September 2021

By Rabbi Josh Weinberg
Friday, October 1, 2021 – כ”ה בתשרי תשפ”ב

וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָם֮ אֱלֹהִים֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֛וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ וּרְד֞וּ בִּדְגַ֤ת הַיָּם֙ וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וּבְכׇל־חַיָּ֖ה הָֽרֹמֶ֥שֶׂת עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

God blessed them and God said to them, “Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth.” (Gen. 1:28)

וַיִּקַּ֛ח יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיַּנִּחֵ֣הוּ בְגַן־עֵ֔דֶן לְעׇבְדָ֖הּ וּלְשׇׁמְרָֽהּ׃

And Adonai God took the Earthling and placed it in the Garden of Eden, to till it and tend it. (Gen 2:15)

Starting over feels good. After a stressful year, we begin our Torah reading cycle again with creation. Rashi asks: If Torah is our particular story, why does it begin with the universal record of creation taking 11 chapters before our people come onto the scene? Rashi’s question teaches that our particularistic story leads us to universalism. The Torah’s lessons in morality, ethics, and values are not provided for our self-preservation alone but are meant to be applicable to the challenges and problems we face as human beings. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the opening chapters of our story.

The Book of Genesis is a masterpiece. The two creation stories in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 offer two different worldviews, ideologies, and approaches to how we are expected to relate to the earth – two grand ideas about what our role as human beings should be. Genesis 1 instructs us that we should “fill the earth and master it” thereby positioning ourselves as rulers, conquerors, and occupiers over all of life. Genesis 2, however, tells our story as stewards, caretakers, managers, and custodians of the earth.

In the first story, we are given Shabbat – a day of rest – unique to humanity among all other creatures. In the second story, we experience exile from Eden, and we discover our mortality.

These seemingly opposing stories reflect two approaches to the earth, and specifically to the Land of Israel. Are we to be absolute rulers and masters of our domain, or are we to work the land and protect it within defined moral parameters?

In the 2^nd story the first humans defied God’s command and ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil resulting in their permanent exile from paradise, but did we learn our lesson to be at one with nature, tend and preserve it? Seemingly not.

The Midrash on Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) reminds us of our obligation to sustain the earth:

“When the Blessed Holy One created the first human, God took the human being to view the Garden of Eden … and said: “Look at My works, how beautiful and praiseworthy they are! All that I have created, it was for you that I created it. Pay attention that you do not corrupt and destroy My world: for if you corrupt it, there is no one to repair it after you.”
(Kohelet Rabbah 7:13)

Understandably, Israelis are first and foremost concerned about security. But, the climate crisis is a “threat multiplier.” Any nation that fails to protect itself from the effects of climate change threatens its own stability and national security. Already in the Middle East, the failure to resolve existing challenges of water scarcity is a national security issue.

A surprisingly large number of people die (in Israel and around the world) from extreme weather amplified by global warming that has accentuated the power and frequency of storms, floods, drought, and the effects of heat (according to a recent study). Trends indicate that many more people are in danger as climate threats increase. If the State of Israel were to dedicate ten percent of its budget and resources that it allocates for the defense budget to preventative environmental measures, many more lives would be saved. Further, Israel has the opportunity to be a leader in regional environmental protection thus forging a tangible relationship between the defense establishment and environmental and ecological sustainability efforts.

“Israel must recognize climate change as a security threat of the first order,” concluded Dr. Shira Efron of the INSS, noting that once it was recognized as a priority by the Defense Ministry, it would be easier to budget greater funds from the Treasury.

In short, we could save more lives and preserve waning resources in the same effort. Government action is key but peace and sustainability will not come from politicians, diplomats, and world leaders alone. Civil and grassroots interaction is critical to saving lives and to preserving what’s left of our planet.

The real enemy is facing all of us. The frequency of heatwaves, drought, forest fires, floods, and hurricanes has quadrupled over the past four decades and is rising. By 2050, almost 100 million people could be forced to migrate from coastal areas and other uninhabitable locations as a result of climate change (see go.nature.com/3agzsij). It is alarming that last year 81 countries increased the percentage of their GDP that goes into military budgets⁴ without any concomitant increase in allocations to address climate concerns.

The world cannot afford such losses, especially as we recover from the massive death and economic suffering brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. The financial cost of ensuring human security is less than paying for armies: one percent of global GDP per year is necessary to implement the 2015 Paris climate agreement, and five percent of global GDP each year across many sectors to implement it (Sustainable Development Goals) by 2030.

This year each of us can make a change. Instead of seeing ourselves as rulers and conquerors, we can regard ourselves as stewards, caretakers, and humble servants seeking to sustain all of life.

Here are three ways we can do more:

1. Connect our congregations with the IMPJ’s Yachdav program:
   “YaRoK” – Judaism, Relationships and Sustainability. In this year of Shmita, this is a program sponsored by the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism education department advocating environmental and social justice.
2. Study Online and Support our Movement’s Kibbutz Lotan’s Center for Creative Ecology
3. Take the Unplug Challenge and Power off for Shabbat!

Shabbat Shalom,

Josh

By Rabbi Josh Weinberg

Friday September 24, 2021  – י”ח תשרי תשפ”ב

“תֵּן דַּעְתְּךָ שֶׁלֹּא תְּקַלְקֵל וְתַחְרִיב אֶת עוֹלָמִי, שֶׁאִם קִלְקַלְתָּ, אֵין מִי שֶׁיְּתַקֵּן אַחֲרֶיךָ.”

(קהלת רבה ז:י”ג)

“See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one else to repair it.”
(Kohelet Rabbah 7:13)

Yosef Abramowitz, a.k.a. “Captain Sunshine,” knows that the sun is, in fact, the source of REnewable energy. He is the president, CEO, and co-founder, of Energiya Global Capital, which he created to address the urgent need to expand access to renewable energy throughout the world. With passion and persistence, he built solar fields in the Arava making the region the first to be nearly 100% solar powered. This, according to then Israeli President Shimon Peres, was the realization of David Ben Gurion’s dream of making the Negev bloom and causing the vast and barren desert to be a source of energy and life.

Abramowitz is a member of Congregation Kol HaNeshama in Jerusalem and married to a Reform rabbi. For his groundbreaking work, he was nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize by members of parliament from 12 African countries and Belize with whom he has worked to bring solar panels and achieve 100% daylight energy provided by the sun. The effort to build renewable solar energy in Africa from an Israeli company is literally a “light unto the nations!” We, as Jews, who see the world as God’s holy creation, should be leading the world in reducing our fossil fuel dependence and alleviating our carbon footprint.

The core commandment on Sukkot is to “be happy and rejoice on your holiday,” but just in case you are a little too frivolous or get carried away, the rabbis instituted the reading of Kohelet (the Scroll of Ecclesiastes) on the intermediate Shabbat of Sukkot (tomorrow), as we read the Scrolls of Song of Songs on Pesach, Ruth on Shavuot, Esther on Purim, and Lamentations on Tisha B’Av. Ok, it was probably the only scroll left after the rabbis designated the others to their respective holidays. Nonetheless, Kohelet has the unique capability of being the party-pooper that no one invited and the only scroll that can kill the joyous mood with its fatalism and depressing nature.

In one of its oft-quoted and more philosophical verses, Kohelet paints life as discouraging:

מַה־שֶּֽׁהָיָה֙ ה֣וּא שֶׁיִּהְיֶ֔ה וּמַה־שֶּׁנַּֽעֲשָׂ֔ה ה֖וּא שֶׁיֵּעָשֶׂ֑ה וְאֵ֥ין כׇּל־חָדָ֖שׁ תַּ֥חַת הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃ (קהלת א:ט)

“Only that shall happen which has already happened; only that shall occur which has already occurred; there is nothing new under the sun!” (Kohelet 1:9)

What has become a well-known proverb “nothing new under the sun” (Kohelet uses the phrase “under the sun – tachat ha-shamesh 29 times!) is often used as a world-weary complaint against life’s monotony.

To say “there is nothing new under the sun” does not ignore inventions or advances in technology. Rather, innovation does not change the laws of physics or human nature, according to the alleged author of Kohelet, King Solomon as an old man.

While there may be nothing new under the sun, maybe it’s the sun’s job to renew us? Sukkot is not just a Vitamin-D enhancer but a reminder of the rapid depletion of the earth’s natural resources. The sun can and should be the source of energy, renewal, and vitality.

In that vein, “Captain Sunshine” advocates an antidote to Kohelet. Kohelet waxes on about life being futile and vain. Abramowitz’s pioneering, persistent, and activist spirit and vision constitutes a refusal to take “no” for an answer, that we can use the sun to renew us and fulfill our energy needs.

It’s almost too obvious. So, why are we not all doing it? What would it look like if many more of our synagogue buildings were equipped with solar panels and stood as symbols of reducing fossil fuel dependence? Every Reform Synagogue in the world could hang a sign outside its building along with “We Stand With Israel,” “Black Lives Matter,” and “LGBTQ Safe Zone” saying:

“יש חָדָ֖שׁ תַּ֥חַת הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ –שְׂאוּ-מְרוֹם עֵינֵיכֶם וְרָאוּ!”
“There IS something new under the sun; Lift high your eyes and see!!”

But, lest we have heavy hearts as we read Kohelet tomorrow, there is good news. Beyond the serious contemplation of the meaning of life and one’s place in the cosmos, Kohelet makes strikingly relevant connections to Sukkot and even more important lessons for life.

Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe (1590-1604) explains in his book “Levush” (A commentary of the Or HaHayim 663:2 published in Poland) that we read Kohelet on Sukkot “because it is Zman Simhateinu, (the season of our rejoicing) and Kohelet urges people to rejoice in their portion and not run after increased wealth. People who enjoy what they have is a God-given gift.”

The Zionist lesson from Sukkot reminds us to appreciate our material possessions as gifts. Even more so now that we have entered the Shmita year (occurring every seven years when we allow our land to lie fallow), we are reminded to utilize our existing resources.

Zionism is partly about the restoration of Jewish rootedness in our Land and the concomitant responsibility to care for it. All the more so on Sukkot, Zionism can and should be the most relevant and authentic expression of Judaism’s concern for and commitment to the preservation of the earth. We can and should be leading the way.

Yosef Abramowitz teaches (you can learn more with him as part of our Zionist Beit Midrash on October 19^th!):

“If we consciously scale back our consumption, our driving, our materialism, our work with a true day of rest, and if every faith community in the world followed suit, we could reduce by 1/7th greenhouse gas emissions — enough to bring the earth back into balance. In Israel, our greenhouse gas emissions are nearly nonexistent on Yom Kippur and there is a 30% reduction on Shabbat. Spreading the practice of a true day of rest every week could be the most powerful market force on the planet.”

Tomorrow, when you turn to the words of Kohelet may they inspire you and not depress you. May they be a call to action to learn this Torah coming from the Land of Israel, and may we affirm our commitment to being stewards of our Earth (more next week).

Shabbat Shalom U’Moadim L’Simcha,

Josh

Friday September 17, 2021 – י”א תשרי תשפ”ב

הַאֲזִ֥ינוּ הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וַאֲדַבֵּ֑רָה וְתִשְׁמַ֥ע הָאָ֖רֶץ אִמְרֵי־פִֽי׃ (דברים לב:א)

Give ear, O heavens, let me speak;
Let the earth hear the words I utter! (Deuteronomy 32:1)

 Yom Kippur is my favorite day in Israel. It’s a day that’s only possible in a Jewish State – as everything literally stops. The streets are bereft of all motorized traffic; all businesses are closed; the radio and television networks sign off, and there is a palpable sense of quiet. The streets are filled with Jews walking on their way to and from prayer, as well as with bike riders, skateboarders, scooters, and people coming out of the woodwork in a pilgrimage fashion to schmooze, see, and be seen.

Besides the silent streets and almost no car accidents[1], the most substantial impact of the Jewish holiday is one that cannot be seen with the naked eye: The air is cleaner. On Yom Kippur, ambient air pollution across the nation drops to an all-year minimum, and Israel experiences better air quality than on any other day.

Israel has set an ambitious climate target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 85 percent by 2050 compared to 2015 levels, and an immediate target of a 27 percent emissions reduction by 2030. This is an effort that cannot be achieved if solely championed by the Ministry for the Environment. This resolution was jointly introduced by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg, Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Energy Minister Karin Elharar, Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli, Economy and Industry Minister Orna Barbivai, and Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked – making this a multi-partisan effort of the new government.

Coming off a summer in which we saw extreme heatwaves, forest fires in the Jerusalem Hills, and other climate change-related issues, this should be a clarion call for us all. In May 2020, an unprecedented early heat wave claimed the lives of 157 people. Extreme heat during the spring is much more dangerous than the same high temperatures in the summer: In early spring the body has yet to acclimate to the heat.

“No less important than the mortality they cause directly, heatwaves cause illness and death in indirect ways: an uptick in the number of hospitalizations that puts pressure on the health care system; the harm to agriculture and thus to healthy food; harm to the economy and more,” says Maya Negev, a researcher at the University of Haifa’s School of Public Health.

Israeli authorities were so focused on the coronavirus pandemic in the spring of 2020 that a link between the high death toll and the climate crisis wasn’t investigated. Government bodies are now seeing the light.

Israel is a microcosm for the rest of the world, as many of us in North America felt the physical manifestation of the all-too-true words that we chanted yesterday as part of the haunting Unetaneh Tokef prayer:

“Who by fire, and who by water…”

From Tahoe to New Orleans to Brooklyn we dealt with out-of-control fires, hurricanes, and floods that plagued us and sent people to evacuate to safety.

Let this be a wake-up call.

As we transition from Yom Kippur to Sukkot, we are afforded the perfect opportunity to reconnect. Sukkot compels us to leave the confines of our four walls and connect with the elements of nature. We live in temporary structures for a week, eat our meals, and sleep outside, reminding us of our connectedness with and dependence upon nature.

Dr. Jeremy Benstein explained:

“Zionism is the modern Jewish response to that historical alienation from nature. It is commonplace that for Jews, Zionism means the return to the Land of Israel. Until now, we have generally thought of that statement in sociopolitical terms – a polity with a Jewish majority, and a renewed national sovereignty. But a reunion of a people with a landscape is first and foremost an environmental phenomenon: not only a much-acclaimed ’return to history,’ but a return to nature as well. The predominantly secular Zionist revolution of Jewish life rejected the myth of the Wandering Diaspora Jew, the ’desiccated’ bookish shtetl culture, and the subsequent alienation from the body and the natural world. For the first time in two thousand years, the Jewish people have assumed responsibility for a piece of the Creation. The renewed Jewish presence in Israel means reestablishing our historic and natural ‘sense of place.’ It means, ideally, coming home in an environmental sense, reuniting Culture and Nature, and healing a schizophrenic split as old as the Diaspora.”

Now, it’s important to note that Zionism’s track record regarding environmental quality is not spotless: alongside A.D. Gordon’s vision of rural well-being based on working the land, there is a strong modernizing tendency which in the name of ‘development’ pushes unchecked economic growth, widespread industrialization, and under-planned urbanization. Which has wreaked havoc on the Land of Milk and Honey.

Zionism is about the restoration of Jewish indigeneity – a rootedness in the Land and the concomitant responsibility for it.  Zionism can and should be the most relevant and authentic expression of Judaism’s concern for, and commitment to the earth as we can and should be leading the way.

As we move into Sukkot, it is an ideal time for us to connect to nature not only through the bounty of our fields but also through sleeping under the stars. It is a time for us to take a step back from our busy, fast-paced, technology-filled lives and to reconnect with ourselves, our community, and our natural world (and ideal holiday for outdoor socializing during a pandemic).

I invite you to take time this Sukkot to think about what it means to be living in a time of global climate change and uncertainty. I invite you to be reminded that we, the Jewish people, have an inherent connection to the Land. This Sukkot may we connect to ourselves, our environment, and our community.

Shabbat Shalom and Sukkot Sameach!

Josh

*This is Part I of a three-part series on Judaism, Zionism, and the Environment in a time of climate and ecological crisis.

[1] We mourn the tragic death of 8 year-old Itay Margi who was killed in a hit and run accident by an under the influence driver who sped through the streets of Tel Aviv on Yom Kippur 2019.

Friday September 3, 2021 – כ”ו באלול תשפ”א
Rosh Hashanah 5782 – ראש השנה תשפ”ב

5781 was a challenging year. As we come before God and our fellow human beings to bring in the New Year 5782, it is a time to think about relationships – relationships with our loved ones and friends, with colleagues, and our community members. This is also a good time, as North American Reform Jews, to pause and reflect on where we are and where we are going in our relationship with Israel.

On the eve of the New Year, we can find many reasons for despair and for hope: the bloodshed between Israelis and Palestinians; the near emergence from and resurgence of the Coronavirus; the election of a new American and Israeli President; and the formation of an unusual Israeli governing coalition that brought us a 49-year-old leader of a 6-member Knesset party Naftali Bennett, as Prime Minister succeeding the 12-year reign of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Sadly, it appears that there is little likelihood for Palestinian recognition of the Jewish State, nor a return to negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians which would lead to a Palestinian state, leaving few prospects for peace between our two peoples. The previously quiet mixed Jewish and Palestinian-Israeli cities erupted into violence, pitting irate young Palestinians against extremist/racist Jewish Israeli lynch mobs roaming the streets of Lod, Acco, and Bat Yam.

As the violence quelled, the new government was sworn in and the bureaucracy got to work facing its many challenges repairing relationships and rejuvenating the economy. And we here in the Diaspora set in for our own challenges.

“Did you hear???” that over 90 rabbinical and cantorial students wrote an anti-Israel letter in the Forward!” exclaimed an exasperated senior rabbi of a large Reform congregation. Similar calls, emails, and texts came in from members of our Movement, journalists, Israeli diplomats, and Israeli Reform Jews. Some were up in arms, shocked, and in anguish, but for others, the letter resonated.

As the responses poured in (see: here, here, and here just to offer a few), the discourse, outrage, and moral reckoning with Israel were ever-present. Some demanded to expel the students from their respective seminaries, and some said we ought to listen to their “prophetic” voices.

Rather than instigate the awakening that their letter allegedly called for, the letter had the opposite effect. Instead of people pouring into the streets to protest against Israeli policy (like many did last summer in support of Black Lives Matter) and express sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians, many felt betrayed by the letter’s authors and responded with scorn and vitriol. The students declared: “We can only make change when we replace our watered-down prayers for peace with tears of heartbreak.” The letter created heartbreak– but not the way the students intended.

The letter, and the storm it created, reflect a microcosm of the Jewish community at large in its discourse over Israel, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the tensions between Jewish particularism versus our commitment to upholding universal values, ideals, and principles.

While this is not the first debate in our community about these larger issues, it feels more pressing now than ever before. The increasingly extremist discourse on social media has reached new levels of toxicity, and few “clickers” and “sharers” understand the challenging context in which they are engaging.

On the eve of our New Year, I invite us all to focus not on the glaring ways we are divided but to look for the common values we share and then work together for both Israel’s sake and our own sake as North American Reform Jews.

In today’s world, we are often called upon to hold at least two truths simultaneously. As Reform Jews, we proudly champion our particularist values of Jewish identity, pride, self-preservation, defense, and the right to be a free people in our ancestral Homeland. And as Reform Jews, we also affirm universalist values. Both particularism and universalism are based on our liberal understanding of Torah and Jewish tradition.

When future Jewish leaders fail to express empathy for and solidarity with fellow Jews and fail to understand the requisite importance of Israel’s security and right to self-defense, we ought to be alarmed. And we should also be alarmed when our current leaders fail to express sympathy with innocent Palestinian victims and fail to recognize basic Palestinian national rights.

Let us strive to find common ground as Jews, regardless of our political positions, by championing both universal values (e.g. the sanctity of human life) and our people’s particular interests as supporters of Israel?

So many young North American Jewish adults, rabbinical and cantorial students, and graduates of our camps and Israel programs cite “Jewish values” of truth, justice, and simply “doing the right thing” as their rationale for their critique of, protest against, and withdrawal from Israel. This speaks volumes and ought to worry all of us who care about both Israel and our liberal Jewish values. It says that we have been successful on the one hand in inculcating in our young people universal humanistic values based on prophetic teachings. But we have failed to instill commensurate pride, a sense of ownership and belonging, and a mature nuanced connection to the people and the State of Israel. Many in the progressive camp were utterly displeased with the election of President Trump and with his administration’s policies, and so they did not turn away but rather they protested, resisted, engaged, and spoke out. It ought to be no different with regard to our engagement with Israel.

I suggest that we adopt a more expansive approach that enables our deeper attachment to and relationship with both the Zionist dream and the reality of Israel – perhaps in ways similar to the “American dream” and the reality of the United States.

In 1931, the historian and author James Truslow Adams wrote in his book  The Epic of America: “Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” regardless of social class or circumstances of birth.

The Zionist Dream transcends political party identification and partisan ideology. Reframing our discussion in terms of the Zionist Dream allows us to forgo simplistic binary reductionism. It prevents us, on the one hand, from dismissing as “antisemitic” those who disagree with us if they renounce Zionism in left-wing circles or and, on the other hand, from dismissing as “colonialists” if those who eschew blind support for Israeli right-wing policies in occupied territories.

Our Zionist dream is about wrestling with the reality of Israel as we confront today’s challenges and embrace the complexities.

The psychiatrist Dr. M. Scott Peck once advised that we ought to:

“…abandon the urge to simplify everything, to look for formulas and easy answers, and to begin to think multidimensionally, to glory in the mystery and paradoxes of life, not to be dismayed by the multitude of causes and consequences that are inherent in each experience — to appreciate the fact that life is complex.”

The challenge here is for us to bring nuance and to offer multiple perspectives that enable people (from religious school students to adults) to make informed decisions and arrive at educated opinions. Our goal should be, in the words of Rabbi Donniel Hartman:

“We can support Israel in living up to its ideals by helping those already highly connected and committed to Israel grapple with its challenges—and shortcomings—head-on. Likewise, we can help all those troubled by some of Israel’s actions to cultivate an enduring and meaningful connection with an imperfect country living in challenging times.”

When we read Parashat Nitzavim this week (and again for many of us on Yom Kippur) we understand this moment in time when we stand together before the Creator.

“אַתֶּ֨ם נִצָּבִ֤ים הַיּוֹם֙ כֻּלְּכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֖י יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם רָאשֵׁיכֶ֣ם שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֗ם זִקְנֵיכֶם֙ וְשֹׁ֣טְרֵיכֶ֔ם כֹּ֖ל אִ֥ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃”

 “You stand this day, all of you, before Adonai your God—your tribal heads, your elders and your officials, all the people of Israel…” (Deuteronomy 29:9)

 As we stand together as Klal Yisrael (the totality of the people of Israel) we can find common ground in the importance of connecting to and supporting the people and the State of Israel. As a collective, we cannot shy away from the pressing issues in Israel and abroad. If we want to be taken seriously, we cannot ignore:

The Occupation – Israel’s military rule over the territories conquered in 1967 and the Palestinian people who live there. It is an occupation that was meant to be temporary, but after 54 years no longer appears to be.

The Ultra-Orthodox Monopoly on Judaism in the Jewish State – That Judaism in the democratic State of Israel is run by the Ultra-Orthodox monopoly which does not allow for official recognition of non-Orthodox streams and Movements, neither allowing for freedom of religion nor freedom from religion.

Let us find common ground by supporting and building on the achievements of our Reform Movement.

In March 2021, the Israeli High Court of Justice ruled that people who convert to Judaism in Israel through the Reform and Conservative Movements will be recognized as Jews for the purpose of the “Law of Return” and are thus entitled to Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return.

If up until now the doors of Israel were open to anyone born Jewish or who converted abroad in a recognized community in either Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist, or Reform conversions, now those doors will be open to anyone born Jewish or who converted in Israel as well in an Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform ceremony.

“Israel must have complete equality of rights for all streams of Judaism – Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative,” said then Opposition Leader and current Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid, “We all need to live here together with tolerance and mutual respect.”

The Israel Religious Action Center of Reform Jewry praised the High Court’s ruling in a letter on its website as nothing less than “official recognition by the Israeli government of the vital role Reform and Conservative Jews play in the religious life of the Jewish State.”

This court victory will reverberate beyond the handful of claimants who were in legal limbo for over a decade. The recognition of Reform and Conservative conversions in Israel symbolizes the first major crack in the 74-year stronghold on Religion and State set by the Status-Quo agreement that David Ben Gurion and the Agudath Yisrael agreed to prior to the establishment of the State.

Just weeks after this landmark victory we celebrated another victory in the election of Rabbi Gilad Kariv to Israel’s Knesset. Landing 4^th on the Labor party’s list, MK Kariv now chairs the influential Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee, and is the first Reform rabbi to hold elected office in the State of Israel. MK Kariv’s mere presence has incurred the wrath of the Haredi parties, and already in a few short months, he has made major waves.

Our Movement is doing serious work in paving the way for recognition of Reform [and other liberal streams of] Judaism. We are also working towards a shared society between Jewish and Palestinian-Israelis, and actively working to combat racism in Israel.

In his landmark 1953 essay, Israeli Professor Ernst (Akiva) Simon wrote:

“Toward this end, there must be a renewal of the spirit of prophetic criticism. That spirit was not the special property of the era of the prophets: it belongs to all of us who are heirs to their words and students of their message. The prophets of Israel sought to enlist all of life, beginning with social relations and ending with foreign policy, under the banner of holiness.”

Remember, the Prophets were embedded in their communities. Fleeting prophets or outside voices rarely get heard. So, if all politics are local, then it’s upon us to support the institutions, NGOs, and activists on the ground with whom we agree and who are making a difference, and to get involved in helping to bring about positive change in partnership with Israelis.

We also have to listen to each other.

Being dogmatic and dismissive no longer works. If we want others to listen to us, we must listen to them even when it challenges us and makes us uncomfortable. The Talmud helps us to understand this role:

“אַף אַתָּה עֲשֵׂה אׇזְנֶיךָ כַּאֲפַרְכֶּסֶת וּקְנֵה לְךָ לֵב מֵבִין לִשְׁמוֹעַ אֶת דִּבְרֵי מְטַמְּאִים וְאֶת דִּבְרֵי מְטַהֲרִים אֶת דִּבְרֵי אוֹסְרִין וְאֶת דִּבְרֵי מַתִּירִין אֶת דִּבְרֵי פוֹסְלִין וְאֶת דִּבְרֵי מַכְשִׁירִין ” ~(חגיגה ג’ ע”ב)

“So too you, the student, make your ears like a funnel and acquire for yourself an understanding heart to hear both the statements of those who render objects ritually impure and the statements of those who render them pure; the statements of those who prohibit actions and the statements of those who permit them; the statements of those who deem items invalid and the statements of those who deem them valid.

~ Hagigah 3b

We can continue to regard those who challenge us, such as the authors and signatories of the rabbinical and cantorial student letter, as null and void, and call for their expulsion. But that’s not going to change their views or make them go away.

So, where can we find common ground?

Let me offer a few suggestions on how to think about the challenge of Israel in contemporary Jewish life and where we can make common cause on what’s important and where we can make a difference:

1. As Jews, we can love, feel connected to, and be in close relationship with Israel and at the same time abhor policies that we believe violate fundamental human and civil rights.

2. Context is everything. Anyone can be critical of Israel. In a democracy, every aspect of society is open to critique. It’s easy to share a meme, an Instagram post, a simplified slogan, but responsibly sharing educated and sophisticated criticism requires knowledge and understanding. The challenge is to criticize in context. Let us commit, this year, to familiarize ourselves with the issues, the history, and the context (neither IDF service nor a Ph.D. is required) and internalize the context of our critique? This won’t make the issue about which we are critical go away, but we might discover interesting things along the way.

3. Try to see yourself as part of the larger Zionist and Israeli narrative. Israel needs us, and we need Israel. If you can, go to Israel, and try and learn the language. See with your own eyes what Israel’s reality is instead of relying only on the subjective reports of others. Immerse yourself in Israeli society and culture. Bring with you the traditions, customs, and values that you learned in your community. Israel is a lush and colorful tapestry of stories, customs, ethnicities, languages, and cultures – many of them are Jewish and some not. Weave your yarn into its fabric and see yourself in the beauty of it all when you step back.

“Let us hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, And your face is beautiful” (Song of Songs 2:14).

The 20th-century philosopher Simon Rawidowicz pushed this notion:

“The Diaspora of Israel must build the State of Israel with all its strength … and the State must recognize the Diaspora as of equal value, and an equally responsible co-builder and co-creator of all Jewish life.”

On the eve of the New Year, I ask you to commit to three things:

1. Study and Education: Will you read two books on Israel this year? One, by someone with whom you might disagree? Join our Zionist Beit Midrash to engage in the ideas around Israel, Zionism, and Jewish Peoplehood.
2. Support our Movement: Will you join ARZA and become an overseas member of an Israeli congregation?
3. Will you find a project that can bring people together across the ideological and political divide? Find the common ground on which multiple generations and a diversity of viewpoints can agree and work together (e.g., Eco-Zionism, the environment and the Shmita year, our Movement’s shared society projects, our humanitarian aid work with Keren B’Kavod, Kibbutz Lotan’s sustainability work, and more…)

Make this year the year of learning, engagement, and of building community around our shared and sacred values. כי אם לא עכשיו אימתי, because “if not now, when?”

Shanah Tovah U’Metukah,

Josh