Spotlight on CLAL
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CLAL Rabbinic Students Convene at Ethics of Power and AIPAC Conferences
By Judy Epstein, Director of Public Affairs
Rabbis influence and play important leadership roles in Jewish communities across the country. Yet nowhere in their training do they receive the most basic education on such issues as the America-Israel relationship, the nexus between Jewish identity and political activism for Israel and other Jewish concerns, and the relationship between American Jewish identity and the exercise of political power. This happens despite the fact that surveys show that a majority of Jews today express their Jewish identity and values through a variety of ways including support for Israel and political activism. At present, no rabbinic school fills in this serious gap. But as the challenges in the Middle East continue, and the reality of Jews expressing themselves through the political process increases, the need for Jewish leadership - of which rabbis are a critical part - to be more knowledgeable about and committed to political activism has grown.
To help address the gap, CLAL has developed two programs with AIPAC, the pre-eminent pro-Israel lobby with whom CLAL has had a longstanding relationship. (In 2004, AIPAC bestowed its “Advocate of the Year” award to CLAL President Rabbi Irwin Kula.) The first, “The Ethics and Exercise of Political Power” (March 13-15, 2005), was designed to expose rabbinic students to how Jews as a minority express political strength, and to understand the relationship between American Jewish identity and the exercise of power. Joining Rabbis Kula and Tsvi Blanchard, Ph.D., CLAL’s Director of Organizational Development, were 23 rabbinic interns from all denominations, who attended the Washington, D.C. program.
Building on the success of last year’s AIPAC conference, to which CLAL brought a group of 18 rabbinic students, this year we convened a new model program conceived by CLAL with Jonathan Kessler, AIPAC’s Director of Leadership Development, to give participants a greater understanding of the modern political process and the Torah of power. Sessions were created in pluralist fashion, showing the group how the many streams and expressions of Judaism function collaboratively in our nation’s capital. Topics included “Torah, Power, and Politics,” “AIPAC, Access, and Influence,” “Toward a Jewish Ethic of Power,” and “Between Exodus and Sinai: Navigating the Jewish Political Landscape.”
The group also met with four senators, leading policy experts, and leaders from such key Jewish political organizations as AIPAC, the Orthodox Union (OU), the Religious Action Center (RAC), and Chabad to learn about the different perspectives of the movements and institutions. They saw how political power is used to further interests, and how these organizations function as lobbyists and advocates. From domestic to foreign policy issues, participants gained firsthand knowledge of how Jewish organizations position themselves, strategize, organize, and navigate the American political system.
The second program, also being coordinated with Jonathan Kessler and to take place May 22-24, 2005, is an AIPAC policy conference. CLAL will bring a group of fifty rabbinic students of all streams to Washington, D.C. Participants will observe firsthand the importance of political activism for Israel and will learn about the critical nature of the America-Israel relationship. They will learn about AIPAC’s role in strengthening the America-Israel relationship and developing more informed Jewish leaders around this key issue in contemporary American Jewish life. A special feature will be connecting young rabbinic students with the impressive cadre of AIPAC college leaders. This has the potential to begin to create an integrated next generation with a lifelong commitment to AIPAC and to a Jewishly conscious participation in the political process.
AIPAC recognizes the long-term strategic importance of having young rabbis be articulate advocates for the America-Israel alliance and knowledgeable of AIPAC’s role. Working with CLAL, a recognized leader in religious pluralism, it affirms that love and loyalty to the State of Israel can take many forms, and that CLAL has helped define a key aspect of Jewish political activism: the transition from Jewish powerlessness to empowerment.
“In a moment in which studies show diminishing connection to the State of Israel and decreased understanding for the need to maintain a strong relationship between the United States and Israel, educating rabbi who are on the frontline of reaching Jews is increasingly important,” said Rabbi Kula. “This is the first initiative to attempt to create a bridge between the religious synagogue culture and the culture of politics and power.
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