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Those of us who support a Jewish State and a State based on Torah and are unsure why there is a need to vote please read the platforms of the other slates who will be representing us and receiving the money if we don't vote.
Association of Reform Zionists of America. Equality. Democracy. Pluralism. Israel.
https//arza.org
https://arza.org/who-we-are/world-zionist-congress-elections/
Our Representation:Through our success in the past elections (2015), we were able to have the largest number of seats, 56 out of 145. We were then able to ensure that over $4,000,000 a year ($20 million over 5 years) of financial support goes to our Reform movement in Israel. In addition, we were able to appoint key professionals to carry out our Reform Jewish values within Israel's National Institutions (including the Jewish Agency and Keren Kayemeth Lelsrael) that help implement Reform values such as Equality, Pluralism, and commitment to a Two-State Solution.
We also joined forces with Israeli political parties to influence Israeli society in matters of conversion, marriage and divorce, religious pluralism, gender rights, and combatting racism; as a result, we have passed key resolutions in the World Zionist Organization's policy body for equality, transparency, and pluralism. Our faction currently includes the Meretz and Labor parties and will be subject to change after the next round of elections.
This year, in 2020 we hope to have an even stronger representation and look forward to all Reform Jews in the United States to stand up and be counted!
Email sent out by reform
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From: Rabbi Rick Jacobs and Jennifer Brodkey Kaufman <presidentandchair@mail.rj.org>
Date: Tue, Feb 25, 2020, 12:31 PM
Subject: Urgent Election Update
Today, we are writing to share an urgent appeal concerning the World Zionist Congress election.
As we hope you know, the election for the 2020 World Zionist Congress is open for another two weeks, and a strong showing by the "Vote Reform" slate is critical. Voting closes on March 11th, just after Purim. (If you are unfamiliar with the World Zionist Congress, often known as the parliament of the Jewish people, you can learn everything you need to know on the ARZA website.)
The results of the election are nothing short of essential for the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism (IMPJ), whose funding streams are determined by the results of the election.
So much of the dramatic growth of our Movement in Israel throughout the past five years can be traced directly to our success in the 2015 WZC election. This year, our Reform partners in Israel have asked over and over again, with deep concern, about our campaign work here in the United States – and they cannot stress enough the importance of a strong showing by our Movement.
Get Out the Vote »
Perhaps surprisingly, political leaders and members of Knesset from across the political and religious spectrum are also focused on the WZC election. Many of them, recognizing our Movement's growing numeric strength and influence, have emphasized how much is at stake.
In addition to determining the flow of funding directly to the institutions of our Movement, the election will determine the policy of key Israeli institutions (such as the Jewish Agency and Keren Kayemeth L'Israel, or KKL – JNF Israel) on issues such as economic justice and the funding of settlements outside the generally accepted borders of Israel.
We have made it clear to both our IMPJ partners and Israeli political leadership that our Movement has made the World Zionist Congress election one of our highest priorities.
We've described to them the energy, passion, and dedication that our congregations have put into the campaign. We've assured that that, thanks to your efforts, our entire Movement is working together, and the 2020 election has unprecedented visibility in our congregations.
However, it is with both sadness and alarm that we have witnessed some truly ugly efforts to undermine us, carried out by those who recognize that our success will allow us to more effectively advance our Reform views and values. Some slates have gone so far as to explicitly claim that we are supporters of BDS and haters of "true Judaism."
They fear that our victory would be critical in advancing religious pluralism, peace, and economic justice in Israel. They are right to be afraid – because that is exactly what we intend to do!
Here is our challenge: Even as hard as we are working, we need to do more. We are grateful for all the work taking place across the county – but we are also concerned that we are not getting the number of votes we need. In the last election, there was little competition; this time, the battle for votes is far more intense.
We ask every leader of every one of our congregations: What more can you do to assure that the Reform/ARZA slate not only earns the most votes but does so with a wide enough margin to effectively advance our values in these critical Israeli institutions?
Consider:
Have you yourself voted? Have members of your family?
Have you shared information about the election with your own network in person, by phone, and/or on social media?
Is the election highlighted in your congregational communications?
Have you set up "polling places" in your congregation?
Can you use the March 3rd U.S. presidential primaries as an opportunity to share a "Vote twice on Super Tuesday" message?
How can you leverage your Purim carnival as a time to bring people in and get out the vote?
We have created a rich, helpful congregational toolkit that will give you everything you need to step up your efforts.
Friends, Israel is at a crossroads, and we have a real opportunity to make our voices heard on the most profound issues confronting the state. We have the strongest platform and the deepest record of results.
We are proudly PRO-ISRAEL, and we are steadfastly PRO-DEMOCRACY, PRO-PLURALISM and PRO-PEACE. No other slate is as committed to these three principles as is Vote Reform.
And ours is the only one that has demonstrated that our "boots on the ground" – a coalition of the Progressive Movement's communities around the world, working with allies in Israel who share our values – truly advance our agenda with financial resources and powerful leadership.
Please, let's not rest until the election is over. We are off to a great start, but as the finish lines comes into view, we need shift into higher gear. We need to finish strong – and with your leadership, that's exactly what we will do.
L'shalom,
Jennifer Brodkey Kaufman
Chair, URJ
Rabbi Rick Jacobs
President, URJ
Get Out the Vote »
URJ.org | ReformJudaism.org Calendar
© Union for Reform Judaism | 855.URJ.1800 | 633 Third Avenue | New York, NY 10017-6778
HATIKVAH: Progressive Israel Slate
We are Hope - We are the Progressive Israel Slate
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LdYyeNNrpU3nkosP9jksOkQ7vHMix9YI/view?usp=drivesdk
Vote for the Hatikvah Slate to Support a Democratic Jewish State!
We are inspired by Israel's Declaration of Independence –which proclaimed the State" will be based on the precepts of liberty, justice and peace as taught by the Prophets; and will uphold the full social and political equality of all its citizens, without distinction of race, creed, or sex; and will guarantee full freedom of conscience worship, educationa andculture." Our commitment is to democracy and the rule of law, believing that all citizens of the State of Israel must be treated equally, and their civil and human rights protected. We oppose policies of discrimination, fear, and tribalism.We fiercely oppose the current policy of permanent occupation and annexation. It is unjust and will end Israel's democracy. The occupation is sustained by ongoing policies of repression that only serve to exacerbate conflict and require daily violence to maintain it.
We proudly stand with those Israelis searching for peace with Palestine. Their understanding, broadly shared at the highest levels of Israel's security services, that the current policies ultimately harm Israel's security, needs to be supported publicly and energetically so that a meaningful peace process can gain the popular support necessary to nurture and develop it.
Peace-seeking Israelis and Palestinians urgently need the encouragement and assistance of the Zionist movement to support their programs of dialogue, combined with political action to achieve our shared vision of a negotiated, mutually accepted two-state solution in which Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and mutual security. This will also enable full and open peace with the Arab world and end Israel's growing pariah status.
We wholeheartedly support religious and cultural pluralism in Israeli society. For the State of Israel to be a primary engine for Jewish creative continuity, it must empower, not oppose, the wide range of Jewish cultural and religious expression.
We stand with Israelis demanding the protection of the rights of women, including equal pay for equal work, equal opportunity in politics, an end to enforced segregation, and an end to discrimination against women's full participation in public events, both military and civilian. We stand with Israelis fighting against vigilante "modesty patrols" and other acts of harassment against women.
We stand with Israelis that welcome asylum seekers, treat foreign workers with the dignity that they deserve, and fight against racism in their society, be it against Jews of color or people of other faiths.
We stand with Israelis striving to ensure full legal and social equality for the LGBTQ community, including marriage rights.
We also stand with Israelis working to promote environmental sustainability and support working with Palestinians and neighboring countries to deal with regional threats to climate and to water resources.
Within our communities in North America, we also have much work to do. Against the challenge of anti-Semitism and white supremacist movements, we will work with communal partners, especially Muslim organizations, to promote a common defense to our shared safety and values through interfaith and intercommunal dialogue.
We are aligned with the values and policies of the Israeli Labor Party, Meretz, the Green Movement, and other like-minded Israeli movements, organizations, and activists.
Together, we work to ensure that the Israel we leave to future generations reflects the best of the values, traditions and hopes we inherited from previous generations, while moving past endless conflict and toward a brighter future of peace.
