CWJ’s community lecture initiative traveled north in late October, bringing facts about the unchecked power of Israel’s rabbinic courts to the community of Givat Ada, near Binyamina. The third lecture in CWJ’s 5775 Community Lecture Series took place at the home of Michael and Ruti Salomon, drawing participants from as far as Herzliyah and Zichron Yaakov. The topic:  ‘Agunot, Mamzerim and Adulteresses, and Other Good Reasons to Separate Religion and State in Israel.’

CWJ Director, Dr. Susan Weiss, laid out the issues compellingly, using CWJ client experiences to illustrate the current unjust reality in Israel.  Handouts with readings from religious court decisions, protocols and religious texts furnished background material for participants.

The audience, a cross-section of secular and traditional Israeli professionals, sat mesmerized throughout the hour-long talk. There were audible gasps and utterances of “lo ye’uman” (unbelievable) as the participants registered shock upon hearing the details of personal tragedies and humiliations that occur regularly as a result of the present status quo.  Most participants warmed to Weiss’s proposed solution: the separation of religion and State, and institution of civil marriage. A lively discussion followed the lecture.

Each gathering of this kind gives CWJ greater insights into the understandings and misconceptions held by the Israeli public regarding the entanglement of religion and State in the country. Reactions and questions from the audience guide us as we modify future lecture content to sharpen and clarify our message.   

Host Michael Salomon summed up the importance of CWJ’s lectures: “From all of us, we thank Dr. Attorney Susan Weiss, who opened a window on a reality that is probably not so familiar to most of us, but which has a decisive influence on our lives here in Israel.”

CWJ is extremely grateful to the following supporters whose direct assistance is ensuringthat our educational message reaches the Israeli public and builds momentum for change: The David Berg Foundation, Greater Miami Jewish Federation Women’s Amutot Initiative, Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta, Jewish Women’s Foundation of South Palm Beach County, the Miriam Fund and the Tikkun Olam Women’s Foundation of Greater Washington, as well as to donors whose general support provides a secure foundation for advancing this key project.