Friends,
With wonderful help from a great many of you, we have been successful in blocking Knesset action this session on the Rotem Conversion Bill. More than 25,000 emails to Prime Minister Netanyahu were transmitted through the link on the Masorti website. We understand that from all sources (and many groups participated), the Office of the Prime Minister received in excess of 60,000 messages.
The result we achieved was not a victory for any one segment of our community. Rather, it was something which was good for worldwide Jewry and for strengthening the bond between Israel and the Diaspora.
In working to block this very bad proposed legislation, we had the strong support of our colleagues in the Reform movement and, especially, want to take note of the extremely effective work of the Jewish Federations of North America under the leadership of Jerry Silverman who spent many days in Jerusalem overseeing this important work.
While this matter did not come to a vote during the session of Knesset that ended Wednesday, it has not gone away and over the next several months we will need to continue our work. I want to particularly note the dedicated leadership of my colleagues and friends on both sides of the Atlantic, Rabbis Julie Schonfeld and Gilah Dror of the Rabbinical Assembly; Rabbi Steven Wernick of USCJ; and Yizhar Hess and Emily Levy-Shochat of Masorti in Israel.
And, again, thanks to all of you who responded and showed your commitment to Israel and to Klal Yisrael.
Sincerely,
David H. Lissy
Executive Director and CEO
Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism in Israel
