Israel

One of the central objectives of Israel education is to generate among learners of all ages a passion about Israel and to cultivate within them a sense of personal attachment with the country and its people. Israel as a multi-dimensional, dynamic and constantly evolving idea and reality provides a flexible and rich set of entry points into Jewishness, Jewish identity and Jewish community for our members. The use of a multitude of such diverse entry points is integral to our shared congregational mission.

NEW! Read this article from Moment Magazine about Rabbi Miri Gold's fight for government recognition of Reform rabbi's in Israel. The first paragraph is excerpted below. Click on the link for the full article.

 Taxation Without Representation
As Miri Gold sees it, her fight is not about a paycheck but religious freedom in Israel. Ever since David Ben-Gurion granted the Orthodox Rabbinate a legal monopoly over Jewish religious life in exchange for their support of a Jewish state, only Orthodox rabbis have qualified for government salaries. Gold, an energetic Reform rabbi in a bright blue kippah, says she too deserves a paycheck and has taken her battle all the way to the Israeli Supreme Court. "If Israel wants to be a Jewish state, it must be democratic," she says. "People should have freedom of religion as stated in Israel's Declaration of Independence."

Links to Israeli newspaper websites:

• http://www.haaretz.com
  
• http://www.ynetnews.com
  
• http://www.jpost.com

 

image courtesy of freestockphotos.com