Central Conference of American Rabbis and the Union for Reform Judaism: We Are Heartened That Israel Has A New Government

April 20, 2020

The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) issued this statement following today’s announcement of an agreement to form Israel’s new government:

On this eve of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day – and during an unprecedented global pandemic – we are heartened that Israel has a new government. We wish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and MK Benny Gantz success in dealing with the coronavirus crisis and offer our partnership toward a better future for all.

Now is a time for healing in every way. We hope that this new government will work to nurture understanding and dialogue between all sectors of Israeli society, including Israel’s Arab citizens, and between the streams and communities of the Jewish people in Israel and throughout the world.

Furthermore we hope that the new government will protect the independence of all of Israel’s vital democratic institutions, especially the Supreme Court. Israel’s security rests on its standing as a democracy in the region and the world.

We also call on this new government to refrain from unilateral actions that could potentially hinder or thwart the renewal of the peace process in the short and long term, especially unilateral annexation.

This is an extraordinary time in the life of Israel and the world. As the largest Jewish movement in North America, a week before we celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut, 72 years of Israel’s independence, we pray that all citizens of Israel will achieve health, prosperity, security, and equality under the leadership of the new government.

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President
Jennifer Brodkey Kaufman, Chair
Union for Reform Judaism

Rabbi Ron Segal, President
Rabbi Hara Person, Chief Executive
Central Conference of American Rabbis