Israel Religious Action Center - IRAC

02/09/2026

Orly Erez-Likhovski: Jewish education in our schools must reflect the idea that the Torah has seventy faces - that Judaism contains multiple voices, interpretations, and ways of being Jewish. It must also emphasize the Jewish values of compassion and responsibility towards all other human beings, embodied in the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself.

Under a new government, we will work to ensure that students throughout Israel encounter a Judaism that embraces equality, tolerance, and respect for others and that meaningful resources are invested in making liberal and pluralistic Judaism, democratic values, and principles of shared society a central part of Israel’s education system.

The education system should also create opportunities for students to engage with those who are different from them — Jews and Arabs, religious and secular, and people from different communities and backgrounds — and foster a genuine commitment to living together in a diverse democratic society.

As long as the morning rises
As long as the board is written on
As long as a son walks
And his father follows behind
As long as the children sing
About a new year
As long as everything here
Begins again from the beginning.

There is so much that needs to be repaired. The beginning of every school year reminds us that there is a possibility for change. We create it, slowly, through what we teach our children – about Judaism, about democracy, about one another.

Read More! https://mailchi.mp/irac.org/as-long-as-everything-begins-again

01/09/2026

Today, in Israel, over 2.5 million children are starting school. They come from all walks of life. They are secular Jews, Reform Jews, Orthodox and Ultra Orthodox Jews. Boys and Girls. They are Palestinian citizens of Israel, from all over the country. Bedouin children, Druze children. The children of foreign workers, new immigrant children... For years we have fought for equality for everyone in Israel... Today we wish all the children, their families, and our society a year that will be productive, peaceful, democratic and without discrimination. Because the Israel we want starts in the classrooms!

26/08/2026

Orly Erez-Likhovski writes....

This week, I returned from a two-week vacation in Norway. It was a wonderful, restorative break that I very much needed after months of intensive work—and after a previous trip abroad planned for the spring was canceled because of the war with Iran. In Norway, I found open spaces, water, quiet, and endless green.

The opportunity to recharge was crucial as it takes a great deal of energy to confront so many difficult things happening around us. Even while on vacation, troubling news reached me.

I was horrified to hear about the violent disruption of a Kabbalat Shabbat service at New York's Central Synagogue. Thankfully, the perpetrator was apprehended and charged but the incident has affected the sense of security of so many.

On that very same Shabbat, someone broke into the synagogue of Jerusalem's Congregation Kol HaNeshama in Jerusalem, smashed a window, and tore down the Pride flag hanging in the sanctuary. This was not the first time the community has been targeted. As with these previous incidents, no one was held accountable.

And throughout this time, horrific acts of violence in the West Bank continue to escalate under a government that not only fails to combat them but gives them its backing. In Qusra, for just one example, settler terrorists have besieged the village for three weeks, preventing families from exiting and returning to their homes, threatening and intimidating them, impeding their ability to work and receive medical attention, disrupting their electricity and water lines. The army responded by declaring the village a "closed military zone", ordering families out of houses to set up barracks and forcing them to crowd into neighboring homes. While it has proven effective in blocking courageous unarmed solidarity activists trying to deliver food and water, the armed settlers besieging the village continue to operate with relative freedom. Only one was briefly detained and none have been arrested.

What do we do in the face of so much violence and hatred?

First, we demand that the authorities take decisive action.

And we refuse to despair. We continue to amplify the voice of a Judaism that believes in compassion and lovingkindness.

It is precisely when evil grows stronger that we must intensify our struggle against the darkness and increase the light.

One of the amazing phenomena in Norway in the summer is the midnight sun. When we traveled to the far north of the country, it was never dark and seemed to reflect how I felt. That there are always places where as dark as it seems, the darkness cannot swallow the light.

Here are some rays of light.

Leaders of 17 Orthodox and Conservative neighboring Jerusalem congregations signed a moving letter in response to the vandalization of Kol HaNeshama, condemning the act and calling for peace, mutual respect, and tolerance. And this past Shabbat, over a hundred people attended a solidarity service at the synagogue.

Read the entire letter:

https://mailchi.mp/irac.org/it-always-seems-impossible-until-its-done

06/08/2026

THIS WEEK ON THE PLURALIST PODCAST

In the latest episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Rabbi Josh Weinberg and I speak with Eyal Ostrinsky, Chair of KKL-JNF and the first Reform Jew to lead one of the Zionist movement’s most powerful national institutions.

KKL-JNF is familiar to many Jews through blue boxes, forests, and tree planting. But it is also a major political institution whose decisions affect land, development, education, environmental policy, the rebuilding of Israel’s north and south, and the relationship between Israel and Jewish communities around the world.

In this episode, we discuss what KKL-JNF’s responsibilities should be more than 125 years after its founding, how liberal leadership can influence the use of its power and resources, and why Reform Jews and liberal Zionists cannot afford to abandon the institutions that shape Israeli society.

https://youtu.be/BLD6JOJ6R1s
Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and share to keep this conversation going.
Orly Erez-Likhovski
Josh Weinberg
ARZA
Arzenu Olami

06/08/2026

IRAC - Looking forward to being in Australia.

🌟 Biennial International Speaker Announcement 🌟

We're incredibly honoured to welcome Orly Erez-Likhovski, Executive Director of IRAC (the Israel Religious Action Center), as our international guest speaker for the UPJ Biennial 2026.

A leading voice for religious pluralism, social justice and democracy in Israel, Orly will share her unique insights across three unmissable sessions throughout the Biennial, including our Shabbat Dinner, a thought-provoking panel discussion, and an intimate live podcast recording.

Together with our special Gala guests, Deborah Conway and W***y Zygier, this is shaping up to be an inspiring weekend of exceptional speakers, meaningful conversations and unforgettable experiences.

⏰ Early Bird registrations won't last forever, and places are limited. Secure your spot now and join us as we move Beyachad Kadimah – Forward Together.

Register today: https://events.humanitix.com/upj-beyachad-kadima-2026

04/08/2026

This week Orly Erez-Likhovski writes about the shameful law that implements gender segregation in Israel's institutions of higher learning!

The Israeli academic year is nearing its end. Students like my daughter, who is finishing her undergraduate degree after several rewarding and challenging years, are cramming for finals and editing papers and projects, looking forward to catching their breath. But universities aren't only important for the students, they are cornerstones of democratic societies based on the values of equality and pluralism, free exchange of ideas and respect for diverse viewpoints.

Alarmingly, these values and the important status and function of universities in Israel are under threat. One of the greatest social and economic challenges Israel faces is the low level of participation from the ultra-Orthodox community—particularly ultra-Orthodox men—in the workforce. Only about half of ultra-Orthodox men are employed, compared with 80 percent of men in the general population. This failure of productive integration – which endangers Israel’s economic sustainability – is largely due to the ideal in ultra-Orthodox society for men to spend their whole lives studying in yeshiva while women serve as the families' primary breadwinners.

In fact, many ultra-Orthodox elementary schools for boys do not even teach legally mandated core general studies subjects, such as math, science, civics, and English. Accordingly, boys don't receive the basic skills to integrate into Israel's economy making it more difficult when they want to do so. We have been fighting for many years to change this and to ensure that the law that mandates core studies will be implemented in Haredi schools, since this is the main obstacle keeping Haredi men from enrolling in academic studies and integrating into the workforce.

Despite this, in one of its final votes, the government chose to expand gender segregation in master's and doctoral programs, not only in classrooms but also in libraries and cafeterias. This will inevitably harm female faculty members, and will likely fuel demands for gender segregation in workplaces as well.

READ MORE!

https://mailchi.mp/irac.org/no-place-for-segregation-in-higher-education

04/08/2026

ISRAELIS ABROAD!
(IF YOU KNOW ISRAELIS ABROAD...)
This is a PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE!
You have the right to vote when you arrive.

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE VOTING?

📲 How to check? (3 simple steps):

1️⃣ Send a WhatsApp message:
👉 Click to open chat: https://wa.me/972533801464
(Number: +972-53-380-1464 | There may be a long wait time due to high volume)

2️⃣ Check the bot's reply:

* ✅ Received your voting location details? Great! You're all set.
* ⏳ Received the following message?
> "Hello, this is an automated number for checking your voting location only... To check your eligibility to vote, please enter your ID number..."
> 👉 This does not mean you aren't registered! This is an automated message/system overload. Try sending it again.

* ⚠️ Received an explicit message: "No details found, please call the hotline..."?
👉 Only in this case, proceed to step 3!

3️⃣ Only if you received "No details found":

* 📄 To download the form:
https://www.gov.il/BlobFolder/guide/knesset-elections-2026/he/elections_2026_07_election-29-7-26.pdf](https://www.gov.il/BlobFolder/guide/knesset-elections-2026/he/elections_2026_07_election-29-7-26.pdf)
* ✉️ Fill out the form and email it to: [email protected]

⏱️ Deadline to submit the form: By Friday, August 7th!

Our friends at https://www.instagram.com/unxeptable/ have gathered the above information for Israelis abroad.

ARZA
Arzenu Olami

30/07/2026

THIS WEEK ON THE PLURALIST PODCAST

In the latest episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg sit down in Jerusalem with participants from Yallah! Israel, the URJ’s immersive Israel experience for teenagers.

At a time when many young North American Jews encounter Israel primarily through war, political conflict, social media, and arguments at school or online, we wanted to hear from the participants themselves.

What surprised them? What challenged them? How did being in Israel affect their Jewish identity? And what do they want to take home?

The students spoke about visiting the Kotel, meeting Jewish and Arab teenagers, encountering Druze and Bedouin communities, seeing the effects of October 7, and hearing perspectives they did not always know how to process.

Their reflections show why immersive Israel experiences matter. The goal is not to give young people a simple story about Israel. It is to help them build a relationship strong enough to include connection, disagreement, responsibility, and hope.

https://youtu.be/LQ0SLVyCYAE

Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and share to keep this conversation going.

Orly Erez-Likhovski
Josh Weinberg
Yallah Israel
Union for Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism in Israel

Young Jews are often asked to form strong opinions about Israel bef...

28/07/2026

From Despair and Destruction to Love:

Orly Erez-Likhovski writes about the moving between Tisha B'Av to Tu B'Av...

A few days ago, we marked Tisha B'Av, our annual commemoration of the physical and moral destruction of Jerusalem thousands of years ago, which was brought about by religious extremism. This year, it felt more relevant than ever, coming just as the most extreme government in Israel's history is about to complete its term.

Over the past weekend, violence once again flared in the West Bank, following a provocation by armed settlers who entered a Palestinian village without clearance, which resulted in the loss of Jewish and Palestinian lives. The deadly confrontation was followed by a wave of settler violence, including attacks on Palestinian villages and the arson of two mosques. Tragically, settler violence is becoming ever more prevalent, and not only has the government failed to address it, but it has effectively backed it.

In times like these, it is easy to despair.

But I choose hope.

The immense damage caused by this government, which trampled on so many of the values we hold dear, only sharpens the need to present an alternative path of peace and equality, of respect for everyone who lives in this land. Precisely in moments of darkness, we must light a path forward to a different future and work to make it a reality.

This week, we will celebrate a very different holiday. Tu B'Av, the Jewish holiday associated with love and consolation mentioned in the Mishna as a festival of courtship and engagement. In contrast to Tisha B'Av, when we commemorate the destruction of our national home with a day of fasting and mourning, it is a day on which many couples choose to marry—a day to establish new homes, a day of recovery and renewal.

Learn more: https://mailchi.mp/irac.org/from-tisha-bav-to-tu-bav-rebuilding-after-ruin

23/07/2026

THIS WEEK ON THE PLURALIST PODCAST - TISHA B'AV:
WHAT DOES JEWISH MOURNING MEAN TODAY?

With Orly Erez-Likhovski & Josh Weinberg
Our special guest, Hebrew Union College Professor of Theology Dr. Rabbi Michael Marmur

In the latest episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg speak with Rabbi Professor Michael Marmur, theologian, educator, activist, former provost of Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, and former chair of Rabbis for Human Rights.

Tisha B’Av traditionally asks Jews to mourn the destruction of Jerusalem, the Temples, and Jewish national life. But today, Jerusalem has been rebuilt, and the Jewish people possess the power of a sovereign state.

In this episode, we ask what Jewish mourning means in an age of sovereignty. We discuss baseless hatred, religious zealotry, the moral dangers of seeing only one’s own pain, and how Jews can grieve the suffering of our people while also confronting suffering caused or enabled by Jewish power.

Michael challenges us to move beyond the search for easy hope and instead ask what responsibility and agency demand from us.
https://youtu.be/iWQgmYu9U1E
Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and share to keep this conversation going.

Reform Judaism in Israel
Union for Reform Judaism
ARZA