What's in a Name?

The Zionist and Israel arm of American Reform Judaism is called "The Association of Reform Zionists of America." Quite a mouthful! How do they even answer the phone? The answer is simple: They have a great acronym: ARZA. There are two things that are important to know here. First of all, the "Z" in ARZA is NOT pronounced like the "Z" in zebra or zoo, but rather like the "Z" in Mozart. In other words, it sounds like "TZ". Secondly ARZA has a Hebrew meaning.

We start with the word "Eretz" meaning "Land"; as in the blessing over bread "ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz" (don't worry that it's "aretz" instead of "eretz" – it’s the same thing!).  Now we stick the syllable "ah" on the end of the word. That changes the word to mean "to the…" So if "habayit" means "the house" then "habayitah" means "to the house": or "homeward." And if "ha-ir" means "the city," then "ha-irah" means "to the city." So ARZA means "to the land!" And the land, of course, is Israel.

That happens to be a perfect name, because ARZA's mission is to get American Reform Jews to turn "to the land." The turning can be physical, meaning Jews travel to Israel. It can be spiritual, meaning that Israel becomes a key part of the inner spiritual "landscape," and gets expressed in worship and other spiritual activities. There can be many kinds of turning, but the important thing is that when a Jew thinks of him or herself, and has a sense of what "Jewish identity" means, that Israel will be integrated into every facet of that identity.

To find out more about ARZA, including how to join and lend your voice to the call for Jews to turn "to the land," go to www.arza.org.