A call for action
Last week I participated in a very moving event at TBI with Noam and Gali Tibon who shared their incredible story driving to the Gaza envelope on October 7th in an attempt to save their son, daughter in law and toddler grandchildren.
More on their incredible story can be found here:
Concluding the event Phyllis Dorey OAM, Chair of the World Union For Progressive Judaism spoke on the little that each and everyone of us can and should do to support the future of Israel not just its security but also its character – what type of country will it be in a year, in a decade?
Phylis said that one of the greatest threats facing Israel today is its government. For some of us in the diaspora, it is hard to distinguish between the Israel imagined in the Declaration of Independence, and the present reality of Israel, where it appears that bringing home all the remaining hostages is not the primary goal of many of those in leadership if it interferes with their political aspirations or holding on to power. Israelis and diaspora Jews are together facing existential threats, in all their ugly, subversive manifestations.
For me, it is clear, that for us to move forward, here, in Israel, and indeed globally, we need to have a strong and loud voice as Progressive Zionists, where our values, how we express our faith and our belief in Am Israel – our peoplehood -are strengthened and modelled by our communities and our leaders.
So how do we do that?
We should not be silenced: we must stand up and be counted. Here are two ways you can do that.
- The World Zionist Congress elections will be held in Israel in October this year, and we need to strengthen our presence and influence there. The Congress is the legislative body which allocates millions of US dollars to support programs in Israel and globally. The Ultra-Orthodox community has pledged to defund Progressive Jews – in Israel and worldwide – if they win a majority of mandates. We cannot let that happen. If you are not already a member of ARZA, please join, either through your synagogue or directly, register to vote, and if needed, vote, to ensure we maintain our mandates (based on our membership numbers) through our membership of the Australian Zionist Federation.
- By saying “hineini”-here we are, with our voices, and our resources, we can again answer the call to help our families in Israel, and Ukraine, to stand by them in their struggles, to envelop them in our hearts and give them the strength to keep going so that they truly know they are not alone in this fight
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Our opponents in the WZC campaign are highly motivated religious fundamentalists whose vision for the future of Israel is diametrically opposed to ours. They are organizing to destroy what we value, including:
Chipping away at Israel’s democracy
Stripping our Israeli Reform clergy – especially our women rabbis – and our Reform communities of their rights, funding, and infrastructure
Making sure that our converts and our children are not welcome in the Jewish state
Their vision writes Reform Jews out of the next chapter of Jewish history and will make Jews in Israel and around the world less safe.
Our campaign will help ensure that Israel reflects our Reform Jewish values and is a place where our children and grandchildren will always be safe and welcome. The Reform Jewish representatives in the WZC help promote our values on issues that affect all of us.
Join ARZA today or learn more at https://arza-australia.square.site/
In order to be able to have your say and vote in the coming election to the WZO – please register and join here:
https://arza-australia.square.site/
Please also share this link with your Jewish friends and family and encourage them to join
World Zionist Congress elections begin amid crisis – The Jerusalem Post
More about the WZC election can be found here:
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-845059
https://m.jpost.com/diaspora/article-845059?utm_source=jpost.app.apple&utm_medium=share
Wishing you all happy Purim
Kind Regards,
Ayal Marek,
ARZA Australia
President
Union for Progressive Judaism
Vice president