Shabbat Shalom ~ Toldot 2025

Shalom WJC Family,

This week’s Torah portion is called Toldot – literally, “generations.” It is sometimes overwhelming to think about the generational connections that come with being Jewish. Of course, there are the immediate connections to parents and grandparents, or teachers, rabbis, and spiritual guides, but then there is this 3,500 year old connection to the ancestors we read about in the Book of Genesis and all the intervening cohorts. Like all enormous ideas and numbers, it can be hard to fathom.

To help those important connections feel real, I recommend you check out the beautiful exhibition “Jewish Worlds Illuminated,” at the Grolier Club, 47 East 60th St., through December 27th. The exhibit features Jewish books on loan from the library of the Jewish Theological Seminary. The 120 works come from around the world and span 2000 years of Jewish history. It only takes 45-90 minutes to take it all in (depending on your gallery perusing style) and afterwards, I couldn’t help but feel a little more connected to Jews around the world and throughout history, not to mention appreciative of the diversity of culture and craft based on where Jews were living at a given time. I hope you get a chance to see it and please let me know your thoughts afterwards.

 

Speaking of Jews around the world, you may recall that earlier in the year we made a big push for folks to vote in the World Zionist Congress election (thank you to Linda Alpert and Marc Karell for leading that effort). The effort was important for influencing how more than a billion dollars of world donations to Israel is spent. We encouraged you to vote for the Mercaz party, the party of Conservative Jews worldwide. Well, based on that election, the Congress convened about a month ago and now there is finally an agreement on funding. As Yizhar Hess, Vice Chairman of the World Zionist Organization reports it, “Mercaz’s representatives and their teams played not just a leading role, but perhaps the central role in securing a broad agreement that unifies the Jewish people and enables these institutions to advance their important work at this pivotal moment for Israel and the Jewish people.”

He reports the following important accomplishments:

• A 50% increase in funding allocation to streams including Conservative and Reform institutions and their programs that will benefit our communities both in Israel and worldwide.
• ⁠Increased funding for MERCAZ’s Zionist and Israel education programming.
• Expanded Conservative/Masorti representation on various boards and decision making bodies that will make funding allocation and policy decisions over the next five years – a result of our 15% increase in representation in the Congress.
• Relative to the previous term, MERCAZ and our pluralistic and liberal partners now hold more of the senior positions at the national institutions. In the last term, both top positions (KKL Chair and WZO Chair) were held by the right-wing/ultra-Orthodox bloc. In this term, the pluralistic/liberal bloc will hold half. Yair Netanyahu will NOT hold any position that requires political approval of any kind at the national institutions.
• Extremist allies of Itamar Ben Gvir are not included in the agreement and have been marginalized at the national institutions.
• Expanded authority for the WZO Vice Chair (MERCAZ’s senior position in the institutions) and his office, enabling our team to further advance our work and values in the institutions. 
• Passed resolutions by wide margins putting the Jewish people on record in favor of an equal draft law in Israel, the formation of an apolitical and impartial State Commission of Inquiry into October 7th, and equal treatment and infrastructure at the Egalitarian Kotel.

So, I just want to say thank you for voting, on behalf of the movement and proud Zionists everywhere, who want to ensure that Israel continues to reflect our core values like pluralism and democracy.  Your vote mattered and I hope you feel good about what has been accomplished.

There are more opportunities to feel good about being Jewish at shul this Shabbat – lots of opportunities to pray and learn together – check out the schedule – and an auf ruf and bnai mitzvah to celebrate! And then, of course, it is Thanksgiving week! I will not be sending a personal message or video in next Friday’s email – so let me wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and send blessings for many things to feel thankful for.

See you in shul,

RJA