Another sort of conference took place in Herzliyah last week. Instead of the security and strategy discussions that usually take place, the spiritual future of the Jewish people was discussed.
The conference was attended by the Orthodox Union’s Lev Yehudi and ten other religious Zionist outreach organizations. The organizations declared their mission: “The transformation of the entire people of Israel by connecting them to our Father in Heaven in a more meaningful way. The manifestation of that connection will result in a deeper appreciation of the land of Israel, a closer sense of tradition, faith in our history and our religious values and an intense love and respect for Jews throughout the world.”
The methodology of the organizations led by Lev Yehudi is to “teach Judaism through love, to create a platform for self-exploration and self-actualization in a religious framework.” The organization seeks to create the infrastructure for religious exploration for adults and their children alike. The chosen method has been setting up a ‘bayit yehudi,’ literally a “Jewish House,” but practically a center for cultural, religious and social Judaism with an accent on mutual respect and love in communities across Israel.
Joining Forces
While Lev Yehudi is active in ten cities along the coastal plain, several other organizations are engaging in the effort, albeit with differing strategies and emphasis: Kommemiyut, Nehora, Rosh Yehudi, Bayit Yehudi and Chavruta are some of the names of the sister organizations. For some, it is a coffee house/beit midrash (study hall) in the heart of Tel Aviv, for others a weekly periodical for the secular world followed up with private learning, yet others focus on creating a supplementary Jewish experience for students attending public schools. The organizations are all working without cohesiveness, coordination of joint resources. The main goal of the Herzliyah conference was to bring the organizations around one table.
Backing the efforts are rabbinic figures such as former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, Rabbi Stavsky, Tzfat Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu and Ramat Gan Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Yehoshua Shapira, who attended the Herzeliyah conference.
The two-day conference began with an introduction by Rabbi Shapira as well as opening remarks by representatives of each organization present. Lev Yehudi Director Netanel Simantov gave a comprehensive presentation on the successful outreach movements active in Israel today. The group expressed a consensus view that in order to increase the activities of the religious Zionist outreach movement, they would have to learn from other programs, analyze what was lacking in their community and come up with a plan to take the movement from the periphery to the center of the national consciousness.
One of the panel discussions consisted of four representatives of the most successful Hareidi-religious outreach organizations in Israel: Chabad, Breslov, Arachim and Hidabrut. All the movements sent representatives to speak candidly about their experiences, the challenges they face and their successes in the field of outreach. Participants expressed satisfaction with the fact that although the outlooks of the Hareidi-religious movements may differ from that of the conference participants, the mission remains the same: to expand Torah knowledge and appreciation of Jewish heritage.
Difficult Questions
The conference members dealt with difficult questions: Why has the religious Zionist movement not seen outreach as a priority in the past? What does it take to bring their specific vision of Torah with love and openness to the greater Israeli community? Who are our spiritual and practical leaders in this movement? How do they raise the proper funds to open the floodgates and influence the masses? Answers were
Final Thoughts
Rabbi Shapira delivered the concluding remarks. “There is much work to be done and many beginnings are difficult,” he said, but assured those present that they were continuing the work started by Abraham – spreading awareness of G-d’s love.
The next meeting will take place in a few months with each organization doing its “homework” in attempting to answer the challenges presented on an individual level and as part of the new initiative.