Dear CBST community,
 
CBST has decided to send a small delegation of members, led by Rabbi James, to Jerusalem to participate in Jerusalem Pride on June 1, and the protest in Jerusalem on Saturday night/motzei shabbat June 3. We ask participants to arrive by Wednesday May 31 and plan to stay until Monday evening June 5. If you’re interested, fill out this short form, and we will send detailed information by Wednesday May 10.

As many of you know, Randi and I went to Israel for a few days last month to support the resistance to the most extreme racist, right wing government in the 75 years of Israel’s history. We chose to celebrate this anniversary with those who are fighting for the future with the values about which we are so deeply dedicated.
 
We were DEEPLY moved by the energy and vitality of the protest movement which has emerged. This past Saturday night marked the 18th consecutive week that hundreds of thousands have poured into the streets all over Israel. Each Saturday night, from small towns and kibbutzim to large cities the equivalent of 13.5 MILLION Americans are out in the streets.
 
Click here to watch a video with photos of the protests which we showed as part of our celebration of Yom Ha’atsmaut on Friday April 21 – the Friday after I returned from Israel.
Women are dressing as Handmaids and doing creative protests, The Israeli Philharmonic musicians have cancelled some performances to play at the Tel Aviv Protest, There are groups of religious Jews, anti-occupation activists, LGBTQ+ Israelis, veterans of the many wars, children, and so many more.
 
CBST's trip will be a PRIDE and PROTEST solidarity trip. There is room for a limited number of participants. This is not a traditional introduction trip to Israel/Palestine, but all are welcome. There will be a lot of walking. We understand that this is very short notice, and this trip will not be accessible for a broad range of people; please know that a full trip is being planned for 2024! 
 

Pride and Protest: 
A CBST Solidarity Delegation to Jerusalem Pride
and the Democracy Protests
 
Join CBST as we heed the call of our friends at the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance and others, bringing a small delegation of CBST members to march in Jerusalem Pride and join a Saturday evening Democracy protest - led by Rabbi Marisa James and joined by Rabbi Mike Moskowitz. 
 
Dates: Delegation will start with a dinner in Jerusalem on Wednesday May 31. Everyone will be responsible for their own plane tickets. You must have a currently up-to-date passport which will not expire before December 1, 2023, and you must be a current CBST member.
 
We ask participants to plan to stay until Monday evening June 5. During this time, we’ll also explore the history and multifaith layers of Jerusalem, learn about the different groups showing up in the streets for the Saturday night protests (now entering their 19th week) and the context for different approaches to this moment, and spend a Shabbat in Jerusalem with some of our CBST members in Israel and our local partners and friends. 

Prior to the trip, Rabbi James will be teaching a 2 session class on zoom on the current situation in Israel for both those who are coming on the trip and for those who can’t.
 
If you’re interested, fill out this short form to let us know, and we will send more detailed information by Wednesday May 10.
What You Can Do To Help
Write to your friends and family in Israel, tell them that they have your support, and ask them what this time has been like for them.

CBST members Shari and Debbie, who live north of Tel Aviv, have been regularly joining a group that brings together dozens or hundreds of people dressed in red robes and white hoods inspired by "The Handmaid’s Tale," the novel (and TV series) based in a society run by religious extremists which treat women as property and imposes the death penalty on LGBTQ+ people. Read more and see more of their photos by clicking here.

The cost of security alone to hold the Jerusalem Pride March every year is enormous, and even small amounts can go a long way.

At a lunch & learn with our Jerusalem Open House friends Alon and Shalev in March, they told us how much our support means, and how grateful they are that CBST and the JOH have been in such close relationship over many years.
On Sundays at noon at Washington Square Park, hundreds of Israelis, American Jews, and others have been gathering to demand a stop to the slippery slope of fascism in Israel.
As always, we want to strengthen those who are fighting for justice for Israelis and Palestinians in the same way that we fight for justice for all in the United States. We continue to be in touch with many of our long-term partners and friends to hear what they’re saying, and to offer them our support and blessings as they try to stop Israel from turning into an authoritarian theocracy.

Our friends and colleagues showing up to save the hope of democracy in Israel are asking for our help. Join us in supporting them.
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Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum
Senior Rabbi