Jewish Federation's General Assembly Attracts Jews from Across North America

Over 4000 Jews from North America and Israel gathered in Indianapolis, Indiana - a town best known for its Indy 500 race and for stealing the Colts from Baltimore - for the 66th General Assembly, the Council of Jewish Federations' annual gathering of Jewish lay and professional leadership. The Council of Jewish Federations supports and services the 174 individual Jewish Federations across North America and serves as their advocate in national and international affairs.

This year, for the first time in GA history, the program began with what can best be described as a Shabbaton. Although most delegates did not arrive until Sunday, Nov. 16, those who attended the Shabbat program had the opportunity to hear guest speak ers Rabbi Joseph Telushkin and Dennis Prager and to participate in a series of Beit-Midrash style text-study sessions. Five Friday night services were held: Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, and Carlebach (also Orthodox, but attracting people from all denominations).

Over the four-day period from Sunday to Wednesday, delegates could attend any of the hundreds of sessions and hear speakers ranging from Kirk Douglas to Rabbi, Dr. Abraham Twerski. No issue elicited as much emotion as the Israeli Conversion Bill. Acc ording to the bill submitted to the Knesset by the Orthodox Shas Party, only Orthodox conversions to Judaism would be considered conversions according to Israeli law. Although non-Orthodox conversions outside of Israel would continue to be accepted for Law of Return purposes, the bill has outraged Israeli and North American Jews affiliated with the non-Orthodox denominations. A committee led by Minister Yaakov Neeman, consisting of Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform representatives, was formed four months ago in an attempt to forge an understanding between the different movements.

On Sunday night, before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the delegates, a small unsigned note was passed around: "Dear Delegate: The whole world is watching. Respect for the prime minister does not require more than applause at the beginning and end of his remarks. If you share our distress regarding his policies on religious pluralism and/or the peace process, please do not respond in a manner that might confuse respect for the office with endorsement of the policies." The crowd receive d Netanyahu politely but not enthusiastically. His speech was replete with risk-free, polite applause-garnering statements like "every Jew is a legitimate Jew" and "we are all brothers and sisters." However, many observers felt that Mr. Netanyahu did not say anything concrete regarding the pluralism issue.

A Tuesday morning forum on Jewish unity featured the leaders of the Conservative, Orthodox, and Reform movements' Rabbinical associations. Rabbi Jerome Epstein of the United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism struck a conciliatory tone: "If the Neeman Commission doesn't solve the problem, we should use our combined strength to achieve a consensus…We've got to stop bashing each other; I'm pained when my colleagues bash the Orthodox." Union of American Hebrew Congregations' Rabbi Eric Yoffie, sharply critical of Mr. Neeman, was more strident: "Reform will not wait indefinitely [to take legal action on the status of non-Orthodox conversions] because that is endorsement of the status quo." He also sharply criticized the Sephardic Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Bakshi-Doron, for agreeing to meet with Hamas' "serious religious leaders" - but not with Reform movement leaders whom the Chief Rabbi characterized as "letzanim."

In an emotional speech, Rabbi Jacob Rubinstein of the Rabbinical Council of America called non-Orthodox Jews his brothers and sisters: "By my soul, I love my brother and sister who disagree with my mother and father. By my soul, I can't betray my mother and father." Rabbi Rubinstein continued, "I spend more time with non-Orthodox Rabbis than these Rabbis (pointing to Rabbis Yoffie and Epstein) spend with Orthodox Rabbis." Rabbi Epstein later pointed out that Conservative Rabbis rarely meet with Orthodox Rabbis, because Orthodox Rabbis are largely not interested in meeting with their non-Orthodox counterparts. After the forum, Rabbi Ehud Bandel of the Israeli Masorti (Conservative) movement remarked, "If Orthodox Rabbis in Israel were like Rabbi Rubinstein the situation in Israel would be much better."

What did Yaakov Neeman, the man charged with working out an agreement acceptable to all denominations, have to say? In a heartfelt, sermon-like speech citing freely from rabbinical sources he repeatedly stressed that internal peace is the sine qua non for making peace with others. Mr. Neeman concluded by citing Rashi on Leviticus 26:6: "If there is no peace there is nothing."

-Although many of the formal GA sessions dealt with Jewish unity, the most important and meaningful such "sessions" I attended were not planned. They were held over lunch, over dinner or late at night in informal conversations between committed, involved and active Jews. The relatively minuscule number of Orthodox GA participants meant that few of these conversations included Orthodox Jews' perspectives.

-When the winless Indianapolis Colts kicked a field goal as time ran out in the fourth quarter to defeat the defending champion Green Bay Packers 41-38 - the city of Indianapolis rejoiced and was glad.

-"Od lo ovdo sikvoseynu, hatikvo bas shenos alpoyim." Sound familiar? In a bizarre story the mainstream media somehow failed to pick up, the Singing Hoosiers, presenting a musical prelude to P.M. Netanyahu's keynote address, sang the Israeli national anthem with Ashkenazic pronunciation. Attempts to reach Dr. Michael Schwartzkopf, director of the Hoosiers, were unsuccessful.