Forum on: "Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself: Civic Equality in Israel"

"He shall live with you in any place he may choose among the settlements in your midst, wherever he pleases; you must not ill-treat him." (Deut. 23:17)

Israel's Declaration of Independence states, the nation "will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture." Israel, being the only Jewish and democratic state in the world, faces unique challenges and questions of identity. If the engine of government is devoted to advancing the Jewish character of Israel, how can non-Jewish citizens be fully equal? What can and should Israel do to balance the need to promote Jewish identity and civic equality? Jewish tradition and our democratic beliefs charge us with the challenge of working towards greater civic equality in Israel. This session will explore the role that North American Jewry should play in affecting the health of Israel's democracy.

Sunday, March 6th at 3p.m.

The session will feature Rabbi Sid Schwarz, co-chair of the GWFIAI; Ruth Carmi, Director of the Israel Religious Action Center's Civic Equality Project and a New Israel Fund Law Fellow; and Rabbi Doug Kahn, director of the San Francisco Jewish Community Relations Council in San Francisco