Meir Azari

As a woman and a newly converted Jew, I am deeply disturbed by this discussion. The idea that Jerusalem is being divided at all is disconcerting, to say the least. I do not deny that these distinctions are there. Jerusalem is the spiritual "nexus" of so many worlds, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian alike. This is a part of life there. But let's be careful with the distinctions we are making. They should be a cause for celebration, not division. Even when distinctions between people are necessary and appropriate, they can be extremely dangerous if they are not handled very carefully.

This is especially true when it comes to the Jewish people. Our tradition says that everyone is special, secular or not. We're being watched by many, and tested. The fact that we are even thinking about dividing Jerusalem any further (among "spiritual" or "secular" Jews) is absolutely despicable. We must not allow distinctions between us to cloud the basic issue. Jerusalem is God's home on earth: it should be open to everyone.

Cathy Shapiro
Coral Springs, Florida

Dear Ms. Shapiro,

I fully agree with your vision for Jerusalem. But when you walk through the streets of the Holy City, you understand a different reality. Jerusalem is becoming more haredi, more intolerant, and more divided, and this is especially true when it comes to women’s status. I don’t know how people would react in an American city, but there is a serious debate among policy makers in Jerusalem about whether or not there should be gender separation in public transportation. The fact that this is even up for debate is a call to all Reform Jews from around the world to stand up for religious pluralism in, as you call it, “God’s home on earth.” I call on everyone in our communities in North America and around the world to visit Israel, and to take part in changing the future of Jerusalem and this country

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The significant fact about the two opinions stated in this issue of Eilu V'eilu is that they are those of Israelis. From an American point of view, the opinions are not nearly sufficient.

In America we have freedom of religion. No American Jew I know would give it up; we think it is a cornerstone of what America has done for us. Because of freedom of religion, we have no chief rabbi in the United States. (I understand that it is the only country in the world with a significant Jewish population that doesn't have a chief rabbi.) The Jewish denominations are equal in America from the government's point of view.

The issue from our point of view with the situation in Israel is not the problems in Jerusalem. It is that the government favors one Jewish denomination over another. This is obviously not the fault of the Orthodox; they are a minority in Israel and so cannot control government policy unless they have the cooperation of the majority.

As I understand it, the Israeli majority tends to agree with the Orthodox that theirs is the version of Judaism that should be primary. Let's deal with the real problem rather than the  smokescreen about ultra-Orthodox outrages. The real problem is that the Israeli majority has no idea of religious pluralism as we understand it in the United States. Speaking for myself, until they do support my right to practice my religion without disadvantage, I see no reason to support them.

Dave Mollen


Dear Mr Mollen:

I agree that in Israel there is a lack of understanding with regard to religious freedom. It is definitely true that Israelis do not understand the value of religious pluralism the way Americans do, but I think we need to look at this from a different perspective. Just because this is the reality does not mean that it isn’t our responsibility to change it. When the State of Israel was established, the Reform and Conservative Movements did not make any real efforts to make a meaningful mark on Israeli society, and today we are suffering the consequences. The back story for this is involves the Jewish community members who came to Israel from Eastern European or Arab countries: they came from traditional societies without any real notions of religious pluralism. Their ideas have taken over the religious establishment in Israel, and it is our movement’s responsibility to shed new light on these intolerant practices. Our movement needs to educate people that there is more than one way to be Jewish. We need to teach a modern way of looking at Judaism that will go beyond breaking through the black-and-white view of religion shared by many Israelis to offer a Judaism that speaks to secular Jewish society in Israel.

Elan Ezrachi

As a woman and a newly converted Jew, I am deeply disturbed by this discussion. The idea that Jerusalem is being divided at all is disconcerting, to say the least. I do not deny that these distinctions are there. Jerusalem is the spiritual "nexus" of so many worlds, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian alike. This is a part of life there. But let's be careful with the distinctions we are making. They should be a cause for celebration, not division. Even when distinctions between people are necessary and appropriate, they can be extremely dangerous if they are not handled very carefully.

This is especially true when it comes to the Jewish people. Our tradition says that everyone is special, secular or not. We're being watched by many, and tested. The fact that we are even thinking about dividing Jerusalem any further (among "spiritual" or "secular" Jews) is absolutely despicable. We must not allow distinctions between us to cloud the basic issue. Jerusalem is God's home on earth: it should be open to everyone.

Cathy Shapiro
Coral Springs, Florida

The significant fact about the two opinions stated in this issue of Eilu V'eilu is that they are those of Israelis. From an American point of view, the opinions are not nearly sufficient.

In America we have freedom of religion. No American Jew I know would give it up; we think it is a cornerstone of what America has done for us. Because of freedom of religion, we have no chief rabbi in the United States. (I understand that it is the only country in the world with a significant Jewish population that doesn't have a chief rabbi.) The Jewish denominations are equal in America from the government's point of view.

The issue from our point of view with the situation in Israel is not the problems in Jerusalem. It is that the government favors one Jewish denomination over another. This is obviously not the fault of the Orthodox; they are a minority in Israel and so cannot control government policy unless they have the cooperation of the majority.

As I understand it, the Israeli majority tends to agree with the Orthodox that theirs is the version of Judaism that should be primary. Let's deal with the real problem rather than the  smokescreen about ultra-Orthodox outrages. The real problem is that the Israeli majority has no idea of religious pluralism as we understand it in the United States. Speaking for myself, until they do support my right to practice my religion without disadvantage, I see no reason to support them.

Dave Mollen


This is my reply to the two postings:

There is a popular Hebrew song Lakach’ta et Yadi Beyadcha –You took your hand in my hand, written by Yankale’h Rothblit, and composed by Mati Casspi,

that says: "Things you see from here you don't see from there." This line is often addressed to Israeli politicians who make far-reaching campaign promises, and once elected, realize that things are much more complicated when they assume responsibility. So perhaps Meir Azari and I wrote as insiders, and by doing so were a bit dismissive of the way Israel looks from the outside. Israel is a "work in progress" and is still unformed. Though there are many forces that are pushing toward a less pluralistic Israel, there are many "passionate liberals" (almost an oxymoron) who are fighting for civic and religious freedom. I don’t see how this struggle can take place without the active involvement of our brothers and sisters in the American Reform Movement.