed at this time…the ZRC has the right mixture of committed love to the Jewish state combined with responsibility to feed back and assess Israel’s policies and the humility to know that Israelis carry, disproportionately, the burdens and consequences of exercising power.”
“I deeply commend you and your colleagues for your efforts. We must learn more about each other, understand where we come from and where we wish to go, focus on, deepen and expand what we share, respect each other, even when we differ.”
“As one who has chosen to devote my life to helping people better understand Israel and fight antisemitism, I view the Zionist Rabbinic Coalition as an important partner in the effort to build bridges and promote greater understanding of the most misunderstood country on earth.”
“I strongly support this important initiative.”
“The Zionist Rabbinic Coalition’s commitment to unity and cooperation serves an important example to our people in Israel and around the world.”
“I believe the Zionist Rabbinic Coalition is such an important group. Its mission statement explains clearly the commitment to promoting pluralism and ties to Israel.”
“Rabbis throughout history have been at the forefront of community leadership. Now more than ever we need these voices from across the spectrum to help their members and families to stand up for Jewish ancestral rights and connection to Tzion, Eretz Yisrael, our eternal homeland. “
What Our Members Say
“I am proud to be one of the original members of ZRC.
Particularly impressive about the post October 7 mission I went on is that Reform, Conservative and Orthodox rabbis, (as well as an HUC student) came together to show our solidarity, be with the victims’ families, grieve with one another and offer support. The access we had – a private meeting with President Herzog, IDF officers, and others was remarkable. The ZRC is the antidote for the eroding sense of ahavat Yisrael we see too often today, sadly even amongst some rabbinic colleagues….”
“This is an opportunity to have a voice in an important conversation in Israel Diaspora relations”
“We want to foster a love of Israel from generation to generation.”
“Zionism and the Jewish State have been part of the Jewish narrative for all of Jewish history. It is a central part of the Jewish story. We need to support and foster our connection to Israel.”
Statement of Purpose and Guiding Principles
At a time when there is concern over the widening gap between the Jews of Israel and North America we are committed to working to close that gap before it becomes greater and irreparable. Moved by the Zionist vision of the founders of the State of Israel, we appreciate the role of Israel in the hearts, minds and lives of the Jewish people throughout our history and pledge to do our part to take constructive steps to support Israel and to strengthen the ties between our two communities.
As a diverse group of Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist rabbis from North America, we express our commitment to the unity of the Jewish people, and to affirm our unbreakable bond with and support for the State of Israel. Our commitment to the security of the State of Israel and for the preservation of Jewish identity in the Diaspora and State of Israel is enduring and unwavering. We are committed to Israel being a free and democratic Jewish state, which is the goal of Zionism, the national liberation movement of the Jewish people.
As such, we respect the democratic process in Israel and appreciate the robust free press and public discourse that takes place in Israel. We recognize that ultimately, the people of Israel are the ones who must live with the consequences of the decisions they make – whether it pertains to security or other matters.
Yet we also believe that as the state of the Jewish people, Jews around the world have a stake in the outcome of those decisions, for we have a shared history and destiny. We believe it is crucial that Israel and North American Jewry help and support each other and work together to ensure the vitality and welfare of Judaism, the Jewish people and Jewish communities around the world.
As a result, we believe that the Jewish people is best served by an approach to Judaism in Israel that is tolerant of the various streams of Judaism. Inasmuch as unity does not require uniformity, we encourage our Israeli brothers and sisters to embrace policies and actions that support tolerance for different expressions of Judaism. We want to encourage diversity of expression of Judaism in Israel and intend to express this in a way that will not diminish support or love for Israel among the Jews of North America.
As rabbis from different affiliations, we celebrate and experience our Judaism in different ways. Even when we differ or disagree, we affirm that it must be from a position of mutual respect and caring, of love and devotion to each other, and that we take into consideration the different realities of our communities and the impact actions and statements have on each other.
With unconditional love, yet not uncritical support, we are convinced that working together, we can face any challenge. Divided we are weakened and diminished. We recognize that what we say has an impact on those who hear our messages – primarily the American Jewish community. Consequently, we rabbis must be conscious of the impact our words have on the community that hears them. To that end, we invite other rabbis to join us in creating a means to constructively express our concerns directly to appropriate parties in Israel while conveying to our fellow Jews in the Diaspora the importance of continued support for the State of Israel.
We commit to improving our communication, expanding our knowledge of each other, to finding constructive ways to deepen and strengthen the relationship between Israel and our communities and to work constructively and in a cooperative spirit to resolve differences that may arise.