Congregation Beth Israel is partnering with Shabbat San Diego again this year! As part of this special weekend, Rabbi Uri Regev will be coming to lead Torah Study and a Lunch & Learn after the morning service.

Saturday, October 24

• 8:30 a.m. – Morning Torah Study led by Rabbi Uri Regev
• 12 noon – Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Uri Regev

At the Lunch & Learn, Rabbi Uri Regev will speak on the topic: The New Government in Israel – Good/Bad News for Religious Freedom?

Israel’s identity as a “Jewish and Democratic State” has been the basis of numerous political debates, scholarly analysis, public discourse, legal disputes and much more. The debates during last spring’s elections often focused on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, the Palestinian reluctance to recognize Israel as a Jewish State and the governmental recent initiative to pass a Nation-State constitutional bill. In this session, Rabbi Regev will focus on a no less critical aspect of this equation, the conflict of religion and state and the challenges of religious freedom and equality. Those issues impact on almost all facets of Israeli life, from security to the economy, from “Who is a Jew” to marriage equality, from gender issues to education, from civil liberties to Israel-Diaspora relations, from Shabbat to Kashrut, etc. One cannot exaggerate the critical importance of these core questions of Israel’s identity in the shaping of its future and well-being.

The previous Israeli government was the first in many years that was not dependent on a coalition with the ultra-Orthodox parties. Because of this, it was able to partially advance a civil agenda in key areas. The elections in Israel in March brought about a narrow coalition government that depends on the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties, and the coalition’s agreements signed present a threat to the continuation of this path and to roll back much of the progress made in the last couple of years.

Rabbi Uri Regev is an internationally renowned leader and advocate of religious liberty in his native Israel and around the world. Rabbi Regev is President and CEO of the educational and advocacy Israel-Diaspora partnership, “Freedom of Religion for Israel” and of its Israeli counterpart, “Hiddush – For Freedom of Religion and Equality.” For seven years he served as president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, a global umbrella organization of the Progressive, Reform, Liberal and Reconstructionist movements, serving more than 1,200 congregations and communities in 42 countries on six continents.

Please RSVP below. This event is free.