PHOTO BY DANIEL LI PPITT
A War Of Words
Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg and 50 others
go to Israel to fight legislation that would bar
non-Orthodox converts from making aliyah.
EMILY SENDLER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
abbi Arnie Sleutelberg of
Troy's Congregation Shir
Tikvah visited Israel in
January with 50 other Re-
form rabbis from around the
country.
Their purpose: to put a stop to
legislation that would bar non-
Orthodox Jewish converts from
making aliyah under the Law of
Return.
"The proposed legislation
would codify into law that non-
Orthodox converts would not be
considered Jewish by the State
of Israel," said Rabbi Sleutel-
berg. The measure was intro-
duced by five Orthodox political
parties.
Still in committee, the propos-
al may stay there for a while.
Rabbi Sleutelberg said he got a
sense from Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu that "they
would try to postpone it as long
as possible."
Under the auspices of the As-
sociation of Reform Zionists of
America, 50 North American Re-
form rabbis met formally with
Mr. Netanyahu and Cabinet
Minister Natan Sharansky.
"I thought we would have a lit-
tle more honesty from politicians
concerning what is really in the
best interest of Israeli citizens,"
said Rabbi Sleutelberg.
In Israel with the sole purpose
of dealing with the proposed
legislation, the rabbis were
met with political rhetoric, said
Rabbi Sleutelberg. He said Is-
raelis showed a "fundamental
lack of understanding of the ben-
efits of religious pluralism and
the necessity for religious free-
dom."
Their reception in Israel was
at times hostile. After finishing
prayers at the Western Wall, a
female colleague of the rabbi's
was verbally attacked by an Or-
thodok Jew because she was
wearing a tallit. A photo of the in-
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hypocrisy on this scale," the rab-
bi said.
"And so stands the State of Is-
rael today: Reform and Conserv-
ative rabbis in Israel unable to
perform funerals or weddings for
the members of their congrega-
tions; non-Orthodox Jews pushed
to the 'back of the bus,' and the
Deri-Bar-On affair," in which
Likud nominated an unqualified
political functionary as attorney
general to facilitate a plea bar-
gain for another politician under
indictment.
"The magnitude of this scan-
dal, Israel's largest ever and still
growing, threatens to crumble
the government — hopefully be-
fore the legislation comes out of
committee," Rabbi Sleutelberg
said.
Rabbi Sleutelberg was disil-
lusioned by the trip, but he has
empowered himself and his con-
gregation with a sense of pur-
pose. "I'm more committed than
ever to strengthening the ties be-
tween American Jews and Is-
raelis. It's critically important
that non-Orthodox Jews stake
their claim on our homeland."
The rabbi said this trip to
Israel was the first in which he
felt he was giving something
back.
"I hope and pray that the rip-
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posal, but because
the religious right
helped vote him into
office it is unlikely
any laws supported
by the Reform move-
ment will secure his
help, said Rabbi
Sleutelberg. "My
sense is, he is dis-
turbed, but bound by
the coalition.
"If Israel passes
this legislation, it
will be the only coun-
try in the world to
legalize that there
are first and second
classes of Jews.
"Our message was
clear: It's our coun-
try, our homeland,
too."
Rabbi Sleutelberg
said one of his great-
est disappointments
was meeting with
Rabbi Sleutelberg: Disillusioned and empowered.
MK Sharansky.
Having lived in the
cident has been released world- former Soviet Union, imprisoned
wide.
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"I don't think they understand understanding firsthand the
that the great nations of the value of pluralism, Natan Sha-
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