As our wedding present to Dinah and Roi, the Israel Religious Action Center will be filing a lawsuit on their behalf against Sh’vilei Or mikveh for unlawful discrimination in public accommodations. We will demand 50,000 shekel in statutory damages and an injunction prohibiting Sh’vilei Or or any other mikveh from closing its doors to non-Orthodox Jews.
Writer Carl Sandburg once said, “If the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is against you, argue the facts. If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like hell.” In Israel, the ultra-Orthodox establishment is doing lots of table-pounding and yelling in response to progressive Judaism's many recent achievements.
For many years, the Orthodox Rabbinate's control over almost all public mikvehs in Israel has ensured the exclusion of anyone who doesn't meet their religious standards. To fulfill the mikveh requirement, converts had no choice but to immerse in the sea, out in the open, even in cold weather.
By law, all Israelis over 16 years old are required to carry their ID card around, anytime, anywhere. The card is smaller than a passport. It has a blue plastic cover, embossed with a menorah, and the words "Ministry of Interior" and "Identity Card."
I am a
Last week, Orlando, FL, was not only the home of Disneyland, but also home to one of the largest Jewish gatherings in North America - the Union for Reform Judaism’s Biennial convention.
The formidable Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the URJ, invited me to
Together, we will champion the lessons of Passover by bringing greater wholeness, justice, and belonging to our world.