I happily pass this along to you and urge you to support the rights of the non-Orthodox in Israel. The following comes from Anat Hoffman, the head of the Israeli Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Israel, the leading advocacy group on behalf of pluralism and democracy in the Jewish State.
Rabbi Miri Gold needs our help, and so I ask you to send an email to Minister Yakov Margi from the Ultra-Orthodox Sephardic Shas party who has been stalling on passing along a living wage to Rabbi Gold because she is both a non-Orthodox Rabbi and a woman. We may like to see all government subsidies of religion cease, but until it does the Reform movement needs and is entitled to support. This is an important test case and it is critical that we win.
The following is an appeal from Anat Hoffman.
IRAC goes back to court
Dear Friends of IRAC,
Last week I asked you to support Christiane Amanpour covering gender segregation, and you did not disappoint. Thousands of you made it clear how important it is to cover this issue. This week, I need your help again before all of us at IRAC head back to the Israeli Supreme Court to continue fighting for Miri Gold to be the first reform rabbi recognized by the State of Israel.
Rabbi Miri Gold is one of 15 rabbis serving the Gezer Region. Fourteen of these rabbis, all Orthodox men, are recognized by the government and receive a government salary. Only Miri Gold receives neither government recognition nor support for her work.
We have been making slow but steady progress towards the recognition of her and all non-orthodox rabbis, but the last mile is the hardest. The State seems to think we will go away if they keep postponing a decision. We have to show them that they are wrong.
As we go back to court this week, I want all of our supporters around the world to help us keep pressure on Israel’s decision makers. For this week’s Action Alert, I want you to send an email (http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50494/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=7642) to Minister Yakov Margi, from the Ultra-Orthodox Shas Party. He is the Minster for Religious Services and the one responsible for all the rabbis who are employed by the State. We need to flood his inbox with thousands of emails showing him that stalling is a tactic that will fail.
The full recognition of our rabbis and institutions is the foundation of our work. Rabbi Miri Gold has worked tirelessly to build her community in the Gezer region, and we all owe her the same commitment in fighting for her to be acknowledged as the rabbi of Congregation Birkat Shalom.
I know that when we walk into court on Wednesday, the strength of the thousands of voices will be behind us saying Miri Gold is our rabbi too.
L’shalom,
Anat
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