Rodef Sholom: A Reform Jewish Congregation in Marin County, California

On June 17, Rabbi Stacy Friedman and Irene Resnikoff will lead members of our congregation on a trip to Israel, where four of our youth will have the honor of becoming b'nai mitzvah in the Holy Land.  On Friday, August 14 at our 6:15 pm Shabbat services, come hear stories of vision and connection from these congregants who went to Israel. Look for more information in our August eVoice.

Equally exciting, the trip follows on the heels of a landmark Israeli Supreme Court ruling granting equal funding to Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox conversion classes, opening the door for liberal conversions to be recognized by the State of Israel.  Here is what Rabbi Friedman wrote in the June/July Voice:

"We will now be Jewish in Israel!!"

On Tuesday, May 19th, I opened my emails to find the following ecstatic declaration from one of our congregants, "We will now be Jewish in Israel!" What she was responding to that day was the landmark ruling of the Israeli Supreme Court granting equal funding to Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox conversion classes. Prior to this ruling, only Orthodox centers of conversion had been recognized and therefore, only Orthodox centers received state funding. What makes this decision so remarkable is that it finally opens the door for liberal conversions to be recognized by the State of Israel. "All streams of conversion have the same purpose - the cultural and spiritual incorporation of Israel citizens and residents into the society and community in Israel," wrote Israeli Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch in the recent ruling. And now, for the first time, non-Orthodox conversions will be recognized and even supported by the State of Israel. This decision is precedent setting and incredibly exciting. The Israel Religious Action Center, whose executive director, Anat Hoffman, has spoken at Rodef Sholom, brought the case to the Supreme Court and continues to be a champion of Progressive Judaism and pluralism in Israel.

So what does it mean for us? "We will be Jewish in Israel," stated one congregant upon hearing the news. Another young man in our congregation whose mother converted to Judaism told me that he finally felt "fully Jewish," because of this decision. This momentous decision has opened the door to true Jewish pluralism in Israel, an ironically elusive quality for the past 60 years. And this is only the beginning!