Taking Bold Steps and Demanding Religious Equality

Stepping forward and taking risks is not easy for anyone. As we take our own steps here in Charlotte to speak out for what we believe, Rabbi Miri Gold of our sister congregation Birkat Shalom in Israel has taken a much more bold and difficult step as she brings a case of religious equality before the Supreme Court of Israel.

While as liberal Jews in America we benefit from a separation of church and state, that is not the current reality for our brothers and sisters in Israel. Hundreds of rabbis are on the government payroll as they serve in synagogues throughout the country, and not one is from the Reform or Conservative movements. Though Rabbi Gold’s congregation, with which we have a strong partnership, is growing, thriving and filling a void in the spiritual fabric of Israel, she receives no recognition or financial support from the government for the work she performs. Israel only recognizes male, Orthodox rabbis. She is discriminated against for her Reform beliefs and for being a woman.

Our Reform movement in Israel is bringing Rabbi Gold’s case to the Supreme Court of Israel demanding that she, like her Orthodox colleagues, receives a state salary as a municipal rabbi. If she wins the case, she will be the first Reform rabbi and first woman rabbi to be appointed as a state-paid official of a religious congregation other than Orthodox in the state of Israel. Rabbi Gold writes: “Every Israeli Jew must be guaranteed the right to choose whichever religious services he/she wants, without dictating to him/her who is a Jew and who is a rabbi.”

For those of us who have studied with Rabbi Gold on her past visit to Beth El, we know she is a reserved, bright and thoughtful soul. Despite her quiet presence, she has become a front page regular of the Israeli papers. In taking her bold and brave step, she has become the most hated and most loved rabbi in Israel as she stands at the forefront of one of the most hotly debated issues in the country. Her fight is a fight for Reform Judaism in Israel. It is a battle in which we all, even here in America, have a stake.

Rabbi Gold teaches us to stand up proudly as Reform Jews, and she teaches that a single voice can make a difference. It can change government policy and it can change the Jewish future.