Headlines & Action Items:

• Haredi Orthodox Youth Mob Western Wall
• A Renewed Jerusalem (Jerusalem Day 2013)
• Reform Movement Applauds Jerusalem District Court's Ruling Regarding Women of the Wall
• ARZA's petition to the Israeli Government
• Times of Israel: Court Frees Female Activists, Calls Western Wall Arrests Groundless
• Sharansky Proposes a Third Section to the Western Wall    
• YNETnews: Women Won't Be Arrested For Saying Kaddish
• Resolution for Reform Congregations  
• Statement from ARZENU

  Celebrate ARZA's Double Chai (36) Anniversary at URJ Biennial in San Diego

The ARZA Annual Meeting and Special Reception will be held on Wednesday, December 11, 2013. Don't miss them!  Plan to arrive in San Diego by Wednesday morning, December 11 and join us.

The URJ Biennial, December 11-15, 2013 in San Diego, is where Reform Jews gather to learn, pray, share ideas, dance and sing, hear from inspiring guest speakers, reunite with old friends, make new connections and make decisions about the policies of the Reform Movement.

ARZA presents a selection of videos for your viewing enjoyment.  Be sure to keep checking back and see new and interesting productions as they are posted!

The Fight for Social Justice and Civil Rights for All Israelis

Thursday, May 23, 2013, 7:30 pm

Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple Beachwood, OH

 Event is free and open to the public   Presented by ARZA, the Association of Reform Zionists of America, Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple, Beth Israel – The West Temple, Kol Chadash, Suburban Temple – Kol Ami, Temple Emanu El and The Temple – Tifereth Israel

Every week, we will share the latest happenings at our congregations in Israel. Check out the 'What's Happening in Israel?' page for recent events and information, and the latest news from the IMPJ.

Rabbi Jack Luxemburg, ARZA Vice Chair, has written a background paper which clarifies the key elements of Jewish Agency Chair Natan Sharansky's proposal concerning the Kotel (Western Wall).   

A Jewish couple was married in Jerusalem on Monday, March 18, 2013 with two Reform rabbis officiating.  This joyous event was hardly a unique one.  Over 800 couples in Israel have chosen to have Reform rabbis marry them with the numbers growing every year. What made this wedding unique was the opportunity for change that seems afoot in Israel.  See full story

“Monopolity,” a new and exciting interactive Israeli political game, developed by the World Zionist Organization (WZO), explores the complexities of Israel’s Knesset (Parliament), and is a good introduction to the country’s many political parties and sparks discussions and debates on such issues as religion/state, peace, security, immigration and relations to Jewish communities around the world. It is ideal for congregations, NFTY groups and high school classes. Watch the promotional video to see the game in action!

Monopolity is regularly $120, plus shipping and handling, however there is a special discount price of only $90, plus shipping and handling, if ordered through ARZA, and a free shipping offer through May 15. 

For information on Monopolity, please call 212.650.4280 or email Amy at abernstein@arza.org.

Learn more about opportunities to live and learn at Kibbutz Lotan in the South of Israel:

• 4-month Peace, Justice and the Environment University Semester: Hands-on work and experience in all areas, both onsite and throughout Israel. In partnership with UMass Amherst for gap year and undergraduates from other colleges.
• Green Apprenticeship Program: Work/study sustainable design and management program. Teaches practical skills and theoretical knowledge, as well as alternative solutions.
• Summer Eco Experience: Two week hands-on opportunity for those interested in the design, building and running of sustainable communities. Between four to eight hours of educational activities will take place each week.

A “war without guns” is being waged to delegitimize Israel. Referring to Israel as an aggressor, that is committing state terrorism and massacring the people of Gaza, the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) Movement is actively calling on people around the world to boycott Israeli goods, join an active BDS campaign or start a new one, organize a BDS protest action, urge organizations that you affiliate with to divest from Israel and to urge your government to impose a military embargo on Israel.

This movement, founded in 2005, got an endorsement last month from UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk, who called on UN General Assembly member nations to boycott companies that do business with Israel. In a report he recently presented to the UN, entitled “Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Since 1967,” Falk singled out a number of companies who he claimed are involved in the establishment and maintenance of Israeli settlements.

In his position at the UN, Falk has regularly singled out Israel as a human rights violator and has employed anti-Semitic imagery and comparisons of Israeli actions to those of the Nazis.

Read on for more information.

ARZA, with the Union of Reform Judaism, is rushing to meet the many critical needs of effected communities, including trauma counseling, financial assistance, rebuilding damaged and destroyed homes and other initiatives. These needs are being met by the Israel Terror Relief Fund. ARZA's Chairman, Rabbi Bennett Miller, sits on the allocations committee that will decide how best to distribute these funds.