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Deliver challah to patients in local hospitals.

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Ongoing Social Action Projects

YES WE "CAN" - Make a difference in the lives of those in need. Bring non-perishable food items to KI for the Interfaith of Eastern Montgomery County Food Cupboard in Abington. Collection bin is in the Main Lobby.

CLOTHING DRIVE BENEFITS CHILDHOOD LEUKEMIA FOUNDATION - Bring gently used clothing and shoes to the collection bin along KI's driveway. Proceeds will go towards improving the quality of life of children afflicted with this dreaded disease. Info at their website.

RECYCLE OLD CELL PHONES - Bring yours to KI School Office for the Philadelphia Zoo to recycle. You can protect the environment, provide free cell phones for victims of domestic abuse, AND help protect the critically endangered douc langur monkey.

July 22, 2010 - Volume VII No 28
Next e-KI deadline: Thursday, July 29.
Deadline for September Bulletin: NOW.

TORAH TIME ON-LINE Rabbi Lance Sussman

Shemang Israel:
Israel's Recent Conversion Crisis

Parashat Va'etchanan

It went down to the wire, but Israel's most recent conversion crisis finally went off the rails and the Israeli Knesset did not take up a vote on the administration of religious conversion in the Jewish State.   As has happened before, an ill-conceived legislative proposal would have invalidated all unapproved, non-Orthodox conversions in Israel.   In short, Orthodoxy's monopoly over Jewish identity would not only have been strengthened, but the unity of the world Jewish community would have been torn asunder to the detriment of Israel, the Diaspora and Israel-Diaspora relations.  Luckily, thanks to a massive worldwide campaign, this disastrous scenario was averted. Indeed, we will need to remain eternally vigilant in order to prevent this ugly issue from gaining ground in the future.

The deeper issue at play here is the relationship of "Church and State," or should we say "Synagogue and State," in Israel.   Unlike the United States, Israel has neither a Constitution nor a doctrine of "separation."  While the American doctrine of "separation" is both complex and uneven, the vast majority of people in this country seem to believe that we need some kind of separation between government and faith.  How to do this is a matter of law and judicial interpretation. In the end, however, we do have the First Amendment. From my perspective, "disestablishment" is fundamental to Jewish well-being in the United States and to the general well-being of our society.

In Israel, the situation is very different. Not only is there no Constitution, but Israel was founded as a Jewish State, which means the State itself has some role in promoting and determining Jewishness.   Because of the political equation in Israel, the Orthodox are in a good position to shape a number of governmental issues, such as the funding of religious schools and issues of personal identity. On the other hand, other religious communities also need to be granted powers of regulation and definition.

What can be done? Structurally, it is unlikely for Israel to reorganize its government along American lines. Perhaps, more than one form of Judaism could be embraced by the State, or perhaps they could develop an unregulated but registered area of religious life in Israel based on the value of tolerance.   It's a minimal solution.   For Reform to be merely "tolerated" would be less than ideal. but it would be a lot better than being fully disenfranchised.   There are other problems with this approach as well (what to do with messianic Judaism, for example) but at least it is a beginning toward a more inclusive approach.

Perhaps, this week's Torah portion, Va'etchanan, could inspire a solution.   It includes the Shema and, as we know, every translation of the Shema is different. In the oldest American prayer books even the word Shema comes out as "Shemang" (based on a linguistic understanding of the letter Ayin).   More importantly in this regard is the word "Israel," which is meant to serve as an umbrella term for all Jews. In the Biblical sense of the word, it probably meant "Israelite," but for us it means all Jews, regardless.   The bottom line is that Israel needs to remain inclusive of the majority faith of the large American Jewish community.    As our ancestors proclaimed, "Shemang Israel: all Jews are one." Now "deal with it!!!!!"

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Lance J. Sussman, Ph.D.