Israel Committee

This committee is welcome to all, regardless of background, viewpoint, and current engagement with Israel or Zionism. We welcome all in our community to participate fully and learn more about Israel’s culture, history, music, dancing, cuisine, economy, academics, and its diverse people.
PJTC recently took close to 60 congregants to Israel in summer 2023 and looks to bring these connections back to the synagogue community.

This committee will not shy away from deep and difficult conversations as it relates to Israel and its relations with its Arab neighbors. However, we seek to not dwell on Israel’s conflict. Focusing disproportionately on Israel’s conflicts is often unproductive, and this committee seeks to keep Israel’s domestic and foreign politics in perspective as one of many ways we as Jews and members of PJTC connect with our Jewish Homeland.

We are blessed as a community to have many members with deep knowledge on Israel. We welcome any and all proposed events and programming ideas from our community, and we wish the Israel Committee to act as a platform for these individuals. The Co-Chairs will review proposed events and programming ideas, ensure it is appropriate and in the interest of our community, and work with Temple Leadership to make these events happen as appropriate.

Proposed First Few Events
• Israel Wine Night: A guided tasting of Israeli wine, and discussion of the deep importance of wine within the Jewish tradition.
• Dine LA, Israel Style: A visit (or perhaps a few visits) to Israeli restaurants in LA to experience the tastes of Israel, and discussion with the owners and chefs of the background of each dish.
• Israel and You: An open forum for PJTC’s members to share personal stories of what connects them to Israel.
• The People of Israel: An exploration of the many ethnicities (Jewish and non-Jewish) in Israel, their histories, and connection to the land.

Additionally, the Israel Comittee is presently hosting a weekly series titled "PJTC: Zooming in on Israeli Connections." This recurring one-hour Zoom session, set to take place each week, will offer a unique platform for a member of our PJTC Community to engage in dialogue with friends or family residing in Israel, who wish to share their narratives with us. We extend a warm invitation to all individuals possessing Israeli connections to reach out to the PJTC Israel Committee enabling us to incorporate diverse stories on the calendar for our weekly Zoom sessions. For more information on the Israel Committee, to receive Zoom link for "Zooming in on Israeli Connections," of to suggest a person for dialogue, please contact Jesse Duker.