Anat Hoffman's letter to IRAC members - Request to write to the Prime Minister

In The Pluralist today's (the newsletter of the Israel Religious Action Center), Anat Hoffman wrote of the controversial events of the past two days - her arrest and the Conversion Bill. Her letter includes a request for help from the Jewish community worldwide - to put pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu (see letter below her email).

Dear Friends of IRAC,

Today appeared to be an excellent day for the ultra-Orthodox hegemony here in Israel. Before 9 am, I was arrested for carrying a Sefer Torah on the women’s side of the Western Wall. At the same time just miles away, the Conversion Bill - that would change forever the definition of who is a Jew in Israel - passed its first vote in the Knesset.

The ultra-Orthodox are applauding the events of today. They succeeded in preventing women from carrying a Torah and praying at the holiest site of the Jewish people, and they moved one step closer to erasing all recognition ever achieved for Reform and Conservative conversion in Israel.

It seems like it was a good day for them, and they may be celebrating. But in fact today was a dark day for the ultra-Orthodox in Israel, and for those working against religious pluralism and civil rights around the world. The real outcome of their “victories” will be the enlivening of the 85% of Diaspora Jewry, which is non-Orthodox, belonging in large part to the Reform or Conservative Movement.

The events of today bring to light the moral bankruptcy of the antiquated, violent, and intolerant Judaism that defines the ultra-Orthodox strand of Judaism in Israel today. This stands in contrast to our progressive Judaism that is committed to the equality inherent in every individual - man or woman, Jew by birth or Jew by choice.

There is an expression that I love – we must learn to walk and chew gum at the same time. I and the other leaders of the Israeli Reform Movement will take care of things on the ground here in Israel - the police, the courts, the Knesset. Now you must take care of the Conversion bill.

In the next 24 hours, send the attached letter demanding that the Israeli government listen to our voice, our unified voice calling for a Judaism of openness and tolerance. This is not an issue affecting only converts - it is an issue that threatens the very unity of the Jewish people.

Today starts the countdown of your moving into action to reject this dangerous brand of Judaism. Our voices will be heard, and through all of us working together, the ultra-Orthodox “victories” of today will prove obsolete.

Please copy and paste the attached letter to your own email, and send it to the Prime Minister, and forward this urgent call to your friends and family by clicking here.

Anat Hoffman

Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu,

We write to request your immediate intervention to prevent passage of the legislation being brought forward by MK David Rotem.

We are deeply concerned about the intention to grant the Chief Rabbinate sole control over conversion in Israel. Such legislation would be an open attack on the legitimacy of non-Orthodox Jewry, which composes the majority of world Jewry.

While we are supportive of efforts to create greater accessibility to conversion courts in Israel, the overall impact of the Rotem Bill will set back these efforts. Should this bill be enacted, it will exacerbate a widening gap between Diaspora and Israel communities, which we are working very hard to avoid.

Therefore, we believe it is imperative that you, as leader of Israel, and as one who cares deeply about the well-being of Klal Yisrael, intervene and urge immediate withdrawal of this bill.