To contact our clergy study, please call 212-508-3000.
Dear Congregants,
Though I remain on summer Sabbatical until August, I felt it important to share with you the following message from the Union for Reform Judaism regarding recent events in Israel that threaten the legitimacy of our movement.
Many of you have met or know of Anat Hoffman and her courageous work on behalf of Reform Judaism and our founding principles. We thought that the debate over non-Orthodox conversions, especially those finalized outside of Israel, had been quieted and that an agreement had been reached. Sadly it seems not to be so.
Please express your thoughts on this matter in the ways indicated below.
On a separate note, our staff members are now in the process of making reminder phone calls to all congregants about important High Holy Days deadlines. You should be receiving one of these calls in the next week or so.
I look forward to seeing you in September,
Rabbi Peter J. Rubinstein
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Dear Friend,
Emergency is not too strong a word. This week, despite commitments to the contrary, the Israeli Knesset is considering legislation that would fundamentally change the Law of Conversion and further concentrate power with the Chief Rabbinate. The bill would give the Chief Rabbinate exclusive oversight of all conversion matters, putting non-Orthodox conversions performed abroad at risk, and greatly limiting the options available to Israelis and olim (immigrants to Israel) wishing to convert or in need of ‘official’ recognition. Sadly, this happened within hours of the arrest of Anat Hoffman (Director of the Israel Religious Action Center and Founder of Women of the Wall) for praying at the Western Wall with a Torah scroll, yet another reminder that non-Orthodox Jews don’t enjoy the same religious freedom in Israel that we do in North America.
It is critical that Prime Minister Netanyahu hear a loud and clear message from Diaspora Jewry that further alienation of non-Orthodox Jews goes against our deeply held beliefs in Klal Yisrael and creates a dangerous rift between Israel and world Jewry at a time when the relationship between North America and Israel is so vital. We urge you to contact the Prime Minister as soon as possible and share your concern over the future of religious freedom in Israel, the character of the Jewish State, and the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora.
The Union for Reform Judaism, along with our Reform counterparts in Israel and affiliates around the world, will be closely monitoring the legislation over the next few days. We are prepared to take any action at our disposal necessary to prevent passage of this bill. We’ve dispatched senior members of the Union’s staff to join with Rabbi Daniel Allen, ARZA Executive Director, in Israel to personally meet with members of the Knesset and convey to them the significance of this matter. At the same time, our Israeli and international Reform communities are mobilizing as well to convey their concern.
Your email and support are essential to our success. For more information on this issue you can visit http://urj.org/israel/rotem. We hope you will join us in this cause.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Eric Yoffie - President
Peter Weidhorn - Chairman of the Board
