Rabbinical inspiration
Thank you for your wonderful remembrance of Rabbi Avi Levine (“Avi Levine, longtime rabbi at Beth El in Berkeley, dies at 70,” Nov. 4).
He was my rabbi growing up at Temple Beth El in Berkeley and he inspired a number of children from that congregation to become rabbis. A few of us now serve locally.
A gesture he once made shortly after my family joined Beth El in 1976 has long served as a model for me of what a rabbi should be. I vividly remember as a 9-year-old seeing Rabbi Levine pull up to our house (in his famous British racing green sports car) and walk up our driveway to deliver a challah for Shabbat. At the time I was amazed that this rabbi drove “all the way” from Berkeley to El Cerrito just to welcome our little family to the community. His extra personal effort to reach out to us later informed my own rabbinate.
This was the seminal gesture which led me, as a rabbi, to focus my own efforts on working with those who live and function at the demographic borders of our own community. He will be missed and may his memory be for a blessing.
Rabbi Jon Sommer | San Mateo
Bay Area Jewish Healing Center
NIF helped set ‘Tables’
Samantha Kanofsky’s beautiful column (“Israeli blueprint for Occupy Wall Street: tables ’n’ talk,” Nov. 4) about the “1,000 Tables” event in Tel Aviv was inspiring: “Connections were being forged and people were truly tuning in to each other’s narratives. A diverse set of Israelis were re-engaging with their right to use their voice for social justice.”
The New Israel Fund, and its empowerment arm, Shatil, worked with the organizing committee and helped to fund, publicize and facilitate not only the event that Ms. Kanofsky attended in Tel Aviv, but a national program which took place in numerous other cities and towns throughout Israel.
In Ramla, Shatil helped organize a group of Ethiopian immigrants who formed their own “round table” event.
Michael Bien & Rabbi Brian Lurie | San Francisco
New Israel Fund
Funding P.A. means less terror
As a supporter of Israel and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I oppose calls for cuts in funding to the Palestinian Authority, the United Nations, and countries that support the Palestinians at the United Nations.
While J Street does not support the Palestinian bid to the Security Council at this time, punishing the Palestinians for what is a legal and non-violent act is counterproductive.
Cutting U.S. aid and cooperation would undermine the moderate government of the Palestinian Authority. A viable and stable Palestinian government is essential to achieving a peaceful solution to the conflict with Israel, so Congress must continue funding programs which strengthen institution and state-building efforts in the West Bank, grow the Palestinian economy, meet the basic needs of the Palestinian people and reduce the risk of terror aimed at Israel.
Howie Schneider | Santa Cruz
Co-chair, J Street Santa Cruz chapter