Resolution Adopted by the CCAR

Israel

Adopted by the CCAR at the 94th Annual Convention of

the Central Conference of American Rabbis

Los Angeles, March 13-16, 1983

The following, which was passed by the Conference at the Los Angeles convention on

March 15, 1983, after discussion and amendments, is the beginning of a process of

discussion by the regions of the CCAR. The operative clauses are unnumbered paragraphs

three and four, stating our intention to join with the UAHC in “a period of study and

debate on those great and complex issues” and to “call upon the regions of the CCAR

to participate in a year-long program of analysis and dialogue with the aim of defining

the areas of consensus and the direction of action we as a Conference ought to pursue

regarding the following issues…”        

The numbered paragraphs which follow contain affirmations which are suggested as the

subject matter for such deliberations.        

A letter is going to our regional presidents asking them to begin the process prior

to their 1983-1984 Kallot, so that all members, when they gather, will be prepared

for such discussions.

Forty years after the Central Conference affirmed the compatibility of Reform and

Zionism, after it reunited Jewish religious values and Jewish aspirations for national

redemption, we are now called upon to strive to define the nature of Jewish Nationalism in the context of our religious, Reform tradition. This is a difficult task, but

it is inspired by many years of devotion to Israel, during which our movement has

established its world headquarters in Jerusalem, built its HUC-JIR in Jerusalem,

its Leo Baeck High School in Haifa, its two kibbutzim in the Arava, established ARZENU, its

Zionist body, and achieved much more. The gates through which we have passed during

these few decades had been opened for us by Abba Hillel Silver, Stephen S. Wise,

James Heller, Barnett Brickner, and the many others in the 1920s and 1930s. No less significant

is that at the very inception of the CCAR, toward the end of the nineteenth century,

eminent rabbis who had attained honor within this Conference were also distinguished leaders in American Zionism, among them Bernhard Felsenthal and Maximilian Heller.

They and others less well known were the pioneers of Zionism during the very beginnings

of our movement.        

We raise the issue of the nature of Jewish statehood because this has been a time

of collective distress over the anguish through which Israel and the Jewish people

have been passing. This is also a time of vindication of Israel’s unparalleled sense

of justice. Jews on various sides of conflicting issues are prompted by the deepest commitment

to the cause of Israel. Nothing less than identification with the ancient covenant

of our people binds us now to Israel and its destiny. Our differences are “leshem shamayim

(for the sake of heaven).” Let no one expect to divide us on issues of ultimate moment.

We stand as one in our commitment to the sovereignty and security of Israel on land

that may neither be partitioned again without Israel’s consent, nor deprived of its Jewish character. We stand as one on the unity of Jerusalem as the political capital

of Israel and the spiritual capital of the Jewish people, whose ages-long struggle

against anti-Semitism is continued in the form of resisting enmity toward Israel.

We stand as one in our determination to resist efforts at imposing a settlement or coercing

Israel and the Jewish people. We stand as one in insisting that Israel, which has

been deprived by its enemies of even one day of peace, cannot make meaningful concessions without assurances that its sovereignty is recognized, and oft-proclaimed designs

to overthrow it are withdrawn. We rejoice over the vitality of democratic and Jewish

values in Israel, as represented by the Kahan Judicial Commission of Inquiry report.        

We join the Board of Trustees of the UAHC in calling upon all Reform congregations

in North America to enter into a period of study and debate on those great and complex

issues which evolve from the Jewish people’s covenantal ties with the State of Israel.        

We call upon the regions of the CCAR to participate in a year-long program of analysis

and dialogue with the aim of defining the areas of consensus and the direction of

action we as a Conference ought to pursue regarding the following issues:

1. We affirm the necessity of dialogue and discourse with the state of Israel on all

matters touching upon Kedushat Ha-am

and Kedushat Ha-arets

(the sacred dimensions of People and of Land). We similarly reaffirm the freedom

of the pulpit and the propriety of reasoned expression of diverse opinions. The cause

of Israel is not served when its advocates deny to it the best of their critical

and constructive advice which seeks to strengthen Israel and its special relationship with

the United States.

2. As those who have historically appealed to the prophets, we look to them and to

those teachings which have evolved from them to gain an understanding of the necessary

interaction of power and morality in current Jewish life. The exercise of power by

the Jewish State should reflect the moral integrity of Jewish concerns.

3. We acknowledge the diverse meanings embedded within the term “Centrality.” Not

demanding exclusivity, we affirm the historic centrality of the State of Israel for

the Jewish people even as we acknowledge our abiding commitment to the North American

Jewish community and to Jewish communities all over the world particularly communities

at risk. Israeli Jewry and world Jewry must seek ways to intensify their sacred partnership.

4. Reconciliation between Jews and Arabs is a goal toward which we strive and which

we believe can be achieved, and one which requires flexibility and willingness to

sacrifice on all sides. In discussions leading toward structures of peace, concern

for secure borders and political and military stability need to be seen as compatible with

human rights and justice for all.

5. While Israel itself must be the judge of its own security needs, these decisions

also have a fundamental impact on the moral character of Jewish life and on the democratic

nature of the Jewish state. We believe that the legitimate demands of security for Israel can–and must–be reconciled with the dignity, human rights, and the right

of self-determination of Palestinian Arabs. We, therefore, support the concept of

territorial compromise, including a temporary cessation of further settlement activities

on the West Bank, with the goal of encouraging Jordanian and Palestinian participation

in the peace process.

6. Our commitment to pluralism in Israel, as elsewhere, is multi-dimensional. We reject

attitudes which ignore the religious, cultural, and ethnic rights and concerns of

Edot Hamizrach

, Israeli Arabs, Ethiopian Jewry, as well as of Reform and Conservative Jewry. Pluralism

offers the promise of full equality and freedom, whereas coercive denial of these

rights is a threat to the survival of the Jewish state.

7. The encouragement of Aliya

as an option within the diverse expressions of Reform Judaism remains in the long-term

interest of our movement as well as of Israel.

8. We commend those of our colleagues actively involved in the United Jewish Appeal,

Israel Bonds, Interns for Peace, New Israel Fund, and Institutions of Reform Judaism

in Israel, and other such positive programs which offer practical support and ever-growing strength to the State of Israel as she enters her 36th year.

As we now embark upon a year of committed study and open dialogue, so do we renew

our commitment to the vitality, integrity, and well-being of the State of Israel.

Resolution Adopted by the CCAR

On Alcoholism

Adopted by the CCAR at the 94th Annual Convention of

the Central Conference of American Rabbis

Los Angeles, March 13-16, 1983

The Central Conference of American Rabbis, acknowledging the growing problem of alcoholism

and drug dependency within the Jewish community, calls upon its membership to endorse

and further the pioneering work of the JACS Foundation (for Jewish Alcoholics and Chemical-dependent persons and Significant others), which (1) conducts retreats

and support programs for Jewish alcoholics, chemically dependent persons, and their

loved ones; (2) provides community outreach programs, seminars, and information to

sensitize Jewish spiritual and lay leaders, health professionals, and the Jewish community

to the disease of alcoholism and chemical dependency, and (3) acts as a resource

and information clearinghouse on the effects of alcoholism and drug dependency on

Jewish family life.        

Further, the Central Conference of American Rabbis encourages its members to consult

and unite with the JACS Foundation and similar organizations in assisting chemically

dependent Jewish men, women, and children and their families to use resources and

values within Judaism which will strengthen their spiritual recovery and promote a process

of reconciliation with the Jewish community and their heritage.

Resolution Adopted by the CCAR

Israel

Adopted by the CCAR at the 94th Annual Convention of

the Central Conference of American Rabbis

Los Angeles, March 13-16, 1983

The following, which was passed by the Conference at the Los Angeles convention on

March 15, 1983, after discussion and amendments, is the beginning of a process of

discussion by the regions of the CCAR. The operative clauses are unnumbered paragraphs

three and four, stating our intention to join with the UAHC in “a period of study and

debate on those great and complex issues” and to “call upon the regions of the CCAR

to participate in a year-long program of analysis and dialogue with the aim of defining

the areas of consensus and the direction of action we as a Conference ought to pursue

regarding the following issues…”        

The numbered paragraphs which follow contain affirmations which are suggested as the

subject matter for such deliberations.        

A letter is going to our regional presidents asking them to begin the process prior

to their 1983-1984 Kallot, so that all members, when they gather, will be prepared

for such discussions.

Forty years after the Central Conference affirmed the compatibility of Reform and

Zionism, after it reunited Jewish religious values and Jewish aspirations for national

redemption, we are now called upon to strive to define the nature of Jewish Nationalism in the context of our religious, Reform tradition. This is a difficult task, but

it is inspired by many years of devotion to Israel, during which our movement has

established its world headquarters in Jerusalem, built its HUC-JIR in Jerusalem,

its Leo Baeck High School in Haifa, its two kibbutzim in the Arava, established ARZENU, its

Zionist body, and achieved much more. The gates through which we have passed during

these few decades had been opened for us by Abba Hillel Silver, Stephen S. Wise,

James Heller, Barnett Brickner, and the many others in the 1920s and 1930s. No less significant

is that at the very inception of the CCAR, toward the end of the nineteenth century,

eminent rabbis who had attained honor within this Conference were also distinguished leaders in American Zionism, among them Bernhard Felsenthal and Maximilian Heller.

They and others less well known were the pioneers of Zionism during the very beginnings

of our movement.        

We raise the issue of the nature of Jewish statehood because this has been a time

of collective distress over the anguish through which Israel and the Jewish people

have been passing. This is also a time of vindication of Israel’s unparalleled sense

of justice. Jews on various sides of conflicting issues are prompted by the deepest commitment

to the cause of Israel. Nothing less than identification with the ancient covenant

of our people binds us now to Israel and its destiny. Our differences are “leshem shamayim

(for the sake of heaven).” Let no one expect to divide us on issues of ultimate moment.

We stand as one in our commitment to the sovereignty and security of Israel on land

that may neither be partitioned again without Israel’s consent, nor deprived of its Jewish character. We stand as one on the unity of Jerusalem as the political capital

of Israel and the spiritual capital of the Jewish people, whose ages-long struggle

against anti-Semitism is continued in the form of resisting enmity toward Israel.

We stand as one in our determination to resist efforts at imposing a settlement or coercing

Israel and the Jewish people. We stand as one in insisting that Israel, which has

been deprived by its enemies of even one day of peace, cannot make meaningful concessions without assurances that its sovereignty is recognized, and oft-proclaimed designs

to overthrow it are withdrawn. We rejoice over the vitality of democratic and Jewish

values in Israel, as represented by the Kahan Judicial Commission of Inquiry report.        

We join the Board of Trustees of the UAHC in calling upon all Reform congregations

in North America to enter into a period of study and debate on those great and complex

issues which evolve from the Jewish people’s covenantal ties with the State of Israel.        

We call upon the regions of the CCAR to participate in a year-long program of analysis

and dialogue with the aim of defining the areas of consensus and the direction of

action we as a Conference ought to pursue regarding the following issues:

1. We affirm the necessity of dialogue and discourse with the state of Israel on all

matters touching upon Kedushat Ha-am

and Kedushat Ha-arets

(the sacred dimensions of People and of Land). We similarly reaffirm the freedom

of the pulpit and the propriety of reasoned expression of diverse opinions. The cause

of Israel is not served when its advocates deny to it the best of their critical

and constructive advice which seeks to strengthen Israel and its special relationship with

the United States.

2. As those who have historically appealed to the prophets, we look to them and to

those teachings which have evolved from them to gain an understanding of the necessary

interaction of power and morality in current Jewish life. The exercise of power by

the Jewish State should reflect the moral integrity of Jewish concerns.

3. We acknowledge the diverse meanings embedded within the term “Centrality.” Not

demanding exclusivity, we affirm the historic centrality of the State of Israel for

the Jewish people even as we acknowledge our abiding commitment to the North American

Jewish community and to Jewish communities all over the world particularly communities

at risk. Israeli Jewry and world Jewry must seek ways to intensify their sacred partnership.

4. Reconciliation between Jews and Arabs is a goal toward which we strive and which

we believe can be achieved, and one which requires flexibility and willingness to

sacrifice on all sides. In discussions leading toward structures of peace, concern

for secure borders and political and military stability need to be seen as compatible with

human rights and justice for all.

5. While Israel itself must be the judge of its own security needs, these decisions

also have a fundamental impact on the moral character of Jewish life and on the democratic

nature of the Jewish state. We believe that the legitimate demands of security for Israel can–and must–be reconciled with the dignity, human rights, and the right

of self-determination of Palestinian Arabs. We, therefore, support the concept of

territorial compromise, including a temporary cessation of further settlement activities

on the West Bank, with the goal of encouraging Jordanian and Palestinian participation

in the peace process.

6. Our commitment to pluralism in Israel, as elsewhere, is multi-dimensional. We reject

attitudes which ignore the religious, cultural, and ethnic rights and concerns of

Edot Hamizrach

, Israeli Arabs, Ethiopian Jewry, as well as of Reform and Conservative Jewry. Pluralism

offers the promise of full equality and freedom, whereas coercive denial of these

rights is a threat to the survival of the Jewish state.

7. The encouragement of Aliya

as an option within the diverse expressions of Reform Judaism remains in the long-term

interest of our movement as well as of Israel.

8. We commend those of our colleagues actively involved in the United Jewish Appeal,

Israel Bonds, Interns for Peace, New Israel Fund, and Institutions of Reform Judaism

in Israel, and other such positive programs which offer practical support and ever-growing strength to the State of Israel as she enters her 36th year.

As we now embark upon a year of committed study and open dialogue, so do we renew

our commitment to the vitality, integrity, and well-being of the State of Israel.

Resolution Adopted by the CCAR

Israel

Adopted by the CCAR at the 94th Annual Convention of

the Central Conference of American Rabbis

Los Angeles, March 13-16, 1983

The following, which was passed by the Conference at the Los Angeles convention on

March 15, 1983, after discussion and amendments, is the beginning of a process of

discussion by the regions of the CCAR. The operative clauses are unnumbered paragraphs

three and four, stating our intention to join with the UAHC in “a period of study and

debate on those great and complex issues” and to “call upon the regions of the CCAR

to participate in a year-long program of analysis and dialogue with the aim of defining

the areas of consensus and the direction of action we as a Conference ought to pursue

regarding the following issues…”        

The numbered paragraphs which follow contain affirmations which are suggested as the

subject matter for such deliberations.        

A letter is going to our regional presidents asking them to begin the process prior

to their 1983-1984 Kallot, so that all members, when they gather, will be prepared

for such discussions.

Forty years after the Central Conference affirmed the compatibility of Reform and

Zionism, after it reunited Jewish religious values and Jewish aspirations for national

redemption, we are now called upon to strive to define the nature of Jewish Nationalism in the context of our religious, Reform tradition. This is a difficult task, but

it is inspired by many years of devotion to Israel, during which our movement has

established its world headquarters in Jerusalem, built its HUC-JIR in Jerusalem,

its Leo Baeck High School in Haifa, its two kibbutzim in the Arava, established ARZENU, its

Zionist body, and achieved much more. The gates through which we have passed during

these few decades had been opened for us by Abba Hillel Silver, Stephen S. Wise,

James Heller, Barnett Brickner, and the many others in the 1920s and 1930s. No less significant

is that at the very inception of the CCAR, toward the end of the nineteenth century,

eminent rabbis who had attained honor within this Conference were also distinguished leaders in American Zionism, among them Bernhard Felsenthal and Maximilian Heller.

They and others less well known were the pioneers of Zionism during the very beginnings

of our movement.        

We raise the issue of the nature of Jewish statehood because this has been a time

of collective distress over the anguish through which Israel and the Jewish people

have been passing. This is also a time of vindication of Israel’s unparalleled sense

of justice. Jews on various sides of conflicting issues are prompted by the deepest commitment

to the cause of Israel. Nothing less than identification with the ancient covenant

of our people binds us now to Israel and its destiny. Our differences are “leshem shamayim

(for the sake of heaven).” Let no one expect to divide us on issues of ultimate moment.

We stand as one in our commitment to the sovereignty and security of Israel on land

that may neither be partitioned again without Israel’s consent, nor deprived of its Jewish character. We stand as one on the unity of Jerusalem as the political capital

of Israel and the spiritual capital of the Jewish people, whose ages-long struggle

against anti-Semitism is continued in the form of resisting enmity toward Israel.

We stand as one in our determination to resist efforts at imposing a settlement or coercing

Israel and the Jewish people. We stand as one in insisting that Israel, which has

been deprived by its enemies of even one day of peace, cannot make meaningful concessions without assurances that its sovereignty is recognized, and oft-proclaimed designs

to overthrow it are withdrawn. We rejoice over the vitality of democratic and Jewish

values in Israel, as represented by the Kahan Judicial Commission of Inquiry report.        

We join the Board of Trustees of the UAHC in calling upon all Reform congregations

in North America to enter into a period of study and debate on those great and complex

issues which evolve from the Jewish people’s covenantal ties with the State of Israel.        

We call upon the regions of the CCAR to participate in a year-long program of analysis

and dialogue with the aim of defining the areas of consensus and the direction of

action we as a Conference ought to pursue regarding the following issues:

1. We affirm the necessity of dialogue and discourse with the state of Israel on all

matters touching upon Kedushat Ha-am

and Kedushat Ha-arets

(the sacred dimensions of People and of Land). We similarly reaffirm the freedom

of the pulpit and the propriety of reasoned expression of diverse opinions. The cause

of Israel is not served when its advocates deny to it the best of their critical

and constructive advice which seeks to strengthen Israel and its special relationship with

the United States.

2. As those who have historically appealed to the prophets, we look to them and to

those teachings which have evolved from them to gain an understanding of the necessary

interaction of power and morality in current Jewish life. The exercise of power by

the Jewish State should reflect the moral integrity of Jewish concerns.

3. We acknowledge the diverse meanings embedded within the term “Centrality.” Not

demanding exclusivity, we affirm the historic centrality of the State of Israel for

the Jewish people even as we acknowledge our abiding commitment to the North American

Jewish community and to Jewish communities all over the world particularly communities

at risk. Israeli Jewry and world Jewry must seek ways to intensify their sacred partnership.

4. Reconciliation between Jews and Arabs is a goal toward which we strive and which

we believe can be achieved, and one which requires flexibility and willingness to

sacrifice on all sides. In discussions leading toward structures of peace, concern

for secure borders and political and military stability need to be seen as compatible with

human rights and justice for all.

5. While Israel itself must be the judge of its own security needs, these decisions

also have a fundamental impact on the moral character of Jewish life and on the democratic

nature of the Jewish state. We believe that the legitimate demands of security for Israel can–and must–be reconciled with the dignity, human rights, and the right

of self-determination of Palestinian Arabs. We, therefore, support the concept of

territorial compromise, including a temporary cessation of further settlement activities

on the West Bank, with the goal of encouraging Jordanian and Palestinian participation

in the peace process.

6. Our commitment to pluralism in Israel, as elsewhere, is multi-dimensional. We reject

attitudes which ignore the religious, cultural, and ethnic rights and concerns of

Edot Hamizrach

, Israeli Arabs, Ethiopian Jewry, as well as of Reform and Conservative Jewry. Pluralism

offers the promise of full equality and freedom, whereas coercive denial of these

rights is a threat to the survival of the Jewish state.

7. The encouragement of Aliya

as an option within the diverse expressions of Reform Judaism remains in the long-term

interest of our movement as well as of Israel.

8. We commend those of our colleagues actively involved in the United Jewish Appeal,

Israel Bonds, Interns for Peace, New Israel Fund, and Institutions of Reform Judaism

in Israel, and other such positive programs which offer practical support and ever-growing strength to the State of Israel as she enters her 36th year.

As we now embark upon a year of committed study and open dialogue, so do we renew

our commitment to the vitality, integrity, and well-being of the State of Israel.

Resolution Adopted by the CCAR

Israel

Adopted by the CCAR at the 94th Annual Convention of

the Central Conference of American Rabbis

Los Angeles, March 13-16, 1983

The following, which was passed by the Conference at the Los Angeles convention on

March 15, 1983, after discussion and amendments, is the beginning of a process of

discussion by the regions of the CCAR. The operative clauses are unnumbered paragraphs

three and four, stating our intention to join with the UAHC in “a period of study and

debate on those great and complex issues” and to “call upon the regions of the CCAR

to participate in a year-long program of analysis and dialogue with the aim of defining

the areas of consensus and the direction of action we as a Conference ought to pursue

regarding the following issues…”        

The numbered paragraphs which follow contain affirmations which are suggested as the

subject matter for such deliberations.        

A letter is going to our regional presidents asking them to begin the process prior

to their 1983-1984 Kallot, so that all members, when they gather, will be prepared

for such discussions.

Forty years after the Central Conference affirmed the compatibility of Reform and

Zionism, after it reunited Jewish religious values and Jewish aspirations for national

redemption, we are now called upon to strive to define the nature of Jewish Nationalism in the context of our religious, Reform tradition. This is a difficult task, but

it is inspired by many years of devotion to Israel, during which our movement has

established its world headquarters in Jerusalem, built its HUC-JIR in Jerusalem,

its Leo Baeck High School in Haifa, its two kibbutzim in the Arava, established ARZENU, its

Zionist body, and achieved much more. The gates through which we have passed during

these few decades had been opened for us by Abba Hillel Silver, Stephen S. Wise,

James Heller, Barnett Brickner, and the many others in the 1920s and 1930s. No less significant

is that at the very inception of the CCAR, toward the end of the nineteenth century,

eminent rabbis who had attained honor within this Conference were also distinguished leaders in American Zionism, among them Bernhard Felsenthal and Maximilian Heller.

They and others less well known were the pioneers of Zionism during the very beginnings

of our movement.        

We raise the issue of the nature of Jewish statehood because this has been a time

of collective distress over the anguish through which Israel and the Jewish people

have been passing. This is also a time of vindication of Israel’s unparalleled sense

of justice. Jews on various sides of conflicting issues are prompted by the deepest commitment

to the cause of Israel. Nothing less than identification with the ancient covenant

of our people binds us now to Israel and its destiny. Our differences are “leshem shamayim

(for the sake of heaven).” Let no one expect to divide us on issues of ultimate moment.

We stand as one in our commitment to the sovereignty and security of Israel on land

that may neither be partitioned again without Israel’s consent, nor deprived of its Jewish character. We stand as one on the unity of Jerusalem as the political capital

of Israel and the spiritual capital of the Jewish people, whose ages-long struggle

against anti-Semitism is continued in the form of resisting enmity toward Israel.

We stand as one in our determination to resist efforts at imposing a settlement or coercing

Israel and the Jewish people. We stand as one in insisting that Israel, which has

been deprived by its enemies of even one day of peace, cannot make meaningful concessions without assurances that its sovereignty is recognized, and oft-proclaimed designs

to overthrow it are withdrawn. We rejoice over the vitality of democratic and Jewish

values in Israel, as represented by the Kahan Judicial Commission of Inquiry report.        

We join the Board of Trustees of the UAHC in calling upon all Reform congregations

in North America to enter into a period of study and debate on those great and complex

issues which evolve from the Jewish people’s covenantal ties with the State of Israel.        

We call upon the regions of the CCAR to participate in a year-long program of analysis

and dialogue with the aim of defining the areas of consensus and the direction of

action we as a Conference ought to pursue regarding the following issues:

1. We affirm the necessity of dialogue and discourse with the state of Israel on all

matters touching upon Kedushat Ha-am

and Kedushat Ha-arets

(the sacred dimensions of People and of Land). We similarly reaffirm the freedom

of the pulpit and the propriety of reasoned expression of diverse opinions. The cause

of Israel is not served when its advocates deny to it the best of their critical

and constructive advice which seeks to strengthen Israel and its special relationship with

the United States.

2. As those who have historically appealed to the prophets, we look to them and to

those teachings which have evolved from them to gain an understanding of the necessary

interaction of power and morality in current Jewish life. The exercise of power by

the Jewish State should reflect the moral integrity of Jewish concerns.

3. We acknowledge the diverse meanings embedded within the term “Centrality.” Not

demanding exclusivity, we affirm the historic centrality of the State of Israel for

the Jewish people even as we acknowledge our abiding commitment to the North American

Jewish community and to Jewish communities all over the world particularly communities

at risk. Israeli Jewry and world Jewry must seek ways to intensify their sacred partnership.

4. Reconciliation between Jews and Arabs is a goal toward which we strive and which

we believe can be achieved, and one which requires flexibility and willingness to

sacrifice on all sides. In discussions leading toward structures of peace, concern

for secure borders and political and military stability need to be seen as compatible with

human rights and justice for all.

5. While Israel itself must be the judge of its own security needs, these decisions

also have a fundamental impact on the moral character of Jewish life and on the democratic

nature of the Jewish state. We believe that the legitimate demands of security for Israel can–and must–be reconciled with the dignity, human rights, and the right

of self-determination of Palestinian Arabs. We, therefore, support the concept of

territorial compromise, including a temporary cessation of further settlement activities

on the West Bank, with the goal of encouraging Jordanian and Palestinian participation

in the peace process.

6. Our commitment to pluralism in Israel, as elsewhere, is multi-dimensional. We reject

attitudes which ignore the religious, cultural, and ethnic rights and concerns of

Edot Hamizrach

, Israeli Arabs, Ethiopian Jewry, as well as of Reform and Conservative Jewry. Pluralism

offers the promise of full equality and freedom, whereas coercive denial of these

rights is a threat to the survival of the Jewish state.

7. The encouragement of Aliya

as an option within the diverse expressions of Reform Judaism remains in the long-term

interest of our movement as well as of Israel.

8. We commend those of our colleagues actively involved in the United Jewish Appeal,

Israel Bonds, Interns for Peace, New Israel Fund, and Institutions of Reform Judaism

in Israel, and other such positive programs which offer practical support and ever-growing strength to the State of Israel as she enters her 36th year.

As we now embark upon a year of committed study and open dialogue, so do we renew

our commitment to the vitality, integrity, and well-being of the State of Israel.

Resolution Adopted by the CCAR

Israel

Adopted by the CCAR at the 94th Annual Convention of

the Central Conference of American Rabbis

Los Angeles, March 13-16, 1983

The following, which was passed by the Conference at the Los Angeles convention on

March 15, 1983, after discussion and amendments, is the beginning of a process of

discussion by the regions of the CCAR. The operative clauses are unnumbered paragraphs

three and four, stating our intention to join with the UAHC in “a period of study and

debate on those great and complex issues” and to “call upon the regions of the CCAR

to participate in a year-long program of analysis and dialogue with the aim of defining

the areas of consensus and the direction of action we as a Conference ought to pursue

regarding the following issues…”        

The numbered paragraphs which follow contain affirmations which are suggested as the

subject matter for such deliberations.        

A letter is going to our regional presidents asking them to begin the process prior

to their 1983-1984 Kallot, so that all members, when they gather, will be prepared

for such discussions.

Forty years after the Central Conference affirmed the compatibility of Reform and

Zionism, after it reunited Jewish religious values and Jewish aspirations for national

redemption, we are now called upon to strive to define the nature of Jewish Nationalism in the context of our religious, Reform tradition. This is a difficult task, but

it is inspired by many years of devotion to Israel, during which our movement has

established its world headquarters in Jerusalem, built its HUC-JIR in Jerusalem,

its Leo Baeck High School in Haifa, its two kibbutzim in the Arava, established ARZENU, its

Zionist body, and achieved much more. The gates through which we have passed during

these few decades had been opened for us by Abba Hillel Silver, Stephen S. Wise,

James Heller, Barnett Brickner, and the many others in the 1920s and 1930s. No less significant

is that at the very inception of the CCAR, toward the end of the nineteenth century,

eminent rabbis who had attained honor within this Conference were also distinguished leaders in American Zionism, among them Bernhard Felsenthal and Maximilian Heller.

They and others less well known were the pioneers of Zionism during the very beginnings

of our movement.        

We raise the issue of the nature of Jewish statehood because this has been a time

of collective distress over the anguish through which Israel and the Jewish people

have been passing. This is also a time of vindication of Israel’s unparalleled sense

of justice. Jews on various sides of conflicting issues are prompted by the deepest commitment

to the cause of Israel. Nothing less than identification with the ancient covenant

of our people binds us now to Israel and its destiny. Our differences are “leshem shamayim

(for the sake of heaven).” Let no one expect to divide us on issues of ultimate moment.

We stand as one in our commitment to the sovereignty and security of Israel on land

that may neither be partitioned again without Israel’s consent, nor deprived of its Jewish character. We stand as one on the unity of Jerusalem as the political capital

of Israel and the spiritual capital of the Jewish people, whose ages-long struggle

against anti-Semitism is continued in the form of resisting enmity toward Israel.

We stand as one in our determination to resist efforts at imposing a settlement or coercing

Israel and the Jewish people. We stand as one in insisting that Israel, which has

been deprived by its enemies of even one day of peace, cannot make meaningful concessions without assurances that its sovereignty is recognized, and oft-proclaimed designs

to overthrow it are withdrawn. We rejoice over the vitality of democratic and Jewish

values in Israel, as represented by the Kahan Judicial Commission of Inquiry report.        

We join the Board of Trustees of the UAHC in calling upon all Reform congregations

in North America to enter into a period of study and debate on those great and complex

issues which evolve from the Jewish people’s covenantal ties with the State of Israel.        

We call upon the regions of the CCAR to participate in a year-long program of analysis

and dialogue with the aim of defining the areas of consensus and the direction of

action we as a Conference ought to pursue regarding the following issues:

1. We affirm the necessity of dialogue and discourse with the state of Israel on all

matters touching upon Kedushat Ha-am

and Kedushat Ha-arets

(the sacred dimensions of People and of Land). We similarly reaffirm the freedom

of the pulpit and the propriety of reasoned expression of diverse opinions. The cause

of Israel is not served when its advocates deny to it the best of their critical

and constructive advice which seeks to strengthen Israel and its special relationship with

the United States.

2. As those who have historically appealed to the prophets, we look to them and to

those teachings which have evolved from them to gain an understanding of the necessary

interaction of power and morality in current Jewish life. The exercise of power by

the Jewish State should reflect the moral integrity of Jewish concerns.

3. We acknowledge the diverse meanings embedded within the term “Centrality.” Not

demanding exclusivity, we affirm the historic centrality of the State of Israel for

the Jewish people even as we acknowledge our abiding commitment to the North American

Jewish community and to Jewish communities all over the world particularly communities

at risk. Israeli Jewry and world Jewry must seek ways to intensify their sacred partnership.

4. Reconciliation between Jews and Arabs is a goal toward which we strive and which

we believe can be achieved, and one which requires flexibility and willingness to

sacrifice on all sides. In discussions leading toward structures of peace, concern

for secure borders and political and military stability need to be seen as compatible with

human rights and justice for all.

5. While Israel itself must be the judge of its own security needs, these decisions

also have a fundamental impact on the moral character of Jewish life and on the democratic

nature of the Jewish state. We believe that the legitimate demands of security for Israel can–and must–be reconciled with the dignity, human rights, and the right

of self-determination of Palestinian Arabs. We, therefore, support the concept of

territorial compromise, including a temporary cessation of further settlement activities

on the West Bank, with the goal of encouraging Jordanian and Palestinian participation

in the peace process.

6. Our commitment to pluralism in Israel, as elsewhere, is multi-dimensional. We reject

attitudes which ignore the religious, cultural, and ethnic rights and concerns of

Edot Hamizrach

, Israeli Arabs, Ethiopian Jewry, as well as of Reform and Conservative Jewry. Pluralism

offers the promise of full equality and freedom, whereas coercive denial of these

rights is a threat to the survival of the Jewish state.

7. The encouragement of Aliya

as an option within the diverse expressions of Reform Judaism remains in the long-term

interest of our movement as well as of Israel.

8. We commend those of our colleagues actively involved in the United Jewish Appeal,

Israel Bonds, Interns for Peace, New Israel Fund, and Institutions of Reform Judaism

in Israel, and other such positive programs which offer practical support and ever-growing strength to the State of Israel as she enters her 36th year.

As we now embark upon a year of committed study and open dialogue, so do we renew

our commitment to the vitality, integrity, and well-being of the State of Israel.

Resolution Adopted by the CCAR

On Hunger and Food banks

Adopted by the CCAR at the 94th Annual Convention of

the Central Conference of American Rabbis

Los Angeles, March 13-16, 1983

One of the most significant mitzvot

in our tradition calls upon us to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. Despite this

prophetic mandate, experts in the area of poverty and hunger inform us that malnutrition

in America, which had been eliminated in the late 1970’s, in large part because of poverty and food-stamp programs, has re-emerged. They cite Reagan Administration

budgetary cuts, especially pressure upon the Department of Agriculture by the Office

of Budget and Administration, as the main reason for the increasing levels of illness,

infant mortality, and starvation in American households.        

We see repeated examples of farmers, supermarkets, and corporations being prevented

from distributing their surplus foodstuffs to those in need. We learn about the plight

of millions of impoverished families and individuals being denied food stamps and

medical care where once they were available. We know of many cases such as the court

order demanding that Department of Agriculture officials spend unused funds to feed

47,000 poor women and children in Georgia and New York. We view the long lines of

people waiting for supplies from local synagogue, church, and civic food banks. We hear the

fears expressed about increased malnutrition and starvation if food and medical projects

are returned to State governments by the Federal government, considering that such efforts were created because of individual States’ inability and/or unwillingness

to provide for their impoverished citizens and residents.        

In 1975, the Central Conference of American Rabbis resolved that the issue of hunger

be given high priority by synagogue and communal institutions. In 1981, the Pacific

Association of Reform Rabbis urged its constituent members to create “food banks”

and similar projects for collection and distribution of nourishment and clothing within

their local communities. In 1982, the Central Conference of American Rabbis decried

budget cuts which further limited foods subsidies and health care.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that because conditions have only grown worse since the passage

of these resolutions, and since the future portends even greater hardships for the

poor, we urge the CCAR membership to reinforce and strengthen those guidelines enumerated in 1975 and 1981 for education and action. Further, we urge our membership to

create “food banks” and food collection and distribution projects and to work in

cooperation with other religious and civic organizations to share our bounty and

our blessings with those who lack the essentials of life: food, clothing, medicine. and shelter.

Resolution Adopted by the CCAR

On Hunger and Food banks

Adopted by the CCAR at the 94th Annual Convention of

the Central Conference of American Rabbis

Los Angeles, March 13-16, 1983

One of the most significant mitzvot

in our tradition calls upon us to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. Despite this

prophetic mandate, experts in the area of poverty and hunger inform us that malnutrition

in America, which had been eliminated in the late 1970’s, in large part because of poverty and food-stamp programs, has re-emerged. They cite Reagan Administration

budgetary cuts, especially pressure upon the Department of Agriculture by the Office

of Budget and Administration, as the main reason for the increasing levels of illness,

infant mortality, and starvation in American households.        

We see repeated examples of farmers, supermarkets, and corporations being prevented

from distributing their surplus foodstuffs to those in need. We learn about the plight

of millions of impoverished families and individuals being denied food stamps and

medical care where once they were available. We know of many cases such as the court

order demanding that Department of Agriculture officials spend unused funds to feed

47,000 poor women and children in Georgia and New York. We view the long lines of

people waiting for supplies from local synagogue, church, and civic food banks. We hear the

fears expressed about increased malnutrition and starvation if food and medical projects

are returned to State governments by the Federal government, considering that such efforts were created because of individual States’ inability and/or unwillingness

to provide for their impoverished citizens and residents.        

In 1975, the Central Conference of American Rabbis resolved that the issue of hunger

be given high priority by synagogue and communal institutions. In 1981, the Pacific

Association of Reform Rabbis urged its constituent members to create “food banks”

and similar projects for collection and distribution of nourishment and clothing within

their local communities. In 1982, the Central Conference of American Rabbis decried

budget cuts which further limited foods subsidies and health care.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that because conditions have only grown worse since the passage

of these resolutions, and since the future portends even greater hardships for the

poor, we urge the CCAR membership to reinforce and strengthen those guidelines enumerated in 1975 and 1981 for education and action. Further, we urge our membership to

create “food banks” and food collection and distribution projects and to work in

cooperation with other religious and civic organizations to share our bounty and

our blessings with those who lack the essentials of life: food, clothing, medicine. and shelter.

Resolution Adopted by the CCAR

On Ethiopian Jewry

Adopted by the CCAR at the 94th Annual Convention of

the Central Conference of American Rabbis

Los Angeles, March 13-16, 1983

Recognizing the desperate situation of the Ethiopian Jews presently located in the

refugee camp areas in the Horn of Africa, the Central Conference of American Rabbis

expresses its support for efforts by the United States Congress to bring our co-religionists out of these areas to safety. We firmly believe that Congress should work through

humanitarian parole, third-country processing, or a similar approach, to effect the

most expeditious rescue of the approximately 3,000 Jews who daily face the threats

of illness, poverty, prejudice, and death.

Resolution Adopted by the CCAR

On Persons with Disabilities

Adopted by the CCAR at the 94th Annual Convention of

the Central Conference of American Rabbis

Los Angeles, March 13-16, 1983

WHEREAS we look with favor on the increased awareness of the needs of the physically

disabled in our society; and

WHEREAS we believe that providing the disabled with access to public buildings and

assuring them of equal opportunities in employment and education are positive and

progressive acts; and

WHEREAS we note especially the efforts being undertaken by the National Association

of Temple Administrators to assure the physically disabled maximal access to our

synagogues so that they can fully participate in our many activities,

THEREFORE we call upon each rabbi to exert leadership within his/her congregation

or institution to provide for the needs of the disabled. Specifically, we recommend,

where appropriate, the creation of unhindered access to the synagogue and its facilities

and grounds, including the Bima

and adequate parking. We recommend further the creation of a group within the synagogue

to provide advocacy for persons with disabilities with regard to architectural and

attitudinal issues.