ARZA Australia joins with the Union for Progressive Judaism in supporting the following statement by the Australian Assembly of Rabbis and Cantors. The statement by the ARC came, in light of the Times of Israel report that Orthodox MK’s vow to shun Knesset Progressive candidate Rabbi Gilad Kariv as a partner for coalition or a minyan.
The Orthodox MK’s said that they would boycott Progressive Rabbi Gilad Kariv if, as appears likely, he enters the Knesset with centre-left Labor in next month’s general election. They took this opportunity to attack Progressive Judaism, with Shas MK Moshe Abutbul being quoted as saying that “there are all kinds of clownish religions from abroad and now the Labor Party decided to bring them here. We won’t cooperate with this type of people who are destroying traditional Judaism”.
Kind regards Helen
23 February 2021
The Assembly of Rabbis and Cantors (ARC) of Australia, New Zealand and Asia stands with our global partners, including the WUPJ, IMPJ, and ARZENU, in condemning the insulting, intolerant, hostile rhetoric of Ultra-Orthodox and National Religious leaders about our movement. Their inaccurate words about Progressive Judaism and the shunning behaviour they threaten toward Rabbi Gilad Kariv, a candidate in the upcoming Knesset elections, fall far short of the ideals on which the State was founded, including respect for pluralism and difference of opinion that makes for a healthy democracy and civil discourse.
Those who established the State wrote in the Declaration of Independence, “We extend our hand to all neighbouring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighbourliness, and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land.” Today’s sovereign Jewish people deserve no less of their own elected leaders and candidates; we call on such leaders to model neighbourliness, cooperation, and peace toward one another.
Helen Shardey
ARZA Australia President
UPJ Vice President