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Ruach Hiddush רבנים וחזנים למען חופש דת ושוויון Rabbis and Cantors for Religious Freedom and Equality in Israel
Like 0 Share Share Click to view this email in a browser רוּ ַח ִחדּוּשׁ - Ruach Hiddush רבנים וחזנים למען חופש דת ושוויון Rabbis and Cantors for Religious Freedom and Equality in Israel Newsletter Archives Become a Member Act Now Contact Us כ״ג ֶח ְשׁ ָון Introduction November 1, 2018 - 5779 Friends, Our colleague, Rabbi Paul What is the Jew in the Jewish State Golomb, takes a look at Israel's recently passed By Rabbi Paul Golomb Basic Law as defining Judaism ethnically, even In July, 2018, the Knesset passed a Basic Law while ceding power to the [Hok-Yasod] declaring that Israel is the Nation- Hareidim. What does the State of the Jewish People. The law is broadly Nation-State Law tell us controversial. It passed by a bare majority, only about the meaning of 62 votes out of 120, raising the question of being Jewish in Israel? You may find his article whether it should be labeled Basic. International on the right. response has not been favorable, but bashing In our most recent edition, Israel is a reflex action. The diaspora Jewish we sent an article by community, however, has also not been favorable. Rabbi Asher Lopatin The law can be criticized on many grounds. I am with a response from less interested here in the criticism, but rather in Rabbi Michael the challenge to Jews and Judaism the law Chernick. This edition includes a response from represents. Rabbi Pam Frydman. FULL ARTICLE >>> In the Makor Rishon newspaper Rabbi David Lau, Chief Ashkenazi Response to Rabbi Asher Lopatin Rabbi of Israel, would not By Rabbi Pam Frydman refer to Congregation Etz I am not sure that it is ever possible to see Hayim as a synagogue, sufficiently far into the future to know which but only as a Jewish techniques or halachot will serve us best. -
Israel 2019 International Religious Freedom Report
ISRAEL 2019 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT Executive Summary This section covers Israel, including Jerusalem. In December 2017, the United States recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. It is the position of the United States that the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem are subject to final status negotiations between the parties. The Palestinian Authority (PA) exercises no authority over Jerusalem. In March 2019, the United States recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. A report on the West Bank and Gaza, including areas subject to the jurisdiction of the PA, is appended at the end of this report. The country’s laws and Supreme Court rulings protect the freedoms of conscience, faith, religion, and worship, regardless of an individual’s religious affiliation, and the 1992 “Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty” protects additional individual rights. In 2018, the Knesset passed the “Basic Law: Israel – The Nation State of the Jewish People.” According to the government, that “law determines, among other things, that the Land of Israel is the historical homeland of the Jewish people; the State of Israel is the nation state of the Jewish People, in which it realizes its natural, cultural, religious and historical right to self-determination; and exercising the right to national self-determination in the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish People.” The government continued to allow controlled access to religious sites, including the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif (the site containing the foundation of the first and second Jewish temple and the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque). -
Burden Sharing and the Haredim
8 Burden Sharing and the Haredim On March 12, 2014 the Knesset passed, on its which scholars should remain exempt, but also third reading, Amendment 19 to the Military states that draft evaders will be subject to arrest if Service Law, which aims to widen the participation quotas are unmet. !e comprehensive exemption of Ultra-Orthodox young men and yeshiva granting all Haredi yeshiva students aged 22 students in military and civilian national service. and over who join the workforce is of particular !is amendment also aims to promote their significance. integration into the working population. On April 17, 2014, the Ministerial Committee on Background: !e History of Burden Sharing in Military Service set concrete steps for the amendment’s implementation the Exemption (!e Arrangement and follow up. !ese were given the force of a for Deferral of Army Service Cabinet resolution. Under the new arrangement, by Yeshiva Students) the amendment will take full e"ect on July 1, Compulsory military service applies under the 2017, following an adjustment period. When in Security Service Law (Combined Version) of 1986. full force, the military or civilian national service According to this law, Israeli citizens are subject inductees will number 5,200 a year (two thirds to conscription at age 18 unless granted an of the age cohort according to current figures). exemption. Exemption was the subject of lively Until then, yeshiva students will be able to defer debates between yeshiva heads and the political their enlistment and receive an exemption at age leadership in the early days of the state. !e 22, as long as the yeshivot meet their recruitment executive committee of the Center for Service targets, which will be implemented according to to the People considered the conscription of the mandated schedule: in 2014, a total of 3,800 yeshiva students, and in March 1948 authorized Haredim are expected to join the IDF or national a temporary army service deferment for yeshiva service; in 2015, 4,500; and 5,200 in the years that students whose occupation was Torah study.1 follow. -
2015 Israel Religion and State Index Report #7
2015 Israel Religion and State Index Report #7 September 2015 Elul 5775 Pollsters: Rafi Smith Olga Paniel Satisfaction with government activities on matters of religion and state The general Jewish public Quite Satisfied Not very satisfied 16% 28% Not satisfied 52% Very satisfied 4% Index Editor: Shahar Ilan Translation: David Bogomolny 1 Table of Contents Message from Hiddush Leadership ............................................................................................................................... 3 Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................................ 6 Support for Religious Freedom ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Dissatisfaction with the Government .......................................................................................................................... 12 Marriage Freedom ....................................................................................................................................................... 18 The Liberal Streams of Judaism ................................................................................................................................... 26 Kashrut and Transportation ......................................................................................................................................... 29 The Defense Burden .................................................................................................................................................... -
Religion and State in Israel
Religion and State in Israel Updated August 2017 INTRODUCTION On the morning of June 25 2017, the Israeli cabinet met in Jerusalem at the same time that many of North American Jewry’s leaders were gathering a few miles away for meetings of the Jewish Agency’s Board of Governors. By the end of the day, two Israeli government decisions were announced – one concerning the Kotel and one on conversion – that sent shock waves through the Agency meetings and throughout the Jewish world. While the two decisions (details below) threatened to cause one of the most serious fissures between Israel and Diaspora Jewry in decades, they were hardly the first Israeli government actions in the religion-state realm to generate alarm among Jewish communities. Indeed, issues of religion and state, religious-secular tensions, and the seeming lack of religious pluralism in Israel are often seen by North American Jews as some of the most disturbing aspects of modern Israeli life. And significantly, a growing number of Israelis share those sentiments. In fact, in a poll taken straight after the recent decisions, 63% of Israelis said that they opposed both of the government’s new pronouncements. A separate study the same week noted that 82% of Israelis believe that all Jews, including Reform and Conservative, should feel the Western Wall belongs to them and that every Jew, regardless of affiliation, should feel welcome in Israel. While the nature of the Israeli political system means that changes and progress are slow in coming, in recent years there have been a number of small but significant steps forward, even as there have been multiple steps back. -
Ruach Hiddush רבנים וחזנים למען חופש דת ושוויון Rabbis and Cantors for Religious Freedom and Equality in Israel
of the Jewish people כלי קודש The 1/30/2018 Like 0 Share Tweet Share Click to view this email in a browser רוּ ַח ִחדּוּשׁ - Ruach Hiddush רבנים וחזנים למען חופש דת ושוויון Rabbis and Cantors for Religious Freedom and Equality in Israel Newsletter Archives Become a Member Act Now Contact Us 19 ִכּ ְס ֵלו Introduction December 7, 2017 - 5778 We hope you enjoy the new name of RRFEI: Why We Will Win: a Response to Shmuel . ַרוּח ִחדּוּשׁ - Ruach Hiddush We were founded 3 years Rosner ago as a group of rabbis who support the work of By Mark H. Levin Hiddush for a pluralistic Reform Judaism is not primarily a movement. Israel. The new name better reflects our Reform Judaism is an approach, a means of viewing founding purpose. Also, Jewish law, history and practice, consistent with the we now include cantors. intellectual demands of modernity. It's not just rabbis Shmuel Rosner published an article stating that the כלי קודש anymore, but the of the Jewish people. number of Reform Jews in Israel is less than one We hope you enjoy this percent. He defines Reform Judaism exclusively as edition. Or more honestly, members of an Israeli movement, and those who are I hope so, because I have willing to identify themselves as members. He is taken the perhaps wrong. egotistical step of including an article I You’ll find Rosner’s article here, at Rosner’s wrote in response to a Domain. much debated assertion by Shmuel Rosner that Reform and Conservative Judaism are, in fact, Reform and Conservative movements in Diaspora communities that some will Jews are less than 1% of consider a theology because they or their devotees the population of Israel, I http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/577764/cf79b2aa90/1468738988/325ceb4427/ 1/4 of the Jewish people כלי קודש The 1/30/2018 hope the thoughts are express a series of theological perspectives which helpful in your own reflect various thinkers and theological stances. -
Israel and America 2020: Spanning the Divide
Israel and America 2020: Spanning the Divide Opening Plenary Sponsored by to Find Common Ground Lynn and Les Bider Jodie and Steven Fishman Andrea and Glenn Sonnenberg Closing Plenary Sponsored by Sunday, January 26, 2020 Lori and Rob Goodman Israel and America 2020: Spanning the Divide to Find Common Ground Stephen Wise Temple is excited to host the first Southern California Z3 Conference. In a time of growing disconnect between the American Jewish community and Israel, Z3 provides a means through which the dialogue and mutual interdependence can be strengthened. We are two vibrant centers of Jewish life and our different yet complementary trajectories along the continuum of Jewish living provides each of our communities with strengths and insights that benefit us both. After 71 years of existence, the State of Israel has reached a population of seven million which is roughly equal to the size of the American Jewish community. The dynamic of the movement of immigrants back and forth (by choice) reveals that both nations provide both their Jewish inhabitants with meaningful and secure homes. At the same time, the episodic resurgence of tensions and the associated insecurity reminds us that ultimately we need each other. And yet, Jewish life is not just about responding to threats. Our communities possess vast resources of talent, wisdom, innovation, and are highly educated. We have the capacity to collectively solve the challenges of our world even as we build Jewish life. Z3 is about searching for ways that we can share our strengths, leverage our vast resources, and secure Jewish life for the foreseeable future. -
The Haredim As a Challenge for the Jewish State. the Culture War Over Israel's Identity
SWP Research Paper Peter Lintl The Haredim as a Challenge for the Jewish State The Culture War over Israel’s Identity Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik German Institute for International and Security Affairs SWP Research Paper 14 December 2020, Berlin Abstract ∎ A culture war is being waged in Israel: over the identity of the state, its guiding principles, the relationship between religion and the state, and generally over the question of what it means to be Jewish in the “Jewish State”. ∎ The Ultra-Orthodox community or Haredim are pitted against the rest of the Israeli population. The former has tripled in size from four to 12 per- cent of the total since 1980, and is projected to grow to over 20 percent by 2040. That projection has considerable consequences for the debate. ∎ The worldview of the Haredim is often diametrically opposed to that of the majority of the population. They accept only the Torah and religious laws (halakha) as the basis of Jewish life and Jewish identity, are critical of democratic principles, rely on hierarchical social structures with rabbis at the apex, and are largely a-Zionist. ∎ The Haredim nevertheless depend on the state and its institutions for safeguarding their lifeworld. Their (growing) “community of learners” of Torah students, who are exempt from military service and refrain from paid work, has to be funded; and their education system (a central pillar of ultra-Orthodoxy) has to be protected from external interventions. These can only be achieved by participation in the democratic process. ∎ Haredi parties are therefore caught between withdrawal and influence. -
Israel (Includes West Bank and Gaza) 2020 International Religious Freedom Report
ISRAEL (INCLUDES WEST BANK AND GAZA) 2020 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT Executive Summary The country’s laws and Supreme Court rulings protect the freedoms of conscience, faith, religion, and worship, regardless of an individual’s religious affiliation. The 1992 Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty describes the country as a “Jewish and democratic state.” The 2018 Basic Law: Israel – The Nation State of the Jewish People law determines, according to the government, that “the Land of Israel is the historical homeland of the Jewish people; the State of Israel is the nation state of the Jewish People, in which it realizes its natural, cultural, religious and historical right to self-determination; and exercising the right to national self- determination in the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish People.” In June, authorities charged Zion Cohen for carrying out attacks on May 17 on religious institutions in Petah Tikva, Ashdod, Tel Aviv, and Kfar Saba. According to his indictment, Cohen sought to stop religious institutions from providing services to secular individuals, thereby furthering his goal of separating religion and the state. He was awaiting trial at year’s end. In July, the Haifa District Court upheld the 2019 conviction and sentencing for incitement of Raed Salah, head of the prohibited Islamic Movement, for speaking publicly in favor an attack by the group in 2017 that killed two police officers at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount. In his defense, Salah stated that his views were religious opinions rooted in the Quran and that they did not include a direct call to violence. -
Israel and Yom Kippur
Israel and Yom Kippur My favorite day in Israel (especially in Tel Aviv) has always been Yom Kippur. A day of national quiet. The kind of quiet that allows for reflection and introspection, even for secular Jews who don’t express their Jewishness through synagogue prayer. A day of absolute rest for cars, trains, planes and other fossil fuel-burning vehicles. A day for bicycles and rollerblades and feet on otherwise empty streets and highways. So much so that some Israeli environmentalists have started to embrace the day as an example of what societies can do to reduce their carbon footprint. But perhaps what’s most amazing is that the quiet of Yom Kippur has been achieved without the intrusion of religion into politics, without legislative fiat. True, laws have been passed that keep businesses closed and buses off the streets on Yom Kippur, but that’s the case for Shabbat in Israel as well, when the roads are still inundated with private cars, cabs and the shared sherut taxis. Compare the near-unanimous, unlegislated and largely harmonious observance of this automotive abstinence by Israel’s Jewish public with the yearly tensions generated around other holidays – e.g., when ultra-orthodox politicians seek to prevent all Israelis from eating hametz on Passover by coercive means (by banning its sale in stores), not persuasion. Rather than encouraging a “kosher Passover”, the ultra-orthodox diktat promotes hostility, resentment and resistance. As Israeli Reform Rabbi Uri Regev, of Hiddush – For Religious Freedom and Equality, noted in the Forward recently, “if [religious] coercion were removed,” far from undermining Jewish identity in Israel, “new springs of Jewish creativity and growth would bloom”. -
The Challenge of Halakhic Innovation
The Challenge of Halakhic Innovation Benjamin Lau Bio: Rabbi Dr. Benjamin Lau is director of the Center for Judaism and Society and the founder of the Institute for Social Justice, both at Beit Morasha of Jerusalem. He is Rabbi of the Ramban synagogue in Jerusalem, and author of a multi-volume Hebrew series, Hakhimim, which was recently published in English as The Sages. Abstract: This article defines a vision of halakhah and the rabbinate that identifies with modern life and works to advance religious life within Israel and Western societies. It argues for a halakhah and a rabbinate that is sensitive to Kelal Yisrael, Zionism and Israeli democracy, the interests of women, the handicapped and that can speak to all Jews. It wishes to return Torah its original domain—every aspect of human life. A Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse Orthodox Modern of Forum A The author rejects the superiority of halakhic stringency and advocates M e o r o t the use of hiddush to confront the realities of modern life, seeing the former as traditional halakhic methodology. Meorot 8 Tishrei 5771 © 2010 A Publication of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School The Challenge of Halakhic Innovation* Benjamin Lau “Torah Blends Well With the Land”: Modernity as a Value in the World of Torah This article1 is written following an extended broken out among various streams of Religious series of attacks against the segment of the Zionism, and most recently the modern stream religious community and its rabbinic leadership has been classified as ―neo-reformers.‖ Not that identifies with modernity and works to content with that terminology, the (right wing) advance halakhic life within the Israeli and advocates have sought to follow in the path of Western context. -
Contributor Biographies
155 Contributor Biographies Rabbi Rachel Adler, PhD, is the Ellenson Professor of Modern Jewish Thought at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles. She was one of the first to bring feminist perspectives to bear on Jewish texts and law. Her book Engendering Judaism (1998) is the first by a female theologian to win a National Jewish Book Award for Jewish Thought. Hadeel Azzam-Jalajel, who was raised in Nazareth, was at the time of writing this essay co-director of the Racism Crisis Center and a lawyer with a private legal practice. She is a grad- uate of the Law School of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She interned at the civil rights organization Hamoked: Center for the Defense of the Individual, and since passing the bar in March of 2014, she has focused on administrative and constitu- tional law. Hadeel is a social and political activist, and a member of the leadership of the Jewish-Arab movement Standing Together, which works to promote peace, equality, and social justice. She also works as a content manager in both Hebrew and Arabic for the movement. Ruth Calderon, PhD, is a former member of the Israeli Knesset, former vice-speaker of the Knesset of the opposition party Yesh Atid, a Jewish educator, and Talmud scholar. In 1989, she founded Beit Midrash ELUL and, in 1996, the secular Beit Midrash for He- brew Culture, ALMA. She served as the head of the Division for Culture and Education of the Israeli National Library and on the faculty of the Mandel Institute for Nonprofit Leadership, where she also belonged to the first cohort of students to finish the program.