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IMPJ Newsletter
IMPJournal - December 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Address from the Reform and Progressive Leadership in Israel
Dear Friends, The month of Kislev brought with it moments of darkness with the arrest of a member of Women of the Wall group due to the fact that she choose to wear her Talit while praying at the Western Wall. However, as always in life, alongside darkness there is light. On the first Friday of Kislev we celebrated the ordination of 6 Progressive Rabbis, graduates of the Israel Rabbinic program at HUC-JIR |
Coexistence and Pluralism
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Lighting up Jaffa: IMPJ's "Mechina" Program Volunteer Work Honored by Tel Aviv Mayor
6 years of service in Jaffa, countless hours of community work, bringing joy and much needed help to all citizens of Jaffa- Jews, Arabs, Muslims, Christians, Ethiopian Olim, Labor immigrants, Children, Teens, Senior's and more; The city of Tel-Aviv-Jaffa recognized the IMPJ Mechina and awarded it for excellence in volunteering. Read More…. |
Jewish Progressive Renaissance in Modi'in
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Address from the Reform and Progressive Leadership in Israel
Dear friends, We are nearing the end of the month of Kislev, which has brought plenty of light but - as always – some darker moments. On the eve of the new month a member of the Women of the Wall group was arrested for the first time after putting on her tallit toward the end of the service in the Western Wall Plaza. At the time the woman was arrested, the group was holding a Sefer Torah donated by the Women of Reform Judaism at the recent biennial conference in Toronto. The arrest created a storm of protest in Israel and reverberated around the Jewish world. The Israeli media covered the incident in depth and countless public figures were quick to respond. Many connected the story of the arrest with the wider public debate that has been underway in Israel in recent months concerning the character of Jerusalem, efforts to enforce segregation between women and men in public, and the way the Western Wall site is managed. The IMPJ naturally played a prominent role in the public response to the arrest. Progressive rabbis, congregants, and youth movement members participated in various protest events held in Jerusalem. The highlight was a Hanukkah candle lighting at the Western Wall attended by organizations and movements that support religious pluralism in Israel. Many Israeli media reports quoted the Reform movement’s response to developments in Jerusalem, and Reform leaders – including Anat Hoffman, chair of Women of the Wall, were widely interviewed and had an opportunity to emphasize the grave ramifications of this incident. However, the most convincing response of Progressive Judaism in Israel to this sad incident may have been quite different. The day after the arrest at the Western Wall, six new rabbis were ordained – graduates of the Israeli Rabbinical Program at Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem. The six new rabbis join dozens of new rabbis ordained in recent years. The vast majority of the new rabbis are Israeli-born and graduates of the Israeli education system. Four of the newly-ordained rabbis are already serving Reform congregations around Israel, from the north of the country to the south. One woman rabbi is working to establish a center and community for people with special needs. The sixth of the new rabbis has been active for years in the field of pluralistic education and in Progressive education frameworks in Israel. The ordination took place in Jerusalem, overlooking the walls of the Old City. The most moving moment came when the new rabbis wrapped themselves in a tallit and stood by the open Holy Ark, ready to receive their blessing of ordination. The sight of four new women rabbis, together with two male colleagues, wrapped in a tallit is perhaps the best answer we can give to the arrest of a member of the Women of the Wall. These six new rabbis will wrap hundreds of young Jewish boys and girls in a tallit over the next few years as they run Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies; they will work with Israelis with special needs in moving moments of prayer and joy; they will expose thousands of school students to a tolerant, broad-minded Judaism. Through this work they inspire all of us here in Israel with great hope. More than any other festival, Hanukkah reminds us that the growth of light and the retreat of darkness take place bit by bit. Anyone who wishes to take part in the tasks we have taken on ourselves needs a healthy dose of patience. Together with the stories of the six new “candles” in the menorah of Progressive Judaism in Israel, this update also offers examples of ways in which we are bring light into Israeli society. We are proud of our role as a “shamash” that lights these candles around Israel, together with the Reform congregations. And as always, we thank you for your partnership and friendship. Happy Hanukkah! Rabbi Gilad Kariv Executive Director, Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism The city of Jaffa is characterized by its diversities; its residents include Jews from an extremely wide range of religious and ethnic backgrounds, Muslim and Christian Arabs and migrant laborers from around the world. In May 2007 Beit-Daniel congregation has opened the doors of Mishkenot Ruth Daniel, an educational center and guesthouse located in the center of Jaffa. This unique cultural center established in the spirit of Progressive Judaism consists of a modern youth hostel, ten classrooms, a synagogue, and a hall for lifecycle rituals (B’nai Mitzvah, weddings, and more). The building is located in the heart of Jaffa. A year ago, as a part of the effort to develop and empower the Reform presence in Jaffa, the Beit-Daniel congregation answered the call from the Tel-Aviv/Jaffa municipality and took responsibility and leadership over the local Weitzman elementary school. As a last resort, relying on the Daniel centers’ successful track record in running 15 kindergartens around the Tel Aviv area, the municipality of Tel Aviv/Jaffa turned to us, and asked if we were willing to step in and help.We did! The Daniel Education Center in Weitzman School Families, both Jewish and Arab, living in Weitzman elementary school district live in communities facing, poverty, and cultural tensions. The Weitzman school traditionally served the impoverished Jewish population of Jaffa. However, in the past decade, Jaffa's Arab population also began sending their children to Weitzman wishing to provide them with the same opportunities Jewish students enjoy. This recent influx of Arab children to the school, along with the existing challenges of a struggling population and the growing political tensions, has intensified the difficulties caused by differences in nationality, language, and identity. Such reality poses a multitude of problems for both the city and the school. Despite many efforts to maintain the school, the municipality of Tel Aviv/Jaffa declared several months ago that Weitzman must close because only two Jewish children were enrolled in next year’s kindergarten.As a last resort they have turned to Beit-Daniel congregation asking it to step in and help save the school. Based on its vast experience in running preschools and working with public elementary schools, Beit Daniel education department worked out a plan. A new curriculum was written to address the unique needs of this educational institute addressing both its Jewish and Arab students. This new curriculum helpsstrengtheningthe Jewish identity of the minority Jewish population while simultaneously providing pluralistic contentofferinga rich and engaging learning environment for all our students. By mid May 2009 we achieved what seemed inconceivable just weeks before: over 30 children, Jews and Arabs, have registered in Mishkenot Ruth for the Daniel Kindergarten that opened this past September 2009. Today our staff is busy implementing innovative new programming, working with the families, and quickly turning an idea into a reality.
For over 6 years the "Mechina", IMPJ's Pre-Army leadership training program, has been doing volunteer service in the neighborhoods of Jaffa in Tel Aviv. Over 150 alumni and present participants of the program have and are volunteering every week working with people from all walks of society, from children of labor immigrants in pre-schools and day cares to schools and after-school programs for children under welfare supervision, to youth clubs and senior citizens homes. Besides joining and empowering existing programs and organizations the Mechina has initiated several projects that have been running successfully for several years now- A learning center in a local library that supplies free learning assistance for over 50 children, a project targeted at senior citizens bringing weekly joy to over 400 senior citizens in Jaffa, activities during the Holidays (Chanukah, Purim and Pesach) and a joint after-school project in a local Elementary School in Jaffa that enables 40 children to be off the streets and in school 4 days a week until 17:00. After 6 years of service in Jaffa, countless hours of community work, bringing joy and much needed help to all citizens of Jaffa- Jews, Arabs, Muslims, Christians, Ethiopian Olim, Labor immigrants, Children, Teens, Senior's and more; The city of Tel-Aviv-Jaffa recognized the Mechina, along with 19 other individuals and organizations for its work over the years. Our representatives stood proud along with the others who do important and moving work in the city of Tel Aviv, receiving an award for excellence in volunteering. Currently there are 44 participants in the Mechina, each volunteering more than 15 hours a week, working in various programs- A pre-school for children of labor immigrants, 1 community health center, 3 kindergartens for children who are sent by order of the welfare services, 6 after school programs for Elementary school, 2 youth clubs, 1 learning center, 6 senior citizen homes. In addition the Mechina participants meet and mentor teenagers, Ethiopian immigrants and visit Holocaust survivors and are working on a major project for Chanukah called "Lighting up Jaffa" meant to bring joy and a smile to all citizens of Jaffa. With the help of local education and social services representatives who work closely with the Mechina, helping us to work within the system and to reach out to those who truly need it, the Mechina plans to continue and improve its community work and to be a major part of the texture and culture of Jaffa for years to come.
My name is Yossi Aud and I am the Executive Director of the YOZMA congregation. I wish to share with you my personal story which led me, a native Israeli, to become a part of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, a part of the YOZMA congregation and its educational outreach programs. My last name, Aud, is a Hebrew word meaning "firebrand", a piece of wood that underwent burning. In Isaiah 7:4 it says: "Do not be afraid… of those two smoking stubs of firebrands". Why are we called "Aud"? My father survived the holocaust. He was a 12 year old boy who suffered through the labor camp in Lodge, the death marches of Birkenau and Gunskirchen and the death camp Auschwitz.A surviving firebrand, my father reached Eretz Israel, but was captured by the British and put in a detention camp. He was later a soldier in the Israeli army and fought for the establishment and protection of Israel. As an Israeli child I was raised to believe, as did many others of my generation, that "God was extinguished in Auschwitz", together with my father's entire family. As far as I was concerned, being Jewish meant being Israeli and serving in a combat unit in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces). Nothing that related to Jewish values, symbols or heritage was legitimate in my opinion, especially not God. But a little over five years ago, as I was approaching age 46, through my son's Bar-Mitzvah aged friends; I encountered Congregation YOZMA in Modi'in and became acquainted for the first time in my life with its Jewish Progressive vision. I immediately felt I was returning home to my Judaism. In YOZMA I saw true leadership: civil, social, and religious leadership of volunteers headed by Rabbi Kinneret Shiryon and Rabbi Nir Barkin. This leadership has committed itself to bringing under the wings of Progressive Judaism Israelis of my generation and younger generations, who have distanced themselves from our Jewish heritage and rejected it as a legitimate part of life. I have since left my job in Jerusalem in order to become part of that Progressive Jewish movement that aspires to change Israeli society; that has reconnected to its Jewish heritage and takes it seriously, exposing and educating the next generation of Israelis from three years of age through adolescence. YOZMA was founded by young families who moved to the new city of Modi'in and were looking for a meaningful and high-quality preschool framework for their children. This group of devoted leaders established the first Reform preschool class. This class led to the development of a local Reform preschool system which then led to the development of a thriving congregation serving a broader range of age groups, needs and interests. YOZMA today is a Reform community whose rate of growth is 80 families per year, and which is anticipated to have 1,000 member families within five years. Six preschool classes now operate at YOZMA, and numerous programs and activities help to involve the families of these young children in ongoing Jewish celebration, study and experience. Four years ago we established the YOZMA elementary school as a direct extension of our preschools. Currently some 300 families are involved in the YOZMA education system. When talking about the vision of the YOZMA education system I would like to refer us all to the great words of David Ben Gurion:"To the extent that I know our youth, and it is excellent youth, it is very lacking in Jewish awareness, in knowledge of our historic heritage and in connection to world-wide Judaism. We must provide a curriculum what will fix this shortcoming without hurting other fields of study." (David Ben Gurion in a letter to Zalman Aran, 1955) The children of YOZMA's education system embark on a fascinating journey into their own souls and consciousness, while connecting to Jewish tradition and to the world. YOZMA's education system is committed to developing the children's spirit and skills and encouraging them to believe in their own abilities. The school's educational environment is characterized by colors and accessories that express warmth and connect to Jewish tradition. It is adjusted to the children's inner world and allows each child to maximize his/her abilities. The pedagogic space emphasizes the values of our prophets—freedom, equality, and solidarity, mutual help and accepting differences—as the foundations for universal values. I invite you all to come and visit, see and participate in this exciting Jewish renaissance in the city of Modi'in. Yossi Aud, 
Coexistence and Pluralism
Beit Daniel Promotes Progressive Education in Jaffa
"Lighting up Jaffa"
IMPJ's "Mechina" Program Volunteer Work Honored by Tel Aviv Mayor 
Jewish Progressive Renaissance in Modi'in, the City of the Maccabim
by Yossi Aud, YOZMA's Executive Director 
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