Tikvah: Respectful Dialogue

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Welcoming Diverse Voices: The Tikvah Initiative

For many years, our synagogue has embraced a wide spectrum of Jewish religious practices, encouraging each member to honor their traditions. Today, we extend this commitment to all areas of communal life, welcoming diverse voices in social, political, and spiritual conversations. We believe that respectful disagreement and open dialogue are essential to our growth as a united and vibrant community.

Tikvah, which means “hope” in Hebrew, is our initiative dedicated to building connections across differences. Tikvah reflects our belief that honest, respectful dialogue across social, political, and religious lines is not only possible but vital for a thriving congregation. Through Tikvah, we affirm the importance of humility, curiosity, evidence-based reasoning, and respectful dialogue in all aspects of our communal life.

Our Vision

We envision a CBJ where:

Every member, leader, and guest can express their views with respect and without fear.
Programs reflect our values of constructive conflict resolution and mindful communication.
Differences are not just tolerated but seen as essential to Jewish learning and community vitality.

Background

In 2026, CBJ’s Board adopted its Diverse Voices Policy, affirming the importance of humility, curiosity, evidence-based reasoning, and respectful dialogue in all congregational programming. We are committed to cultivating a space where disagreement does not lead to division — but instead fosters growth, understanding, and stronger bonds within our community.

This Policy emanated from the Tikvah Project, which itself was an outgrowth of CBJ’s Respectful Dialogue Initiative (2019). A congregational survey at the time revealed that members across the political spectrum often felt hesitant or unsafe sharing their true opinions in community spaces. Through much work, special programming, and intentional introspection, we have worked to evolve our culture, building congregational fortitude and resilience. Our project’s name, Tikvah, reflects our belief that building connections across differences is a hopeful and sacred endeavor.

Mission

“With Jewish wisdom, culture, and social imperatives as the foundation, we will strengthen the Congregation through a shared commitment to honoring divergent points of view in a respectful, healthy, and mutually enriching environment.”

Our work is ongoing. We continue to partner with clergy, the Program Council, and outside facilitators to create an inclusive, resilient culture that models the best of what community dialogue can be. Our aim is that all dialogue at CBJ follows these guidelines and enables robust and meaningful discussions in all that we do.

Learn More

Sun, July 13 2025 17 Tammuz 5785