By Rabbi Jill Maderer

This week, Progressive Judaism celebrates a ground-breaking success of Jewish pluralism in Israel!  Since the inception of the modern State of Israel, the religious authority of the government has lain with the leadership of Orthodox Judaism.  The Israel Movement for Progresive Judaism and the Israeli Religious Action Center, won a precedent-setting case in the Israeli Supreme Court.  The ruling requires the State to provide equal funding for Reform and Conservative conversion classes.  The implications are tremendous: this is the first time the Court has declared that the government must fund non-Orthodox religious services in Israel.  The High Court’s statement inspires hope that someday, the Israeli government will recognize marriages by Reform Rabbis and will support religious freedom.

Read more  about the recent ruling.