As we, the Jewish People, proudly honor our eternal connection with Israel, our ancestral land and a welcoming home to many peoples and faiths, so do we solemnly respect the nations for whom North America, and especially New York, is their sacred land.
The Israel Center of Conservative Judaism is situated on the traditional homeland of the Lenape nation whose members were violently displaced from their land by early European settlers over the course of 400 years.
North America has been a site of human activity for over 15,000 years. Today, it is still home to many Indigenous people from all across Turtle Island. We recognize, honor and respect these nations as the traditional stewards of this land. We are grateful to have the opportunity to live with them.
We are glad that the City of New York is taking important steps to address the painful history of its interactions with Indigenous people, build ruptured relationships and work towards reconciliation, and pledge our assistance and collaboration. This is both a universal and a Jewish ethical imperative.