Reform Jews pray at the Kotel
Jewish Agency emissaries express alarm at government moves
In letter to agency head Natan Sharansky, emissaries in North America lament 'expressions of rage, insult and astonishment' by Diaspora Jews to decisions to freeze Kotel plan and promote conversion bill, warning, 'These actions cause irrefutable damage to our collective future as a united Jewish people.'
Almost 200 Jewish Agency emissaries in North America have expressed their concern of the damage caused to the ties between Israel and Diaspora Jews following the government's decisions to advance the conversion bill and halt the Western wall egalitarian prayer area plan.
"We are greatly concerned that these decisions are harming the delicate bonds between our two communities," reads a letter to Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky, signed by 177 emissaries.
"These actions cause irrefutable damage to our collective future as a united Jewish people, to Israel’s security and economic interests, and to the very essence and character of the Jewish nation state," they went on to say.
Reform Jews pray at the Western Wall (Photo: AP)
The emissaries lamented "the expressions of rage, insult and astonishment by members of our communities worldwide" in response to the government decisions.
They also expressed their support to Sharansky, who came out against the government's decisions, and asked him to "continue fighting for the future of the entire Jewish people, and their sense of belonging and connection to the State of Israel."
Describing their role as creating a "living bridge" between Jewish communities in North America and the State of Israel, the emissaries said they work "to foster mutual understanding and appreciation between these two communities, striving for unity without uniformity."
"During our service as emissaries, we have been exposed to the rich and diverse nature of Diaspora Judaism, which contains many voices of Jews from various streams: Reform, Conservative, Modern Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Humanistic, Ultra-Orthodox and others," the emissaries wrote.
"We have learned to value the diversity of voices within Judaism that have enriched our personal Jewish identity and contributed to our acknowledgement that religious pluralism is a necessity for the Jewish people," they asserted.
Reform Jews pray at the Western Wall (Photo: AP)
With this understanding, the emissaries tried to emphasize the importance of these issues to the Israeli public, for whom "the Western Wall prayer arrangements and conversion rights are not a daily concern that defines their Jewish-Israeli identity."
"The Israeli Jewish public must understand that surrendering these two important symbols is surrendering the privilege and obligation to shape the character and nature of our Jewish State," the emissaries explained.
They called on Israeli citizens "to reach out to their elected representatives, and encourage them to reverse these decisions and to reclaim the responsibility of shaping the Jewish public sphere," noting that "Our Judaism belongs to all of us! We call upon anyone who believes pluralism is the bedrock of Israeli democracy, to join this effort."
The emissaries urged the "brothers and sisters in the Diaspora who demonstrate their love and support of the State of Israel everyday: Do not lose faith!"
They further noted that "This current crisis is an opportunity to raise the issue of religious pluralism to the top of the Israeli public’s agenda. The change you are hoping for is within reach, but we need your help, partnership and love to get us there. We call on you to continue promoting this just and critical struggle as truly equal partners."
The letter, originally written in Hebrew, was also translated into English to make it accessible for North American Jews.
