Reform Movement in Israel – Keeping Busy these Days

Reform movement in Israel – keeping busy these days

“G-d will give strength to the people-G-d will bless all people with peace”: IMPJ Continues its Emergency Effort

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

The war has gone on for two weeks now with a heavy toll of deaths, and injuries in Israel’s effort to defend the cities, towns and rural settlements in the south. The IMPJ is continuing its mobilization to bring relief to the people living under fire. In the last few days and planned till the end of this week we will continue to focus on the following specific spheres of intervention:

Volunteering in Shelters and Emergency Facilities throughout the south- Up to now over 200 volunteers have lead activities in shelters, community centers, and other locations in cities and regional councils throughout the south. These volunteers lead activities and hand out “Activity” packages that include games, books, and interactive fun experiences. Where needed we are also handing out “Food and Hygiene Packages” in shelters. Our volunteers have worked directly with over 1500 people. We will be continuing to facilitate volunteers from IMPJ congregations, mechina alumni (those that haven’t been drafted), and others from our institutions. We have already handed out close to 2000 activity packages.

Recreation and Relaxation Days for Children and Families at our centers in Haifa, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv- Starting this past Thursday and scheduled to continue every day until the crises ends, we are bringing children and families from areas of missile bombardment to our centers for fun and relaxation. Four of these days have already taken place at the Leo Baeck Campus in Haifa with around 50 children each day including a day with Bedouin children from the Negev this past Sunday. Starting later this week groups will be hosted in Beit Shmuel in Jerusalem and in Mishkanot Ruth of Beit Daniel in Tel Aviv.

Hosting of Families with special needs in our Movement Locations- Families with special needs children and adults from areas impacted by the crises have a more urgent need to be taken out of the constant sirens, moving to shelters, and pressure. Therefore our two Reform Kibbutzim along with Beit Daniel in Tel Aviv and Beit Shmuel in Jerusalem will be hosting special needs families from weak economic backgrounds. Up to now we have arranged for 100 such families to be hosted and this number will be increased over the next few days.

Cultural and Spiritual Care in Frameworks for Emotionally Challenged- The IMPJ was asked by the Ministry of Health and by many municipal welfare departments to bring educators, cultural coordinators and song leaders to closed frameworks for Emotionally Challenged people to help them deal with the crises. We created three teams of Rabbis, song leaders, and facilitators for this purpose and have begun daily visits to facilities in Kiryat Gat, Beer Sheva, Kiryat Malachi, and Ashkelon where we lead cultural events, singing, and discussions to help relieve stress and build resilience.

It is important to note that in addition to all of the activities listed above that we are involved in our congregations and communities also have to cope with the situation. This is especially true of our communities in Gedera, the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council, and in Beer Sheva. All of these communities are dealing themselves with the stressful and dangerous situation every moment of the day and night. A good example of this is the activity of our student Rabbi in Sha’ar HaNegev Yael Karrie who every day leads activities with elderly, participates in the regional emergency center, has reached out to Bedouins in Rahat, lead Shabbat services and is a model for initiative and tireless effort during the crises.

We want to make special mention of the support from our communities throughout the world and the fact that our North American partners from the URJ and all the other arms of our movement are partners in the JFNA “Stop the Sirens” campaign which is providing the IMPJ with funds to help us carry out all the activities described above.

We continue to pray for peace.

Letter from the Leadership of the Israel Reform Movement to the new President of the State of Israel Reuven Rivlin

Thursday, July 24, 2014

‏26 Tamuz, 5774

July 24, 2014

Mr. Reuven Rivlin

President of the State of Israel

Your Excellency President Rivlin

Re: Congratulations on your Presidential Inauguration

In the name of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism (IMPJ), its communities, rabbis, leaders and friends, we wish to congratulate you on being sworn in to the distinguished position of President of the State of Israel. Our heartfelt congratulations to you and your family; we pray that your presidency fulfills your expectations, together with the expectations and hopes of all Israeli citizens and world Jewry of all different groups and communities.

We have no doubt that the joy of this occasion is tainted by the difficult events the country has been facing in recent weeks. The distress of residents in southern Israel, together with those across the country, the intense fighting of IDF soldiers, and above all – the unbearable pain felt by the families of those killed, surely darken the festivity of the occasion. However, these events also help make clear the importance of this office and its contribution to the sense of civil and national strength and social solidarity. The fact that the changing of the guard in the president’s office is taking place in the midst of battle and war signifies the strength of Israel and its sovereign, democratic institutions.

It is in light of this, and the important official and educational role you now hold as president, that we turn to ask that you already begin restraining the negative winds blowing in the “Israeli street” in recent weeks from different directions. These winds carry with them tempestuous, violent, and in many cases, racist messages, and are harming the tenuous and complex fabric of relations between the Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel. The harm this is causing is felt within the Jewish public and in the freedom of public discourse – the breathing air of a democratic society. We regret that these winds express themselves not only in the margins of public discourse but rather in all of its spaces and arenas – from leading websites to the Knesset building and the words of its members.

Throughout your entire tenure as Chairman of the Knesset, before and after you waved the flag of Israeli democracy with parliamentary pride and courage. We have no doubt, that alongside the difficult task of consoling mourning families and strengthening the spirit of Israeli citizens, you have the power to contribute greatly in setting both value-based and public “red lines” which are not to be crossed even in complex and difficult times. We believe that in light of these moment’s challenges, this is the time to strengthen the democratic spirit of Israeli society, and insist on instilling the “basic principles of justice, freedom, and peace in the vision of the prophets of Israel,” as stated in Israel’s declaration of independence. We know that you hold these tasks dear to your heart, and we therefore ask that you work to achieve them from the beginning of your service in this prestigious office.

Together with millions of friends in Reform and progressive communities around the Jewish world, in the name of G-d we congratulate you: “Blessed is he who shares his wisdom with those surrounding him.” “May God give strength to his people, may God bless him people with peace” (Thilim 29)

Wishing you great success,

Reuven Marko Chair of IMPJ Board of Directors

Rabbi Gilad Kariv Executive Director, IMPJ

Rabbi Prof. Yehoyada Amir Chair of MARAM – The Israel Council of Reform Rabbis

Copies

A Time To Love

"A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace," (Ecclesiastes 3:8)

 

The following words when written in Hebrew, share the same root, with meanings both obvious and subtle: soldier, dreamer, compassionate, forgiveness and merciful.

 

The mosaic of one's personality may include the warrior, compassion and forgiveness.  Together, they may balance one another. So be it in throughout Israel and the entire region. Once in balance, we will be able to dream and led (based on writings of the poetess, Rivka Miriam)!

 

Haim Gouri is a renowned Israeli poet, novelist, journalist, and filmmaker who achieved fame with his coverage of the 1961 Eichmann trial. The following is a quote from his timeless 1949 poem, "A Prayer":

 

                Bless the young men, because it's time...

                Bless them as they set out for war. Bless their weapons so they won't err,

                Bless their homes, this​ people, their young men and fighters,

                Until the battle is done.

 

"Oseh shalom bim'romav, hu ya'asheh shalom aleynu, v'al kol Yisrael, V'Imru Amen".  

May the one who makes peace in Heaven, make peace for us and for all Israel and all humanity and let us say, Amen.

Helping Israelis in Time of Need

As Hamas continues to launch hundreds of rockets at targets in the South and the center of Israel, our Israeli Reform movement, is working on the ground to help many Israelis in harm's way, many of them huddled in bomb shelters. Below are links with information how to donate and to provide emergency aid and alleviate the pain and suffering of our Israeli brothers and sisters. At times such as these we especially feel connected to our people. We hope you will join us in doing our part by contributing funds to this critical  effort.

The first link tells what our movement in Israel is doing to help and the second how to donate.

When you donate please make sure you indicate that it is for IMPJ - Keren BeKavod (Fund for Dignity)

http://www.reform.org.il/Eng/About/NewsItem.asp?ContentID=2120

http://www.reform.org.il/Eng/About/NewsItem.asp?ContentID=313

51 Facts About Israel That Will Surprise You

51 Facts About Israel That Will Surprise You

The highs and lows of your AOL Instant Messaging years and the lowest place on Earth have something in common. These tidbits and 49 other facts will have you rethinking what you thought you knew about Israel.

1. There are over 100 sushi restaurants in Tel Aviv…
2. …making it the city with the most sushi restaurants per capita after Tokyo and NYC.
3. Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world.
4. It has the highest rate of entrepreneurship among women and people over 55 in the world.
5. Israel was the first country to ban underweight models.
6. Israeli banknotes have braille markings on them.
7. Israel won the Eurovision song competition three times.
8. The last time they won, they were represented by a transgender pop star, Dana International. The only other time that’s happened is this year’s winner, Conchita Wurst, from Austria. 

9. Israelis consume the third most amount of vegetables and sweets in the world.
10. When Golda Meir became prime minister of Israel in 1969, she was only the third woman elected to lead a country in the modern world.
11. The largest known dog cemetery in the ancient world was discovered in the coastal city of Ashkelon.
12. There’s a rollerblading party that happens every Tuesday night in Tel Aviv.
13. Out Magazine names Israel the gay capital of the Middle East.
14. The country has the most Bauhaus buildings in the world.
15. Israel has 137 official beaches (but only 273 km of coastline).

16. In regards to its population, Israel has the highest ratio of college degrees.

17. The same goes for the ratio of its museums…
18. …and startup companies!
19. Motorola developed the cell phone in Israel.
20. Voicemail technology was developed in Israel.
21. The first antivirus software for computers was created in Israel in 1979.
22. Israel has two official languages: Hebrew and Arabic.
23. Israel published more books translated from other languages than any other nation in the world.

  

24. The city of Beersheba has the highest number of chess grandmasters per capita in the world.
25. Only two countries began the 21st century with a net gain in their number of trees; Israel was one of them.
26. The opening scene of the Al Pacino film The Insider was shot in Israel.
27. Haifa, Israel has one of the smallest subway systems in the world with a 1.8-km track and only four carriages — how cute!
28. Israel is one of only three democracies in the world without a codified constitution. The other two are New Zealand and Britain.
29. The Sea of Galilee — located .212 km below sea level — is the lowest freshwater lake in the world (and the largest in Israel).
30. The Dead Sea is the lowest place on Earth. Period.
31. People can easily float in the Dead Sea due to its unusually high salt concentration. It’s almost impossible to dive into it.

32. Israel is the only country to revive an unspoken language and establish it as its national tongue.
33. Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives is the world’s oldest continuously used cemetery.
34. El Al, Israel’s national airline, set the world record for the most passengers on a commercial flight.
35. The world’s largest pepper was grown in Israel’s Moshav Ein Yahav, as recorded by The Guinness Book of World Records in 2013.
36. Life expectancy at birth in Israel is at 82 years (two years more than the OECD average).
37. Eilat and the Hula Valley Reserve are some of the best bird-watching sites in the world
38. Israel’s national bird is the hoopoe.

39. Heart tissue regeneration is possible in the U.S. thanks to Israeli stem-cell technology.
40. A cooking oil developed in Israel is capable of breaking up cholesterol and other blood fats.
41. An Israeli company has developed the world’s first jellyfish repellent.
42. Israel is one of only nine countries in the world that can launch its own satellites into space.
43. AOL Instant Messaging was designed by an Israeli software company.
44. Yityish Aynaw became Israel’s first Ethiopian Miss Israel in 2013.

45. Israeli scientists have discovered the cause of chronic bad breath and an easy way to fix it!
46. More than 44% of all lawyers registered in Israel are women.
47. Israel chose its first woman president of the Supreme Court, Dorit Beinisch, who served from 2006-2012.
48. Israel has the world’s second highest per capita of new books.
49. A group of Israeli artists have started bus stop libraries that are available free of charge to commuters traveling across Israel.
50. Israel’s national flower is the Cyclamen persicum.
51. Last Valentine’s Day, 60 million Israeli flowers were sent to Europe for sale.

'Price tag' is Israel's anti-Semitism

'Price tag' is Israel's anti-Semitism

Op-ed: There are relatively more hate incidents against Arabs in Israel than hate incidents against Jews in France. 
Yizhar Hess (from Yedieot Acherunot – the most read daily newspaper in Israel)

Please read the following sentence slowly: Relatively, there are more hate incidents against Arabs in Israel than hate incidents against Jews in France.

One has to read this sentence twice in order to understand its shocking meaning. And even then, the natural tendency is to question the data, to repress, to ignore. The dissonance is too heavy. Especially for us, the sons and daughters of a nation which was the victim of the most horrible phenomenon of hatred in human history.

The meaning of the comparative figures is hard to digest, but denial is more dangerous.

 A total of 554 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded around the world in 2013, according to a comprehensive report prepared by the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University. The figures point to a certain drop compared to the previous year, but anti-Semitism has not only failed to step down from the stage of history, but in some places it is even a key player. Maybe not a lead actor, but definitely a character actor. Ever present, existing, above and below the surface.

 But can we condemn anti-Semitism firmly, clearly, unequivocally – as it deserves – without turning our heads towards what is taking place in our own backyard?

 Nineteen incidents of hatred against Arabs were recorded in Israel in 2013. The first took place in Jerusalem in January, when the Nabi Daud Mosque was desecrated with malicious graffiti, and the last one took place on the final day of the year in the village of Dura al-Qara. Three vehicles were torched, and the malicious graffiti left no room for doubt: Price tag.

 When one examines these numbers courageously, the earth starts moving. Nearly eight million residents live in Israel. On average, we are talking about one anti-Semitic incident per 400,000 people.

 Russia, for example, which has 142 million residents, recorded 15 anti-Semitic incidents that year, one incident per 9.5 million residents. Germany, which has 81 million people, recorded 36 incidents, one per two million people. Even France, which had the highest number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2013, recorded 116 incidents. With its 66 million residents, we are talking about once incident per 600,000 people.

 Where do we take this disgrace? That's a good question. We must not get dragged into the overly familiar political dispute. It's not a matter of left and right, nor is it a matter of routine political haggling. Something important has happened in Israel.

 The Jewish tradition has many faces. Those trying to find support for racist perceptions in it will probably be able to do that, but those seeking to derive a moral-humanistic purpose from it will almost always have the upper hand.

 When Hillel the Elder was asked to define the one rule the entire Torah is based on, he said: "That which you wouldn't want done to you, don't do to your friend." Hillel gave us a comprehensive, cross-generation rule of thumb for every ethical and legal, private and public indecision.

 Ant-Semitism is anti-Semitism is anti-Semitism. It is similar in its motives and pathology in every language. The natural expectation from every person is to feel internal, literally physical, rebellion when he encounters it – all the more so if he is Jewish.

 Yes, Jews have an extra duty when it comes to racism. The claws of racism have engraved this duty into our arms. We must all feel great shame in light of these hate crimes taking place almost every day recently by veiled and heartless thugs, who wish to celebrate the superiority of the Jewish people in its fatherland by degrading and humiliating the other.

 Only if we spew this abomination from within us we will be able to hold up a mirror to the world with integrity.

 Attorney Yizhar Hess is the CEO of the Masorti Movement in Israel, which is a member of the Tag Meir ("Spreading the Light") forum.

A Jewish state: It’s our problem, not theirs

A Jewish state: It’s our problem, not theirs

one cannot enter a negotiation without a clear sense of one’s red lines, the deal-breakers, those issues over which compromise is intolerable. When these red lines lead to a breakdown in the talks, there is neither room nor grounds for self-criticism or self-blame. The purpose of a deal-breaker is to be precisely that – to delineate the issues which if compromised would result in unacceptable harm

It is critical, however, that one not only delineate one’s red lines, but even more importantly, think very carefully and strategically in determining their identity. It is OK and at times necessary to reject a deal and walk away, despite the consequences of such an act. Careful thought in advance ensures that one does so, only because the consequences of accepting the deal are more severe. A skilled negotiator always keeps these two consequences in his or her mind and is careful to avoid a misplaced red line, which instead of protecting, generates greater harm.

In our negotiations with the Palestinians, the purpose of our red lines is to ensure that a withdrawal from Judea and Samaria and the formation of a Palestinian state not undermine our legitimate security concerns or our identity as a Jewish state. I will leave to others far more knowledgeable than I to debate the necessity and nature of Palestinian demilitarization, a presence in the Jordan Valley, the exact demarcation of the border, and the like. Our defense and security experts do not agree on the specifics, but most of Israel is united against a deal which neither recognizes nor attempts to address these security concerns. In fact, I believe that a significant part of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s longstanding popularity lies precisely in the fact that the vast majority of Israelis from across the political spectrum trust his instincts and commitment to properly define and preserve our security red lines.

I want to focus on our other red lines, those meant to protect and preserve the identity of Israel as a Jewish state. There are many sub-issues to these red lines, from the necessity of ending the occupation, to ensuring the demographic balance necessary for our Jewish democratic character, to our stake in Jerusalem. Over the last number of years, a new issue has emerged as a primary demand, and under Prime Minister Netanyahu, a deal-breaker: the recognition by the Palestinian Authority of Israel as a Jewish state.

At present, we know that Palestinian leadership has rejected this demand, destining the current negotiations to failure. Unto itself, if this requirement is critical to our future, the fact that it causes a breakdown should not be upsetting, saddening maybe, but not upsetting, for we have no interest in accepting a deal irrespective of its consequences. The goal of the negotiations is not to bring about Israel’s surrender, but an advancement of its deepest interests.

My problem is not with the articulation of red lines meant to ensure the future viability and vitality of Israel as a Jewish state, but rather with the particular articulation of this red line: that the Palestinians formally recognize Israel’s identity as a Jewish state. It is critical, for us, to be meticulous in the formation of our red lines and not to get bogged down in rhetoric, slogans, or self-defeating conditions.

If by recognizing Israel’s identity as a Jewish state our goal is to ensure that the Palestinians accept that the consequence of peace is that the Palestinian state is now the sole homeland of the Palestinian nation, while Israel is the homeland of Israelis, the majority of whom are members of the Jewish nation and the minority of whom are Palestinian, the importance of this red line is critical and not subject to compromise. However, it should be stated as such, and not in its “Jewish state” formulation.

There is no meaning to a peace treaty if after an agreement, Palestinians still believe that their national aspirations can be fulfilled outside of the Palestinian state, and more specifically in Israel. The core issue, red line, and deal-breaker for Israelis is that Palestinians forego their claim to a right of return into the land which constitutes the State of Israel. Palestinians need not forego their narrative about this right, just as Israelis need not forego our narrative regarding the Jewish people’s right to the ancient Land of Israel. Neither of us needs to forego our rights, but rather our claim to the actualization of those rights. This is the basic meaning of a peace treaty, the recognition of each other’s borders and foregoing of one’s claim to the other’s land.

The use of the terminology, “Jewish state,” to express the above is confusing, unhelpful, and detrimental to Israel’s basic and legitimate interests. The self-evident demand of relinquishing claims and aspirations for national fulfillment and expression in the land of one’s peace partner, is a core part of our legitimate security concerns. Without it, we will remain in a permanent state of conflict and instability. The problem with articulating it in terms of recognizing Israel as the Jewish State, is that this formulation locates the issue within the context of Israel’s Jewish identity concerns, an issue which we, the members of the Jewish nation must pursue, but which we neither need nor expect outsiders, even if they are peace partners, to share with us.

While I would not mind if the Palestinian Authority chose to recognize the Jewish character of Israel and the historic right of the Jewish people to our homeland here in Israel, their recognition of such is of no consequence to me, let alone a red line. If they in fact were willing to recognize it as such, I would be very interested in engaging in a profound dialogue with them as to their understanding of the Jewishness of Israel, an understanding that has so far eluded most Israelis.

When this security concern is couched in a language of Jewish State, we are not only confusing the issue, but harming, I believe, Israel’s interests and needs. In a negotiation, and in the arena of politics, you are only as strong as your best argument, and are harmed by your weaker ones. The frontline of our campaign must be the Palestinian desire to actualize their right of return and in so doing, defeat Israel in a bloodless war and not some vague category of Jewish statehood.

According to our Declaration of Independence, the meaning of “Jewish” in Jewish state refers to the identity of the nation for whom the State of Israel is its rightful expression of sovereignty. The parallel to Jewish state in this sense is Irish state, French state, Palestinian state, and not Christian state or Muslim state. Israel is a Jewish state not in the sense that it is where Judaism is sovereign, but where the Jewish people are the majority and consequently sovereign, all the while protecting the inalienable rights of national and religious minorities, as behooves a democracy.

While this was the intent of the founders of the country and a meaning shared by many Israelis, it is not fully understood, let alone accepted, by many other Israelis. For them, a Jewish state is where Judaism must determine much of the legal and cultural fabric of the country. It is Jewish not because it is the homeland of Jews, but the homeland of Judaism. This latter position profoundly undermines the democratic commitments of Israel, and our ability to overcome it is one of the central challenges that we face in the decade to come.

If we have yet to resolve the meaning of the term, how can we expect Palestinians to agree to it? Are they, in so doing, agreeing to the primacy of Judaism in Israel, and in so doing, destining Israeli-Palestinians to being second-class citizens in a Jewish theocracy? This interpretation, while rejected by me and possibly Prime Minister Netanyahu, is a viable interpretation, and still an unresolved debate.

When Palestinian right of return is combated through the language of Jewish statehood, we are both shifting the conversation away from the central issue and at the same time, giving the Palestinians the tools to reject our legitimate concerns.

It is possible that peace in our time is unattainable. Both sides need to relinquish some of their claims in order to enable the viability, security, and prosperity of the other. The purpose of the negotiations and red lines is for each side to test the other’s sincerity on this issue. It is not to subdue the other into accepting terminology or slogans which have nothing to do with our ability to live side-by-side in peace.

Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman,  President of Shalom Hartman Institute of Jerusalem