|
 Worldwide,
of course, the Reform and Conservative communities dwarf Orthodox
communities; but in Israel historic concessions to Orthodoxy have
placed our movements at the periphery. These concessions, and in
practice their application, have alienated the majority of
Israelis from organized religious practice. Even today, Reform and
Conservative rabbis cannot perform weddings recognized by the
State. Reform and Conservative synagogues in Israel are not
publicly supported, whereas Orthodox synagogues receive state
funding.
Existing progressive congregations offer a few rays of hope.
However, scattered across Israel, they have been historically
under funded, restricted by law and discriminated against in
public access and support. No one questions that progressive
Judaism has been adversely affected by an Orthodox religious
monopoly that is politically powerful and adverse to a modern
approach to religious practice. For 50 years we have overlooked
the situation because of other national concerns. It has never
been the “right time” to aid our constituent communities. As the
Masorti (Conservative) Movement declares, “And if not now…when?”
Supporting KBY congregations makes modern, pluralistic and
progressive Judaism available as an option to Israelis who have
never been effectively given the choice. It is for the individual
congregations to provide services and education and meet the needs
of the communities they serve. But for them to effectively compete
for the hearts and loyalties of Israelis, they need to be
unburdened from the fear for their own economic survival.
Reform and Conservative synagogues throughout the country number
about 50, and the majority of these communities have memberships
of under 100 families. These figures compare with thousands of
Orthodox synagogues. With the exception of perhaps five
synagogues, most R/C communities are not financially viable
without outside help. Both the Reform and Conservative movements
provide modest funding for the continuing operations of their
institutions, but these resources are limited. Our purpose is to
expand the total resource levels available to our sister
communities. |
