Israel needs to reflect the values of Progressive Judaism, MK says

“I truly believe that our movement has its most precious and promising opportunity to reach the hearts of millions of Israelis that understand today without a strong Jewish, Progressive and liberal vocabulary we will not be able to win the battle over the soul of the state of Israel,” he said.

While the word “democracy” did not actually appear in Israel’s Declaration of Independence, he noted: “You can definitely identify… the idea that the Israeli Judaism we are trying to create and nurture through the establishment of the state of Israel is much closer to our views and values than the views and values that are represented today by the extreme theological and political players in the current government of Israel.”

However, Progressive congregations should not become politically partisan, he cautioned. “We always need to keep in mind that the doors of our sanctuaries should be open to an extremely wide range of Jews.”

They should be “strong enough to welcome challenging views” and “invite debate into the room”, he said.

But they should also be “brave” enough to set borders.

“Anti-Zionism is not legitimate in our tent and it should not be legitimate,” he said. “We ought to be bold enough to say [it] because we are being challenged by radical forces” who were using criticism of what is going on in Israel “in order to challenge the basic concept of Jewish peoplehood and Jewish nationalism”.

At the same time, the movement also needed to speak out against ultra-nationalism and racism, which could not be legitimate Jewish or Zionist views.

“We have a role to play in delegitimising those forces in Israeli politics that… challenge the basic human rights of the non-Jewish citizens of the state of Israel and definitely the Palestinian communities,” he said.

He applauded the Progressive movement in the UK for taking a lead in calling for a ban on the ultra-nationalist Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir.

United world: delegates at the WUPJ centenary[Missing Credit]

Around 180 delegates from around the Jewish world, including from Australia, gathered for the four-day Darkeinu conference.

For the first time, WUPJ has a president who is not from Europe or North America – Rabbi Sergio Bergman from Argentina, reflecting its global reach.

On Shabbat, visitors were hosted by Reform and Liberal congregations around the capital and on Saturday evening, a concert celebrated a century of Progressive music. It harked back to the havdalah concerts at Oranienstrasse Synagogue in pre-War Berlin, an occasion once addressed by the first woman to be ordained as a rabbi, Regina Jonas and where Albert Einstein played as a violinist.

The contribution of women to the movement’s development was highlighted. Not only did Lily Montagu co-found WUPJ in London, but women, such as sisters Leah and Jerusha Jhirad and Ada Phillips were instrumental in setting up other branches in India and Australia respectively.

The American-based organisation Women of Reform Judaism brought 18 women from 12 countries – including Hungary, Guatemala and Israel, with one participant coming from the Gaza envelope – for a leadership seminar in London, before they took part in the conference.

Conference co-chair Rabbi Lea Mühlstein, who is a senior rabbi at the Ark Synagogue in Northwood, sported a woolly hat in honour of Lily Montagu at the gala opening but was forced to abandon the tribute in view of the intense heat the following day.

Rabbi Kariv recalled that the first egalitarian minyan to be recorded in Jerusalem was held 100 years ago. It was started by a Reform rabbi Judah Magnes, the first chancellor of the Hebrew University, and Henrietta Szold, founder of Hadassah, who had been enrolled in the Conservative rabbinic academy in New York, the Jewish Theological Seminary, on the understanding that she could not go on to be ordained.