Dear Friends,
This week when we open the reading of the Book of Leviticus in the Torah, which outwardly describes the sacrifices to be offered in the ancient Temple, inwardly offers a peek at those who devote themselves to service as priests of the people. Thus, today I bring you the message from Orly Erez-Likhovsky, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center, IRAC – the Israeli Reform Movement’s social Justice arm.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
This week when we open the reading of the Book of Leviticus in the Torah, which outwardly describes the sacrifices to be offered in the ancient Temple, inwardly offers a peek at those who devote themselves to service as priests of the people. Thus, today I bring you the message from Orly Erez-Likhovsky, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center, IRAC – the Israeli Reform Movement’s social Justice arm.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
Friends,
This has been a frightening week - for so many, here in Israel and in North America. The violence of this war continues to claim lives. Here at home, an elderly couple was killed in their apartment in Ramat Gan by a missile strike. In a Palestinian village near Hebron, women preparing for Eid al-Fitr were killed while simply getting ready for the holiday. In their communities, unlike nearby Jewish settlements, warning sirens and adequate protection are not consistently provided. They, too, became victims of a war whose end is not in sight.
At the same time, Jewish communities in North America are facing growing fear and insecurity. We are all living in a moment shaped by uncertainty and threat. For many minority communities in Israel - particularly Palestinian citizens of Israel and other marginalized groups - the dangers of war intersect with longstanding inequalities: a systemic lack of adequate shelter and emergency services, rising social tensions, and a surge of racism that has moved from the margins into the mainstream.
These realities are not separate from the broader struggle for democracy. Confronting racism and protecting minority rights is not secondary—it is essential to safeguarding human dignity, especially in times of crisis.
In recent weeks, we have been living in survival mode—our lives under threat. We know that many of you in North America and around the world are also experiencing fear and uncertainty. This reality cannot prevent us from holding onto our vision of a better
society.
We want to protect our lives so that we can live here in safety - and also in a society that is equal and just. That is why it is so important that everyone here feels not only safe but equal - that no one is treated differently because of who they are.
The struggle against racism is always critical—but especially in moments like this.
Consider the work of Samah Darwish, director of IRAC’s Racism Crisis Center, and Yolanda Savage-Narva, Vice President for Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the Union for Reform Judaism. Samah describes this as one of the most complex periods Israeli society has faced. Social tensions are at an all-time high. Racist incidents are increasing in workplaces, universities, and public spaces. Fear and trauma push people inward, making it harder to see one another as neighbors—and easier to see each other as threats. This means that our struggle against racism has become more important than ever before.
Yolanda brings a critical perspective from North America, where Jewish communities are grappling with questions of belonging, identity, and solidarity in the face of rising polarization - and at a time when many Jews in America are asking what safety, solidarity, and shared responsibility really mean.
The times are challenging, and yet there are reasons for hope. Small victories matter: a student who receives justice after facing discrimination; Arab students choosing to volunteer within IRAC’s RCC to fight racism together; encounters that break down stereotypes and build trust between people who might otherwise never meet.
These moments remind us that the strength of a democratic society is measured by how it treats its minorities—and by whether people are willing to stand up, together, for equality, even when it is difficult.
At a time when fear and polarization are rising across societies, these conversations are more urgent than ever. Because building a more just and pluralistic future requires more than awareness. It requires action.
Sincerely,
Orly Erez-Likhovski
This has been a frightening week - for so many, here in Israel and in North America. The violence of this war continues to claim lives. Here at home, an elderly couple was killed in their apartment in Ramat Gan by a missile strike. In a Palestinian village near Hebron, women preparing for Eid al-Fitr were killed while simply getting ready for the holiday. In their communities, unlike nearby Jewish settlements, warning sirens and adequate protection are not consistently provided. They, too, became victims of a war whose end is not in sight.
At the same time, Jewish communities in North America are facing growing fear and insecurity. We are all living in a moment shaped by uncertainty and threat. For many minority communities in Israel - particularly Palestinian citizens of Israel and other marginalized groups - the dangers of war intersect with longstanding inequalities: a systemic lack of adequate shelter and emergency services, rising social tensions, and a surge of racism that has moved from the margins into the mainstream.
These realities are not separate from the broader struggle for democracy. Confronting racism and protecting minority rights is not secondary—it is essential to safeguarding human dignity, especially in times of crisis.
In recent weeks, we have been living in survival mode—our lives under threat. We know that many of you in North America and around the world are also experiencing fear and uncertainty. This reality cannot prevent us from holding onto our vision of a better
society.
We want to protect our lives so that we can live here in safety - and also in a society that is equal and just. That is why it is so important that everyone here feels not only safe but equal - that no one is treated differently because of who they are.
The struggle against racism is always critical—but especially in moments like this.
Consider the work of Samah Darwish, director of IRAC’s Racism Crisis Center, and Yolanda Savage-Narva, Vice President for Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the Union for Reform Judaism. Samah describes this as one of the most complex periods Israeli society has faced. Social tensions are at an all-time high. Racist incidents are increasing in workplaces, universities, and public spaces. Fear and trauma push people inward, making it harder to see one another as neighbors—and easier to see each other as threats. This means that our struggle against racism has become more important than ever before.
Yolanda brings a critical perspective from North America, where Jewish communities are grappling with questions of belonging, identity, and solidarity in the face of rising polarization - and at a time when many Jews in America are asking what safety, solidarity, and shared responsibility really mean.
The times are challenging, and yet there are reasons for hope. Small victories matter: a student who receives justice after facing discrimination; Arab students choosing to volunteer within IRAC’s RCC to fight racism together; encounters that break down stereotypes and build trust between people who might otherwise never meet.
These moments remind us that the strength of a democratic society is measured by how it treats its minorities—and by whether people are willing to stand up, together, for equality, even when it is difficult.
At a time when fear and polarization are rising across societies, these conversations are more urgent than ever. Because building a more just and pluralistic future requires more than awareness. It requires action.
Sincerely,
Orly Erez-Likhovski
