October 7, 2023, marked the most horrific assault against the Jewish community since the Holocaust. That day and the ensuing war in Gaza and around the region have sent shock waves across Israel and throughout the world that have reverberated near and far, reaching our beloved Jewish Community of Greater Stowe as well. More than ever, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict set off a torrent of division, including within the North American Jewish community.
In response, JCOGS hosted experienced facilitator Andy Robinson for his talks on the Listening Project, in which he explained his findings from his interviews of Jews in Vermont and across the United States. Inspired by those initial groups, over the fall and early winter, Andy trained 10 of our JCOGS members who were then tasked to interview other JCOGS members with great interest and without judgement. These 10 brave individuals reached over 40 JCOGS members in one-on-one listening opportunities for our first iteration of the JCOGS Listening Project.
We extend our thanks to all of our interviewers along with all those interviewed. After review by the JCOGS board, this report presents the anonymous findings from those one-on-one interviews. This is not a quantitative study, but a qualitative reflection—a tapestry of voices that captures the depth, diversity, and nuance of our community’s lived experience.
Since October 7, JCOGS leadership has heard from numerous community members who have struggled with the war and its aftermath in deeply personal ways. The goal of the interviews was to give people an opportunity to speak with courage in a safe space about issues dear to their hearts—antisemitism, their relationship to Israel, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and more. JCOGS sought to learn various viewpoints of members of our congregation while also getting a sense of how we are doing organizationally to hold our members since October 7. As one of the interviewees said: “Being part of a community, I expect differences of opinion.” And we certainly heard differences of opinion.
Our goals in sharing this report, in collaboration with the JCOGS board, are to: • Summarize Key Learnings: Ensure everyone feels involved and included by providing a clear summary of what we learned through this process. • Foster Mutual Understanding: Deepen our collective understanding of the diverse perspectives within our community while nurturing a sense of trust and connection. • Support Future Growth: Highlight our community’s desire to grow together, even amidst differing opinions, by creating space for meaningful dialogue. • Inform Future Programming: Offer insight into the kinds of programming and conversations our members hope to see moving forward, helping to shape future initiatives.
Each section of the report includes a brief summary of findings, followed by thoughts quoted directly from the interview remarks. While we hope you find this report as enlightening as we have, we understand that for some it may be (too) difficult to read. It can sometimes feel impossible to see opinions that are so diametrically opposed to one’s own worldview—especially on a topic so fraught, personal, and existential. JCOGS respects that. We invite you to read further, or to read the condensed Executive Summary we’ve prepared, if you feel ready to at least begin taking in the responses. As one interviewee said: “It’s important to start having a conversation and to learn how to listen. If we’re going to be a community, we’re going to need to talk to each other and not be afraid to talk to each other.” This is one part of that conversation.
One thing is for sure: There is consensus among community members—folks really want more programming, education, and dialogue on topics related to Israel. We hope you’ll continue to check our JCOGS calendar for updates on events, adult education, and community conversations.
May the words shared within bring our community closer together, always remembering that we are one bright and strong interwoven community.
