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Task Force on Gender Equality in Israel

Let My People Wed: Promoting Freedom to Marry in Israel

Women’s League was invited to participate in the National Council for Jewish Women’s (NCJW) Task Force on Gender Equality in Israel. The following is a report from Sandy Blumenthal, a member of the Women’s League Israel Team.

October 9, 2015

Speaker:  Shira Ben Sasson Furstenberg, Director of iRep, Jewish Federations of North America’s Israel Religious Freedom Platform

The Federation is taking on the issue of religious pluralism in Israel, especially the freedom to marry outside the chief rabbinate’s involvement, and moving forward with it. At the first meeting of the committee they identified strategies and moved to allocate grant funds to specific groups. This information will be announced shortly.

The initial focus of the task force will be on creating public awareness of the issue.  The goal is to create a grassroots effort to get Jewish pluralism to be the number three issue in Israel – right behind security and economics.

Currently it is not a conversation among average Israeli citizens.  Shira feels that world Jewry will need to push Israel on the subject. She called on the organizations of the Task Force to create a buzz, by first educating our members to talk about it with family and friends. Secondly, to support organizations working to promote change.

Click here for the power point that Shira used to provide data to support her talk.