JERUSALEM OF GOLD AND OF SOCIAL CHANGE

            Many of us are aware of issues in Jerusalem surrounding the Women of the Wall.  For American Jews after the arrest of Anat Hoffman the executive director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) as well as chairwoman of Women of the Wall and of Rabbi Elyse Frishman (no relation to Alan and Ronny) the issue became a huge rallying cry. Here in Israel there is not a clear position on the issue of equal access to the Western Wall in the Reform movement.  In a discussion of our group of rabbis with rabbis from MARAM, the Israeli Reform rabbis’ organization, we heard different points of views from both sides.  While many see the access to the Wall as an important issue, others feel that there is no big deal about the Wall.  The government has already given Reform and Conservative Jews permission to use an area of the same wall on the other side of the ramp leading up to the Temple Mount at the Mughrabi Gate near Robinson’s Arch.  Another point some are making is that we are making too big a deal over something that is neither sacred nor important.  Many express the idea that too many American Jews (and some Israelis too) have made the wall into an idol or totem.  Many see this issue as one of religious freedom and equality.  Others do not.  It was fascinating to see how intense this conversation was among a group of Reform rabbis. 

            After the get together I had dinner with David Leichman and Rabbi Miri Gold, my dear friends frm Kibbutz Gezer and Kehilat (Congregation) Birkat Shalom

            The second issue we learned more about was gender equality and the segregated bus lines where women are forced to sit in the back of the bus.  It is now against the law for this to be done through harassment or coercion.  Any bus driver who does not protect the woman being harassed is violating the law and can be sued and arrested.  IRAC has organized Freedom Bus rides on public bus lines where this segregation is still occurring.  After Noa Sattath, director of IRAC gave us a brief update on IRAC itself we headed up to the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood in Jerusalem to take part in a freedom ride.  This is an ultra-Orthodox, Haredi, neighborhood.  It even has one building which was given permission not to be made out of Jerusalem stone.  It is a brick building replica that one can see also at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn or in Kfar Chabad.

            As we divided into two groups and waited for busses,  a man came up and asked our guide Uri if he was the madrich (guide). He took him aside and began talking to him.  To our surprise he thought our group looked like “shomrei hatevah” guardians of nature, and wanted us to protest the plans that were about to lead to the destruction of some olive trees in the area to make way for a road.   This was very fitting as that night we were about to celebrate Tu B’Shevat.

            On the bus a few of the women from our group sat in the front in one part of double seat.  The men sat a little back towards the middle.  We got on at the first stop.   As others started to enter it was fascinating to see how some women walked quickly to the rear.  One or two others tentatively sat next to our women.  Some men carefully glanced at what was happening.  One man actually asked one of our women to move, not to the back but just across the aisle so he could sit.  Of course he could not sit next to a woman but did not protest her forward location.  On the other bus a couple of men seemed to glare and point out members of our contingent but did nothing but mumble a few words.  The ride was over in a few minutes and happily there were no incidents.

            Our next stop of the day was to the Nachlaot neighborhood, not far from Machaneh Yehuda to meet Rabbi Aaron Leibovitz. 

He runs Yeshivat Sulam Yaakov (named for his father) in a small Sephardi synagogue.  He is the founder of a movement to remove kashrut licensing from the Rabbanut (the office of the “Chief” Rabbi).  He claims that the link between money, corruption and doubt of true supervision makes much of the places certified as kosher  at best in doubt and at worst fraudulent.  His attempt s to build trust between owners and kashrut inspectors, who will not be paid by the owners, will eliminate one path of possible corruption.  He is willing to fight this difficult upstream battle.

            Our next stop was in another part of the Nachlaot neighborhood which has not yet begun to gentrify.  There we met with Eli-Asaf Ish Shalom at the Salon Shabazi.  Eli-Asaf is a social activist who founded this café/restaurant/meeting place to encourage discourse and initiatives for social justice.  On the porch of the café besides the tables where people were sitting and talking on this beautiful sunny day was also a radio broadcasting set up which is connected to public broadcasts.

  There was also a washer and drier in the basement where locals are able to do their laundry.  There were works of local artists and on the porch was a man selling homemade, small production, fruit liquors.  He spoke of their activities and how they have had an effect in the neighborhood.

            Our next stop before Shabbat preparation was to the large market area of Machaneh Yehuda.  A few of us ate at a wonderful Iraqi restaurant, Azura, where I dined on an eggplant stuffed with chopped beef, with pine nuts and cinnamon in a piquant sauce.  It was delicious but did a number on my stomach.

            One additional opportunity not on the schedule occurred before Shabbat preparations.  A small group of us walked to the King David Hotel and met the American ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro.  He grew up in the URJ Olin-Sang Ruby camp and is friends with one of our colleagues in the group.  He shared some off the record remarks and insights.  He did say that a lot of the described animosity between President Obama and PM Netanyahu is exaggeration and perhaps even fabrication by the press.  We heard that perspective knowing that he is an Obama appointee.