Dear Friends,
I’m headed to Israel this weekend to be part of two very different experiences that are, in many ways, deeply connected.
Early next week, I’ll be in Jerusalem with a small group of rabbis participating in an independent initiative begun by my colleague, Rabbi Jeremy Barras. We’ll be meeting with Israeli political leaders, journalists, and diplomats – including the Foreign Minister’s team and the U.S. Ambassador – to talk candidly about the realities and challenges Israel is facing in this moment.
As that group gathers for a final breakfast on Wednesday morning, I’ll be heading to the airport to meet our TSTI in Israel 2026 group.
This trip will be different from previous congregational journeys. It’s less about touring and more about listening. Less about checking off sites and more about encounters. We are going to hear stories, meet people face to face, and sit honestly with the complexity of Israel as it actually is rather than the distorted image portrayed in the media and on social media.
At first glance, these two experiences – three days in conference rooms with Israeli leaders and colleagues, followed by a week traveling with members of our own community – may seem completely different. In truth, however, they are animated by the same purpose.
We are living in a moment when conversations about Israel are often shaped less by lived experience and more by headlines, social media, and voices that reward certainty over complexity. In that environment nuance is often lost and misinformation and distortions thrive. Some crises capture sustained attention, while others – no less tragic – barely register. The result is not only confusion, but a public conversation that too often flattens Israel into a meme rather than engaging it as a real society, made up of real people, struggling with real security and moral challenges.
None of this removes responsibility from Israel or from anyone else. Accountability matters. Honest criticism matters. But when complexity disappears from the conversation, the cost is real. It shapes how the world understands Israel, influences how our young people form their views, and deepens a sense of isolation that makes thoughtful, constructive engagement increasingly difficult.
Both of these trips are about pushing back against that flattening. They are about seeing reality clearly – the remarkable achievements, the resilience, the creativity, the contradictions, and yes, at times, the deeply troubling realities that demand moral seriousness. They are about learning to speak about Israel with integrity: neither romanticizing nor demonizing, neither excusing nor erasing.
We are coming not simply to see Israel, but to witness it – to listen carefully, to ask hard questions, and to carry home stories grounded in lived experience rather than in slogans or sound bites.
I look forward to sharing reflections when I return. More importantly, I look forward to you hearing from the members of our community who will be traveling with me – people to whom I am deeply grateful for their willingness to show up, listen deeply, and bear witness.
Shabbat Shalom.
Rabbi Daniel Cohen