Breira (organization)
Encyclopedia
Breira full name "Breira: A Project of Concern in Diaspora-Israel Relations" was an organizational founded to express a left-wing position on Israel
in 1973 and it lasted until 1977.
. The group took the Hebrew name Breira - meaning "alternative" - as an answer to the cry of ein breira - “there is no alternative.”
In 1973, Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf
served as founding chair of the movement. In its first public statement, Breira called for Israel to make territorial concessions and recognize the legitimacy of the national aspirations of the Palestinian people
in order to achieve lasting peace.
David Tuilin was the VP, Inge Gibel was the treasurer. Rabbi Gerald Sirotta was an active member. Its national chairman, Rabbi Arnold Wolf, stated that the name signified, “our desire for an alternative to the intransigence of both the PLO and the several governments of Israel.” The group proposed a two state solution.
That year, Breira became a national membership organization of over one hundred Reform and Conservative rabbis and a number of important American Jewish writers and intellectuals, including Steven M. Cohen
, Paul Cowan, Arthur Green
, Irving Howe
, Paula Hyman
, Jack Nusan Porter
, Henry Schwartzchild, John S. Ruskay
, and Milton Viorst
. In addition, “young Jewish radicals and students in the Jewish counter-culture helped to found Breira.”
Michael E. Staub states “Breira survived four tumultuous years. Its proposals on Israeli-Diaspora Jewish relations and Palestinian nationalism
generated fierce international debate over the limits of public dissent and conflict in Jewish communal life, and virtually every major American Jewish organization took a public stand on the group and what it advocated.”
There was an overlap of leadership with Americans for Progressive Israel. A full list of members is listed in The National Post And Opinion, August 9, 1974.
They published a journal called Interchange.
's organization, Education for Democracy, labeled them as dangerous and "anti-Israel", even as Agnew himself was being accused of Antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1973 and it lasted until 1977.
History
Breira dissented from what it saw as the hard line Jewish organizational perspective that said there is no alternative in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur WarYom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
. The group took the Hebrew name Breira - meaning "alternative" - as an answer to the cry of ein breira - “there is no alternative.”
In 1973, Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf
Arnold Jacob Wolf
Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf was an important American Reform Rabbi, and a longtime champion of peace and progressive politics.-Biography:...
served as founding chair of the movement. In its first public statement, Breira called for Israel to make territorial concessions and recognize the legitimacy of the national aspirations of the Palestinian people
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
in order to achieve lasting peace.
David Tuilin was the VP, Inge Gibel was the treasurer. Rabbi Gerald Sirotta was an active member. Its national chairman, Rabbi Arnold Wolf, stated that the name signified, “our desire for an alternative to the intransigence of both the PLO and the several governments of Israel.” The group proposed a two state solution.
That year, Breira became a national membership organization of over one hundred Reform and Conservative rabbis and a number of important American Jewish writers and intellectuals, including Steven M. Cohen
Steven M. Cohen
Steven M. Cohen is a sociologist whose work focuses on the American Jewish Community. He is currently a Research Professor of Jewish Social Policy at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and the Director of the .-Biography:...
, Paul Cowan, Arthur Green
Arthur Green
Arthur Green is a scholar of Jewish mysticism and Neo-Hasidism. He is a professor in the non-denominational rabbinical program at Hebrew College in Boston. He was a dean of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1987–1993.-Biography:...
, Irving Howe
Irving Howe
Irving Howe was an American literary and social critic and a prominent figure of the Democratic Socialists of America.-Life and career:...
, Paula Hyman
Paula Hyman
Paula Hyman is the Lucy Moses Professor of Modern Jewish History at Yale University and president of the American Academy of Jewish Research...
, Jack Nusan Porter
Jack Nusan Porter
Dr. Jack Nusan Porter is a writer, sociologist, human rights and social activist, treasurer and former vice-president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars. He is a former lecturer of social science at Boston University and a former Research Associate in Ukrainian Studies at...
, Henry Schwartzchild, John S. Ruskay
John S. Ruskay
John S. Ruskay, PhD , is the executive vice president & CEO of the United Jewish Appeal - Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York, Inc. , a philanthropy that cares for New Yorkers of all backgrounds and the Jewish people worldwide. Dr. Ruskay is a well-known author and lecturer on issues...
, and Milton Viorst
Milton Viorst
Milton Viorst is an American journalist.He studied history at Rutgers University. In 1951, he was a Fulbright scholar in France. He returned and attended Harvard University and Columbia University, where he graduated in 1956 in journalism....
. In addition, “young Jewish radicals and students in the Jewish counter-culture helped to found Breira.”
Michael E. Staub states “Breira survived four tumultuous years. Its proposals on Israeli-Diaspora Jewish relations and Palestinian nationalism
Palestinian nationalism
Palestinian nationalism is the national movement of the Palestinian people. It has roots in Pan-Arabism and other movements rejecting colonialism and calling for national independence. More recently, Palestinian Nationalism is expressed through the Israeli–Palestinian conflict...
generated fierce international debate over the limits of public dissent and conflict in Jewish communal life, and virtually every major American Jewish organization took a public stand on the group and what it advocated.”
There was an overlap of leadership with Americans for Progressive Israel. A full list of members is listed in The National Post And Opinion, August 9, 1974.
They published a journal called Interchange.
Controversy
In July 1976, Spiro AgnewSpiro Agnew
Spiro Theodore Agnew was the 39th Vice President of the United States , serving under President Richard Nixon, and the 55th Governor of Maryland...
's organization, Education for Democracy, labeled them as dangerous and "anti-Israel", even as Agnew himself was being accused of Antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment.