Hundreds March to Robinson's Arch During Symbolic Conclusion to GA

Photo by: Yonatan Sindel/Flash 90

By DANIEL K. EISENBUD
13/11/2013

"We must not fight to see how we can defeat each other, we must fight to see how we can be one people," says Sharansky.

Following a carnival-like atmosphere outside Jerusalem’s City Hall Tuesday afternoon – featuring costumed stilt-walkers, dancers, protesters and impassioned speeches from political leaders – hundreds of delegates from the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) marched to the egalitarian section of the Western Wall to pray as one.

Although Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky spoke of the sanctity of Jerusalem and the threat of Iran, the overriding theme of the GA’s closing ceremony was unquestionably Jewish unity at the Western Wall.

Indeed, speakers at the final gathering for the three-day event overwhelmingly framed the Western Wall as a primary symbol of the importance of ensuring Jews of all denominations are treated equally and with dignity at the holy site.

“The Kotel is the foundation of the Jewish people – it belongs to each of us and all of us,” said JFNA president and CEO Jerry Silverman, before introducing Barkat.

“Today I want us all to embrace Natan Sharansky’s bold, forward-thinking and pluralistic plan for shared use of the Kotel.”

As Barkat spoke of the importance of pluralism, a group of nearby protesters from the Jerusalem Foundation of Modern Democracy could be heard shouting their disapproval of the mayor’s coalition with Arieh King, chairman of the United Jerusalem Party, whom they called a racist for his divisive campaign for city council.

Several of the participants held placards reading “Save Jerusalem from the King” and shouted “We voted for Barkat, not the KKK!” Unfazed by the outburst, Barkat went on to describe Jerusalem as the “foundation of modern democracy” and emphasized the importance of tolerance here among different religious factions.

Sharansky echoed Barkat’s sentiments, adding that it was imperative to ensure the Western Wall served as “one Wall for one people.”

“The Kotel is about history and the connection to all Jewish people in the world,” he said. “The moment that is undermined, millions of people will become disconnected – and nobody wants that this connection is weakened.”

Sharansky then added: “Now, let’s go to the Kotel so everyone can pray and feel connected to Israel.”

As roughly 700 GA delegates marched to the Wall, several people expressed gratitude about finally being able to pray together at the holiest site for Judaism.

“I think this is a powerful ending to the conference and a meaningful way for Jews in the Diaspora to speak loudly in support of the Wall belonging to all Jews, regardless of the stream of Judaism they belong to,” said Michael Wise of Buffalo.

Stephen Kulp of Chicago said the egalitarian section made him “feel good about Jerusalem” by ceding power away from haredi dogma and what he deemed the disproportionate influence of the ultra-Orthodox.

“I can now go to the Wall and pray with my wife, which is the most important thing to me,” he said. “I’d rather have it like this than not at all.”

Still, not all the delegates expressed complete satisfaction over the compromise to make Robinson’s Arch, which sits dozens of meters away from where most Jews pray, the final destination for egalitarian prayer.

“The section is fine, but it’s not the same,” said Lili Kaufman of Tampa, Florida, while another participant said the removed location made him feel like a “second-class citizen.”

However, Kaufman’s friend Dorothy Wizer expressed pragmatism, saying she understood that the Western Wall served as a metaphor for “the bigger picture” of Jewish life and therefore required compromise.

“If moving over a little bit along the [Wall] makes for peace, then it’s fine with me,” she said. “We can’t continue fighting each other – we have enough enemies.”

After the group sang several prayers together as the sun set, leaving behind the light of an incandescent half moon, Sharansky conceded that Robinson’s Arch was not an ideal location for the egalitarian section but represented a “first step.”

“This is not what we dreamed of, but it is a beginning,” he said. “It’s very important that when people speak to God they speak in a way they are comfortable, and that’s the power of the Kotel – it’s long enough to include all our people.”

Noting the ongoing contentious impasse between the ultra-Orthodox community and Women of the Wall, who have been seeking egalitarian prayer at the Kotel, Sharansky said the incongruity of tradition and pluralism must not pit Jews against one other.

“The lesson from all of this is that we must not fight to see how we can defeat each other; we must fight to see how we can be one people,” he said.

Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, executive vice president of the Rabbinical Assembly, said she viewed the egalitarian prayer space through a historical spectrum.

“For me, we are one Jewish family that has taken many different directions over many years to help the Jewish community thrive, and this is one of the most significant steps in helping us do it together,” she said. “We have multiple ways we seek to achieve [unity], but we must do it together.”

Meanwhile, Rabbi Steven Wernick, CEO of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, described Robinson’s Arch as an “interim step” in actualizing Sharansky’s vision of a more unified Western Wall.

“We’re waiting to see the prime minister’s next step,” he said. “If it is consistent with Sharanky’s plan, then it will be time to dance.”

Wernick added, “Now is the time to be grateful.”

via JPost.com

From Major Speakers to Exhibitors, Federation GA in Israel a ‘Global Jewish Shuk’

Claire Ellman, Jane Fantel
and Debbie Kornberg at the GA

Several halls of Jerusalem’s International Congress Center were filled with booths representing the best of Israeli innovations as the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) held its General Assembly in Jerusalem for the third time since 2003.

From 1998-2012, the Federations sent more than $4.5 billion to Israel, so it’s no wonder that Israeli organizations as diverse as the world-renowned Yad Vashem Holocaust museum to the fledgling Hasdera social change organization were vying for the attention of the 1,500 North American delegates. Representatives of smaller organizations that can’t afford a booth wandered around the halls looking for opportunities to talk with potential donors and hand out a business card or brochure.

The annual gathering of Federation leadership generally takes place in the U.S., but every five years the organization representing more than 400 North American communities convenes in Jerusalem.

This year, the 1,500 North Americans were joined by an equal number of Israelis, representing the gamut of the country’s social services, commerce, and public institutions.

The theme for the 2013 GA was “The Global Jewish Shuk: A Marketplace of Dialogue and Debate,” with 22 sessions packed into a one-and-a-half-day conference. An additional day was set aside for site visits in and around Jerusalem, culminating in a solidarity walk from Jerusalem’s City Hall in Safra Square to the Western Wall.

For many delegates, the GA was the culmination of a weeklong mission that combines visits to Federation-funded projects with visits to Israel’s best cultural events.

At the opening plenary, headlined by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the tone was set by the introductory speech given by GA co-chairs Michael and Susie Gelman. “We dream of Israel as a Jewish, democratic, pluralistic state,” stated Susie Gelman.

One Israeli blogger present retorted: “You mean we’re NOT? That bus I took to this very conference filled with an amalgam of Haredi, National Religious, white, black and Peruvian Jews was not a pluralistic environment? That election in which I voted earlier this year in which I had the privacy to choose whatever ballot I wished was not a democratic vote?”

The gap in understanding between Israelis and Diaspora Jews concerns Member of Knesset Nachman Shai (Kadima), a former director of the Israel office of JFNA, who organized two Federation general assemblies during his tenure.



 

The recent Pew Research Center survey of American Jewry is indicative of “a continuing steady change in attitude that indicates [Americans Jews and Israelis are] in two worlds,” Shai told JNS.org.
Israelis and Diaspora Jews “have to work harder” to understand each other, Shai said, citing two committees he chairs “to strengthen the Jewish people.” One is a joint Jewish Agency for Israel-Knesset committee on Jewish identity, and the other, convened by the Ruderman Family Foundation, aims to educate Knesset members about North American Jewry.

Over and over, Israelis in various sessions spoke of the existential threat facing the Jewish state: El Al executive and former Israel Air Force head Eliezer Shkedy told a Monday plenary session, “We’re fighting for our lives here.” Opposition Leader Shelly Yachimovich told delegates she agrees with Netanyahu that Iran “must be stopped from getting the bomb.”

For GA delegates like Iantha Sidell of Seattle, however, the clear top priority item for Jewish Federations is the findings of the Pew survey of American Jews.

“When that study was published, it changed the agenda,” Sidell explained. “The rates of intermarriage and the quest to find ways to engage young people in Jewish life are things we have to deal with now. We have to have content that interests them. I hope we can get some new ideas here,” she added.

Back over at the Hasdera booth, an earnest young Israeli tried to explain in English to a slightly perplexed Federation leader from Miami how his social change organization helps promote public participation in Israeli social causes.

In his address to the plenary on Sunday, Netanyahu tried to bridge the gap by laying out his assessment of the Iranian threat, telling the audience, “Coming to a theater near you. They need those ICBMs to reach North America.” He urged American Jews to “do something about it.”

Netanyahu also mentioned the Israeli government’s new joint initiative with the Jewish Agency “to unite the Jewish people, to initiate programs to help reach the inner cords of identity of the Jewish people around the world, and then put forward programs to help solidify the core of the conviction and identity that is so central to securing our future.”

Federation Responds to Devastating Typhoon

The Jewish Federation of San Diego County is mobilizing a communal response to the super Typhoon Haiyan, which has wrought widespread destruction in the Philippines. Our partners at the JDC are consulting with local officials, the Filipino Jewish community and global partners to assess the evolving situation on the ground in the Philippines, where one of the strongest storms on record has wrought widespread destruction. More than 10,000 people are feared dead, with reports of ocean surges as high as trees. The central city of Tacloban on the island of Leyte is among the worst hit on the Pacific nation. Jewish Federations have a proud tradition of supporting the Jewish communal response to disasters around the world and at home, raising tens of millions of dollars for emergency assistance and longer-term aid. 100% of your contribution will go to help victims of Typhoon Haiyan. Donate Now

Congressman Scott Peters and Captain Scott Adams speak to Latino Jewish Coalition

On Thursday morning, November 7, Congressman Scott Peters (D-SD) and Captain Scott Adams, Commander of Naval Base Point Loma, spoke to a breakfast meeting of the Latino Jewish Coalition of the Jewish Community Relations Council.  Peters expressed some optimism about the prospects for immigration reform.  He talked about the military's rebalance to the Pacific while the US will continue to use diplomacy in the Middle East.  Captain Adams said that the military was 25% of the San Diego economy, but this has been reduced because of the sequester.  He expressed concerns about the long-term consequences to preparedness if the sequester continues.

Submitted by Howard Wayne, Co-chair Latino-Jewish Coalition, Executive Committee member JCRC

A Little Mitzvah

Compassion. 

This man has it.

When Isaac Theil let a sleepy stranger take a little catnap on his shoulder, it was because "I simply remembered the times my own head would bop on someone’s shoulder because I was so tired after a long day," he recounted to Tova Ross of Tablet Magazine.

Another subway rider was so struck by Theil's nonchalant empathy that he snapped a picture and put it on Reddit, from which it was then posted to Facebook by Charidy.

Redditor Braffination wrote, "Heading home on the Q train yesterday when this young black guy nods off on the shoulder of a Jewish man. The man doesn't move a muscle, just lets him stay there. After a minute, I asked the man if he wanted me to wake the kid up, but he shook his head and responded, 'He must have had a long day, let him sleep. We've all been there, right?'"

Theil himself has been completely surprised at the attention he's received for his small act of kindness, as the photo has been shared over 20,000 times on Facebook.

via The Huffington Post

Thousands to Gather in Jerusalem for Signature Event of North American Jewry

San Diego Federation's leaders will be joined by thousands of Jewish community leaders from across the globe are preparing to convene in Israel for the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly, Nov. 10-12 in Jerusalem. 

With 140 speakers – half of them women – from the political, philanthropic, business, religious and cultural worlds, the GA will gather over 3000 participants from 93 different communities across North America, Israel and Europe – including the heads of the Jewish communities of France, Hungary, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Belgium, Italy and the Czech Republic – to join the “Global Jewish Shuk: a marketplace of dialogue and debate.”


Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Finance Minister Yair Lapid, Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs Naftali Bennett, opposition leader Shelly Yacimovich, US Ambassador Dan Shapiro, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and a host of members of Knesset, including Stav Shaffir (its youngest member) will also speak, many for the first time to such a large Diaspora audience. Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Finance Minister Yair Lapid, Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs Naftali Bennett, opposition leader Shelly Yacimovich, US Ambassador Dan Shapiro, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and a host of members of Knesset, including Stav Shaffir (its youngest member) will also speak, many for the first time to such a large Diaspora audience.

In setting the GA in Jerusalem, the Jewish Federations see an opportunity to spark a dialogue between Israeli and North American Jews. They believe that the concerns facing the Israeli and North American communities today are universal, and the GA will provide a chance to fully delve into these issues.

The conference will focus on two futures: the future of Israel and its relationship with the Diaspora, and the challenges facing North American Jewry today, which the recent Pew Research Study put into sharp relief. The intent of this year’s GA is to explore each of these issues in depth.

A wide range of speakers will be joining the GA to address participants, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres, who will be taking questions from participants and via social media. 

They will be joined by business and community leaders including Eliezer Shkedi, El Al CEO and former IAF Commander-in-Chief; Daniel Birnbaum, CEO of SodaStream International; and Emma Butin, the award-winning founder of Kyron Systems and an author who has been published worldwide.

In addition to the major plenaries, participants will also be able to attend over 22 different interactive sessions and meet over 60 exhibitors. With this year’s GA in Jerusalem, the Jewish Federations will explore a range of issues facing Israel and North American Jewry. Sessions will contend with social challenges in Israel, the evolving Israel-Diaspora relationship, and the future of American Jewry.

Among the various sessions, Jewish Agency for Israel Chairman Natan Sharansky will sit down with Anat Hoffman, founding member of the Women of the Wall organization, Ronit Peskin, co-founder and volunteer director of the Women for the Wall organization, and MK Aliza Lavie for an in-depth discussion of issues surrounding use of the Kotel, moderated by JFNA President and CEO Jerry Silverman. Hoffman and Peskin have never before appeared in public together.

Other sessions will focus on critical issues facing the State of Israel. “Many Shades of Black” will discuss the religious community in Israel, while “What’s Love Got to Do with It? Who Decides Who Can Marry (or Divorce) in the Jewish State?” will discuss civil marriage in Israel.

The GA will conclude with a walk to the Western Wall. JFNA believes that there should be a place for every Jew at the Kotel. In what is being called a “dramatic celebration of Jewish unity and of Jerusalem’s centrality to the Jewish people,” participants will end the conference by walking together from Safra Square to the Wall.

This GA is also being billed as a “wired GA,” with a number of bloggers working to keep followers across the world hard wired to Jerusalem. Plenaries and breakout sessions will be live-streamed and a team will be working to constantly update followers via Twitter and the specially-designed GA smartphone app.

Sessions will also focus on new technology-focused sectors such as crowdsourcing philanthropy and will feature a series of “FED Talks,” a twist on the popular TED Talks.

Advancing the “Wired GA” will be the plenary session featuring President Shimon Peres, who will answer questions submitted by audience members and through an app on his personal Facebook page. The app was specially designed for the GA and participants around the world have been able to submit questions. During Peres’s session and throughout the GA, participants will be able to join the online conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #JFNAGA.

To learn more about the 2013 GA, click here

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