Rabbi David Ellenson

Members of the American Jewish community have long pushed for better enforcement of the Israeli laws guaranteeing equal rights for its Arab citizens. But this month, the Jewish movement for Arab-Israeli rights went mainstream, as leaders of America’s largest branch of Judaism unanimously endorsed a “Resolution on Israeli Arab Citizens.”

The Union for Reform Judaism proudly issued the declaration at its Biennial Conference in Toronto. Among its major points, the Resolution on Israeli Arab Citizens asserts:

THEREFORE, the Union for Reform Judaism resolves to:

1. Recognize Israel’s repeated commitment and efforts to address inequality among Jewish and Arab citizens, reflecting the principles in its Declaration of Independence.

2. Encourage the Israeli government in its efforts to implement its Or Commission recommendations to reduce the gaps between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel in all areas of life, including but not limited to education, housing, industrial development, employment, and services….

The resolution did come with its share of external critics. But as Rabbi Dr. David Ellenson, President of Hebrew Union College, aptly put it in an interview with the Jewish Telegraph Agency, “In general, I think that people who are treated with respect and dignity tend to respond to those who treat them this way.”

The Union for Reform Judaism’s resolution will significantly increase pressure on the Israeli government to enforce the standards it legislates and live up to the Biblical mandate to respect minorities: “for you were strangers in the Land of Egypt.” Let us hope that the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and Orthodox Union have the courage to follow suit.