• From the Editor's Desk
• Summer Sermon
• Masorti Restructuring
• Raman-NOAM Seminar
• Tikkun Shavuot Marom
• Honorary Gilo Citizenship Award to Reuven Stein
• Contact information
• Subscriptions and distribution

From the Editor's Desk

Like last year, the Masorti summer is marked by the Ramah-NOAM summer camp, which has already started as I write these words.  And while the success of that camp is unquestionably good news, the Masorti Movement Board has made a very hard decision, as you may already now. 

The leadership of Rabbi Ehud Bandel is one which I personally value highly, and his departure in the coming months, alongside spokesperson Inbal Cohen, will leave the Masorti Movement with a much reduced staff at the main office, and the challenges we face will seem all the harder without their presence in the main office.

Joe Brown
Masorti Movement in Israel

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Summer Sermon

Although? the Temple no longer exists, we still have traditions and mitzvot connected to Cohanim. For instance, we still perform the Pidyon Haben, in which parents ceremonially buy back the first-born male child from service in the Temple, and a Cohen is still called up for the first aliyah. 

Cohanim cannot be in the same room as a dead body or in a cemetery, and cannot marry a divorcee or a convert. So the recent Ha'aretz headline "Not Jewish Enough to Marry a Cohen" came as no surprise. I assumed it was about the Rabbinate barring a convert from marrying a Cohen, but the Rabbinate had gone further. The woman was the child of a Jewish mother but her father had converted. By Jewish law, of course, she was Jewish. And yet the Rabbinate forbade the marriage.

After some checking of sources, I found that the Talmud says: "There is no problem with the daughter of a convert marrying a Cohen." (Yevamot 45b)  However, the Riff (an 11th-century Talmudic scholar) brought a different opinion. He wrote that "some rabbis argue that the child of such a marriage cannot marry a Cohen." While the Rambam reiterates that there is no problem, the minority opinion forbidding this type of marriage appears in the Maggid Mishneh commentary, and in the halakhic works of the Rosh, the Tur, the Beit Yosef and, ultimately, the Shulchan Aruch.

The majority of Masorti rabbis would permit such a marriage. For Masorti Judaism believes that if there is an opinion within the law that can allow you to help people, to alleviate suffering, to bring people together - you do it. Not everything is possible: If a couple comes to me with love shining in their eyes, but the woman's mother is not Jewish, I cannot marry her to a Jew and thereby create an intermarriage. However, in this case there are respected opinions from chaz'al/sages to allow the union!

Unfortunately, after being rejected by the Rabbinate there were no legal options left for this couple. They have decided to do what many Israeli couples do to marry - they will travel abroad.  I remain hopeful they will stay involved in Jewish life.  If they or anyone like them happen to come to a Masorti shul, remember that these couples are 100% kosher. And These Cohanim are always welcome to have the first aliyah in my shul.

Rabbi Paul Arberman
Kehillat Bet Yisrael Congregation, Netanya

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Masorti Restructuring

As part of a broader restructuring, the Board of the Masorti Movement voted recently to suspend, at least temporarily, two senior positions in its administrative staff.  Facing a tight budget and growing demand for its services, the Movement has decided to concentrate on providing continued financial support to local congregations, strengthening NOAM, its youth movement, and MAROM, its student organization, and providing religious services such as weddings, conversions, and circumcisions. To be eliminated by the end of the current year are the position of President, held by Rabbi Ehud Bandel, and that of Movement spokesperson, held by Inbal Cohen.

Masorti Movement chairperson Dr. Irit Zmora noted, "We are sorry to be losing the talents of two very capable and dedicated advocates of our Movement's ideas and priorities. Rabbi Bandel in particular has had a distinguished career with us, first as director of our youth program, then as our spokesman, and now for eight years as President. He has represented us very effectively in public forums and has guided to Movement to significant achievements in the formation of congregations and the expansion of youth programs and educational endeavors. He remains dedicated to the ideals and goals of our Movement."

Zmora added, "While our efforts at achieving public recognition are an important part of our strategy for growth, we must not flag, even for a moment, in our efforts to build our core constituency through local programs and institutions and through our national youth programs. The Masorti Movement will continue to work toward its goal of being recognized as the voice of modern, traditional Judaism in Israel and, under the leadership of its rabbis and dedicated lay leaders, it will continue the projects initiated and sustained under Rabbi Bandel's leadership."

See also: 
Masorti Movement: Down But Not Out, Jerusalem Post, June 25, 2005
Cash-Strapped Conservatives Let Go Head of Israeli Movement, JTA, June 28, 2005

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Ramah-NOAM Seminar

Dear friends,

I wanted to share with you the wonderful experience my senior staff and I had with our Ramah-NOAM staff-training seminar.  We began on Thursday afternoon by meeting all the junior staff (JCs - "Madatzim"), the participants of the Bereshit Leadership Training Program (the largest ever!), and the camp adult staff. It was such an thrilling experience to see all the youth and young adults, most of whom are members and graduates of NOAM , getting together to talk about the educational programs of Camp Ramah NOAM!

Friday morning we met again, this time with the senior staff alone, for the two-day seminar. We began with Shacharit service. Despite the early hour, we all enjoyed delving into the Ruach of NOAM with singing and music, making this T'fillah a special, uplifting experience, charging us with a lot of energy for the rest of the seminar. Friday night and Shabbat were also filled with programming and discussions about the goals of camp and its educational program. But the most prominent sections of the seminar were, with no doubt, T'fillot and the singing during the meals. We celebrated with two of the staff members their first Aliyah LaTorah, and another staff member delivered a Dvar Torah for the first time in her life.

Most of our staff members are either graduates of NOAM or returning staff - some for the fifth year in a row! Our success in attracting NOAM alumni to camp, combined with the veteran staff, proves the stability and value of our program and it attests to our success in creating continuity among NOAM graduates, building a strong future Masorti community.

More than four years ago, Rabbi David Lazar (camp Rabbi that summer) and I, set the goal of enhancing the spiritual experience of Ramah campers and of emphasizing Limud (study of Jewish text) in every NOAM event. In order to achieve this goal, we received very generous support from several individuals and organizations, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and B'nai Jeshurun of New York who supported the position of NOAM Rabbi, and the RIKMA Fellowship, which supported the training and professional progress of Rabbi Claudia Kreiman for all these years.

Claudia Kreiman, who has completed four years as NOAM Rabbi, has made a tremendous change in NOAM's spiritual atmosphere, and created unique relationships with NOAM members. We will miss her when she goes, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank her and wish her well.

Every year, more youth join NOAM, and it is our task to maintain our achievements, and aspire to achieve even more. Now, with my son Aviv is beginning NOAM, I ask myself how we can make the best out of the Jewish experience of NOAM, so that in ten or fifteen years, when he graduates NOAM, we will know the positive Jewish experience will be engraved in their hearts.

Wishing all of us a happy, peaceful summer,
Ze'ev Kainan
Director of NOAM

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Tikkun Shavuot Marom

Some 50 individuals participated this year in the Tikkun Shavuot that was organized by Marom in conjunction with the Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center for Conservative Judaism.  The event began with prayer services and a holiday meal with students from the Conservative Yeshiva and rabbinical students from the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies. 

The atmosphere was young, festive and joyful with a lot of singing.  The Tikkun itself continued until 4 in the morning.  The participants studied in two separate groups - in Hebrew and English respectively.  The members of the English-speaking group were primarily from Kehillat Moreshet Yisrael, while the members of the Hebrew-speaking group were students from Marom and many young people who were attracted to this activity by advertisements that appeared in the press and who registered with Marom after the holiday.

In the Marom tikkun group, the participants were taught by Rabbi Mordechai Silberstein, a lecturer at the Conservative Yeshiva and the ODED program, in two beit-midrash-style classes whose respective subjects were Jewish law and Hasidism.  The third class - on "Jewish History: Development or Eternity?" - was given by Dr. Ronny Klein, a rabbinical student at Schechter and a member of Marom.  After the three classes, many spiritual workshops were held in both Hebrew and English.  The Marom members participated in a Jewish yoga class given by Jonathan Seidoff, a rabbinical student at Schechter.

All the classes and workshops were very successful and interesting. Many of the participants then took part in the morning prayer services at the Kotel Masorti organized by Rabbi Andy Sachs. The cooperation between Marom and the Fuchsberg Center was very successful and beneficial to both sides. It was decided that this cooperation would continue next year as well.

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Honorary Gilo Citizenship Award to Reuven Stein

This year, on Israel Independence Day , the residents of the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo gathered, as they do every year, to attend the annual Independence Day concert, which traditionally ends with a fireworks display. The audience included the members of Kehillat Shevet Achim. Usually, the Kehillah members mark the evening that signals the end of Memorial Day and the start of Independence Day with a ceremony that includes the blowing of the shofar, followed by a party, a sing-along, and stories of the members of the congregation about how they came to Israel and about their experiences as olim (new immigrants).

This year, the congregational party was cut short by Rabbi Zvi Graetz, who asked all the participants to join the crowd celebrating Independence Day in the neighborhood park, because the Gilo Administrative Council had invited the congregation to join in the festivities.

The president of Shevet Achim, Reuven Stein, did not understand what was going on, but, seeing no other alternative, he joined the other congregants. They were not surprised when the head of the Gilo administrative council, Moshe Ben Sasson, asked Stein to get up on the platform and to receive the keys to the neighborhood.

The only person in the audience who was absolutely dumbfounded was Stein himself: "When I ascended the stage, I was introduced as the president of Kehillat Shevet Achim, Gilo's Masorti congregation. This was the first time official acknowledgement has ever been made of our kehillah's existence and, in my opinion, we were being given a great honor. I was very moved by the fact that, after more than two decades, our congregation has achieved public recognition."

Honorary Gilo citizenship is annually awarded on Independence Day to anyone who has contributed to the neighborhood and the community at large in a volunteer capacity. Aaron Bass, a member of Shevet Achim, was the one who recommended Stein for the award: "I have known Reuven for many years and, in my recommendation, I referred to him as one of the 36 righteous people who, according to Jewish tradition, are responsible for the world's continuing survival. Very few people contribute and invest time and energy the way he does."

Veteran radio announcer Menahem Peri, said about Reuven: "More than twenty years ago, Reuven Stein and his wife Nicolette founded Kehillat Shevet Achim. Reuven devotes all his time and energy to helping others. He is a professionally trained social worker, but, besides his training, he is simply a wonderful person. His contribution to Shevet Achim, the neighborhood and the many individuals he helps can be summed up in two words: 'holy work.'"

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Marom Update

The Scroll of Esther was read before 100 participants in a Purim celebration that was held at the Fuchsberg Center in Jerusalem on Thursday evening, March 24, and which was organized jointly by Marom, the Conservative Yeshiva and the rabbinical students attending the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem.

In a youthful, egalitarian atmosphere, the Scroll was read out, with the various readers, each of whom was costumed, adopting their own unique style of reading. The reading was followed by a party and a competition for the best Purim outfit.

More than 200 persons attended Marom's program in Beersheba, which was held on March 27, in conjunction with Hillel House and which focused on the subject of "Same-sex relations and Judaism." The program included the screening of the film "The One Whom My Soul Loves," which was followed by a panel discussion with the film's creator, Ilil Alexander and one of its actresses. The event generated considerable publicity for Marom on the campus of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

On April 12, a panel discussion was held on the subject of weddings. The event was organized by Marom's Beersheba branch in conjunction with Hillel House on the BGU campus. The panel discussion gave the audience an opportunity to learn about wedding ceremonies in Judaism's three major religious movements, Orthodox, Conservative and Reform.

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Contact information

e-masorti is produced by the Development Department of the Masorti Movement in Israel.
13 Ben Yehuda Street, PO Box 7559, Jerusalem 91074 ISRAEL Web: www.masorti.org
Telephone: +972 (2) 624 6510 Fax: +972 (2) 624 6869 E-mail: development@masorti.org

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