Israel Religious Action Center - IRAC

It is pride month. And Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg were more than proud to host Rabbi Amichai Lau Lavie (Founding Spiritual Leader of & Creator of Storahtelling, Inc. 🎬 , Co-Chair of Rabbis for Human Rights) on the podcast. Click on it today. Listen, explore, subscribe and share. This episode will lift your spirits, give you hope to continue the struggle for LGBTQ rights and for human and civil rights for all people. Rabbis for Human Rights

Pride and Prejudice in the Holy Land: Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie | The Pluralist Podcast What does it mean to be proudly q***r, deeply Jewish, and connected...

THIS WEEK ON THE PLURALIST PODCAST

In the latest episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Rabbi Josh Weinberg and I speak with Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie—an Israeli-born rabbi, storyteller, q***r Jewish leader, and co-founding spiritual leader of Lab/Shul in New York. Raised in one of Israel’s most prominent Orthodox rabbinic families, Amichai became the first openly q***r rabbi in 39 generations of his family. His journey is also at the center of the award-winning documentary Sabbath Queen.

This is a conversation about Pride and prejudice, progress and backlash, and what it means to refuse the choice between q***r identity, Jewish tradition, and a deep connection to Israel.

Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and share to keep this conversation going.
https://youtu.be/yl9NFmuCjpk

Orly Erez-Likhovski
Josh Weinberg
Reform Judaism in Israel
Union for Reform Judaism
ARZA

Wonderful news for WRJ, for Rabbi Liz PG Hirsch, for Reform Judaism in North America and here in Israel too.

We are proud to share that WRJ CEO Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch will soon serve on the Executive Council of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations for the next term beginning this month.

The Conference of Presidents brings together major American Jewish organizations to address critical issues affecting the Jewish community in the United States, Israel, and around the world. Its Executive Council assists Conference leadership in determining consensus positions and reviewing key plans, positions, and policy matters before they are brought to the full membership.

As a member, Rabbi Hirsch will bring WRJ’s perspective and priorities to this important communal body: fighting for reproductive rights and abortion access, ending gender-based violence, and ensuring Jewish women are heard and represented at a moment when their voices are so urgently needed.

Please join us in congratulating Rabbi Hirsch on this meaningful designation and the opportunity it represents for WRJ and the women+ at the core of our work.

**Dozens of Reform Rabbis Urge Prime Minister: "The Proposed Torah Study Law Is a Desecration of Torah and a Perpetuation of Inequality"**

More than 50 rabbis and rabbinical students from the Israel Reform Movement and the Reform Rabbinic Council have sent an urgent letter to the Prime Minister calling for the immediate halt of the proposed Torah Study Law, which is expected to come before the Knesset for a preliminary vote tomorrow.

The proposed legislation seeks to justify restoring benefits to Haredi yeshiva students that were revoked due to their exemption from military service.

In their letter, the rabbis wrote:

"Throughout the generations, Jewish tradition has upheld Torah study alongside social responsibility and a shared commitment to the public good. It has never viewed Torah study as an exclusive ideal that justifies withdrawal from work or separation from the broader community.

Using Torah study as a justification for exempting tens of thousands of young people from military service—at a time when our brothers and sisters from every sector of Israeli society are risking their lives and buckling under the burden—is a misuse of both Jewish tradition and the principle of mutual responsibility. This is true at all times, and it cries out all the more during a time of war.

Already in the Torah itself, when the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh sought to remain outside the Land of Canaan, Moses challenged them: 'Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here?' (Numbers 32:6)."

@התנועה הרפורמית
מרם מועצת הרבנות הרפורמית בישראל

Pride Month is one of the most important ones on our calendar. We are, therefor, pleased to share Orly's full and most recent email speaking about her experiences. Enjoy the letter, and please click on the link and subscribe...
🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈
https://mailchi.mp/irac.org/jerusalem-pride-resillence-and-the-road-ahead
Dear Friends,

[Two months have passed since the ceasefire with Iran was announced at the end of Pesach. It hasn’t been quiet – war has continued to rage in the north, settler violence in the West Bank continues to rise, and hundreds have been killed in Gaza – but we did get back to some kind of a crazy routine. This changed today when Iran fired another round of rockets at Israel and we started running again to our shelters. But especially at times like these, we need moments of respite and sources of strength. So, as things unfold and come into focus, I am sticking to my plan to share my reflections on the inspiring opening of pride month last Thursday.]
Amid all the immense challenges we face day in and day out, there are precious moments when we can pause, take stock of how far we have come, look around with pride, and draw strength for the road ahead.

That is how I felt on Thursday at the 24th Annual Jerusalem March for Pride and Tolerance. This year, as in previous years, we supported the Jerusalem Open House, the central LGBTQ+ organization in the city that organizes the parade, in discussions with the police to ensure that no unnecessary obstacles would impede its path and made sure that the municipality would display Pride flags along the route.

At the march itself, members of IRAC and IMPJ joined rabbis and members of Reform congregations carrying signs reading “Love your neighbor as yourself” and “I am a proud liberal,” sending a clear message: There is room for everyone in our Judaism. And there is a place for all Jews in Israel's capital, the city to which so many Jews around the world have always turned with their prayers.

This year, the march followed a different route – from Gan Sacher by the Supreme Court past government ministries to conclude next to the Knesset to underscore an important message: In the face of the most extreme homophobic government, which has not only failed to champion LGBTQ+ equality but has often sought to undermine it, the demand for equal rights cannot be deferred.
The reality facing Israel’s LGBTQ+ community remains far from simple. Discrimination and violence persist, and many still face barriers to living with dignity and security. Yet it is also important to recognize how much has changed over the past two decades.

Twenty years ago, in 2006, concerns about violence prevented the Jerusalem Pride March from taking place in the city’s streets. It was instead confined to a closed stadium. In 2015, 16-year-old student Shira Banki (z"l) was murdered during the march in an act of hatred that remains etched in our collective memory. It feels like yesterday, and yet much has changed since then, often for the better.

Today, it is taken almost for granted that an annual Pride march will take place in the streets of Jerusalem. This year, some 10,000 people participated. There was a significant police presence, but the event passed peacefully.

Perhaps most importantly, public opinion has shifted dramatically. A substantial majority of Israelis (74%!) support full equality for LGBTQ+ people.

Walking through the gathering before the march began, I caught a glimpse of the Jerusalem we aspire to and the Israel we want to build – a society grounded in equality, compassion, and inclusion.

The march concluded with a rally outside the Knesset. There was something powerful about seeing Pride flags fly near Israel’s parliament while thousands gathered to speak about equality and human dignity.
IRAC & IMPJ staff members at the gathering before the parade
One particularly moving moment came when a participant approached me to say that she reads this newsletter and wanted to thank IRAC for its work. Encounters like these are a reminder that social change is built not only through legal victories and public campaigns, but also through the communities we build together. Just like a march. Step by step. Person by person. Year by year.

There is still much work ahead. But this day lifted our spirits. And at a time like this, we need such moments more than ever.

Wishing everyone a happy Pride Month, one that renews our energy and determination to continue the struggle for equality, tolerance, and a society in which everyone belongs and has a secure and dignified place.

Sincerely,
Orly Erez-Likhovski
Union for Reform Judaism
Women of Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism in Israel