Five Days, Countless Insights: Inside the Reform Movement Intensive in Israel

The five-day intensive on the Reform Movement in Israel, a mandatory component of the Year-In-Israel (YII) program, provides rabbinical and cantorial students with crucial insights into Israel's complex religious landscape. Rather than simply observing religious pluralism from a distance, the students engage directly with communities navigating the challenges of practicing progressive Judaism in a country where Orthodox Judaism holds institutional power. This year, the students had a whirlwind survey that touched on topics ranging from the separation of religion and state and interfaith dialogue to cultural touchstones of architectural and historical significance.

On November 19, the YII students began with a visit to the Israeli Supreme Court, guided by Orly Erez Likhovski, the Israel Religious Action Center's (IRAC) Legal Director. After touring the building, students were lucky enough to observe a hearing about secular education for girls within the religious school system-an experience that immediately highlighted how religious and state matters intersect in Israeli governance. According to rabbinical student Zachary Harper, "Sessions on IRAC's advocacy work around the separation of religion and state, as well as women's rights, were really helpful in grounding us in the structural challenges that exist."

Caption: Samah Darwish, Director of IRAC's Racism Crisis Center, led a workshop that challenged students to think critically about justice and the need to question rules that perpetuate inequality.

In Holon, the students met Rabbi Galit Cohen Kedem '14 at Nitzanim school. Rabbi Reuven Greenvald, Director of the Year-In-Israel Program, made it clear how important this stop is. "Here, students internalize a practical obstacle that is difficult to understand from the outside: the difficulty Reform congregations face in securing land when the rabbinate is controlled by Orthodox authorities. It's always important to hear directly from children participating in the school's Jewish education initiative and to understand that the Reform community in Holon is doing something quite rare in building something sustainable."

At Congregation Or Chadash, in Haifa, Rabbi Gabby Dagan '10 led students in song and reflection, making it clear that the congregation is a communal hub. One takeaway, from Harper, was the support. "Or Chadash provided to Haifans of all faiths during the recent conflict with Iran. It became clear how deep the role progressive congregations can play in times of crisis."

"Then we had the opportunity to learn with Rabbi Dahlia Shacham, who, through music, posed challenging questions about contemporary Zionism. She really pressed us to grapple with what Jewish nationalism means in the current moment."

Students also had the opportunity to meet with Rabbi Miriam Klimova '23, who works with the Shirat HaYam community serving Russian-speaking Jews. Rabbi Klimova, who made aliyah from Ukraine, explained her outreach to Haifa's Russian-speaking population, which comprises roughly one-third of the city. Her arrival carrying IKEA bags-filled with supplies for her congregation because they lack a permanent worship space-offered a striking contrast to the stable, established synagogues students are accustomed to in North America.

There is much learning to be had in the Jezreel Valley. Here, as on many kibbutzim, secularism reigns. Annet and Aart van't Land, chairs of the Gilboa Regional Council, and rabbinical student Rina Lebanon, describe the challenge of serving communities where residents can be resistant to organized prayer.

Students also take a tour of Beit She'arim led by Rabbi David Levine, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Talmud and Halacha. Exploring the ancient burial caves, including the resting place of Rabbi Yehuda Ha-Nasi, students were reminded that Jerusalem has not always been the center of Jewish religious life. Says [student], "While we think of Jerusalem as the center of religious life, at many points in history, it was not. It was great to be able to have this experience given the things we've been learning about in our history classes."

Greenvald says that "the five days necessarily included a conversation with Rabbi Leora Ezrachi-Vered '17, of Spirit of the Galilee congregation, and her friend Ghadir Hani. It's critical for students to understand the interfaith work that is ongoing, desperately needed in a region deeply affected by two years of war and displacement."

Throughout the intensive, students encountered communities marked by both challenge and resilience. The structural barriers-difficulty securing land, lack of permanent worship spaces, institutional Orthodox control-stood in tension with the creativity, passion, and commitment of Reform leaders working in these contexts. For students preparing to become rabbis and cantors themselves, these encounters offered more than intellectual understanding; they provided relationships with Israeli colleagues who are navigating similar questions about how to build meaningful Jewish community in complex circumstances.

"The creativity and innovation in many of these spaces, along with the work they are doing on peacebuilding and dialogue, is so inspiring and uplifting," says Harper. "This trip helped us understand Israel much better and gave us strong opportunities to build connections with Reform rabbis and educators in the region, who will one day be our colleagues."