By Lisa Rothstein Goldberg
SAN DIEGO — When I first heard of the Zionist Rabbinic Coalition (ZRC), I wondered, “Is it necessary to have an organization for Zionist rabbis?” According to ZRC founder Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt, Rabbi Emeritus of B’nai Tzedek Congregation in Potomac, Maryland, I am not alone. He gets that question a lot. I have since come to understand that not only are not all rabbis Zionist, but the power of a unifying pluralist rabbinic organization cannot be overstated.
While I am not yet a rabbi (G-d willing, I will be ordained in 2027), I was honored to be asked to join this year’s convention in Washington, DC in early May. I first learned about ZRC at the Jewish National Fund conference in Dallas last November, which I attended as part of the Flesh Family Sinai Temple Israel Center Rabbinical School Fellowship. Three other “fellows” from this group joined me at ZRC. Highlights of the conference included:
– Professor Shai Davidai sharing his personal experience of antisemitism at Columbia University and how it has shaped his Jewish identity.
– Journalist Lee Yaron discussing her new book 10/7: 100 Human Stories, chronicling the human side of the Hamas attacks.
-A keynote dinner address by Eliav Benjamin, Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to the United States.
– Attorney Alyza D. Lewin’s briefing on the denial of Jewish history and peoplehood, which she called, “Erasive Antisemitism” as well as Michelle Stravitz on concerns about antisemitism in the medical field and health profession and what her new organization, the American Jewish Medical Association is doing about it.
– Author Yardena Schwartz spoke about the pogrom in Hebron in 1929 and the pathological hatred of the Mufti Amin al-Huseeini seeding the roots of the Arab-Israeli conflict, based on her book Ghosts of a Holy War.
– A representative from Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service, sharing firsthand stories from October 7.
– A spirited discussion among rabbis discussing the pros and cons of the Trump administration’s efforts to combat antisemitism in America.
– Original poetry by Hannah Yerushalmi, woven throughout the conference.
-An inspiring evening dinner with Christian allies, featuring addresses by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and Senator Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), both of whom spoke passionately and personally about their ties to the land and people of Israel.
Following the conference, we were divided into groups with our Christian allies and we lobbied members of Congress. I met Pastor Jim and and Rosemary Schindler Garlow from San Diego and others representing Los Angeles and Orange County. This was not my first time lobbying, as my husband (Jewish Federation’s Matt Goldberg) and I had lobbied in Annapolis, Maryland many years ago.
Our California group met with Dr. Brian Babin, from Texas’ 36th Congressional District. His district covers much of Southeast Houston, including Johnson Space Center. Our other meeting was supposed to be with Rep. Pete Aguilar from California’s 33rd District. Rep. Aguilar was unavailable, but a (coincidentally Jewish) member of his staff met with us and took notes to return to Rep. Aguilar. One could say we were preaching to the proverbial choir (acceptable to say so since we were accompanied by a large Christian delegation). Nonetheless, it was important to thank our members of Congress for their support of Israel and encourage them to do more.
Lobbying on the Hill, meeting fellow Zionists (especially our non-Jewish allies) was incredibly meaningful to me, but the difficult context in which all of this occurred is not lost on me. The night before we lobbied on the Hill, we were at the Museum of the Bible in Washington. While not the same site, the fact that two staff members of the Israel Embassy were gunned down while leaving the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington is not lost on me. It hits very close to home.
And, as I write these words, the Jewish community is reeling from the horrific attack at the Run for Their Lives march in Boulder, Colorado just hours before the start of Shavuot. And, one cannot forget that the beginning of the Omer was marked by the arson attack at the Governor’s Mansion in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, mere hours after Gov. Josh Shapiro hosted a seder. Seven weeks. Three horrific attacks against the Jewish community. As my friend and fellow rabbinic student continually notes, these attacks are all the more reason for Israel to exist. And, the urgency for us all to stand up and be proud of our Jewish identity.
I urge all rabbis and rabbinical students to join us at www.zionistrabbis.org. There are different categories of membership and their website is also a great resource of information such as articles and podcast clips. All medical professionals (and researchers) in all areas should join the American Jewish Medical Association at https://www.theajma.org/ (there is a chapter in San Diego).
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Lisa Rothstein Goldberg is a rabbinical student at Academy for Jewish Religion California (AJRCA). She and her husband, Matt (Director of Caring and Community Relations at Jewish Federation of San Diego), live in San Diego with their two daughters.
Glad you went and reported your experience.