Religious Pluralism
From THE RELIGIOUS ACTION
CENTER
The issue of civil and religious rights for non-Orthodox Jews
in Israel is one of the most important issues facing Progressive Judaism worldwide.
Although there has always been tension in Israel between the
religious establishment and progressive or secular Jews, it has never been as heated
or intense as the current crisis between the Orthodox authorities and the progressive
Jewish movements. Beginning with the "Who is a Jew?" debates in the 1980s,
the issue has increasingly become more complex and emotional.
"I wanted to see a side of Israel
that Taglit-Birthright Israel does
not show," Marcelo said. "I don't think it our job to change the world
but to change it a little bit. As we say in Spanish, 'We were able to put in our
little grain of sand.'"
—Marcelo David (Student from Uruguay)
Inside a nursery school in an underprivileged neighborhood in
Haifa, a group of children whose parents are immigrants from the former Soviet Union
and Ethiopia were singing songs in Hebrew, their first exposure to the language
and to the broader Jewish community. Outside the school, another form of global
Jewish social action was taking place. College students from North and South America,
Israel, and the former Soviet Union were working together to repaint the school
building, clean up the garden, and replace its rusted fence. These volunteer helping
hands, and many more (120), were recently part of Hillel's
Alternative Break in Israel program (contact abisrael@hillel.org with questions). Read
about their life-changing experiences. They made a difference and so can you.
By Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz
Indiana University Press (2007)
The Colors of Jews,
which poet Adrienne Rich calls a "mind-stretching, moving" book, challenges
common assumptions about whom and what Jews are by presenting, in their own voices,
Jews of color from the Iberian Peninsula, Asia, Africa, and India. Social activist
Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz, founding director of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice
and a pioneer in women studies, delves into uncharted territory and argues that
Jews are an increasingly multiracial people—a fact that, if acknowledged and embraced,
could foster cross-race solidarity to help combat racism.
The inspiring goal of NewGround, an initiative of the Progressive
Jewish Alliance (PJA) and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) launched a few
months ago in Los Angeles, is to bring together Jews and Muslims in a community-building
dialogue on global and local issues. "We're going from old ground in the Middle
East, where we're shackled by fear and bloodshed," said Salam Al-Mayarati,
MPAC's executive director, "to new ground in Los Angeles, where we can develop
mutual respect and mutual trust..." Read what NewGround co-coordinators Malka
Haya Fenyvesi and Aziza Hasan have to say about this ground-breaking attempt to
bridge differences and to forge partnerships for change.
