The Baltimore Jewish community continues to face turmoil after the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, a Reform temple, hosted an event that accused Israel of being an “apartheid regime” that has committed “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza.
Forty Baltimore-area rabbis and Jewish community leaders signed an open letter on Monday saying that the backlash directed at BHC, its leaders and its clergy “crossed the line” after it decided to host speakers from the left-wing Israeli organization Standing Together.
“Some in the community chose to protest the program that was scheduled to take place, and that is certainly their right,” the community leaders wrote. “We are troubled, however, by the language and tone too many community members used in the days leading up to the event. Some made comments on social media and through emails to Baltimore Hebrew Congregation that were hurtful, hateful and filled with venom and vitriol.”
The example they cited as “most venomous” was a comment saying that “if the leadership of BHC ever needs pagers, I know a good supplier,” alluding to the September explosion of thousands of Hezbollah’s electronic devices that has widely been attributed to Israel.
The call for civility comes after the New Israel Fund organized the Standing Together event at BHC on Dec. 12.
Standing Together’s co-directors, Alon-Lee Green and Rula Daood, accused Israel of being an “apartheid regime” that has committed “war crimes” and “ethnic cleansing” against “Palestinians” in the Gaza Strip.
“Within Israel, we’re not talking about apartheid, but the situation in the West Bank and Gaza is different,” Daood said. “This is an apartheid regime.”
Daood, who is an Israeli-Arab citizen, claimed that Israel was not a democracy because, in the words of her civics teacher, “Israel is a democracy for its Jews, and it’s Jewish for its Palestinians.”
‘These words paint a one-sided picture’
During the event, one woman spoke out in protest, throwing what appeared to be flyers with photos of Israeli hostages who have been held in captivity in Gaza since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, after Green called for a ceasefire. “Shame on you,” she shouted as she was led away by security.
Green said he supports a ceasefire-for-hostage deal.
At least one pro-Israel organization in the area, the Baltimore Zionist District, objected to BHC’s decision to host the two activists, saying it had tried to convey its concerns about Standing Together to BHC’s leaders.
“Their use of terms like ‘apartheid state’ and ‘ethnic cleansing’ isn’t just disturbing. It’s harmful,” wrote Caren Leven, executive director of the Baltimore Zionist District. “These words fuel global antisemitism and paint a one-sided picture that can severely damage Israel’s image.”
“This situation has left many of us feeling betrayed,” she added. “The decision by BHC’s rabbis and leadership to proceed with this event has not only damaged the congregation’s reputation but also deeply hurt those of us who support BHC.”
Two synagogues named as co-sponsors of the event in promotional materials—Beth El Congregation and Chizuk Amuno Congregation—were not named as co-sponsors during the event, suggesting that they had withdrawn their support amid the controversy.
Rabbi Steven Schwartz of Beth El and Rabbi Joshua Gruenberg of Chizuk Amuno were the two lead signatories on Monday’s letter objecting to the vitriol on social media directed at BHC.
JNS sought comment from the rabbis about their view of BHC’s decision to host standing together and their apparent decision to withdraw co-sponsorship.
BHC in its letter to congregants addressing the controversy said that it had hosted the event in the spirit of the “Jewish heritage” of debating controversies.
“Our commitment as a Reform Jewish congregation in these polarized times is to engage American Jews and others who care deeply about Israel and also hold a complex set of views about what supporting Israel means in a time of war and intense rhetoric,” the synagogue stated.
