H A D A S S A H Y A HR Z "PtV., \ ..- ..4-61 te,s43 'A AT.i AI rek w, ' country's life, say non-Orthodox leaders. By converting they will also eliminate the many prob- lems being a non-Jew can cause in the Jewish state, such as the lack of civil marriage, which ne- cessitates going abroad for a non- religious ceremony to marry a Jew. But, says Reform movement leader Rabbi Richard Hirsch, many of these immigrants do not want to convert to Orthodox Ju- daism, or to lie about it. If the pro- posed law passes, it would even prevent them from going abroad for their conversion after study- ing Judaism under a Reform or Conservative rabbi in Israel, as some have done. No one knows how the legisla- tive and political battle now rag- ing will end. But Israel's struggling Reform and Conserv- ative leaders view the possible fi- nancial backlash in their favor as a welcome byproduct. Since becoming the first na- tive-born Israeli ordained as a Conservative rabbi in 1988, Ehud Bandel has been at the forefront of the struggle to gain legitima- cy for liberal streams of Judaism in the Jewish state. New funds, he said, would pave the way for a flood of educational programs aimed at showing Israelis that Judaism is not synonymous with Orthodoxy. "The problem is that nobody hears about us in Israel today be- cause the doors to the education system are locked, and because we have no resources," he said. "We are competing against an [Orthodox] establishment that not only receives massive fund- ing, but uses that funding to in- cite against us and slander our stream of Judaism." To emphasize his point, Rabbi Bandel pulled a poster from his briefcase printed by the publicly funded chief rabbinate, appeal- ing to Israelis not to pray in Conservative and Reform syna- gogues. Rabbi Hirsch, executive direc- tor of the World Union for Pro- gressive Judaism, the Reform movement's Diaspora-Israeli li- aison, predicted that increased funding would "go a great way" toward "creation of a society with which American Jews would be proud to identify." But even some sympathizers wonder if the non-Orthodox reli- gious advocates have truly grasped Israeli political realities. One Israeli official, while re- spectful of the religious leaders' emphasis on education initia- tives, asked bluntly, "Where's the political money?" To be successful, argued this official, who spoke only on condi- tion of anonymity, `They have to use money the same way the Or- thodox do — to bribe politicians." To be sure, they could not ac- quire clout in the same way as the Orthodox, who have their own political parties in Israel, he said. These Orthodox parties make up more than one-third of the Likud-led government coali- tion elected one year ago. The proposed law, in fact, was a response by these parties to the victory the non-Orthodox move- ments won in a case they brought before the Supreme Court last year. The court ruled against the state's refusal to recognize non-Or- thodox conversions in the absence of any legislation justifying it These parties all benefit from government patronage and have powerful fund-raising operations. But the non-Orthodox religious groups could marshal money to influence Knesset members in ways of their own, said the Israeli official. "They should offer free trips to every Knesset member to come to America" and meet Conserva- tive and Reform Jews, and their Judaism up close, said the Israeli official. To assure takers, he said, the trips should be "first class" — and offered especially to Knesset members who supported the bill last month in the first of three readings it must pass. These Knesset members should be wined and dined, and directly exposed to the strong feel- ings America's 85-percent non- Orthodox majority holds on this issue, said the official. Instead, American Conserva- tive and Reform leaders have done the opposite. In a joint com- munique to their synagogues and other institutions, these leaders urged rabbis nationwide to refuse to host any Knesset members who voted for the Orthodox con- version bill or to attend any com- munal functions at which they were present. "That's exactly who they should be spending money on courting," said the official. Rabbis Bandel and Hirsch, perhaps because they are both educators by training, put an al- most exclusive stress on the need for funds for education. "When I present the three foundations of our movement — Judaism, Zionism and democra- cy — people here say, `That's me,' " said Rabbi Bandel. A poll published in the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot showed that 44 percent of Israelis feel closer to religion than their parents, compared to 22 percent who feel more distanced than their par- ents. And even though religion re- mains synonymous with Ortho- doxy to most Israelis, Rabbi Bandel believes the feelings in- dicated in this poll can be culti- vated to strengthen his movement. "The moment the Israeli pub- lic is made aware of our option," he said enthusiastically, "they will choose us." ❑ N. Y. Jewish Week _ ` I T a c.1: 44(i6 • mo E . 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