Pro Zion News

Recording of Anat Hoffman speaking about arrest of woman of the wall

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:13:00 +0000

Recording of Anat Hoffman at Pro-Zion event held with Southgate Reform Synagogue on Thursday 26th November - Anat talks about the arrest of Nofrat Frankel and the history of women of the wall as well as the work of IRAC

Since this talk Anat has been called in for questioning by Jerusalem police. You can help the campaign for religious freedom by signing one of these petitions, one to President Simon Peres http://www.petitiononline.com/ar012010/ and another on the IRAC website http://www.irac.org/petitionsign.aspx

Anat has also requested that you write to your local Israeli ambassador to express your displeasure - there is a sample letter here http://www.arzenu.org.il/profiles/blogs/letter-from-anat-hoffman-what

Pro-Zion email, Anat Hoffman interrogated - resent...

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:54:00 +0000

Dear Members,

There are three articles for you this week.

1. Anat Hoffman interrogated by police.
2. Religious advocates decry Rabbinical statement calling conversion
reversible.
3. Preventing mamzerot - at what cost? By Andrew Sacks

We would like to particularly draw your attention to the first article.
Anat Hoffman, Executive Director of IRAC, and one of the founders of
Women of the Wall, was interrogated by police for her actions at the
Kottel. Anat is being investigated for committing a felony, with her
only crime as praying, reading from a Sefer Torah, and wearing a Talit.
Amazingly, the police overlook the violent abuse that this group
receive for exercising what is surely their right. If you agree that
this is an injustice, please find attached a pre-drafted letter and
send it to His Excellency Ron Prosor, Ambassador of Israel. It is
important that as Progressive Jews in the UK we show our support to our
Progressive friends in Israel and let the Israeli Government know that
we in the Diaspora would like to see an end to this Religious
discrimination. Please find the time and send the letter.

Finally, the Institute of Jewish Policy Research has launched a new
survey online last week. This is the first survey of its kind asking
British Jewry about their thoughts and attitudes towards Israel. A
link to take part in the survey can be found on JPR's website
http://www.jpr.org.uk/index.php. ; This is a worthwhile project and we
hope you get the chance to take part.

Shabbat Shalom to all,
Charlie, Daniel and all at Pro Zion

Rabbi Miri Gold Petition

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:26:00 +0000

Sign the petition at www.irac.org

Shalom,

I was heartened to learn that over 3,500 people have signed the
www.irac.org petition demanding recognition for Reform rabbis in Israel.
Our court case, which began in September, 2005, reflects the resolve of
the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism to be pro-active on issues
of religious pluralism in Israel. The Israel Religious Action Center has
brought our case to the court and raised awareness among Israeli
citizens who believe that Israel must be a democracy.

There is another facet that I'd like to call to your attention. I was
picked as the "test case" because Peter Weiss, the "mayor" of our Gezer
Regional Council, to which my home, Kibbutz Gezer, belongs, was willing
to stick his neck out, risk the wrath of the Orthodox (and it has rained
down hard!), and come to bat for us. He wrote to the Prime Minister's
Office, to the person managing the Department of Religious Affairs (in
the short oasis of time when there was no Ministry of Religious
Affairs), asking that Kibbutz Gezer, populated by liberal Jews, be
assigned a liberal rabbi. He pointedly added that there IS a liberal
rabbi at Gezer, who de facto serves the community, and that rabbi, Miri
Gold, be recognized and salaried by the State, just like the sixteen
Orthodox rabbis who serve other communities in the region.

I believe that Peter Weiss' willingness to write this letter of advocacy
stems from his connections with the Kansas City Jewish Community, which
"partners" with the Region. This partnership shows that our connections
to progressive Jewish communities outside of Israel and the influence
that they can make will make the difference.

We need your support to bolster this fledgling turning point, by sending
a clear message to the government of Israel that the majority of World
Jewry will not sit idly by while intolerance reigns in the Jewish
homeland. We're looking for at least 10,000 signatures. Please take an
active role as Jewish leaders in winning this battle.

Bivracha,
Rabbi Miri Gold
Kehilat Birkat Shalom, Kibbutz Gezer, Israel

Our letter in the Jewish Chronicle - full version

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:57:00 +0000

Dear Readers,
You may have noticed our letter in the Jewish Chronicle this week in
reply to a Rabbi Schochet piece. It was a much abridged version of the
full letter we wrote. We have published the full version below.

Sir,
We read with interest Rabbi Schochet's article on vetting your
childrens' dates but feel his list of no go Jews is by no means
comprehensive. Why stop at Reform Jews? We are sure there are a lot more
Jews we can declare treif. Perhaps your childrens' dates might come from
single parent families? That would need some checking. Or horror of
horrors actually come from Israel, where we recently learned of Orthodox
Jewish conversions disqualified by the tens of thousands. Perhaps we can
look forward to the day when Rabbi Schochet will be the only "Real Jew"
among us, or to paraphrase a memorable tabloid headline, "Will the last
Jew in Britain please turn out the lights". Perhaps as the last "Real
Jew" that honour will be left to Rabbi Schochet.

DN and CG
Co-Chairs Pro-Zion (Progressive Religious Zionists)

Invitation to meet Arzenu Director Dalya Levy

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:26:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

You are invited to come and meet Dalya Levy, Executive Director of
Arzenu, who is visiting the UK next week. As well as meetings with
various leaders and youth in the UK Progressive Jewish Community she is
visiting three London congregations. Please do invite your
friends/congregants/members to any events, especially the Thursday
evening event.

Thursday 26th June, 8pm, at North Western Reform Synagogue (Alyth),
"Israel: 60 Years of Zionist Challenges – Then and Now"
Dalya Levy will be looking at the relationship between Israel and the
Diaspora over the last 60 years and where it may be headed in the
future. She is the Executive Director of Arzenu, the international
federation of Reform and Progressive Zionists. ARZENU, a member of the
World Zionist Organisation, is based in Jerusalem and works with
Progressive communities in Europe, the USA, South America, Australia and
South Africa.

Friday 27th June, 6.30pm at Finchley Progressive Synagogue, Dalya will
be giving a short address during the Kabbalat Shabbat Service.

Saturday 28th June, 10.30am at Southgate and District Reform Synagogue,
where Dalya will be giving the sermon.

Israel 60

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:49:00 +0000

Yom Huledet Sameach
60 Years of the modern State of Israel

update 25/04/08

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:07:00 +0000

Dear Members,

Moadim L'Simcha to all. As Pesach draws to a close, please find
attached four articles for your interest. Sorry that it is more than
usual, it was difficult to choose only three.

1. We have the latest newsletter from the New Israel Fund, an
organisation that works to promote equality and social justice in Israel.

2. The first edition of the Chavruta newsletter since the very
recent revival of Chavruta-Chazon L'Yisrael; who describe themselves as
an independent national society for spiritual-cultural and
social-political reform. One of the members of the editorial board is
Dr. Michael Livni (from Kibbutz Lotan), one of the founders of the
Reform Zionist Kibbutzim in Israel, and one of the founders of the
Reform Zionist Movement. Dr. Livni is the author of numerous articles
on Progressive Zionism, and the author of Reform Zionism: Twenty Years –
An Educators Perspective. Of prominent interest in the newsletter is a
statement by the editorial board regarding the Israel Movement for
Progressive Judaism and Zionism.

3. An article reporting on the Pesach Seder for foreign workers,
organised by Beit Daniel, the Reform Community in Tel Aviv.

4. Finally, Rabbi Michael Marmur provides us with his Pesach
reflection on Chametz, Haredim and Liberal Democracy. You'll see what I
mean.

Don't forget that Yom Hatzmaut is fast approaching, you can still get
tickets for the ZF's gala show at the Wembley Box Office.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach,
Charlie, Daniel and all at Pro Zion

Chavruta Newsletter

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:06:00 +0000

CHAVRUTA NEWSLETTER No. 11 – February 2008/ Adar Aleph 5768
(Translation from the Hebrew – Shaul Vardi)
CHAVRUTA - CHAZON L'ISRAEL, is an independent national charted society
for spiritual-cultural and social-political reform.

Editorial Board: Editor: Dr. Michael Livni, (Kibbutz Lotan). Board
Members: Rabbi Ofek Meir
(Leo Baeck, Haifa), Osnat Elnatan (Kibbutz Tamuz - Beit Shemesh), Rabbi
Silvana Kandel (Kvutzat Shacharut - Yokneam)

A Statement by the Editorial Board
The Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism and Zionism

The Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (IMPJ) is in crisis - both
financial and ideological.
For a number of years the IMPJ has stood at a crossroads and must decide
regarding its path.
"For the children are come to the birth and there is not strength to
bring forth", Isaiah, 37:3.

Is the "Movement" first and foremost an organization of congregations
offering Reform religious services to its members and others? Or,
alternatively, does the Movement give expression to a unique
comprehensive Zionist approach with an action program to reform the
individual, the people and the world?

Today the trends in the Movement stand in contradiction one to another.
In general, the professionals in the Movement, most of the Executive and
many of the rank and file wish to adopt a movement definition (a
"brand") which sees the IMPJ not as a movement but as a religious stream
only.

"The IMPJ is a religious stream offering contemporary Jewish identity to
those who wish to renew their Judaism while maintaining a freedom of
choice in their way of life". (IMPJ, "M'Erech L'Derech, 2006)

Chavruta has a wider and more comprehensive vision. The proposed
Movement identity quoted above is a throwback to classic Reform, the
Kultusgemeinde, the ritual congregation of the Diaspora. Here in our
national home, we cannot limit the potential inherent within Reform with
its roots in prophetic Judaism to the ritual congregation. Our point of
departure must be a Zionist one -- Judaism is not only the religion of
the Jewish people but also its nationality and culture. Without
negating the congregational ritual functions, the IMPJ should offer
those joining it progressive social and cultural identity and
identification and commitment to initiatives furthering Israel as a
Jewish and democratic State. Above all we see the calling of the IMPJ as
an educational movement educating to Jewish-Zionist democratic commitment.

We note with satisfaction that the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC)
furthers Zionist democratic reforms in Israeli society. The Center
utilizes mainly judicial action and within that area it has indeed made
its mark on Israeli society. To a large extent, however, IRAC functions
like a battery of artillery which prepares the ground within Israeli
society for "foot soldiers" to move in. But in fact, there are no "foot
soldiers". It is not within the power of purely legal activity to change
basic social order and values in Israeli society. This would
necessitate a movement and not only submission of petitions to the
Israeli High Court of Justice

Only a movement in the essential meaning of the term, i.e. a body with
ideas, ideals and an action program can constitute the base for the
"foot soldiers" so necessary today. The current budget of the IMPJ
serves the needs of congregations and not the needs of national movement
activity.
"Halukka"* Funding for the IMPJ until When?
Much of the ongoing expenses of the congregations are subsidized by
Diaspora Jewry. This situation is problematic both financially and
morally. True: Israel discriminates against the non- orthodox religious
streams. Nevertheless, it would be an illusion to believe that even
after this injustice has been rectified that the State will fund
congregations at their current level.

Admittedly, funding from the Diaspora is necessary for investments in
infrastructure and the development of the national work of the
Movement. However, is it credible that the financing of the ongoing
expenses of the congregations of the IMPJ should be comparable to the
way in which pre-Zionist "Halukka Jewry" was financed and whose mode of
existence was challenged by Zionism at its outset?

Chavruta sees itself as a Reform Zionist lobby both within the IMPJ and
without. For this purpose we are renewing publication of the "Chavruta
Newsletter" which was published in the years 2000 – 2002 (you may find
these newsletters on line at HYPERLINK "http://www.chavruta.org.il/"

www.chavruta.org.il .) The Chavruta general meeting held on 30th
January 2008, decided to further our principles (see below) not only to
the general public but in particular among those who may in any case be
close to our point of view.

*Halukka – the system of charitable distribution of Diaspora money to
19th century Jewish communities in pre-Zionist Palestine.

We in "Chavruta - Chazon L'Israel" Believe That: The State of Israel
was established as a Zionist state constituting the National Home of the
Jewish people. The state was founded as a result of the physical and
spiritual distress of the Jewish people in the modern age. It has given
an answer to the physical survival of the people. However we have not
yet related to the spiritual and cultural dimensions of our lives.
Potentially, the Jewish state is the beginning of our redemption. In
order to realize the prophetic vision, we need reform (tikkun) of our
values in the following areas:
A Genuine Peace between Ourselves and Our Neighbors
The Equal Value of all Humankind and the Sanctity of Human
Life.
This value grants all citizens of the state of Israel equal rights
before the law and imposes obligations of equal value on all to the
State. The educational and economic gaps existing in Israel at present
are incompatible with the equal value of all citizens.
3. Protecting the
Environment
The sanctity of the Land of Israel demands intensive action in order to
fulfil the injunction "do not destroy". At present, our way of life, the
way we produce and the way we consume, desecrates and befouls the
holiness of the land and the people who inhabit it.
Creative Commitment to the Jewish
Heritage
Every generation stands before Sinai. It is its right and obligation to
interpret the heritage and its symbols by means of democratic process
in order to ensure the continued creative existence of the Jewish people
wherever it may be in our time.
"But the just shall live by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:4). In a
democratic Zionist state no one has the right
to impose a particular way of interpreting the heritage. We
must obey the injunction - "tell your
children" (Exodus 13: 8) through experience and learning,
in a manner that will ensure mutual respect
between different attitudes.

The idea of the Divine expressed in its many forms by holidays
and feasts, by the Sabbath and in
everyday, in the life of the individual and the life of the
community, is an ever-present bond focusing the
Jewish people in its infinite mission for the reform (tikkun) of
the individual, the Jewish people and the
World

CHAVRUTA and the Arrangements Law

At its meeting on Wednesday, 30 January 2008, Chavruta decided to join
the Forum of Organizations to Abolish the Arrangements Law. The
Arrangements Law constituted a milestone in the worship of the
individual and materialism that led to the emergence of social gaps over
the present generation. This newsletter was written close to Shabbat Ki
Tisa: "And all the people took off the golden rings which were in their
ears … and made it into a molten calf; and they said: 'This is your god,
O Israel…'" (Exodus 32:3,4). See the comments by H.N. Bialik below.
The Forum of Organizations to Abolish the Arrangements Law is organized
by Shatil - The New Israel Fund's Empowerment and Training Center for
Social Change Organizations in Israel. We reproduce here sections from
the information material of the Forum as published on its website:
HYPERLINK "http://www.hesderim.social.org.il"

www.hesderim.social.org.il .

The Forum of Organizations to Abolish the Arrangements Law was
established in September 2007. The Forum includes approximately 50 civil
organizations that have come together to secure the joint objective of
abolishing the "Arrangements Law," beginning from the next financial
year (2008). The Forum emphasizes the antidemocratic and
anticonstitutional nature of this law, and urges the government to
transfer the hundreds of articles it includes into regular legislation.

About the Arrangements Law
The Economic Arrangement Law was first passed in 1985, as a one-time
measure (an emergency law) complementing the economic plan to stabilize
the economy. Since then, each year's Budget Law has been accompanied by
an Economic Arrangements Law. The Arrangements Law differs from other
laws in that it includes a wide number of laws and legislative
amendments on different issues. These are passed by the Knesset as a
single unit, without meaningful and orderly discussion in the Knesset
committees and in the government as is usual in the case of ordinary
legislation.

Over the years, the Arrangements Law has expanded considerably; it now
comprises some 200 articles. As mentioned, the law is passed by an
accelerated procedure described by the Israeli Supreme Court as "a
procedure inconsonant with the democratic legislative procedure."

The Arrangements Law has come to be used by the Ministry of Finance as a
tool for imposing its neo-liberal approach on the economy and on the
Knesset.

Examples of the problems inherent in the Arrangements Law
( Authorities are usurped from the earmarked parliamentary committees
and transferred to the Finance Committee: According to practice, the
Arrangements Law is discussed by the Knesset Finance Committee, despite
the fact that many of the laws it includes should be discussed by the
specific Knesset committees according to each committee's fields of
expertise. In recent years, some of the articles in the Arrangements Law
have been separated and discussed by the specific committees. This
process of separation is limited and partial, however, and the influence
enjoyed by the specific committees is still limited.

( Inadequate discussion: The short period of time allocated for
discussion of the Arrangements Law as a whole, and of its different
articles in particular, makes it difficult for the Members of Knesset to
engage in full discussion and to ensure proper control of the
legislative and budgetary process.

( Political and coalition constraints: The fact that the Arrangements
Law is presented alongside the Budget Law, and the dependence of the
budget on the Arrangements Law, intensify political pressure on Members
of Knesset and reduce their room for maneuvering. The representatives of
the coalition (in the Knesset plenum and in the committees) are required
to work to secure authorization of the legislation included in the
Arrangements Law, with the goal of ensuring the ongoing control of the
government and the coalition in which they are members. This situation
reduces the chances of raising substantive objections.

( Transparency and accountability toward Members of Knesset and the
general public: The current format of debates, the tight schedule, and
the large number of details included in the Arrangement Law all damage
and impair the ability of Members of Knesset (and of the general public)
to understand the true ramifications of this act of legislation. This
situation is incompatible with the desire to ensure the transparency,
responsibility, and accountability that may be expected in proper
administrative proceedings.

( The dominance of the Ministry of Finance and the Budgets Division: The
Arrangements Law, and indeed the budget process as a whole, underscore
the power and centrality of the Ministry of Finance, and the Budgets
Division in particular, relative to the Knesset and the government.

The Attorney General:
"The inclusion of numerous amendments to different laws on different
subjects in a single proposed law is inconsonant with proper legal policy."

Chaim Nachman Bialik Reproves His People
SURELY THE PEOPLE IS GRASS

Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it… surely the people is
grass.
Isaiah 40:7

Surely the people is grass, become as dry as a tree
Surely the people is a void, an infinitely heavy void;
-----------------------------------------------------

In the clamor of a foolish people around the golden idols
God's voice is hidden, His mighty thunder suppressed.
And in the heart of scoundrel and villain, and with shameful spittle
The word of the Lord will be degraded, turned into scornful laughter.

Surely the people wither, full of levity and venom
Rotten and dissipate from head to toe!
For on a day of anguish and pain it has failed to bring forth
One that was mighty in works, a living man with a beating heart
One in whose heart a spark might burn, the spark that makes the blood boil
One from whose head a spark might shine to light the way for the people;
One who would treasure the name of the entire nation and its God
Far over wealth of gold – more than the falsehood of idols.

Renewing a Reform Zionist Think Tank in Israel
An initiative of Chavruta – Chazon L'Israel in cooperation with Tzell
HaTamar

Monday,March 31, 1:00 pm – Tuesday, 1 April 2008, 2:00 pm
Rabin Youth Hostel, 1 Avigad St., Jerusalem
(Behind and below the Bible Lands Museum – bus route 17)

The think tank will focus on three subjects:

1. Outlines for a Reform Zionist action plan within the Israel Movement
for Progressive Judaism.
2. Cohesion in Israeli society – can the gulfs be mended, and if so – how?
3. Chavruta – Chazon L'Israel as a Reform Zionist lobby inside the IMPJ
and elsewhere.

The IMPJ Conference, which will take place on May 22-24, will provide a
suitable opportunity to raise formal proposals and to engage in informal
contacts with rank-and-file members in order to promote Reform Zionism
within the movement.

A detailed program will be distributed by email to all those who
register for the event two weeks in advance. Registration: through
March 10, 2008.

Please send the registration slip by snail mail, email or fax to Dr.
Michael Livni (see below)

Please write clearly and legibly
First name and family name) …………………………………….. Telephone …. …………..
Full postal address (including zip code) ………………………………………………………………
Do you require sleeping arrangement in Jerusalem? ………………. Email …………………………

The number of rooms in the hostel is limited. Singles will be
accommodated two or three to a room
Fee per person – NIS 100. Couple: NIS 150. Payment in cash during
registration.
Travel expenses above NIS 50 by public transport will be returned to
those coming from far afield.
For questions, please contact Dr. Michael Livni, 054-9799055
=======================================================

CHAVRUTA – A Vision For Israel Fax – 08 6356827 E-Mail:
ml-lotan@zahav.net.il
Registered Society No. 58 032 212 1
Kibbutz Lotan, D.N. Chevel Eilot,
ISRAEL 88855

Welcoming Strangers to the Seder

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:56:00 +0000

Welcoming strangers to the Seder
By SOLOMON ISRAEL
After finishing his first cup of wine Sunday night, Alusine Swaray
dipped his matza into maror and happily went back for a second helping,
undeterred by the spicy reminder of affliction.
Jack Jakainte, Alusine Swaray and Allan Bangura dip their matza into the
maror at the Pessah Seder for foreign workers.
Swaray, 48, a Christian from Sierra Leone, was one of some 45 foreigners
enjoying the sixth annual Pessah Seder for foreign workers at the Beit
Daniel Synagogue in Tel Aviv.
The Seder is a joint effort by Beit Daniel, Keren B'Kavod - the social
action branch of the Israeli Reform Movement's Israel Religious Action
Center - and the Mesila Aid and Information Center for the Foreign
Community, a Tel Aviv municipal organization dedicated to providing
social services and information to Tel Aviv's large population of
foreign workers.
"We felt that we needed to do more," explained Rabbi Meir Azari of Beit
Daniel. "If you are in Tel Aviv, you can't ignore the presence of the
foreign workers... This is an opportunity to meet them, to show them
that we care."
After musical and dance performances by children from the African, Latin
American and Filipino foreign worker communities, the adults retired to
a more traditional Seder while the children participated in special
activities such as painting their own Seder plates.
Maya Vamosh, a Jewish educator at Beit Daniel, explained that the Seder
was designed to accommodate the diverse religious views of its
participants.
"I took the most important elements from the Haggada and left room for
the people from Mesila to explain themselves," she expounded. "For
instance, where we say the Hallel [prayer], I asked one of the women to
bring their praise of God into the Seder."
Despite the multi-religious nature of the Seder, the participants were
still able to appreciate the Jewish elements of the ceremony.
Rose Roxas, 40, is a domestic helper from the Philippines and a
volunteer with Mesila who assists members of the Filipino community in
navigating the difficulties involved in being a foreign worker.
"It's amazing, really, how God took care of the Israelites when they
were about to leave Egypt," said Rose, an Evangelist. "It's the same as
in the days of the Torah."
Life in the Jewish state has impacted Rose's family beyond simply
teaching them about Jewish history. Her 11-year-old son, David Israel,
plays nearby.
"King David is my favorite Bible character," explained Rose, regarding
her Judaic taste in names.
Jewish history and religion were not the only issues in the spotlight at
this Seder - the politics of foreign workers played a role in the
proceedings, as well.
"We like you, we love you, we support you, and we want you to get the
rights you deserve," Azari said in his speech to the workers.
Mesila director Tamar Schwartz delivered a similar address, discussing
the significance of the Pessah story to the situation of foreign
workers. "Thousands of years, and nothing has changed?" she said. As
Schwartz spoke of Moses's famous demand to "let my people go," Swaray
nodded in deep agreement.
"It is necessary for the government to give the same rights to the
children who are born here," said Swaray.
"Regardless of how their parents entered," added his colleague Edwin
Brownie of Liberia.
The two men were referring to the campaign of their NGO, the African
Workers Union, to achieve Israeli citizenship for the children of
foreign workers. In addition to their regular jobs as house cleaners,
the two men have been petitioning the government on the behalf of
foreign workers since 1997.
Politics aside, however, the Seder served as a multicultural learning
experience. Teresa Rodriguez, 40, a Colombian domestic helper,
highlighted what she saw as the beauty of the event.
"It's beautiful because here today, it doesn't matter if you are
African, Latin American or Asian," she said.
Azari also commented on the diversity of the event.
"I don't think that you will be able to see a lot of synagogues in
Israel hosting non-Jews for the Seder," he said.
But he added, "For most of them, probably this is the first time that
they are sitting and not serving. This is an opportunity for them to
feel welcome."

Reform Reflections: Inspiration from the Haredi community

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:55:00 +0000

Reform Reflections: Inspiration from the Haredi community

Posted by Rabbi Michael Marmur
Although they will not thank me for the endorsement, I have decided to
come out in favor of the Haredi community in Jerusalem. Many in the
Ultra-Orthodox world are disgusted by the decision of the courts,
supported by the Attorney General, not to force businesses in Jerusalem
to refrain from selling chametz during the festival of Passover this
year. Following the decision of the court, representatives of the edah
charedit have sent letters to some sixty businesses and outlets pleading
with them not to sell leavened products during Pessach in the City of Gold.
I like this response. By turning to these fellow Jerusalemites and
asking them to reconsider their decision, these Haredi representatives
are playing according to the rules of a modern liberal democracy. It
remains to be seen if some within the community escalate their
opposition to the dreaded chametz, and move from words to sticks and
stones. But so long as the opposition is reasoned, respectful and
peaceful, it should be supported.
I write these words in the midst of my own battle with the forces of
leaven, the chametz which lies around my house, in my car, and even more
elusively - in my heart. I perceive these days of Passover preparation
as some of the most significant and profound of the Hebrew calendar. The
Passover of which I dream is indeed leaven-free. But the Israel I dream
of living in is one in which leaven should not be outlawed. Exploiting
the institutions of state in order to enforce the great teachings of
Judaism is a tragic error, and it helps contribute to alienation and anger.
A representative of the Haredi community (this is a confusing and
imprecise term, since there are almost infinite variations and nuances
within the Ultra-Orthodox world) was interviewed on the radio this
morning, and he explained why it was so crucial to keep all chametz out
of Jerusalem. He told the tragic tale of Orthodox grandchildren visiting
with their secular grandparents in Jerusalem who were given pizza to eat
on the festival of Passover because their ignorant and innocent
grandparents did not know better. They had assumed that Jerusalem
restaurants would only sell Kosher for Passover comestibles, and as a
result the sanctity of the festival was sullied. The spokesman went on
to state that Jerusalem, city of holiness, must be pure during the
festival of Passover.
The story about the mistaken grandparents tells a great deal about the
weird configurations of Jewish identity in our times. Within three
generations there are radical transitions from secular to Orthodox, and
vice versa. But the idea that legislating against the owner of the kiosk
will make the complexity go away is wrongheaded, short-sighted and
laughable.
Jerusalem should be pure this Passover. It should be purged of poverty,
and garbage, and corruption, and prejudice, and hate. I passed some
graffiti on the wall in a "good" neighborhood in Jerusalem this week.
Its author, clearly an honorable son of our people, expressed gross
anti-Arab sentiments. Now that is chametz of the worst kind, and that
needs to be removed - before Pessach, and every day.
On this Festival of Freedom, we should defend the right of our neighbors
to do things we don't like, and defend the weak from assault and
oppression. It's actually fine in my book to engage others in
conversation, to try to persuade them to act differently. Persuasion is
better than legislation, and much better than aggression.
One more thought, for those of you who are ahead in your house cleaning,
or those of you who don't clean your house in a special way for Pessach,
or those of you who are limited in the amount of physical work you can
do. Open your Inbox and delete all the unnecessary e-mails which have
just been lying around for a year: this is a new additional version of
chametz for the twenty-first century. I don't want the courts to outlaw
e-mail (although that does sound tempting). I wasn't proposing a new law
- I was just making a suggestion. It's a technique I have learnt from
the Haredi community.

Pesach Update 16th April 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:52:00 +0000

Dear Members,

Just a quick reminder that the Zionist Federation's Yom Hatzmaut, Israel
@ 60 Gala Show, with Jackie Mason and Sarit Hadad performing, is coming up.

For more info. or to purchase tickets please visit www.zionist.org.uk.

Please find attached three articles for your interest this week. First
is the recent newsletter from IRAC. Next we have an article written by
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the President the Union for Reform Judaism, the
American Reform Movement, commenting on the current situation that
Israel is faced with in Gaza. Finally there is a piece written by Rabbi
Reuvan Hammer who served recently as interim Rabbi at New London Masorti
Synagogue, about 'the missing fifth' cup at the Seder. We hope you
enjoy these articles.

We wish you Chag Sameach,

Charlie, Daniel and all at Pro Zion

Reform leader argues that Israel will soon be forced to drop its 'restraint' policy.

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:51:00 +0000

Preparing U.S. Jews For Assault On Gaza
Reform leader argues that Israel will soon be forced to drop its
'restraint' policy.

by Eric H. Yoffie
A few weeks ago, I sat with a Jewish delegation that met with some
important Protestant leaders here in the United States. The conversation
quickly turned to events in Gaza. In a perfunctory sentence or two, our
Protestant colleagues said that of course they condemned the rocket fire
directed at Israeli cities, but in their view the real problem was the
suffering of the Palestinian population in Gaza and the wildly
disproportionate nature of Israel's response to Palestinians attacks.
Deeply pained and angry, I replied: You are absolutely right. Israel's
response has been wildly disproportionate because it has been far more
restrained than what would be expected from any other civilized,
democratic government.
Did they understand that since 2001, more than 7,000 rockets had been
fired from Gaza at civilian targets in Israel? Did they realize that a
"proportionate" response would involve 7,000 Israeli rockets fired at
civilians in Gaza? Did they appreciate that the relatively small number
of civilian casualties in Israel resulted not from the humanitarian
intentions of Hamas but from the crudeness of their weapons, and that
those weapons were now improving? Did they know that the traumatized
children of Sderot lived in constant fear? On what basis, I asked, did
they expect Israel to tolerate these attacks?
And what would their congregants be saying if their churches in Michigan
had been subjected to seven years of hostile fire from across the
Canadian border? Would church leaders be calling for "restraint" from
the American government in these circumstances? And did they really
expect that any American president would show such restraint?
What followed, of course, was the suggestion that the "occupation" was
responsible for the rocket fire. I replied: Excuse me, but Prime
Minister Sharon pulled out of every inch of Gaza in 2005, and his
successor was elected on a platform calling for unilateral withdrawal
from most of the remaining territories. And yet there has not been a
single day of quiet following that withdrawal. Indeed, rocket strikes
significantly increased after it was completed.
Yes, I assured them, I shared their concern for Palestinian suffering in
Gaza. But the simple fact is that if terror and rocket fire were to come
to an end in Gaza, the suffering of her people would end as well.
There was nothing surprising in these exchanges, but they reminded me of
how much American Jews have yet to do to educate their fellow citizens
about Israel's current plight.
And there is some urgency in this task because I have little doubt that
Israel's restraint will soon come to an end.
During my recent visit to Jerusalem, I met with the prime minister and
more than a dozen Knesset members from across the political spectrum.
Virtually all of Israel's political leaders are reluctant to escalate
the military conflict with Hamas; they fear the uncertain results of
such an escalation, as well as heavy casualties on both sides.
Nonetheless, from most of those to whom I spoke, what I heard was that
there would soon be no alternative to a more aggressive military posture.
The reason for this is simply that the attacks on Sderot threaten
Israel's very existence.
Once again, most of the world has found a way to take an utterly
intolerable situation - nearly daily attacks on Israeli civilian centers
- and turn it into something that is both tolerated and even routine.
And as the accuracy of the rockets increases along with the Iranian role
in supplying Hamas forces, the circle of cities under attack has begun
to expand.
It is only a matter of time before Hamas cells in the West Bank begin
firing rockets as well.
The result is that it is now possible to imagine a scenario under which
Israel, without ever losing a war, would cease to be a viable state.
As a result, there is a strong likelihood that in the months ahead,
Israel will move against Hamas forces in Gaza. With or without an
invasion, her army will likely target all of Hamas' military
installations, institutions and leaders. Since for years Hamas fighters
have hidden themselves in civilian centers such as schools and
hospitals, Palestinian civilian casualties are certain to grow. But
Israel will almost surely decide that it can no longer protect
Palestinian civilians at the cost of sacrificing the well being of her own.
This is not a welcome scenario. It would be preferable by far if
international diplomacy could arrange a ceasefire that would end the
rocket fire without allowing Hamas to build up her forces for future
attacks. But chances for such a diplomatic resolution are small, and
Israel must prepare for the worst.
Israel must also continue to support American diplomatic efforts to
advance what is left of the peace process. President Bush hopes for a
diplomatic breakthrough this calendar year, and while he is unlikely to
succeed, he has earned, by word and deed, the trust of Israel and the
American Jewish community. Surely, as he pursues this diplomatic course,
he is entitled to the goodwill and cooperation of Israel's government.
In that regard, we should keep in mind that an Israeli attack on Gaza is
certain to unleash a barrage of international criticism. American
support will be essential if Israel's military is to have the time it
needs to complete its mission. For that reason, current tension between
Israel and the American government over Israel's settlement policy is a
potential disaster.
An unpopular president who is being asked to take the heat for support
of an unpopular Israeli military operation is entitled to some
consideration from Israel's leaders. Whatever the differences, Israel
needs to get its settlement policies in line with American expectations
and to do so now.
With all this said, the responsibilities of American Jews are clear. A
centrist Israeli government has done everything within its power to
escape a military confrontation.
Nonetheless, confronted by challenges to its sovereignty, by expanding
attacks on its civilian population, and by the unrelenting hatred of an
anti-Semitic, religiously fanatic regime, it is moving toward the
military action in Gaza that it had desperately hoped to avoid.
Let us remember, then, that the Jewish state came into being for just
such a time as this, when Jewish lives are in danger and no one but a
Jewish army will come to their rescue. And let us remember too that our
task now is to support Israel in her time of need, to make her case to
our fellow citizens, and to do all that we can to rally the Jewish
people and good people everywhere to her side.
Rabbi Yoffie is president of the Union for Reform Judaism.

IRAC Passover Update

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:50:00 +0000

In This Issue: Celebrating Passover with Keren B'Kavod
• Celebrating Passover 'B'Kavod'
• Israeli Helping Israeli
• A Philosophy in Action
• Israel 2006: More kids under poverty line

For more information, please e-mail:
Rita Konaev
Development Associate
rita@irac.org
Visit IRAC on the RAC website!

The Pluralist
Newsletter from the Israel Religious Action Center

________________________________________
April 13, 2008
Dear Friend of the Israel Religious Action Center,
In Israel, the week of Passover is a popular time to take your family on
a vacation--to float in the Dead Sea or to play in what's left of Lake
Kinneret. Yet Passover demands that we relive events that shaped our
history and our people. We are encouraged to consider the "other": the
stranger, the orphan, the widow. We might say in Israel, 'To walk a
kilometer in another's sandals.' The seder is a great chance to
reconnect with loved ones but it is also the time to welcome the
stranger. In the past few years, IRAC has hosted pre-Passover seders for
foreign-workers and their families. It astounds me how well people from
as diverse regions as southeast Asia and western Africa can identify
with the story of Moses leading the Israelites. Passover is a time for
reliving our own past, but also for considering on the lives of our
neighbours and our guests. Everyone has a story of Exodus, a story of
seeking a home or a refuge, a search for meaning and identity. This
Passover, I hope all of Israel will take the opportunity to reflect and
consider. In our rough neighbourhood, a little empathy can go a long way.
Wishing you a meaningful Pesach, Anat Hoffman
________________________________________
Celebrating Passover 'B'Kavod'
Keren B'Kavod is the humanitarian aid and social action program of the
Israel Religious Action Center and the Reform Jewish Movement in Israel.
Keren B'Kavod provides food packages, warm clothes and other necessities
to needy families and facilitates cultural and educational activities
for disadvantaged youth across Israel, regardless of their ethnicity or
religion.
As the Passover holiday is approaching, Keren B'Kavod brought together
volunteers to prepare food packages to be distributed in the coming
weeks. The Passover food package project is the program's biggest
project and its oldest. This past week, the Keren B'Kavod staff,
community volunteers, and hundreds of Israeli high school students
gathered in the parking garage of Beit Shmuel, the center of the Israel
Movement for Progressive Judaism, and at a school in Haifa. A testament
to the Keren B'Kavod staff and volunteer-leaders, the energy of these
teenagers was focused on an assembly line where more than 2,000 boxes
containing food, games, toiletries and in some cases clothing coupons,
were quickly put together. The Keren B'Kavod boxes were passed from
hand-to-hand, quickly filling with non- perishable food-items. Between
the packing shifts, children from the Beit Shmuel kindergarten were
brought in and shown around the garage-turned- assembly plant and were
explained the importance of the project. Even the preschoolers did their
part, putting their colourful hand-drawn Passover cards in the packages.
________________________________________
Israeli Helping Israeli
The Passover package project unites Israel's Reform Movement to aid all
Israelis. The volunteers come primarily from Noar Telem, the Israeli
Reform youth movement, TALI Beit Chinuch, a Reform high school and
Mechina, the Reform Movement's pre-army program. The volunteers were not
only involved in assembling the holiday boxes but also in fundraising,
spending evenings calling members of Reform communities around Israel.
Tens of thousands of shekels have been raised through canvassing the
congregants from Israel's 24 Reform synagogues by the youth and adult
volunteers of the Reform Jewish Movement. In addition, the suppliers of
the components of the packages in many cases donated their products or
services or provided them at a discount.
The finished packages, stacked to the ceiling by the end of the flurry
of work, are distributed to Israeli families in need, regardless of
where they live or their ethnic and religious backgrounds. Reform
communities are in touch with their regional welfare councils to
determine the amount of need in each area. Keren B'Kavod distributes to
Jewish, Christian and Muslim families, to veteran Israelis and new
immigrants, to residents in cities and in development towns, to
residents of unrecognized Bedouin villages, and to foreign workers in
South Tel Aviv. The boxes are distributed throughout the year around the
time of a religious holiday: Rosh Hashanah, Christmas, Easter, and the
(Muslim) Feast of the Sacrifice, or in this case, Passover.
________________________________________
A Philosophy in Action
While helping families in need is the main goal of Keren B'Kavod, the
steps it takes in accomplishing these goals are in many ways an end unto
themselves. The continued success of the Passover project stems from the
culture of ownership and responsibility for the project and its goals
that is developing in the Israeli Reform Movement. "We are building a
circle of people to help," says Yoav Shafranik of B'Kavod. Keren B'Kavod
makes a concerted effort to work through welfare channels in order to
have a degree of anonymity towards the families it helps. Says Yoav, "We
are trying to be respectful of the families." That is the goal of Keren
B'Kavod: to make sure all Israelis live b'kavod (in dignity).
________________________________________

Weekly Update 11th April 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:41:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

I was lucky enough to spend a fascinating weekend last weekend at the
Liberal Judaism Biennial Conference. Though the theme was Creation &
Creativity there was much Israel content for participants to get their
teeth and brains into with at least one Israel related choice every
session. My Friday night spent away from the main conference with the
young adults was made extra special by the presence of a group of
musical students from the Leo Baeck High School in Haifa (and their
guitar maestro teacher). They were a pleasure to meet and wowed the
conference on the Saturday night with their concert of Israeli music at
the Israel themed dinner. Another highlight was Professor Rafi Walden of
Israeli organisation Physicians for Human Rights. Rafi is a speaker
every Zionist organisation in this country should bring over here - his
message of cooperation, peace and coexistence was heart warming and
motivating despite the organisation dealing with great hardships faced
by Israeli minority groups and Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

Before the articles a reminder to get your tickets for the Israel 60
celebration at Wembley Arena featuring Jackie Mason and Sarit Hadad.
Pro-Zion are proud to be sponsoring the event. For further information
see the poster at
http://www.zionist.org.uk/new/cms/include/files/v_1204983174.jpg

This weeks we have three articles on completely different topics
1. A Brilliant opinion piece on conversion in Israel by Donniel Hartman
of the Shalom Hartman Institute.
2. An interesting perspective by a German Journalist on an alternative
Shabbat in Tel Aviv
3. An article from the New York times on the Aims of Hamas

Shabbat Shalom
Daniel, Charlie and all at Pro-Zion

The challenge and crisis of conversion in Israel

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:40:00 +0000

The challenge and crisis of conversion in Israel (31/03/2008)

A major in the Israeli Army came to me recently and said, "Rabbi
Hartman, I need your help. Three years ago I adopted my first child. I
wanted the child to be Jewish; and I converted my child, and in order to
do so, I had to lie (about keeping an Orthodox lifestyle). In two months
I am getting my second child, and I don't want to lie anymore."

Why is it that within the borders of the State of Israel, this
individual cannot convert his child to be a Jew like he is? Why is it
that the State of Israel determines not merely the citizenship, but in
essence who is an authentic Jew?

Under Israel's law of return, which grants automatic citizenship to
anyone who Hitler would have killed as a Jew (an individual born from a
Jewish mother or father, one who converted or married a Jew, or with one
Jewish grandparent), approximately 325,000 individuals moved to Israel
from the former Soviet Union. While citizens of the State, they are not
Jewish in accordance with the standards set by the Israeli Rabbinate,
which requires that a person be born from a Jewish mother or be
converted to Judaism according to Orthodox halakha.

In much of the Jewish world, Jews of different denominations may
disagree – for example, in the U.S., patrilineal descent is accepted by
the Reform movement, while Conservatives and Orthodox hold to
matrilineal – but each denomination there has its own rabbinate, which
allows the ideological community to function independently. In Israel,
however, there is only one rabbinate for issues of marriage, conversion,
kashrut and burial, and this rabbinate is controlled by Orthodoxy, and a
non-modern one at that.

Over the last 15-20 years, only a few thousand Russians have chosen to
convert, and today, only 1,000-1,500 convert a year. However, with a
natural birthrate of 3,000, the problem is only getting more acute. The
reasons why the vast majority of non-Jewish Israelis from the former
Soviet Union are not converting are numerous. One of the most central is
the fact that conversions through the existing channels are limited to
individuals who want to be Orthodox, a denomination that most immigrants
from the former Soviet Union, and indeed most Jews around the world,
find unacceptable.

New conversion initiative not enough

The current conversion predicament has bothered numerous political and
religious officials and private organizations. The office of the Prime
Minister, now the central location for the issue of conversions, has
recently announced a new initiative to expand the number of judges on
conversion courts and to alleviate the difficulties inherent in the
conversion process. But these steps do not address the fundamental
issue. The question is not the number of judges but their affiliation
and orientation.

To date the most promising and active solution has been the Israeli
Army's Nativ program, where individuals in the context of their army
service are able to learn Judaism from different streams. But in the
end, it, too, faces the same bottleneck, because conversions are still
exclusively conducted by the Orthodox military rabbinate, a fact that
causes the vast majority of soldiers to drop out without converting.

Israel is the national home of all Jews – it is not the synagogue of
this or that particular denomination – and cannot be governed by the
rules of any single denomination. As the home of all Jews, Israel must
be a space in which the diverse Judaisms of the Jewish people all have
equal status – legal, economic and religious. As an Orthodox Rabbi, the
question is not what I believe, but whether I believe that I or any
single denomination can control the State of Israel.

The State of Israel cannot give preference to one ideological
perspective over the other and retain its status as homeland of all
Jews. There are many types of Jews – Orthodox, Conservative, Reform,
Reconstructionist, Renewal, and Secular. All types live within Israel,
as they do in the Jewish world at large. All are building meaningful and
vibrant Judaisms. It is not the place of the State of Israel to
determine which denomination lays claim to the authentic title of
Jewishness. As the state of all Jews, the State of Israel must be
neutral on this question.

It is a travesty that one cannot convert into being a Reform,
Conservative, traditional or secular Jew within the confines of the
State of Israel. As long as conversions are limited to the Rabbinate, it
will still be under the control of one denomination, and as long as the
access points to Judaism are limited to that denomination, most people
will stay outside.

The laws of Israel must represent more fully the meaning of a national
homeland for all Jews. Only when that happens will we be able to turn to
our fellow citizens of the former Soviet Union and elsewhere who serve
in the Army with us, study in our schools, pay taxes and contribute to
our society and offer them a pathway into the Jewish people commensurate
with the type of Jews they want to be.

I don't expect the Rabbinate to accept conversions not in accordance
with its understanding of Orthodox law. I do expect the State of Israel
not to give to one single rabbinate the sole authority of determining
the Jewish identity for the whole state. If we choose to have a
government-sponsored Rabbinate, we must have multiple rabbinates.

If we want to solve the problem of the integration of non-Jews from the
former Soviet Union into Israeli society, as well as the injustice
facing non-Orthodox Jews in Israel on daily basis, Israel must adopt the
model of world Jewry, where Jews of different beliefs have multiple
access points into their tradition. Religious tolerance must not be
limited to Diaspora Jewish life, but must be the foundation of our
national homeland.
http://www.hartman.org.il/Opinion_C_View_Eng.asp?Article_Id=74

Shabbat adventures: A sexy Tel Aviv Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:39:00 +0000

Shabbat adventures: A sexy Tel Aviv Friday
By Laura Cornelius
"Home to perhaps the most impressive collection of sexy, young Jewish
people on the planet." This what the city guide is promising can be
found on Sheinkin Street in Tel Aviv, on Shabbat. So there was no
question where I would be going on my first Friday in Israel.

Luckily, I found some young Israelis to take me along. Sheinkin is an
amazing street, similar to Notting Hill in London, just with a
difference of about 25 degrees celsius and the sea nearby.

At noon, the streets, shops and cafes are totally crowded. A van is
driving by, playing traditional Jewish music through loudspeakers. Young
religious men get out and start to put up a table with brochures. I
found them very similar to Germany's "Jesus Freaks" - young Christians,
religious, but who still like to be part of the modern lifestyle.

By 4 P.M. we are in need of a stop at a street cafe. The talk at the
table is all about 22-year-old Liron. She's upset because she got into
an argument with her roommate. It takes quite some time before I
understand why someone can be so upset about an argument with a roommate
- the reason is that it's not just a roommate, but a girlfriend.
They explain it to me very cautiously, because - coming from Germany - I
might not know about lesbians. But since I come from a city with one of
the largest gay pride parades in Europe, that really is not the case and
it is probably my sympathy for her plight that leads Liron to offer me
an invitation to her family home for Friday night dinner.

On our way there, the vibe of the city has totally changed. The streets
are almost empty, the shops are closed. Combined with a nice breeze from
the sea, the pulsating city of Tel Aviv all of a sudden has become a
calm and peaceful place. To me it feels like someone flipped a switch,
and within one hour a Friday afternoon changed into a Sunday morning -
the holy day in Christian countries.

This feeling is also enjoyed by non-religious people like Liron and her
friends. But they don't think of doing just nothing until Saturday
evening. Lights out, staying home with the family? No way! On a Friday
night, the party scene is at its hottest, they explain to me.

At Liron's home the TV is on and the food being warmed up in the
microwave. Her 15-year-old sister has already eaten, so she's showing us
the different shirts she bought today. I suggest a green one, but she's
going with the white. With this shirt she wants to impress other
youngsters of the neighborhood, with whom she is planning to hang out on
a street corner.

Meanwhile Liron, two friends of her and I dive into the club scene. The
parties of Tel Aviv are known worldwide for a reason: Gorgeous DJs,
stylish, beautiful people and a great choice of all genres. Electronic
music in particular seams popular.

Since November 2007, Israel has had a no-smoking law, like the one we
recently got in Germany, too. The difference is that since the law was
passed, nobody in Germany smokes in clubs anymore. Not even in
underground techno-clubs. Here everybody still smokes, and the only
difference is that they put their cigarettes out on the floor, because
there are no ashtrays.

The most popular party drug seams to be something they call "liquid
cocaine." People inject small shots it into their drink. I suppose it's
the same stuff which is known in Germany under the name "K.O. Drop."
Liron is putting it into her Red Bull at will, she says it makes her
feel better.

Laura Cornelius is a journalist from Cologne, Germany, staying in Israel
for one month. This is the first in a weekly series about her
experiences of an Israeli Shabbat.

In Gaza, Hamas’s Insults to Jews Complicate Peace

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:38:00 +0000

In Gaza, Hamas's Insults to Jews Complicate Peace
By STEVEN ERLANGER
GAZA — In the Katib Wilayat mosque one recent Friday, the imam was
discussing the wiliness of the Jew.
"Jews are a people who cannot be trusted," Imam Yousif al-Zahar of Hamas
told the faithful. "They have been traitors to all agreements — go back
to history. Their fate is their vanishing. Look what they are doing to us."
At Al Omari mosque, the imam cursed the Jews and the "Crusaders," or
Christians, and the Danes, for reprinting cartoons of the Prophet
Muhammad. He referred to Jews as "the brothers of apes and pigs," while
the Hamas television station, Al Aksa, praises suicide bombing and holy
war until Palestine is free of Jewish control.
Its videos praise fighters and rocket-launching teams; its broadcasts
insult the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, for talking to Israel
and the United States; its children's programs praise "martyrdom," teach
what it calls the perfidy of the Jews and the need to end Israeli
occupation over Palestinian land, meaning any part of the state of Israel.
Such incitement against Israel and Jews was supposed to be banned under
the 1993 Oslo accords and the 2003 "road map" peace plan. While the
Palestinian Authority under Fatah has made significant, if imperfect
efforts to end incitement, Hamas, no party to those agreements, feels no
such restraint.
Since Hamas took over Gaza last June, routing Fatah, Hamas sermons and
media reports preaching violence and hatred have become more pervasive,
extreme and sophisticated, on the model of Hezbollah and its television
station Al Manar, in Lebanon.
Intended to indoctrinate the young to its brand of radical Islam, which
combines politics, social work and military resistance, including acts
of terrorism, the programs of Al Aksa television and radio, including
crucial Friday sermons, are an indication of how far from reconciliation
Israelis and many Palestinians are.
Hamas's grip on Gaza matters, but what may matter more in the long run
is its control over propaganda and education there, breeding longer-term
problems for Israel, and for peace. No matter what Israeli and
Palestinian negotiators agree upon, there is concern here that the
attitudes being instilled will make a sustainable peace extremely difficult.
"If you take a sample on Friday, you're bound to hear incitement against
the Jews in the prayers and the imam's sermon," said Mkhaimer Abusada, a
political scientist at Al Azhar University here. "He uses verses from
the Koran to say how the Jews were the enemies of the prophet and didn't
keep their promises to the prophet 1,400 years ago."
Mr. Abusada is a Muslim and political independent. "You have young
people, and everyone has to listen to the imam whether you believe him
or not," he said. "By saying the same thing over and over, you find a
lot of people believing it, especially when he cites the Koran or
hadith," the sayings of the prophet.
Radwan Abu Ayyash, deputy minister of culture in Ramallah, ran the
Palestinian Broadcasting Company until 2005. Hamas "uses religious
language to motivate simple people for political as well as religious
goals," he said. "People don't distinguish between the two." He said he
found a lot of what Al Aksa broadcast "disgusting and unprofessional."
Every Palestinian thinks the situation in Gaza is ugly, he said. "But
what is not fine is to build up children with a culture of hatred, of
closed minds, a culture of sickness. I don't think they always know what
they are creating. People use one weapon, language, without realizing
that they also use it against themselves."
Itamar Marcus of Palestinian Media Watch, an Israeli group, said Hamas
took its view of Jews from what it considered the roots of Islam, then
tried to make the present match the past.
For example, in a column in the weekly Al Risalah, Sheik Yunus al-Astal,
a Hamas legislator and imam, discussed a Koranic verse suggesting that
"suffering by fire is the Jews' destiny in this world and the next."
"The reason for the punishment of burning is that it is fitting
retribution for what they have done," Mr. Astal wrote on March 13. "But
the urgent question is, is it possible that they will have the
punishment of burning in this world, before the great punishment" of
hell? Many religious leaders believe so, he said, adding, "Therefore we
are sure that the holocaust is still to come upon the Jews."
At the end, Mr. Marcus points out, Mr. Astal switches from "harik," the
ordinary word for burning, to "mahraka," normally used to connote the
Holocaust.
Some Hamas videos, like one in March 2007, promote the participation of
children in "resistance," showing them training in uniform, holding
rifles. Recent shows displayed Mr. Abbas kissing Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel, under the
slogan "Palestine doesn't return with kisses, it returns with martyrs."
Programs for Children
Another children's program, "Tomorrow's Pioneers," has become infamous
for its puppet characters — a kind of Mickey Mouse, a bee and a rabbit —
who speak, like Assud the rabbit, of conquering the Jews to the young
hostess, Saraa Barhoum, 11. "We will liberate Al Aksa mosque from the
Zionists' filth," Assud said recently. "We will liberate Jaffa and
Acre," cities now in Israel proper. "We will liberate the whole homeland."
The mouse, Farfour, was murdered by an Israeli interrogator and replaced
by Nahoul, the bee, who died "a martyr's death" from lack of health care
because of Gaza's closed borders. He has been supplanted by Assud, the
rabbit, who vows "to get rid of the Jews, God willing, and I will eat
them up, God willing."
When Assud first made his appearance, he said to Saraa: "We are all
martyrdom-seekers, are we not, Saraa?" She responded: "Of course we are.
We are all ready to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of our homeland. We
will sacrifice our souls and everything we own for the homeland."
Along with Mr. Marcus's group, the Middle East Media Research Institute,
or Memri, also monitors the Arabic media. But no one disputes their
translations, and there are numerous Palestinians in Gaza — in the
hothouse atmosphere of an overcrowded, isolated territory where martyr
posters and anger at Israel are widespread among Fatah, too — who are
deeply upset about the hold Hamas has on their mosques and on what their
children watch.
While the Palestinian Authority of Fatah also causes some concern — its
textbooks, for example, rarely recognize the state of Israel — Yigal
Carmon, who runs Memri, said Hamas and its media used "the kind of
anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish language you don't really hear any more
from the Palestinian Authority, which hasn't talked like that in a long
time."
Abu Saleh, who asked that his full name not be used because of his
critical views, is worried about his children. His eldest son, 13, likes
to watch Al Aksa, especially the nationalist songs and military videos.
"I talk to them about Hamas, but to be honest, it's scary and you have
to watch it over time," he said. "When kids are 17 or 18, you don't know
what happens. They get enraged and can attach themselves to radical groups."
Excluding Reconciliation
The Prophet Muhammad made a temporary hudna, or truce, with the Jews
about 1,400 years ago, so Hamas allows the idea. But no one in Hamas
says he would make a peace treaty with Israel or permanently give up any
part of British Mandate Palestine.
"They talk of hudna, not of peace or reconciliation with Israel," said
Mr. Abusada, the political scientist. "They believe over time they will
be strong enough to liberate all historic Palestine."
Saraa, the host of "Tomorrow's Pioneers," is the niece of Fawzi Barhoum,
a Hamas spokesman. Some of the language used against other Arabs upsets
him, Mr. Barhoum said, but he insisted that Israel was illegitimate. "No
one can deny that all this was Palestinian land and Jews occupied the
land," he said firmly. "Therefore the Hamas charter is based on what
Israel has committed against our people and our understanding of Israel
and its practices."
The charter is a deeply anti-Semitic document and cites a famous
forgery, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, as truth. But "our battle
is not with Jews as Jews," he said, "but those who came and occupied us
and killed us." After all, Mr. Barhoum said, "the Jews who recognized
the evil of the occupation stayed outside and refused to come to
Palestine as occupiers."
"The Jews who came, came to occupy and to kill," he said.
Marwan M. Abu Ras, 50, an imam who taught at Hamas's Islamic University
for 25 years, has an advice show on Al Aksa. He is proud that his show
uses sign language for the deaf.
The chairman of the Palestinian Scholars League, and a Hamas legislator,
Mr. Abu Ras is popularly called "Hamas's mufti," because he is ready to
give religious sanction to Hamas political structures.
Last month, he criticized Egypt for closing the Gaza border at Israel's
request. He complained, "We are besieged by the sons of Arabism and
Islam, as well as by the brothers of apes and pigs."
He tried to distinguish between religious and political language, and
then said: "The Israelis can't accept criticism. They overreact, like
any guilty person." Israel for him is an enemy. "This is an open war
with Israel, with each side trying to press the other," he said. A war?
"If it's not a war, what is it?" he asked.
Then he spoke of his son, who tried to volunteer to fight the Israelis
at 17. "I convinced him to wait, he had no weapon, until 20," Mr. Abu
Ras said. "Now he's a member of Qassam," the Hamas military wing, "and
an example for young people."
Promoting an Ethos
Mark Regev, spokesman for Mr. Olmert, called on "Arab leaders who are
moderate and believe in peace to speak out more strongly against
extremist elements." He called the "incitement to hatred and violence
standard Hamas operating procedure," adding, "In Hamas education and
broadcasting they turn the suicide bomber who murders the innocent into
a positive role model, and they portray Jews in the most negative terms,
that too often reminds us of language used in Europe in the first half
of the 20th century."
The "serious question," he said, "is what ethos are they promoting?"
Hazim el-Sharawi, 30, the original host of the Farfour character on
Hamas television, and known as "Uncle Hazim," has no doubts. It was his
idea to have Farfour killed by an Israeli interrogator, he said. "We
wanted to send a message through this character that would fit the
reality of Palestinian life."
Israel is the source, he insisted. "A child sees his neighbors killed,
or blown up on the beach, and how do I explain this to a child that
already knows? The occupation is the reason; it creates the reality. I
just organize the information for him."
The point is simple, he said: "We want to connect the child to
Palestine, to his country, so you know that your original city is Jaffa,
your capital is Jerusalem and that the Jews took your land and closed
your borders and are killing your friends and family."

Weekly update 04/04/08

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:36:00 +0000

Dear Members,

It was great to see so many people at our AGM last week. Thank you to
Mani Silverman, Hon. Secretary of Pro Zion, for chairing the meeting.
Thank you also to Robert Kramer, Treasurer of Pro Zion, for presenting
our healthy accounts. Following the Chairman's report that highlighted
the exciting activity over the last year, and some of the plans for the
coming year we had a very interesting panel discussion on 'how do we
bring Israel to our communities'. Giving the keynote address was
Shelley Kedar, Director of Professional Development at the Leo Baeck
Education Centre in Haifa. Shelley was followed by three interesting
responses from Daniel Needlestone, co-Chair of Pro Zion; Meirav Kallush,
Shlicha of the Movement for Reform Judaism and RSY-Netzer; and Noa
Marom, Shlicha of Liberal Judaism and LJY-Netzer. Our next edition of
Shema will include the keynote and the responses. If anyone has any
thoughts on this topic, then please write in and we will choose some to
publish also. Finally, we would like to wish Rabbi Neil Janes for
chairing the panel discussion, and Finchley Progressive Synagogue for
kindly hosting us.

We have four articles attached for you this week. We have an update
from IRAC regarding their recent work in combating racism in Israel. We
also have a report from the WUPJ on the recent European Region
conference in Vienna. Next we have an article calling for more
pluralism within Judaism, arguing that there is a need for the different
denominations in Judaism to overcome their theological differences and
work together. Finally we have an article about the launch of a new
anthology of Torah commentary entitled The Torah: A Women's Commentary.
The anthology was written by 100 theologians, historians, sociologists,
scholars, anthropologists, poets, rabbis, and cantors from the US,
Canada, Israel and South America – all of them women – taking a fresh
look at the Torah. The event was hosted by HUC-JIR and Beit Daniel, the
Progressive congregation in Tel Aviv.
As ever, we enjoy hearing your news and thoughts.

Shabbat Shalom,
Charlie, Daniel and all at Pro Zion

Chumash with the Daughters of Rashi's Commentary

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:35:00 +0000

After 2,000 Years: "Chumash with the Daughters of Rashi's Commentary"
Event Launches Groundbreaking Women's Torah Commentary in Tel Aviv

A unique, first-time event between HUC-JIR and Beit Daniel, the center
for Progressive Judaism in Tel Aviv, will celebrate and launch the new
anthology, The Torah: A Women's Commentary in Israel on March 27, 2008.
For the past fourteen years, more than 100 theologians, historians,
sociologists, scholars, anthropologists, poets, rabbis, and cantors from
the United States, Canada, Israel and South America – all of them women
– took a fresh look at the Torah. The Torah: A Women's Commentary is the
result of their exhaustive research, thought, and discussion. The event
will be held at the new center, Mishkenot Ruth, which serves as a
community, cultural and educational center and guesthouse and offers the
greater Tel Aviv area a wide range of cultural and educational
activities and religious services.

The evening will open with a reception honoring Rabbi Hara Person,
managing editor of the commentary. It will include a panel discussion of
some of Israel's most influential academics and writers, including: Dr.
Yairah Amit, Professor of Bible at Tel Aviv University and a contributor
to the commentary; Rabbi Naamah Kelman, Associate Dean at
HUC-JIR/Jerusalem and a contributor to the commentary; Dr. Malka
Shalked, a writer and editor of a significant anthology of Hebrew poetry
and the Bible; and Dr. Zvia Walden, lecturer at Beit Berl College and a
board member of Beit Daniel. After the panel, a musical performance will
follow that is a creative interpretation based on Biblical text.

This Tel Aviv event is part of many events featuring the women's
commentary in North America. HUC-JIR/Jerusalem believes it will draw a
diverse crowd from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and that the commentary will
play a significant role in understanding women's roles in Biblical study.

This lecture is sponsored by Barbara Freidman, Chair of HUC-JIR's Board
of Governors, to promote HUC-JIR in Israel. It will be the first of a
series of lectures for outreach to the Israeli public.

Founded in 1875, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is
the nation's oldest institution of higher Jewish education and the
academic, spiritual, and professional leadership development center of
Reform Judaism. HUC-JIR educates men and women for service to American
and world Jewry as rabbis, cantors, educators, and communal service
professionals, and offers graduate and post-graduate programs to
scholars of all faiths. With centers of learning in Cincinnati,
Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and New York, HUC-JIR's scholarly resources
comprise renowned library and museum collections, the American Jewish
Archives, biblical archaeology excavations, research institutes and
centers, and academic publications. HUC-JIR invites the community to an
array of cultural and educational programs which illuminate Jewish
history, identity, and contemporary creativity and which foster
interfaith and multiethnic understanding.
Visit us at www.huc.edu

Imagine Jews worshipping together

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:18:00 +0000

Imagine Jews worshipping together
By MURRAY SINGERMAN

We Jews are too dedicated to defending theological turf. Consider these
disturbing scenarios: Most Orthodox rabbis would sooner close the doors
of their synagogue than permit a Conservative, Reconstructionist, or
Reform rabbi to speak from the pulpit and violate its sanctity with
"heretical" non-Orthodox teachings.
Many Reform rabbis will officiate at an interfaith wedding alongside
Christian clergy but refuse to stand under the huppa next to a
Conservative or Orthodox rabbi and condone a halachic wedding contract
of kinyan, or acquisition.
At its biennial convention in 2005, the Conservative rabbinical
association debated in earnest whether to expel traditional,
non-egalitarian congregations from the United Synagogue's highly
trumpeted, pluralistic "tent of Conservative Jewry." One rabbi referred
to non-egalitarian services as "immoral" and "misogynistic."
Through chauvinistic rebuffs, dogmatic authorities of every denomination
mark their territory, beat their chests, and bellow a warning intended
for loyal followers and heretical enemies. When the dust settles, they
adopt a self-satisfied pose, accusing the other side of starting the
fight. With swords sheathed, each dogmatist hunkers down in his own
synagogue or temple bunker to call upon God while an air of detachment
pervades the Jewish community.
Today, when hundreds of thousands of Jews opt out of Judaism,
internecine battles only contribute to the charge by the unaffiliated
that organized religion in general and Judaism in particular leads to
intolerance and fraternal hatred. When the decibel level of strident
carping drowns out the beauty and positive values of all streams of
Judaism, outsiders will choose to remain on the outside, and those on
the way out will quickly join the ranks of the unaffiliated.
THERE IS another path, one which could shore up the breach, slacken the
flow of Jews deciding to opt out, and attract back those who have
already left. Rabbis of different denominations should reach across the
divide and find theological solutions to not only work together for the
social betterment of the community, but most importantly for Jewish
unity, worship together.
For the sake of the future of the Jewish people, it is time for our
rabbinic leadership to reach out to other denominations and find the
will to pray together in one sanctuary. This would create a new paradigm
of worship, in which rabbis, standing before the Almighty, will show
their congregants that a Jewish world can stand together, not just apart.
Students of history will scoff at such an effort. The pessimistic
historian will cite millennia of Jewish theological rifts. The optimist,
however, will ignore these precedents, if only because a Jewish optimist
is committed to ahavat hinam, boundless love for other Jews.
ALTHOUGH THE theological challenge is daunting, solutions can be found.
Two recent developments illustrate the ability of Jews of different
viewpoints to pray together and welcome God into their midst.
In 2001, a group of Jerusalem residents created the first Modern
Orthodox Partnership Minyan, which seeks to readdress the role of women
in the synagogue within the strictures of halacha. As in any Orthodox
service, the Partnership Minyan consists of 10 men, separates men and
women with a mehitza, or barrier, and uses traditional Orthodox liturgy.
Yet it allows women to participate fully in the Torah reading as readers
and recipients of aliyot, and to lead certain parts of the service.
Female participants deliver sermons and lead classes for the
congregation, Partnership Minyans have now spread to several
metropolitan areas in the US.
Another promising development took place in Israel a decade ago when the
Conservative Rabbinical Assembly in Israel and the Masorti Movement
published a new prayer book titled V'ani T'filati, a traditional prayer
book which embraces pluralism and a variety of acceptable approaches to
thorny issues. It does so by offering alternative texts from which a
person may choose their prayer. An egalitarian Jew may sanctify not only
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but also of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel
and Leah. A Jew who sanctifies the exalted role sacrifices played in the
Temple skips respectfully over a paragraph in the musaf service that
views the sacrificial system as a primitive stage in the religious
development of the Jewish people.
Both of these examples allow Jews on opposite sides of the theological
spectrum to meet in worship. Although a Partnership Minyan is not the
ideal venue either for staunch egalitarians or for traditional Orthodox
Jews, it allows us to fulfill a higher value within a framework of
halacha - unity among the Jewish people. In a similar vein, Jews of
different beliefs can pray from Siddur V'ani T'filati because it
presents, together, the conflicting sacred texts of traditional and
non-traditional Jewish prayer services.
Large metropolitan areas usually boast synagogues of every denomination,
citadels of theological correctness. Yet, none of these fortified
institutions can boast that they bring Jews together as one. It is high
time for the soldiers of dogma to lay down their swords, embrace
creative solutions, and cross the widening chasm of Jewish
self-righteousness so that they can raise their voices to God. Together.
The writer, a businessman in Baltimore, Maryland, was ordained as an
Orthodox rabbi at Yeshiva University.

IRAC Update on combating Racism in Israel

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:17:00 +0000

Dear Friend of the Israel Religious Action Center,
Anat Hoffman has invited me to write the introduction to this issue of
The Pluralist to highlight one of the many ways you can be involved in
the important work at IRAC. As a current intern at IRAC, I have the
opportunity to learn about and in some cases participate in the many
initiatives based here. It is an optimal position from which to learn
more about Israel and the challenges facing Israeli society, as well as
to celebrate and truly appreciate the hard-won victories. Therefore, it
is exciting to announce that this Fall 2008 will see the launch of a new
Israel Religious Action Fellowship. The IRAC Fellow will be based at the
head office in Jerusalem where they will be the primary communicator for
IRAC with Jews in North America and around the world. She/he will also
learn about nonprofit management and the issues in modern Israeli
society addressed by the Center. This is an incredible opportunity for
any recent university- graduate interested in getting hands-on
experience at one of the top social justice and community-oriented
nonprofits in Israel.
Having been raised as an Israel-conscious Reform Jew, I have come to see
IRAC not only as filling a vital role in the development of Israel as a
socially just and viable state but as filling a similarly crucial role
in the development of Reform Judaism and the Progressive Jewish
identity. IRAC seeks to embody the values of the Progressive Jewish
Movement and actualize its tenets. On the one hand, the Israel Religious
Action Center serves as model for Reform Jewish action, on the other it
serves as a call for Progressive Jews in Israel and the Diaspora to have
their positive force felt in their cultural and spiritual home. Indeed,
since beginning here I have found that IRAC relishes the opportunity to
serve as an outlet for Progressive social action for Jews around the world.
Spread the word about the new IRAC Fellowship. For more information
about how to apply, please contact rita@irac.org. All applications are
due by June 30th 2008. Also look out for the new print newsletter in
your mailbox this April. Maybe next year this letter will be coming from
you.
Aaron Dewitt Toronto, Canada University of British Columbia, '07

Racism in Israel
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 21st as the
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in
commemoration of the tragedy in Sharpeville, South Africa, where, on
March 21st, 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people during a
peaceful protest. This year the Israel Religious Action Center's
Resource Center has taken initiative in commemorating the International
Day Against Racism. Israeli society consists of immigrants and religions
from dozens of countries from around the world, so differences between
peoples are expected and even welcomed. Yet racism exists both in
blatant and less explicit forms.
Unfortunately, one needs only to turn on the television to see ministers
and Members of Knesset using racist and violent incitement and there are
many cases of verbal and physical assault motivated solely by
differences of color or religion. "There are those Israelis who are not
even aware of their own racism, yet slight introspection and reflection
will reveal deep racism. The terminology employed by the media incites
racism, the school books continue to promote stigmas and prejudice.
Wherever we look at Israeli society, there is room for improvement,"
says Lizi Sagi, director of the IRAC Resource Center.
But Lizi stresses that even in Israel, differences and diversity are
welcome and indeed crucial to sustaining a healthy society: "We, as
organizations and individuals working for social change and tikkun olam,
have a social responsibility to draw the line--which seems to be
somewhat unclear for much of Israel's society--where differences end and
racism begins."

IRAC's Day Against Racism
The International Day Against Racism is not widely known in Israel and
receives little if any media attention. Facing this reality,
organizations working for social change, like IRAC, face an important
yet uphill battle. The IRAC Resource Center marked the International Day
Against Racism in two distinct ways. For the third year in a row, Reform
congregations throughout Israel invited speakers other than rabbis to
give sermons related to the fight against racism. Religious leaders from
Muslim, Christian and Buddhist communities, Members of Knesset, and
social activists spoke in synagogues across the country.
This year marked the launch of the Resource Center's "Racism: What's
Your Secret?" Project. Blank postcards were distributed to individuals
asking them in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian and Amharic to write or draw
about a racist event they witnessed, were victimized by, or perpetrated.
The goal of the project is to reveal covert racism, that which hides
deep in our thoughts. The cards are then mailed and some are posted on
the internet. "Racism: What's Your Secret?" is a joint initiative
between IRAC and four other non-for-profit NGOs concerned with social
justice and equality advocacy in Israel: The Mossawa Centre-The Advocacy
Centre for Arab Citizens in Israel, Tebeka-Advocacy for Equality and
Justice for Ethiopian Israelis, Mixed Families-an organization that
helps mixed immigrant families from the former USSR, and Shatil-The New
Israel Fund's Empowerment and Training Center for Social Change
Organizations in Israel. The posted cards can be viewed at

www.irac.org/gizanut.asp .
The goal in raising awareness of the International Day Against Racism is
not only to fight against racism but to educate the public about it. As
Lizi says, racism "hurts everyone even when it seems to be directed
towards one person or group. There is no 'partial racism,' racism never
just injures one group but effects society as a whole."

Report - The World Union European Region Conference in Vienna

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:16:00 +0000

The World Union European Region Conference in Vienna, March 13-16, 2008:
A Milestone Gathering With an Eye to the Future
by Rabbi Joel Oseran, Vice President, International Development
It was a historic gathering of over 250 participants from Progressive,
Liberal and Reform communities across Europe, the former Soviet Union,
Israel, and even North America and South Africa. It was a statement as
well – coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the Anschluss, the
horrific forced exodus of Jews from Vienna in World War II, and
recalling the tragic destruction of European Jewry during the Shoah. As
such, this particular conference of the European Region of the World
Union in Vienna symbolized the resiliency and power of the Jewish spirit.
For the World Union leadership in Europe and around the world, the
Vienna conference was an ideal opportunity to meet, review our recent
achievements and consider the challenges facing our organization. The
pre-conference sessions included meetings of the World Union's Executive
Board and International Assembly, during which we enjoyed the
hospitality of our Progressive congregation in Vienna, Or Chadasch.
Concurrently, there was a most successful gathering of Progressive
rabbis from Europe, the FSU and Israel to study together, discuss issues
of common concern and strengthen ties of collegiality that are so
important in a part of the world where Progressive rabbis often work
alone and under most difficult conditions.
The grand opening session of the conference took place at the impressive
Vienna City Hall, an imposing gothic structure situated along the famous
Ring Road. Participants were welcomed by Sonja Kato, an official of the
city's municipal government who spoke about the importance of Jewish
life in the past and present, referring directly to the infamous
Anschluss, the need for tolerance, and respect for diversity and pluralism.
My colleague and friend, Rabbi Michael Marmur, dean of the Jerusalem
campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, delivered
the keynote address. Michael was simply sensational in his presentation
of the unique message of Progressive Judaism in contemporary society,
contrasting our approach to those of other Jewish religious and secular
attempts to deal with modernity and tradition. His address was both
thoughtful and humorous – a combination that only he could pull off with
such aplomb.
Workshops included discussions on program initiatives across Europe;
ways to promote Progressive Judaism in congregational settings; Israel,
Zionism and anti-Semitism; the work of the World Union in the FSU (all
of our FSU rabbis were present); study in Israel through the Saltz
International Education Center; and a number of other topics related to
our movement in Europe. An impressive exhibit was on display throughout
the conference in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Union
Liberale Israelite de France, known as the Rue Copernic Synagogue – the
first Progressive congregation in France.
An additional highlight of the conference was the celebration of key
rabbis in the European Region who had earned special recognition from
Leo Baeck College and Abraham Geiger College. Rabbis Tony Bayfield,
Andrew Goldstein, David Goldberg, Harry Jacobi and Edward Van Voolen
were all presented with citations by Rabbi Dr. Michael Shire of Leo
Baeck College recognizing their 25 years in the field of rabbinic
service. Rabbi Andrew Goldstein was recognized as a senator of Abraham
Geiger College by its rector, Rabbi Dr. Walter Homolka.
These presentations were not only a fitting tribute to the rabbis, but
an important milestone in the history of Progressive Judaism in Europe.
No religious movement will succeed without strong rabbinic leadership to
sustain it and lead it into the future. Recognizing outstanding rabbis
with whom our European Movement is blessed, and the existence of
effective rabbinical seminaries to train rabbis for the future, served
to reassure us that we not only have a noble past but a promising
future, as well.
As is customary at our European Region gatherings, the conference
concluded with the Annual General Meeting, which was particularly well
attended. Rabbi Dr. Andrew Goldstein, Chair of the European Region,
reviewed the region's progress and identified a number of critical
challenges that will occupy much of our movement's agenda in the years
to come. Business matters included the welcome of Bet Orim in Budapest
as the latest affiliate of the ER; the conclusion of Katarina Seidler's
tenure as vice president; the election of Lauren Rid from Munich and
Jonathan Wootliff from Prague as new vice presidents; the conclusion of
Leslie Bergman's term as vice chair and Alex Dembitz of Hungary being
elected in his place.
The conference also marked the close of Linda Kann's tenure as staff for
the European Region and Exodus 2000, the program that twins Reform and
Liberal congregations in Britain with Progressive congregations in the
FSU. Many tributes were bestowed upon Linda for her dedicated service to
our European movement, along with well-wishes for success in her future
leadership roles for our movement.
We also extend our sincere appreciation to all the volunteers of
Congregation Or Chadasch in Vienna, and to its president, Dr. Theodor
Much, for helping to organize such a wonderful gathering.
As we concluded this most successful conference, it was clear to all
that there is much work remaining on our European agenda. We must more
effectively reshape our European Region administrative and programmatic
capabilities to respond to the growing needs of our European movement.
We must dramatically increase our financial resources to support the
emerging communities that play such an important role for all Jews in
Europe. We must do better in connecting our European Region to other
World Union constituencies, primarily those in Israel and North America.
And we must redouble our efforts to ensure that Progressive Judaism
becomes a fully and officially recognized member of all European Jewish
communities.
These are certainly ambitious challenges that we must take on if we are
to succeed as the world's leading Jewish religious movement. The Vienna
conference left us all encouraged that we are indeed ready to work for
our future as members of a proud Jewish heritage.

Update 27/03/08

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:14:00 +0000

Dear Members,

A final reminder and invitation to our AGM this Sunday. All are welcome,
there is no charge and you don't need to book (but if you want to tell
us you're coming it does give us an idea of numbers)
http://www.prozion.org.uk/images/agm2008poster.gif
The AGM will be from 5pm following which we have our panel debate
starting at 5:30pm. This features Shelley Kadar from the Leo Baeck
Education Centre in Haifa, Noa Marom from Liberal Judaism, Meirav
Kallush from The Movement for Reform Judaism and Daniel Needlestone from
Pro-Zion. It is being held at Finchley Progressive Synagogue.

We hope you received your copy of our newsletter "Shema" this week along
with renewal forms. (if not let us know). Please do send back your
renewals as soon as possible. We would also love to hear any feedback on
Shema or even responses or articles for the next edition later in the year.

We have three short articles that we have picked out this week,
one on Judaism in Israel, one on Aliya and one on Israel and the media.

1. Pluralistic Rabbis - An interesting piece discussing who breaks the
glass in a same sex wedding.

2. Jewish Agency to Close Immigration Department - for those interested
in the machinations of the Jewish Agency here is an update on some
changes underway.

3. Where is Israel's satellite TV news channel? - An article by Gavin
Gross, director of Public Affairs for the Zionist Federation here in the
UK. Gavin recently participated in a TV debate on an Iranian funded news
channel - he recounts his experiences and asks questions of Israel's
media strategy.

We look forward to seeing you at the weekend.
Daniel, Charlie and all at Pro-Zion

Jewish Agency to close immigration department

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:13:00 +0000

Jewish Agency to close immigration department
By Anshel Pfeffer

The Jewish Agency is planning to close one of its most historically
important branches, the Immigration and Absorption Department, as part
of a radical restructuring plan, Agency sources said yesterday.
The plan, which Agency officials consider to be a major change in the
identity of the organization that predates the creation of Israel and
has existed in its current form since 1948, will introduce reforms aimed
at addressing a series of financial and political blows that have
plagued the organization in recent years.
"The Agency has been taking punches from every direction in recent
years; politically, organizationally and [in terms of] its image," a
senior Agency official said. Donations made by individuals in the U.S.
Jewish community, which account for two-thirds of the Agency's annual
budget, have been in steady decline in recent years. Many
philanthropists have opted to give their money to private groups like
Taglit-Birthright Israel, which organizes free tours of Israel for
Jewish young adults, or Nefesh B'Nefesh, which focuses solely on
"revitalizing" immigration.
Others have stopped giving money to the Jewish Agency because they
disapprove of politicization within the organization, or because they
hold varying opinions regarding what its main mission should be. Some
donors, responding to the trickle of Jewish immigration to Israel from
the West, and the fact that bulk of of Jews from less developed
countries, such as the former Soviet Union, have already emigrated, have
urged the organization to focus instead on educational issues rather
than aliyah. In a confidential memo sent about a half year ago from the
UJA Federation of New York, leaders of the Federation, which constitute
the largest single group of donors to the Jewish Agency in the U.S.,
demanded that the Agency concentrate solely on Jewish education. The
memo argued that deciding whether or not to immigrate to Israel is a
matter of personal choice. The recent drop in the dollar's exchange rate
has also contributed to the Agency's shrinking budget.
Efforts to find alternative sources funding have not succeeded. A $50
million donation from Russian-born Israeli billionaire Arcadi Gaydamak
fell through, just as another pledge, valued at $45 million, from the
Evangelical International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, is in
peril. As a consequence, the Jewish Agency's board of governors is
expected to announce cuts exceeding $20 million to $300-million budget.
"The new plan can either give it a new identity, or signal the end of
the road. In any case, we have no choice," a Jewish Agency official said.
Four teams are currently drawing up the reform plan at the behest of the
Agency's chair, Zeev Bielski. The JA is currently divided into three
departments: Immigration and Absorption, which sends out the emissaries
who work with Jewish communities around the world; Jewish Zionist
Education, which runs several programs at Jewish schools and community
centers around the world, and Partnerships with Israel, which is
responsible for social-welfare programs in Israel, particularly in the
Galilee and Negev. According to the committees' drafts, two new
departments will be formed, one to oversee activities within, and the
other with responsibility for those overseas. Areas currently under the
control of the Immigration and Absorption Department will be split
between the two, as well as other sections of the agency. Immigration
and Absorption's Global Center, for example, which runs the agency Web
sites, a call center and electronic communications with emissaries
abroad, will be subjugated to the director-general's office.
Emissaries dealing with immigration from abroad will not be cut
immediately, but their number will be reduced over time. Their
responsibilities will be delegated to education emissaries, who will be
given instruction in how to encourage immigration. Only a small number
of emissaries dedicated exclusively to aliyah will remain. They will be
given a broad scope of activity, with resonsibility for entire
continents, rather than being assigned to a certain country or city, as
they are now.
Another option being examined for the reorganization is the setting up
of separate companies under Agency control to carry out various
activities. Yet some senior Jewish Agency officials warn that
relinquishing its mission to encourage aliyah will undermine the
organization's raison d'etre.
Director-General Moshe Vigdor told Haaretz: "Moving to a framework of
two departments is being discussed as part of the new planning process
but it is only one of the options. Whatever we decide to do, encouraging
aliyah will remain one of our central activities."
"The Jewish Agency is a dynamic and self-renewing organization," a
spokesperson for the organization said. "Recently, staff have been
drawing up an extensive plan to examine ways of making its activities
more efficient and to provide solutions for the budgetary gaps caused by
the dollar's exchange-rate drop and world financial developments. We
have no intention of reducing our activity to boost aliyah; on the
contrary, the Jewish Agency will act to increase those activities."

Pluralistic Rabbis

noreply@blogger.com (Pro Zion News) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:12:00 +0000

Pluralistic rabbis: In same-sex wedding, both can break glass
By MATTHEW WAGNER
In a solution to a decidedly postmodern Jewish dilemma, a group of
pluralistic, secular rabbis ruled this week that when standing under the
huppa in a same-sex marriage ceremony, both partners can be given the
honor of "breaking the glass."
"The breaking of the glass, a staple of every Jewish wedding, is used to
remember the egregious hatred that led to the destruction of the Second
Temple," said Ofer Korenfeld, chairman of Havayah, an organization that
arranges "Jewish-inspired" lifecycle events.
"This message is particularly pertinent to the homo-lesbian community,
which is the target of so much hatred," added Kornfeld.
Havayah's announcement came one day after the Interior Ministry agreed
to register two men as the fathers of an adopted baby boy in accordance
with a Ramat Gan Family Court ruling.
In Israel, all Jewish citizens must marry in accordance with Orthodox
Jewish law. As a result, same-sex marriages are not recognized by the
state. However, the state does recognize the commitment between same-sex
couples for adoption purposes.
Havayah belongs to a growing movement in Israel known informally as
Jewish Renewal, which encourages secular Israelis not to give up their
ties to Jewish culture, pushing yiddishkeit without God.
There are about 30 Jewish Renewal communities throughout the nation
where secular Jews meet in alternative prayer groups, study religious
texts and celebrate Jewish ceremonies without abandoning their secular
self-definition.
Havayah, was created by the Midrasha at Oranim Teachers College in
Kiryat Tivon; the kibbutz movement's Bina Center for Jewish Identity and
Hebrew Culture in south Tel Aviv, known as the "Secular Yeshiva"; and
the Institute for Jewish Ceremonies. The program's focus is on
celebrating, in a Jewish way, events such as births, bar and bat mitzvot
and marriages.