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What is ARZA? ARZA’s mission is to connect Reform Jews and Israel. As the Zionist arm and voice of the Reform Movement in the United States, ARZA endeavors to make Israel fundamental to the sacred lives and Jewish identities of Reform Jews. As a Zionist organization, ARZA champions activities that further enhance Israel as a pluralistic, just and democratic Jewish state. ARZA is uniquely positioned to mobilize the largest religious denomination in the American Jewish community to engage with and advocate for Israel in an intelligent and loving manner. ARZA represents the Reform Movement in the World Zionist Organization and houses the Institute for Reform Zionism.
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Why join ARZA?
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How does joining ARZA support ARZA’s mission of connecting Reform Jews and Israel? Your membership allows ARZA to carry out our domestic agenda, including the development of educational materials about Israel and Zionism for Reform congregations, training youth and college leaders in Israel advocacy, bringing Reform Jews to Israel and providing pre- and post-trip programming for congregations and individuals in order to enhance their Israel experience. Your membership supports ARZA’s overseas agenda by providing significant financial support to the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (IMPJ) and its 25 member congregations in Israel, and to the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) in its struggle for religious rights for Reform Jews and civil rights for all Israelis. Additionally, your membership in ARZA helps guarantee strong representation for the Reform Movement in the World Zionist Congress and the Jewish Agency for Israel. |
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Your congregation remits $34 per member (individual or household, as appropriate) and keeps $2 for Israel programming or scholarships for Israel travel. ARZA allocates 18% of all membership dollars to Israel Reform Movement projects and $5 per membership to the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC). The balance supports the work ARZA does to fulfill our mission of connecting Reform Jews with Israel. |
ARZA is an affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism. ARZA thus serves as the address for Israel advocacy, engagement, travel, and programming in the Reform Movement. ARZA represents the Reform Movement in the World Zionist Organization. Although the Union does not fund ARZA, the Union and ARZA work in close partnership to help achieve shared goals. The Executive Director of ARZA sits on the Union Board of Trustees, and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the President of the Union are ex-officio members of the ARZA Board. All staff members of ARZA are also staff members of the Union. For additional information, see http://urj.org/docs/bylaws/. |
Reform Congregations pay MUM dues to the Union for Reform Judaism to support the Union’s operating costs. ARZA is an affiliate, but not a department, of the Union, which means that while ARZA serves the Movement, ARZA is not funded by the Union for Reform Judaism. MUM dues do not support ARZA. ARZA is funded by ARZA membership dollars, some foundational/institutional support, and through direct funding from its supporters. |
The IRZ or Institute for Reform Zionism (formerly the Reform Zionist Think Tank) serves as a forum for sustained and significant intellectual activity concerning the relationship between North American Reform Jews and Israel. The IRZ mobilizes a broad range of thinkers with varied perspectives to research, explain and enrich the Reform Jewish relationship with Israel, informed by ideology, theology, demographics, educational theory, sociology, and history. ARZA houses the IRZ and facilitates the transmission and application of its ideas in the Reform Movement. |
What is the ARZA Rabbinic Council? The ARZA Rabbinic Council is a group of Rabbis who make an annual contribution of AT LEAST $360 to ARZA to support our work, and encourage ongoing substantive conversations about Israel among their colleagues. |
What is the relationship between ARZA and ARZA World Travel? ARZA has been engaged in supporting Reform travel to Israel since its inception and at one point had an internal travel service. When the number of travelers grew beyond what could be supported internally, ARZA turned to a private travel firm to assist as an effective partner. Today, ARZA World Travel is that partner and was selected due to their long history of educational travel in Israel and beyond. ARZA World Travel works closely with ARZA to create deeply meaningful Israel travel experiences for individuals and groups, including many Reform congregations. ARZA staff work closely with ARZA World Travel to help ensure that the travel experiences it provides are uniquely geared to meet the needs and interests of Reform Jews traveling to Israel. The ARZA Travel Committee works closely to monitor this relationship and to find ways to enhance the partnership. Click here to go to their website.
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What is WUPJ? Are ARZA and WUPJ separate organizations? WUPJ stands for The World Union for Progressive Judaism. ARZA and the World Union for Progressive Judaism have been two distinct organizations for most of their history, although there was a brief period between 1997 and 2003 when ARZA and the World Union’s North American operations were combined. The World Union for Progressive Judaism is the umbrella organization of Reform, Liberal, and Progressive congregations and organizations throughout the world. It provides direct support to congregations in Israel, the FSU, Latin America, Europe, Australia, and Africa. In North America, the World Union has exclusive responsibility for raising funds for the institutions of Reform Judaism in Israel. ARZA is the organization that connects American Reform Jews to Israel, largely through congregation-based programming, advocacy, and Israel travel and provides financial support to the institutions of the Reform Movement in Israel through the sharing of membership revenue.
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What is IMPJ? IMPJ stands for The Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, the Israeli Reform Movement. There are currently 25 congregations in the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, and new communities are forming regularly as the Reform Movement grows in Israel.
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What is IRAC? The IRAC stands for The Israel Religious Action Center, the social, political and legal branch of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (IMPJ). It gathers information, analyzes policy, advocates for legislative reform and conducts litigation, submitting petitions to the Israeli High Court of Justice in cases involving the religious rights of Israeli Reform Jews and the civil rights of all Israelis. Since 2002, the IRAC has had a Department of Public Policy and Social Action which aims to bolster the involvement of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism in social justice and to make the Reform Movement’s voice heard in Israel. ARZA is one of the founders of the IRAC and through our membership revenue, the IRAC’s largest financial donor.
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What is ARZA’s relationship with the World Zionist Organization (WZO)? ARZA is the largest American Zionist party in the World Zionist Congress, serving the WZO federation with the largest block of votes from the Diaspora. Within the framework of the WZO, ARZA serves with its partners from around the liberal, Reform and progressive world to help shape policies and programs that will enhance the pluralistic, democratic, and Jewish dimension of the Zionist agenda. Due to our size and political power, ARZA holds key positions and portfolios within the WZO.
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Does ARZA take a political stance vis-à-vis Israel? Why or why not? While ARZA does work to impact Israeli society through advocacy, support for the Israel Religious Action Center and other such methods, ARZA is not affiliated with a particular political party or platform in Israel. ARZA does take political stances regarding Israel based upon Board resolutions and the resolutions of the various bodies within the Reform Movement such as the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. However, ARZA is not affiliated with any political parties in the United States and works on its own and in partnerships to build consensus for strong support for Israel within the Reform Movement.
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What is ARZA’s relationship with AIPAC? AIPAC is a lobbying organization that focuses almost exclusively on shaping the legislative agenda of the US Congress vis-à-vis Israel. ARZA is not a political lobbying organization. ARZA does sometimes work in partnership with organizations such as AIPAC, the Reform Movement’s Religious Action Center, the Israel Project and other organizations where ARZA can contribute to the effort and where the advocacy agenda is in line with ARZA’s stated mission to strengthen the relationship between North American Reform Jews and Israel and where we can help enhance the democratic, pluralistic and Jewish nature of the State of Israel. |
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