Reform Jews open Israel’s first state-funded non-Orthodox synagogue
This Haaretz article just found it’s way in to my feed reader.
Reform Jews open Israel’s first state-funded non-Orthodox synagogue
Israel’s Reform Jews dedicated the first non-Orthodox synagogue to receive state funding on Monday, after a long court battle that accented the rift among streams of Judaism in Israel.
The Reform Yozma congregation fought for the better part of a decade for state funding equivalent to what Orthodox congregations receive. After arguing their case twice before the Supreme Court, they got what they wanted: a prefabricated, two-room building on a plot of land in the center of Modiin, a new town between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
“This is a substantial step in recognizing different streams of Judaism in the state of Israel,” said Rabbi Kinneret Shiryon, who leads the 240-family congregation.
The government has long funded Orthodox synagogues, even paying
rabbi’s salaries.The Orthodox establishment dominates Jewish life in Israel and hotly opposes recognition or assistance to the more liberal streams - Reform and Conservative Judaism.
Compared with the United States, where more than a third of Jewish adults
consider themselves Reform, Israel’s 25 Reform congregations are struggling for recognition.You can read the rest here.
I think this is great news! I see this as a real win, not only for Reform Jews but for other non-Orthodox streams as well, not to mention anyone who believes in Jewish pluralism.
Anyhow Mazel Tov to the congregants and leadership of Kehillat YOZMA!
Thanks for the tip on this Avi! I’d read about it before, when they were still waiting for the High Court’s decision. I think this is the same community working with ARZA to encourage Reform aliyah… which will happen in greater numbers when Reform Judaism isn’t treated like a pariah in the Jewish State.
Maybe Shimshonit can help me with some Israeli geography…. Isn’t the town Rav Carlebach founded (Moshav Me’or Modiin) somewhere in the same vicinity as this place? One of my favorite Israeli music groups is from there - Moshav Band
Thanks Avi!
Yair
[...] The rest of the article is here, at Haaretz and the post at Jews by Choice is here. [...]
Hi, gentlemen. Mevo Modi’im is just west of Modi’in on Route 443 (which passes Modi’in to the north). I assume the moshav (cooperative community) is in or around Mevo Modi’im. I didn’t know R’ Carlebach had founded such a community. I’ll bet Shabbos there is an amazing experience.
I’m pleased to hear about this development in Modi’in. It’s a very modern city, slated to become the fourth largest (after Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa). Modern, progressive-thinking people, smack in the center of the country. Couldn’t happen in a better place.
Hi Shimshonit,
Thanks for the reply. And yes, I imagine that Shabbos there would be unlike any other! The Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA) has a push going with the URJ to bring American Reform Jews to Israel on aliyah, and to settle them in Modiin. I’ve looked at that option, and if/when I do move to Israel, I imagine Modiin would be a good option.
Thanks again!
Yair
I am not sure I can share the enthusiasm. I am all for the Reform movement in Israel growing. I am just not sure that sucking at the trough of the Israeli state is the way to do it.
BZ neatly expresses most of my <a href="http://mahrabu.blogspot.com/2008/05/nothing-in-streets-looks-any-different.html">reservations</a>, and much better than I could do.
Wow. Lots of talk on this post!
Avishalom
I’m certainly not going to tell you that you are wrong but I guess the situation looks different depending on the metrics one is using. For me the benefit is clear. This is a significant step forward in terms of breaking the orthodox monopoly in Israel. It may create some new problems and/or reinforce existing ones (I don’t know) but that doesn’t (at least to me,) negate the positive side of this story and what it could mean for non-orthodox communities in Israel.
AviShalom,
I read BZ’s post to which you linked in your comment. I’m sure it reflects the feelings of many American Jews. As an Israeli (and an American), I have a few comments. (Don’t I always?)
I’m pleased to see the Reform movement making inroads in Israel’s religious bureaucracy because I think it may someday pave the way for their greater participation in the religious life (governmental and civilian) of this country. I don’t share the view that Reform Jews enjoy any "moral high ground" over anyone, in government or elsewhere, and to "just declare victory and go home" after being given funding for their shul would not "score points with the public," at least not in Israel. It would be seen as foolish, pointless, and cutting off their nose to spite their face. But I think their participation may not only help them establish themselves more securely in Israel, but also someday provide much-needed balance in the mostly-hareidi rabbinate.
From an American point of view assembling a community, building a shul, and hiring a rabbi is how a Jewish community is built. Not so in Israel. Yes, communities form all the time, and eventually, most shuls hire rabbis. But building a shul is a very expensive undertaking, and quite honestly, the American model just wouldn’t work here. Israelis in general are not as wealthy as Americans, and the founders with deep pockets are not to be found in every neighborhood. It wouldn’t be fair for the generally wealthier Ashkenazim to pool their resources and build a beautiful building while the generally less wealthy Moroccans or Yemenites had to settle for an older, crumbling edifice. And in the Jewish State, why should they?
Contrary to BZ’s statement, I don’t believe "most Israelis are more interested in New-Age spirituality than in Judaism." (Though I’d be very interested to see the source for that.) Many young Israelis who grow up secular, do their army service, and spend years traveling the world do find themselves drawn to spiritual paths, away from Judaism. It doesn’t mean they stay there, either physically or spiritually. (And many of the Colombian, Thai, and European women who marry Israelis come to Israel to live.)
"It is no coincidence that liberal Judaism has prospered the most in the United States, where separation of church and state is enshrined in the Constitution." I couldn’t agree more. That separation, and the value placed on individual freedom and the pursuit of happiness, is what makes America unique and bewitching to so many. It’s also what makes America look egotistical, provincial, self-serving, and utterly untrustworthy to people in other parts of the world. Every nation has its strengths and weaknesses, and sometimes both lie in the same qualities.
Israel was not built by people looking for ways to please themselves, to find other religions to pursue, or even to tout a moral high ground. The hard labor, the risks, the losses, and the joy of seeing the Land of Israel slowly come back to life under their feet was what motivated the halutzim (pioneers). There was heated debate in the early days over how much to make Israel like the West. But in language, society, government (e.g. number of Knesset seats), and religion, Judaism won out. And I believe that to this day, warts and all, it’s still what most Israelis want. To have the Jewish religion relegated to the background by creating a secular state in which Judaism does not play an active role in people’s lives would strip that State of its whole reason for being (not to mention result in a Muslim state a few years down the road, but that’s another discussion). If you want separation of church and state, go live in any one of the very comfortable Western countries that offer that. (Oh, wait. You already do.) But I believe, from having lived here for years, that even the most secular Israelis wouldn’t trade the Jewish nature of the State for an America. They care as much as the rabbinate about the halachic conversion process (to the shock and ire of many American Jews, including me 10 years ago). They want to be buried in a traditional Jewish manner. And they know that if they don’t want to be married in a traditional Jewish manner, they can go get married in a civil ceremony somewhere else and the State will recognize it on their return. (I don’t think this is ideal, but it’s the way most people seem to want it here.)
I appreciate your thoughts, and the inspiration they gave me to articulate my own.
-Shimshonit
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Thanks for posting the article!
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