• Kotel in Court - Editor's Note
• Israel's Spiritual Heroes: A Dvar Torah
• Kehillat Eshel Avraham Celebrates 30 Years
• Festi-NOAM in Jerusalem
• Rain Can't Dampen Marom Hikers' Spirits
• Women of Israel's Three Great Religions Meet at Kehillat HaKrayot
• Women's Seders in the Negev
• Contact information
• Subscriptions and distribution

Kotel in Court - Editor's Note

The Masorti Movement in Israel filed suit in the Supreme Court this week against the Government of Israel, citing discrimination and violation of freedom of worship at the Western Wall. You may remember that this story began following a series of violent attacks by ultra-Orthodox Jews on Masorti worshippers several years ago. An agreement was then reached between the Masorti Movement and the Israeli government, which gave permission to Masorti Jews to hold religious services at the "Robinson's Arch". The area is at the southern end of the Western Wall, separate from the traditional site of Jewish prayer at the Wall and the large plaza behind it.

For several years after the agreement, Masorti Jews were able to worship at the "Kotel Masorti" during most hours of the day without having to pay. However, in the last year and half they have they been forced to pay the 30 NIS per adult tourist entrance fee to the Davidson Center and Archeological Garden, just for the privilege of praying. Exceptions were made for services that began before 8:00AM on non-holiday weekdays, however, the cost and time restrictions prevented many groups from using the site.

The Masorti Movement intends to show that the present restrictions and cost constitute a serious infringement on our religious freedom. This is especially true since there is no where else to go -- the government's current policy prohibits Masorti Jews from having egalitarian services even at the back of the Western Wall Plaza.

Rabbi Paul Arberman
Editor, e-masorti

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Israel Spiritual Heroes: A Dvar Torah

Each year at this time we remember those who were killed in the Shoah and we tell the story of the Jewish heroes who resisted and fought when it was possible. However, we should not forget that there were also spiritual heroes in the Shoah.

During the Shoah, there were many Jews who turned to their rabbis with questions about Jewish life even when death was all around them. Questions asked of Rabbi Yehiel Ya'akov Weinberg were preserved in the book "Seridei Esh," or "Remains of the Fire," including: Is a Jewish house in the ghetto permanent enough to require a mezuzah? And, may a Jew work as a cook on Shabbat if it will save him from harsh field labor? Jews wanted to know if they should 'bentch gomel' in thankful prayer if they survived an encounter with Nazi soldiers and they asked if there were proper prayers to say before being martyred.

The answers to the hundreds of questions asked are almost incidental to the fact that Jews, under dire circumstances, and with great doubts about whether they would survive, still sought out rabbinical advice about Judaism. It is certainly a lesson for those whose Jewish practice is challenged simply by the pace of normal life. To them I say: remember the Jews of the Shoah who asked questions and sought out Jewish answers in the most difficult of circumstances, for they are our Jewish spiritual heroes. May their memory be for a blessing.

Rabbi Gustavo Surazski
Kehillat Netzach Israel, Ashkelon

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Kehillat Eshel Avraham Celebrates 30 Years

The 30-year celebration of Kehillat Eshel Avraham in Beersheva, which took place on March 30th, was an opportunity for our kehillah to celebrate the past and to anticipate the future. The highlight of the evening was the reunion of the founders of the congregation who were active in the first 5 years (1976-1981), who came from all over Israel. All of them were honored with a special plaque. Moshe Cohen, chairperson of the Masorti Movement, Rabbi Peretz Rodman, president of the Israeli Rabbinical Assembly and Dr. Irit Zmora, current kehillah president, delivered greetings and blessings.

We combined our 30th anniversary with the 20th anniversary of the Goldsmith Educational Center which serves our congregation. It was also a chance for us to honor Rabbi Jonathan Perlman, the first rabbi of Eshel Avraham, who raised the funds for the Goldsmith Educational Center.

And if we had only looked back on 30 great years, we could say "dayenu." However, I can proudly add that the vitality of our kehillah was evident from our current members as well: Our kindergarten (we have 7 pre-school classes) welcomed us with song, our NOAM youth group joyfully sang the NOAM anthem and two recent b'nai mitzvah addressed the crowd, and our synagogue choir, Tagel, performed several songs, including one written by Eshel Avraham founder M. Cherniak z"l. It was clear that the original members of Kehillat Eshel Avraham were very pleased that the kehillah has become a 'melting pot' for four different languages groups, integrating veterans and newcomers (olim), young and old.

Rabbi Dr. Gil Nativ
Kehillat Eshel Avraham, Beersheva

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Festi-Noam in Jerusalem

When the buses arrived at the Gilo Payis Community Center, they were greeted by NOAM members staffing many booths, arts and crafts tables, and other attractions. More than 200 NOAM members and their families from all the Jerusalem chapters, plus the Modiin chapter, participated in the Regional Festi-NOAM in Gilo, Jerusalem in the first week of April.

The event was initiated by NOAM Junior Counselors who, as part of their Leadership Training Course, planned the event, found sponsors, and ran the entire program. Following the joyful fair, we all gathered in the auditorium for a series of shows by the NOAM chapters as well as a performance of the Babaganush theatre stand-up group, and dances by the Mechola dance group of Jerusalem, all of whom volunteered to perform at no charge. Thanks go out to all those who supported and sponsored the event including many NOAM parents and former NOAM Director, Rabbi Tzvi Graetz of Kehillat Shevet Achim in Gilo.

According to the decision made by the NOAM students, proceeds from the event went to NOAM's Scholarship Fund and to the One Family Fund, a non-profit organization which provides aid to terror victims. Festi-NOAM was a wonderful example of NOAM members demonstrating personal initiative and emphasizing the significance of Tikkun Olam.

Ze'ev Kainan
Director, NOAM

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Rain Can't Dampen Marom Hikers' Spirits

In the intermediary days of Pesach, forty five former NOAM students and current Marom members from Garin Naveh set out to climb Har Atzmon (in the North) and current Marom leader and NOAM branch coordinator Carmiel Frutkoff. On the way up the mountain, Carmiel led a discussion on national freedom and spiritual freedom, very much in the spirit of the holiday.

The program was going well, when a strong downpour caught our group unprepared. To my great relief, instead of ruining the hike down the mountain, it seemed to give energy to the hikers and to strengthen bonds within the group. We completed the study-tour at Kibbutz Hannaton, emphasizing the importance of developing ties between NOAM and Marom.

Olya Weinstein
Marom Coordinator

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Women of Israel's Three Great Religions Meet at Kehillat HaKrayot

Muslim, Christian and Jewish women are meeting and getting to know each other and their respective religions under a new program initiated by Kehillat HaKrayot in Kiriat Bialik, called "Efshar Acheret - It Can Be Otherwise." It is part of this kehillah's work with Kehillat Zedek, the joint social justice project run by the Masorti and Reform movements in Israel. The goal of this program is to overcome decades of hatred and violence and have the women make personal connections to create new relationships built on mutual acknowledgement of pain and pride, and mutual respect for religion and nationality.

Kehillat Zedek coordinator, Aviva Groen, described her experience at the second meeting where a number of Muslim women and one Christian woman from Acco met with women from Kiryat Bialik:

"Rabbi Mauricio Balter began the program with an extremely important message, explaining how every religion has fanatics who distort it - however, the true message of the three religions is one of moderation and peace. This allayed the fears of the Muslim women who had expressed their concern that Jewish women would see them as fanatics or terrorists. As the dialogue began, there was an opportunity for each of woman to introduce herself and to speak about her family. Each religious group then presented one holiday of their religion. I felt a connection because of our common experiences as women and I felt that these women were taking the first important step toward building the relationships that would allows cohabitating in a more moderate, just and respectful Israel."

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Women's Seders in the Negev

The Yaltha Women's Seder is becoming a permanent annual tradition in Israel and this year I was happy to run three separate ones in the Negev area. The first was for students at Ben-Gurion University, together with Bet Hillel and Marom, and another was for instructors at the local TALI school. The third one, held at Kibbutz Revivim , was actually initiated by a TALI school teacher who wanted to share the seder's unique Jewish female experience with TALI mothers and children.

The school staff prepared the kibbutz's cultural hall and prepared for the seder with great spirit. Sixty mothers and daughters sat for three hours discussing the role of women in Jewish history and their role in modern Israeli society. Following our lively discussion, it was clear to everyone that this year we would add to our families' seders both the stories of those righteous women who, due to their actions, we were saved from Egypt, and the stories of those women who, because of what they do today, we are saved in our generation as well.

Rabbi Hagit Sabag

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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 ext. 24  Fax: +972 (2) 624 6869  E-mail: development@masorti.org

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Israel and all other countries: to the offices in Jerusalem (above).

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