This week, the Israeli Knesset approved the first phase of judicial reform, striking down the “reasonableness standard.”
Rather than offering an opinion or issuing a statement like many other Jewish organizations, I turn to our partners at OpenDor Media to help us understand (without judgment) what is happening.
OpenDor Media Executive Vice President, Dr. Noam Weissman, leads educational vision and implementation, with a special focus on the development of meaningful content and resources, for students and educators. On Wednesday, Noam wrote the following:
“I am not stepping into the debate about whether judicial reforms are necessary now. I am not here to debate the merits or demerits of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. I am not here to share my thoughts on the specific elements of the judicial reforms. I am here wondering if today, on the eve of Tisha B’av, the Jewish people have forgotten our history.
“I firmly believe we can never allow ourselves to forget history, to ignore the challenges of infighting. The Jewish people are not built to deal with civil war. The Jewish people's greatest strength is its commitment to Areivut, to being each other's guarantors.”
Noam went on to quote Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, who said that “there is a general principle for the Jewish people: Difference of opinions is permitted. But having different hearts is prohibited.”
Please take the seven minutes to watch Noam’s video: