The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College & Jewish Reconstructionist Communities and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA) deplore the recent death threats made against several leaders of the Reform movement, as well as the accompanying vandalism of the Reform congregation in Ra’anana, Israel, apparently carried out by Jewish extremists. We stand in solidarity with the Reform movement in Israel and with the Jewish leaders whose lives have been threatened: Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ); Anat Hoffman, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) and President of Women of the Wall; and Rabbi Gilad Kariv, Executive Director of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism (IMRPJ).
Twenty-one years ago the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association passed a resolution calling on the government of Israel to advance religious pluralism in Israel, including granting full “legal recognition for the Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist movements, whose institutions will make religious pluralism a reality in Israel.” Our movement renews that call and our commitment to its realization. In that spirit, we support URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs’ appeal to Israel’s government to do more to protect and support liberal Israeli synagogues, and to advance the cause of Jewish religious pluralism in Israel (his full statement is here).
For those who would like to express support to the members of Kehilat Raanan, the Reform synagogue that was attacked in Ra’anana, you can write them by visiting their “Contact Us” web page. We also encourage people to learn more about the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) and their ongoing efforts to advance pluralism in Israel.
