It was very disappointing to see the critical tone of the recent front page headline article on the new CommUNITY Israel Dialogue [“CJP starts $190K pro-Israel dialog,” Feb. 24, p.1]. I believe that Boston’s Jewish community is once again leading the way in tackling the most important and relevant topics that face our people. I am enormously proud to be a part of the task force leading this timely program. The fact that Israel has become a topic of division among our people – despite near universal support for our Jewish homeland – can no longer be ignored. Combined Jewish Philanthropies, in its role as the convener of our community, has taken the bold step of bringing together holders of disparate views for civil discourse at exactly the time when the easier path would be to take no action at all. This initiative has just started and is a yearlong effort. There is much to learn and evolve but I believe we should appreciate that CJP is taking the most important step of all: the first step.

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