Rabbi Rick Jacobs: What Real Partnership Between Israel and the Diaspora Looks Like

What happens to the Israel–Diaspora relationship when solidarity isn’t enough—and silence isn’t an option?In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast: From Both Sides of the Ocean, Orly Erez-Likhovski (Executive Director of IRAC) and Rabbi Josh Weinberg (URJ VP for Israel & Reform Zionism, Director of ARZA) sit down with Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, for a wide-ranging, values-driven conversation on Israel, Zionism, and what it means to be in community through crisis.“This moment demands more than solidarity. It demands partnership.”→ Support IRAC’s work for religious freedom, democracy, and equality in Israel:https://apzprxtx.donorsupport.co/page/PluralistPodcast→ Sign up for Orly’s weekly updates from Israel:https://www.irac.org/sign-up→ Get Josh’s newsletter on Israel and Reform Zionism:https://cloud.email.rj.org/blankSubCenter?formid=701UG00000Is8uHYARTogether, they ask:How do we show up for Israel—and each other—when the stakes are this high?🎧 In this episode, Rick, Orly, and Josh explore:• Why liberal Jews must not stay silent on Israeli policy: “To criticize the policies of the State of Israel? It’s not only permitted — it’s required.”• A generation struggling with false binaries: “What have we done wrong, that Jewish students don’t know they can say both: I’m a Zionist and I care about Palestinian dignity?”• A shifting paradigm: “We’ve been living near each other for decades. But now, finally, we’re meeting.”• Showing up beyond solidarity: “We’re not just here to give Israel a hug when it’s hurting. We’re here to agitate, to participate, to be real partners.”They also reflect on moments that shaped their leadership—from college in Jerusalem after the Yom Kippur War, to the streets of Tel Aviv during the pro-democracy protests, to campus conversations and congregational tensions across North America.“I’m a Zionist, 100%. And yes, I believe in the dignity and rights of Palestinians. These are not contradictions.”This episode is for anyone navigating Jewish identity, moral clarity, and the hope of a more just future—on both sides of the ocean.