Resolution Adopted by the CCAR

Support for Israel

Adopted by the 101st Annual Convention of

the Central

Conference of American Rabbis

Seattle, Washington, June

1990

WHEREAS Israel is the historic,

spiritual, and cultural homeland of the Jewish people,

and

WHEREAS Jewish tradition has continually supported the Land and

People of Israel,

and

WHEREAS fewer than 25 percent of America’s

Jews have ever visited Israel,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we support all Reform Jewish

programs of tourism, and

pilgrimages to Israel through existing Reform programs.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call

upon our colleagues to deepen their congregations’

spiritual, cultural, and historic ties to Zion by

encouraging tourism to Israel.

We

ask that our colleagues personally introduce their congregants to

Israel through

adult congregational

and youth pilgrimages.

BE IT

FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon our congregations to strengthen the

hands

of those who labor on behalf

of Israel. We call upon our congregations to support

UJA, Israel Bonds, The New Israel Fund, ARZA, IRAC,

ARZEINU, and KADIMA.

BE IT

FURTHER RESOLVED that we conduct regular educational programs to

inform our

congregants of the

political realities, the economic needs, and most important, the

spiritual and cultural heritage of

the land of Israel.

BE IT FURTHER

RESOLVED that our members initiate and/or encourage interreligious

clergy

missions to Israel as a way

of increasing appreciation for the role of Israel in

the family of nations.

Resolution Adopted by the

CCAR

Israel’s Security

Adopted by the 101st Annual

Convention of

the Central
Conference of American Rabbis

Seattle, Washington, June 1990

WHEREAS

the security of the State of Israel is of paramount concern to

Israelis, to

Jews, and to people of

good will everywhere, and

WHEREAS

security ultimately involves physical security: secure and recognized

borders,

peaceful relations with

neighboring states and domestic tranquility; the maintenance

of a just society: citizen rights,

sincere and energetic efforts to move toward peace, therefore

BE IT RESOLVED that:

1. The Central Conference of American Rabbis

reaffirm its support for Israel and the

democratic principles enunciated in its Declaration of

Independence, and

2. The CCAR

call upon the media to report accurately on Israel matters,

recognizing

the distorting

potential of coverage and its ability to influence public opinion

among Americans upon whose good

will Israel depends, and to be careful to avoid judgments

that may be based on inappropriate

standards, and

3. The CCAR

reaffirm its long-standing view that true security for Israel can only

result from the acceptance of the

principles of mutual recognition of the right of

self-determination, territorial compromise, and

renunciation of violence. We applaud

efforts of the United States government to encourage the peace

process, and

4. The CCAR reaffirm

its support for groups in Israel that monitor human rights issues,

foster good inter-group relations,

and serve to protect Israel’s public conscience:

the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), the

Rabbinic Human Rights Watch, Interns

for Peace, and Betselem, among others and

5. The CCAR call upon people to carefully separate

criticism of an Israeli government

action from an attack on Israel’s very legitimacy as a nation

state.

Resolution Adopted by the

CCAR

Electoral Reform in

Israel

Adopted by the 101st Annual

Convention of

the Central
Conference of American Rabbis

Seattle, Washington, June 1990

WHEREAS

Israel’s electoral system has produced governmental paralysis for the

past

five years despite pressing

political and economic challenges and

WHEREAS the current system of proportional representation gives

disproportionate power

to minority

groups many of which are either anti-Zionist or Diaspora-controlled,

and

WHEREAS the maneuvering undertaken by both Likud and Labor to

form a majority coalition

has led

to covert financial promises to splinter groups, producing dismay and

cynicism

among the electorate,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the

Central Conference of American Rabbis call upon

both major parties in Israel to proceed forthwith

toward electoral reform to correct

the abuses and end the paralysis, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon our

colleagues to inform their congregations

in order to raise the visibility of this pressing need in the

consciousness of all

Jews.

Resolution Adopted by the

CCAR

Martin Luther King,

Jr. Holiday

Adopted by the 101st

Annual Convention of

the Central
Conference of American

Rabbis

Seattle, Washington, June 1990

Background

The Reverend Martin

Luther King, Jr., played a unique role in shaping the modern

political,

cultural, and economic

history of the United States of America. In the brief 13 years

of his public life, he answered

violence with nonviolence, powerlessness with empowerment, injustice

with justice, ignorance and darkness with knowledge and light.

He became one of a small handful of

men and women who pushed this nation’s national

and moral conscience to a higher stage of evolution.

His dream was a dream of freedom for all Americans, not just African-

Americans, for all Americans must struggle to

free themselves from the shackles and the

limitations of a deeply racist culture.

When we honor Dr. King, we ultimately honor ourselves. How

better to express our

gratitude to

Dr. King than to remember him by honoring that for which he stood, and

by resolving

to implement his

teachings and his vision in our everyday

lives.        

We recognize the thousands of Americans who

fought and struggled in the movement of

which Dr. King became the symbol: the local leaders, the

college students, the boycott

leaders, the sit-in leaders, in essence, the entire non-violent

army that overwhelmed the conscience of this nation and demanded

change. Hence, when we commemorate Dr.

King, we commemorate not one individual, but many; we affirm

not just the importance

of an

individual, but the importance of the values for which he fought and

died.

In this context, we are

gravely concerned that two states–Montana, and New Hampshire–have

yet to celebrate this holiday.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the

Central Conference of American Rabbis calls upon

its rabbis and congregations to:

1. Call upon the governors and state legislators of

those states, that either have

not

passed or have rescinded observance of the Martin Luther King holiday,

to implement

or re-implement the

observance of this holiday as soon as possible.

2. Similarly, call upon governors and state

legislators of those states that may consider

rescinding their observance of this holiday not to

do so.

3. Refuse to hold national

or regional conventions in any state that either fails

to recognize Dr. King through a holiday, or

has chosen to rescind such a holiday.

4. Notify the state and local governments of these states as to

these positions.

Resolution Adopted by the CCAR

Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

Adopted by the 101st Annual

Convention of

the Central
Conference of American Rabbis

Seattle, Washington, June 1990

Background

The Reverend Martin

Luther King, Jr., played a unique role in shaping the modern

political,

cultural, and economic

history of the United States of America. In the brief 13 years

of his public life, he answered

violence with nonviolence, powerlessness with empowerment, injustice

with justice, ignorance and darkness with knowledge and light.

He became one of a small handful of

men and women who pushed this nation’s national

and moral conscience to a higher stage of evolution.

His dream was a dream of freedom for all Americans, not just African-

Americans, for all Americans must struggle to

free themselves from the shackles and the

limitations of a deeply racist culture.

When we honor Dr. King, we ultimately honor ourselves. How

better to express our

gratitude to

Dr. King than to remember him by honoring that for which he stood, and

by resolving

to implement his

teachings and his vision in our everyday

lives.        

We recognize the thousands of Americans who

fought and struggled in the movement of

which Dr. King became the symbol: the local leaders, the

college students, the boycott

leaders, the sit-in leaders, in essence, the entire non-violent

army that overwhelmed the conscience of this nation and demanded

change. Hence, when we commemorate Dr.

King, we commemorate not one individual, but many; we affirm

not just the importance

of an

individual, but the importance of the values for which he fought and

died.

In this context, we are

gravely concerned that two states–Montana, and New Hampshire–have

yet to celebrate this holiday.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the

Central Conference of American Rabbis calls upon

its rabbis and congregations to:

1. Call upon the governors and state legislators of

those states, that either have

not

passed or have rescinded observance of the Martin Luther King holiday,

to implement

or re-implement the

observance of this holiday as soon as possible.

2. Similarly, call upon governors and state

legislators of those states that may consider

rescinding their observance of this holiday not to

do so.

3. Refuse to hold national

or regional conventions in any state that either fails

to recognize Dr. King through a holiday, or

has chosen to rescind such a holiday.

4. Notify the state and local governments of these states as to

these positions.

Resolution Adopted by the

CCAR

Moscow Jewry and

Congregation Hineni

Adopted by the

101st Annual Convention of

the Central
Conference of American

Rabbis

Seattle, Washington, June 1990

WHEREAS the Central Conference of American Rabbis has passed

resolutions for many

years in

support of Soviet Jewry, and

WHEREAS 120 Moscow Jews have formed Congregation Hineni, the

first Reform Jewish community

in

that city’s history, and

WHEREAS

Congregation Hineni needs official recognition from the Soviet

government

in order to introduce

formally and legally Reform Judaism to other Soviet Jewish

communities, and

WHEREAS the World Union for Progressive Judaism is

helping to support Congregation

Hineni with cash donations, and

WHEREAS tens of thousands of Soviet Jews gather on Archpova

Street in front of the

Moscow

synagogue each year on Simchat Torah

many of whom would be very interested in

Congregation Hineni and in Reform Judaism,

THEREFORE. BE IT RESOLVED that the CCAR encourages

its members to visit Moscow and

the

members of Congregation Hineni.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the CCAR organize teams of rabbis

and lay people to go

to Moscow for

Simchat Torah in order to meet with Moscow Jewry on Archpova Street

and to inform them about Reform

Judaism and Congregation Hineni.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that CCAR members encourage their

congregations and organizations

to

make donations to Congregation Hineni to support their efforts and the

development

of Reform Judaism in

Moscow and other Soviet cities.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that CCAR members write letters to U.S.

and Soviet officials

to petition

for official recognition for Congregation Hineni and that they

encourage

their congregations and

organizations to do the same.

BE

IT FURTHER RESOLVED that CCAR members, their congregations and

organizations, continue

petitioning

for the release of the remaining 1,000 Soviet Jewish refuseniks, most

of whom live in Moscow.

 

Resolution

Adopted by the CCAR

Protection of Native American Remains

Adopted by the 101st Annual Convention of Central Conference of American Rabbis

Seattle, Washington, June, 1990

Background

As the Central Conference of American Rabbis has noted in past resolutions concerning the rights of native Americans(1973, 1979, 1982), the history of our nation’s relationship with Native Americans has been a troubled one.

A somewhat recent development, although one that is rooted in actions sanctioned by our government dating back to the 19th century, concerns the disturbance of unmarked Indian burial sites, the taking of human remains and/or burial goods from those graves for scientific inquiry or commercial exploitation, and the amassing of collections of Indian human remains in public and private institutions. These actions have occurred through the years largely due to a lack of protective legislation on either the state or federal level.

Moreover, persistent prejudice directed against Native Americans has created an atmosphere in which the remains of their dead are treated in ways that the majority of Americans would find extremely offensive were the remains of their ancestors so handled. It is a basic tenet of Native American religion that the spirits of the dead cannot be at rest if their human remains remain unburied or are disinterred. Thus, the issue takes on even greater significance, from a Church/State perspective, when we learn that the federal government defines as federal property, any human remains over 100 years old found on federal property…including Indian reservations. A sad legacy of U.S. government policy of the late 19th century is the collection of Indian remains held in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution, the vast majority of which are bones stacked in a storage room for decades. Attempts by some Native American tribes to reclaim the remains of their ancestors for reburial have met with very limited success. The scientific and archaeological communities stand in strong opposition to the idea of returning these remains to the tribes who claim them. State laws vary widely with respect to the protection afforded unmarked Indian burial sites and the trafficking in human remains that is often a consequence of grave-robbing.

To date, 19 states have passed legislation that affords varying degrees of protection to unmarked burial sites but few of these states have dealt with the difficult issue of Indian remains already held by museums and other institutions.

On the federal level, a number of pieces of legislation have been introduced in the past two years that address various parts of this problem. However, a comprehensive federal policy that addresses the protection of Indian burial sites and the return for proper burial of Indian remains held by institutions is yet to be enacted.

Jewish law and tradition are forthright in maintaining the importance of affording a proper burial for the dead and of guarding the integrity of that final resting place. Only in the rarest of circumstances is disinterment permitted and then only to facilitate reinterment in a safer location. The examples of our patriarchs and matriarchs serve as models in teaching us how to lovingly lay our dead to rest. Cognizant of the brutal manner in which millions of our people came to rest in unmarked graves and how many of their mortal remains were utilized for ghastly purposes by their Nazi murderers, Jews should be especially sensitive to the concerns of Native Americans about the reverence due the burial sites of their ancestral dead and the human remains that have been unearthed, collected, sold, and displayed for purposes of scientific inquiry and/or profit.

One Native American activist has raised the unsettling question of how we Jews would react were the German government to display, or withhold from burial, the remains of Holocaust victims because of their “scientific and historical” value. We would be justifiably outraged and so should we be over the same treatment dealt to Native Americans.

WHEREAS the dignity of all people is reflected in the manner in which they respect the living and the dead, and

WHEREAS Native American people maintain a traditional reverence for the proper interment of their dead, and

WHEREAS the remains of American Indians and associated artifacts are frequently located outside of recognized cemeteries and outside the boundaries of reservations and other Indian lands, and

WHEREAS such remains and artifacts are frequently disturbed or removed, either in the course of construction or excavation activity, as part of archaeological research, or for profit, and

WHEREAS it is an accepted tradition of respect that known graves and grave sites are to be left undisturbed, and criminal sanctions are normally imposed against those who disturb graves and grave sites, and

WHEREAS the same respect must also apply to the remains and burial sites of American Indians, even though they may be located outside of recognized cemeteries and outside the boundaries of reservations and other Indian lands, and

WHEREAS Jewish tradition affirms the importance of treating the dead with reverence and the need to preserve burial sites from harm or exploitation, and

WHEREAS the Central Conference of American Rabbis supports the rights of Native American peoples to achieve justice with respect to their religious, cultural, and treaty rights, and

WHEREAS the right of every people to follow its religious dictates in peace and security, free of government interference, is a principle enshrined in the Constitution of the United States,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the CCAR at its annual Convention in Seattle, Washington, June 1990, that:

1. We support the efforts of Native American peoples to achieve legislative protection for Indian burial sites and Indian remains.

2. We call upon members of the CCAR to work on both the state and federal levels to help secure legislation that will protect unmarked Indian burial sites and criminalize the traffic in human remains and burial goods illegally obtained.

3. We support legislative efforts to return to Native Americans for reburial Indian remains currently held in private and public institutions.

4. We affirm the importance of respecting the religious tenets and sensibilities of all peoples and call upon the federal government to respect at all times the principle of Church/State separation enshrined in the Constitution.

Resolution Adopted by the CCAR

The Women of the Wall

Adopted by the 101st Annual Convention of

the Central

Conference of American Rabbis

Seattle, Washington, June

1990

Background

“The Women of the Wall” is a religiously diverse group

composed of Israeli women and

other

Jewish women living in Israel. The group first started going to the

Western

Wall, the Kotel, in January

1989. The women sought to continue the practice begun

by participants in the first International

Conference of Jewish Feminists in Jerusalem,

who held the first women’s service. All ensuing

services have been in strict accordance

with Jewish law (Halacha

). The group’s chief purpose and objective was and

remains spiritual expression and

mutual support to help each member enhance her experience of

prayer at the holy

site.        

The prayer services have been the target of

ultra-Orthodox violence, which the Ministry

of Religion and the police have tolerated and, in

the former case, even rationalized.

Shocked by this collusion with violence, the Israeli group

initiated a lawsuit before the Supreme Court of Israel to assure the

right of Jewish women to group prayer,

in peace and dignity, at the Western Wall–something we thought

had been secured for

all Jews in

June 1967′. The International Committee for the Women of the Kotel,

Inc.

has recently initiated a

parallel, supporting suit. (The ICWK has regional branches

in New York, Philadelphia, California,

Sweden, and

Israel).        

This case promises to be a landmark in the

history of religious rights struggles in

Israel. It is the only case ever to be argued on behalf of the

religious rights of

Jewish women.

But the struggle is for all Jews, not only for women’s rights: it is

a struggle for human rights, Jewish

pluralism and the dignity of the State of

Israel.        

After receiving from the Court a seven-and-

one-half month delay in proceedings for

the stated purpose of promoting mutual understanding–during

which time the women

were barred

from wearing prayer shawls, reading from a Torah, or most recently

from

even raising their voices–the

State published (end of December 1989) its response to the

women’s suit: a new ruling by the Religion

Ministry prohibiting, on pain of imprisonment

and fines, any “unaccustomed religious ceremony

which offends the sensibilities of

worshipers regarding the (Holy Place.)” Framed explicitly to

bar the women from prayer,

this

arbitrary ruling institutionalizes what State religious authorities

have maintained

all along: that the

Western Wall is the preserve of the ultra-Orthodox, who may suffer or

prevent the worship of other Jews, not even according to the mandates

of

Halacha

. but at will. It rewards the violence by

protecting the “sensibilities” of those

who have thrown metal chairs, pushed, kicked, and bitten Jewish

women at prayer,

shrieking into

their ears as they prayed, while turning the women into criminals.

This outrageous, discriminatory

enactment should shame the Minister of Religion, Zevulun Hammer,

and the Minister of Justice, Dan

Meridor, who authorized and signed it.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the CCAR encourage its members

and their constituencies

to support

the Women of the Wall by writing to the Ministers of Religion and

Justice,

the Prime Minister, the

Chief rabbis, public figures, and President of Israel about

a. Bat mitzvah

ceremonies at the Wall–something

now forbidden;

b. Women having

the option of joining prayer groups at the Wall;

c. Women holding and reading a Sefer

Torah;

d. The impropriety of Jews barring other Jews from

praying at this holy place in peace

and dignity;

BE IT FURTHER

RESOLVED that the CCAR, its members, their organizations and

congregations

contribute, through

ARZA, KADIMA, and IRAC, to help pay for legal costs and for publicity

to take the women’s cause to the

Israeli public and to the Jews of the world.

Resolution Adopted by the CCAR

Violence Against Women

Adopted by the 101st Annual Convention of

the

Central
Conference of American Rabbis

Seattle, Washington,

June 1990

Background

Physical violence against women is not news. Throughout

history, women have been victimized

by acts of aggression predominantly attributable to men.

Although those acts have

a sexual

component, they are primarily expressions of anger and hatred.

Typically, both in terms of intent and consequences, these acts

constitute recognized crimes

including rape, date rape, assault and battery, sexual

harassment in the workplace,

and

domestic

violence.        

Societal institutions have been and

continue to be non-responsive to the victimization

of women. Few law enforcement agencies have

aggressive policies that enable them

to pursue the arrest and prosecution of men who commit these

violent crimes. Prosecutors exercise unrestricted discretion when

deciding whether to issue a warrant and on

what basis. Judges may be impacted by their own bias, which

holds the victim responsible

for

her own victimization.

THEREFORE,

the Central Conference of American Rabbis resolves to:

1. Heighten the awareness of the issue of

violence against women through education

programs within the congregations, drawing on the resources of

the UAHC, CCAR, NFTS,

NFTB, and

NFTY, incorporating such programs into religious schools, youth

groups,

and adult education;

2. Call for the development of

specific educational programs confronting date rapes;

3. Call for a plenary program at the

convention in 1991, as part of ongoing programs

on this subject;

4. Support and demand vigorous enforcement of existing laws

prohibiting all forms

of violence,

including domestic, against women and encourage legislative reforms

at the state, provincial, and local

level where necessary;

5.

Encourage local police departments, judges, prosecutors, and crown

attorneys to

attend training

courses sensitizing them to the issues of violence against women,

including the often misunderstood

seriousness of domestic violence;

6. Promote the formation of local programs to aid women who are

survivors of violence

and to

prevent future violence. Such programs include, but are not limited

to, shelters

for women and their

children, self-defense training, and behavior modification for

batterers;

7. Join the effort of

other groups to launch a massive campaign that will address

these issues.

Resolution Adopted

by the CCAR

Tibet

Adopted by the 101st Annual

Convention of

the Central
Conference of American Rabbis

Seattle, Washington, June 1990

Background

We are commanded not “to

stand idly by the blood of your neighbor,” to seek justice,

to free the prisoner. We have

suffered persecution, indignity, tyranny, genocide.

Thus we are responsive and sensitive to the plight

of our brothers and sisters of

Tibet who have suffered the loss of more than one sixth of

their population–l,200,000 killed.

over 6,000 monasteries and many other holy places destroyed,

and their most elementary

and

fundamental freedoms trampled by the invaders of the People’s

Republic of China. Recent discoveries have disclosed that these

occupiers have ravaged the environment,

with enormous loss of wildlife and disruption of the ecosystem.

Brutality abounds.

The Dalai Lama

has reached out to the Jewish community for advice and support.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the

Central Conference of American Rabbis call upon

the President of the United States to welcome the

Dalai Lama to the White House in

order to strengthen the hand of the Dalai Lama and to indicate

to the government

of the People’s

Republic of China that we are sincere in our condemnations of its

brutal oppression

of Tibet, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the

CCAR call upon the Congress of the United States to

invite the Dalai Lama to address it and testify

before it, and speedily pass HR#

4300 providing American visas for Tibetans, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we condemn the

People’s Republic of China for its arrogant

invasion of Tibet and its brutal oppression thereof,

its genocidal policy, its desecration

and destruction of holy places, its torture and unjustifiable

imprisonment of countless persons, including nuns, its violation of

the environment, its defilement

of

a holy nation, a peaceful people, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we commend the Nobel Committee for

conferring the Peace

Prize on the

Dalai Lama, who is truly a man of peace, committed to non-violence and

resistance on the highest level,

and to whom we reach out in friendship, solidarity,

and support.

BE

IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we further state our intent that the Dalai

Lama be invited

to address a

convention of the CCAR.