Israeli Reform Rabbi Miri Gold now on Par with Male Orthodox Rabbis

We are living in historic times, especially as we look for an expansion of pluralistic Judaism in Israel and the continued rights of Jewish women in Israel.

The Times of Israel reports,

In a historic move for pluralistic Judaism in Israel, Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has adopted a recommendation that would allow non-Orthodox rabbis to receive state funding, in response to a 2005 petition by American-born Reform Rabbi Miri Gold and the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) to the High Court. 

Although the justices have not yet handed down their verdict, which is expected in the next few days, Weinstein’s approval of Gold’s petition marks the first time a non-Orthodox rabbi has been deemed deserving of a government salary by the State of Israel, which heretofore has only recognized Orthodox Judaism. 

Anat Hoffman, the executive director of IRAC, greeted the news with great enthusiasm: “I think we are alive in a historic moment,” she enthused, “The first olah from Detroit [to become a rabbi] … the first non-Orthodox rabbi to be recognized by the state of Israel — Miri Gold — has made history. And it is high time that the state recognized that its citizens have a diversity of religious needs that cannot be met only by Orthodox Judaism.” 

Gold, the rabbi of Kibbutz Gezer, midway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, petitioned the Supreme Court seven years ago asking that she receive a state salary for her work as a municipal rabbi. Although Gold’s Orthodox colleagues receive a salary funded by Israeli taxpayers for their duties, the Gezer rabbi was paid privately, meaning her congregants were forced to pay twice for her services. 

Hoffman elaborated: “Every Israeli citizen pays for religious services from his tax money; there is no reason why Reform or Conservative Jews should have to pay privately for something that should be paid from public funds. And Israelis hate to be suckers.”
Local councils provide religious services for their residents using government funds, but non-Orthodox clergy members were not welcome on the municipal committees, nor did they receive a state salary. 

Earlier this week, in another historic victory for the Reform movement, Rabbi Alona Lisitsa took her seat on Mevasseret Zion’s religious council, as ordered by the High Court of Justice. Lisitsa was named to the local council in 2009, but the Religious Affairs Ministry delayed approving her appointment until the court made its decision, according to media reports.

ARZA, the Reform Israel Fund, released this statement:

"Miri's success is success for all of us. With patience and perseverance, we will build an inclusive democratic Israeli society," said Rabbi Daniel Allen, Executive Director of ARZA; The Reform Israel Fund. ARZA is the major American Reform Movement funder of the Israel Religious Action Center, an arm of the Israel Reform Movement, that brought the case to court six years ago. "Israel's Declaration of Independence guaranteed religious freedom, it has to be that this freedom is for all Israeli's, Jewish as well as Christian and Muslim. This decision brings us closer to the day where this will be the reality in Israel rather than the ideal." 

The ruling in this case follows other successes by the Israel Religious Action Center including the placement of a Reform Rabbi in Mevasseret on the Religious Council there, the finding that forced gender segregation on public transportation is discrimination and prohibited, and the allocation of pre-fab units to non-Orthodox congregations for synagogue buildings.

May this significant decision portend to the continued nurturing of a native Israeli Progressive Judaism that speaks to Israelis of all backgrounds and includes them in the warmth and light of Progressive Judaism.

Four Funerals and a Memorial Day

This week we are burying four people: a young husband/father/brother, four days later his 80 year old father, a woman with significant challenges, and a woman who struggled with dementia. These brief identifiers do little to describe the vibrant lives and loves that animated the people who died. Each life was full; each loss is painful. Each family will remember warm memories as they walk the long paths of mourning.

Mourning Jewish Soldiers among all American Soldiers
As these individual families prepare to bury their loved ones, we as an American nation observe Memorial Day, a day to remember all those who lost their lives in defense of our country. How do we remember them? Countless individuals have given their lives.

Over email, one may receive a listing of soldiers who died each week. It contains sparse information - a name, rank, hometown. The list is lacking the stories and details that animated the person behind the name. Recently, the National Museum of American Jewish Military History published a list of Jewish soldiers who lost their lives in recent conflicts. Perhaps you will pause for a moment and read each name, ensuring that our Jewish brothers and sisters are recognized - a least in our hearts - for their sacrifice.

A Prayer for Memorial Day
The prayer below, written by Rabbi Matt Friedman and originally published on the RJ.org blog last year, may be read as you start or conclude your day.  You might read it before the big barbecue or your trip to the beach. Let us ask God to protect, heal and comfort those who serve. And let us, by praying, raise our own awareness, sense of responsibility, and appreciation for those who defend our country.

Eloheinu v’Elohei avoteinu v’imoteinu – Our God and God of our ancestors,
Watch over those who defend our nation.
Shield them from harm and guide them in all their pursuits.
Grant their commanders wisdom and discernment in their time of preparation and on the battlefield.
Should battle erupt may their victory be swift and complete. 

May the loss of life for any of your creations be avoided.
Grant healing to those who are wounded and safe redemption to those who fall into enemy hands.
For those who have lost their lives, grant consolation and
Your presence to those who were close to them. 

We also ask that you stand with our President and all our military leaders.
Guide them in their decision making so that Your will is implanted within their minds.
May it be Your will that world hostilities come to a rapid end
And that those in service are returned safely to their families. 

We pray that freedom will dawn for the oppressed and
Fervently we hope that the vision of Your prophet will come to be,
“Let nation not lift up sword against nation nor learn war anymore.”
May this vision come to pass speedily and in our day, Amen.

Learn more about how you can support the men and women in our armed forces by visiting the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism’s Support Our Troops page.

If I Didn't Know It was a Mosque, I Would Have Sworn I Just Walked into My Temple

They greeted us at the steps to the social hall, smiling warmly and asking us each to put on a name tag. Handshakes around, introductions made, we were conveyed up the steps. Each family was ushered forward by a host. The kids disappeared quickly. Girls went down to the climbing bars and swings; boys were swept up into a pick up basketball game. We ate delicious food, prepared with special attention to Jewish dietary requirements. We shmoozed (talked to one another), which began the process of building relationships between the two groups - Muslims and Jews. Imam Ahmed Patel and Rabbis Paul Kipnes and Julia Weisz shared values and ideals from the two traditions, Islam and Judaism. Touched by the warmth, the food, and the communal caring, one Or Ami congregant reflected, “If I didn't know it was a Mosque, I would have sworn I just walked into our synagogue.”

Over 125 Jews and Muslims gathered at the Islamic Center of Conejo Valley (ICCV) as part of an intentional process of developing relationships between our two communities. Congregation Or Ami’s group, led by Kevin Palm and Vice President Marina Mann, brought young and older together for Sunday evening dinner. We share a few reflections from Or Ami members on the experience:

Vice President and co-Convener Marina Mann comments:

Our April 29th gathering was a really momentous and exciting occasion for about 70 people from Congregation Or Ami. We attended an amazing evening at the Islamic Center of the Conejo Valley where we were welcomed with open arms to join them for an evening of food, conversation, and general getting to know one another. They were so gracious and really helped us realize that the similarities between our two religions are really greater than our differences. 

Both Rabbi Paul Kipnes and Rabbi Julia Weisz and their families attended and were invited to address the crowd. The Imam Ahmed Patel did so too, leading us in a prayer before the meal and beautifully explaining the significance of what was said. After the meal and discussion, we were invited to join them to observe one of their evening prayer sessions. Here too, everything was explained to us. 

Soon, we will be reciprocating by having families from the Islamic Center come to Or Ami to “break bread together.” We also plan on organizing some joint social action projects where we can work side by side to help change the world.

Co-convener Kevin Palm reflects:

I am still so impressed that we got over 125 Jews and Muslims together for dinner! The folks at the Islamic Center of Conejo Valley were so gracious and open. My wife Robin and I shared our table with two Muslim moms. Each of us shared what it is like to be either Muslim or Jewish in America. The Muslim women shared the challenges of being Muslim and raising their kids in America, especially post-9/11. They expressed how even certain teachers say things in their kids’ classrooms that are disparaging towards Muslims and Islam. 

Robin and I were able to share that up until the 1960s-1970s, being Jewish in America was a tough slog too. Housing and country clubs excluded Jews, and it was difficult for Jews to get hired by certain companies. Through the Civil Rights Act amongst other things, the views of Jews began to change. While anti-Semitism still exists in America, there is a lot less of it than years ago. We acknowledged through the work we are doing together that we can help spread the word that being Muslim does not mean being a terrorist. 

While not directly expressed, it can be said that our Jewish families and the Muslim families are doing our best to raise good children who can help improve our world, especially if we can work toward all getting along and understanding each other better. These Muslim hosts did not consider Jews as being a minority in America, which we thought was interesting. We were able to share that we still are very much a minority. This comment led to a dialogue about influence by the media and how Jews have done well in this area, while American Muslims are still learning how to get their message out. 

Finally, I heard an interesting definition of jihad from our friend Azhar. He said jihad means "to struggle,” as in struggling to be a good Muslim while still being human. It sounded similar to what Yisrael means as “one who struggles with the concept of G-d.”

Or Ami President Lucille Shalometh Goldin writes:

We have heard our Rabbis say that we are all God's children. I really felt the power of those words as I walked into the Islamic Center and was greeted by their members with the same warm welcoming smiles that we at Or Ami show when we greet those who walk through our doors. 

Muslims and Jews sat around tables talking as people. To the outside world our beliefs may seem very different. Still, the more we spoke about raising our children and what we wanted for them and how we wanted them to treat others, to help less fortunate, and to treat their neighbors, we began to realize that we were more similar than different. We were a room of parents and neighbors, a community with hopes and dreams for our children and families. The warmth and laughter in the room was contagious. Like in our Jewish culture, they welcome guests over a good meal so there was a beautiful spread of delicious food awaiting us. No one left hungry! Following our dinner we went down to the Mosque’s prayer space to observe them in prayer, a very peaceful ritual that is done five times a day. 

We left the Islamic Center, promising to have our hosts back to Or Ami and of course to serve them a meal in our synagogue home and having them experience one of our services. We are all most excited about doing a joint social action project for our community which involves our kids too. This event was one I will not soon forget!

Past President Susan Gould shares:

Our dinner at the Islamic Center of Conejo Valley was so wonderful. It felt like Congregation Or Ami (with headscarves instead of yarmulkes). The hosts could not have been more welcoming, delightful and open. As I was getting around, I had a conversation with Laila at the table next to ours. She and Or Ami member Cyndi Friedman had been talking about intermarriage and how parents would feel if their children married out of the faith. My new friend Diana and the rest of our table discussed tolerance (and intolerance), prejudice, and our goals for raising well adjusted children. 

The Imam and assistants at the Islamic Center were funny - it was reassuring to hear them speaking about everyday things (like food and Costco) the same way we do! We Jews and Muslims have so much more in common than the common misperception that “we are enemies” would lead you to believe. Yes, there are extremists on the Muslim side. But there are also intolerant extremists among Jews as well. Gatherings like this encourage the progressives on both sides of the Abrahamic divide to break bread and break barriers.

We have high hopes for the future as our two communities - the Islamic Center of the Conejo Valley and Congregation Or Ami - spend more time getting to know each other and helping to heal the divide.

Israeli National Baseball Team Competes for 2012 World Baseball Classic

Jews and Baseball: This from Fox Sports:

The Israeli national baseball team is several months away from the most significant tournament in its history: the November qualifier in Jupiter, Fla., at which a bid to the 2013 World Baseball Classic will be at stake. And Israel stands an excellent chance of emerging from a four-team field that includes France, South Africa and Spain.

The biggest reason: Team Israel could include a number of established major leaguers.

Israeli baseball officials are in the midst of perhaps the most intriguing roster selection process of any WBC nation. Israeli citizens who played baseball while growing up in the country certainly will account for a substantial portion of the roster. But other players will be Americans who meet the qualifications for Israel’s Law of Return — that is, having at least one Jewish grandparent or being married to someone with at least one Jewish grandparent.

While the roster is in its formative stages, Team Israel is assured of having recognizable faces in the dugout: Former big leaguers Brad Ausmus, Shawn Green and Gabe Kapler have agreed to serve on the field staff, sources told FOXSports.com, and already are assisting in the recruitment of players.

Ausmus will be named field manager of the team at a Wednesday press conference in Tel Aviv. Green and Kapler have expressed interest in serving as player/coaches. Green last appeared in the majors in 2007, Kapler in 2010. Mark Loretta, the two-time All-Star second baseman, and Andrew Lorraine may also serve on the coaching staff.

Ausmus, 43, was one of baseball’s brightest minds and top defensive catchers during an 18-year career that ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010. He’s currently a special assistant to San Diego Padres general manager Josh Byrnes, specializing in player development with a focus on catching.

Baseball observers have said for years that Ausmus could make a great major-league manager. But Ausmus said in a telephone interview with FOXSports.com that he doesn’t view his role with Team Israel as a stepping stone to a managerial career — nor does he plan on returning to a big-league dugout in the near future.

Ausmus said he’s involved with Team Israel for two reasons: He believes he will enjoy the chance to compete again without spending too much time away from his family; and he wants to pay tribute to the role his Jewish heritage had in his baseball career.

Ausmus, who is half Jewish, credits his mother, Lin Ausmus, and grandfather, Jack Dronsick, with instilling his passion for the game. Ausmus was born and raised in Connecticut and has vivid memories of his mother taking him to Fenway Park for Red Sox games.

“My mother and grandfather really were the ones who got me into baseball,” Ausmus said last week. “There’s such a rich tradition of baseball in American city centers like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, where Jewish families have passed on the love of baseball to generation after generation.

“In New York, for example, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say there are literally millions of Yankees fans of Jewish upbringing.”

Israeli baseball officials have coordinated with players and player agents in the U.S., as they work to expand the list of those eligible for the team. American players don’t have to become Israeli citizens in order to qualify; they merely have to prove they are eligible to do so. (Team Italy, which included a number of American-born big leaguers in the last WBC, has similar criteria: One must be able to get a passport, rather than have one in hand.)

Ausmus, who did not play in the ’06 or ’09 WBC, said he would have had a difficult time deciding if he had been approached by both Team USA and Team Israel for those tournaments — as may be the case this time for Jewish stars such as Ryan Braun and Ian Kinsler.

“I imagine this is going to be a tough decision for them,” Ausmus said. “If you’re born in the U.S., it would be an honor to play for your country. We’re certainly going to respect what each player decides.”

Ausmus acknowledged the timing of the tournament may be problematic for some players; it will likely require a two-week commitment in November, when many big leaguers are either resting from a postseason run or beginning their offseason workouts. But the possibility of big leaguers participating is sure to generate excitement for the team, both in Israel and the U.S.

On a larger scale, the expanded WBC should offer a gauge of how much the game has grown globally — not only in Israel, but countries like Brazil, the Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand and Thailand that also are trying to qualify for the first time.

“We’re going to find out a lot about where the sport is globally,” Ausmus said. “Baseball is in its infancy in a lot of these countries, but I think we should see how far it can go.”

Kvells Come From Chaverim, for Developmentally Disabled Adults

About 2 years ago, Congregation Or Ami opened its arms to Chaverim, a program for developmentally disabled adults age 18 to 88. In the months since we easily agreed to become Chaverim's Valley synagogue, we have enjoyed a harmonious relationship.

Rabbi Deborah Goldmann, the Chaverim program rabbi, wrote this note, reflecting upon our sacred relationship:

Dear Paul,
Thank you for making Chaverim feel so welcome at Or Ami. I was so impressed and awed by how inclusive and welcoming your community is that I can hardly stop talking about it. 

So I realized that I should share my thoughts with you too! 

• Having the space for our Chaverim Shabbat dinners. Dayeinu! (That would have been enough)
• Being made to feel welcome by our liaisons. Dayeinu!
• Being made to feel welcome by the ushers who greeted us with the same excitement that she greeted everyone else at Temple. Dayeinu!
• Seing one of our Chaverim members constantly changing seats in the sanctuary, asking all kinds of questions, and none of the other Or Ami members batting an eye about it. Dayeinu!
• Being welcomed into the community along with the other new temple members during services. Dayeinu! 

Any one of those things on their own would have been wonderful, but that your community did so much more is truly inspiring and awesome!  

I love working with Chaverim but much of what we do is on our own. Thank you and thanks to Or Ami, I now know what inclusion looks like.   

Looking forward to many wonderful years together.  Thank you for all you do! 

For Congregation Or Ami, inclusiveness has always been a primary value of our community. Our website speaks directly to how openly we welcome people with disabilities, multiracial and multiethnic individuals and families, interfaith couples and families, LGBT individuals and families and others. It is not such a special thing, because isn't that what a community is supposed to be like?

To Be a Jew: What It Means

To be a Jew is to be intrinsically aware of what happens in the world, and to remain focused even as the bright shiny objects (eg. the news story of the hour) float past. 

To be a Jew is to remain focused on significant life and life-threatening issues, even when they fail to attract the world's attention. 

To be a Jew is to be an upstander, one who steps up to say Henayni - here I am - when the world would rather return to its slumber. 

These days the Jew remains vigilant. In addition to very significant (often overwhelming) concerns about the financial state of our country and the world, we Jews still endeavor to keep the attention of the world focused on two overarching threats:

Nuclear Iran: The prospect of a nuclear Iran should send shivers up our spines. As Americans - as much as being Jews - we recognize the threat a nuclear Iran would be in terms of strategic, democratic, economic, and human/women rights issues. So please...

• Read 5 Reasons why Americans should be very concerned about a Nuclear Iran.
• Then join me for an exclusive briefing on A Nuclear Iran: Global Threats to the United States and Israel on Thursday, May 24 at 7:00 pm at Congregation Or Ami. RSVP to Patti Wolfson (or call 818-652-2083).  

Ending Genocide: The continued use of genocide as a tool of power and control should cause each of us - Jews especially - to stand up and act. We, who lost a third of our people in the Holocaust and whose mantra is "Never Again!", know that actions speak louder than words. Congregation Or Ami joins hundreds of other individuals, synagogues and organizations for the Walk to End Genocide, this Sunday, May 20th. Let your voice be heard in one of three ways: 

• Sign up to walk with Team Congregation Or Ami
• Donate $5-$75 as a virtual walker on the walk. You may sponsor our team by clicking here. 
• Do both - walk and donate. 
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Our Torah teaches, Lo ta'amod al dam rei-acha - do not stand idly by. By remaining aware and vigilant, by showing up to make our voice heard, we Jews and Jewish families help bring safety and security to our people Israel, to our country America, and to the world.  

Read Walking to End Genocide from Years Past. 

5 Reasons Why a Nuclear Iran Threatens America

Nuclear Iran Threatens America