As Reconstructionist rabbis, we reaffirm that the concept of Peoplehood is central to our understanding of Judaism as a Civilization with the land of Israel as a historic and contemporary core component.

We affirm the Resolution of the Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation on Israel (2000), which states, in part: “We call for a just and lasting peace that will protect Israel’s right to a secure existence and that will also fulfill the legitimate national aspirations of the Palestinian people. Such a peace requires Palestinian leaders and heads of Arab governments at long last to acknowledge Israel as a permanent state in the region and to renounce all violence directed against the Jewish homeland.”

A sovereign state in the land of Israel serves not only as a refuge for Jews facing rising oppression and persecution around the world, but also as a place where the Jewish people can create a national life in harmony with our people’s history, culture and religion. The right of Israel to exist as a democratic Jewish state among the nations of the world must be preserved.

Beit Kaplan deplores and denounces the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and its tragic consequences and affirm the State of Israel’s legitimate right to defend its borders and guarantee the security of its citizens and all its inhabitants.

We declare our commitment to the State of Israel as the historic, contemporary, secure, Jewish homeland based on democratic principles of government for all its inhabitants and the search for peace with its neighbors as affirmed in Israel’s Declaration of Independence.

We encourage Jewish educators to teach their students about the bonds of the Jewish people with Israel, the principles of progressive Zionism, and their foundation in Kaplanian thought.