By Rabbi Daniel Allen
Rosh Hashanah 5778 should be an opportunity for liberal Jewish services to be free and available across the length and breadth of Israel: from concert halls to beaches and from kibbutzim to the Knesset. Taking various forms, these Rosh Hashanah experiences and services should be made available to the people of Israel by a coalition of the Reform and Conservative/Masorti movements. Our goal should be to provide a thousand opportunities – reflecting to Israeli society what creating an inclusive Jewish community truly means.
Regardless of what the organized Jewish community including federations, the Jewish Agency and others choose to do on the political front with the Israeli government, what is really needed is an expression of love from the Diaspora to the Jews of Israel. This Rosh Hashana can and should be a start of a newly energized expression of that love.
We are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves, to love God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our might. Nowhere is it said that we are commanded to agree on how we choose to express these commands.
The actions of the Government of Israel regarding our wall and the conversion bill are acts of hate not love. They are acts of political ego that will harm Israel. The irony is that these actions are carried out, at least in part, by Jews who do not support Israel as a Jewish let alone a Zionist or democratic state.
To be successful this year, Yom Ha’Truah needs to be a grand coalition of all arms of the Reform and Conservative/Masorti movements. The people of Israel do not generally concern themselves with the distinctions which we make among ourselves within these movements nor should we at this turning point moment.
A serious effort in Israel will require serious funding. We need a United Jewish Appeal throughout our movements. The original UJA played a major role in the development of the State of Israel, it’s social welfare system, and the ingathering of the exiles in partnership with the Jewish Agency for Israel. Now it is time for the new United Jewish Appeal, sponsored by the liberal Jewish movements, to provide the funding for the spiritual security of the Jews of Israel and by extension our own.
Each year the Israeli government, with taxpayer money, spends literally millions of dollars on the support of exclusionary Judaism. Each year the Israeli government, with taxpayer money, denies the legitimate rights of the variety of Jewish religious expressions through the official rabbinate’s control of Jewish status issues.
Through our movements, and with the contributions from federations and the Jewish Agency for Israel, a valiant effort has been made to support the variety of Jewish religious expression in Israel. Alas, our efforts over the past 25 years in real dollar terms amount to less than one year of Israeli taxpayer money spent to support exclusionary Judaism where many of whose adherents deny the legitimacy of the state from which they receive support
I urge the leadership of our American Reform and Conservative/Masorti movements to launch a campaign to fund a massive effort for Yom Ha’truah 5778. We need you to act along these lines or similar ones quickly, decisively, and together. Do not put your faith in princes, governments or other organizations.
If we are not for ourselves no one else will be for us. It is time to present to the people of Israel, through our Israeli movements and supported by us, a massive demonstration of love for them and their ability for Jewish self-expression. It is time that Yom Truah will usher in a new year of liberal Jewish community building in Israel, a new year that will bring Israel closer to fulfilling the promise of its Declaration of Independence:
“THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles….. it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture” for all its inhabitants.
Rabbi Daniel Allen is the Executive Vice Chairman Emeritus of the United Israel Appeal. He served as a Senior Vice President of the Jewish Federations of North America, CEO of the Masorti Foundation and the Association of Reform Zionists of America.
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Reform Rabbi Daniel Allen said:
“Each year the Israeli government, with taxpayer money,
spends literally millions of dollars on the support of
“exclusionary Judaism.”
my personal response:
If you really oppose “exclusionary Judaism”, then you
must ban the reading of Tanach [the Jewish Bible],
because it is filled with “exclusionary Judaism.”
Some quick examples:
[1] When the revelation at Mount Sinai occurred, the only witnesses were Jews, also known as Israelites. The revelation at Mount Sinai was not witnessed by even a single Gentile.
[2] G_d commanded that He be worshipped with a system of sacrifices that excluded everyone from sacrificial rituals except for the male descendents of Aaron and the male descendents of Levi. On the Temple Mount, there was a sign, written in Greek, that warned all Gentiles to stay away from the Temple. A few decades ago, this sign was actually found intact by archeologists!
[3] According to Biblical teachings, everyone is excluded from being a King of Israel, except for the male descendents of King Solomon, the son of King David.
[4] According to Biblical teachings, Gentiles who do not accept the Seven Noachide Laws may not permanently live anywhere in the Land of Israel.
[5] In the Biblical Book of Ezra, the non-Jewish wives of Jewish men, and the children born to them, were permanently expelled from the Land of Israel, without being offered an opportunity to convert to Judaism.
[6] Rashi commentary on Vayikra / Leviticus, chapter 20, verse 26:
“If you are separated from them [the Gentiles] [then] behold, you [plural] belong to Me [G_d];
and if not, [then] behold you [plural you] belong to Nebuchadnezzar and his associates.
[7] Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
CONCLUSION: You had better burn the Bible, because someone might actually read it. But don’t burn the Koran, because that would make you an politically-incorrect Islamo-phobe.
Excellent and timely piece!
Regrettably Mr. Cohen does not understand non-Orthodox Judaism. Perhaps he did not understand what Rabbi Allen wrote.
Right on! We must follow Danny’s call to arms. If not now, when?
Shalom Robert,
Re Mr. Cohen not understanding non Orthodox Judasim: would you please give me your “on one foot” understanding (other than that we already have from Hillel) of North American non Orthodox (NANO) Judaism? Specifically, would you please define the noun Jew and the adjective Jewish from the NANO perspective. In here, no one seems to be able to do this so perhaps you would/could shed some light.
Biv’racha,
Jordan