Welcome to Jewish Amherst!
We are a community and discussion forum for Jewish residents of Amherst, MA and surrounding areas, and anyone else who is interested.
This is Jewish Amherst.
Our mission is to serve as an inclusive and welcoming tent of solidarity and inclusion for Jewish residents of Amherst, MA and surrounding areas, and anyone else who wishes to join.
We cherish Jewish life, culture, heritage, and values.
We believe it is appropriate and right to speak out against antisemitism.
We believe the State of Israel has the right to exist and to defend itself.
This is not an endorsement of any Israeli government, prime minister, governing coalition or specific military actions.
We hope for the immediate release of all hostages, are mortified by the horrors of war, and hope for an end as peacefully and quickly as possibly so that all innocents may return to lives of peace and enjoy the freedom of identity and freedom of expression they deserve.
We also value Jewish identity and culture for all they have to offer that are independent of any politics anywhere.
We value the humor, the food, the music, the intellectual curiosity, the art, the literature, the contributions to science and medicine, the deep commitment to civil rights, the warmth within the community and the fulfillment of the imperative to be kind to strangers.
We have no view or standards for whether anyone “should” be religious or what “being religious” does mean or should mean to anyone.
We believe in Tikkun Olam, or “repairing the world.”
If this resonates with you, please go ahead and:
Stay tuned for more…