Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism in Israel

American, Israeli Jews inhabiting different worlds as mothers battle chaos: By Heidi Schneider, Chair, Masorti Foundation Sometimes the disparity between the lives of Jews in Israel and Jews in the U.S. is very great. I was on a Zoom meeting last Monday with some of my work colleagues in Israel. In a private chat, one of my Israeli friends asked: How are you? I just got back from Tucson, I wrote, the weather reminded me of Israel. Except we found a scorpion in our bathro...om. After a moment she replied: I just got a text that my boss’ house near Jerusalem was hit by a Hamas missile. I can’t concentrate on this call at all. I was filled with horror and shame. My privilege as a Minnesota Jew had spilled out all over. My freedom to travel after being fully vaccinated. My ability to be out-of-touch with the world while I took a vacation with my family and floated in a pool. The peaceful home I returned to in the Twin Cities with its quiet neighbors, Canada and the Dakotas, which have never launched incendiaries at us. Heidi Schneider Continue reading https://masorti.org/american-israeli-jews-inhabiting-diffe/ See more

Israel Under Fire: Report on the Ground In this troubling time for Israel, we bring you a report direct from the field. These are compelling first-person accounts of what’s happening in our Masorti communities. The report is from the leaders of the Masorti Movement Sophie Fellman Rafalovitz, the President and Rakefet Ginsberg, the Executive Director. Read the full report from Rabbi Gustavo Surazski in Ashkelon, Rabbi Jeff Cymet in Tel Aviv and Rabbi Sigalut Ur from Moshav Shorashim and Idit Ben Moshe Grines from Moshav Sde Nitzan, the "Gaza Envelope." https://masorti.org/israel-under-fire-report-on-ground

Live from The Masorti Movement In Israel-

Our hearts go out to all the people in Israel at this very difficult time. We share the sentiments of Rabbi Andy Sacks, Director of Masorti’s Rabbinical Assembly in Israel, of hope and prayer for the restoration of peace in Israel. Rabbis in Israel, in the Rabbinical Assembly, and the entire leadership of the Masorti (Conservative) Movement in Israel express their deep sorrow and anxiety in the face of the dangerous deterioration in the security situation. We call on the p...ublic, from the bottom of our hearts, to join us in prayer. We pray for calmness of the spirit and for the restoration of peace. On the upcoming holiday of Shavuot, as one people with one heart, we add our prayer, Psalm 22:2 and the prayer for peace of Rabbi Nachman. This prayer was prepared by our friends in the The Masorti Movement In Israel- and Israel Rabbinical Assembly.

For those of us not in Israel, we join spiritually with The Masorti Movement In Israel- today during a memorial prayer gathering for the victims of Lag B'Omer tragedy at Mount Meron -- held at the Egalitarian Family prayer space at the Kotel. May the victims memories be a blessing to their families and all Israel. Masorti brought people together in a passionate belief that the rock of our existence is unity and mutual support -- that we are all brothers and sisters! Egalitarian Prayer at the Kotel -

We join our friends from the Masorti Movement of Israel and the Israeli Rabbinical Assembly in mourning the victims of last night's Lag B'Omer disaster on Mt. Meron. May the memory of the lost be for a blessing, may the families find consolation, and may the injured recover quickly. For anyone in Israel, to mourn and to pray for the injured, to express solidarity, we gather on Sunday at 17:30 at the Egalitarian Kotel. The following prayer was prepared to help put words to ...the tragedy. The Masorti Movement In Israel- Rabbinical Assembly See more

Today we received very disturbing news that the Israeli Ministry of the Interior has ruled that Abayudaya Jews from Uganda are not from a recognized Jewish community and are therefore ineligible to make aliyah to Israel. This view contradicts the position of the Jewish Agency for Israel, the global Conservative-Masorti Movement and other advocates for emerging communities and Jewish pluralism. READ ON for more on this very troubling story. https://masorti.org/ministry-of-interior-rules-against-uga/

After fifteen years of waiting, a decision is due shortly from Israel’s Supreme Court regarding conversion. And as Rakefet Ginsberg, Masorti Israel’s new CEO asks in a powerful article for Ha’aretz, Is the State of Israel capable of understanding what communities in the Diaspora have long since internalized: Judaism has many and diverse faces, and this is the solution, not the problem. See the diverse faces in this great article translated from the Hebrew. https://masorti.org/judaism-has-many-diverse-faces-thats-n/

Improve the Lives of Isolated Israeli Seniors with Dementia this #GivingTuesday Holocaust Remembrance Day is celebrated by seniors in Israel in the days before the Coronavirus. Many among these survivors, and the immigrants who fled the oppression of the Soviet Union, are unfortunately now suffering from Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. The Masorti Movement in Israel is working to ease their circumstances through the launch of K'Sharim, an interactive recreational an...d support program and a part of the Adraba Center, long known for its excellence in serving Israelis with disabilities. This #GivingTuesday, support K'Sharim to enhance the quality of life for these seniors. https://masorti.org/giving-tuesday-2020-ksharim/

Warmest Wishes for a Meaningful and Safe Thanksgiving. As we prepare to celebrate this first Thanksgiving in the time of Coronavirus, the Masorti Foundation and Masorti Israel remains thankful for your support in helping build a vibrant, egalitarian, inclusive and loving Israel. We wish you, your family, and friends a happy holiday.... https://masorti.org/support-masorti/

Israelis with Alzheimer's Need Your Help. What Better Way to Honor Them on #GivingTuesday than through Masorti's K'Sharim? The Adraba Center of the Masorti (Conservative) Movement in Israel is launching K'Sharim, an interactive recreational and study program for older Israelis with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. These individuals desperately need mental stimulation and community connections to get through this extremely challenging time. https://masorti.org/giving-tuesday-2020-ksharim/

Don't miss your chance for a 2020-only tax break. As a result of the CARES Act, Americans who choose to make a donation in 2020 can itemize a new above-the-line charitable deduction. Chanukah is coming soon... What better way to celebrate than to promote pluralism in Israel? https://masorti.org/pluralism-masorti-israel-chanukah/ Taxpayers will be able to claim up to $300 made in cash contributions to a nonprofit charity such as the Masorti Foundation this year as a deduction from their gross income provided they take the standard deduction on their 2020 tax return. Of course, consult with your account!

Exciting times for the Masorti Movement. Dr. Yizhar Hess, who has served as the Director of the Masorti Movement for 13 years moves on to a new position at the World Zionist Organization. And the Movement warmly welcomes Rakefet Ginsberg who will be the first woman to serve as Executive Director of the Masorti Movement in Israel! Rakefet served previously as Deputy Executive Director and brings knowledge, experience and a love for the Movement and its values.... Yizhar and Rakefet will continue the work of promoting a more inclusive, pluralistic Israel, and will bring inspired leadership to their new positions. For more about Rakefet and Yizhar:https://masorti.org/exciting-leadership-changes-masorti-mo/

Dr. Yizhar Hess's opinion article in Ha'aretz about the WZO's recent Congress is a crucially important read. He writes about "what happened behind the scenes and why this Congress of representatives from all streams and parties was actually the most important since Israel’s establishment..." Lots of drama...don't miss this story. https://masorti.org/yizhar-hess-the-zionist-movement-almos/

An agreement has been reached, that while not ideal in our eyes, goes a long way to protecting Conservative and Reform interests at the WZO. Crucially, the changes negotiated "ensure checks and balance and inclusion of all the Zionist movements and streams of the Jewish people in the leadership of the National Zionist Institutions." https://masorti.org/haredi-power-grab-at-the-world-zionist/

How, this Simchat Torah, can we be "strong and resolute/" Simchat Torah's Haftarah (Joshua 1:1 -18) calls for the Jewish People to "be strong and resolute" (Hazak Ve'ematz). This teaching takes on greater urgency this Simchat Torah, as Israelis remain in their second lockdown. On a holiday where we remember our going into Israel, we must all do our share to support services that enable our brethren in the Jewish homeland to" be strong and resolute."... https://masorti.org/facing-challenges-with-true-strength-a- See more

How can Israeli communities fight isolation during COVID lockdkown this Sukkot? A central message of Sukkot is the importance of enjoying the blessings in our everyday lives while raising our awareness of how fragile we are. Seven months into the crisis, Israel is once again in lockdown. Sukkot will be celebrated in isolation. But we do not despair. We take action. Your support is needed now to make sure Masorti Israel rabbis and counselors are available to Israelis needing ...the embrace of a caring community, guidance to secure social services, and, crucially, spiritual uplift. Listen to a warm message of solidarity from Masorti Israel CEO, Yizhar Hess who reinforces that Jews in the US and in Israel are part of one connected family. https://masorti.org/a-sukkot-in-israel-like-no-other/

We hope you'll watch and listen as Heidi Schneider, Chair of the Masorti Foundation, tells the story of what happened to her son, Isaac, in Jerusalem on his first solo trip to Israel. Quoting Rabbi Elisha Wolfin of Ve'ahavta in Zichron Yaakov, she says: "Sometimes, the blast of the Shofar is the sound of a heart breaking with outrage." Despite the heartbreak, says Heidi "I am deeply committed to Israel and to the Masorti Movement, the Conservative Movement in Israel. I am inspired by its promise of inclusion, of diversity and of gender equality."https://masorti.org/many-meanings-of-the-blast-of-the-shof/

A special Kaddish from Egalitarian Prayer at the Kotel - and The Masorti Movement In Israel- -- Masorti Israel creating space for all. With hopes that this video -- prayer from the Ashkenazi and Sephardi/Mizrachi traditions -- sets a powerful intention for a meaningful Shabbat and Yom Kippur. Watch the video here: https://masorti.org/musical-kaddish-mizrahi-sephardic-ashk/...Continue reading

I was grateful that there is a place, one place on the same Wall, where non-Orthodox Jews can gather and daven together. That egalitarian section of the Kotel would not be there were it not for the Masorti or the Conservative Movement in Israel. These are the words of Rabbi Carl M. Perkins of Needham, Mass. in a powerful video he recorded as part of his Rosh Hashanah service this year on behalf of the Masorti Movement in Israel. Read more and watch the video: https://tinyurl.com/y4f36lnw

Are you looking for High Holiday content -- Israel Style? Check out the post below with links to amazing new materials -- prayer, music videos, and even a shopping list. The blog provides a guide so even if your Hebrew is rusty you can find fabulous treasures for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur from The Masorti Movement In Israel- , " Schechter Rabbinical Seminary, Noam - and the rabbis, congregations, teachers, and... activists of Masorti Israel. Shana Tova Umetuka

In this unique and challenging year, we know that each of our High Holidays will be unusual, requiring imagination to connect with community and to undertake the season’s essential experiences of repentance and teshuvah. For an irresistible array of resources from Israel to make the holidays joyful and meaningful, check this out: https://tinyurl.com/y5rgy67a

Why cry on Rosh Hashanah? Rabbi Hasit expounds on the experience of hearing the Shofar and why, though we think of it as joyous, it can occasion tears as well. Get inspired by the depth of learning, the way Masorti rabbis like Arie Hasit explore the complexities of joy, fear, grief, and celebration intermingled at this season. https://masorti.org/why-cry-on-rosh-hashanah/

Please consider supporting the Masorti Movement of Israel this Rosh Hashana and spreading the word in your own networks. The Masorti Movement In Israel- Here's the brutal truth: Masorti Israel faces unparalleled threats--a resurgent Coronavirus, 20% unemployment & systemic governmental discrimination. The Israeli government funds religious activities for the Orthodox & ultra-Orthodox. But not for Masorti. For a more Jewish, more democratic Israel, where Jewish tradition, inclusion, equality & justice prevails, this Rosh Hashanah, support Masorti. https://masorti.org/masorti-israel-under-attack/

Masorti Israel CEO, Dr. Yizhar Hess reaches out to us with an urgent message about religion and State in Israel, as we approach the High Holiday season. https://masorti.org/an-urgent-high-holiday-plea-from-masor/

Live Selichot Services from The Masorti Movement In Israel- and friends from Egalitarian Prayer at the Kotel - . Jerusalem Israel.