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Urging Jewish Unity in the New Year, CLAL Challenges Rabbis to Call Colleagues in Branches Other than Their Own Before the Holiday

By Judy Epstein, Director of Public Affairs

As a mark of building bridges within the Jewish community, CLAL--The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership has issued a New Year's challenge to rabbis in North America--call a rabbi from a different branch of Judaism than your own and wish them a good year. The challenge, directed to all rabbinic denominations, is intended to generate goodwill and set a positive tone for the upcoming year.

"Right now our community is fractured," said Rabbi Daniel Brenner, director of CLAL's National Jewish Resource Center. "As Jews have reached a level of acceptance in society, external fears are no longer the ties that bind us. The result is that the conflicts now are more internal. Clearly, we are not going to resolve our differences with a single phone call from rabbis--but their action will help generate a first step towards achieving an environment of tolerance."

In addition to the rabbinic challenge, CLAL has developed a new High Holiday resource card to stimulate conversation and thought on the unity and harmony of a multi-voiced Jewish community. It offers provoking questions on how to encourage pluralism and compassion in a diverse Jewish community preparing for a new era.

"This past year we've seen increased tensions between Orthodox and Liberal Jews in America, and bitter in-fighting in Israel over such issues as women's prayer at the Western Wall and funding religious education," said Rabbi Brenner. "As we enter the New Year when forgiveness is on our minds, there is no better time to renew our sense of unity and commitment to thinking sensitively and creatively on issues that threaten to split us apart."

The High Holiday resource card offers inspirational meditations on the value of living in a Jewish world of multiple voices and opinions. Citing traditional Jewish text, the card offers advice for resolving conflict and extending goodwill. It also considers the future of the Jewish people-in light of our differences, similarities, values and commitments.

To receive CLAL's High Holiday resource card, contact CLAL at 212-779-3300, or visit CLAL's web site at www.clal.org.

The CLAL National Jewish Resource Center develops new practices and understandings of ancient tradition through innovative publications, recordings and educational material. The resource cards, addressing secular and Jewish celebrations, explore modern Jewish life and connection to sacred inherited wisdom. Programs include the National Unity Shavuot, a pluralist Torah study event held in cities throughout the United States.