November Newsletter
Jewish Pluralist Festival Boosts the Morale of Israel's Northern Residents
Learning together: Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Secular Jews study together in last week's Hakhel Festival.
“Hakhel – Gather the people – men, women, children, and the strangers in your communities—that they may hear and so learn…” Deut. 31:12
A dialogue between Mizrachi Orthodox and Reform rabbis on the common heritage of moderation between the two traditions was one of more than 100 workshops, lectures, debates, films and arts performances dealing with Jewish identity in modern Israel held last week at the Hakhel Festival of Jewish Learning in the Upper Galilee. Against the backdrop of once-green hillsides charred black by Hezbollah missiles, the tenth annual event generated an atmosphere of dynamic debate, tolerance, pluralism and love of Jewish tradition.
More than 4,000 Israelis – a record gathering – came to Tel Hai College near Kiryat Shmonah on the first day of Hol Hamoed Sukkot for the Hakhel festival. Traditionally held at the Kibbutz Movement’s Ramat Efal near Tel Aviv, this year for the first time the event convened in the north in solidarity with the residents of the war-torn region.
“Looking at the crowds on the Tel Hai campus, I would estimate that nearly half of the participants were Orthodox,” said Meir Yoffe, Executive Director of New Israel Fund grantee Panim. “And there were so many young people. Along with hundreds of Israelis who normally attend the event at Ramat Efal who travelled north, we also attracted many local residents and Israelis who were on vacation in the Galilee. There was a real cross-section of Israelis.”
This year, in addition for its support for Hakhel through Panim, which supports programmes to strengthen Jewish pluralism and cultural renewal, New Israel Fund gave a special grant to the event. Hakhel is normally organised and supported by Panim, the Kibbutz Movement and Avi Chai Foundation; by holding it in the north, it also attracted funding from the Ministry of Education and American Jewish federations.
Topics discussed included the relationship between Judaism and democracy, the challenge of multiculturalism to Judaism and the unique role of women in the rabbinate. Other activities included debates about Jewish spiritual leadership, rescuing captives, the future of Israel as a Jewish Zionist society; lectures about Jewish secular culture, a socialist synagogue; the study of texts dealing with leadership, the commitment of individuals; and a creative workshop on prayer for women.
Ruth Calderon, one of the founders of New Israel Fund grantee Elul, which runs a national network of pluralistic learning centres, was encouraged by the large number of young people who came to Tel Hai. “The young generation is very self confident in its Jewish identity,” she said. “They do not feel fear for the religious world like their parents and grandparents who fought against it. They are much more open.”
Many northern residents who came to Tel Hai said that the event was a marvellous morale boost for them. It was also important for the local economy as hundreds of people made a vacation around Hakhel and stayed in the region for a couple of days. The organisers were so delighted by the record attendance at this year’s event, that they are considering holding Hakhel in the north again next year.
President Katsav Presented with ARCCI Annual Report
President Katsav receives ARCCI's annual report about sexual abuse in Israel
As Israel’s police recommend to the State Attorney that President Moshe Katsav stand trial for rape, a New Israel Fund grantee has staged a highly publicised protest against him. Last week, despite the grave accusations against him by 10 women, President Katsav received the general public in his sukkah in Jerusalem in the traditional ushpizin hospitality ceremony, as is the custom during Sukkot. Two activists from the Association of Rape Crisis Centres in Israel (ARCCI) waited on line to greet the President and when their turn came to shake hands with him they presented him with ARCCI’s annual report, which contains the latest statistics on sexual assault in Israel. A picture of the presentation appeared prominently in the country’s media, together with pictures of a protest vigil outside the President’s Residence by ARCCI and activists from other social change organisations.
“Israel’s president does not have political power,” said ARCCI Spokesperson Sharon Mayevsky. “But as the ceremonial head of state he is meant to be a moral example to the country. He can no longer fulfil that function with so many allegations of sexual assault against him.”
The World's First Secular Yeshiva Opens
“The haredim take all the tradition for themselves and say the only way to be Jewish is to follow the mitzvot,” said Danielle Ben-Shalom, a student at the Secular Yeshiva. “I know I’m Jewish, but I want to know the meaning of what it is to be Jewish.” From the (London) Jewish Chronicle.
The world’s first secular non-religious Yeshiva has opened in Tel Aviv with 150 students registered for its inaugural year. The Yeshiva emphasizes religious pluralism and the connection between Jewish studies and human rights and social justice. Students will divide their time between studying religious texts and social action projects in disadvantaged Tel Aviv neighbourhoods.
The Yeshiva is the initiative of New Israel Fund grantee BINA: Centre for Jewish Identity and Hebrew Culture, which has received a special allocation from New Israel Fund to implement the project. According to Yuval Yavneh, Director of New Israel Fund’s Jewish Pluralism Programme, New Israel Fund worked together with BINA in the conceptual planning of the Secular Yeshiva and was the only organisation to fund curricular development over the past year.
During the past few weeks, the Yeshiva has been the subject of features in the Jerusalem Report and the London Jewish Chronicle. The story in the October 16 Jerusalem Report, entitled “Torah in a Tank Top,” quotes Yeshiva’s 33-year-old director, Tal Shaked, who is a graduate of the programme run by New Israel Fund grantee Tehuda: Pluralistic Leadership Development: “We want secular young Israelis not only to be deeply familiar with the Jewish texts but also to incorporate these ideas into their lives, for example, performing social service.”
The article observes, “The Secular Yeshiva is the latest effort of what is sometimes called the Back to Jewish Books movement, which was established some 15 years ago, when a search for spirituality was sweeping Israel, to open up traditional Jewish texts to a secular audience.”
Netty C. Gross, the article’s author, mentions BINA and other members of the New Israel Fund family involved in this movement, including the Elul Centre, which runs study centres around the country, the Meitar College of Pluralistic Judaism, Kolot, which runs a leadership programme in pluralistic Judaism, and the Oranim: Hamidrasha Centre for Study Fellowship.
The feature article about the Yeshiva in the Jewish Chronicle appeared on 22nd September. Entitled “Tel Aviv’s Non-Religious Launch a Secular Yeshivah,” the article quotes Yuval Yavneh: “Over the past 15 years, aside from learning communities where secular Israelis get together to study classic Jewish texts, there are also many ‘praying communities’ in the country, which hold Friday night services based on the traditional siddur but with added Hebrew songs and poetry. These communities reflect the fact that some secular Jews came to the conclusion that they also needed a spiritual and not just an intellectual challenge. The philosophy is that Judaism belongs to us all, not just to the Orthodox.”
“Judaism is more than commandments,” student Gali Fux told the Chronicle. “I want to be able to read the Talmud and discuss issues like social justice and free will. The Jewish communal way of life is a very socially active one.”
Racist Fans Fail to Prevent Signing of Arab Player
Bnei Yehuda players (in orange) at an anti-racism pre-match ceremony organised by New Israel Fund last month.
When Bnei Yehuda President Hezi Magen announced last week that he was signing the Israeli Arab defensive player Salem Abu Siam, an Israeli Arab defensive player, a group of the team’s fans announced, “We will burn down the [Hatikvah] neighbourhood. We won’t have an Arab on our team.”
The Hatikvah neighbourhood is located in south Tel Aviv and has for many years been a symbol of poverty among Israel's Mizrachi population. As well as being the spawning ground for many famous singers, including the late Ofra Haza, this disadvantaged neighbourhood is best known for its soccer team, which won the Israeli championship in 1992 and has consistently remained in the top division.
Within the framework of its campaign to reduce racism from Israeli society through soccer, New Israel Fund immediately issued a press release protesting this blatant racism and urged Magen to eradicate this scourge.
Resisting the pressure, Magen signed Abu Siam to a two-year contract for Bnei Yehuda, who last year finished fourth in Israel’s top league. “I won’t let the racists dictate to me and I’ll sign the best players available whether they are Jews, Christians or Muslims,” said a defiant Magen.
The signing of Abu Siam came as a boost for Jewish-Arab relations as Muslims mark the holy month of Ramadan and Jews celebrate the High Holidays. The day after Abu Siam joined Bnei Yehuda, Arkady Gaydamak, the owner of Betar Jerusalem, which has never had an Arab player and whose fans consistently top New Israel Fund’s racism index, announced that it was about time his team signed an Arab player.
Knesset Passes Anti-Trafficking Law
The Knesset passed comprehensive legislation last Wednesday outlawing all forms of trafficking, including trafficking in labour, children and organs. The law, which was formulated with major assistance from New Israel Fund grantees Hotline for Migrant Workers in Israel and Workers’ Hotline - Kav LaOved, also enhances existing legislation prohibiting trafficking in women. The new law provides compensation for victims of trafficking, including sex slaves, from fines imposed by Israel’s courts.
“The new law defines trafficking as a very serious offence,” Lisa Richlen, Associate Director of Hotline for Migrant Workers told New Israel Fund News. “Prison sentences of up to 20 years can be imposed on those found guilty of trafficking.”
The new law was supported by Knesset members across the political spectrum and came in the wake of the U.S. State Department downgrading Israel’s rating in this area. The new rating could have resulted in a cut-off of U.S. government aid to Israel.
The Story of J: J is typical of the dozens of foreign workers being assisted by the Hotline for Migrant Workers. She was brought to Israel in 2000 by an Indian family employed in the diamond industry, and worked 18 hours a day seven days a week doing housework. Once a year, Maria received a one-month unpaid vacation to visit her nine-year-old daughter in India. Upon arrival in India, she received half her annual salary ($2,000) from her employer’s brother. The other half of her salary was paid to Maria’s brother only after she returned to Israel - this to ensure she returned to work. Her passport was held at all times by her employer or his family in India. Hotline heard of her case after she told her problems to a priest in Jaffa. Since July, she has been staying in a hostel in Jaffa but attempts to sue her employers have failed due to the lack of legislation on trafficking.
New Israel Fund, which was the first funder of rape crisis centres in Israel and has always taken the lead on issues involving the exploitation of women, will continue to support its grantees’ work on this difficult and controversial issue.
Environmental Lobby Blocks Plan to Spoil Jerusalem Countryside
Last week, after huge protests by environmentalists the Israeli government decided to delay implementation of a plan to extend Jerusalem westwards. The plan calls for the construction of 20,000 housing units – one of the largest projects of its kind – and would destroy more than 26 square kilometres of forests.
After massive protests, the Ministry of Interior’s Planning Committee decided to put off a final decision about the plan for two more months, while further investigations are conducted into the housing situation in Jerusalem.
The protests were led by the Coalition for the Preservation of the Jerusalem Hills, which is funded by the New Israel Fund-supported Green Environment Fund (GEF) and coordinated by one of GEF’s major grantees, the Society for Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI).
This victory came in the days following the death of Alona Vardi, founder and director of SHATIL’s Environmental Justice Project. Vardi worked for SPNI for many years before joining SHATIL and was an important figure in building Israel’s environmental protest movement. Her success was evident in the numbers of people who turned out to oppose the plan and the more than 16,000 people who signed a petition in opposition to the plan.
Meanwhile, SPNI scored another victory last week when the Bet Shean Regional Court ordered the Jordan Valley Regional Council to remove some 120 fences on various beaches around the Lake Kinneret. The fences sealed off private beaches at which the public are charged illegal fees by private entrepreneurs.
Message from Alan Bolchover, New Israel Fund UK Chief Executive
Just when we thought things were challenging enough, Avigdor Lieberman enters the government.
If you do not know him, Avigdor Liberman is the leader of Israel Beytenu (Israel Our Home) and he has pretty forthright views on Israel’s minority non-Jewish population.
Lieberman flatly calls Israeli Arabs "a demographic threat," and "the most serious threat to the character and the nature of the state." He therefore proposes to “transfer” the Israeli Arab population over to the Palestinian state in return for some large Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which will be annexed to Israel.
Sounds good, except that Lieberman never bothered to ask the Israeli Arabs if they were willing to give up their Israeli citizenship and become citizens of a Palestinian state. Haifa University, who publish the Index of Arab-Jewish Relations in Israel, did ask them, and they answered with a resounding “No”. Despite all the rhetoric about being Palestinians first, hardly a single Israeli Arab would trade Israeli citizenship for a Palestinian one.
What is most worrying is that Liebermans views are popular. An astounding 40 percent of Jews agree with him that “Israel should encourage them (Israeli Arabs) to leave.” In other words – enforced transfer.
It's a shame we find ourselves in this dark place. Despite having always been victims of such attitudes, Jews are starting to share and believe in policies that history dictates we should be appalled by.
But there is some hope. Jewish and Arab leaders in Israel, many of whom have benefited from New Israel Fund support for their work in the building communal relations, are making their voices heard. It’s so important we show our own support for those few brave people who care about their common future, and who wish to live together in equality and mutual respect.
This week we should all be proud to be involved with New Israel Fund and the collective vision we all hold.
As always, we thank you for your support.
