In a rare public rebuke of the Israeli government, the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Board of Governors on Tuesday criticized two coalition-backed bills —  legislation that strikes at the heart of issues central to Diaspora Jews —  that are being considered by the Knesset. One would effectively criminalize egalitarian and women-led prayer at the Western Wall, and the other would reject non-Orthodox conversions to Judaism for the purpose of immigration to Israel. 

The bills “could undermine Jewish pluralism and weaken the Jewish people,” the Board of Governors said in a statement.

The Jewish Agency’s board, which includes representatives from around the world and across the political and denominational spectrum, met this week to review the organization’s work and approve its activities for the next 12 months. On Monday, the board also visited Jewish Agency projects throughout the country and attended the cornerstone-laying ceremony for a new 1,000-unit housing project in the Western Negev. 

On Tuesday, the board reconvened in Tel Aviv for final discussions and a closing plenary. Afterward, the organization released its statement opposing the two pieces of legislation and calling for “respectful and responsible public discourse in Israel and throughout the Jewish world, emphasizing the importance of mutual respect even in times of disagreement.”

The Jewish Agency, as a semigovernmental organization, maintains a close relationship with the Israeli government, with which it regularly collaborates, negotiates and cooperates. To that end, the group tends to refrain from criticizing particular individuals or pieces of legislation, instead speaking in more general terms. 

Two exceptions have historically been the prayer arrangements at the Western Wall and aliyah — two areas in which the Jewish Agency has historically played a central role. 

A new bill currently being discussed in the Knesset’s  Constitution, Law and Justice Committee would alter the Protection of Holy Places Law, which forbids the “desecration” of places like the Western Wall, by defining “desecration” as any action in violation of the Chief Rabbinate’s rulings; this would include egalitarian and women-led prayers and would be punishable by up to seven years in prison. The law would also apply to the egalitarian plaza where mixed-gender prayer is currently permitted. 

“In consonance with the recently adopted Resolution 5 of the 39th World Zionist Congress, we call on the Knesset to reject any attempt to criminalize egalitarian prayer at the Kotel, and to uphold recent Supreme Court decisions to provide full access and equal quality of experience to the Egalitarian Kotel platform,” the Jewish Agency said. 

“In that same spirit, we urge the current and future Knesset to reject any attempt to change the status quo regarding the Law of Return,” it said.

This was in reference to another bill, sponsored by Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, that would amend the Law of Return, which largely determines who is eligible for Israeli citizenship and defines “who is a Jew” as anyone with a Jewish mother or who has converted to Judaism. Rothman’s amendment would add the condition that the person would have had to convert “according to halacha,” or Jewish law, specifically an Orthodox interpretation of Jewish law. This would overturn the current understanding of the law, which recognizes Reform and Conservative conversions as legitimate for immigration purposes (even as Israel’s Chief Rabbinate does not recognize them for the purposes of marriage and other religious ceremonies). 

In its statement, the Jewish Agency noted that Israel is gearing up for national elections, which are widely expected to be divisive in Israel.

Citing a line from the Book of Proverbs — “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” — the Jewish Agency stressed the importance of maintaining responsible and respectful public discourse.

“This type of discourse expresses mutual dignity even in times of disagreement and serves as a vital source of strength in our ability to stand as one people against the threats and challenges we face, both internal and external,” the organization said. “Only by preserving the unity of the Jewish people, while honoring the differences and diversity within it, can we continue to strengthen the deep bond between Israel and world Jewry.”