What’s Happening in Medinat Yisrael
February 6, 2014 
5 Comments
There’s a lot happening in Israel – check out this list of news and updates ranging from zoo news to Israeli politics.
- Reform Jewish Leader Responds to MK David Rotem: Rabbi Rick Jacobs issued a response to Member of Knesset David Rotem, a member of the Likud-Beiteinu party and head of the Knesset Committee on Constitution, Law, and Justice, who sparked an uproar when he said the Reform Movement “is not Jewish…they are another religion.” Read the full statement from Rabbi Jacobs at the URJ’s Press Page. Rotem subsequently “walked back” his remarks.
- Middle East Peace Process: Israeli President Shimon Peres recently thanked Secretary of State John Kerry for his efforts toward the peace process. A framework for an agreement is expected in the coming weeks or months.
- New anteaters arrive in Ramat Gan: Two female anteaters have moved to the Ramat Gan safari park from Denmark. This makes three anteaters in Israel – this mother-daughter pair join a 9-year-old male named Termite.
- Curbing laws restricting settlement construction: Member of Parliament Miri Regev (Likud) sponsored a bill that would bar the government from restricting settlement construction “due to diplomatic considerations” without the permission of the Knesset. The bill also called for an application of Israeli law to all West Bank settlements. Regev submitted a similar bill to the previous Knesset; it failed to pass.
- The SodaStream controversy: Carbonated beverage machine maker SodaStream’s manufacturing plant in the Mishor Adumim industrial park (located within the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim in the West Bank) has sparked recent debates over Israeli settlements. Actress Scarlett Johansson’s corporate sponsorship of SodaStream came into conflict with her other role as an Oxfam Global Ambassador after Oxfam criticized SodaStream for contributing to “denial of rights of the Palestinian communities [we] work to support.” Johansson’s resigned from her Oxfam position, which you can read about here, and check out this op-ed on her response to criticism.
Regarding the praise for Soda Stream in the articles you posted, I am deeply disappointed in the RAC for promoting writers who attack Israeli leaders such as Yossi Sarid and praise a company that illegally benefits from the Israeli Occupation.
We deserve better from our social action organization.
Where are our Reform values of social justice?
Thanks for your comment. We value your feedback! Linking to articles in our blog posts does not represent an endorsement of the views expressed therein. We linked to several external pieces, which addressed several viewpoints, as we do on many of our posts on myriad topics to provide context for the news story in question.
You can read more about the Reform Movement’s work on Israel and Mid-East peace (including official statements) at rac.org/israel.
I don’t understand why you would publish an op-ed that says to the SodaStream factory, built on stolen land, “should be hailed as a paragon of peace and prosperity”. Surely this is not the view of the Reform movement, is it? All of Ma’alei Adumim was planted precisely where it is in order to cut the Palestinian territories in two and to serve as an obstacle to establishing a Palestinian state with territorial continguity. How can you promote such a thing?
Thanks for your comment. Linking to articles in our blog posts does not represent an endorsement of the views expressed therein. We linked to several external pieces, which addressed several viewpoints on the news story. You can read more about the Reform Movement’s work on Israel and Mid-East peace at rac.org/israel.
Sam –
Why would a social justice organization want to present “several viewpoints” on a question of justice? The RAC is not a news organization.
Unfortunately, in this case, even that standard was not met. Both editorial pieces come out strongly in support of just one side of the debate – the pro- Occupation side. One of your links actually extols Scarlet Johannson for rejecting Oxfam. To cap it, the blog highlights this particular item with one image – what appears to be a Soda Stream marketing oicture!
I find it hard to believe that Rabbi David Saperstein backs the view of this blog.